HC faults labour court in sexual harassment case

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:07.09.2019

Pulling up a labour court here for ordering the reinstatement of an employee of a citybased private company who was accused of sexual harassment by a subordinate, the Madras high court has observed that such award would communicate a wrong message to society at large.

“All such allegations of sexual harassment in the present-day circumstances are to be viewed seriously and all suitable actions both under the criminal law as well as under the Sexual Harassment Act are to be initiated against persons, who are involved in such offences or misconducts,” Justice S M Subramaniam said.

This being the factum, the judge said he had no hesitation in coming to the conclusion that the award of the labour court is infirm and legally unsustainable. “Consequently, the award dated September 15, 2017, is quashed and the writ petition stands allowed,” the judge added.

The issue pertains to an appeal moved by a private company in Poonamallee challenging the order of the labour court directing reinstatement of the accused in the sexual harassment complaint, D Kannan, with full benefits from the date of his termination. The labour court passed the order solely on the ground that the complainant had withdrawn her complaint in the middle of an inquiry.

Censoring the labour court judge for the award, Justice Subramaniam said, “Violence against women is perhaps most shameful human rights violation and it is perhaps the most pervasive. It knows no boundaries of geography, culture or wealth. As long as it continues, we cannot claim to be making real progress towards equality, development and peace.”

Laptop taken away from magistrate’s car at HC

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:07.09.2019

A laptop of a chief judicial magistrate was allegedly stolen on Thursday from her car parked on the Madras high court campus, a high-security area.

The incident has officials worried.

The high court is under the security cover of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the city police. Security personnel do not allow any person on to the high court campus without identity proof.

On Thursday, police said Tiruvallur district chief judicial magistrate M Shirijha had come to the court in connection with some official work.

Her driver Manmadhan, 42, parked the car in the designated area and went to have tea. After an hour, when the judicial officer returned to the car she found that the laptop kept on the rear seat was missing. After searching for the same in the car, she questioned the driver. However, Manmadhan appeared to be clueless about the missing device and joined her in the search.

Other drivers present at the spot said that they did not notice any suspicious activity near the car.

Following that Shirijha lodged a complaint with the high court police who collected footage from a few CCTV cameras on the premises and are examining them.

The records that the CISF personnel maintained about the visitors are also being checked.

Madras HC CJ quits protesting transfer to Meghalaya court
Move After SC Collegium Rejects Her Plea

Dhananjay.Mahapatra@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:07.09.2019

Miffed by the Supreme Court collegium’s decision to reject her reservations against transfer to the Meghalaya high court, Madras high court Chief Justice V K Tahilramani on Friday tendered her resignation to President Ram Nath Kovind. She sent a copy of the resignation letter to CJI Ranjan Gogoi.

Justice Tahilramani was appointed judge of the Bombay HC on June 26, 2001 at the age of 43. She became chief justice of the Madras HC on August 12, 2018. Justices Tahilramani and Gita Mittal were the only women CJs in the 25 HCs dominated by men. Justice Tahilramani was to retire on October 2, 2020, which means she forgoes more than a year of chief justiceship, and a possible elevation to the SC, because of her resignation.

Trigger for Justice Tahilramani’s resignation was the August 28 decision of the CJI-led collegium, which comprises Justices S A Bobde, N V Ramana and Arun Mishra, proposing the transfer of Justice A K Mittal, CJ of the Meghalaya HC, which has a sanctioned strength of four judges, to the Madras HC, which has a sanctioned strength of 75 judges.

Though “in the interest of better administration of justice” was the reason given by the collegium to transfer Justice Tahilramani to the Meghalaya HC, according to sources, “her punctuality was an issue with the collegium.”

CJ of J&K high court only woman in higher judiciary

The Madras high court, on the other hand, is one of the three oldest HCs and was established on June 26, 1862. When the collegium sought her response to the proposal to transfer to Meghalaya HC, Justice Tahilramani on September 2 requested reconsideration and expressed unwillingness/ difficulty in going to the northeastern state’s nascent HC.

The collegium considered her representation on September 3 and reiterated its decision to transfer her to Meghalaya HC. “The collegium has carefully gone through the aforesaid representation and taken into consideration all relevant factors. On reconsideration, the collegium is of the considered view that it is not possible to accede to her request. The collegium, accordingly, reiterates its recommendation dated August 28 for transfer of Justice V K Tahilramani to Meghalaya HC,” it said.

With Justice Tahilramani’s resignation, Justice Gita Mittal will be the lone woman chief justice in a male-dominated higher judiciary. Justice Mittal, whose parent HC is Delhi, has been heading Jammu and Kashmir HC since August 11, 2018, and is scheduled to retire on December 8, 2020.

Justice Mittal heading Jammu and Kashmir HC since August 11, 2018, is the only woman CJ left and is scheduled to retire on December 8, 2020

A proud moment for Salem ticket examiner 

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | ZAKEER HUSSAIN

Published Sep 6, 2019, 3:47 am IST

Ms. Uma Maheswari was given a cash award and certificate of merit by the divisional officers. 


 
D. R. Uma Maheswari (far left) travelling ticket examiner and N. Gurunathan (far right), travelling Ticket Inspector hand over the retreived suitcase to the passengers. (Photo: DC)

SALEM: Ms D R Uma Maheswari, travelling ticket examiner, Erode and N Gurunathan, travelling ticket inspector, Erode (batch-in-charge of train), did the Salem railway division proud by quickly restoring valuable gold and cash kept in an unlocked suitcase, which a passenger had absent-mindedly left behind in the Karaikal-Ernakulam Tea Garden express on Wednesday.

