The Supreme Court on Thursday (September 17, 2026) came down heavily on the Tamil Nadu government for resisting the Hindi language in the state. A Bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and AG Masih advised the state government to change its mindset on not allowing Hindi to be taught in the state.
“You have to change your mindset; it can’t be that Hindi will not be taught in the soil of Tamil Nadu,” Justice Nagarathna remarked during the hearing of Tamil Nadu’s plea challenging a Madras High Court order, directing it to set up Navodaya Vidyalayas in every district.
The Madras High Court had passed the order on December 15, 2025, directing the state government to identify land for setting up Navodaya schools in each district within six weeks. The High Court held that Navodaya schools were not in conflict with the Tamil Nadu Tamil Learning Act. It added that the state government’s refusal to allow the establishment of Navodaya schools amounted to depriving students of their right to choose educational institutions. The High Court directed the state government to provide temporary accommodation for 240 students in each district.
The Tamil Nadu government approached the Supreme Court against the Madras High Court order, claiming that education policy falls within the exclusive domain of states and that the state’s two-language policy was not compatible with the three-language formula adopted by Navodaya schools.
The Tamil Nadu government has been resisting the establishment of Navodaya schools. Navodaya schools are centrally funded, co-educational, and residential schools, which follow the centre’s three-language policy, including Hindi. The Tamil Nadu government, because of its aversion to the Hindi language, follows a two-language policy, excluding Hindi, which is one of the reasons that it opposes the establishment of Navodaya schools in the state.
Allot land for Navodaya schools: SC
The top court, however, refused to recall the High Court order and directed the state government to comply with it within three months. The court said that people of Tamil Nadu should not alienate people of Delhi and vice versa, emphasising the need for cooperative federalism.
“We are saying, in addition to all the good things you’re doing in your State, having something in addition will not bring down your standards. Coming from Delhi will not lower the standards of Chennai. People in Chennai should not alienate Delhi and vice versa,” the Court said.
Today it’s education, tomorrow it’ll be something else: SC
The Supreme Court rejected the state’s contention that Navodaya schools are against the state policy and advised that states should have dialogue regarding their respective language policies. The Court said that the state will have to allot land for setting up Navodaya schools. “We can’t say that a Central government policy is left to the State to accept or not,” the court stated.
“Comply with our earlier order. We are not asking you to acquire land. We are only asking to identify. We are concerned with the good of everybody. There is a need for dialogue. You can’t say I won’t accept a policy. Today it is education, tomorrow it will be something else. You have to relax this rigidity in your mind,” the Court added.
The top court advised the state and the centre to work together and told the Tamil Nadu government to get rid of the perception that it is surrendering to the centre.
