DMK has to be defeated in TN Assembly polls: S Gurumurthy

DMK has to be defeated in TN Assembly polls: S Gurumurthy

The DMK has to be defeated in the upcoming Assembly elections to prevent the misuse of official machinery and increase in rowdyism, Thuglak editor S Gurumurthy said on Thursday.

Published: 16th January 2021 04:43 AM |

S Gurumurthy speaking at Thuglak magazine’s 51st anniversary event in Chennai on Thursday | DEBADATTA MALLICK

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The DMK has to be defeated in the upcoming Assembly elections to prevent the misuse of official machinery and increase in rowdyism, Thuglak editor S Gurumurthy said on Thursday. He was speaking at the anniversary celebrations of the magazine. “In the upcoming elections too, the contest is between the AIADMK and the DMK,” he said. 

“Of the two, AIADMK-BJP combine would be the better option on several counts. If the DMK comes to power, there won’t be any limit for misuse of official machinery. Besides, rowdyism and atrocities will go up. So, it is our duty to defeat the DMK.” He then lauded the AIADMK government for tackling the Covid threat efficiently, and praised Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami for working overtime to keep the pandemic at bay.

He said there was a need for national parties to grow in Tamil Nadu, and expressed confidence that the BJP would become a major force in the State in the next 3-4 years. Responding to questions from readers of the magazine, one of whom asked if it would be correct to assume that the BJP, Sasikala, and AMMK would come together in support of the AIADMK to defeat the DMK.

In response, Gurumurthy referred to an analogy quoted by veteran journalist Arun Shourie way back, and said: “When the house is on fire, we cannot wait for Ganga water to douse the flames. We may have to pour even sewer water to douse it. Similarly, when an alliance if formed to defeat the DMK, we cannot expect merely the pure forces to join hands. We may need to engage some other elements too.” The remark, seen by certain sections as extension of support for Sasikala and her family, was met with objection from the AIADMK. Responding to it, minister D Jayakumar said, “Gurumurthy thinks that he is a king maker and a Chanakya... maybe he can advise Donald Trump.” 

Later, on Twitter, Gurumurthy said his comments were being misinterpreted. “We at Thuglak will continue to regard the Mannargudi family as Mafia. Our opinion on them will not change. How is it amounting to supporting AMMK which I regarded as Mafia I can’t understand. I still regard AMMK as Mannargudi Mafia as someone had said. Even if they become part of BJP-AIADMK alliance I will regard them as only Mafia like we regarded Chandraswamy as sewer,” Gurumurthy said.

Gurumurthy referring to the questions faced by the Indian Express in 1987 when it took Chandraswamy’s help to probe the Bofors case which involved Rajiv Gandhi, and what Arun Shourie had said about it at that time. The Thuglak editor also said in the Thuglak meet he had cited the Chandraswamy incident when a reader asked whether the BJP would ally with the AMMK and Azhagiri to fight the DMK. 

“I don’t know what the BJP would do. But Thuglak had decided to tell the readers they should support AIADMK-BJP alliance,” Gurumurthy added. At the Thuglak meet, BJP national president JP Nadda hailed the contribution of Thuglak to courageous journalism and a video message from Union Home Minister Amit Shah was shown.

Judiciary not Jesus to carry the cross for authorities’ sins: HC

Judiciary not Jesus to carry the cross for authorities’ sins: HC

Taking a serious view of the delay, Justice N Seshasayee observed that only because of such unjustifiable delays caused by authorities, courts are burdened with lakhs of litigations.

Published: 13th January 2021 05:51 AM |

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Censuring the Dharmapuri and Perambalur district administration for a 20-year delay in providing land records awaiting mutation, the Madras High Court observed that the judiciary is not Jesus Christ to carry the cross for the sins committed by the authorities. The court also ordered Rs 1 lakh and Rs 50,000 as compensation for the two petitioners, respectively, who were made to run from pillar to post for the past 20 years.

Taking a serious view of the delay, Justice N Seshasayee observed that only because of such unjustifiable delays caused by authorities, courts are burdened with lakhs of litigations. The issue pertains to the petitions moved by Rathinam and Jayalakshmi seeking direction to the district administration to re-mutate records of the land owned by them.

According to Rathinam, she owned about four acres of land at Virappanayakkampatti, Harur village, Dharmapuri. The land was notified for acquisition under the Land Acquisition Act, 1984, by the Tamil Nadu government in 1987. In 1988, a GO was issued for acquisition of the land. The same was challenged by the petitioner in the high court.

The judge, recording the submissions made by the counsel for the petitioners, ordered SP Karthikaa, Dharmapuri collector and P Sri Venkada Priya, Perambalur collector, who were summoned during the hearing, to come up with a viable solution for such issues which are rampant across the State. It was also noted that no appeal was made by the State against the HC order, or fresh acquisition notification was issued.

