Amid clash with Guv, MK Stalin forms panel to maintain Tamil Nadu's autonomy

Stalin has formed the committee under retired Supreme Court Chief Justice Kurien Joseph in a view to protect the rights of state governments including the one in Tamil Nadu.

The committee that will comprise former bureaucrats is also tasked with retrieving subjects which moved the state list to the concurrent list.

It will assess and evaluate laws without hurting the integrity of the union of states and produce an interim report in January 2026 and a final report in 2028.

This comes days after the Supreme Court handed over a big win to Stalin by saying Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi's decision to withhold his assent to 10 key bills was "illegal" and "arbitrary".

The top court said it is illegal for the Governor to reserve bills for the President after withholding assent.

The court said the Governor should have given his assent to the bill when it was re-presented to him by the assembly.

Citing the Constitution, the court said the Governor can give his assent, withhold assent or reserve the bill for President's consideration.

The ruling DMK has been accusing RN Ravi, a former IPS officer, of blocking bills and acting as the representative of the country's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after assuming the post.