9 states, including TN, execute MV Act in toto
Some Others Mull Ways To Ease Penalties
Dipak.Dash@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:08.09.2019

At least nine states and Union territories including Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and Haryana have implemented the amended Motor Vehicles Act in totality by notifying the compoundable offences while the rest are buying time working out ways to see if they can soften the blow somewhat for violators.

While the states seem to be in a fix over whether the local government can notify lower fines for the compoundable offences. There are 24 compoundable offences under the revised MV Act, which means in these cases the offender can pay the fine on the spot and doesn’t need to go to court to deposit it. But most of the states have not yet notified the designated officers who can compound the offences on the spot.

“We are waiting see what our neighbouring states are doing and how much compounding fee they are notifying for the offences. This will help us work on parity,” Madhya Pradesh transport commissioner Shailendra Srivastava told TOI while refuting reports of MP not implementing the amended Motor Vehicle Act.

Even the West Bengal government is watching the response to enforcement of the central law. “There is no mandatory requirement to issue a notification.

We will frame rules but there is a six-month-period at hand. The penalties in the Act mention the maximum amount.

The state has powers to frame rules that grade the penalty into sections with lower fines for initial offence,” a transport department official said. Interestingly, BJP-ruled Goa is unlikely to enforce the law till December.

Car driver fined for not wearing helmet

Anuja.Jaiswal@timesgroup.com

Agra:08.09.2019

If you are driving a car in Aligarh, don’t forget to wear a helmet. Surprised? The traffic police recently fined a city-based businessman ₹500 for this purpose.

Peeved by the challan, Piyush Varshney chose an innovative way to express his anger. He reached the traffic police office on Saturday, wearing a helmet inside his car. “I was unaware that I had been issued an e-challan for not wearing a helmet in a car. I came to know last night, when I saw a message sent by traffic police on my mobile phone,” he said.

Traffic police sent a message to the owner of Maruti SCross that a challan has been issued against vehicle number ‘UP 81 CE 3375’ for a traffic violation of not wearing a helmet and directed the driver to pay ₹500. Piyush told TOI that his car is registered in his father’s name, Suresh Chandra Gupta. Showing a copy of the challan, Piyush said, according to this, if the car owner doesn’t pay the fine, legal proceedings would be initiated against him.

Aligarh traffic SP Azizul Haque said he has received a complaint.

“Sometimes such errors occur while feeding numbers to issue e-challans,” he said. Haque added there are provisions in the software to correct mistakes and it can be cancelled too, if found incorrect. “We have corrected many such mistakes earlier too,” he claimed.

Expect good rain from next week & after Sept 15: Experts

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:08.09.2019

The city may have experienced dry weather for the last two days, but going by the weatherman’s forecast, there could be light to moderate rain in some parts for the next two days.

According to the Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, “The sky condition is likely to be generally cloudy. Light to moderate rain is likely to occur in some areas during evening or night.”

Days are cloudy but also a lot warmer. On Saturday, temperature rose to 36.1°C in Nungamakkam and 36°C in Meenambakkam, about 1.6°C and 1.3°C above normal.

Experts said good spells of rain could be expected beginning next week and after September 15, when the southwest monsoon may reach the break period season and eventually begin withdrawing.

If the city’s water crisis eased in the last few weeks, it’s because of the effect of the southwest monsoon that brought convective rain in excess of 21% to the city between June 1 and September 7.

Weather blogger Pradeep John said the rain this season improved groundwater levels.

“With great rains in August, the groundwater has improved in the city except for north Chennai regions of Madhavaram and Thiru-vi-ka Nagar where the rains were less. With good spells of rains expected in city from 9th to 17th September, we can expect further improvement of groundwater.”

Inquiry committee submits report in revaluation scam
Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai 08.09.2019

An in-house inquiry panel formed by Anna University to examine the revaluation scam and procurement of marksheets has completed its inquiry and submitted reports to the university for further action, sources said. Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) had uncovered the revaluation scam wherein candidates’ marks were inflated and students with single digit marks got more than 75 marks after revaluation. Three faculty members, including former controller of examinations, G V Uma, were suspended.

Along with the DVAC’s inquiry, the university formed an internal inquiry panel. “The committee found evidence for 12 cases against the former controller of examinations,” a committee member told TOI.

In one case, using the 15 marks rule, a candidate who scored just seven got 75 marks after revaluation. “The first evaluation awarded seven marks and in revaluation he was awarded 45 marks. As the difference was more than 15 marks, another revaluation was needed. In the second revaluation, 75 marks were awarded,” the member added. The final score was 75 as the difference between the first and second revaluation was less than the difference between first evaluation and revaluation. That is, 45 and 75 are closer than 7 and 48. “The rule was misused,” the member said. Further, there was another case related to purchase of ₹62crore worth marksheets with added security features.

