Company told to pay Rs 53,000 for selling defective phone

CHENNAI: A much vexed consumer will now laugh all the way to the bank. A consumer court in the city has awarded him 53,000 as compensation after he purchased a defective mobile phone worth 6,700, which was not repaired by the manufacturer despite more than 150 calls.

K Ponselvam of Thirumullaivoyal said he had purchased a XOLO mobile phone on June 23, 2013. While the phone had one year warranty, battery, charger and head phone had six months warranty. Within the warranty period, the phone started malfunctioning. He approached the seller, Univercell Telecommunications, and was asked to give the phone at the authorised customer service centre in Kilpauk.

He handed over the mobile on September 19 and received it 12 days later. A month after the repairs, it again malfunctioned. He gave the phone to the customer service centre on November 7, 2013. As the staff there did not give him a proper reply, he sent a representation to the centre's head on November 18. Next day, he received a reply saying his complaint has been registered. But, despite calling the centre more than 150 times, there was no reply.

Ponselvam then contacted the customer service department head of XOLO, but to no avail. He then sent a legal notice to the mobile manufacturer and the seller. As there was no reply, he moved the district consumer disputes redressal forum (North Chennai).

A bench of president K Jayabalan and member T Kalaiyarasi said though the mobile seller had received the notice, it did not appear before the forum. The manufacturer appeared but failed to file a written reply.

The bench said, "Evidence shows that the customer service centre had failed to rectify the defect." The forum directed them to refund the cost of the phone along with 50,000 as compensation for mental agony and 3,000 as costs.

Students courier applications, ComedK denies hall tickets

Bengaluru: Sixty five students from Telangana were denied admission tickets to appear for the May 10 ComedK entrance test. The reason: Their applications were sent through courier instead of speed post. Based on their petition, the high court on Tuesday ordered notices to the government and ComedK. A vacation division bench headed by justice Anand Byrareddy also ordered notice to Sri Chaitanya Junior Kalasala, a residential school at Ranga Reddy district in Telangana where petitioners Mohammed Abdul Rab and others were pursuing their course. The school authorities reportedly failed to send the applications through speed post as stipulated in the examination notification. The matter is posted for May 7. The petitioners have challenged the condition 5 of the April 13, 2015, notification issued by ComedK making it mandatory to send applications through speed post only. Terming the rule "arbitrary and unsustainable in law", they said despite meeting all the educational requirements mentioned in the notification, ComedK has denied them an opportunity to appear for the examination and also their right to education which amounts to nipping their career itself. They claimed that since it was a residential school and they were not allowed to venture outside the campus, they requested the school authorities to post the applications along with demand drafts to ComedK. But, the institution sent the applications through courier on March 12.

BU answer scripts stolen from college

BENGALURU: Nearly 200 blank answer scripts of the ongoing Bangalore University undergraduate exams have been stolen from a north Bengaluru college. The answer scripts had been kept in the cupboard of the locked staff room of Sambhram Academy of Management Studies (SAMS), MS Palya, Jalahalli East, Vidyaranyapura, on April 25. The staff found the room door ajar around 8.15am on April 27. However, the fact that 173 answer scripts were missing was noticed only around 4pm. In their complaint to Vidyaranyapura police, the college authorities said some students or outsiders may have entered the staff room by breaking the window pane. A senior BU official said the answer scripts could be filled up and slipped into bundles of legitimate answer-sheets when they are dispatched to BU after the exam. B Thimme Gowda, vice-chancellor of BU, has directed KN Ninge Gowda, registrar (evaluation), to file a police complaint against SAMS. The vice-chancellor confirmed the directive to BU.

Another senior varsity official told TOI, "It is the duty of the principal and other authorities of the college to safeguard the answer scripts. We had provided 6,000 answer scripts to this college. But due to their negligence, some of them have been stolen."

TO THE SCRIPT November 2014: Nine students and an attendant of BNM College, Banashankari, were caught writing BCom and BBM exams at a house in Basavanagudi by BU authorities December 2014: Four blank answer scripts of BU provided to New Horizon College, Marathahalli, were found at a bar in HAL police station limits

Serial nos will nail culprits We have submitted the serial numbers of the stolen answer papers to the BU. If anyone tries to misuse them, they will be caught. There was a security guard yet the miscreants stole them

Spokesperson of SAMS

Anna University to start admissions tomorrow

CHENNAI: Anna University will be issuing BE/BTech application forms on Wednesday. Over 2.4 lakhs application forms will be available in over 60 centres across the state.

