Supreme Court Rejects PIL for Preamble Recitation in Schools: “Already Taught In Schools From Class 6”

New Delhi, 6th October 2026: The Supreme Court on Tuesday, 6th October, dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions to make the daily recitation of the Constitution’s Preamble mandatory during morning assemblies in schools across the country.

A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and Augustine George Masih rejected the plea, observing that the Preamble is already part of the school curriculum and is taught to students from Class 6 onwards.

The petition was filed by Dheeraj Kumar, an Assistant Professor at Delhi University’s Rajdhani College. He had sought directions to the Union Ministry of Education and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to formulate a nationwide policy for the daily recitation of the Preamble during school assemblies.

The petitioner argued that regular collective recitation could help familiarise students with constitutional values, including justice, liberty, equality and fraternity, from an early age. The plea referred to Article 21A, which provides for the right to education, and Article 51A, which lists fundamental duties.

The petition also cited measures taken by Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Karnataka, where schools had previously been directed to include Preamble recitation in morning assemblies. It further referred to a May 2025 CBSE circular encouraging schools to conduct daily positive affirmations during assemblies.

However, the Supreme Court declined to entertain the plea, with the bench noting that the Preamble is already taught as part of the school curriculum from Class 6.