New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday urged both the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government not to “make it into a language issue” while hearing the state’s plea against a Madras High Court order directing it to establish Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) schools.
The observation came from a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and R Mahadevan after senior counsel P Wilson, appearing for the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government, argued that the Centre should follow the state’s two-language policy instead of the three-language formula prescribed under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
As counsel for the Centre began to respond, the bench intervened, cautioning both sides against framing the dispute in linguistic terms. Stressing the federal character of the country, Justice Nagarathna said cooperation was essential. “Don’t make it a language issue. We are a federal society and you are part of the Republic. If one side takes a step forward, the other will too. Our concern is that rural students get access to education,” she observed, adding that the directions had been issued purely in the interest of students eligible for admission to such schools.
The judge was referring to an earlier direction of the court asking Tamil Nadu to assess the land required for setting up JNVs. The bench suggested that the state could place its two-language policy before the Centre for consideration, rather than allowing the matter to turn adversarial.
“You cannot take a ‘my state, my state’ approach. That attitude has to go. You move one step forward, and they will also move one step forward,” the court remarked.
The bench further said the state should see the establishment of JNVs as an opportunity rather than an imposition. “Don’t view it as an imposition; it is an opportunity for your students. You can place your language policy before the Centre, and it cannot be discredited,” Justice Nagarathna said.
