High Court allows teacher’s plea on pension scheme

04/08/2019, STAFF REPORTER, ,MADURAI

The Bench of the Madras High Court on Friday allowed the appeal of a secondary grade teacher who sought a direction to be placed under the old pension scheme, as she was appointed prior to the implementation of new pension scheme.

The teacher, V. Vasanthi of Velipattinam, Ramanathapuram, said that she was appointed to the post of Secondary Grade Teacher in 2002 and her service was regularised in 2004, after she completed a child psychology training programme.

After her service was regularised, she was allotted a Teacher Provident Fund Scheme account. However, nearly nine years later, the allotment of old pension scheme was cancelled on the reason that her service was regularised in 2004, after the new contributory pension scheme came into force.

Her earlier writ petition was dismissed on the ground that she had completed child psychology training only in 2004, therefore she was not entitled to the old pension scheme. She preferred an appeal against the order of the single bench.

Hearing the appeal, a Division Bench of Justices K. Ravichandrabaabu and Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy observed that the woman was appointed as a secondary grade teacher in 2002 when the old scheme was in force.

The appointment by the school management and approval of it by School Education department were two different events. Approval of appointment was granted by the department for extending monetary benefits.

It did not mean that date of approval itself had to be construed as the date of appointment for considering applicability of the relevant pension scheme. Approval of such appointment might be granted from the date of appointment.

The woman is entitled to count her service period from the date of her appointment for the purpose of pension.

She must be placed only under the old pension scheme since her appointment was admittedly earlier to the introduction of the new pension scheme, the court said.

Customary divorce not accepted under provisions of law: HC

‘It affects personal liberty and fundamental rights of women’

04/08/2019, STAFF REPORTER,MADURAI

Hearing the plight of a woman, who was deserted by her husband, the Bench of the Madras High Court on Friday called it a classic case where an employee who committed serious misconduct was allowed to escape from the clutches of law; it led to denial of livelihood to the legally wedded wife.

It was hearing a petition filed in 2014 by Banumathi of Madurai, who sought a direction to New India Assurance Company to initiate disciplinary proceedings against her husband. Packiaraj for violating conduct rules. Marriage between the couple was solemnised at Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple in 1976 and they have a girl child.

She alleged that her husband had developed an illegal relationship with a married woman, who had children. When she questioned her husband, he was said to have neglected the family before deserting his wife and child. She took up a job as a noon meal worker.

She filed a petition under Section 9 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, for restitution of conjugal rights. The Family Court at Madurai dismissed the case on the ground that there was a delay in initiating proceedings and that a customary divorce was granted. This was accepted by the employer of her husband. Meanwhile, her husband retired from service with pension benefits.

Justice S.M. Subramaniam observed that the Family Court had not considered the validity of the customary divorce with reference to the provisions of marriage laws. The marriage was solemnised as per Hindu rites and customs. Customary divorce, even prima facie, might not be possible nor be accepted and such a concept of customary divorce was not in prevalence in Madurai with reference to the Act.

A person claiming any such customary divorce as a valid dissolution of marriage must establish that such a custom was in prevalence in society or in the particular community. An indisputable proof was required for establishing a customary divorce.

The concept of customary divorce is not normally accepted in our society or under the provisions of law, the court said.

The dissolution of marriage granted by the competent court of law alone must be taken for the purpose of ascertaining the marriage status of a person.

The Family Court had erred in its verdict. Its judgement could not be accepted as a valid dissolution of marriage.

The HC Bench said that customary divorce was a social evil. It was happening on account of ill-minded male chauvinists.

It was also affecting personal liberty and fundamental rights of women to adjudicate their issues before the competent forum, it said and allowed the woman to approach a competent forum for claiming maintenance.

The court directed the insurance company to initiate suitable action against employees who were accountable for dereliction of duty. It pulled up the authorities for failing to initiate any inquiry against their employee, who had retired with pension benefits. He had conveniently escaped from the clutches of disciplinary proceedings as well as from his responsibilities.

Power shutdown

04/08/2019, STAFF REPORTER,MADURAI

There will be power shutdown in the following areas from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, August 5:

 Sholavandan, Thachampathu, Tiruvedagam, Melakkal, Kachirairuppu, Narayanapuram, Oothukuli, Thenkarai, Mullipallam, Mannadimangalam, Kadupatti, Irumbadi, Alankottaram, Rishabam and Rayapuram.

