Horizontal quotas are defeating purpose of reservation, says Madras high court

TNN | Jan 7, 2020, 04.57 AM IST

CHENNAI: Madras high court has observed that horizontal reservations such as disability, destitute women, ex-servicemen and for persons whose land were acquired for public propose are causing a lot of confusion in public employment.

Cautioning that they may defeat the very purpose of vertical, caste-based reservation in public employment, Justice N Anand Venkatesh said: “This list (horizontal reservation) keeps increasing day by day and at a particular point of time, this will virtually eclipse the rights of the persons who will be otherwise entitled under the vertical reservation.”

The judge was passing the orders after denying reservation for persons whose land had been acquired for a public purpose. Holding that the ‘priority certificate’ issued to such land-losers is not a constitutional right, Justice Anand Venkatesh dismissed a plea seeking preferential recruitment by Teachers Recruitment Board (TRB).

A petitioner, R Abdulkadhar, cited a December 18, 1978 order which added one more horizontal reservation for the members of the family whose lands had been acquired by government for a public purpose. Such persons were issued priority certificates to claim such reservation. While all recruitments for government service provided such a reservation, it was been denied in a recent TRB recruitment, he alleged.

Justice Venkatesh said: “The government thought it fit to create such a reservation only to ensure that persons whose lands have been acquired and who lost their livelihood by virtue of such acquisition must be given some preference. This cannot be mechanically applied in all cases, since, the persons whose lands are acquired are paid compensation.”

“The petitioner cannot insist that TRB must necessarily provide for the reservation for persons having priority certificate. This is not some constitutional right guaranteed for the candidates. It is always left open to the recruiter concerned depending upon the nature of post. They cannot be compelled to provide reservation for all the heads under the horizontal reservation in every recruitment,” Justice Anand Venkatesh said.

Chennai: Velachery quack held for sex determination test

TNN | Jan 7, 2020, 06.16 AM IST

CHENNAI: A quack who revealed sex of fetus to at least 500 women in the last one year was arrested and his clinic, Chennai Scan Centre, in Velachery was sealed on Monday. The ultrasound machine he was using in the clinic was also sealed.

Health department officials who raided the scan centre said the quack, K Sivasankaran, with an MSc in zoology, had been operating the clinic since 2014. “We were able to pull out only 500 reports, but he scanned at least 10 women daily,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police Thomas Prabhakaran. The health department received complaints about the illegal clinic recently from a network of doctors and patient groups in the area.

On Monday, officials from the Directorate of Medical Services sent a woman, who was five months pregnant, as a decoy. The department trains volunteers to work as decoys to trap doctors and quacks resorting to sex determination and sex selective abortion, which are prohibited by the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994. After the scan on the decoy, Sivasankaran told her she was carrying a male child and charged her ₹1,200.

Health officials led by joint director Dr A Vishwanathan conducted further inquires. His ultra sound machine was not registered with the nodal agency and his scan centre was not registered as per the TN Clinical Establishment Act. “He told us that ever since a radiologist quit the centre in 2014, he has been doing the scans. The entire operation has been videotaped and will be produced in court as evidence,” said vigilance team superintendent M Kamalakannan. Although the team has been cracking down on illegal clinics and quacks through the year, this is the first time in the last three years the team has been able to crack down on a clinic in Chennai.

Since 2016, the overall sex ratio at birth in the state has gone up from 932 (girls born for every 1,000 boys) in 2016 to 933 in 2018 and 936 until October 19. Chennai and Kancheepuram along with seven other districts such as Ramanathapuram, Tiruvallur and Ariyalur, recorded a fall between 35 and 48 points. Chennai, which had a sex ratio at birth of 960 in 2018 recorded a 23 point drop to 937 till October 2019. Kancheepuram also recorded a 14 point fall in the last one year. Joint director Vishwanathan said human intervention plays a huge role in tilting the sex ratio at birth. Sivasankaran was arrested by J7 police station for violation of the PCPNDT Act, for practising medicine without medical degree, cheating and impersonation.

