CJI Bobde to retire, Centre asks him to recommend successor

CJI Bobde to retire, Centre asks him to recommend successor

Dhananjay.Mahapatra@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:20.03.2021 

Setting the process for change of guard at the top of the judiciary in motion, the Union government on Friday wrote to Chief Justice S A Bobde, who retires on April 23, to recommend the name of his successor, a convention that has been followed since the collegium took over the process of selecting judges in the 1990s.

Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad wrote to CJI Bobde requesting him to nominate his successor, who would be appointed as the 48th CJI, official sources said. Justice N V Ramana, the senior-most among SC judges, is in line to succeed Justice Bobde as the next CJI.

As per convention, the CJI recommends the name of the senior-most SC judge as successor a month ahead of his retirement. So it is expected that CJI Bobde will recommend Justice Ramana’s name as his successor by March 23, sources said.

The memorandum of procedure for appointment of CJI says “appointment to the office of the Chief Justice of India should be of the seniormost judge of the Supreme Court considered fit to hold the office”. It says the law minister, at the appropriate time, would seek the recommendation of the outgoing CJI for the appointment of the next CJI. “Whenever there is any doubt about the fitness of the seniormost judge to hold the office of the Chief Justice of India, consultation with other judges as envisaged in Article 124  (2) of the Constitution would be made for appointment of the next Chief Justice of India,” the MoP provides.

“After receipt of the recommendation of the CJI, the law minister will put up the recommendation to the prime minister who will advise the President in the matter of appointment,” it says. Justice Ramana, who is slated to become the next CJI, will have a tenure of one year, four months and three days.

As per convention, the CJI recommends the name of the senior-most SC judge as successor a month ahead of his retirement, and hence, it is expected that CJI Bobde will recommend Justice Ramana’s name as his successor by March 23, sources said

Kerala police register case against ED for coercion, conspiracy

Kerala police register case against ED for coercion, conspiracy

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Thiruvananthapuram:  20.03.2021 

The crime branch of Kerala police has registered a case against Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers who are probing the gold smuggling case, on the basis of the statements of two female civil police officers.

In the FIR submitted on Friday to the judicial magistrate court in Kochi, the crime branch has invoked IPC Sections 116, 120-B, 167, 192, 193 and 195-A for conspiracy, intimidation and forcing to give false statements against the Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The crime branch had earlier conducted a preliminary inquiry, in which statements of 18 persons, including that of Swapna Suresh, the key accused in the case related to gold smuggling through diplomatic channels, was recorded. TOI has learnt that a special team will be set up to probe the case.

The state had received legal advice from the director general of prosecutions that a case should be registered against the ED sleuths who had interrogated Suresh in jail. The government had sought legal advice based on the report of the investigation team that had probed the leak of Suresh’s voice clip.

Woman civil police officers Siji Vijayan of Palarivattom police station and S Rejimol of Kadavanthra police station, who were allegedly on duty while the ED sleuths interrogated Suresh, had stated before the probe team that the ED officers were compelling Swapna to give a statement against the chief minister.

HC refuses to stay ED summons to Mehbooba in money laundering case

The Delhi high court on Friday refused to stay the latest summons issued to former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti by the enforcement directorate (ED) in a money laundering case.

A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and justice Jasmeet Singh said they are not granting any relief to the PDP president, who has been served notice to appear at the ED headquarters in the national capital on March 22.

Representing the ED, solicitor general Tushar Mehta said Mufti just has to appear before the officials. ED had earlier summoned Mufti for March15 but has now sought her presence on March 22. TNN

TTEs thrash man travelling sans ticket, booked

TTEs thrash man travelling sans ticket, booked

Roorkee:  20.03.2021 

Two travelling ticket examiners (TTE) onboard Rishikesh-Barmer Express (04887) allegedly thrashed a passenger for travelling “without ticket” from Haridwar to Jaipur on Wednesday.

