The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to recall its earlier order directing Tamil Nadu to identify land in every district for setting up Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas. The bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and AG Masih gave the state three more months to comply with its December 15, 2025 order. The court also urged Tamil Nadu and the Centre to resolve their differences through dialogue.

The court said Tamil Nadu could not take the position that Hindi would never be taught in the state. “You have to change your mindset. It can’t be that Hindi will not be taught on the soil of Tamil Nadu,” the bench observed. It also said the state could continue with its existing education system while allowing another school model to operate.

The remarks 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 opposed the schools, citing their three-language formula, including Hindi, and its conflict with Tamil Nadu’s two-language policy.

The state’s senior advocate, Jaideep Gupta, said the issue was not about the state’s mindset but about its constitutional authority to frame education policy. He said Tamil Nadu was not opposed to Hindi but objected to what he described as the insistence on Hindi as the predominant language in the Navodaya system. “This kind of unification is not the purport of the Constitution. There is an adamancy that Hindi must predominate,” Gupta said.

The bench said accepting the Navodaya model would not affect Tamil Nadu’s educational autonomy. “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. People in Chennai should not alienate Delhi and vice versa,” it said.

The court also clarified that its earlier order did not require Tamil Nadu to immediately acquire land or take on additional expenditure. “Comply with our earlier order. We are not asking you to acquire land. We are only asking to identify,” it added. The bench stressed that the state only had to identify suitable government land for a school in each district.

In 2017, the court had held that the proposed schools did not violate Tamil Nadu’s law on Tamil learning. It also said a blanket refusal to facilitate the schools deprived students of the option to access the central scheme. Tamil Nadu later approached the Supreme Court, arguing that education being on the Concurrent List did not allow the state to be compelled to adopt an optional central policy.

In December 2025, the Supreme Court directed Tamil Nadu to identify land for schools in every district within six weeks. The state later sought recall of the order, citing a change in government and limited progress in talks with the Centre. The court declined the request but extended the deadline by three months.

The bench suggested that language concerns could be addressed through discussions and indicated that Tamil could be included. “If you want Tamil as a second language, it is a matter which can be considered,” it said. The court asked the state and Centre to continue talks through their education secretaries.

Gupta said discussions had already taken place but the Centre remained firm on Hindi. He agreed to another round of consultations. The state also raised financial concerns, alleging that the Centre had not released funds under existing education schemes. Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj said Tamil Nadu’s main responsibility under the Navodaya scheme was to provide land, while the Centre would bear construction and other expenses.

The Centre said the schools were still at an early stage and construction would take several years, giving both sides time to resolve the language issue. The bench said financial and language concerns should be discussed separately. “Ultimately everybody must work together,” it said. The matter will next be heard on December 14.