The Telangana High Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to allow students of two schools—one from Karnataka and the other from Andhra Pradesh—to participate in the National School Band Competition, to be held in New Delhi as part of Republic Day celebrations.
A single-judge bench of Justice Nagesh Bheemapaka ruled in favour of teams from PS Shiva Shankarappa EM Residential School at Davanagere in Karnataka and Montessori Indus Residential School at Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh, which moved the court after the Union Ministry of Education set aside a decision that had made them eligible to participate in the national-level competition.
Advocate Naman Mankadari, appearing for the schools, argued that cancelling the previously announced results of state-level competitions and declaring a fresh result—without providing any reasons, prior notice, or an opportunity for a hearing—was arbitrary, illegal, and violative of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.
Deputy Solicitor General of India N Bhujanga Rao, appearing for the Centre, sought to defend the action by stating that it was in accordance with guidelines issued for the competition.
The results were announced on December 12, 2025, and the ministry cancelled them on January 12, 2026.
Disposing of the schools’ petitions, the court emphasised that an opportunity to participate in Republic Day celebrations, or even to aspire to participate, leaves a lasting impression on young minds, strengthening their patriotic spirit.
“Courts and institutions alike must therefore be sensitive to the enthusiasm and tender emotions of children, and seek to encourage, rather than discourage, their involvement in such national celebrations, so that the spirit of Republic Day remains inclusive, uplifting, and inspiring for all,” the court said.
The court thus said it was not inclined to pass any adverse orders against the students, “who are the children of our nation”, as doing so would cause irreparable prejudice to young students, adding that the issue required a pragmatic and equitable approach.
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“Interest of justice would be served by allowing the school teams to participate in the National School Band Competition,” the court said.
The education ministry’s Department of School Education and Literacy is conducting the competition in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence. Schools are divided into zones, with the southern zone comprising schools from Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karnataka, Kerala, Andaman and Nicobar Island, and Lakshadweep.
