Exams will be conducted in offline mode too

Exams will be conducted in offline mode too

However, some students were willing to write the paper in offline mode. Taking note of it, the university has taken such a decision.

Published: 17th July 2021 05:47 AM 

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Dr Ambedkar Law University has decided to conduct all its semester examination for 2020-21 in offline mode also, said the university in a statement. Earlier, in view of the prevailing Covid- 19 situation, the university had announced to conduct all semester examinations through online mode from July 19.

However, some students were willing to write the paper in offline mode. Taking note of it, the university has taken such a decision. The university has said in its statement, that candidates who have already registered for online semester examinations may take their online examinations as per schedule.

If any of the registered candidates not willing to appear in the online examinations due to various reasons, candidate is permitted to write their examinations through offline mode, as and when the university schedules the examinations, after normalcy returns. Such candidates will not have to pay any additional fee to appear in the offline examinations as and when conducted.

Madras HC fixes error after ‘semen’ mistype gets man acquitted

Madras HC fixes error after ‘semen’ mistype gets man acquitted

The petitioner said her two-year-old daughter was sexually abused by her neighbour in 2017, after she left the girl with him and went to buy groceries.

Published: 17th July 2021 05:53 AM 

Madras High Court

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Observing that a typographical error in recording the word ‘semen’ as the Tamil word ‘semmann’, meaning red soil, cannot contribute to the acquittal of a man booked under the POCSO Act for sexually assaulting a child, the Madras High Court has set aside a trial court order that acquitted him of all charges. The issue pertains to the victim’s mother moving a plea in the High Court, seeking for the trial court order to be set aside.

The petitioner said her two-year-old daughter was sexually abused by her neighbour in 2017, after she left the girl with him and went to buy groceries. The weeping child told her the neighbour “kissed” her on her private parts. The victim’s mother found semen on the child’s underwear, and then called her husband, who was out of station at the time.

The trial court in 2018 misinterpreted an error made by a typist during the trial. The word ‘semen’ was mistakenly written as ‘semman’. The defence counsel exploited the technical error to suggest that no semen was found in the girl’s undergarments, and the accused was acquitted on those grounds. Justice P Velmurugan, who heard the appeal, in his orders lamented the investigation and the trial court verdict.

“The trial courts also, sometimes not applying their minds and exercising their inherent or discretionary power, either to direct for reinvestigation or summon relevant records... are searching for proof beyond reasonable doubt, and taking advantage of the flaw in the investigation, giving the benefit of doubt to the accused. But (in) cases like this, we cannot give much importance to the technical ground of proof,” he said. The court further said that under Section 29 of the POCSO Act, 2012, it is for the accused to defend himself once the prosecution proved the offence and the court had drawn its presumption.

This Act stands in contrast to the general principle of criminal law, which says a person is innocent until proven guilty. The judge stressed that, “... the trial court misinterpreted the typographical error of ‘semman’ and attributed a wrong meaning to it. Hence, there is danger in writing an English word in Tamil, which totally turned the case of the prosecution, and admittedly, the defence side has taken flimsy defence that the mother stated as “semman colour,” the court observed.

The court added that no mother of a victim, especially an illiterate woman in a rural area, would immediately go to the police in such cases and the prosecution and court failed in their duties when they stressed technicalities such as a delay in lodging the complaint. The high court, ordering the accused to be present before it for sentencing, observed, “... the mere defect in the investigation is not fatal to the case of the prosecution and the second respondent/accused cannot be acquitted on the sole ground of defective investigation.”

