Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has announced a series of measures to modernise legal education and administration in the State, including the creation of an artificial intelligence-powered legal database, introduction of postgraduate law courses in four government law colleges and establishment of an AI and legal studies centre.

The announcements were made by Energy and Law Minister Nirmal Kumar as part of the law department’s demands for grants for 2026-27.

As part of the initiative, the government will create a digital repository called the Tamil Nadu Code Web Portal, incorporating artificial intelligence, to provide the public easy access to laws enacted in the State, ordinances, Bills and their gazettes. The portal will also host all major laws currently in force, along with amendments made to them, enabling users to access them from a single platform.

The government will also introduce LL.M. programmes at the government law colleges in Salem, Namakkal, Theni and Karaikudi from the 2026-27 academic year. Two associate professors will be appointed at each of the four colleges, taking the total number of posts to eight.

The move is aimed at benefiting students from these districts, who currently have to travel to other districts to pursue postgraduate legal education.

Infrastructure at government law colleges will also be strengthened. Student hostels will be constructed at the government law colleges in Vellore and Chengalpet through the Tamil Nadu Student Hostels and Infrastructure Corporation (TNSHIC). At present, these colleges have hostels only for women students, not for men.

The government will also install two RO drinking water purification systems each in 12 government law colleges, including the Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College at Pattaraiperumbudur and the institutions in Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli, Chengalpattu, Vellore, Villupuram, Ramanathapuram, Dharmapuri and Salem. The initiative is expected to benefit around 14,926 students.

CCTV cameras will also be installed at these 12 government law colleges to strengthen the safety of students.

At the Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University in Chennai, all office records will be digitised and an e-office system introduced. The system will facilitate electronic creation, maintenance, transfer, scrutiny and approval of files, besides integrating digital signatures, document management and file-tracking facilities. The initiative is intended to reduce paper use and administrative delays while improving transparency and efficiency.

An additional hostel building will be constructed at the School of Excellence in Law at the university’s Perungudi campus. The new facility will accommodate 606 women students and include study rooms, a dining hall, internet facilities, lifts, fire-safety arrangements and round-the-clock security.

The university will also introduce an end-to-end examination automation and online valuation system to modernise examination administration. Registration, examination applications, fee payment, issue of hall tickets, recording of marks and publication of results will be integrated, while online evaluation is expected to make answer-script valuation faster and more accurate.

A major focus of the announcements is the integration of artificial intelligence into legal education. An AI and Legal Studies Centre will be established at the Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University to directly benefit students of the School of Excellence in Law, government law colleges across the State and affiliated private law colleges. The initiative is expected to benefit around 30,000 law students.

The proposed Artificial Intelligence Centre will focus on research, skill development, virtual learning, legal videos, certificate courses and AI-assisted learning. The initiative is aimed at preparing law students for the growing role of AI in the judiciary and legal profession and taking legal education in the State towards global standards.

The government will also procure new law books and electronic information resources for the university library to improve access to academic material for students, faculty members and researchers and strengthen digital library services.

At the Tamil Nadu National Law University in Tiruchirappalli, an additional student hostel will be constructed through TNSHIC to address the existing shortage of accommodation and facilitate campus residence for postgraduate and research students. The new facility is also expected to meet future accommodation requirements as student admissions increase.


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