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Tuesday, February 4, 2025

UGC serves notices to colleges for failing to comply with anti-ragging regulations

TNN | Feb 4, 2025, 03.59 AM IST

Chennai: The University Grants Commission (UGC) served show-cause notices to 18 colleges in the country, including two each in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, questioning why appropriate action should not be initiated against them for failing to comply with the anti-ragging regulations, 2009.

UGC secretary Manish R Joshi said the institutions failed to obtain anti-ragging undertakings from students as required by the regulations.

He directed them to submit their written explanations detailing the reasons for the lapse and the steps to be taken to rectify it.

The commission, apart from the four colleges in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, sent notices to three colleges each in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, two colleges each in Assam and Delhi, and one college each in Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

LGBTQIA+ rights: HC calls for curriculum reform in med edu

Feb 4, 2025, 04.00 AM IST

Chennai: The sexual orientations and gender identities of people who are part of LGBTQIA+ commuity are natural; it is not a disorder, Madras high court said on Monday while questioning the usage of the term ‘gender identity disorder’.

“Somehow, the impression is given that LGBTQIA+ identities are a disorder. Why should we use the term ‘gender identity disorder’? It shows the mindset,” Justice N Anand Venkatesh said. Nature decided to create someone this way, he added.

The court made the observations on a 2021 plea moved by a lesbian couple seeking protection from police torture and opposition from their parents. The judge expanded the scope of the plea to revamp the curriculum in medical colleges to tackle LGBTQIA+ phobia and recognise their legal rights.

The court then censured the National Medical Commission (NMC) for dragging the court’s suggestion to change the curriculum of medical education to do away with the outdated notions about the LGBTQIA+ community.

The commission is yet to amend its regulations to classify conversion therapy as professional misconduct, as the revised 2023 regulations are yet to be notified, the judge said.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu govt informed the court that it was proposing to come up with two policies one for the welfare of transgender and intersex persons and another for persons who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community. To this, Justice Anand Venkatesh wondered why the state decided to come up with two different policies and directed it to report the difficulties, if any, in having one unified policy.

The court then adjourned the hearing to Feb 17.

Madras HC to begin final hearing on suo motu revision against Ponmudy’s acquittal on Apr. 7

K. Ponmudy

Mohamed Imranullah S.

CHENNAI 04.02.2025

The Madras High Court on Monday decided to commence on April 7 the final hearing on a suo motu revision petition taken up by it in August 2023 against the acquittal of Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy, his wife P. Visalatchi, and another individual in a disproportionate assets case registered against them in 2002.

Justice N. Anand Venkatesh fixed the date of the final hearing after ascertaining the convenience of Advocate-General P.S. Raman, representing the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), as well as the senior counsel to be engaged by the Minister and two others. He said the hearing would take place between April 7 and 17.

This was the first of the six suo motu revision petitions that Justice Venkatesh had taken up in 2023 against the discharge/acquittal of Mr. Ponmudy and Ministers I. Periyasamy, K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran, Thangam Thennarasu, former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, and former AIADMK Minister B. Valarmathi in different cases.

‘Bid to subvert system’

The judge had taken up the suo motu revision against Mr. Ponmudy after observing that the events leading to the acquittal order passed by the Vellore principal district and sessions court on June 28, 2023, revealed “a shocking and calculated attempt to manipulate and subvert the criminal justice system”.

The charge levelled by the DVAC against the Minister was that he had amassed wealth during his tenure as Transport Minister between 1996 and 2001. The prosecuting agency had booked not only the Minister and his wife but also his mother-in-law and two friends as the co-accused in the case.

In 2004, a Chief Judicial Magistrate in Villupuram discharged all the accused from the case, and the High Court, too, confirmed the discharge order in 2006. However, following an appeal by the State, the Supreme Court reversed the discharge orders and ordered the conduct of the trial.

The Minister’s mother-in-law and one of the two friends died before the framing of charges in 2015 and hence, the trial court proceeded only against the three surviving accused. The trial was conducted before the principal district court, which had been designated as a special court for Prevention of Corruption Act cases.

On April 26, 2022, the Principal District Judge wrote a letter to the High Court, requesting permission for conducting special sittings on four holidays in May 2022 to conduct the trial since the Supreme Court had insisted upon expeditious disposal.

The request was considered and rejected by the High Court on its administrative side only on June 7, 2022, long after the expiry of the dates when the district judge had planned to conduct the proceedings.

“The official memorandum not only communicates the refusal of permission but also shockingly injuncts the Principal District Judge, Villupuram, from exercising her judicial powers over the case by directing that the case should not be taken up until further orders,” Justice Venkatesh wrote in his interim order in August 2023.

