House nod to open private law colleges

The state government has given the go ahead to open private law colleges in the state, of course, by introducing new set of regulations. A new legislation, Tamil Nadu Establishment of Private Law College (Regulation) Act 2018, allowing setting up of private law colleges in the state was passed by the state Assembly on Thursday.

The new regulatory Act, which provides for establishing law colleges by private persons, however, would not permit establishing a law college in districts where a law college has been already been established by the government. Speaking on the Bill in the Assembly, DMK MLA Mathivanan drew the attention of the House to the 2014 legislation passed by the same AIADMK prohibiting the establishment of private law colleges and asked the ruling dispensation to invest more and open government law colleges instead of allowing private persons to start law colleges. He also asked the government to ensure that the law syllabus was available in Tamil in the private law colleges and prevent ‘fake’ lawyers.

Responding to the Opposition member, state Law Minister C Ve Shanmugham, who successfully tabled the Bill, clarified to the House that the intention of the legislation was not to encourage private law colleges but only to regulate them.

Citing an interim order of the Supreme Court which allows establishment of private law colleges, Shanmugam said the necessary provisions have been incorporated in the legislation and the state government had allocated Rs 70 crore per college to three law colleges established last year.

The Assembly also passed two separate Bills, Sai University Act 2018 and Shiv Nadar University Act 2018, allowing establishment of two private universities in the state.

Intervening during a debate on the private universities Bill, former higher education minister and DMK MLA K Ponmudi said the government would have no control over the institutions, which would collect exorbitant fees and quality of education would be affected. Opposing the Bill in principle, Ponmudi said the state has enough universities and there was no need for private universities. Joining the issue with him, DMK MLA Reghupathy said private universities act would allow mushrooming of private varsities and even a person who had completed Class 5 would become chancellor.

Justifying the Act, Higher Education Minister KP Anbazhagan clarified in the House that Shiv Nadar University was being allowed consequent upon a MoU signed between the state and HCL during the first edition of Global Investors Meet in which the firm committed to invest Rs 250 crore.

The Minister also added that legislation has provisions earmarking 35 per cent of seats to state students who would be filled by adhering to 69 per cent reservation.

The ruling AIADMK is most likely to table the Lokayukta Bill on Monday. Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar said in the Assembly that the Lokayukta Bill would be tabled in the current Assembly session, which winds up on Monday.

Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister O Pannerselvam said the Bill would be tabled in the House soon. The ministers were reacting to DMK legislator Sekar Babu, who, while participating in the debate on demand for grants for Housing Ministry, accused the ruling AIADMK of delaying the tabling of the Lokayukta Bill.

More than 3,000 Sri Lankan refugees, who had been staying in India, have left for their home country since 2015, the Tamil Nadu government said on Thursday. The largest number in this regard was reported last year, at 1,520, said a policy note of the Public Department, a portfolio held by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, tabled in the state Assembly. The refugees had been repatriated with the assistance of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, it said. While 1,520 refugees left for Sri Lanka last year, 557 of them have been repatriated till May 2018, it added. Over 3.04 lakh Sri Lankan refugees had come here following the ethnic violence in the island nation in 1984, the policy note said.

The House passed separate Bills to