HC orders tahsildar suspended for fraud

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: The Madras high court has directed the revenue department to suspend Velachery tahsildar and initiate disciplinary action against him for having issued patta to a vacant site earmarked for a community hall.

Justice S Vaidyanathan passed the order while dismissing two separate pleas moved by N Raman and SVN Natarajan.

While Raman challenged an order of the authorities

rejecting his request for granting planning permission to the site, Natarajan sought a direction to the authorities not to interfere with his possession of the property.

However, during the hearing, it came to light that the tahsildar issued patta to the property which had been earmarked as reserved for a community hall in spite of instructions from his superiors not to do so.

“It was clear that the petitioners were trying to usurp the properties in question meant for community hall. Merely because the petitioner paid the statutory taxes for years, and that the properties in question were kept as vacant sites, it cannot be a ground to grant the relief sought for by the petitioners,” the judge said.

In Tamil Nadu, there is more than one document for a particular property duly shown as registered. Unless there is collusion between the land grabbers and the persons at the sub-registrar office including the sub-registrar, these fraudulent documents cannot be created, he added.

Pressing for strict action against such officials, the judge said the authority concerned shall preferably pass an order of dismissal from service against the tahsildar, who was in charge at that time.

TRB scam: Police slap case against Noida-based firm

A.Selvaraj@timesgroup.com

Chennai: The city’s cybercrime wing police have registered a case of cheating and forging documents against staff of a Noida-based company assigned to prepare the list of shortlisted candidates for the post of lecturers in government polytechnic colleges in Tamil Nadu.

The issue came to light after some candidates downloaded the answer sheets from the Teachers Recruitment Board website and discovered that they had been manipulated. After they approached the TRB and complained about foul play in the selection process, the member-secretary of the board Jagannathan submitted a complaint to the Chennai city police commissioner A K Viswanathan seeking a probe into the issue.

The cybercrime wing of the central crime branch (CCB) registered a case and confirmed that there was malpractice in data entry by staff of Datatec Methodex Pvt Ltd, Noida. Police questioned company officials over the issue. “The company has ordered an internal inquiry and promised to come out with a detailed report on those responsiblefor thescam,” a police officer said.

Police officers said initial inquiries revealed that staff of the private firm may have taken money ranging from ₹20 lakh to ₹30 lakh from each candidate to include their names in the shortlist.

“Company officials have informed us that the marks of at least196 candidateswere altered,” a police officer said. “We are waiting for a detailed report from the firm.”

The results of the test were published on November 7. Subsequently 2,110 successful candidates were called for certificate verification for five non-engineering subjects to fill 1,058 lecturers’ posts in polytechnic colleges.

Certificate verification for engineering subjects has been deferred after the irregularities were unearthed.

The officer said the authorities are looking for ways to insulate the selection process from manipulation.

Lalu nailed in second fodder scam case, jailed for 8th time
RJD Boss Calls It Conspiracy Of ‘Casteist Minds’

Jaideep Deogharia & Sanjay Sahay TNN

Ranchi: Bitter over his second conviction in a fodder scam-related case, RJD boss Lalu Prasad pinned his continuing legal ordeal on Saturday on a conspiracy of “casteist minds” and likened himself to Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King and Babasaheb Ambedkar, who had to suffer because of their fight to change the “unjust order”. “Powerful people and powerful classes always managed to divide society into ruling and the ruled classes. And whenever anyone from the lower hierarchy challenged this unjust order, they would be deliberately punished,” Lalu posted on Twitter. This is the eighth time Lalu has gone to jail.

CBI judge Shivpal Singh convicted Lalu and 15 others for fraudulently withdrawing ₹89 lakh meant for the animal husbandry department from the Deoghar treasury between 1991 and 1994 when Lalu was the CM.



ED charges Misha and her husband

On a day when former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad was convicted, the Enforcement Directorate filed a chargesheet against his daughter Misha Bharti and her husband Shailesh Kumar in a money laundering case. The two had been questioned several times during the course of the investigation in the last six months. P10

Lalu’s colleagues talk of conspiracy

The money was withdrawn from the Deoghar treasury between 1991 and 1994 when Lalu Prasad was the chief minister of Bihar and also held the charge of the finance portfolio.

“Had people like Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Babasaheb Ambedkar failed in their efforts, history would have treated them as villains. They still are villains for the biased, racist and casteist minds. No one should expect any different treatment,” said another tweet by Lalu.

Colleagues of Lalu, a key Congress partner, also talked of a conspiracy while commenting on the verdict which acquitted former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra and five others. “The layman is asking why it is jail for some and freedom for others,” said senior RJD functionary Abdul Bari Siddiqui. “It is baffling how the BJP and JD(U) had predicted the verdict. This has created confusion among the people also,” Siddiqui said.

