The Supreme Court has asked the Tamil Nadu government to identify suitable land in every district for establishing Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, giving the State an additional three months to comply with an earlier direction.

The direction came during a hearing on September 17, 2026, concerning Tamil Nadu's opposition to the establishment of Navodaya schools. The State has raised concerns over the three-language framework followed by these schools, including Hindi, which it says conflicts with its existing two-language policy.

A Bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and A.G. Masih declined to recall its earlier direction and urged the Centre and Tamil Nadu to continue discussions to resolve their differences over language and education policy.

During the hearing, Justice Nagarathna questioned the State's position on Hindi being taught in Tamil Nadu and called for a change in its approach. The court also stressed cooperation between the Centre and the State rather than allowing policy differences to create further disagreement.

Tamil Nadu has maintained that its language and education policies protect linguistic choice and fall within its constitutional responsibilities. The case is scheduled to be heard again on December 14, 2026.