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Tamil Nadu Forms High-Level Panel on State Autonomy Amid Centre-State Tensions
On April 15, 2025, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin announced the formation of a high-level committee to examine and recommend measures for enhancing state autonomy. The committee is chaired by retired Supreme Court Justice Kurian Joseph and includes former IAS officer Ashok Vardhan Shetty and Dr. M. Naganathan, former Vice Chairman of the State Planning Commission.
The committee’s mandate includes:
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Studying the relationship between the Union and state governments to safeguard state autonomy.
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Exploring the possibility of transferring certain subjects from the Concurrent List back to the State List.
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Addressing issues like the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and the National Education Policy (NEP), which the state government argues infringe upon state rights.
The committee is expected to submit an interim report by January 2026 and a final report within two years.
This initiative follows a Supreme Court verdict on April 8, 2025, which ruled that Governor RN Ravi’s decision to withhold assent to 10 bills passed by the state legislature was “illegal and erroneous in law.” The court emphasized that the governor is constitutionally bound to act based on the advice of the state legislature.
Chief Minister Stalin has been vocal about the need for greater state autonomy, particularly concerning education policies like NEET and the NEP. He has criticized the Union government’s approach, stating that it undermines the federal structure of the country.
The formation of this committee signifies Tamil Nadu’s commitment to safeguarding its autonomy and addressing the challenges posed by central policies that affect state governance.
