SC asks Centre to take decision on framing national yoga policy

The apex court asked the Centre to take a decision within three months on pleas seeking framing of a national yoga policy

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre to take a decision within three months on pleas seeking framing of a national yoga policy and making yoga compulsory for students of Class I-VIII across the country.

A bench headed by MB Lokur asked the Centre to treat the petitions filed on the issue as a representation and take a decision.

The court was hearing the pleas filed by Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, a lawyer and Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson and JC Seth on the issue.

Upadhyay has sought a direction to the Ministry of Human Resources Development, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to "provide standard textbooks of 'yoga and health education' for students of Class I-VIII keeping in spirit various fundamental rights such as right to life, education and equality". 

'Right to health' is an integral part of right to life under the Article 21, it said, noting that it includes protection of health and is a minimum requirement to enable a person to live with human dignity.

"State has an obligation to provide health facilities to all the citizens, especially to children and adolescents. In a welfare state, it is obligation of the State to ensure the creation and sustenance of conditions congenial to good health," the plea has said.

It said that right to health cannot be secured without providing 'yoga and health education' to all children or framing a 'national yoga policy' to promote and propagate it.