மானாமதுரை பேரூராட்சி நகராட்சியாக தரம் உயர்வு

மானாமதுரை பேரூராட்சி நகராட்சியாக தரம் உயர்வு

Added : ஜூலை 16, 2021 23:37

மானாமதுரை-மானாமதுரை பேரூராட்சி உட்பட தமிழகத்தில் 35 பேரூராட்சிகள் நகராட்சிகளாக தரம் உயர்த்தப்பட உள்ளதாக தகவல் வெளியாகியுள்ளது.சிவகங்கை மாவட்டத்தில் வளர்ந்து வரக்கூடிய பேரூராட்சிகளில் மானாமதுரை முதல் இடத்தில் உள்ளது. மானாமதுரையை ஒட்டியுள்ள மாங்குளம், கொன்னக்குளம், கீழமேல்குடி உள்ளிட்ட ஊராட்சிகளைச் சேர்ந்த பகுதிகள் பேரூராட்சி எல்லையை ஒட்டி விரிவடைந்து வருகிறது.தற்போது 40 ஆயிரத்திற்கும் மேற்பட்ட மக்கள் தொகை உள்ள மானாமதுரை பேரூராட்சியை தரம் உயர்த்தி நகராட்சியாக மாற்ற வேண்டும் என்று கடந்த சில ஆண்டுகளாக பல்வேறு அமைப்பினர் கோரிக்கை விடுத்து வந்தனர்.இந்நிலையில் தமிழகத்தில் மானாமதுரை உட்பட 35 பேரூராட்சிகள்,நகராட்சிகளாக தரம் உயர்த்தப்பட உள்ளதாக தகவல் வெளியாகியுள்ளது. மானாமதுரை பேரூராட்சி அதிகாரி ஒருவர் கூறுகையில், மானாமதுரை பேரூராட்சியை நகராட்சியாக தரம் உயர்த்த வேண்டும் என்று அரசுக்கு முன்பே கருத்துரு அனுப்பப்பட்டுள்ளது,அதனடிப்படையில் தற்போது நகராட்சியாக மாற்றும் வாய்ப்பு உள்ளது, என்றார்.

Bus conductor who licked tickets takes Covid test

Bus conductor who licked tickets takes Covid test

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Coimbatore:17.07.2021 

The Tirupur city corporation on Friday collected nasal swabs from a government bus conductor for Covid-19 testing as he was applying saliva on tickets to single them out from the bundle before issuing the same to passengers.

According to an official source, passengers had raised objections when 47-year-old Gunasekaran, a conductor with a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) mofussil bus, used his saliva to single out tickets for issuing the same to them, citing the pandemic situation.

“However, Gunasekaran didn’t pay heed to them. He also didn’t wear the face mask properly. A corporation official was also travelling in the bus. The official alerted an urban primary health centre. Health workers subsequently collected nasal swabs from the conductor from the bus stand opposite to the collector’s office on Palladam Road,” the source said.

Meanwhile, the district chapter of TNSTC has launched an inquiry into the incident. An official said they had directed all the conductors and drivers to maintain hygiene inside the buses to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Passengers had raised objections when 47-year-old Gunasekaran, a conductor with a TNSTC mofussil bus, used his saliva to single out tickets

Sudden showers catch many Chennai residents unwares

Sudden showers catch many Chennai residents unwares

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:17.07.2021 

Many localities of the city recorded light to moderate rainfall for over 30 minutes on Friday evening.

The Met department has forecast light to moderate rain to continue across the city and neighbourhood in the next 48 hours. Bloggers said the city and the neighbouring districts have a high probability of rain till July 20. Meteorologists said the evening showers were due to strong westerlies that drive the southwest monsoon pushing moisture towards the east coast over the already warm zone. This led to convective spells.

Friday evening saw light to moderate rainfall over many parts of the city and suburbs for over 30 minutes in Nungambakkam, West Mambalam, Vyasarpadi, Korattur, Ambattur, Avadi, Chromepet, Iyyappanthangal and Poonamallee. IMD’s rain gauges recorded the highest rainfall at Villivakkam (70mm), Sathyabhama University (46.5mm) and Nungambakkam (48mm) till 7.30pm. Between June 1 and July 16, Chennai subdivision recorded 126.7mm rainfall, which is equal to the normal rainfall of 126.8mm expected in this period.

Blogger Pradeep John, in his online post, said the city and the suburbs may continue to receive sudden evening spells till July 20 before a low pressure is likely to form close to Odisha coast.

Tambaram-Trichy highway to do away with blackspots, get safer

Tambaram-Trichy highway to do away with blackspots, get safer

NHAI Sanctions 105 Crore To Cut Down On Accidents, Improve Infra Along Stretch

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

17.07.2021 

In a bid to cut down on accidents along the Tambaram-Trichy highway (NH-45), the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has sanctioned `105 crore for constructing bridges, vehicle underpasses, additional lighting facilities and improving road alignment.

The fund allocation comes almost eight years after NHAI identified risky stretches on the NH-45. The highway is one among the top ten most perilous road stretches in the country with 27 accident ‘blackspots’ — a 500m stretch where at least five fatal accidents were reported in a year. At least 40 people died in road accidents at some of these 27 blackspots on NH-45.

