New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned whether the Tamil Nadu government intends to prevent the establishment of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) in the state.
The matter came up before a bench led by Justice B.V. Nagarathna while hearing a case related to setting up Navodaya schools in Tamil Nadu. Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, appearing for the state, argued that no direction should be issued to start JNVs, stating that Tamil Nadu already has adequate government schools.
He submitted that there is no restriction on learning Hindi in the state, but each state has its own education policy and the Navodaya model runs contrary to Tamil Nadu’s policy. He also said the issue is not merely about “Hindi imposition” and raised financial concerns, claiming the Centre would have to provide more than Rs 5,000 crore.
The bench, however, asked the state to reconsider its approach, observing that there should not be a rigid position that Hindi will not be taught on Tamil Nadu’s soil. The court said the Navodaya school plan is not against the state’s policy and urged the government to hold discussions on language policy.
Granting additional time, the Supreme Court gave Tamil Nadu three months to identify land for Navodaya schools and directed that land be located in every district, in line with earlier orders. The bench also noted that with a change in government, it expected a change in mindset, and asked whether opposition was only on the ground of Hindi imposition, urging the state to engage with the Centre and arrive at a resolution.
