Tamil Nadu cannot take the position that Hindi will never be taught on its soil, the Supreme Court said on Thursday while refusing to recall its earlier direction requiring the state to identify land in every district for setting up Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas.
The exchange came during the hearing of Tamil Nadu’s plea against a Madras High Court direction to establish Navodaya Vidyalayas in every district. The state has resisted the schools, among other reasons, on the ground that their three-language model, including Hindi, conflicts with Tamil Nadu’s two-language policy. “We are saying in addition to all the good things you are doing in your state, having something in addition will not bring down your standards. Coming from Delhi will not lower the standards of Chennai. The court’s intervention came after senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, appearing for Tamil Nadu, argued that the state’s opposition was not merely a matter of mindset but concerned its constitutional authority to frame education policy. He also argued that the central scheme was optional and that the court could not issue a mandamus compelling a state to adopt a particular policy. “This kind of unification is not the purport of the Constitution. The bench, however, maintained that the state could continue with its own educational institutions and policies while allowing another model of school to operate in Tamil Nadu. The court made clear that it was not directing Tamil Nadu to immediately acquire land or committing the state to a particular expenditure. We are not asking you to acquire land. We are only asking to identify,” it added.
It said its December 2025 direction only required the state to identify suitable land in its government plan.
People in Chennai should not alienate Delhi and vice versa,” it said. Gupta said the state was not opposed to Hindi as such but objected to what he described as the insistence on Hindi as the predominant language in the Navodaya system. There is an adamancy that Hindi must predominate,” Gupta said. You have to relax this rigidity in your mind,” said the bench, stressing the need for cooperative federalism.
“Comply with our earlier order. “Today it is education, tomorrow it will be something else.