The passenger, K Jeyaanandan and family, travelling in S4 coach in the train alighted at Thirussur, leaving their suitcase in the train itself. When they realised their mistake, they immediately informed the RPF staff at Thrissur, Mr. Omanakuttan, stating that their suitcase had valuables including 168 grms of gold and Rs 14,000 in cash.

Omanakuttan immediately flashed a message to the coach ticket checking staff on duty in that train, Ms. Uma Maheswari, and N Gurunathan, TTE inspector, Erode.

On receipt of the message, the coach TTE Ms. Uma identified the suitcase in the said berth and it was handed over to the passenger concerned, a railway press release here on Thursday said.

Congratulating the ticket checking staff, Uma Maheswari and Gurunathan (batch-in-charge of the train), the Salem divisional railway manager, U Subba Rao, appreciated them for their 'exemplary duty'. Further Ms. Uma Maheswari was given a cash award and certificate of merit by the divisional officers.

A proud moment for Salem ticket examiner
DECCAN CHRONICLE. | ZAKEER HUSSAIN
Published Sep 6, 2019, 3:47 am IST
Updated Sep 6, 2019, 3:47 am IST
Ms. Uma Maheswari was given a cash award and certificate of merit by the divisional officers.

D. R. Uma Maheswari (far left) travelling ticket examiner and N. Gurunathan (far right), travelling Ticket Inspector hand over the retreived suitcase to the passengers. (Photo: DC)

SALEM: Ms D R Uma Maheswari, travelling ticket examiner, Erode and N Gurunathan, travelling ticket inspector, Erode (batch-in-charge of train), did the Salem railway division proud by quickly restoring valuable gold and cash kept in an unlocked suitcase, which a passenger had absent-mindedly left behind in the Karaikal-Ernakulam Tea Garden express on Wednesday.

The passenger, K Jeyaanandan and family, travelling in S4 coach in the train alighted at Thirussur, leaving their suitcase in the train itself. When they realised their mistake, they immediately informed the RPF staff at Thrissur, Mr. Omanakuttan, stating that their suitcase had valuables including 168 grms of gold and Rs 14,000 in cash.





Omanakuttan immediately flashed a message to the coach ticket checking staff on duty in that train, Ms. Uma Maheswari, and N Gurunathan, TTE inspector, Erode.

On receipt of the message, the coach TTE Ms. Uma identified the suitcase in the said berth and it was handed over to the passenger concerned, a railway press release here on Thursday said.

Congratulating the ticket checking staff, Uma Maheswari and Gurunathan (batch-in-charge of the train), the Salem divisional railway manager, U Subba Rao, appreciated them for their 'exemplary duty'. Further Ms. Uma Maheswari was given a cash award and certificate of merit by the divisional officers.

Thanjavur: Surgery done to remove mercury from baby in GH 

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | G.SRINIVASAN

Published Sep 6, 2019, 3:56 am IST

The baby was kept under observation as the mercury administered accumulated in a portion of the large intestine. 


 
The baby is on the ventilator now. (Photo: Representational/Pixabay)

THANJAVUR: Doctors of the Rajah Mirasudhar Government Hospital here performed surgery to remove mercury accumulated in the large intestine of a 20-day-old baby girl who was admitted to the hospital on August 17 from Mayiladuthurai. She was given a mercury coated betel leaves by her grandmother to cure 'cradle cap'.

"The baby was kept under observation as the mercury administered accumulated in a portion of the large intestine. Finally we decided to perform surgery and remove the mercury. Colostomy, a surgical procedure that brings one end of the large intestine out through the abdominal wall, was done. During this procedure, one end of the colon is diverted through an incision in the abdominal wall to create a stoma. A stoma is the opening in the skin where a pouch for collecting feces is attached. The baby is on the ventilator now. When she is off the ventilator after normalcy, the large intestine will be pushed back into the stomach," explained Dr Kumudha Lingaraj, dean of Thanjavur Medical college, speaking to DC over phone on Thursday.

UoM student set to move court against termination

T Kirubamohan, a University of Madras student, whose admission has been cancelled, will soon move the court against the varsity’s action.

Published: 06th September 2019 06:33 AM |

University of Madras

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: T Kirubamohan, a University of Madras student, whose admission has been cancelled, will soon move the court against the varsity’s action.

“The manner in which my admission has been cancelled is unfair and illegal. The authorities have targeted me because I am a member of the Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle (APSC). I will fight against the injustice,” Kirubamohan said on Thursday, adding that he was consulting lawyers in this regard.

He alleged that the varsity authorities had terminated his admission citing the reason that he had not submitted eligibility certificate, a certificate mandatory for students to submit, who pursued undergraduation in other university. “Prior to taking admission in the M.A(Buddhism) this year, I had studied Master’s in Journalism in 2016-18 in the University of Madras and then I had submitted my eligibility certificate. I don’t understand why I need to submit it again,” he said. However, denying Kirubamohan’s claim, Vice-Chancellor P Duraisamy said his admission was cancelled because he had not submitted important documents. The student’s allegations are completely false, the V-C added.