Tamil Nadu Timeline

Commission

17 events, 1854 to 2025; 2 marked as turning points.

  1. 1854

    1. Sep 1854 to 1855ChennaiLaw Justice

      Madras Torture Commission appointed

      A commission was appointed to investigate the torture of ryots by revenue officials in the Madras Presidency.

  2. 1928

    1. Feb 1928ChennaiProtest

      Simon Commission boycott in Madras

      Protesters in Madras demonstrated against the Simon Commission, and T. Prakasam famously defied police during the protest.

  3. 1969

    1. 1969 to 1970ChennaiSocial Reform

      Sattanathan Backward Classes Commission

      The first Backward Classes Commission of Tamil Nadu, headed by A. N. Sattanathan, recommended a separate Most Backward Class category.

    2. Sep 1969 to 1971ChennaiGovernance

      Rajamannar Committee on Centre-State relations

      The DMK government appointed a committee under P. V. Rajamannar to study state autonomy and Centre-State relations.

  4. 1976

    1. Feb 1976ChennaiLaw Justice

      Sarkaria Commission of Inquiry into the DMK government

      A one-man commission under Justice R. S. Sarkaria was appointed to inquire into corruption charges against the dismissed DMK government.

  5. 1990

    1. 2 Jun 1990New DelhiAgriculture

      Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal constituted

      On a Supreme Court direction, the Union government set up a tribunal to adjudicate the Kaveri water dispute between Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry.

  6. 1995

    1. 31 Aug 1995KodiyankulamConflict

      Kodiyankulam police raid

      About 600 policemen raided the Dalit village of Kodiyankulam in Thoothukudi district, destroying property amid caste clashes in southern Tamil Nadu.

  7. 1997

    1. Aug 1997New DelhiLaw Justice

      Jain Commission interim report on the Rajiv Gandhi assassination

      Criticism of the DMK over the LTTE in the Jain Commission's interim report prompted Congress to demand the party's exit, bringing down the Gujral government.

  8. 1999

    1. 23 Jul 1999TirunelveliConflict

      Manjolai labourers massacre on the Tamirabarani

      Seventeen people, mostly Dalit tea estate workers, died in the Tamirabarani river at Tirunelveli while fleeing a police lathi-charge.

  9. 2001

    1. 6 Aug 2001ErwadiDisaster

      Erwadi mental home fire

      Chained to their beds, 28 inmates died when fire swept through a faith-based mental asylum at Erwadi.

  10. 2004

    1. 16 Jul 2004KumbakonamDisaster

      Kumbakonam school fire

      A fire at a school in Kumbakonam killed 94 children after a thatched roof caught fire, leading to new school safety rules.

  11. 2007

    1. 5 Feb 2007KaveriLaw Justice

      Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal final award

      The Cauvery tribunal issued its final award allocating river water among Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry.

  12. 2014

    1. 28 Jun 2014MoulivakkamDisaster

      Moulivakkam building collapse

      An eleven-storey apartment block under construction collapsed at Moulivakkam in Chennai, killing 61 people, mostly construction workers.

  13. 2016

    1. 5 Dec 2016ChennaiPolitics

      Death of J. Jayalalithaa

      Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa died at Apollo Hospital, Chennai, after a 75-day hospitalisation; O. Panneerselvam was sworn in the same night.

  14. 2018

    1. 22 May 2018ThoothukudiProtest

      Thoothukudi anti-Sterlite police firing

      Police fired on protesters marching against the Sterlite copper smelter in Thoothukudi, killing 13 people; the state ordered the plant closed.

  15. 2024

    1. 19 Jun 2024KallakurichiDisaster

      Kallakurichi illicit liquor deaths

      Methanol-laced illicit liquor killed more than 60 people in Kallakurichi district.

  16. 2025

    1. 27 Sep 2025KarurDisaster

      Karur crowd crush at TVK rally

      A crowd crush at a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam campaign rally addressed by Vijay in Karur killed 41 people.