Legislation

Madras Regulation VII of 1817 on temple endowments

The Madras government passed Regulation VII of 1817, the first explicit Company legislation on the management of temple endowments.

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.

Council adopts the term Adi Dravida

Acting on a resolution by M. C. Rajah, the Madras Legislative Council adopted Adi-Dravida officially in place of terms like Paraiya and Panchama.

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.

Muthulakshmi Reddy becomes first woman legislator in India

Doctor and reformer Muthulakshmi Reddy was nominated to the Madras Legislative Council, becoming the first woman legislator in British India.

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.

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.

Prohibition introduced in Salem district

The Rajaji ministry introduced prohibition of liquor in Salem district, the first such experiment in the Presidency.

C. Rajagopalachari forms first Congress ministry

C. Rajagopalachari became Premier of Madras at the head of the first Congress government in the Presidency.

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.

Madras Devadasis (Prevention of Dedication) Act enacted

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

Ceylon Citizenship Act leaves Indian Tamils stateless

Passed soon after Ceylon became independent, a citizenship law shut out most Indian Tamil plantation workers, descendants of migrants from the Madras Presidency.

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.

De jure transfer of the French settlements to India

Once France ratified the Treaty of Cession, Pondicherry and the other former French settlements legally became part of India.

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 Water Supply and Drainage Board given statutory status

Set up in 1969, the TWAD Board was made a statutory body in charge of water supply and sewerage everywhere outside Madras.

TASMAC established to handle liquor trade

Formed by the M. G. Ramachandran government, the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) handled wholesale liquor trade whenever prohibition was lifted.

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.

Tamil Nadu Medical University created

Presidential assent was given to the Tamil Nadu Medical University Act; the university opened in Madras in 1988 and later took MGR's name.

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.

Construction Workers Welfare Board established

Using its 1982 Manual Workers Act, Tamil Nadu created a construction workers' welfare board financed by a cess on building activity.

Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University inaugurated

Chennai saw the inauguration of a state law university named for B. R. Ambedkar, created by a 1996 Act to place every law college under a single body.

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.

Tamil Nadu anti-conversion law

The AIADMK government introduced a law against forcible religious conversion, which was withdrawn after the 2004 Lok Sabha election and formally repealed in 2006.

Rainwater harvesting made mandatory for all buildings

After severe drought, a 2003 ordinance required every building in Tamil Nadu to install rainwater harvesting structures by 31 August.

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.

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.

Internal reservation for Arunthathiyars

Tamil Nadu set aside 3 percent within the Scheduled Caste quota for the Arunthathiyar community.

Pro-jallikattu protests at Marina Beach

Mass protests led largely by students and youth at Marina Beach forced an ordinance and then a state law allowing jallikattu.

Tamil Nadu bans single-use plastics

The Tamil Nadu government's ban on plastic carry bags and other single-use plastic items came into force on 1 January 2019.

Cauvery delta declared a protected special agricultural zone

Tamil Nadu declared the Cauvery delta a protected special agricultural zone, barring new hydrocarbon and similar projects.

7.5 percent medical seat quota for government school students

The Governor assented to a law reserving 7.5 percent of medical seats for students who studied in government schools.

Assembly passes NEET exemption bill

The Assembly passed a bill to admit students to medical courses on Class 12 marks instead of NEET, and re-passed it after the Governor returned it.