Lalu’s younger son and political successor, former Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, was present in the packed courtroom when the special judge announced the order.

Lalu and others found guilty will remain in Birsa Munda Jail here till January 3 when the court will spell out the quantum of punishment. Those convicted on Saturday include former MPs Jagdish Sharma and R K Rana; IAS officers Beck Julius, Phoolchand Singh and Mahesh Prasad, and government officials Krishna Kumar and Subir Bhattacharya.

The conviction shows that the fodder scam, like the proverbial bad penny, keeps coming back to trouble the RJD strongman. Lalu, who was convicted along with Jagannath Mishra in another fodder scam-related case, was out on bail. He is facing trial in three other cases related to the same mega-swindle involving embezzlement of money belonging to the animal husbandry department by a nexus of politicians, officials of the department and suppliers. The latest setback came after RJD failed to convince the Supreme Court that Lalu, having already been convicted once, cannot be tried multiple times as all the cases against him arise from the same “conspiracy”.

The loot which began on a small scale in the late 1970s grew in scope and had acquired industry-level dimensions by the late 1980s and early 1990s. The expansion was facilitated by the involvement of powerful politicians and brass of the animal husbandry department, indifference and timidity of IAS officers who knew about the sordid goings-on but kept silent as well as the shrewd choice of terrain by the masterminds.

The money embezzled was sought to be spent on what now constitutes Jharkhand but which, before being hived off Bihar, was supposed to be the pasture of the Patna-based elite — something which fuelled the movement for division of the state.

But as the size and sense of impunity grew, so did the brazenness of those involved and the stink which eventually reached a diligent young IAS officer, Amit Khare, who was then deputy commissioner of Singhbhum district, headquartered in Chaibasa. A routine inspection of records took the lid off the scandal, leading to dramatic disclosures about Lalu’s collusion just when the RJD boss, after his spectacular victory in the 1995 elections, was being seen as a possible PM candidate.PILs by BJP and JD(U) politicians led the court to order a CBI probe and Lalu had to quit as CM in 1997 after he was charged by CBI, something which he blamed on the conspiracy by his Janata Dal colleagues — former PM H D Deve Gowda, Sharad Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan. “The legal fight will continue,” Raghuvansh Prasad Singh told reporters outside the special CBI court in Ranchi. He said besides fighting it legally, the party would also go to the people to “fight it politically”.

The fresh setback can have only limited the fallout on Lalu who, barred from contesting elections after his first conviction, has passed on the mantle to Tejashwi. He continues to enjoy support among fellow Yadavs and Muslims and, therefore, will continue to draw support from “secular forces” arrayed against BJP.

Congress, which once sought to distance itself from Lalu because of his “corrupt image”, now sees him as a valuable partner. Rahul Gandhi, who was once said to be uncomfortable with the Yadav chieftain and tore the “ordinance” which had been brought by the Manmohan Singh government to save the RJD chief from being disqualified, appears to have changed his stance. In fact, former President Pranab Mukherjee recently disclosed to TOI that he had refused to sign the ordinance and sent it back to the government before Rahul dramatically articulated his opposition to the controversial legislation.

Chennai: CBI files chargesheet in Rs 665 crore case

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

 

Published Dec 23, 2017, 6:45 am IST

Investigation conducted by the CBI revealed that the accused along with 7 satellite/shell companies entered into a criminal conspiracy.

 

 

 The Central Bureau of Investigation has filed three chargesheets on Friday in the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court. 

 

Chennai: The Central Bureau of Investigation has filed three chargesheets on Friday in the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court, Chennai against the former chairman and managing director of a Chennai based private leasing company and others in connection with a multi crore scam. They had allegedly duped three banks to the tune of approximately Rs 665 crore.
It is alleged that the directors/promoters/managing director and key officials of First Leasing Company of India Limited (FLCIL) entered into a criminal conspiracy with statutory and internal auditors of the company and unknown others with mala fide intentions to cheat IDBI bank. They had availed of various credit facilities from IDBI on the basis of forged financial reports, siphoned off the funds, and thereby caused wrongful loss of Rs 273.99 crore to the bank. Similarly, they had availed of various credit facilities from UCO Bank in the name of a private leasing company by submitting false and fabricated financial statements.

They had siphoned off amounts and caused a wrongful loss of Rs 142.94 crore to the nationalized bank. In the third case, the accused availed various credit facilities from SBI Bank in the name of a private company based at Chennai by fake financial documents and caused wrongful loss of Rs 248.46 crore to the bank. Investigation conducted by the CBI revealed that the accused along with 7 satellite/shell companies entered into a criminal conspiracy with statutory and internal auditors, cheated the banks and siphoned off funds for personal use, causing a wrongful loss of Rs 665 crores to the three banks. They used the money to donate annually to a trust run by the main accused.

