Supreme Court of India Urges Tamil Nadu to Identify Land for Navodaya Schools

Supreme Court’s September 2026 observations

On 17 September 2026, a bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and A.G. Masih observed that Tamil Nadu must change the mindset that Hindi cannot be taught in the state and directed the government to identify land in each district for Navodaya Vidyalayas within three months source 1. The Court cautioned that “individual States cannot act like individual countries” and asked the Union and Tamil Nadu to resolve their differences through discussion.

Tamil Nadu’s two‑language policy and legal backdrop

The state follows a two‑language policy (Tamil and English) that is statutorily backed by the Tamil Nadu Tamil Learning Act, 2006, which mandates Tamil as a subject from Classes I to X and allows English as the second language source 2. This framework makes the three‑language formula of Navodaya schools (regional language, Hindi, English) incompatible with existing state law. Tamil Nadu has argued that implementing the Navodaya scheme would require a deviation from the Tamil Nadu Tamil Learning Act.

Government response and implications

School Education Minister Rajmohan reiterated on 18 September 2026 that Tamil Nadu will maintain its two‑language policy and will not provide land for Navodaya schools, stating the stance is not against Hindi but based on existing policy source 1. He noted that the Supreme Court’s remarks are oral observations and not a final verdict, emphasizing that the three‑month timeline is a directive to facilitate discussions, not an automatic trigger for school construction or funding release.

What the three‑month directive means

The Court’s order gives Tamil Nadu until mid‑December 2026 to identify suitable land in every district for Navodaya Vidyalayas. Compliance does not automatically lead to school establishment; it merely initiates a process for land identification and further dialogue between the Union and the state. The directive highlights the broader federal‑language tension: Tamil Nadu’s long‑standing opposition to Hindi imposition, reinforced by successive DMK and AIADMK governments, contrasts with the Union’s push for a uniform three‑language formula in centrally funded residential schools.