TN sets up Kurian Joseph committee to review center state relation

The Tamil Nadu government has announced the constitution of a three-member committee headed by former Supreme Court Judge Justice Kurian Joseph to review centre-state relations. The Chief Minister, MK Stalin, announced the decision in the state legislative assembly on 15 April 2025.

The MK Stalin-led DMK government in Tamil Nadu does not share a good relationship with the BJP-led NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government at the centre. It has always opposed the Centre’s National Eligibility-cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medical admissions and the New Education Policy (NEP 2020). The DMK government believes that the centre, through these policies, is encroaching upon the state's rights.

In 1969, MK Stalin's father and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M.Karunanidhi, set up a similar committee headed by former Chief Justice of Madras High Court P V Rajamannar. 

The ruling DMK party has a history of supporting greater state autonomy under the Indian constitution and has opposed a strong centre.

Members of the committee and its Task

The three-member committee, headed by Former Supreme Court Judge Justice Kurian Joseph, also includes former IAS officer Ashok Vardhan Shetty and former Vice-Chairman of the State Planning Commission M Naganathan.

According to the state government, the committee will make a recommendation on the following issues;

• Examine the constitutional provisions and recommend appropriate measures to restore subjects that the central government has transferred from the State List to the Concurrent List;
• Consider recommendations of the Rajamannar Committee, Sarkaria Commission and Punchhi Commissions on Centre-state relations in the context of changed socio-political and economic developments;
• Suggest reform to ensure maximum autonomy to the states.

The Committee is expected to submit its interim report by January 2026 and its final report within two years.

Centre- State Relation 

The Indian constitution provides for a federal structure with a strong centre. The seventh schedule of the Constitution mentions the legislative, administrative, and financial powers between the two.The seventh schedule divides the powers into three lists -Union, State, and Concurrent.

• Union or List I contains 98 subjects on which only the Parliament has the power to make law.
• State or List II contains 59 subjects on which the State legislature has the power to make law.
• Concurrent or List III contains 52 subjects on which the Centre and State can make law, but in case of conflict between the central and state laws, the central law will prevail over the state law.
• Residuary Power—Article 248 gives the residuary power to the central government. This means that Parliament has the power to make laws on any subject not mentioned in the seventh list, e.g., service tax.  

Committee and Commission on Centre-State Relations 

The constitution provides for a strong centre, which has become a source of conflict between the centre and the state.

When the Congress government was in power at both the centre and the states, the conflict was resolved within the party.

After 1967, when opposition parties came to power in states, the conflict between the centre and the states over financial and administrative powers.

Various committees and commissions have been set up to examine the centre-state relations.

They are as follows:

MC Setalvad Committee (1966)

It was set up by the Administrative Reform Commission in 1966 under M.C. Setalvad.

Rajamannar Committee (1969)

Set up by the M. Karunanidhi government of Tamil Nadu in 1969. It was headed by former Chief Justice of Madras High Court PV Rajamannar. 

Sarkaria Commission (1983)

The Indira Gandhi government set up a commission on centre-state relations in 1983.

It was headed by Justice Rajinder Singh Sarkaria.

M M Punchi Commission (2007)

It was established by the Manmohan Singh government in 2007 and chaired by Justice Madan Mohan Punchhi.

National Commission for the Review of the Constitution (2000)

The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government set it up on 22 February 2000.

It was headed by Justice M N Venkatachaliah.

It also gave recommendations on centre-state relations.