According to the Railway Protection Force (RPF) officials, the TTEs also caused a delay of around 50 minutes after creating a ruckus at the Roorkee railway station. Soon after the episode, the RPF and the GRP (Government Railway Police) registered separate cases against the two TTEs and the passenger, a resident of Jaipur. According to sources, the passenger was heading to his hometown Jaipur from Haridwar in coach S-4 of Rishikesh-Barmer Express when he was asked by TTE Karandip Singh to show his ticket. To this, he told the official that his trip was unplanned and that he didn’t get the time to book a ticket. This ensued a brawl between the two. Subsequently, TTE Singh was joined by an unidentified colleague and both of them allegedly thrashed the passenger. TNN

MTC told to pay ₹38.5 lakh to accident victim’s family

MTC told to pay ₹38.5 lakh to accident victim’s family

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:20.03.2021 

A city accident claims tribunal has directed Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) to compensate ₹38.5 lakh to the family of a motorist who was killed after a rashly driven government bus knocked the twowheeler down near Pulianthope four years ago.

D Sumithra of Medavakkam moved the tribunal seeking a compensation of ₹75 lakh for the death of her husband, Deva Manikandan. According to the petition, Deva Manikandan was riding along the junction of 5th street and VOC Nagar, Dr Ambedkar College Road when the MTC bus hit the two-wheeler from behind.

Deva Manikandan suffered multiple fatal injuries and died on the spot. The accident happened in August 2016.

The MTC bus was travelling from Parrys Corner to Periyar Nagar. The transport corporation contended that the bus driver had stopped the bus at Aduthotti bus stop for passengers to alight and had started the vehicle when the motorist overtook the bus from left and lost balance while riding over a heap of blue metal.

In the melee, the motorist hit the bumper of the MTC bus and sustained fatal injuries, the counsel for the transport corporation stated and argued that MTC cannot be held liable to pay the compensation.

The tribunal, after perusing the submissions from both sides, noted that the evidence submitted proves that the accident happened due to the rash driving of the MTC driver and that the transport corporation has not submitted enough evidence to substantiate their claims about negligence by the motorist.

The deceased was 38 years old at the time of the accident and in the engineering business. Considering the age of the deceased and the loss of income to the family, the tribunal arrived at an amount of ₹38.5 lakh as compensation to the family and directed MTC to settle the amount within one month.

Of the total amount, the wife of the deceased, Sumithra, is entitled for ₹18.5 lakh, while the three children of the deceased are entitled for an amount of ₹5.33 lakh each and the parents of the deceased are entitled for ₹2 lakh each.

The tribunal, after perusing the submissions from both sides, noted that the evidence submitted proves that the accident happened due to the rash driving of the MTC driver

City residents meet candidates armed with detailed wishlists

City residents meet candidates armed with detailed wishlists

People In Ambattur Demand Tax Rationalization Ahead Of Polls

Komal.Gautham@timesgroup.com

Chennai:20.03.2021 

Gone are the days when people would submit a general list of demands to political party candidates. Now, heads of residents’ welfare associations come to meetings with candidates armed with specific data — either based on their own surveys or sourced from government agencies — to show how past promises had remained unfulfilled and how new ones should be met.

Residents of Ambattur want property tax calculated on basic street rate and area of the house. S Swaminathan of the JAMBA United Welfare Association, which includes five residential colonies, trots out government data to show how property tax in Ambattur since 2012 has remained ₹3.30 per sq ft against a mere 50 paise per sq ft in Sholinganallur and not more than ₹1 in Adyar and the posh Boat Club area. “If the candidates concerned don’t promise to rectify this anomaly, we will vote for NOTA [none of the above],” he said.

The Tansi Nagar Residents Welfare Association in Velachery wants an integrated market, with secretary M Balakrishanan adding that the government should come up with a policy for sewage treatment based on the demand and population increase. “An additional sewage pumping station on Taramani Link Road will reduce the load on the existing station during rainy days. Also, an additional EB power substation is needed.”

