T.N. Assembly special session to be held on November 18 to pass returned bills: Speaker Appavu

TN Assembly Speaker Appavu announces special session on Nov 18 to pass Bills returned by Governor Ravi. Session to discuss Bills, not Supreme Court's observation or Governor/President. Session to pass online gambling law and Bill against NEET. Udhayanidhi's signature campaign to convince President to approve Bill against NEET. TN Assembly unanimously passed Bill opposing NEET, merits should be considered.

Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Speaker M. Appavu on Thursday said a special Assembly session will be convened at the State Secretariat in Chennai on Saturday, November 18, 2023, to pass Bills returned by Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi.

Speaking to media persons on the sidelines of a conference about the legislative skills of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi at the SKP Vanitha International School’s campus in Tiruvannamalai, Mr. Appavu said that as the State government wanted to convene a special session to pass the returned Bills once more, the special session will be held on Saturday under Assembly Rules 26. “As I have learnt that many legislative Bills have been returned by the Governor, the State government wanted to pass these Bills again after discussions, at a special session in the Assembly,” he said.

Asked about the Supreme Court’s recent observation that the T.N. Governor’s delays in assenting to Bills was a matter of serious concern, Mr. Appavu said that the special session has been convened only to pass the Bills again and not to discuss the Supreme Court’s observation or the Governor and the President.

He further added that the special law against online rummy and the Bill against NEET were returned in the first instance by the Governor. However, after these laws were passed again in the Assembly, the Governor either approved them (in the case of online gambling) or sent them to the President for approval (Bill against NEET). “As per the law, the Governor cannot return those Bills that are passed once more in the Assembly. Only those Bills that have been returned by the Governor will be passed again in this special session,” he said.

On Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s signature campaign against the National Entrance cum Eligibility Test (NEET), Mr. Appavu said the initiative was to convince the President to give her nod for the Bill against NEET. Earlier, education was on the State List before it was moved to the Concurrent List. As a result, the Centre passed a law in Parliament to conduct NEET. Likewise, the State government too has unanimously passed a Bill in the Assembly, opposing it. “The President and the Union government should consider the merits of the Bill against NEET as it has been passed by a State Assembly,,” he said.