The Karnataka government on Friday moved the Supreme Court, seeking to restrain Maharashtra from establishing schools in certain villages, over which both the states claim their control, on the ground that majority of the people there speak Kannada and are being forced to send their children to Marathi medium schools.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India R M Lodha sought a response from Maharashtra within five weeks.
Karnataka government's counsel told the bench that as per Mahajan Commission report, 44 villages in Jath Taluk presently situated in Maharashtra were recommended to be transferred to the state of Karnataka because the mother tongue of majority of people was Kannada.
He further said while nearly 70 per cent of population in these villages are Kannada speaking, 88 Marathi schools, run by zilla panchayats, have been set up there, forcing people to send their children to Marathi medium schools.
"Despite repeated requests by the villagers, Kannada medium schools are sidelined and Marathi medium schools are being encouraged by the state of Maharashtra.The same is wholly illegal and is detrimental to the interest of the people as well as children," the lawyer also said.
Appearing for Maharashtra, senior advocate Harish Salve, however, brought to the court's notice several recent incidents in which Marathi-speaking people in villages under Karnataka were assaulted by the state police.
To this, the court expressed its displeasure saying, "There cannot be more serious act than this. If the state takes law into hands, then there is something very serious."
Making it clear that the victims can approach the court, the bench said, "States are adopting all tactics like private litigants. States should show examples that how litigants should behave."
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