# SC rejects Tamil Nadu plea against Navodaya schools, gives 3 months

2026-09-17T10:27:09+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 4 independent outlets

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to recall its direction to Tamil Nadu to identify land in every district for Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, telling the state to change its mindset that Hindi cannot be taught on its soil. A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Augustine George Masih granted Tamil Nadu three months to comply, stressing cooperative federalism. "It can’t be that Hindi will not be taught in the soil of Tamil Nadu," Justice Nagarathna observed. Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, for Tamil Nadu, argued the Navodaya scheme’s three-language policy supersedes the state’s two-language law and that language choice is a fundamental right. The court said Tamil could be considered as a second language and asked state and Central secretaries to continue discussions. The state also cited Rs 5,000 crore in unpaid Centre funds. The Centre countered that the state only needs to provide land. The matter returns on December 14.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

All four sources cover the same courtroom exchange with no significant difference in framing. The Times of India, Hindustan Times, and Times Now report the Supreme Court’s

## Coverage

- timesnownews.com (pro government) <https://www.timesnownews.com/india/supreme-court-tamil-nadu-navodaya-schools-hindi-language-policy-row-article-156173661>
  Leads with court's 'change your mindset' remark, omits state's federalism argument entirely.
- timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/it-cant-be-that-hindi-will-not-be-taught-in-tamil-nadu-sc-tells-state-during-hearing-on-navodaya-schools/articleshow/134307344.cms>
  Balanced quoting of court and state arguments, no editorial slant.
- hindustantimes.com (neutral report) <https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/hindi-can-t-be-barred-from-tamil-nadu-sc-on-navodaya-schools-gives-state-3-months-101789648173587.html>
  Reports both court's language and state's constitutional objection neutrally.
- thehindu.com (neutral report) <https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/navodaya-schools-case-supreme-court-asks-tamil-nadu-to-drop-anti-hindi-mindset-state-says-language-is-a-fundamental-right/article71476345.ece>
  Leads with state's 'fundamental right' argument, quotes more of state's federalism rebuttal than others.

Tags: BV Nagarathna, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Madras High Court, Supreme Court, Tamil Nadu, three-language policy
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