At least four private medical colleges owned or managed by leaders of the DMK and AIADMK exploited legal loopholes to obtain deemed university status, bypassing Tamil Nadu’s seat-sharing policy and fee regulations, Health Minister KG Arunraj alleged on Wednesday, 8 July 2026, as per a Times of India report.
Among them is Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Institute of Medical Sciences in Perambalur, owned by DMK MLA S. Kathiravan, whose institution that is alleged to be involved with a kidney trafficking racket in Namakkal.
Addressing the media, Arunraj said the move could result in Tamil Nadu losing at least 462 government quota MBBS seats, 35 seats reserved for government school students under the 7.5% quota, besides several management quota and BDS seats, as admissions to deemed universities are conducted by the Centre’s Medical Counselling Committee rather than the state.
The minister also revealed that two more medical colleges owned or managed by leaders of the Dravidian parties had applied for deemed university status.
Arunraj said Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Institute of Medical Sciences and Srinivasan Medical College, which were earlier functioning as state private universities, secured deemed university status without the knowledge of the Tamil Nadu government. According to him, the government learnt of the development only two days ago after the National Medical Commission listed both institutions as deemed universities.
He said the state government would file a writ petition seeking cancellation of the newly granted deemed university status.
The minister specifically alleged that the medical college owned by DMK MLA S. Kathiravan from Manachanallur had never applied for a mandatory No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the state government but nevertheless obtained deemed university status. Arunraj contended that the institution had bypassed the state approval process by directly approaching the University Grants Commission, thereby undermining the state’s authority and the principles of social justice. He further alleged that such actions deprived meritorious students and those admitted under the government school reservation quota of medical seats.
Arunraj also detailed how procedural lapses enabled other institutions to secure approvals. He said Karpaga Vinayaga Medical College had sought approval from Anna University for its engineering programmes and from Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University for its medical college on 7 June 2023. However, neither institution responded within the mandatory 60-day period, resulting in the NOC being deemed granted under existing regulations.
According to the minister, the DMK government subsequently issued the NOC in September 2023 but revoked it two months later without any clear explanation. The college challenged the decision in court and secured a favourable verdict after arguing that the authorities had failed to respond within the prescribed timeframe. Arunraj noted that the state government did not appeal the court’s ruling.
He further stated that St. Peter’s Medical College’s application had been decided within the stipulated period in December 2023, but the communication was issued six days late. The institution subsequently approached the Delhi High Court and obtained a favourable order. Arunraj said the Tamil Nadu government had since appealed against that judgment.
The minister added that two other applicant institutions also benefited after the authorities failed to respond within the statutory deadline, resulting in their NOCs being deemed granted automatically.
Describing the developments as evidence of political bias in the scrutiny of deemed university applications, Arunraj said Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, which is currently administered by a five-member committee, would issue speaking orders on all future NOC applications to ensure decisions are communicated within the prescribed timeline and similar procedural loopholes are eliminated.
He further said the Tamil Nadu government would pursue both legal and legislative remedies. According to Arunraj, the state would urge the Union government to withdraw the amendments issued through the May 2026 notification and amend the UGC Act to restore the powers of state governments over such approvals. As an interim measure, the government would also seek fee regulation and seat-sharing arrangements for deemed universities on the lines of Karnataka’s model.
The minister also announced that students facing excessive fees or denial of stipends in deemed universities could lodge anonymous complaints through the state’s 104 helpline.
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