The court, ordering compensation for each of the petitioners, observed that such lack of professionalism at one level affects the judiciary by adding up to the pending cases. Also, an out-of-the-box solution is found to handle such issues, the court emphasised.

No, you cannot choose your Covid vaccine brand

No, you cannot choose your Covid vaccine brand

Covaxin or Covishield, a person can only get what is available during the time at the site

Published: 14th January 2021 03:45 AM 

For representational purposes (Photo| AFP)

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: “Beneficiaries cannot chose between Covaxin and Covishield. They can only get what is available during the time of vaccination at the site,” TS Selvavinayagam, Director of Public Health, said on Wednesday.

He added, “Getting vaccine is voluntary. If they don’t want the vaccine, it’s fine. If they want only particular vaccine and if that is not available at the site, then the beneficiary will not receive the vaccine.” Tamil Nadu on Wednesday received 20,000 doses of Covaxin from the Central government, in addition to the 5,36,500 doses of Covishield received on Tuesday. Though the health department has begun distribution of Covishield to districts, they are yet to decide on the dispatch of Covaxin to the sites.

The much anticipated Covid-19 vaccination drive will begin from Saturday across the State as part of the nationwide immunisation programme. First, healthcare workers will be vaccinated. In Tamil Nadu, over 4.39 lakh healthcare workers have registered for the dose, said health officials.

The State is planning to administer vaccines in over 300 sites. “We are still working on the list of sites. Preference will be given to government sites and then it will be extended to other sites, if needed,” Selvavinayagam added.

So far, as many as 5,12,200 doses of Covishield have been distributed, and the remaining 24,300 doses have been saved as buffer stock at the State Vaccine Centre (SVC). On dispatching Covaxin, Selvavinayagam said, it would be dispatched after finalising on the sites. TN has a total of 2,704 cold storage chain points. The Chennai Regional Vaccine Store (RVS) received the highest doses of Covishield (1.18 lakh) among five district vaccine stores. 

State reports fewer than 700 new cases 

673: Covid-positive cases were reported in the State on Wednesday

6: Deaths

8,28,287: Tally 

12,242: Toll

6,653: Active cases, after 821 were discharged on the day

4: Four passengers who tested positive for the new UK variant were discharged from the hospital after treatment and sent for home quarantine. They were among 16 UK returnees and 16 of their contacts who tested positive and were discharged from hospital after testing negative

District-wise breakdown

Chennai: 192

Chengalpattu: 55

Kancheepuram: 18

Tiruvallur: 32

Zero cases in Perambalur Perambalur district reported zero cases and 19 districts reported less than 10 cases

Samples to single out

State tested 62,683 samples and 62,409 people on the day

6: Six passengers from other States tested positive on Wednesday (one person from West Bengal by flight, four from WB by road and one from Karnataka by road)

Professor circulates fake marriage proof, held

Professor circulates fake marriage proof, held

A 24-year-old assistant professor was arrested for allegedly spreading false rumours about his wedding with a female student and circulating a fake marriage certificate to back his claim.

Published: 14th January 2021 03:46 AM |

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: A 24-year-old assistant professor was arrested for allegedly spreading false rumours about his wedding with a female student and circulating a fake marriage certificate to back his claim. Ashok Nagar All-women Police arrested the man, an assistant professor of a private institution and resident of Iyyappanthangal, based on a complaint by a second year undergraduate student. He was remanded in judicial custody.

இது உங்கள் இடம்: வாழ்த்துக்கள் ஜெயலட்சுமி

இது உங்கள் இடம்: வாழ்த்துக்கள் ஜெயலட்சுமி

Updated : ஜன 16, 2021 03:28 | Added : ஜன 16, 2021 03:26 

உலக, நாடு, தமிழக நடப்புகள் பற்றி, வாசகர்கள் தினமலர் நாளிதழில் எழுதிய கடிதம்:

வெ.தனசேகரன், மதுராந்தகம், செங்கல்பட்டு மாவட்டத்திலிருந்து அனுப்பிய, 'இ - மெயில்' கடிதம்:

தன் கிராமத்தில், 126 வீடுகளுக்கு கழிப்பறை கட்ட காரணமாக இருந்த மாணவி ஜெயலட்சுமியை, எவ்வளவு பாராட்டினாலும் தகும்.புதுக்கோட்டை மாவட்டம், ஆதனக்கோட்டையைச் சேர்ந்தவர் ஜெயலட்சுமி. அரசு பள்ளியில், பிளஸ் 2 படிக்கிறார். கடந்த ஆண்டு, தனியார் நிறுவனம் ஒன்று நடத்திய போட்டியில் வெற்றி பெற்று, அமெரிக்காவின் விண்வெளி ஆய்வு மையமான, நாசாவிற்கு செல்ல தேர்வானார். சிதைந்த ஓட்டு வீடு, சிறு வயதிலே கைவிட்டுச் சென்ற தந்தை, மனநலம் பாதிக்கப்பட்ட தாய் என, வறுமையில் வாடிய ஜெயலட்சுமியால், நாசா செல்வதற்கான கட்டணத்தை செலுத்த முடியவில்லை.அப்போது மாவட்ட நிர்வாகமும், பல தனியார் நிறுவனங்களும், அவருக்கு நிதியுதவி அளித்தன.

