Tamil Nadu: Former SC judge Kurian Joseph to head committee for ‘retrieving state rights’

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin announced in the state Assembly on Tuesday that a high level committee will be formed to give recommendations and suggestions on state autonomy and ‘retrieve states rights.’ The committee will be headed by former Supreme Court judge Kurian Joseph, former IAS officers Ashok Vardan Shetty and Mu Nagarajan.

The committee will be tasked with doing research and submit an interim report to the state government on January of 2026. The report is expected to be completed in 2028. “To strengthen the relationship between state and Union government, this committee will do a research and give recommendations”, CM Stalin said in the Assembly.

மாநில உரிமைகளை காக்க ஓய்வுபெற்ற மேனாள் நீதியரசர் குரியன் ஜோசப் அவர்கள் தலைமையில் உயர்மட்டக் குழு அமைக்கப்படும்!

– சட்டப்பேரவையில் மாண்புமிகு முதலமைச்சர் திரு @mkstalin அவர்கள் அறிவிப்பு #MKS4StateAutonomy pic.twitter.com/pftNibM7W2

— DMK (@arivalayam) April 15, 2025

CM Stalin also spoke about his stance against the National Entrance cum Eligibility Test (NEET) and the NEP’s three-language formula. He said that many students have lost their lives due to NEET.

“We have lost many students due to NEET exam. We have continuously opposed NEET exam. In the name of the triple language policy, the Union Government is trying to impose Hindi in Tamil Nadu. Since we have denied NEP, Rs 2,500 crore to the state has not been released by the Union Government,” he said.

Stalin further demanded that education should solely be a state subject, asking for the reversal of the 42nd Constitutional Amendment which allowed for education to be shifted to Concurrent list.

The comments by the Chief Minister comes on the backdrop of Supreme Court terming that Governor R N Ravi’s withholding assent to ten bills after they were re-enacted by the State Legislature as “illegal and erroneous in law”. A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan said the Governor must act in aid and advice of the State Legislature on April 8.

“Action of the Governor to reserve the 10 bills for the President is illegal and arbitrary, and thus the action is set aside. All actions taken by the Governor thereto for the 10 bills are set aside. The 10 bills shall be deemed to be clear from the date it was re-presented to the Governor”, the judgment stated. (ANI)