K Mohan of Saidapet said integrated hospitals are the need of the hour. “People still have to go to Triplicane or central for treatment,” he said visited the area.

Kamakshi Subramaniyan of the Kalakshetra Colony Welfare Association says encroachments on Elliot’s beach in Besant Nagar should be cleared and the famous stretch given a revamp. “With the Marina beautification project on, we want the government to focus on Elliot’s beach as well.”

In Perambur, residents say widening of bus route stretches such as Perambur High Road, Madhavaram High Road and Paper Mills Road, providing pedestrian friendly footpaths, laying medians and constructing speed breakers have been promised but never fulfilled.

Finally, residents want the candidates, once elected, to use their office to enforce a proper quality audit system to oversee the infrastructure development work taken up by the local administration. “Put pressure on the state administration to conduct the local body elections and set up a ward committee. Citizens’ participation in matters relating to infrastructure development, security and conservancy can help build a model constituency within the city of Chennai,” several Perambur residents say.

DEMANDING ACCOUNTABILITY: Residents want candidates to address their concerns

If the candidates concerned don’t promise to rectify this anomaly (property tax rates), we will vote for NOTA (none of the above).

S Swaminathan | AMBATTUR RESIDENT

16-hour surgery relieves cancer patient of pain

16-hour surgery relieves cancer patient of pain

Chennai:20.03.2021 

Surgeons cheered as a 26-year-old patient walked out of the lift and smiled at flashing media cameras. A little more than a fortnight ago, seven surgeons had worked for 16 hours to remove a cancerous tumour that was compressing her spine and abdominal organs.

When the woman, who works at a factory that makes zips for clothes, came to the Cancer Institute (WIA) in Adyar with excruciating pain after concurrent chemo-radiotherapy for four month from August, 2020 failed. Doctors told her surgery was the only option for the tumour, called Chondrosarcoma, which started from the L3 vertebra on the spine.

“We decided to remove the tumour using enbloc resection. This means we would resect the entire tumour in one go,” said senior surgeon Dr Anand Raja.

In the theatre the patient was made to lie down on her stomach. “We started the surgery from the spine. We removed a third of L3, her right kidney and urethra, but we managed to keep all other blood vessels and her bowels intact,” he said.

Five days after the surgery, the patient began to move out of her bed and quickly recovered. TNN

Even relationship claim can’t undo Pocso offence: HC

Even relationship claim can’t undo Pocso offence: HC

It Becomes A Crime Against State: Court

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:20.03.2021 

Offences under the Pocso Act are not compoundable even if the victim girl after becoming major deposes that she was in relationship with the offender and wanted to settle the issue, the Madras high court has held.

“Once a complaint is registered under Pocso Act, it becomes an offence against the state and, therefore, subsequent compromise will not take away the offence,” Justice P Velmurugan said on Friday.

The judge made the observation while dismissing a petition moved by Marudhupandi challenging conviction and 10 years imprisonment ordered by Dharmapuri mahila court for sexually assaulting the minor victim on promise of marriage.

When the appeal came up for hearing, the victim who is now a major filed an affidavit claiming that she was living together with the offender for the past four years and that they had settled the matter amicably. She, therefore, prayed that the appeal be allowed and the conviction and sentence be set aside, so as to enable them live peacefully.

Refusing to accept the same, the judge said, “Even assuming that victim girl had fallen in love with the appellant and admitted that they are living together for four years, as on the date of commission of offence, provisions of the Pocso Act would attract.”

The court further pointed out that the appellant had not challenged the complaint made against him nor claimed that the girl gave such complaint due to coercion or threat. The victim even in her statement under Section 164 CrPC and deposition before the trial court has clearly stated that the appellant had committed the offence, the court said. “The evidence of the victim girl was very clear that she was 17 years on the day of occurrence and the appellant had made a false promise that he would marry her and against her will, he had sexually assaulted her repeatedly and subsequently, refused to marry her,” the judge said.