Vijayawada: Medical students seek transportation

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

Published Dec 23, 2017, 7:14 am IST

The state government has been collecting around Rs 4.5 lakh transportation fee from the students of Siddhartha Medical College.

 

 

 The state government has been collecting around Rs 4.5 lakh transportation fee from the students of Siddhartha Medical College but failed to provide them with minimum transportation facility for more than 3 years.

 

VIJAYAWADA: The state government has been collecting around Rs 4.5 lakh transportation fee from the students of Siddhartha Medical College but failed to provide them with minimum transportation facility for more than 3 years. The Students of Siddhartha Medical College (SMC) are facing problems due to lack of transport facility in the college. The college has three buses, but they are not being used as they are outdated and as per the orders of RTO.

One of the buses which was used to transport students to old medical college is also in the shed as it has become very old. Medical students explained their problem of transportation to the health minister Dr Kamineni Srinivasa Rao when he visited the college. Minister responded positively and promised them to provide transportation. But the promise ha not come into implementation till date.

The Medical Council of India also thoroughly checks every college’s infrastructure and extends their permissions for allotting PG, and MBBS seats every year. For practical’s the students are going to the old government hospital using private transportation. “Around Rs 4.5 lakh is being collected by the management and the government seems to be disinterested in providing transportation to us. Although we have raised our complaints with many departments and health minister visiting the college our problem has not been solved yet,” a senior medical student said. “The driver of the unused buses is getting paid by the management monthly and he is made to do other works in the college. This clearly shows how irresponsible our government is,” the student added.
The college principal tried to contact APSRTC to arrange transport facility to student but failed to do so as APSRTC is charging more than what the students are paying to the college. The principal of Siddhartha Medical College, Dr R. Sasank, said that the problem of the transportation will be solved in few days. Minister Dr Kamineni Srinivas is trying to provide transportation to the students.

Accommodate 144 students in 22 government medical colleges: Madras High Court

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | J STALIN

Published Dec 23, 2017, 6:26 am IST

 
Chennai: In a major relief to 144 students of Annai Medical College and Hospital in Sriperumbudur, who were suffering due to lack of infrastructure facilities in the college and a non-conducive atmosphere for learning, as also the direction of the Medical Council of India debarring the college from making admissions for two years from 2017-18, the Madras High Court directed state government to accommodate all the students in 22 government medical colleges in the state. “The sorrow and suffering of the students are due to various stakeholders involved in the establishment of the medical college. This should not continue. All stake holders should necessarily approach the matter sympathetically with social responsibility to ensure that the order of this court is complied with promptly and the students are accommodated in government medical colleges at the earliest point of time,” said Justice N.Kirubakaran while passing orders on the petitions filed by the students.
 Referring to the submission of the advocate general that the essentiality certificate issued to the college was cancelled in 2011 itself and therefore there was no obligation on the part of state government to accommodate the students in other government medical colleges, the judge said that government cannot escape from its liability as it should have opposed the establishment of the medical college when approval was granted by the MCI stating that the essentiality certificate was already cancelled.“Thus, state government is responsible for granting approval and affiliation and also including the name of the college in counseling,” the judge added. The judge said it was not only the duty of state government to go by the undertaking but also safeguard the innocent students who continue to suffer for no fault of them. They could not continue their studies from October 2017 till date. The judge directed state government to send the proposal to the MCI to accommodate the students studying in Annai Medical college within one week.

On receipt of the proposal, the MCI should take a decision and forward the same to the Apex Court monitored Oversight Committee within one week. The Oversight Committee should take a decision within one week on receipt of the decision of the MCI and forward the same to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, which shall pass necessary orders increasing the number of seats in government medical colleges and approve the accommodation of students studying in Annai Medical college in the 22 government medical colleges functioning in the state, the judge added.

IIT-Madras tops NIRF ranking once again

By Express News Service  |   Published: 23rd December 2017 02:02 AM  |  

CHENNAI: Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) has been ranked as the best engineering institution in the country for the second time consecutively by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), Ministry of Human Resource Development, under the overall category introduced this year.Anna University stood eighth while National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirapalli, is at eleventh position. Anna University and Jadavpur University, Kolkata are  the only two institutions in the top 10 apart from various IITs. This is in contrast to last year’s ranking with IITs getting top 11 positions.

Vellore Institute of Technology which was at the 13th position last year, continues to be at the same rank. The parameters used for judging include teaching and learning resources, research, placement and graduation outcome, perception of public and academics and inclusivity of the institution. 

Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT-M, said the institution had striven for overall excellence and had taken several initiatives in the last academic year. The launch of an entrepreneurial cell, world’s largest combustion research centre and national cancer tissue bio-bank are some of them, he said in a statement. 

 “It has been another satisfying year for IIT-Madras, where we have done well in achieving or exceeding our strategic plan objectives in all areas of activity ranging from academics to incubation,” he said.