இந்நிலையில், 'கிராமாலயா' என்ற தொண்டு நிறுவனம், ஜெயலட்சுமி நாசாவுக்கு செல்ல உதவுவதாக கூறியுள்ளது. ஆனால் ஜெயலட்சுமி, 'போதிய நிதி சேர்ந்து விட்டதால், எனக்கு எந்த உதவியும் வேண்டாம். என் கிராமத்தில் கழிப்பறை இல்லாமல், பெண்கள் மிகவும் கஷ்டப்படுகின்றனர். முடிந்தால், கழிப்பறை கட்டித் தாருங்கள்' என, கோரிக்கை விடுத்துள்ளார்.இதனால் வியந்த தொண்டு நிறுவனம், ஆதனங்கோட்டையில் கழிப்பறை இல்லாத வீடுகளை கணக்கெடுத்தது. அதன்படி, 126 வீடுகளில், தலா, 20 ஆயிரம் ரூபாய் செலவில், கழிப்பறை கட்டிக்கொடுத்துள்ளது. இதுவரை இயற்கை உபாதைக்காக, 2 கி.மீ., காட்டு பகுதியை கடந்து சென்று வந்த பெண்கள், தற்போது வீட்டருகில் கட்டிய கழிப்பறையை பயன்படுத்தி வருகின்றனர்.

ஜெயலட்சுமி வறுமையில் தான் வாடுகிறார். வீட்டில் சமையல் உட்பட அனைத்து வேலைகளையும், அவர் தான் செய்கிறார். கூலி வேலைக்குச் சென்றபடியே, கல்வியும் கற்றுக்கொள்கிறார். ஒற்றை ஆளாய் தன் குடும்பத்தையும் காப்பாற்றி வருகிறார் ஜெயலட்சுமி.இந்நிலையில் தான், தனக்கென ஏதும் கேட்காமல், ஊரின் சுகாதாரத்திற்காக உதவி கோரியுள்ளார்.ஜெயலட்சுமிக்கு பாராட்டுகள். அவரின், ஐ.ஏ.எஸ்., கனவு நிறைவேறவும் வாழ்த்துக்கள்.

Tasmac earns 417.8 crore in Pongal sales

 

HC judge retires without hearing case physically

HC judge retires without hearing case physically

Justice Satyanarayana Had Joined HC In May 2020

Ajay.Sura@timesgroup.com

16.01.2021

Chandigarh: Justice S N Satyanarayana, who had joined the Punjab and Haryana high court in May 2020, retired on Thursday without holding any physical court or hearing any cases physically in court during his entire tenure as the judge in Chandigarh. However, he had held court proceedings via video conferencing after joining the HC till his superannuation on January 14. It would be a record of sorts in the Punjab and Haryana high court where a high court judge completed his entire tenure without holding court physically. This happened due to the Covid-19 pandemic because of which the HC has not been holding physical court since March 2020.

Justice S N Satyanarayana had joined as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana high court on May 28 after his transfer from Karnataka high court, where he was serving as HC judge since his elevation on June 9, 2008.

A total of eight judges of the Punjab and Haryana high court were scheduled to retire in 2021. Of these, two judges - Justice Daya Chaudhary retired on January 9 and Justice S N Satyanarayana retired on January 14. Six other judges, who are due to retire this year include Justice Rekha Mittal on Saturday (January 16), Justice Nirmaljit Kaur on January 27, Justice Hari Pal Verma on April 5, Justice Jitendra Kumar Chauhan on June 5, Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi on August 31 and Justice Sudip Ahluwalia on December 30.

With the retirement of four judges this month, the current strength of the judges of the Punjab and Haryana HC would drop to 48 against the sanctioned strength of 85 judges. The Punjab and Haryana high court is one of the largest high courts of the country having jurisdiction over the states of Punjab and Haryana and UT Chandigarh.

The limited hearing of cases via video conferencing at the high court and shortage of judges has also increased the pendency of cases at the high court. As per data procured by TOI from the National Judicial Data Grid on Friday, a total of 641,722 cases are currently pending before the high court.