We’re OK with Rajiv convicts’ release if courts decide: Cong

We’re OK with Rajiv convicts’ release if courts decide: Cong

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Coimbatore:22.01.2021

Congress has no objection to the release of Rajiv case convicts if due process of law was followed, said Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K S Alagiri.

Talking to reporters in Coimbatore on Thursday, Alagiri said the party would accept any decision taken by courts. “If courts order the release of seven convicts, we have no objection,’’ he said. However, Alagiri decried that there was politics surrounding the release of the seven convicts. Pointing out that there was a clamour demanding their release citing them being Tamils, Alagiri askedif the police personnel and others who died in the bomb blast along with Rajiv Gandhi were not Tamils.

He said if the same yardstick was applied to all life convicts and it was demanded that they be released after some years in jail, then the Congress would welcome it. “But the Congress does not accept the politics surrounding the clamour for the release of these seven alone,citing their identity as Tamils.”

On the release of V K Sasikala, Alagiri said her return from prison would not bring any political change in TN.

Talking about assembly elections, Alagiri said Congress party was not interested in a third front in Tamil Nadu. He said that a third front doesn’t augur well for the state. Congress scion Rahul Gandhi’s visit would boost the prospects of the alliance, he said. “Rahul’s visit is aimed at changing the corruption ridden AIADMK government and put in place a secular government. He is not visiting just to campaign, but to interact and know first hand the issues confronted by members of the public,” he said.

Rahul would be landing in Coimbatore on January 23 and tour Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode, Karur and Dindigul. EPS will also campaign in Coimbatore and Tirurpur during the same time.

Cannot order reopening of all schools, says HC

Cannot order reopening of all schools, says HC

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:22.01.2021

The Madras high court has refused to entertain a plea seeking direction to the state government to reopen all schools immediately.

“Courts cannot interfere in such decisions of the state. It would not be right to pressure the state government in opening schools for all classes and it is the state that is appropriate to make such decisions,” the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy said on Thursday.

The bench made the observation on a public interest writ petition filed by Chengalpattu District Private Schools Association.

According to the petitioner-association, closure of the schools in view of the pandemic had led to several children undergoing severe mental stress.

Since the state has taken a decision to open schools for higher classes, a phased opening of all the other classes should also be carried out.

Classes can be held in two shifts with capacity being reduced by 50% in each of the shifts, the association said.

Refusing to grant any relief, the court, however, granted liberty to the petitioner to approach the court once again if the situation persists.

Salem school shut after girl tests +ve

76 QUARANTINED

Salem school shut after girl tests +ve

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

21.01.2021

After a Class XII student tested Covid-positive the second day after schools reopened, authorities ordered 76 people, including her classmates and teacher at the tribal model school in Periyakrishnapuram near Attur in Salem district to go into quarantine for 15 days.

Health department officials also collected samples for testing. “The girl, who was staying in the hostel, a Covid test at her village on January 19 and it returned positive only on Thursday,” deputy director  of health services Dr R Selvakumar told TOI. He added that teachers were asked to shut the school till further orders.

“We have quarantined 36 students in the school hostel while 25 day-scholars, 15 teachers and hotel wardens have been quarantined in their respective homes after sample collection,” he added.

Selvakumar said the girl’s village comprised of just four families and samples have been collected from all villagers, including her family.

The official hoped that the test results would arrive on Friday. “The girl had the infection before she reached the school and except her, no students has tested positive in the Salem district,” he added.

Woman deposits ₹26K in fake notes, police launch probe

Woman deposits ₹26K in fake notes, police launch probe

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:22.01.2021

Police have launched an investigation into the case about a woman depositing fake currency notes with a face value of ₹26,800 at a private bank in Red Hills on Wednesday. The notes were in the denomination of ₹200.

The incident came to light after the bank staff scrutinised the day’s collection and lodged a complaint. Police said that HDFC bank officials verified and confirmed that the fake notes were deposited at their branch by one of their customers, Vijayalakshmi, a resident of Thiruvottiyur.

The bank staff enclosed a CCTV camera footage in support of their claim, the customer's address and other personal details to police along with the complaint.