On Tuesday

There will be power shutdown in the following areas served by Vandiyur substation between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Tuesday, August 6: Vandiyur, P.K.M Nagar, Managiri, Sourashtrapuram, Yagappa Nagar, Sadasiva Nagar, Karuppayurani, Seeman Nagar, Pandi Koil, Masthanpatti, East Anna Nagar, Veerapanchan, Poolangulam, Pudur, LKT Nagar, Kalmedu.

Medicos learn seriousness, consequences of ragging

A tainted student is highly unlikely to get a government job, says police official

04/08/2019, STAFF REPORTER , MADURAI

P. Mathusuthanan, Chairman, Permanent Lok Adalat, speaking at a programme in Madurai on Saturday. R. Ashok

The District Legal Services Authority conducted a programme on legal measures in place to protect students from ragging at Madurai Medical College here on Saturday.

Chairman of Permanent Lok Adalat P. Mathusuthanan said raising the voice, conducting oneself in a disorderly manner both inside and outside campus and causing physical or psychological harm would amount to ragging under Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Ragging Act, 1997.

He traced the genesis of ragging to a horrific case where a first year student was murdered as a result of ragging in a medical college. “It is important for senior and junior students to mingle with one another in sports and cultural activities instead of bullying,” he said.

Inspector of Anna Nagar police station G. Pethuraj explained the consequences of ragging. “If there is a ragging complaint against a student, even if he cleared all examinations, it is highly unlikely that he would be employed by the government. The process of clearing one’s name from the charge is also time-consuming,” he said.

He said some students put themselves in a vulnerable situation by sharing photos on the social media. “If you find yourself in a victim’s position, do not hesitate to seek the help of police. We have women officers who are able counsellors and can help you come out of a sticky situation. If the offence is major, we will also intervene,” he said.

Dean K. Vanitha said that the college was taking all measures to address all concerns of students and parents.

“First year students have separate timing for mess and attending classes to prevent mingling with the seniors. We follow the clear set of guidelines and procedures and give protection to the students,” she added.

Indian universities get free access to Urkund software

Swedish software was chosen through a global tender process

04/08/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,NEW DELHI

All universities in India, public and private, have been given trial access to anti-plagiarism software Urkund August 2.

Final subscription to access the Swedish software will begin from September 1, 2019, according to a notice from the University Grants Commission (UGC).

“We have a two-pronged approach. As part of the exercise to prevent plagiarism in the coming years, we are providing free of cost anti-plagiarism software to all 900 universities, including private players. It will be available to teachers, students, researchers, everyone,” said Human Resource Development Secretary K. Subrahmanyam. The Urkund software was chosen through a global tender process. While Turnitin is more commonly used by global academics, it was found to be 10 times more expensive without a proportionate increase in features or reliability.

The second step was put in place last July, when the Centre notified the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Academic Integrity and Prevention of Plagiarism in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2018. It called for departmental and institutional-level panels be set up to deal with plagiarism complaints, and set up four severity levels of offences with appropriate penalties for students — only from Masters level and above — as well as faculty. All theses, dissertations and academic papers meant for publication must be checked using plagiarism software.

Similarities and offence

There are no penalties for minor similarities, up to 10% of the document. If a thesis or dissertation has similarities up to 40%, it is considered a level 1 offence and students will be asked to submit a revised version within six months.

In a level 2 offence, the similarities are between 40% and 60%, and the student will be debarred from submitting a revised script for one year. Similarities above 60% are considered a level 3 offence and will lead to expulsion, with student registration for that programme being cancelled.

In case of plagiarism in academic and research publications, a level 1 offence will result in being asked to withdraw the manuscript. In case of level 2, the offender will also be denied the right to one annual increment, and will not be allowed to supervise any Masters, M.Phil or Ph.D student for a two year period. A level 3 offence will result in denial of two annual increments and debarment from research supervision for three years.

Repeated offences will result in higher level penalties, including suspension and termination. If plagiarism is detected after a degree or credit has been awarded, that will be suspended for a set period.

A UGC panel on improving research culture, headed by former Indian Institute of Science director P. Balaram, warned that such central regulations could not replace the need for institutional vigilance.

