Justice B.V. Nagarathna Urges Tamil Nadu to Reconsider Hindi Policy in Navodaya Schools

Supreme Court's Stance on Hindi in Navodaya Vidyalayas

In a significant hearing in September 2026, a Supreme Court bench comprising बी॰ वी॰ नागरत्ना (Justice B.V. Nagarathna) and Justice A.G. Maseeh addressed the ongoing dispute between the Central Government and the Tamil Nadu government regarding the implementation of Navodaya Vidyalayas in the state. The court urged the Tamil Nadu government to change its "stubborn attitude" and accept that Hindi cannot be entirely excluded from the curriculum of these centrally funded residential schools.

The conflict centers on the language policy of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs), which follow a three-language formula including Hindi. This directly conflicts with Tamil Nadu's long-standing two-language policy, which prioritizes Tamil and English. Justice Nagarathna emphasized that adopting central schemes does not diminish a state's standards, stating, you have to change your perspective, it cannot be that Hindi is not taught on the soil of Tamil Nadu [2].

Cooperative Federalism vs. State Language Policy

The court framed the issue through the lens of "cooperative federalism," suggesting that Chennai and Delhi should not distance themselves from one another. Justice Nagarathna noted that since the state government had changed, the court hoped for a shift in mindset toward national integration and educational opportunities.

In response, the Tamil Nadu government, represented by Senior Advocate Jaideep Gupta, argued that the three-language formula undermines the Tamil language and that forced integration is not the purpose of the Constitution. The state further claimed that the central government's track record on payments for schemes like the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is poor, making them hesitant to rely on central funding for teacher salaries.

Comparison of Language Policies

Feature	Tamil Nadu State Policy	Navodaya Vidyalaya Policy
Language Formula	Two-Language Policy	Three-Language Formula
Primary Languages	Tamil and English	Includes Hindi as a core component
Funding Source	State Government	Central Ministry of Education

Legal Timeline and Land Requirements

The current legal battle is an extension of a Madras High Court ruling which stated that Navodaya schools do not violate the 'Tamil Nadu Tamil Learning Act' and that denying them limits students' right to choose educational institutions. The timeline of the Supreme Court's involvement is as follows:

• December 2025: The Supreme Court directed Tamil Nadu to identify land for a Navodaya school in every district within six weeks.
• September 2026: The court rejected the state's plea to withdraw the land identification order and granted an additional three months for compliance.
• Current Status: The court has encouraged dialogue between the centre and state, with the next hearing scheduled for December 14.

The Central Government, represented by Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj, clarified that the state's only responsibility is to provide the land, while the center would handle all other operational aspects of the schools [2].