New Delhi, Feb. 18: States can make their regional language compulsory in school, the Supreme Court ruled today.

The ruling came on an appeal against a Madras High Court verdict that upheld the Tamil Nadu government’s move to make Tamil compulsory in state schools.

A Malayali organisation had appealed against the move, saying it infringed on the rights of “linguistic minorities” in the state and violated the Constitution.

Turned down by the high court, the Yogakshema Sabha, which claims to represent Malayali Brahmins from Kanyakumari, moved the apex court.

But the Supreme Court said: “Knowing one more language will not affect your rights as a linguistic minority.”

In its June 2006 order, the state government had declared that Tamil would “be made compulsory in all state schools and cited the example of Maharashtra and Karnataka, which had done the same with Marathi and Kannada, respectively. The apex court had upheld both these moves.

The government said it made practical sense to make Tamil compulsory as it was the language of “official and common business” in the state.

“Resistance to learn the regional language will lead to alienation from the mainstream… resulting in linguistic fragmentation within the state which is anathema to national integration,” the state said.

“Learning of different languages will definitely bridge cultural barriers and contribute to cultural integration of the country.”

Linguistic minorities, the state added, could set up their own schools with their mother tongue as the medium of instruction.