The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to recall its earlier interim direction requiring the Tamil Nadu government to identify land in every district for the establishment of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs). The Court directed the state to identify the land within three months.
A Bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Augustine George Masih also urged the Tamil Nadu government to reconsider its opposition to the three-language policy followed by Navodaya schools.
“You have to change your mindset, it can’t be that Hindi will not be taught in the soil of Tamil Nadu,” the Court observed during the hearing.
The Tamil Nadu government had opposed the establishment of the centrally funded residential schools, arguing that their three-language policy, which includes Hindi, would amount to an attempt to impose Hindi and undermine the state’s existing two-language policy.
The Supreme Court stressed the need for cooperative federalism and asked the Centre and the state to resolve their differences through dialogue. The Court also observed that Chennai should not alienate Delhi and vice versa, urging both sides to work together on the issue.
The Court reiterated its earlier direction of December 15, 2025, under which Tamil Nadu was required to identify land in every district for setting up the Navodaya schools. The matter will next be heard on December 14.