PIL seeks to revoke ineligible admissions of 5 med students
Scored Below Minimum Pass Marks Of 119

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:08.09.2019

Almost a year after admission to MBBS course was completed in the state for the academic year 2018-19, a PIL has been moved in the Madras high court seeking to revoke such admission of five students who scored less than 119 (minimum eligibility) in NEET-2018 through management quota.

Admitting the plea moved by Rajendran Chingaravelu of Pudukottai, a division bench of Justices M Sathyanarayanan and N Seshasayee ordered notice to the directorate of medical education (DME) returnable by September 26.

According to the petitioner, MCI regulations mandate that every candidate seeking admission to MBBS secure minimum marks in the NEET fixed by the authorities every year.

The rules make it clear that no candidate who has failed to obtain the minimum eligibility marks shall be admitted to MBBS course in the said academic year.

The minimum NEET marks fixed for the academic year 2018-19 was 119. However, bypassing the minimum eligibility, PSG Medical College, Coimbatore and SRM, Trichy have admitted a total of five students who scored less than 119 in NEET, petitioner’s counsel PVS Gridhar said.

A reply to an RTI query made by the petitioner revealed that more than 170 MBBS seats allotted under NRI quota were left unfilled till the last day of counselling for MBBS in 2018 which was also not published in the website nor notified.

Subsequent to the counselling, the unfilled NRI seats were allowed to be converted as management quota seats which can be filled by the colleges themselves.

It is under such seats all the five students who scored less than 119 were admitted, he alleged.

The petitioner claimed that such admissions are made in violation of law with impunity and making unjust gain depriving legitimate meritorious candidates of seats leading to deterioration of quality of medical education by admitting unqualified candidates thereby endangering health and life of ordinary citizens.

Centre's RTI Act amen ..

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Centre's RTI Act amen ..

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Lack of integrity: Madras high court upholds dismissal of judge

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | J STALIN

Published  Sep 7, 2019, 2:39 am IST

Judicial officer is required to maintain absolute integrity and honesty in discharge of his functions.

Madras high court

Chennai: Pointing out that a judicial officer is required to maintain absolute integrity and honesty in discharge of his functions without giving any room for any complaint, much less complaint touching his integrity and honesty, the Madras high court has upheld an order of the state government, imposing a punishment of compulsory retirement from service on a additional district judge, Dharmapuri, for the proved charge of lack of integrity and corrupt practice (by hurriedly granting bail to an accused despite stiff opposition from the prosecution).

A division bench comprising Justices R.Subbiah and C.Saravanan dismissed a petition filed by R.Anburaj, an Additional District Judge, Dharmapuri, challenging a GO dated March 1, 2017, which imposed the punishment of compulsory retirement from service on him.

The bench said the charges levelled against the petitioner relates to his dishonest motive and lack of integrity in granting bail to an accused on June 24, 2013, in spite of stiff opposition by the additional public prosecutor. The crux of the charges leveled against the petitioner was that when he was in-charge of the court of Principal District Judge in the place of regular Principal Judge between June 21, 2013 and June 24, 2013, on June 21, on the basis of a representation made by an advocate to take up a petition filed on behalf of an accused Dr.Ganesan, he had directed the bench clerk to alter the date of hearing of the petition from June 25 to June 24, so as to enable him to take up the petition, purportedly to show undue favaouritism to the accused therein. Further, the taking up of the bail petition by the petitioner was opposed by the APP to the effect that a similar bail petition has been filed and it was pending before judicial magistrate, Pennagaram, while so a parallel petition need not be entertained. The APP also further opposed the grant of bail on the ground that the investigation in the case was likely to be transferred to CBCID. Despite such objections the petitioner had taken up the petition, called for the records from the judicial magistrate, Pennagaram, and found that the petition was dismissed in the morning and granted interim bail to the accused therein on the same day namely June 24, the bench added.

The bench said, “At every stage, the procedures required to be adhered to in a departmental proceeding has been followed by the respondents (state government, the registrar general and the registrar (vigilance) over which we cannot interfere. To be precise, there is no procedural violation in conducting enquiry against the petitioner and therefore, interference of this court is not warranted”.

The bench said when the charges leveled and proved against the petitioner goes to the root of the honesty and questionable integrity in discharge of his duties, “We are not in a position to appreciate the submission made by the counsel for the petitioner that the punishment imposed on the petitioner is unwarranted and excessive”.