While sharply different rotational temperature for the lower and higher rotational states of H2 have been observed in astrophysical situations, studies on heavier molecules are less encountered. We report here results of plasma spectroscopic studies on the nitrogen system where the FNS bands (0,0) and (0,1) show much distinctive ‘two-temperature’ phenomena, the departure from the high rotational temperature part (840 ± 50°K and 920 ± 30°K respectively) being perceptible at N' (N' + 1) ≅ 160. the experimental system is an electron beam sustained magnetoplasma at 5 × 10−3 torr, with kTe ≅ 1.5 eV and ne ≅ 4 × 1010 cm−3 obtained from in situ measurements of plasma parameters. Relative excitation-deexcitation rates of the N2+ B2Σu+ rotational states and also in relation to those of H2 are discussed.