15th April 2021 the Orissa High Court in Hindi Teachers Association vs State and ors. —W.P. (C) No.13221 of 2013 — directed the Board of Secondary Education (BSE), Odisha to consider a resolution plea to mandate students opting for Sanskrit to write the Sanskrit paper in Devanagari script and Sanskrit language instead of Odia script and Odia language.

The Board of Secondary Education (BSE), Odisha, grants extra advantage to students who have opted for Sanskrit as their 3rdlanguage while allowing them to write their paper in Odia script and language which is also their first language — Mother Tongue. However, students opting for Hindi were required to write the Hindi paper in the Dev nagiri script and Hindi language.

The petitioner, Hindi Teachers’ Association, Odisha, filed a representation before the BSE citing the discrimination. Failing response, subsequently, on 17th June 2013, a writ petition was filed before the Orissa High Court seeking :resolution for writing the Sanskrit paper in Devanagari script and Sanskrit language instead of Oriya script and Oriya language, so that no extra advantage is gained by the students opting for Sanskrit over the student opting for Hindi.

A Single Judge Bench of Justice Dr. B R Sarangi, studying the matter directed the Board of Secondary Education, Odisha to:

consider the petitioner’s representation and to pass appropriate order in accordance with law within a period of three months from the date of production of certified/ authenticated copy of this order by the petitioner”.

The Court also stated that given the COVID-19 pandemic situation, a soft copy of the order would be considered at par with a certified copy.

Ankitha Subramanya | Research Intern | EduLegaL

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Orissa High Court in Hindi Teachers Association vs State and ors. directed the Board of Secondary Education (BSE), Odisha to consider a resolution plea to mandate students opting for Sanskrit to write the Sanskrit paper in Devanagari script and Sanskrit language instead of Odia script and Odia language.