Police have sent samples of the notes deposited to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for further verification. An investigating officer said that the notes resembling genuine ones might have been smuggled from Pakistan into the country through porous Indo-Bangladesh borders.

The officer of the Red Hills police station said, “As this case needs proper investigation, we are transferring the case to the antibank fraud unit at the central crime branch of the city police.”

He said that the woman would be questioned about the source of the fake notes. During priliminary investigation, police found the woman had deposited ₹3lakh in cash in her savings bank account. Of the amount, ₹26,800 was in fake notes.

“We can come to a conclusion only after inquiring with the woman. As the scope of the inquiry should be wider, the CCB would be apt to handle the case,” said another police officer.

Order telling Loyola to pay ₹64L stayed

Order telling Loyola to pay ₹64L stayed

Chennai:22.01.2021

A Tamil Nadu State Commission for Women order directing Loyola College to pay ₹64.3 lakh as compensation to a woman employee who alleged sexual harassment and illegal termination from service, has been stayed by the Madras high court.

Justice Abdul Quddhose passed the interim order on a plea moved by the college.

The issue pertains to a complaint of abuse and harassment made against Father Xavier Alphonse SJ, director of the alumni association of the college, by the victim who worked as an administrator. According to her, despite making several complaints to the management against Alphonse no action was taken against him but she was terminated from service arbitrarily. In 2016, she moved a petition in the high court challenging her termination. The commission conducted an inquiry and on December 22 passed an order directing thecollegeto pay her wages of ₹24.30 lakh, damages for mental agony and sexual harassment ₹25 lakh and compensation for filing a false complaint against her ₹15 lakh. TNN

Centre to HC: Med quota for govt students will affect merit

Centre to HC: Med quota for govt students will affect merit

Sureshkumar.K@timesgroup.com

Chennai:22.01.2021

Setting the stage for a fresh round of political slugfest, the BJP government at the Centre has opposed exclusive reservation for government school students in MBBS/BDS admissions under NEET.

It will not “be desirable,” said the Union home ministry when a related case came up before the Madras high court for hearing. “Any artificial, horizontal reservation is likely to create abnormal incentives/disincentives affecting pre-medical education…” it said.

Noting that NEET provided uniform national standards on the principle of one nation one merit list, the Centre said the proposal of the Puducherry administration to provide quota in medical courses for government school students diluted the merit principle. Such demands would undo merit-based admission reform, the Centre said.

The Centre filed the counter in response to a plea moved by a student seeking a direction to the Union government to approve 10% horizontal reservation for students from government schools in Puducherry for admissions to medical courses.

Counsel for petitioner senior advocate P Wilson, who took strong exception to it, said the central government was belittling the 7.5% reservation policy adopted by Tamil Nadu.

Acted promptly on reference from UT, Centre informs court

The Centre, denying that it was sitting on the reference from the Union territory, said the 7.5% reservation provided for government school students to medical admission in Tamil Nadu had been provided through state legislation and that no reference had been made to the Centre for information/ concurrence in the matter.

Asserting that such reservation may lead to similar or other demands from other states, it said After the Puducherry cabinet approved the exclusive reservation and forwarded the same to lieutenant-governor Kiran Bedi, she referred the matter to the central government on the ground that she differed with the view of the elected Puducherry government. Claiming that the Centre is sitting on the reference made on November 6, 2020 without taking a decision, the present plea was for a direction to the Centre to approve the reservation.

When the plea came up for hearing before Justice B Pugalendhi on Thursday, a limited reply was filed by the Centre through Ravi Ranjan, deputy commandant, union ministry of home affairs.

Denying that the reference is kept pending indefinitely, the reply said this ministry had acted promptly on the reference made by the LG and the CM of Puducherry and had sought inter-ministerial consultations for taking an informed decision.

“It is pertinent to mention here that the ministry of health vide an office memorandum dated December 10, 2020 while disagreeing with the proposal for granting horizontal reservation to students from government schools in the state quota seats in admission to medical courses conveyed that medical education is under concurrent list,” the reply said. Since the Centre sought further time to take a decision on the reference made, the judge adjourned the hearing to February 25.

The Centre said the 7.5% reservation provided for government school students to medical admission in Tamil Nadu had been provided through state legislation

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