The applications are priced at Rs500 for general categories and for SC/ST candidates it will cost Rs250. The last date to send in the filled application forms to Anna University is May 29 and for its affiliated colleges you need to submit the forms by May 27.

Application forms for second year BE/BTech degree courses under lateral entry scheme for the 2015-2016 academic year will be issued from May 13 to June 6. Applicants can get forms for seats in government, government aided and self-financing engineering colleges under the Directorate of Technical Education and Anna University.

The cost of applications is Rs 300 for general categories. For SCA/SC/ST candidates the forms can be availed free of cost.

The applications will be issued between 10am and 5pm at various centres across the state, which includes Chennai, Cuddalore, Coimbatore, Dharmapuri, Erode, Kanchipuram, Kanyakumari, Madurai, Nagapattinam, Pudukottai, Salem, Thanjavur, Tirunelveli, Tiruchy, Vellore and Villupuram.

The last date for the receipt of filled in application is June 9.

Supreme Court upholds maintenance for live-in partners

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said if a live-in relationship breaks down, the man is bound to pay maintenance to the woman and the children born from the relationship.

A bench of Justices Vikramajit Sen and A M Sapre dismissed a petition by a man who claimed that since he was already married before entering into the live-in relationship, his partner could not claim the status of a wife to be legally entitled to maintenance under Hindu Marriage Act.

The petition was filed by 'Z', who works in Bollywood, challenging an order of the Bombay high court, which had held that his live-in partner of nine years and the child were entitled to maintenance after their relationship ended. 'Z' argued that he was legally married to another woman for the last 49 years, hence his live-in partner was not entitled to maintenance as she was well aware of his marital status.

READ ALSO: Couple living together will be presumed married, SC rules

He said his live-in partner was a 'call girl' and alleged that she had decided to live with him on her own wish since 1986. They lived together for nine years and a child was born to them in 1988.

Justices Sen and Sapre slammed 'Z' for referring to his erstwhile live-in partner as a 'call girl' and said he was a philanderer as he was living with another woman despite being married.

"How absurd is your argument. You yourself went for the live-in relationship but now you are branding the poor lady as call girl. You are such an idiot that you went for a relationship. You are yourself a philanderer as you got into a relationship despite being married," the bench said.

READ ALSO: Children born of live-in relationships are legitimate, SC rules

In this case, the woman had first approached the family court in Bandra for declaration of their relationship as husband and wife. The court, however, refused her plea after 'Z' told the court that he was already married to someone else. She then approached the HC which had said she was eligible to claim maintenance for herself and her daughter. 'Z' challenged the HC order in the apex court.

The court in its various orders has recognized the concept of live-in relationship in society. It has gone to the extent of saying that if a man and woman "lived like husband and wife" for a long period and had children, the judiciary would presume that the two were legally married.

In April, the apex court had said continuous cohabitation of a couple would give rise to the presumption of a valid marriage and it would be for the opposite party to prove that they were not legally married.

READ ALSO: Can't keep live-in relations outside purview of rape, HC rules

"It is well settled that the law presumes in favour of marriage and against concubinage, when a man and woman have cohabited continuously for a long time. However, the presumption can be rebutted by leading unimpeachable evidence. A heavy burden lies on a party who seeks to deprive the relationship of legal origin," it had said.

சமையல் எரிவாயு மானியத்திற்கு வருமான வரி கிடையாது; மத்திய அரசு அறிவிப்பு

புதுடெல்லி,

வீட்டு உபயோக சமையல் எரிவாயு சிலிண்டருக்கான மானியம் வாடிக்கையாளர்களின் வங்கி கணக்கில் நேரடியாக செலுத்தப்படுகிறது. இந்த மானியத் தொகைக்கும் வருமான வரி கட்ட வேண்டும் என்ற தகவல் வெளியானது. பாராளுமன்றத்தில் நிறைவேற்றப்பட்ட நிதி தொடர்பான சட்டதிருத்தத்தில், ஒரு தனி நபர் தான் பெறக்கூடிய மானியங்கள், ஊக்கத்தொகை போன்ற பலன்களும் அவரது வருமான கணக்கில் சேர்க்கப்படும் என்று கூறப்பட்டு இருந்ததே இதற்கு காரணம் என்றும் நிபுணர்கள் கூறினர்.

