Supreme Court Directs Rajasthan to Frame Policy for Introducing Rajasthani as Medium of Instruction in Schools

May 12, 2026 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the State of Rajasthan to formulate a comprehensive policy for recognising and promoting Rajasthani as a medium of instruction in schools across the State, stressing the constitutional importance of mother-tongue-based education.

A Bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta ordered the State government to take concrete steps towards recognising Rajasthani as a local or regional language for educational purposes and to progressively introduce it as a medium of instruction in schools. The Court further directed the State to frame a detailed policy for implementing mother-tongue-based education in line with the constitutional mandate and the National Education Policy 2020.

Describing the absence of formal recognition and structured introduction of Rajasthani in school education as a “vacuum” in an area of constitutional significance, the Apex Court observed that children should have access to education in their mother tongue, particularly during their formative years.

The Bench noted that Rajasthani already enjoyed academic recognition and was being taught in several universities across Rajasthan, including Jai Narain Vyas University, Maharaja Ganga Singh University and University of Rajasthan. It criticised the State’s stand that only languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution could be incorporated into school education, calling the approach “unduly rigid and pedantic” and inconsistent with the language’s established academic acceptance.

The directions came while the Court was hearing a plea challenging the exclusion of Rajasthani from the syllabus of the Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teachers (REET). The Court ordered the State to introduce Rajasthani as a subject in both government and private schools in a phased manner, beginning from foundational classes and gradually extending to higher levels of education.

The Bench also criticised the State’s procrastinating approach, observing that the inclusion of Rajasthani in university curricula undermined the government’s contention that the language lacked pedagogical viability.

According to the petition, the exclusion of Rajasthani from school education and the REET syllabus disadvantaged candidates proficient in the language and undermined the cultural heritage of Rajasthan, despite the language being spoken by more than 4.62 crore people in the State. The plea pointed out that languages such as Gujarati, Punjabi, Sindhi and Urdu were included in the REET syllabus, whereas Rajasthani had been omitted.

The petitioners further relied on Article 350A of the Constitution, the Right to Education Act and the National Education Policy 2020, all of which emphasise the importance of imparting education in the mother tongue. They also highlighted that the Rajasthan Assembly had passed a resolution more than two decades ago seeking inclusion of Rajasthani in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, though the proposal remains pending.