CHENNAI, June 25: After a long wait of nearly 10-months, the Centre, has finally cleared the Bill for setting up of the Tamil Nadu Dr Ambedkar Law University at Chennai, the first of its kind exclusively for law courses in the country.

The Bill would now be formally placed before the Union Cabinet, before being forwarded to the President for his assent, which again is expected to be a formality. The State government had already sanctioned Rs 2.50 crore as a token amount for setting up of the University. It is proposed that till the permanent buildings are being constructed for the varsity, it can be housed in the `Coovum House' at the Government Estate, Anna Salai, temporarily. The State government is keen that the University started functioning from academic year 1997-98 itself.

Law Minister Aladi Aruna told The Indian Express that due to the efforts taken by Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, who wrote letters to the Union Human Resources Development Minister, S R Bommai twice, and personal visits made by him (Aruna), the Centre had acceded to the State's request.

He said Bommai, in a letter written to the CM on June 21, 1997, had stated that the Centre ``had conceded the proposal to have a separate law university'' in Tamil Nadu.

The minister said though other universities could continue to teach law as a subject in different courses like B Com and B A (Corporate), the Ambedkar University would be exclusively for law courses only. The Centre had some doubts on this issue, and after the state government's clarification, the former accepted it.

He said five government law colleges, at Chennai, Tiruchi, Madurai, Tirunelveli, and Coimbatore, and a private law college functioning at Salem would be affiliated to the new University.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.