“The ability to understand and be understood in one’s own language is not a matter of convenience, but a matter of existential rights,” the Supreme Court said while delivering a far-reaching judgement holding that education in a child’s mother tongue is fundamental to meaningful learning, dignity, and the protection of constitutional rights.
Stressing that a right that exists only on paper, without implementation, is “in effect no right at all,” the top court also criticised the Rajasthan’s government prolonged inaction and said that the state had adopted a “myopic stance,” offered a “lackadaisical response,” and taken a “pedantic approach” in refusing to introduce Rajasthani in schools.
A bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta observation came while directing the state of Rajasthan to formulate a comprehensive policy to recognise Rajasthani as a local and regional language for educational purposes and to introduce it as a subject in all government and private schools across the state in a phased manner.
In the landmark ruling, the Supreme Court held that language is the foundation of comprehension, identity and participation in society, and that children must be taught in a language they understand best.
The court criticised the Rajasthan’s stand that only languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution are taught in schools, calling it a “pedantic approach,” especially when Rajasthani is already taught at universities such as University of Rajasthan, Jai Narain Vyas University and Maharaja Ganga Singh University.
Allowing the appeal filed by Padam Mehta and another, the Supreme Court set aside the Rajasthan High Court’s earlier order and directed the State government to file a compliance affidavit by September 25, 2026.
SC observation
“The ability to understand and be understood in one’s own language is not a matter of convenience, but a matter of existential rights, for comprehension must necessarily precede meaningful participation in the society and day to day life activities,” the Supreme Court said.
“It is in this context that language, being the means of expression, is the very essence of an individual. It serves as the medium through which thought takes shape and identity finds recognition. Therefore, in a society governed by law, the accessibility of language assumes constitutional significance.”
“Language has existed in one form or other since times immemorial. It has served as the enduring thread through which successive generations have transmitted culture, knowledge, and values from one generation to the next.”
“The Constituent Assembly was deeply conscious of the pivotal role that language plays in shaping the unity and identity of a nation. The debates of the Assembly reflect an acute awareness of the unifying potential of language and its capacity to bind together the diverse cultural fabric of India, particularly in the context of education and nation building.”
“While frameworks, schemes and policies continue to be announced with much fanfare and panache, their absence in the lived experience of the child renders the entire exercise hollow.”
“A right that exists only on paper, without corresponding administrative will or implementation, is in effect no right at all. Such a gap between normative declarations and actual delivery strikes at the very heart of constitutional governance, which demands not only the articulation of high principles but their faithful and measurable implementation at the ground level.”
“In this backdrop, it is particularly disquieting that the State of Rajasthan has consciously tried to justify its continued inaction by adopting a myopic stance.”
“Under these circumstances, this Court cannot remain a silent spectator to the stark dilution of rights so clearly recognised in constitutional text, legislative enactments, and binding precedents.”
“A failure to discharge such obligations cannot be countenanced, for constitutional rights, once recognised, must be translated into tangible outcomes and cannot be permitted to languish as mere abstractions.”
SC direction
Recognise Rajasthani as a local and regional language for educational purposes.
Introduce Rajasthani as a subject in all government and private schools in a phased manner.
To progressively facilitate its adoption as a medium of instruction, initially at the foundational and preparatory stages of schooling and progressively at higher levels.