TN govt notifies 10 Bills as Acts after SC verdict against Governor Ravi
The Gazette noted that the Governor’s action of forwarding the Bills to the President was unconstitutional and, as per the Supreme Court's judgment, the Bills are to be considered assented to on the date they were re-sent, which was on November 18, 2023.
TN Secretariat
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Government on Friday created history by notifying the 10 Acts approved by the Supreme Court in the government gazette without the signature of the state governor. The Bills notified on Friday included the Tamil Nadu Universities (amendment) Bill 2022, which provided for replacement of the governor with the government as chancellor of 10 varsities and appointment/removal of Vice-Chancellors to the state universities by the government.
As per the GO notified in the government gazette on April 11, 2025, "By virtue of the order of the Supreme Court dated April 8, 2025, the L. A. Bill no 48 of 2022 (Tamil Nadu Universities Laws (second amendment) Bill 2022 passed by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on October 19, 2022) is deemed to have been assented by the Tamil Nadu Governor on November 18, 2023.
"The Supreme court has ordered that all the action of the President after date of reserving the Bill is non-est in law and shall be deemed assented by the Governor on the date on which the said Bill was presented to him for assent," the order notified by S George Alexander, secretary to Tamil Nadu government, Department of Law, read. The apex court ordered the bills as assented by the governor by invoking its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, taking into account the long period for which the bills were kept pending by the Raj Bhavan.
History made as Acts take effect with SC approval: MP Wilson
Celebrating the notification, DMK Rajya Sabha MP P Wilson, in a message posted on X, said, "History is made as these are the first Acts of any legislature in India to have taken effect without the signature of the Governor / President but on the strength of the judgement of the Supreme Court! Our universities will now be cleansed and taken to a new level under the chancellorship of the Government!" Among the bills approved by the SC was the Tamil Nadu Fisheries university (Amendment) Act 2020, the oldest of the pending bills providing for renaming the university after former chief minister J Jayalalithaa.
TN Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (amendment) Act 2020 allows replacement of governor with government in the position of Chancellor.
Tamil Nadu Universities Laws (amendment) Act 2022 also allows replacement of the governor with government for chancellor for 10 varsities and removal of its V-Cs from his office only by a state GO on the ground of wilful omission or refusal to carry out the provisions of the Act or abuse of the powers vested in him. The act also allows the government to order an inquiry by a judge of HC or a government office not below the rank of the Chief Secretary to remove the V-Cs.
TN Universities Laws (Second Amendment) Act 2022 allows the appointment of the state finance secretary as a syndicate member for 10 state universities.
