Karnataka Court Dismisses PIL on Hindi Language in Exams

The Karnataka High Court has dismissed a public interest litigation challenging a newspaper report about the state education minister's alleged plan to eliminate marks for Hindi as a third language in SSLC examinations. The division bench, comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Poonacha, imposed a hefty fine of Rs 1 lakh on the petitioners from Bengaluru Rural district.

The petitioners claimed the minister's statement suggested implementing a *two-language formula* that would make Hindi non-compulsory with no marks awarded. They argued this would adversely affect students who had just completed their SSLC examinations.

However, the court found the petition to be motivated by publicity rather than public interest. When the petitioners' counsel misrepresented the newspaper statement's content, the bench doubled the initial fine from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh, payable to the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority. The court noted that the actual statement did not suggest removing Hindi as claimed.