Chhattisgarh HC Dismisses Plea against Saraswati Vandana Directive, Says No Coercion Involved

Bilaspur: The Chhattisgarh High Court has dismissed a petition challenging the state government’s directive introducing the recitation of Saraswati Vandana and Gayatri Mantra in government schools, observing that the order does not contain any mandatory or coercive provision requiring students to act against their religious beliefs.

A single bench of Justice Amitendra Kishore Prasad, in its July 2 judgment, termed the petition premature while recording the state government’s submission that the June 12 circular had not yet been implemented in government schools.

The petition had challenged the constitutional validity of the School Education Department’s directive, arguing that the inclusion of Saraswati Vandana and Gayatri Mantra in school assemblies amounted to religious instruction in state-run educational institutions and violated the principles of secularism and fundamental rights.