Couple take oath as judges of high court

Couple take oath as judges of high court

HC Now Has 13 Women Judges, Most In Country

Sureshkumar.K@timesgroup.com

Chennai:04.12.2020

History was repeated when a judge-couple -- Justice Murali Shankar Kuppuraju and Justice Thamilselvi T Valayapalayam -- were sworn in judges of the Madras high court on Thursday. It is only the second instance in the history of Indian judiciary that a husband-wife couple have taken oath together.

The first such couple to be appointed high court judges on the same day were Justice Vivek Puri and Justice Archana Puri, who were sworn in judges of the Punjab and Haryana high court last year.

On Thursday, the Madras high court saw a total of 10 people being sworn in additional judges of the court.

In yet another feat, the Madras high court became the HC with the highest number of women judges in the country, 13, when four more women judges joined on Thursday.

Besides the couple, G Chandrasekharan, A A Nakkiran, Sivagnanam Veerasamy, Ilangovan Ganesan, Ananthi Subramanian, Kannammal Shanmuga Sundaram, Sathikumar Sukumara Kurup, and Manjula Ramaraju took oath on the occasion.

All the 10 judges have been elevated from the subordinate judiciary of Tamil Nadu.

With these appointments, the sitting strength of judges in the court increased from 53 to 63, as against the sanctioned strength of 75.

Noting that he is delighted to welcome the newly sworn in judges on behalf of the Bar, advocate-general Vijay Narayanan said, with the appointments the vacancy in the HC has reduced to 12.

He expressed hope that the remaining vacancies would also be filled up soon so that at least for one day in his lifetime he can see the full complement of judges in the chartered high court.

Of the new appointees, Justice Murali Shankar and Thamilselvi are the youngest and they would serve the high court for 10 years if appointed as permanent judges after two years.

WELCOME ABOARD: The 10 judges sworn on Thursday. (Inset) Judge couple Justice Murali Shankar Kuppuraju and Justice Thamilselvi T Valayapalayam

In fake CBI raid, gang tries to extract money from college official, arrested

In fake CBI raid, gang tries to extract money from college official, arrested

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:04.12.2020

Four men posing as CBI officers barged into the house of an administrator of a dental college and demanded ₹10lakh to remove his name from an idol smuggling case booked against him at Maduravoyal in wee hours on Thursday.

Police said the incident happened when Rakesh was chatting with his friend Ramasubramani. Inquiries revealed Ramasubramani had tipped the gang off to extort money from Rakesh. Suspecting something wrong, Rakesh alerted the city police control room.

Soon, a police team arrived at the spot and nabbed Narendra Nath, 40, Stalin, 41, Ramasubramani, 45, Sankar, 42, and Yuvan, 41. Spotting police, two other accomplices waiting outside Rakesh’s house fled.

Ramasubramani told police he fell in the hands of the gang in his attempt to get some iridium which he claimed has power to attract rice. The gang took a few lakh rupees from him. When the four demanded more he led them to Rakesh’s house.

Deputy commissioner of police of Anna Nagar G Jawahar said, “We will inquire with Ramasubramani and the four conmen and confirm the veracity of his claim. If needed, we will take the suspects in custody to know more.”

The officer said Rakesh acted smart before the gang and walked into the next room and asked his brother to inform police under the pretext of sourcing money from some acquaintance. Police said Ramasubramani and Rakesh have been friends for more than a decade. Rakesh said his friend didn’t inform him about the visit. He initially claimed he was not involved in any idol smuggling case and was not informed about it earlier. However, the suspects showed documents and demanded to arrest him formally to inquire further.

Once again, all roads lead to Poes Garden

Once again, all roads lead to Poes Garden

Like Jaya, Rajini Too Lives In The Tony Colony

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:04.12.2020

Poes Garden is back in the news. Or rather newspersons are back in Poes Garden.

For the last four years, ever since chief minister J Jayalalithaa passed away, the OB vans of TV channels and the hordes of lensmen had vanished from the upscale locality. Sensing a chance to keep the crowds out, some residents even opposed the state government’s plans to turn Jayalalitha’s home, Veda Nilayam, into a memorial.

But now another illustrious neighbour has decided to take the political plunge. All of Thursday, the press corps was camped outside superstar Rajinikanth’s home in Poes Garden. The crowd is unlikely to go away anytime soon. In fact, it will only swell.

Jayalalithaa managed to keep crowds of adoring party workers away from her home, except for rare occasions when the neighbourhood became a sea of people. But residents still had to deal with the tight security arrangements and a constant stream of VIP visitors and an accompanying horde of press photographers and reporters.

