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Thursday, October 8, 2026

NEWS TODAY 08.10.2026

HC: How did 2 cops who retired on same day get unequal pension?

08.10.2026

Ashutosh.Shukla@timesofindia.com

Bhopal/Jabalpur: The MP high court on Tuesday sought affidavits from director general of police (DGP) of Madhya Pradesh and district pension officer at Sagar on how two police head constables who retired on the same day in 2017 have a three-fold difference in their monthly pension amount. The bench of Justice Vivek Agarwal asked the two officials to present their respective affidavits by October 30 or personally appear in the court on the next hearing of the case on November 4.

Retired police head constable from Sagar Gopal Krishna Gupta in his petition said that he retired from the job on June 30, 2017. On the same day, head constable Rajendra Prasad Mishra also retired. His monthly pension was fixed at Rs 7,805 as against Mishra’s pension of Rs 23, 350. There is a difference of Rs 15, 545 in their monthly pension.

Describing this difference in pension as violative of the principle of natural justice and fundamental right of equality, the petitioner said that he filed rejoinder before the higher officials of police but was not heeded to, thus making him to move court. Following initial hearing, the court sought an affidavit from DGP and pension officer Sagar on the matter explaining how there could be such a huge difference in their pension despite retiring from the same post on the same day

‘Rlys liable for theft from reserved AC coach’

Pankul.Sharma@timesofindia.com 08.10.2026

Dehradun: Uttarakhand state consumer disputes redressal commission has held Railways liable for theft of a passenger’s belongings from a reserved AC coach, saying failure to prevent unauthorised entry amounted to negligence and deficiency in service. The commission upheld a district consumer panel’s finding against railways and directed them to pay Rs 37,222 with 7% annual interest, besides Rs 10,000 as litigation costs.

The ruling, pronounced on Oct 5, came on an appeal filed by Union of India and railways against a May 11, 2022, order passed in favour of Lila Dhar Dobhal and his family. The case arose from the family’s journey on Mewar Express from Udaipur to New Delhi on July 1, 2018. They were travelling on reserved berths in AC 3-tier coach B-2 when, around 4am the following day near Mathura, unauthorised persons allegedly entered the compartment and snatched a bag belonging to Dobhal’s wife while she was asleep.

The complainants said the assailant jumped from the moving train with the bag. They alleged that the coach attendant, travelling ticket examiner and RPF personnel could not be found immediately after the theft and that the coach and vestibule doors had been left unlocked in the night, enabling unauthorised persons to enter the reserved compartment. Railway authorities had denied deficiency in service and also challenged the complaint on grounds of territorial jurisdiction and maintainability.

NMC bars hosps from using AI for promos Move Aimed To Protect Patients From Misleading Claims

Anuja.Jaiswal@timesofindia.com 08.10.2026

New Delhi: Doctors and hospitals cannot use AI to create patient testimonials, clinical outcomes or promotional content, nor can they pay to manipulate rankings like those on search engines and apps, under new ethical advertising guidelines issued by National Medical Commission (NMC) on Tuesday.

The guidelines, effective immediately, come in the backdrop of a Supreme Court petition seeking tighter regulation of corporate hospital advertising. They aim to curb commercialisation of medical practice and protect patients from misleading claims, while bringing AI-generated content, influencer marketing and search-engine manipulation under the medical ethics framework.

NMC has specifically barred registered medical practitioners (RMPs) and hospitals from using AI-generated or AI-assisted content to advertise their services, solicit patients or disseminate misleading or unverifiable information about diagnoses, treatments or outcomes.

AI cannot be used to create synthetic patient testimonials, voices, clinical outcomes or fake endorsements, or misrepresent the nature or quality of medical services. In another significant provision, doctors cannot pay for or manipulate search rankings, visibility or algorithms to create a misleading impression of their professional standing. They also cannot make unverified claims such as “best”, “number one”, “most trusted”, “guaranteed cures” or “100% success”. The guidelines also target the growing use of influencers and digital marketing agencies in healthcare. Doctors cannot engage influencers, advertising agencies or online platforms in arrangements involving payment linked to procuring or referring patients. Discounts and inducements are also restricted. Doctors and hospitals cannot offer limited-period discounts, coupons, gift packages or referral benefits if these are likely to encourage unnecessary consultations, diagnostic investigations or treatment.

