New Delhi: Hearing a matter on the establishment of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) in every district, the Supreme Court has told the Tamil Nadu government that it cannot take the position that Hindi will not be taught anywhere in the state.
“It cannot be that Hindi will not be taught in Tamil Nadu. A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and AG Masih on Thursday (September 17) said the state needs to change its approach and work with the Centre on the issue.
You have to change your mindset,” the bench said during the hearing.
On Thursday, the court refused to withdraw that direction. The court also emphasised that Chennai should not be isolated from Delhi, and vice versa. The dispute dates back several years. The Madras High Court had directed the Tamil Nadu government to facilitate the establishment of a Navodaya school in every district. The court concluded the Navodaya system does not violate Tamil Nadu’s law or its language policy. The state was given another three months to comply. The court had emphasised the need for cooperation between the Union and state governments. The bench also asked representatives of the Centre and Tamil Nadu to continue talks on the policy for setting up the schools and the language issue.
Because another form of education is introduced in the state, it said Tamil Nadu’s standards will not come down. The Madras High Court had earlier examined whether the schools would violate the Tamil Nadu Tamil Learning Act, 2006. Its judgment said Tamil is taught as a compulsory subject in JNVs up to grade 10 and that the medium of instruction in the lower classes can be the regional language. The latest order follows an earlier direction in December 2025, when the apex asked Tamil Nadu and the Centre to hold consultations over the establishment of JNVs. The court has fixed December 14 for the next hearing.
The state challenged that order before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court had earlier asked the Tamil Nadu government to identify land needed for setting up JNVs in every district.
