New Delhi: The Supreme Court on September 12 upheld the National Curriculum Framework for Secondary Education - 2002 rejecting allegations that it was an attempt to saffronise the syllabus for schools.

The three-judge Bench comprising Justice M B Saha, Justice D M Dharmadhikari and Justice H K Sema by a 2:1 majority held that non-consultation with Central Advisory Board for Education (CAB), in the framing of the NCFSE could not be held as a ground to declare the national syllabus framed by NCERT as unconstitutional.

Dismissing the petition filed by Aruna Roy and others, the court vacated the March 1, 2002 interim order of the apex court, which had stayed the implementation of NCFSE across the country. In the result, the new syllabus will become effective for the Secondary Education in the country.

Study of religions cannot be equated with imparting of religious instructions, Justice Saha and Justice Dharmadhikari said while delivering the judgement.

Holding that NCFSE was framed by NCERT, an expert statutory body, the judges said, "What is sought to be imparted in the new syllabus is value education and the essence of all religions which is based on the same principle of love for all".