Governor Arlekar seeks clarifications from T.N. govt. on Tamil Nadu Private Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2026

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Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar. File | Photo Credit: M. Srinath

Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has sought clarifications from the Tamil Nadu government regarding some of the provisions of the Tamil Nadu Private Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which was recently passed by the Assembly.

Sources told The Hindu that the Bill is still under the consideration of the Governor and he has sought a briefing from the government on some provisions. The sources clarified this amidst reports that Mr. Arlekar has reserved the Bill for consideration by the President of India.

In the recently concluded Budget Session of the Tamil Nadu Assembly, a total of 13 Bills were passed. Of these, the Tamil Nadu Private Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2026, attracted severe criticism from the Opposition. Barring this Bill, the Governor has accorded assent to the 12 other Bills.

The Tamil Nadu Private Universities Act, 2019, mandates that not less than 100 acres of contiguous land is required for the establishment of a private university in the State. The Act also mandates the sponsoring body to establish a permanent endowment fund of at least ₹50 crore.

The amendment Bill sought to reduce the minimum land requirement for establishing a private university to 12 acres in the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) area, 18 acres in other municipal corporations and municipal councils, and 25 acres in other areas. It also proposed to reduce the permanent endowment fund requirement to ₹25 crore.

Some Opposition parties alleged the Bill would lead to the commercialisation of education. However, Minister for Higher Education P. Viswanathan had recently said the objective behind the amendment Bill was to facilitate the establishment of world-class private universities in Tamil Nadu.

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