October 6, 2026: The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a public interest litigation seeking a nationwide policy making the daily recitation of the Preamble to the Constitution mandatory during morning assemblies in schools.
A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and Augustine George Masih refused to entertain the plea, observing that the Preamble is already part of the foundational school curriculum and is taught to students across the country from Class 6 onwards, Bar & Bench reports.
What The Petition Sought
The PIL was filed by Dheeraj Kumar, an assistant professor at Rajdhani College, Delhi University, through Advocate-on-Record Rohit Kumar. Kumar sought a writ of mandamus directing the Union Ministry of Education and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to formulate a nationwide policy aimed at promoting constitutional literacy among school students.
The petition argued that regular and collective engagement with the Preamble, similar to the rendition of the National Anthem during morning prayers, could help instil the values of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity among children from an early age.
Right To Education Cited
According to the plea, such a practice would further the fundamental right to education under Article 21A of the Constitution as well as the fundamental duties under Article 51A(a).
To support its case, the petition relied on circulars issued by the governments of Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Karnataka. These states had previously directed state-run and affiliated schools to have students recite the Preamble during morning assemblies.
CBSE Circular Also Highlighted
The petition also referred to a May 2025 circular issued by the CBSE encouraging daily positive affirmations during school assemblies. It contended that recitation of the Preamble represented the “ultimate affirmation of civic consciousness”.
The Supreme Court, however, was not persuaded that a judicial direction for a nationwide policy was necessary, given that students already encounter the Preamble as part of their school education.
Why The Ruling Matters
The case raised a broader question about how constitutional values should be introduced to children and whether courts should direct educational authorities to adopt a uniform daily practice across the country.
While the petition sought to turn the Preamble into a regular part of morning assemblies, the Court’s refusal to entertain it suggests that teaching constitutional principles through the existing curriculum remains an adequate approach in its view. The decision also leaves educational authorities and governments to determine whether additional practices such as daily recitation are required.
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The ruling does not diminish the importance of constitutional literacy. Instead, it underlines the distinction between promoting constitutional values in schools and requiring a particular method of doing so through a court-mandated national policy.
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