Tamil Nadu Governor Clears 12 of 13 Bills Passed in First TVK Session

The first legislative session of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government has resulted in 12 new Acts, with Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar giving his assent to 12 of the 13 Bills passed by the Assembly.

The legislation cleared by the Governor spans several administrative and financial areas. It includes changes relating to town and country planning, business facilitation, fire and rescue services, panchayats, agricultural marketing and the functioning of the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission.

The package also covers amendments to the state's GST and VAT laws, the Appropriation (No. 3) Act and legislation dealing with the salaries and allowances of legislators. Eleven of the resulting Acts were formally notified by the state government on September 15.

Attention, however, remains on the Tamil Nadu Private Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which is the only measure from the session yet to receive assent.

The proposed legislation seeks to alter the eligibility requirements for setting up private universities in the state. Among its key provisions is a reduction in the minimum land requirement. The threshold proposed is 12 acres in the Greater Chennai Corporation, 18 acres in other corporations and municipalities, and 25 acres in other parts of Tamil Nadu, compared with the existing 100-acre requirement.

The Bill also proposes lowering the mandatory permanent endowment from Rs 50 crore to Rs 25 crore.

These proposed relaxations have attracted criticism from sections of the opposition and the higher-education community. University teachers and other critics have raised concerns that lowering the entry barriers could lead to greater commercialisation of higher education, while potentially affecting affordability and access for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Bill's pending status also distinguishes it from the other legislation passed during the TVK government's 28-day Budget session, which ended on September 8. The Governor's office has not publicly cited a specific reason for withholding assent to the Private Universities Bill so far. The clearance of the other 12 Bills marks the completion of the assent process for the rest of the legislation passed during the session.