Supreme Court: Yoga isn't a fundamental right
Although yoga has been deemed as an integral part of the curriculum of 'Health and Physical Education', the Supreme Court, while replying to a plea, said it can't decide what the educational institutes should teach. The SC said it was up to the government to take a decision. It further added that yoga isn't a fundamental right under the Right to Education Act.
What did the plea say?
Petitioners, Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay and JC Seth had appealed to the HRD Ministry, NCERT, NCTE and CBSE to provide standard textbooks of 'yoga and health education' for students of classes 1-8. The plea stated that in a welfare state, it's the obligation of the government to ensure a citizen's good health, adding that right to health cannot be achieved without yoga.
What did the government say?
In an affidavit, the government said that the Right to Education Act does not specifically mention yoga. The Centre further said it can't be concluded that "yoga education has become an enforceable fundamental right."
