Governor Arlekar Seeks Clarifications on Tamil Nadu Private Universities Amendment Bill

Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has sought clarifications from the Tamil Nadu government on certain provisions of the Tamil Nadu Private Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which was passed by the Assembly in the recently concluded Budget Session. The Bill remains under the Governor's consideration, and a briefing has been requested on specific clauses.

The clarification comes amid reports that the Governor had reserved the Bill for the consideration of the President of India. Sources indicated that no such decision has been taken and that the legislation is still being examined.

Thirteen Bills were passed during the Budget Session. The Governor has accorded assent to twelve of them, with the Private Universities (Amendment) Bill being the sole exception.

The amendment Bill drew sharp criticism from Opposition parties during its passage. It proposes to relax the land and endowment requirements that currently apply to private universities under the Tamil Nadu Private Universities Act, 2019.

Under the existing law, a sponsoring body must hold not less than 100 acres of contiguous land and establish a permanent endowment fund of at least ₹50 crore. The amendment seeks to lower the minimum land requirement to 12 acres within the Greater Chennai Corporation area, 18 acres in other municipal corporations and municipal councils, and 25 acres in other areas. It also proposes to reduce the permanent endowment fund requirement to ₹25 crore.

Opposition parties have alleged that the changes would lead to the commercialisation of education. Minister for Higher Education P. Viswanathan has said the amendment is intended to facilitate the establishment of world-class private universities in the State.