Indian court rejects Church school petition

(January 30, 2012) The high court of central India’s Madhya Pradesh state has rejected a Church petition challenging the introduction of a Hindu text in school curricula, saying it contained philosophy, not religious teachings. The court ruled on Friday that the text was “a way of life as it teaches morality and importance of social justice,” paving the way for it to be introduced in schools from the current academic year. The Church contended that summaries of the Bible and Qu’ran as well as the Hindu text should be introduced in schools in keeping with secular tenets of the Indian constitution. Father Anand Muttungal, spokesman of the Catholic Church in Madhya Pradesh said they plan to appeal against the decision as “the basic issues raised have not been touched”.