Can’t release Rajiv Gandhi killers: Centre to Madras HC

TNN | Jan 8, 2020, 04.08 AM IST

CHENNAI: The Centre on Tuesday informed the Madras high court that the Tamil Nadu government’s proposal to release seven life convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, including Nalini Sriharan, has been rejected by it in April 2018 since it would lead to “international ramifications”.

Additional solicitor general G Rajagopalan made the submission on behalf of the home ministry on the plea moved by Nalini seeking to declare her detention as illegal since the governor had failed to act upon the recommendation of the state cabinet to release the seven convicts.

Recording the submissions, a division bench of Justice R Subbiah and Justice R Pongiyappan impleaded the Union home ministry as party respondent and directed it to file a counter by January 28.

In the rejection order produced by the solicitor general, the home ministry had stated: ‘The case involves assassination of a former prime minister of the country who was brutally killed in pursuance of diabolical plot carefully conceived and executed by a highly organised foreign terrorist organisation. Sixteen innocent lives were lost and many sustained grievous injuries in the gruesome, inhuman, uncivilised, and merciless bomb blast which was successfully enacted with active help and participation of these convicts and others who were LTTE militants or its staunch supporters.”

“The CBI has opposed the state government’s proposal to release the convicts in the interest of justice. The case has been reviewed, scrutinised by various forums of the judiciary and executive and both the highest judicial forum as well as the executive forum has elevated the case and decided the matter. Releasing the four foreign nationals who had committed the gruesome murder of former PM in connivance with three Indian nationals will set a very dangerous precedent and lead to international ramifications by other such criminals in the future,” the order said.

Senior docs to be given honorary posts

TNN | Jan 8, 2020, 04.57 AM IST

Chennai: The directorate of medical education is planning to appoint ‘honorary’ professors who will mentor doctors, perform state-of-the art surgeries and offer guidance to medical college students. These professors are mostly retired government doctors or renowned medical professionals who have served in the private sector in India or abroad and are below the age of 70.
Deans of government medical colleges across the state have asked heads of departments to give their opinion about the need for honorary professors. “The idea is to have experts on campus to help patients and guide doctors,” said director of medical education Dr R Narayana Babu. Doctors retire from service at the age of 58 compared to 65 in the central government services. “They have an abundance of experience and they can really help our patients,” he said.

For instance, a city medical college hospital has stopped doing sex reassignment surgeries after one of the senior surgeons retired. “Getting that professor back into college will benefit a lot of patients. More doctors will also get themselves trained so they can continue doing the surgery,” Dr Narayana Babu said. Deans have also been asked to look out for retired professors with administrative skills for managing activities to acquire and maintain NABH accreditation.

These doctors will not be on government rolls or enjoy benefits such as provident fund or health insurance. “They will not be paid a salary, they will be given a designation of honorary professor,” he said. Health department is yet to decide if they should pay an honorarium.

Senior doctors say the concept of honorary professors isn’t entirely new. In the early 80s, many colleges had professors who were not on government rolls. “They all came to the hospital for surgery, did their routine rounds and took classes for student. These professors did not have to adhere to working hours, many of them came even on Sundays. In those days, holding a honorary position in a government hospital was a matter of pride,” said Kilpauk Medical College dean Dr Vasanthamani P. “Many senior doctors including corporate hospital owners joined and retired as honorary professors,” she said.

So far, the state has a signed memorandum of understanding with doctors in the private sector to conduct high-end surgeries. For instance, liver transplant surgeon Dr Mohamed Rela and his team visits Stanley Medical College to conduct liver transplant surgeries, while senior cardiologist Dr AB Gopalmurugan conducts high-end cardiac procedures at the Government Multi-Specialty Hospital in Omanduarar. “If this proposal is cleared, we will have more such experts to inspire our students,” Dr Narayana Babu said.