“Institutions must take the responsibility for ensuring academic standards and for emphasising, to both students and faculty, the importance of maintaining the highest standards of integrity in academic research,” said the report submitted by the panel last month.

6,000 yatris fly out of Srinagar

Over 5,800 leave by scheduled flights; others moved by IAF after security alert

04/08/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, ,NEW DELHI

Valley of fear: People queuing up to stock up on petrol in Srinagar on Saturday.AFP

Nearly 6,000 pilgrims were flown out of Srinagar on Saturday by commercial airlines and the Indian Air Force after the Centre called off the Amarnath yatra and asked devotees to return home, citing security concerns.

As many as 6,216 people turned up at the Srinagar International Airport, out of which 5,829 pilgrims travelled by 32 scheduled flights. The remaining 387 persons were flown on four IAF aircraft to destinations such as Jammu, Pathankot and Hindon, according to a statement from the Airports Authority of India.

Airfares shoot up

The Civil Aviation Ministry has asked airlines to rein in the surge in airfares to help the pilgrims return. Travel portal yatra.com showed airfares in the range of ₹11,000-₹18,000 for a Srinagar-Delhi flight on Sunday.

“Yatris will get special flights and controlled fares but what will happen to patients, students and other people who have to travel,” National Conference leader Omar Abdullah posted on Twitter, urging Minister of State for Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri to take remedial steps.

Earlier various airlines, including Air India, IndiGo and Vistara, announced a full waiver on cancellation and rescheduling of flights from and to Srinagar following an advisory from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

Militant killed

Meanwhile, a militant was killed in a gunfight with security forces in Sopore on Saturday morning. One soldier was injured. The gunfight began at Malmanpora after a team of the Army, the police and the CRPF launched a search.

(With inputs from

Peerzada Ashiq)

Heavy rain brings Mumbai to its knees, again

Commuters were the worst-hit as rail, road and air travel came to a halt

04/08/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, ,MUMBAI

In line: Aircraft waiting in queue for taking off at the Mumbai airport on Saturday. Heavy rain lashed Mumbai, Thane and Palghar districts on Saturday.Vijay BateVijay Bate

Incessant rain that lashed the city since Friday night threw life out of gear again. Commuters on the central railway line were the worst affected, while other forms of commute, too, witnessed disruptions.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded 52.2 mm rainfall at the Colaba observatory and 83.8 mm at the Santacruz observatory till 8.30 p.m. on Saturday. The city witnessed 35.67 mm rainfall, while the eastern and western suburbs recorded 64.88 mm and 68.20 mm rainfall respectively. The Corporation declared a holiday for all public and private schools in light of the rain.

The Mithi swelled in size, crossing the “danger mark” of 3 m and going up to 3.3 m on Saturday afternoon. The authorities evacuated hundreds of people from the Kranti Nagar area in Kurla as a precautionary measure.

The rains had a direct effect on commuters with rail, road and air travel being affected. A spokesperson for the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport said delays of up to 38 minutes in arriving flights and up to 49 minutes for departures were observed on Saturday, but no flights were cancelled.

Civic officials said the Mithi crossing the danger mark, combined with the high tide of 4.9 m, resulted in severe waterlogging on the tracks between the Kurla and Sion stations.

Trains suspended

Train services were completely suspended from 1.55 p.m. to 5.30 p.m., after which trains were run up to Kurla and from Dadar to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, before services could limp back to normal. Several trains stopped midway and commuters, after waiting for over two hours, started jumping off the trains and walking on the tracks till they reached the nearest railway station.

The Western line did not witness much delays. However, on the Harbour line, a part of the footover bridge between Chembur and Govandi stations collapsed on the overhead wires, resulting in services being suspended till 6.32 p.m.

Water logging was recorded in Sion, Wadala, Chembur, Vidyavihar and Ghatkopar in the central and eastern suburbs, and in the Andheri subway, Milan subway, Meghwadi, National College, Bandra, Akriti Mall, Andheri, and Reliance Junction in Borivali in the western suburbs.

Traffic at King’s Circle, Antop Hill, Hindmata junction, Samajmandir Hall, Pratiksha Nagar, Vihar lake, Sheetal Cinema, Kurla, Oberoi junction, Malad and several other areas had to be rerouted.