மத்திய அரசு இதனை மறுத்துள்ளது. மத்திய நிதித்துறை அமைச்சகம் இதுதொடர்பாக வெளியிட்டுள்ள அறிக்கையில், ‘‘நிதி சட்ட திருத்தத்தில் கூறப்பட்டுள்ள அம்சங்கள் தனி நபர் பெற்றுவரும் சமையல் எரிவாயு சிலிண்டருக்கான மானியம் அல்லது இதர நலத்திட்டங்கள் தொடர்பான மானியங்களுக்கு பொருந்தாது. இது வணிகம் மற்றும் தொழில் தொடர்பாக பெறப்படும் லாபங்கள், இதர வகையில் வரும் வருமானங்கள் தான் இதில் சேரும். எனவே சமையல் எரிவாயு சிலிண்டருக்கான மானியம், நலத்திட்டங்கள் வாயிலாக பெறக்கூடிய மானியங்களுக்கு வருமான வரி கிடையாது’’ என்று கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது.

தண்ணீர் கலந்த பெட்ரோல் விற்றதால் பரபரப்பு பெட்ரோல் ‘பங்க்’கை முற்றுகையிட்டு வாகனஓட்டிகள் போராட்டம்

சேலையூர் அருகே தண்ணீர் கலந்த பெட்ரோல் போடப்பட்டதால் வாகனங்கள் நடுரோட்டில் நின்றன. இதனையடுத்து அந்த பெட்ரோலை விற்பனை செய்த பெட்ரோல் ‘பங்க்’கை முற்றுகையிட்டு வாகனஓட்டிகள் போராட்டம் நடத்தினர்.

தண்ணீர் கலந்த பெட்ரோல்

சென்னையை அடுத்த சேலையூர் அருகே ராஜகீழ்ப்பாக்கத்தில் தனியார் பெட்ரோல் ‘பங்க்’ உள்ளது. இங்கு நேற்று காலை வழக்கம்போல பலர் கார், மோட்டார்சைக்கிள்களில் வந்து பெட்ரோல் போட்டு சென்றனர்.

பெட்ரோல் போட்டு சென்ற வாகனங்கள் சிறிது தூரத்திலேயே நின்று விட்டன. ஒன்றன்பின் ஒன்றாக 50–க்கும் மேற்பட்ட வாகனங்கள் நின்றதால் வாகன ஓட்டிகள் அதிர்ச்சி அடைந்தனர். உடனே தங்கள் வாகனங்களில் இருந்த பெட்ரோல் டேங்கை திறந்து பார்த்தனர். அப்போது பெட்ரோலில் தண்ணீர் கலந்து இருந்தது தெரியவந்தது.

முற்றுகை

உடனே அவர்கள் பெட்ரோல் ‘பங்க்’கிற்கு சென்றனர். வாகனங்களை தள்ளிக்கொண்டு பொதுமக்கள் கூட்டமாக வருவதை பார்த்த பெட்ரோல் பங்க் ஊழியர்கள் அதிர்ச்சி அடைந்தனர். வாகனஓட்டிகள் பெட்ரோல் ‘பங்க்’கை முற்றுகையிட்டனர்.

பெட்ரோலில் தண்ணீர் கலந்திருப்பதாக அவர்கள் வாக்குவாதத்தில் ஈடுபட்டனர். தகவல் அறிந்ததும் அங்கு சேலையூர் போலீசார் விரைந்து வந்து வாகனஓட்டிகளிடம் பேச்சுவார்த்தை நடத்தினர்.

நீர்கசிவு

பின்னர் பெட்ரோல் ‘பங்க்’ நிர்வாகத்தினர் மெக்கானிக்கை வரவழைத்து வாகனங்களில் இருந்த தண்ணீர் கலந்த பெட்ரோலை வெளியே எடுத்து சுத்தம் செய்தனர். பெட்ரோலுக்கு கொடுத்த பணமும் திருப்பி அளிக்கப்பட்டது. இதன்பின்னர் பொதுமக்கள் கலைந்து சென்றனர்.

பெட்ரோல் ‘பங்க்’கில் பெட்ரோல் சேமித்து வைக்கப்படும் டேங்க் பூமிக்கு அடியில் உள்ளதால் நீர் கசிவு ஏற்பட்டு பெட்ரோலில் தண்ணீர் கலந்திருக்கலாம் என தெரிகிறது. இதை சீர் செய்யும் பணியில் பெட்ரோல் பங்க் ஊழியர்கள் ஈடுபட்டனர்.