The Supreme Court has directed the State of Rajasthan to formulate a comprehensive policy for effective implementation of mother tongue-based education and to take necessary steps to recognise Rajasthani as a local or regional language for educational purposes.
The Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta observed that language is not merely a matter of convenience but is central to comprehension, identity and meaningful participation in society. A society governed by law, accessibility of language assumes constitutional significance.
The ruling came while allowing an appeal filed against the Rajasthan High Court’s order dated November 27, 2024, which had dismissed a Public Interest Litigation seeking inclusion of the Rajasthani language in the syllabus for recruitment to Teacher Grade-III posts under REET 2021 and directions for imparting education to children in Rajasthani or the relevant local language.
The Supreme Court noted that the specific relief regarding REET 2021 had become infructuous since the recruitment process had already been completed. However, the Court held that the broader issue raised in the case concerned constitutional questions relating to language, education and public employment, and therefore could not be brushed aside as merely academic.
The Court strongly emphasised that education must be intelligible and accessible to the learner. It observed that instruction which a child cannot understand due to language barriers cannot be treated as quality education in any meaningful sense. The Court linked mother tongue-based education with Articles 19(1)(a), 21, 21A, 41, 45, 51A(k) and 350A of the Constitution.
Referring to Section 29(2)(f) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, the Court noted that the curriculum and evaluation procedure must take into consideration that the medium of instruction should, as far as practicable, be in the child’s mother tongue.
The Court also relied on the National Education Policy, 2020, which recommends that wherever feasible, the medium of instruction up to at least Grade V, and preferably up to Grade VIII and beyond, should be the home language, mother tongue, local language or regional language.
Criticising the State’s stand, the Supreme Court said Rajasthan had adopted a narrow and technical approach by arguing that only languages included in the Eighth Schedule are being taught in government primary and upper primary schools. The Court observed that the absence of a policy cannot be used as a justification for continued inaction.
The Court further noted that Rajasthani is already being taught as a subject in universities across Rajasthan, including Jai Narain Vyas University, Maharaja Ganga Singh University and the University of Rajasthan. In this background, the Court said the State’s stand that Rajasthani cannot be introduced in schools disclosed a pedantic approach.
Accordingly, the Supreme Court directed Rajasthan to formulate an appropriate policy for mother tongue-based education and to take steps to accord due status to Rajasthani as a local or regional language for educational purposes. It also directed the State to progressively facilitate its adoption as a medium of instruction, initially at the foundational and preparatory stages and later at higher levels.
The Court further directed the State to take affirmative and time-bound steps to introduce Rajasthani as a subject in all schools, government and private, in a phased and progressive manner.
Setting aside the High Court’s order, the Supreme Court allowed the appeal and directed the State of Rajasthan to file a compliance affidavit by September 25, 2026. The matter will be listed on September 30, 2026, for receiving the compliance affidavit.
Case Details
Case Title: Padam Mehta Versus State Of Rajasthan
Citation: JURISHOUR-1232-SC-2026
Case No.: SLP (C) No. 1425 of 2025
Date: 12/05/2026
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