HR & CE official arrested in idol theft case

R. Sivaraman

CHENNAI, DECEMBER 17, 2018 00:00 IST

Thirumagal was taken to Kumbakonam for remand

N. Thirumagal, Additional Commissioner, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR&CE) department, was arrested by the Idol Wing CID police on Sunday in connection with the alleged offence of swapping of idols at the Kapaleeswarar temple, Mylapore.

According to sources, Ms. Thirumagal was summoned for inquiry to the office of the Idol Wing in Guindy. She was arrested and taken to the special court in Kumbakonam for remand.

SC bail conditions

On December 13, the Supreme Court, passing an order on her anticipatory bail application, said, “In the meanwhile, in the event of petitioner’s arrest, she may be released on bail on such terms and conditions as may be imposed by the trial court.” Her advocate Sudha Ramalingam said, “As the Supreme Court has granted interim anticipatory bail, it was unnecessary to arrest Ms. Thirumagal and take her all the way to Kumbakonam. It is a waste of manpower and other resources. “Publication of such arrest as breaking news only brings down the morale of honest officers.”

On July 23, Rangarajan Narasimhan of Srirangam lodged a complaint against three individuals, archakas and temple officials with regard to the swap and theft of idols of Parvathi in the form of peacock and two more idols at the Kapaleeswarar temple.

The complaint was investigated by the Idol Wing and it came to light that three idols — Parvathi in the form of peacock, Raahu and Kethu — were swapped at the time of kumbabhisekam of the temple held in 2004 and subsequently stolen.

‘Records destroyed’

The Idol Wing alleged that such events had taken place with her knowledge and connivance when she was the Deputy Commissioner of the temple during that period.

The police also claimed that records were destroyed recently without following the relevant rules.

However, Ms. Thirumagal contended before the Madras High Court that she had nothing to do with the alleged offence and was being falsely implicated in the case.

HC rejects plea

Her petition was rejected by the Madras High Court in November.

Meanwhile, Ms. Thirumagal was produced at the residence of the additional chief judicial magistrate at Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district on Sunday night.

The magistrate directed the Idol Wing CID police to produce her before the court on Monday.

Subsequently, Ms. Thirumagal was taken to the Kumbakonam all-women police station, police sources added.

(With inputs from R. Rajaram in Tiruchi)

Panjab University relaxes hostel rules

CHANDIGARH, DECEMBER 17, 2018 00:00 IST

The 48-day-long struggle by a group of Panjab University students demanding round-the-clock freedom of movement in girls’ hostels has finally yielded results. The university’s Senate has decided to allow unrestricted movement in hostels for girls, with a condition that students going out after 11 p.m. will have to make an entry in a register.

57-yr-old dies after cutting his genitals

Bengaluru:17.12.2018

A 57-year-old man succumbed to injuries after he cut his genitals on Saturday morning at his residence in Soladevanahalli. He was under the influence of alcohol.

Nanjappa, a labourer and a resident of Tirumalapura, Soladevanahalli in north Bengaluru, was an alcohol addict, according to his son. The man consumed alcohol after waking up on Saturday morning. When his son returned from work around 10.30pm, neighbours told him that they heard his father screaming inside the house.

When the son entered the house, he found his father had cut his genitals and was bleeding profusely. Nanjappa died within the next 10 minutes even as his son was making arrangements to shift him to a hospital. The son said he did not know why his father did it, adding that Nanjappa used a kitchen knife to cut his genitals. Police said they haven’t come across any such incident and hence no complaint was filed. TNN

Cops block transsexuals from visiting Sabarimala

They Complain Of Harassment By Police

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kottayam:17.12.2018

Police on Sunday stopped four members of transsexual community from heading to the Sabarimala shrine. After being stopped at Erumeli, they returned to Kottayam where they met district police chief Harisankar, with whom they lodged a complaint that they were ill-treated by police at the Erumeli station.

Regarding their demand to visit Sabarimala, Harisankar advised them to approach the three-member committee appointed by the high court. They reached the state capital by Sunday evening and they said they were given appointment to meet the panel at 10am on Monday.

It was Avantika, 24, Ananya, 26, Trupthy, 33 and Renjumol, 30, all based in Ernakulam, who were sent back by police. Renjumol said they were under police surveillance ever since they had decided to visit Sabarimala.

During their journey, police were in contact with them and as they reached Erumeli they were asked to report at Erumeli police station by around 3am. Renjumol said that they were treated badly at the station and were asked to return. Avantika in a Facebook post said that police questioned their identity. “They asked us to change from the sari we were wearing to another dress (trousers and shirts) if we were to proceed to Sabarimala. We wanted to trek up to Sabarimala in our own identity,” she said.

