The Supreme Court on Tuesday (July 14, 2026) questioned the categorising of English as a “non-native language” by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in the three-language scheme, teaming the tongue spoken in India for over 300 years and used for official communication in at least five States with others like German, Spanish, Arabic, and French. “Can India consider English as an indigenous Indian language,” Justice Joymalya Bagchi, part of a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, asked. The latest circular issued by the CBSE on July 10 differentiates between ‘Bharatiya Bhashas’ like Hindi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, etc. from the ‘non-native’ languages. The three-language scheme, which is under dispute, requires Class 9 students to study at least two languages “native to India”. Justice Bagchi said the term ‘native’ used by the CBSE was loaded with colonial meaning. “What does this word ‘native’ mean? Can it be understood as indigenous Indian language,” Justice Bagchi asked. The judge pointed out that neither the Constitution nor the statute books use the term …