Coronavirus: Specialist says there is a need for caution

‘Too Early To say Whether 2019-nCoV Will Become Endemic In India’

Malathy.Iyer@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:26.01.2020

The2019 novelcoronavirus—the newest virus spreading from China to the rest of the world—appears to have begun its infectious journey from the Hunan seafood market in Wuhan and there are indications that it is similar to the SARS virus that caused a pandemic in 2002-2003. This means it can spread from person to person and from one city to another, showsthefirst reviewof the2019 novel coronavirus—abbreviated as 2019-nCoV—infection among 41patientsfrom Wuhan.

Both the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) virus and 2019-nCoV belong to the large family of coronaviruses that was mostly associated with benign common cold until SARS changed the perception by infecting over 8,000 and killing 774in a few months.Another coronavirus, MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), emerged in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and was responsible for 850 deathsworldwide.

The review, published in ‘The Lancet’ on Friday, showed that all 41 patients with the 2019-nCoV infection had “pneumonia with abnormal findings”. A third of these earliest patients infected in December 2019 needed to be admitted in intensive care andsix of them died.

Infectiousdiseasesspecialist Dr Om Srivastava said, “It is too early to say whether the novel coronavirus2019willbecomeendemicin India.”There are no reportedcasesin India atthistime, buthesaidthereis a needfor caution. “One should be aware and alert, but not alarmed. Use hand sanitization/sterilization as it is the best way to break the cycle of transmission,”he added.

The WHO released pamphlets to show that the best way to reduce the risk of a coronavirus infection is to clean hands with soap and water or alcoholbasedhand rub.

Full reporton www.toi.in

India seeks China help for students’ return

As the coronavirus turned virulent, the Centre is understood to have requested China to permit over 250 Indian students stuck in Wuhan, the epicentre of the new epidemic, to leave the city, sources said on Saturday. About 700 Indian students, mostly medical students, are believed to be studying in different universities in Wuhan and its surrounding areas. Authorities have prevented anyone from leaving Wuhan. While majority of the Indian students left for home on Chinese New Year holidays, over 250 to 300 students are said to be still in the city and its surrounding areas. PTI

PMO reviews preparedness to tackle ‘outbreak’

New Delhi: Amid a mounting scare over the spread of coronavirus in China, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Saturday reviewed the preparedness and the country’s preventive management system to tackle any possible outbreak here. At a high level meeting, chaired by the principal secretary to the Prime Minister, health ministry officials apprised him of the recent developments, preparedness and response measures associated with the spread of the virus. TNN

MOVES TOP COURT

Nirbhaya convict seeks review of rejection of mercy plea by Prez

New Delhi:26.01.2020

One of the death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya murder and gang rape case on Saturday moved the Supreme Court seeking judicial review of the rejection of mercy petition by the President.

The petition has been filed by convict Mukesh Kumar Singh, 32, whose mercy plea was dismissed by President Ram Nath Kovind on January

17. “A petition has been filed under Article 32 for judicial review of the manner of rejection of the mercy petition in terms of the judgement of Supreme Court in Shatrughan Chauhan case,” advocate Vrinda Grover, who is representing Mukesh, told PTI.

The warrant for execution of death sentence for the four convicts has been fixed on February 1at 6 am.

Mukesh had moved the mercy petition after the Supreme Court had dismissed his curative petition against his conviction and death sentence.

Along with his, the apex court had also rejected the curative petition of another death row convict Akshay Kumar, 31. Other two convicts Pawan Gupta, 25 and Vinay Kumar Sharma are yet to file curative petitions before the Supreme Court.

The 23-year-old paramedic student, referred to as Nirbhaya, was gang-raped and brutally assaulted on the intervening night of December 16-17, 2012, in a moving bus in south Delhi by six people before she was thrown out on the road. She was flown to a hospital in Singapore where she died.

Earlier in the day, A Delhi court said no further directions were required on a plea by the lawyer of the death row convicts in the case alleging the prison authorities were not handing over certain documents required to file mercy and curative petitions, and disposed of the petition.

Additional Sessions Judge Ajay Kumar Jain said the convicts’ lawyer can take pictures of the relevant documents, notebook and paintings or sketches from the Tihar jail authorities.

The court noted that the jail authorities had already complied with the request made by the convicts by supplying the documents whatever was lying with them. PTI

I am praying for Sasikala’s early release, says minister

Madurai:26.01.2020

Minister for milk and dairy development K T Rajenthra Bhalaji on Saturday said that V K Sasikala’s term in prison is disturbing and he was praying for her early release.

The minister visited the Andal temple in Srivilliputtur and later the mutt head, Sadagopa Ramanuja Jeeyar along with his party members on Saturday.

Later speaking to reporters outside the temple, he said he had come to the temple to pray for Sasikala’s release. “The fact that she is in prison is disturbing and I want her to come out soon,” Bhalaji said.

He also said that he discussed the retrieval of lands belonging to the Srivilliputtur temple and that steps were being taken to free them of encroachments. TNN

2nd wife can get pension if 1st is dead: HC

‘Cohabitation Is Presumption Of Marriage’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:26.01.2020

The Madras high court has observed that family pension cannot be denied to the second wife of a pensioner, on the ground of invalid marriage, particularly when there has been cohabitation between the two for a long period of time. Justice Anand Venkatesh made the observation while directing the state government to extend the family pension benefit to the petitioner, who was the second wife of a government doctor.