(For the full report, visit https://bit.ly/4aHiZs0).

Oncologists discuss latest developments in cancer care at Wellness Series webinar

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

To mark World Cancer Day, The Hindu Wellness Series, in association with Kauvery Hospitals organised a webinar on ‘Advancements in Cancer Care’.

Three experts — A.N. Vaidhyswaran, senior consultant and director of radiation oncology at Kauvery Hospital, Chennai; Indhuja M.V., consultant medical oncologist at Kauvery Hospital, Tirunelveli, and B. Anis, consultant surgical oncologist at Kauvery Hospital, Tiruchi — spoke about the latest developments in radiation, medical, and surgical oncology. Dr. Vaidhyswaran, who spoke about the cancer trends in the country, said breast cancer is the most common cancer in India and that lung cancer is more widespread in the west.

He also elaborated on the radiation therapy and spoke about the advancements in it, a press release said.

Dr. Indhuja said: “Cancer is caused by genetic mutations, and this method helps analyse those changes.” She also spoke about immunotherapy, Adoptive T-Cell Therapy and Targeted Therapy, which greatly help in improving cancer treatment.

Dr. Anis said, traditionally, during the cancer surgeries, removal of the affected organs, surrounding tissues and lymph nodes, and this often resulted in complications.

“While surgery remains a cornerstone of cancer treatment, medical interventions such as chemotherapy play an equally crucial role,” he said.

Watch the full video here: bit.ly/40Htg35

Ajith Abraham appointed V-C of Sai University

The Hindu 04.02.2025

Ajith Abraham has been appointed the Vice-Chancellor (V-C) of Sai University, according to a press release. Earlier, he was the V-C of Bennett University in Greater Noida, dean of the faculty of computing and mathematical sciences at FLAME University in Pune, and the founding director of the Machine Intelligence Research Labs, a non-profit scientific network for innovation and research, the release said.

Doctors oppose T.N. govt.’s plan to appoint 658 specialists through walk-in interviews

The Hindu Bureau 04.02.2025

Chennai

The Legal Coordination Committee for Government Doctors (LCC) has strongly opposed the Tamil Nadu government’s recent announcement to appoint 658 specialist doctors, including 207 obstetricians, through walk-in interviews. According to LCC, the move, which was announced by the Health Minister, would cause confusion and set back the healthcare sector.

The committee said Tamil Nadu, known for its robust healthcare infrastructure, should adhere to established procedures, such as those involving the Medical Services Recruitment Board, rather than rushing appointments through walk-in interviews. In a press release, the LCC raised concerns over the transparency of such a process, recalling previous opposition from both doctors and the DMK when similar schemes were proposed under the previous regime.

The LCC also called for new doctors to be appointed to supernumerary positions under the Directorate of Medical Services and Directorate of Public Health to avoid disrupting the careers of specialist doctors already in government service, particularly those completing higher education. It said doctors with experience should be prioritised in appointments.

Supreme Court dismisses advocate’s petition to recall Tamil Nadu Governor

R.N. Ravi

The Hindu Bureau 04.02.2025

NEW DELHI

Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Monday disagreed with a submission made by a petitioner-advocate that Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi had “insulted the entire people of Tamil Nadu”, saying, “Nobody does that…nobody can do that.”

Heading a Bench comprising Justice Sanjay Kumar, the Chief Justice dismissed a petition filed by advocate C.R. Jaya Sukin alleging that the Governor had been criticising Tamil culture and humiliating the people of the State for following Dravidian concepts.

Walkout from Assembly

Mr. Sukin referred to the Governor’s walkout — the third in as many years — on January 6 over the singing of ‘Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu’ (invocation to Mother Tamil) and not the National Anthem before his customary address to the Legislative Assembly.

The petition urged the court to direct the President’s office, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Home Ministry, all arraigned as respondents to the petition, to immediately recall the Governor. The Bench dismissed the case as “misconceived”.

“We function within the Constitution. We are already examining matters which require our attention…we cannot entertain a petition like this, not like this,” Chief Justice Khanna said. In January, the top court had asked Attorney General of India R. Venkataramani, appearing for the Governor, to push for a resolution to the continuing stalemate with the State government over the appointment of Vice-Chancellors in major State universities.

The court is hearing multiple petitions filed by the Tamil Nadu government, represented by senior advocates A.M. Singhvi, Mukul Rohatgi and P. Wilson, and advocate Sabarish Subramanian, over the conduct of the Governor in relation to the grant of assent to key Bills on higher education, remission of prisoners, government orders and constitution of search committees for the appointment of Vice-Chancellors.

Mr. Wilson had compared the Governor’s conduct to that of a “political opponent”.