Though Jayalalithaa bought her house in 1967, the trouble for the residents started only in the 1980s, when she joined politics. Rajinikanth was among the residents who had to face these inconveniences. So will he be different? He’s launching a party in less than a month. And you can’t have a party without people.

Gayatri, a resident of Poes Garden, said, "Rajnikanth’s political entry is going to affect the residential character of the neighbourhood. Both turning Veda Nilayam into a memorial and Rajini entering politics will affect the place. It’s a deadend-neighbourhood. They should find a larger place better suited for a political party."

Ramu Manivannan, professor and head, department of politics and public administration, Madras University, said "Poes Garden was a cosmopolitan area and did not have any political significance. It was a socially upmarket area like Banjara Hills of Hyderabad. It acquired political importance after Jayalalithaa joined politics and became a leader and later a general secretary of the party."

Retired IAS officer M G Devasahayam said "There was hardly anything in Poes Garden in the late 1950s and 1960s. I used to go for walks in the area when I was studying in Loyola College. Stella Maris College was being built. The college and the star hotel on Cathedral Road may have contributed to the development of the neighbourhood. A known actor like Jayalalithaa buying a house also may have helped. It became one of the posh localities of the city in the 1980s along with Haddows Road, Harrington Road, and the Boat Club area."

BACK IN NEWS: A file photo shows party workers near former chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s house in upscale Poes Garden

VANDUTTENNU SOLLU

VANDUTTENNU SOLLU

Rajini Has Announced His Entry, But The Script Will Not Be In His Hands For All Cadres Are Fans, But All Fans May Not Be Cadres

04.12.2020

Jaya.Menon@timesgroup.com

In 1973, when M G Ramachandran rebelled against M Karunanidhi and formed ADMK, he took with him a chunk of the DMK’s frontline leaders and grassroot workers. But his fan clubs, the Mandrams, named after his films ‘Urimai Kural’ and ‘Naalai Namadhe’ formed the backbone of his new party. Three years later, ADMK swept the 1977 assembly election. Will actor Rajinikanth, who will turn 70 soon, repeat the MGR magic? Or even replicate the success of N T Rama Rao, who floated Telugu Desam in 1982 and defeated the Congress within a year?

The actor’s fans, friends and associates are confident that Rajinikanth’s yet-to-be-named new party would storm the Dravidian arena and sweep the April 2021 assembly election. But that’s easier said than done as it is a David versus Goliath battle. With barely five months to go for the election, Rajini and his band of ‘rasigars’ are pitted against the two Dravidian giants, the ruling AIADMK and the DMK, who have been preparing for the 2021 election ever since the outcome of the last one.

Now that the actor has taken the political dive, the real challenges are yet to come. Rolling out a political party is no easy task and contesting an election five months later much less.

The Rajini Makkal Mandram, a loosely put-together outfit, a precursor to a formal political party, is packed with politically inexperienced fans. While confidantes affirm that the structure, from top to bottom, has been constructed with a few dedicated wings in place, appointment of toplevel officebearers are yet to get underway. Those already appointed in the lower rungs are mostly Rajni’s film fans, who have little knowledge of the ways of politics. “But we anticipate the erosion of rival parties to begin soon. We will get senior leaders from other parties too, those with good reputation and integrity,” said a close associate, seeking anonymity.

While the making of a political party could prove a daunting task, there’s more. For any party, the booth committees form the backbone of its election machinery. While his associates claim that 80% of the work has been completed, Rajini’s fans, who constitute these committees, have little political experience. The actor is expected to rope in political experts and strategists, but his dithering over the years has cut into precious time required for the massive task of transforming fans into cadres.

RSS ideologue and Rajini’s closest advisor S Gurumurthy dismisses the potential hurdles saying his mere entry into politics would create a groundswell of support among people. “After Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa, politics shifted from personalities to party. Now the focus would be on Rajini,” said Gurumurthy. “He’s an honest man wanting to do good for the people and a spiritual leader…these are features not seen in any leader in TN today,” he said.

With the pandemic proving a major dampener, Rajini, who has health issues, will have to depend on 3D Holographic projection technology to reach people. How effective such a campaign would be remains to be seen. “But imagine 20 Rajnikanths walking on the streets of TN,” said Gurumurthy gleefully.

There’s the biggest challenge yet – choosing the ideal partners to face the election. Pressure from the BJP has been immense not just for him to enter politics but to team up with it to break the Dravidian stranglehold over Tamil Nadu. Close associates have emphasized the actor’s apprehension in teaming up with the BJP for fear of losing minority votes. Which path he chooses could define the actor’s political fate.