Police took a stand that the transgender members in the attire of women could not be allowed to proceed to Sabarimala. However, the TS members took a stand that since they have observed all the rituals and customs required to visit Sabarimala and since they don’t have any restrictions being a TS community member they will not back out from their pilgrimage.

“We had given letters to the district police chief and district collector seeking protection for visiting the hill shrine,” Renjumol said. Harisankar said a final decision on allowing them to trek will be taken after getting the legal advice of the high court-appointed three-member panel.

A a decision could be made only after getting legal clarity on the SC verdict, he said, adding that he would look into the harassment complaint.


SEEKING JUSTICE: The transsexual community members at Kottayam SP’s office on Sunday

Govts alone can’t help Gaja victims, says Kamal Haasan

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Madurai:17.12.2018

Stating that the state and Union governments have an important role in helping the Cyclone Gaja victims in the battered delta region, actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder Kamal Haasan said the governments alone cannot help the distressed, it has come from all quarters.

Talking to reporters at the Madurai airport on Sunday, he said that Cyclone Gaja cannot be treated like a disaster on a par with Chennai floods. “First aid alone is not enough. Due to Gaja, livelihood of people is affected and they should be saved. The MNM is engaged in relief works in affected areas.”

Responding to a question on the Union government’s claim in the court that the state had delayed in submitting the report on the extent of damages, he said that it was a mistake that should be corrected. “We will put pressure on the state government and they in turn should put pressure on the Centre,” he added.

“It is not enough if we keep talking. People need help and we should start helping them. The MNM has plans to help them. But the governments have a much bigger role that we cannot match.” Responding to a question on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi not visiting the affected areas, he said the compliant holds good.

Meanwhile, when reporters asked him about the skipping of the unveiling of former chief minister M Karunanidhi’s statue event in Chennai on Sunday, Haasan said there was no need for him to prove his respect he had for the leader. “I have been taking part in events that were organised to honour him and will continue to participate in more such events,” he said.

On NGT’s order ragarding he Sterlite issue, he said it was unacceptable. “We have once seen the consequences of a protest,” he said, citing the police firing to control the mob on the 100th day of the anti-Sterlite protest in Tuticorin on May 22. He said the order would not have come if the state government had initiated the legal battle. Kamal Haasan was on his way to Kodaikanal to initiate relief works in the areas affected by Cyclone Gaja.

Adoptive father cannot replace biological dad on birth cert: Court

Saeed Khan TNN

Ahmedabad:17.12.2018

A local court here has refused to replace the name of a child’s biological father with that of the adoptive parent on a birth certificate, saying that it was the “legal right of a child to preserve his or her identity — including nationality, name and family relations — as recognized by law”.

The adoptive parents had sought a change in the father’s name on the child’s birth certificate after the mother divorced her first husband and remarried. When the case went to the sessions court, it said: “It is not legal and valid to replace the name of the biological father or mother with that of adoptive parents… .”

During the course of hearing, the sessions court quoted the Madras high court, which had in a similar case observed, “Assuming (God forbid) that there is yet another marriage, as it happens without much ado in western societies, is it possible to change the name of the parents every time there is a divorce followed by a fresh marriage?”

The court had, in fact, two different cases of this nature before it. In the first case, residents of Ranip in Gujarat Jagdish Patel and his wife Vaibhavi wanted to remove the name of the biological father, Kamleshkumar Jain, from the birth certificate of their daughter Priyanshi. Vaibhavi had married Jagdish after divorcing Jain. The stepfather formally adopted the girl as his daughter and approached the court for the declaration and to replace the biological father’s name with his. Vaibhavi also wanted to correct her name, which was written as Vaishali, in the column for the mother’s name. The court flatly refused to order the change in names.

In the second case, Bopal residents Bhanuprasad Chaudhary and his wife Shilpa wanted to remove the latter’s first husband Ghanshyam Patel’s name from the birth certificate of their daughter Manali and replace it with Bhanuprasad’s. Shilpa had remarried after her first husband had died. In this case too, the court turned down their request.

For full report, www.toi-.in

The court said that it was the “legal right of a child to preserve his or her identity — including nationality, name and family relations — as recognized by law

HC fines man ₹10,000 for frivolous plea

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Madurai:17.12.2018

The Madurai bench of the Madras high court has fined a petitioner — who holds a PhD in chemistry — who sought to quash a notification calling for an interview of assistant professors in a college, as wilfully causing hindrance in the appointment of teaching faculty in a college. A fine of ₹10,000 was imposed.

The petitioner, M Chandra Mohan, had applied for the post of assistant professor in A Veeraya Vandayar Memorial Sri Pushpam College at Poondi in Thanjavur district, in response to an advertisement in 2017. Chandra Mohan had attended the interview and was not considered for the post. Subsequently, Chandra Mohan challenged the notification on the ground that it was not in consonance with Section 11 of the Private Colleges Regulation Act 1976 as well as UGC norms.