Chennai: Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has given assent to the legislation, clearing 20 per cent preferential quota in government employment for candidates educated in Tamil medium.
The law applies only to appointments through direct recruitment and specifies the educational conditions applicants must satisfy to claim preference under the Persons Studied in Tamil Medium category.
Tamil Nadu introduced the quota through legislation enacted in 2010, reserving 20 per cent of vacancies filled through direct recruitment for eligible Tamil-medium candidates.
Until now, preference had been extended to qualified applicants regardless of whether they were already employed in government service.
The Madras High Court subsequently ruled that serving government employees were not entitled to claim preference under the Tamil-medium category. To clarify the position and regulate eligibility for those who entered service after September 7, 2010, the state government introduced an amendment Bill in the Legislative Assembly in January.
With the Governor granting assent, the amendment has come into force. It makes clear that its provisions will apply prospectively and only to new recruitment, rather than appointments already made. Under the revised law, candidates must have studied entirely in Tamil from Class I up to the educational qualification prescribed for the post. Merely writing examinations in Tamil will not be sufficient.
Those who studied with another language as their medium of instruction cannot claim the preference even if they answered their examinations in Tamil.
The law also covers certain exceptions arising from the Right to Education Act. Children who did not enter school in Class I but were admitted directly to Classes II to VIII according to their age will remain eligible, provided they studied and passed through the Tamil medium thereafter.
Students who pursued Tamil-medium education in another state and later continued their studies in Tamil Nadu will also qualify from the class in which they joined, subject to compliance with the prescribed conditions.
Applicants must obtain certificates confirming Tamil-medium education from every relevant institution they attended up to the qualification required for the post. These certificates will serve as proof when they seek consideration under the preferential quota.
The amendment is intended to remove uncertainty created by the court ruling, ensure uniform verification of claims and preserve the quota for candidates who genuinely completed the required course of study through Tamil.
(IANS)
