Act

Charter Act of 1813

Renewing the Company's charter, Parliament abolished its India trade monopoly, admitted missionaries and funded education.

Charter Act of 1833 centralises lawmaking

The Government of India Act 1833 removed the Madras government's power to make its own laws and centralised it in Calcutta.

Indian Slavery Act abolishes legal slavery

Under Act V of 1843, slavery lost legal recognition in Company territories, agrestic slavery in the Tamil districts included.

University of Madras founded

An act of the Legislative Council incorporated the University of Madras, among the first three modern universities in India.

Crown takes over the government of India

Following the Government of India Act 1858, a proclamation by Queen Victoria declared direct Crown rule over British India, the Madras Presidency included.

Indian Councils Act restores Madras legislative powers

Through the Indian Councils Act 1861, the Madras Presidency regained law-making powers and gained an advisory Madras Legislative Council.

Indian Penal Code comes into force

Drafted under Macaulay and enacted in 1860, the Indian Penal Code took effect throughout British India, the Madras Presidency included.

Morley-Minto reforms

The Indian Councils Act 1909 introduced elections to the legislative councils, including Madras, and admitted Indians to the Madras executive council.

Government of India Act 1919 introduces dyarchy

Based on the Montagu-Chelmsford Report, the Act introduced dyarchy in the provinces, including Madras, transferring some subjects to elected ministers.

Madras Elementary Education Act

A Madras statute made elementary schooling compulsory for both boys and girls and raised spending on primary schools.

Madras State Aid to Industries Act

The Justice Party government passed a law to advance state loans for setting up industries in the Presidency.

Madras University Act

A fresh Madras University Act enlarged the University of Madras's governing bodies and gave them a more representative character.

Madras Hindu Religious Endowments Act

A law passed under the Justice Party government placed Hindu temple endowments under the oversight of a statutory board.

Andhra University established by Madras Act

After a bill carried with Tamil votes, the Madras legislature set up Andhra University for the Presidency's Telugu districts.

Annamalai University founded

Annamalai University was established at Chidambaram through the endowment of Annamalai Chettiar as a residential university.

Madras Service Commission set up

Created by a Madras law, the Madras Service Commission was India's first provincial public service commission and the predecessor of TNPSC.

Madras Agriculturists Relief Act eases peasant debt

A law to reduce the debts of indebted farmers in the Madras Presidency was brought in by the Rajagopalachari ministry.

Madras Temple Entry Authorization and Indemnity Act

A law passed by the Rajagopalachari ministry lifted the bars on Dalits and Shanars entering Hindu temples across the Presidency.

Dalits enter Madurai Meenakshi Temple

A. Vaidyanatha Iyer led a group of Dalits and Nadars into the Meenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai, defying orthodox opposition.

Madras Devadasis (Prevention of Dedication) Act enacted

The Madras legislature outlawed the dedication of girls to temples as devadasis, ending a long reform campaign.

States Reorganisation redraws Madras State

Malabar and South Canara left Madras State while Kanyakumari district and Shenkottai taluk were added, leaving a Tamil-majority state.

Tiruttani transferred from Andhra Pradesh to Madras State

Under the Andhra Pradesh and Madras (Alteration of Boundaries) Act, Tiruttani and nearby areas joined Madras State.

Official Languages Act passed

Parliament passed the Official Languages Act to allow continued use of English alongside Hindi after 1965.

Official Languages (Amendment) Act guarantees bilingualism

Amid fresh protests in Madras State, Parliament amended the 1963 Act to ensure English would continue in use alongside Hindi.

Self-Respect marriages given legal validity

The Hindu Marriage (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act, 1967 became law, legalising marriages performed without priests or Vedic rituals.

Agricultural Labourer Fair Wages Act

Under a 1969 law, Cauvery delta farm labourers had to be paid fair wages, and landowners who exploited them faced penalties.

Madras State renamed Tamil Nadu

With the Madras State (Alteration of Name) Act, 1968 in force, the state officially took the name Tamil Nadu.

Land ceiling reduced to 15 standard acres

A 1970 Tamil Nadu law halved the family land ceiling, cutting it from 30 to 15 standard acres.

Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board created

The Karunanidhi government created the Slum Clearance Board to replace slums with tenements, later backed by a 1971 Act.

Tamil Nadu Legislative Council abolished

The upper house of the Tamil Nadu legislature, in existence since 1921, was abolished at the request of the MGR government.

Equal property rights for women and 30% job quota

Tamil Nadu amended Hindu succession law to give daughters equal rights in family property and reserved 30% of government jobs for women.

69% reservation Act placed in the Ninth Schedule

Through the 76th Amendment, the Constitution's Ninth Schedule came to include Tamil Nadu's 1993 law that kept reservation at 69%.

Tamil Nadu Open University established

Through the Tamil Nadu Open University Act, 2002, the state set up an open university in Chennai offering distance higher education.

Professional course admissions law and end of entrance tests

With common entrance tests abolished, a 2006 law reorganised professional course admissions and brought reservation to private colleges.

Separate reservation for Backward Class Muslims and Christians

Under a 2007 Act, Backward Class Muslims and Christians received their own portion of the backward class quota.

Welfare board and department for persons with disabilities

In 2007 Tamil Nadu enacted a Welfare Board for Disabled Persons Act, and in 2009 it formed a separate Department for the Welfare of the Differently Abled.

Tamil New Year moved to the first day of Thai

A DMK government law moved Tamil New Year to the first day of the Tamil month of Thai; the change was revoked in 2011.