16,000 Pongal special buses to operate from city to clear extra rush

TNN | Jan 8, 2020, 04.59 AM IST

Chennai: The state transport department will operate more than 16,000 buses from various locations in Chennai to tackle the holiday rush during Pongal week.

Around 10,000 special buses will operate in other districts from January 12 to 14, said transport minister M R Vijayabhaskar. “More than eight lakh passengers are expected to travel during this time as it has a long weekend,” he added.

As many as 17 ticket reservation counters will be opened at Koyambedu Chennai Moffusil Bus Terminus (CMBT), Tambaram MEPZ and Poonamalle Bus Stand. Tickets can also be booked online on www.tnstc.in or on apps such as RedBus, Paytm, Make My Trip and BusIndia. All passengers will get a text with information about the boarding point and time, and travel duration.

Temporary bus stands will be set-up at different locations in the city for smooth operation of special buses.

Buses taking passengers to Thanjavur and Kumbakonam via Vikravandi, Panruti will depart from the temporary bus stand at Tambaram.

Poonamalle bus stand will be the origin for buses going to Hosur, Arcot, Vellore, Kancheepuram and Cuddalore, and Chidambaram buses (via Puducherry) will depart from KK Nagar bus stop.

Buses to Andhra Pradesh will leave from Madhavaram. Only south-bound buses will depart from CMBT.

“Temporary traffic diversions, introduced four years ago, will be followed this year too. Also, to avoid chaos at toll plazas, one lane has been earmarked only for special buses,” Vijayabhaskar added.

Madras University to hire faculty after 5 years

TNN | Jan 8, 2020, 06.37 AM IST

CHENNAI: After a gap of five years, University of Madras has called for applications to fill 30 teaching positions, including six professors and 18 assistant professors, in its departments.

Two years ago, the government had imposed the ban to get other universities in the state to absorb excess staff from Annamalai university, but they have been reluctant because of doubts about their qualifications. Last year, the ban stayed in place after the UGC directed states to freeze recruitment in view of the case in the SC on whether the reservation policy should apply to hiring for an institution as a whole or to separate departments. Recently, the state government lifted the ban on recruitment.

The university is on the verge of losing UGC's grant and special assistance because of vacancies in faculty positions. "Many departments in the university get aid from the central government, but UGC rules prescribe a minimum faculty strength. So, these posts are being filled on priority basis," a senior professor from the university said.

Death of TN woman due to cotton wad left in abdomen: SHRC issues notice

TNN | Jan 7, 2020, 08.31 PM IST

CUDDALORE: The State Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognizance of media reports about the death of a woman due to an infection caused by a cotton wad left in her abdomen by doctors in Vriddhachalam Government Hospital in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu.

The commission issued a notice on Tuesday to Cuddalore district joint director (medical services) P N Ramesh Babu directing him to submit a detailed report within two weeks. The report should also have details of action taken against the erring officials.

The commission said it would list the case after two weeks and directed the joint director to submit the report by post without fail. The commission warned that it would initiate appropriate action as it deems fit and proper if he failed to submit a report.

R Priya, wife of V Rajkumar, 26, from a village near Vriddhachalam died due to an infection caused by a cotton wad left in her abdomen by doctors in Vriddhachalam Government Hospital.

Police said Priya developed labour pain on December 27 and was rushed to hospital. Doctors performed a Caesarean section the same night, and she gave birth to a girl.

Priya, however, complained of a severe stomach pain post-surgery. On December 31, after she took seriously ill, doctors referred her to Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (Jipmer) in Puducherry.

A team of doctors in Jipmer suspected that she might be suffering from severe sepsis, a serious condition due to the presence of foreign particles in the body and the body’s response to it. The team performed surgery in the abdomen (laparotomy) and found a mass of inflated tissues filled with pus. The team removed the pus and found a foreign body (cotton wad) in her abdomen. She died on January 1.