NHAI was under fire for failing to take adequate measures to reduce accidents at these places identified in 2012. Tenders were floated but work got delayed due to legal issues and land acquisition hassles.

It was only last year that work started at half-adozen blackspots on the Tambaram-Tindivanam stretch at a project cost of `9 crore. This includes road junctions at Singaperumal Koil, Kattankulathur, Marimalaimagar, Paranur railway bridge and Acharapakkam.

NHAI, which cleared obstacles that caused accidents, put in place metal-beam crash barriers, rumble strips, additional speed breakers, road studs, traffic signals and retro-reflective traffic sign boards.

Construction of pedestrian bridges and installation of pedestrian guard rails were pending at a few locations, an NHAI official from Chennai Regional Office said.

“Blackspot rectification work was delayed due to the lockdown but it has reached the final stage now. We expect to finish it by July-end,” the official added.

However, motorists, who use the Tambaram-Trichy stretch regularly, said their complaints pertaining to street lights have gone unattended.

During the entire lockdown period, road lights near Singaperumal Koil junction were dysfunctional, said G Ganesh from Tamil Nadu Lorry Owners Association. “Several motorists get blinded by the high beam without street lights,” he said.

NHAI had outsourced maintenance work of street lights on the stretch to a private contractor, but were unable to find electricians during the lockdown, Ganesh added.

Tenders have also been floated this month to rectify accident blackspots at Mamandur, Arasur and Ellis Chatram along Tindivanam-Ulundurpet stretch.

NHAI has set a one-year deadline to complete these infra projects.

On the progress of the project, public transport activist R Rengachari said, “The government should also speed up enforcement measures. The Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system proposed for NH-45 has been pending for years now”.

ANPR project aims at installing 56 speed sensors and 168 cameras between Chennai and Trichy to automatically detect vehicles travelling above 100 km per hour and penalise them.

Right to be redacted: HC to study status of an acquitted man

Right to be redacted: HC to study status of an acquitted man

K.Kaushik@timesgroup.com

Madurai:17.07.2021 

As a simple Google search can make or mar a person’s character, his/her name should be redacted (obscured for legal or security purposes) from judgments if he/she is acquitted in a criminal case, the Madras high court has opined.

Invoking an individual’s right to privacy and the right to be forgotten, Justice N Anand Venkatesh said a Google-search would bring up court judgments, and a person’s name would be shown against alleged crimes even after he was acquitted of all judgments. However, considering the deep ramifications a redact order would bring along, the high court has chosen to hear the views of members of the Bar, including the prosecution, before passing a detailed order on the issue.

A man who was tried for rape and cheating, was convicted and sentenced by a trial court in 2011, but he was acquitted of all charges by the high court in 2014. He has now approached the high court for redacting his name from the judgment.

Justice Anand Venkatesh observed that the petitioner is now facing a very peculiar problem as his name gets reflected in the judgment as an accused, though he was acquitted of all charges. “Unfortunately, whoever types the name of the petitioner in Google-search is able to access the judgment of this court. According to the petitioner it causes a serious impact on his reputation in the eyes of the society,” he said.

Agreeing with the man’s contention, the court said, “today, the world is literally under the grips of social media,” adding that the background of a person is assessed by everyone through Google-search and the first impression is created depending upon the data that is provided. “It will make or mar the characteristics of a person in the eyes of the society,” observed Justice Anand Venkatesh.

The existing laws protect the identity of women and child victims, and their names are not reflected in any order passed by a court, the judge said, adding: “This right has not been extended to an accused person who ultimately is acquitted from all charges.”

The judge further observed it is also brought to the notice of this court that when a similar issue came up before the Delhi high court recently, interim orders were passed directing the websites concerned to redact the name of the petitioner. “It is also informed to this court that a new right called the ‘Right to be Forgotten’ is sought to be included in the list of rights that are already available under Article 21 of the Constitution,” he said.

Justice Anand Venkatesh then observed that though the court found that there was a prima facie case made out by the petitioner and that he was entitled for redacting his name, “this court wants to hear counsel appearing for the respondents and also the members of the Bar and understand the various ramifications before writing a detailed judgment on this issue.”

The judge requested the assistance of the Bar members in this case and posted the case to July 28 for further hearing.