After 45 days, Tamil Nadu Governor signs 7.5% reservation Bill

After sitting on it for 45 days, Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit has signed into Act the Bill providing 7.5 per cent horizontal reservation in admissions to medical and dental colleges for government school students who clear NEET. 

The Governor's assent came a day after the Tamil Nadu government used its powers to issue executive directions to provide a 7.5 per cent reservation for government school students. 

"This is to inform the people of Tamil Nadu that Hon'ble Governor has given his assent to the Bill titled Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Courses in Medicine, Dentistry, Indian Medicine and Homeopathy on preferential basis to the students of Government Schools Bill 2020," the Raj Bhavan said in a press release. 

Also Read | Tamil Nadu issues GO to implement 7.5% reservation for govt school students who clear NEET

It added that Purohit had sought the legal opinion of the Solicitor General of India, Tushar Mehta, through a letter on September 26, and the opinion was received on Thursday. "As soon as the opinion received, Hon'ble Governor has given assent to the Bill," the release added. 

Hours after the Governor signed the Bill into Act, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami met Purohit and "thanked him."

The issuance of the GO and subsequent assent to the Bill passed by the State Assembly paves the way for the conduct of counselling for medical admission in the state for the academic year 2020-21. The 7.5 per cent horizontal reservation that will ensure at least 300 students from government schools get into medical colleges every year.

The government was forced to use the power to issue executive directions after it was pushed to the corner by the Opposition parties, especially the DMK, that accused it of not exerting "enough pressure" on the Governor. Palaniswami met Governor earlier this month and deputed a delegation of ministers to exert pressure on Purohit to sign the Bill.

But the governor had last week said that he needed another "three to four weeks" to arrive at a decision on the Bill providing the 7.5 per cent reservation prompting the DMK to hit the streets. However, he signed the Bill much before the self-imposed deadline. 

The horizontal reservation shall be provided in each category of vertical reservation followed in the State of Tamil Nadu within the 69% reservation from the academic year 2020-2021.