Salem police station India’s 2nd best

04.12.2020

An all-woman police station at Suramangalam in Salem city has been rated as the second best-performing police station in the country for 2020. Nongpok Sekmai police station in Thoubal district of Manipur occupied the top slot on the list released by the Union home ministry.

Home minister Amit Shah said a vast majority of the shortlisted police stations are located in small towns and rural areas. “This indicates that while availability of resources is important, what matters more is the dedication and sincerity of our police personnel to prevent and control crime and serve the nation,” he said.

The rating of police stations was done on the basis of data analysis, direct observation and public feedback. The parameters for short-listing the police stations in the initial stage of the survey included property offences; crimes against women; crimes against weaker sections; and missing persons, unidentified found persons and unidentified bodies. The last parameter was introduced this year.

Kharsang police station in insurgency-hit Changlang district of Manipur came third. TNN

Rajini ready for ‘thalaivar’ role, to launch political party in Jan

Rajini ready for ‘thalaivar’ role, to launch political party in Jan

‘Graft-free Govt Will Be Above Caste, Religion’

D.Govardan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:04.12.2020

Actor Rajinikanth finally ended the suspense over his political foray on Thursday and said he would launch his political party in January. A formal announcement would be made on December 31, Rajinikanth said, taking to twitter and ending a more than 24-year wait of his fans.

“With the massive support of people, we will capture power and provide a corruption-free and transparent government that will be above caste, creed and religion,” Rajinikanth said in a tweet.

“Change. We will change

everything. Miracle and wonder will happen. If not now, then never,” Rajinikanth tweeted, taking a leaf out of a campaign that his fans have been running over the past few months on the same slogan. As political buzz picked up traction, the actor followed up with a hurriedly convened media conference.

“I had made it clear on December 31, 2017 (when he addressed his fans at a gathering at his Raghavendra marriage hall here) that I will surely enter politics in time for the assembly elections. In March this year, I said I wanted to see a wave and uprising from the people wanting a political change. I wanted to undertake a tour of the state to make that happen. But corona prevented that from happening,” Rajinikanth told reporters at his residence. The actor said he has already started the work for launching the party. But it requires gigantic effort and he has given the responsibility to supervise the work to Tamilaruvi Manian, chief of Gandhiya Makkal Iyakkam. “Despite criticism, he has stood by me ever since I made it clear that I will enter politics,” the actor said. He also said he has appointed R Arjuna Murthy, who was in the BJP till a few days ago, as the chief coordinator.

Can Rajini become next MGR of TN?

Rajinikanth may want to do à la M G Ramachandran of 1973 who took with him a chunk of DMK’s leaders and workers to form the AIADMK that swept the polls three years later in 1977 assembly election. But actor Rajinikanth, who will turn 70 soon, and his ‘rasigars’ are pitted against two Dravidian giants, the ruling AIADMK and the DMK, with robust party structures and strong financial muscle . P2

OPS hints at alliance, then turns cautious

AIADMK coordinator and deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam, who initially welcomed Rajinikanth’s entry and hinted at the possibility of an alliance with the actor’s yet-to-be launched party, reneged and said a decision will be taken about alliance when the need arises. “We welcome Rajnikanth, the great film actor, entering politics. In politics, anything can happen in future. If there is a possibility, alliance will be formed (with him),” he had told reporters in Theni. P2

Will actor help BJP breach the Dravidian fort?

The BJP, which is believed to have played a significant role in Rajinikanth’s decision to finally take the political plunge, may well be among the actor’s top choices for an ally, if he decides to build one. According to sources, several saffron party leaders feel that Rajinikanth is their best bet to stop the juggernaut of Dravidian politics as he can attract leaders from both the DMK and the AIADMK and bring about a tectonic shift in TN politics. P2

‘Time to change Tamil Nadu’s fate has come’

I hope you all know that I underwent a renal transplant. When transplants are done, the body’s immunity level is brought down. Hence, doctors advised me against going out and meeting people at large,” he said.

“If one has to face Covid, the body’s immunity level should be very high. I thought about it. It is because of the prayers of the people of Tamil Nadu that my life was saved when I underwent treatment in Singapore. I will be happy to give away my life for the sake of the people of this state,” Rajinikanth said seeking to drive home the point that he would campaign for a political change in the state even if it demands risking his health.

“The time to change the fate of Tamil Nadu has come. Change of government and change in politics will happen. I am only a small tool. It is the people, who have to usher in the change by extending your support. If I win, it will be your victory. If I lose, it will also be that of the people,” he said.

FULL COVERAGE: P 2

Important Gazette Notifications- November 2020

Important Gazette Notifications- November 2020: The following are the important Gazette Notifications of November 2020: