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Sunday, February 9, 2025

Family pension no bar on claiming relief: HC

Vasantha.Kumar@timesofindia.com 09.02.2025

Bengaluru : Dharwad bench of Karnataka high court has ruled that a wife who receives family pension cannot be disentitled from making a claim for loss of dependency in an accident case. Justice Hanchate Sanjeevkumar made the observation recently while rejecting an appeal filed by the Oriental Insurance Company.

The insurance firm had challenged a 2018 order passed by the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal in Gadag district in favour of one Sharada and her four sons. Her husband, Basavanneppa Gorawar, was a retired lecturer who died in an accident in 2012. After his death, Sharada was receiving ₹24,871 as family pension. Sharada and her sons claimed compensation stating that the deceased earned ₹60,000 per month as he was a book writer apart from being an agriculturist.

The tribunal awarded ₹13.9 lakh under the head of “loss of dependency” out of ₹14.8 lakh compensation. It awarded 60% of the amount to the wife and a 10% share to each of the four sons. The insurance company challenged this arguing that the four sons were grown up, and since the wife was receiving ₹24,871 as family pension, she could not claim compensation under the head of ‘loss of dependency’.

Justice Sanjeevkumar pointed out, “Family pension is the result of service rendered by the employee to the employer. The employee spends his whole life towards the employer. Therefore, after superannuation, the employee will get pension as a matter of right.” The judge observed, “Just because the wife is receiving family pension due to the death of the husband, it does not amount to disentitling her to make a claim under the head of loss of dependency. Grant of family pension is not charity. It is a basic necessity of life enabling a person after retirement to lead a decent life.”

AI may flag irregularities, but Tamil Nadu says teachers know best in exam halls

Preetika.P@timesofindia.com 09.02.2025

Chennai : Tamil Nadu will continue to rely on teachers for board exam invigilation, while states such as Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka plan to use AI for surveillance. Chennai Chief Education Officer Pugalendhi said that while AI is making inroads in education, its role in monitoring exams remains limited. “We are not using AI to detect malpractices during board exams. Ministers and district officers are inspecting centres to ensure proper infrastructure. For every 20 students, a teacher will supervise.” On Friday, school education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi inspected govt higher secondary school in Saidapet ahead of practical exams. Many teachers believe human invigilators remain irreplaceable.

“We are learning to use AI for lesson planning and assessment, but its role in exam supervision is still unex plored,” said Sugandhi Mohanapriya, a govt school biology teacher from Saligramam. Maithiri Suresh, govt school headmistress from Cuddalore, added: “AI-powered monitoring can flag irregularities but should complement, not replace, human supervision. AI can detect anomalies, but teachers understand context and intent, which is crucial for fairness." Many states are already testing AI-driven exam monitoring. Uttar Pradesh is rolling out 24/7 AI surveillance for its 2025 high school and intermediate exams, while Karnataka’s School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) is piloting AI-powered monitoring with Microsoft, analysing video feeds for potential malpractice and sending real-time alerts to officials.

Experts suggest TN experiment with AI on a smaller scale. “Piloting AI in select schools helps assess its role in reducing malpractice and justifying the investment. It can also highlight potential cost savings from reduced manpower requirements,” said N Rajendran, head, history department, at Bharathidasan University. “We tested tech-driven monitoring just after Covid-19. We realised there is a psychological difference when a teacher is present in class.”

Saturday, February 8, 2025

NEWS TODAY 08.02.2025

SC asks why refer re-sent bills to Prez, TN guv says no malice

AmitAnand.Choudhary@timesofindia.com 08.02.2025

New Delhi : With Tamil Nadu governor R N Ravi refuting the state govt’s charge that he acted with malice in taking decisions on the bills referred to him and claiming that he was discharging his duty as per law, Supreme Court Friday asked him how he could refer bills to the President when the assembly had sent them to him after reconsideration. Appearing for the governor, attorney general R Venkataramani told a bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan that a governor acted in the capacity of a neutral advisor under Article 200 of the Constitution.

“When a state govt intro duces a bill before the legislative assembly and presents it before the governor for her assent and when the governor withholds assent, the bill in question falls through. This means the bill ceases to exist. In such a case, there is no requirement on the part of the governor to go through the procedure of the first proviso. The govt on its own also cannot go through the first proviso, when as a matter of fact the governor has not sent the bill for reconsideration,” the AG said.

He added that when the bill suffered from repugnancy (inconsistent with the central law), the governor need not necessarily and may not even be obliged to go under the first proviso process. The first proviso says the governor may, as soon as possible after the presentation to him of the bill for assent, return the bill if it is not a money bill together with a message requesting that the House reconsider the bill, and when a bill is so returned, the House shall reconsider the bill accordingly. It says that if the bill is passed again by the House with or without amendment and presented to the governor for assent, the governor shall not withhold assent therefrom. In this case, the governor withheld his assent on bills passed by the assembly. Thereafter, the assembly passed those bills again and sent them to him for approval and this time he referred the bills to the President. Referring to the first proviso, the bench asked how the governor could send the bills to the
President in cases where the House resent the bills after reconsideration. Summarising the arguments of the AG, the bench said, “You are saying to ignore the proviso and the proviso has no application.”

Airport has an app to answer your queries

Developed By AAI To Help Fliers Navigate

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 08.02.2025

Chennai : Did you know that Chennai airport has a dedicated mobile phone application? It’s not officially launched yet but the beta version is available for downloading online, can be handy for frequent, occasional and first-time flyers.

Do you know the vantage point to get a clear view of the airside at the airport?

It is the security hold area, says the app. Developed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the app can serve as a one-stop guide to get all travel-related queries answered. Flyers need not depend on the airlines to check their flight status, as the real-time status of the flights, which is displayed at the airport, can now be viewed on their phone screens. The actual status of the departing flight, whether boarding is still underway or the gates are closed, and even the first and final call details, will be available on the app.

Non-frequent flyers can check the arrival and departure guide, and baggage rules on the app. Another interesting feature of the app is that it can virtually guide you to any specific spot in the airport—be it the eateries, shops, check-in counters, or ticket counters—if the Bluetooth on your phone is switched on. "The entire airport with all its amenities and features has been mapped in the application, and you can browse and walk up to any spot without seeking assistance from anybody," said an airport official.

Krishnarajan V, a frequent flyer, said he recently stumbled upon the app accidentally and found the navigational features interesting. "Despite travelling often, I still struggle sometimes to locate a facility, but this app gives a bird's-eye view of all three terminals. When more people start using the app, the general queries on X tagging Chennai Airport will come down as almost all the queries are addressed here," he said. The airport authorities are constantly updating it with additional features, and a website version is also on the anvil. Both will be officially launched soon, added the official.

Left luggage facility coming up in under-construction plaza

Chennai : Travellers visiting Chennai by air with plans to explore the city for a day or two can heave a sigh of relief as the airport will soon have a left luggage room to drop their excess baggage. It will be part of the plaza under construction outside Terminal 1, which is expected to be completed by April this year. Though the airport had such a facility earlier, it was permanently closed due to multiple construction activities on the frontage of the airport premises over the last few years. "With the plaza nearing completion, the cloakroom facility will be made available again," said an official. After many queries from flyers, Chennai airport authorities decided to resume the service. "The tenders will be floated soon," added the official.

Corrupt officials trapped by DVAC in 11 bribery cases since January 2024

S. Sundar

MADURAI

Law & order 08.02.2025

An increased awareness against corruption has emboldened common man, already dejected over demand of bribe by State government officials and employees, to come forward to lodge complaints with the sleuths of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption unit in Madurai.

The unit has registered as many as 11 cases against bribe-demanding government employees and trapped them along with their conduits since January 2024. As a result, officials from various departments like Survey, Registration, Revenue, Water Resources and Tangedco have been arrested after being trapped. The recent case was the arrest of a Sub-Inspector of Police at K. Pudur, who demanded huge money from a woman complainant for arresting an accused in an assault case.

Anger over harassment

“It is not that every individual person is coming forward to lodge complaints against government employees who put payment of bribe as a prerequisite to offer some official service. When the demand is higher or the applicant is ill-treated or harassed with inordinate delay in carrying out their duties, out of anger and frustration, people come to lodge complaint with us,” a DVAC officer said.

“The State government is paying salary to the employees to discharge their duties, and demanding bribe is a crime under the Prevention of Corruption Act,” he said.

“When people come forward to lodge a complaint, the first thing we tell them is not tell anyone, including family members, about the complaint. Otherwise, there is every chance of the issue reaching the ears of the accused employee, and the process of trapping might fail,” he added.

After registering a case, a team of sleuths would issue tainted currencies to the complainant and direct him/her to follow the diktat of the accused official. The sleuths would watch the happening from a distance and wait for a signal from the complainant of having handed over the currency to swoop upon him. After being caught red-handed, the accused is arrested.

“The issue does not end here. Our manual has mandated us to get the issue, for which the complainant had approached the officer, addressed at the earliest. The only issue is that the complainant should have all the papers right and should be eligible to get the service,” he added.

The officer said those arrested under a trap on corruption charge had higher chances of getting convicted. “They also spend their lifetime in attending court hearings for their act of greed,” he added.

Did T.N. Governor refer 10 Bills to President to avoid assent, asks SC

Continuing tussle: Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi, right, with

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin at the Raj Bhavan.R. RAGU

Bench asks A-G if Ravi referred the re-passed Bills to the President only to circumvent the procedure under Article 200; the Governor had sat on 12 Bills sent by Legislature between 2020 and 2023, following which T.N. govt. approached the court

Krishnadas Rajagopal

NEW DELHI 08.02.2025

The Supreme Court on Friday questioned whether Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi referred 10 Bills re-passed by the State Legislature to the President to avoid having to give his consent to them.

A Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan asked Attorney-General of India R. Venkataramani if the Governor had referred the re-passed Bills to the President for consideration only to circumvent the procedure under the first proviso of Article 200 (Governor’s assent of Bills) of the Constitution.

Under Article 200, a Governor has three options when Bills are sent to him for assent – give assent, withhold assent, or refer the Bills to the President for consideration.

The Tamil Nadu government has argued that a Governor can refer a Bill to the President only in case of any ‘repugnancy’ under Article 254, that is, if the proposed State law is found to be inconsistent with or encroaches into an existing Central law or if the Bill tends to derogate the Constitutional powers of the State High Court.

Under the first proviso of Article 200, if the Governor chooses to withhold assent to a Bill, he has to return it as soon as possible to the House with a “message” to reconsider the proposed law or specified provisions or suggest amendments.

If the House reiterates the Bill and presents it to the Governor, the “Governor shall not withhold assent”. In short, the proviso makes it clear that the Governor has to grant consent.

V-C appointments

In Tamil Nadu’s case, originally 12 Bills, mostly dealing with appointments of Vice-Chancellors to State universities, were sent by the State Legislature for consent to the Governor between January 2020 and April 2023.

The Governor had sat on them. Ultimately, when the State approached the top court against the Governor’s perceived inaction in November 2023, the latter had referred two of the Bills to the President and proceeded to withhold consent on the remaining 10.

Subsequently, the State Assembly re-passed the 10 Bills in a special session within days and returned them to the Governor for his assent. The State argued in the top court that it was following procedure under the first proviso of Article 200. The Governor had proceeded to refer all 10 Bills to the President for consideration. The President had subsequently assented to one Bill, rejected seven and not considered the remaining two proposed laws.

“Having taken a conscious decision to withhold assent, can the Governor take the third choice and refer the Bills to the President? Having withheld assent, can he try to overcome the first proviso procedure by referring to the President? If he withholds assent, the procedure under the first proviso would have to be followed...,” Justice Pardiwala addressed the A-G.

Mr. Venkataramani argued that the Governor, having withheld consent to the Bills, had not asked the State Assembly to re-consider them. The procedure under the first proviso of Article 200 did not cover a situation when a proposed law is found to be repugnant by the Governor.

“What you are saying is that the first proviso covers only small issues like suggestions and amendments to the Bills sent for assent. On the other hand, if a Bill is found to be repugnant, then the first proviso is completely out of play. The procedure of the first proviso does not kick in... In this case, when the State Legislature unilaterally re-enacted these 10 Bills and sent them back to the Governor, but there was no question of you according consent now,” Justice Pardiwala summed up Mr. Venkataramani’s submissions in defence of the Governor.

Mr. Venkataramani said the ‘message’ in the first proviso did not contemplate repugnancy.

The court posted the case for a final day’s hearing on February 10.