T.N. Assembly passes 11 Bills amid objections from the Opposition to some key amendments

The Bills passed include the contentious Tamil Nadu Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Tamil Nadu Private Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2026. DMK MLAs were present when the Bills were passed as they were evicted earlier in the day

Updated - September 08, 2026 07:00 pm IST - CHENNAI

The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Tuesday passed 11 Bills, including the contentious Tamil Nadu Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Tamil Nadu Private Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

The Tamil Nadu Private Universities Act, 2019, mandates 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. Minister for Higher Education P. Viswanathan on Tuesday moved a Bill to amend the aforementioned Act.

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 to ₹25 crore.

The Communist Party of India (CPI), which has extended outside support for the TVK-led government, and the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) opposed the amendment Bill, terming it an attempt that would lead to the commercialisation of education. Mr. Viswanathan claimed the reason behind the amendment Bill was to facilitate the establishment of world-class private universities in Tamil Nadu. Later, the Bill was passed.

Similarly, when the Tamil Nadu Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Bill, 2026, was taken up for consideration, the AIADMK, CPI, and PMK opposed the amendments. They objected to the appointment of a full-time chairman for urban development authorities, replacing the Collector concerned. They also demanded that the Bill be referred to the Select Committee. However, the Bill was passed.

DMK MLAs were not in the House when the Bills were passed as they were evicted earlier in the day. When these Bills were taken up for consideration, CPI(M) MLAs were not present in the House.

The House also passed the Tamil Nadu Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation) Second Amendment Bill, 2026, which sought to enhance the validity period of mandi licences issued to traders from three years to five years and mandate the submission of licence applications online only. The House also adopted the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (Additional Functions) Amendment Act, 2026, which seeks to recruit candidates for appointment to posts under urban local bodies.

The House also passed the Tamil Nadu Appropriation Bill, 2026, Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services (Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Tamil Nadu Panchayats (Second Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Tamil Nadu Business Facilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Tamil Nadu Value Added Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Tamil Nadu Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Tamil Nadu Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2026.

Published - September 08, 2026 06:59 pm IST