“It is very easy to brand the petitioner as a concubine and deprive her of her livelihood. However, the fact remains that the petitioner had lived with the deceased for nearly 34 years. The petitioner also gave birth to three children. If the petitioner had made this claim when the first wife was alive, then obviously the petitioner will not be entitled for family pension, since her relationship is not recognized by law,” Justice Venkatesh said.

The march of law happens only while considering the cohabitation that continues after the death of the first wife.

This apart, the deceased himself had nominated the petitioner on May 11, 1999, to receive the family pension, the judge said.

Citing the Supreme Court judgment in Dhannilal’s case, which had held that law presumes in favour of marriage and against concubinage when a man and woman have lived together for a long time, Justice Venkatesh said that he was in complete agreement with the proposition of law that has been enunciated in the judgment.

Even in the present case, the first wife had died in 1997. Thereafter, the petitioner lived with the doctor till his death in 2009. During this period, it can be construed that the petitioner and the deceased were living as husband and wife and their long cohabitation itself raises that presumption of marriage, the court added. The judge then directed the authorities concerned to grant family pension to the petitioner within 12 weeks.

It can be construed that the petitioner and the deceased were living as husband and wife and their long cohabitation itself raises that presumption of marriage, the court said

Work begins at AIIMS site year after stone-laying ceremony

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Madurai:26.01.2020

Fencing and road work have begun at the site selected for the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Madurai, nearly a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the ₹1,264 crore hospital.

An area of 201.75 acres has been allocated for the construction of the premier hospital-cum-research institute in Madurai. Even after completion of formalities for the land acquisition, no construction was initiated since the stonelaying on January 27, 2019.

The hospital is located off the Bangalore-Kanyakumari national highway. Sources said initial work will include those of roads for transporting construction material. Till now, it was a narrow stretch. This is being converted into a two-lane road from the highway for 6km till Karadikkal beyond the AIIMS site. On the other side, the second road from Koothiargundu junction to the site is being laid as a four-lane structure for 3.5km. Work is being carried out from the central government’s road fund of ₹21crore.

As of now, work on construction of the wall and precast concrete fencing is being carried out by NHAI. The compound wall would be 5.5km long around the site, said sources. A loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency is awaited to start work on the hospital building. Only basic groundwork has been initiated now, sources said.

Fake attendance docus: Bar council warns 1,000 lawyers of severe action
Chennai:26.01.2020

The Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry has warned more than 1,000 lawyers who have enrolled as advocates by producing forged college attendance certificates of severe action unless they surrendered their enrolment certificates immediately.

Theissuecametolightwhen Vipin – a retiredemployee of Southern Railways — approached the council for enrolment.Heclaimedthathehadsuccessfully completed law degree from Smt Basava Rama Tarakam Memorial Law College, Cuddapah, Andhra Pradesh in 2015-18. As per the rules set by the Madras high court, candidateswhohavesecuredlawdegreesfrom statesother than TN must produce attendancecertificatesfrom thecollege.Vipin had produced an attendancecertificate,which on verification by the council, was found to be forged and obtained in connivance with the college’s principal Himavantha Kumar. Kumar was arrested subsequently. A preliminary inquiry revealed that more than 1,000 advocates enrolled with the council had obtained such forged certificates from the college.

Briefing reporters, the council’s chairperson P S Amalraj said, “Such people must surrender their enrolment certificates immediately. If not, criminal action will be initiated besides ensuring that pension and other benefits they enjoy are stopped.” Amalraj said a committee is verifying certificates produced by candidates with other state law degrees.

“Certificates of 65,000 advocates have been verified and a timeframewillbefixedtocompletethe rest.Listof advocateseligibleto practicewillbe publishedon thecouncil’s website once the scrutiny is over,” he added. TNN

CASE OF VANISHING INK

Mediator among 4 more arrested in TNPSC scam

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:26.01.2020

The CB-CID police probing the‘vanishing ink’ scam related to the TNPSC Group-IV recruitment examinations on Saturday arrested four more people, three of whom figuredin thelistof top 100candidates. A city court later remanded them in judicial custody.

Policeidentifiedthe arrested asT Venkataramanan, 38, of Avadi; M Thiruvelmurugan, 31, of Ramanathapuram;RRajasekar,26,of Panruti in Cuddalore district, and M Kalesha, 29, of Gowripet near Ramanathapuram. Police said Venkataramanan acted as a mediator, collected funds and helped the three arrested and several others clear the exam. Thiruvelmurugan, R Rajasekar, and M Kalesha figured among the top 100 selected candidates.

TheCB-CID policeteams areconducting inquiries with a few more suspects picked up from Tirunelveli, Ramanathapuram and other parts of the state. Police sources told TOI that more arrests were likely.

Discrepancies in the top 100 candidates list lead to the TNPSC sniffing out the vanishing ink scam, wherein answerscripts of 52 candidates were found to be manipulated. Touts had given candidates pens with special ink that vanished in a few hours. The OMR answerscripts were later filled with the correct answer in collusion with some exam officials, resulting in 39 of the cheating candidates ending up among top 100.

On Saturday,special policeteams of the CB-CID units conducted checks in five districts to zero in on brokers and mediators. A police officer privy to the probe said, “There are around 20 others, including candidates and mediators, in the custody of the CB-CID for inquiry.”

Busting of the racket led to several who appeared for exams to recruit sub-inspectors and Grade-II police constables conducted by the Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board (TNUSRB) crying foul on social media about malpractice in these exams as well. TNUSRB, however, clarified that there was no foul play in its exams.