The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea seeking to frame a national yoga policy and making the practice compulsory for students of classes 1-8 across the country, Press Trust of India reported. The apex court bench headed by Justice MB Lokur observed it is for the government to take a decision on such issue. “We are nobody to say what is to be taught in schools. It is none of our business. How can we direct that,” the bench said. Quashing the plea, filed by Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, a lawyer and Delhi BJP spokesperson and JC Seth, the court said it was not possible for it to grant the relief as sought by petitioners, “What is to be taught in schools is not a fundamental right,” it said.
In his plea, the BJP leader had sought a direction to the Ministry of Human Resources Development, NCERT, NCTE and CBSE to “provide standard textbooks of ‘yoga and health education’ for students of Class 1-8 keeping in spirit various fundamental rights such as right to life, education and equality.” The plea was filed last year and the court had asked the Centre to treat the petition as a representation and take a decision. The plea had said, “State has an obligation to provide health facilities to all the citizens, especially to children and adolescents. In a welfare state, it is the obligation of the State to ensure the creation and sustenance of conditions congenial to good health.”
In the plea, the petitioners had argued that right to health cannot be secured without providing ‘yoga and health education’ to all children or framing a ‘national yoga policy’ to promote and propagate it.