The petition, filed in May 2025, accused the Centre of deliberately blocking the release of funds, and sought the Supreme Court’s intervention under Article 131 of the Constitution, which allows the top court to handle disputes between states and the central government.
New Delhi, June 10 – The Supreme Court of India has refused to give an urgent hearing to a petition filed by the Tamil Nadu government against the Union government. The state has alleged that the Centre is withholding Rs.2,151.59 crore in crucial educational funds meant for the financial year 2024-25 under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme.
The petition, filed in May 2025, accused the Centre of deliberately blocking the release of funds, and sought the Supreme Court’s intervention under Article 131 of the Constitution, which allows the top court to handle disputes between states and the central government.
The case came up before a Supreme Court bench consisting of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan, who declined to treat the matter as urgent.
“There is no urgency and it can be taken up after the ‘partial working days’,” the bench remarked.
This means that the Court will hear the case after the ongoing limited court schedule resumes to full capacity.
Background
Tamil Nadu’s lawsuit is against the Union Ministry of Education. The state alleges that the Centre is pressuring it to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the PM SHRI Schools Scheme, even though Tamil Nadu has strongly objected to both.
The three-language formula under NEP 2020, which Tamil Nadu opposes, is a major point of conflict. The DMK-led state government argued that education is a state subject, and that it should not be forced into policies it hasn’t formally agreed to.
Tamil Nadu has asked the Supreme Court to declare that:
- NEP 2020 and the PM SHRI Schools Scheme are not binding unless the state formally agrees to implement them.
- The Centre’s move to link the release of Samagra Shiksha Scheme funds to the NEP is “unconstitutional, illegal, arbitrary, unreasonable.”
- The Centre’s letters dated February 23, 2024 and March 07, 2024 are “illegal, null, void ab initio and not binding on the state government.”
In its detailed plea, Tamil Nadu has asked the Court to direct the Centre to pay:
” Rs.2,291,30,24,769 within a time frame to be fixed by this court along with future interest of 6 per cent per annum on the principal sum of ₹2,151,59,61,000 from May 1, 2025 until realisation of the decree.”
The state stressed that this money is urgently required for school education, especially to pay teachers’ and staff salaries, which are key to delivering quality education.
“It directly impacts the quality of education provided to students and contributes to overall societal development by nurturing the next generation with the skills and knowledge needed for success,” the plea added.
The Centre had earlier approved Rs. 3,585.99 crore as the total educational outlay for Tamil Nadu under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme for 2024-25. Of this, the Union government’s share was supposed to be Rs. 2,151.59 crore (60%).
But the plea accuses the Centre of not releasing even the first instalment and instead making it conditional on Tamil Nadu agreeing to implement the NEP and sign an MoU for the PM SHRI Schools Scheme.
“The reason for such non-disbursement is that the defendant has linked the release of Samagra Shiksha Scheme funds with the implementation of national education policy and NEP exemplary PM SHRI Schools’ Scheme despite the fact that these policy/scheme are separate schemes,” the petition said.
