The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to recall its earlier direction requiring Tamil Nadu to identify suitable government land in every district for setting up Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas. However, the court extended the deadline and gave the state three months to comply.
A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and AG Masih also urged the Tamil Nadu government and the Centre to continue discussions over the establishment of the schools and differences surrounding their language policy.
The case relates to Tamil Nadu's opposition to Navodaya Vidyalayas, particularly because the schools follow a three-language formula that includes Hindi. The state has argued that this conflicts with its existing two-language education policy and has maintained that education policy falls within its constitutional domain.
During the hearing, the bench said Tamil Nadu could continue with its own education system while allowing Navodaya schools to operate in the state. The judges also said the arrival of another category of schools would not require Tamil Nadu to abandon its existing educational model.
The court stressed that its earlier direction did not require the state to immediately acquire land or commit to additional expenditure. Instead, Tamil Nadu was only required to identify suitable government land for establishing a school in each district.
Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, appearing for Tamil Nadu, said the state was not opposed to Hindi itself but objected to what it described as the prominence given to Hindi under the Navodaya system. He also argued that the central scheme was optional and questioned whether the court could compel the state to adopt it.
The Centre, represented by Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj, said the state's main responsibility under the scheme was to provide land, while construction and other expenses would be borne by the Centre. He also pointed out that the schools were still at an early stage and that there was time to resolve the language-related differences.
The Supreme Court suggested that Tamil could potentially be included in the language arrangement and asked officials from the Centre and Tamil Nadu to hold further consultations.
Tamil Nadu had earlier sought reconsideration of the court's December 2025 direction, citing a change in the state government and limited progress in discussions with the Centre. The Supreme Court rejected the request to recall the order but granted the additional three-month period.
The matter has now been listed for December 14. By then, the Centre and Tamil Nadu are expected to hold further discussions on the language, financial and implementation-related issues surrounding the proposed Navodaya schools.
Reader Comments 0