However, NMC allows doctors to use social media for factual, non-promotional health education, disease information and public-health communication, provided they do not promote their practice or commercial interests. Hospitals can similarly share objective, verifiable details about their location, departments, facilities, services, accreditation, charges and contact information. Patient testimonials, before-and-after images and treatment-success claims that could create unrealistic expectations or mislead are also prohibited. NMC has prescribed graded penalties, from a warning and mandatory ethics training for a first violation to censure and monetary penalty for a second, suspension for three to six months for a third, and six to 12 months for serious violations. Repeated violations can lead to removal from the medical register for one to three years

One Vadapalani metro entry not ready for inauguration

U.Tejonmayam@timesofindia.com 08.10.2026

Chennai: With the inauguration of the first stretch of Metro Phase II — from Poonamallee Bypass to Vadapalani— set for Sunday, one of the entry/exit structures at Vadapalani metro station is still under construction.

Vadapalani will serve as an interchange for passengers switching to the Phase I network. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 14.64km stretch on Oct 11. Phase II stations will have two entry/exit structures, compared with four at Phase I stations. At Vadapalani, CMRL has built an entry point near the police station on Arcot Road. A skywalk linking the Phase I and II stations has been built across the road, but the entry point next to it is still under construction. Commuters wanting to exit on the side opposite the police station may have to walk across the skywalk to the Phase I station and exit onto 100 Feet Road.

Those entering through the point near the police station may have to climb flights of stairs to reach the concourse. “The entry structure near Vadapalani metro skywalk will not be ready before the inauguration. Passengers will have to use the skywalk to Phase I station to exit, as the AFC gates are in the Phase I station,” a CMRL official said. The Poonamallee Bypass–Vadapalani stretch is being commissioned more than seven months after CMRL received conditional approval from the commissioner of metro railway safety (CMRS) in Feb. CMRL secured final authorisation, with relaxations in train speed and frequency, in May, but the line remained closed to passengers pending an inauguration date. Vadapalani is the only elevated Phase II station with three levels: the first for commercial development, the second for ticketing and the third for platforms.

The station will give those from Porur and Poonamallee access to Anna Nagar, Shenoy Nagar, Thiruvottiyur and Kilpauk. They can reach transport hubs such as Chennai Centraland airport by changing trains at Vadapalani. “Why can’t CMRL complete the station before opening it? They have had enough time since elections. It is not as if passengers have clean, wide pavements to walk on or can easily cross Arcot Road, which is in bad shape,” said Porur resident S Vikram.

Service postgraduates get temporary postings without counselling

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI 08.10.2026

Nearly 800-odd service postgraduates (PG), who completed MD/MS, have been given temporary postings in Tamil Nadu without counselling or following seniority.

Government doctors said this was a departure from the practice followed in the past few years, when vacancy lists were notified and counselling was held for posting service PGs. However, health officials said the temporary postings were made only for salary purposes. On October 5, the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) and Research issued orders temporarily assigning service PGs to posts in government medical college hospitals/affiliated institutions under the DME, and to institutions under the Directorates of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS) and Public Health (DPH) and Preventive Medicine.

However, the posts and institutions were not specified for those assigned to DMS and DPH institutions.

The communication said transfer counselling for service PGs would be scheduled later and prior information would be given. The move has, however, caused concern among a section of doctors.

“Usually, vacancies in DME and DMS institutions are notified in advance when service PGs near course completion. Transparent counselling is held and postings are based on Civil Medical List (CML) seniority. This year, all of a sudden, the DME issued temporary postings without notifying vacancies or counselling. CML seniority has also not been followed, with juniors posted in DME institutions while seniors have been posted in DMS institutions,” a doctor said.

Doctors said the temporary postings and delay in transfer counselling could affect salary disbursement as it usually takes four to five months for doctors to receive their first month salary at the initial place of posting.

Some doctors recalled a similar situation in 2019, when temporary postings were issued for service PGs without a regular counselling process. They said it took nearly three years to obtain posts on the basis of CML seniority.

The Service Doctors and Post Graduates Association (SDPGA) has objected to the move.

Its president, P. Saminathan, said even temporary postings should be made through counselling while maintaining CML seniority.

“This is not about 10 or 15 doctors but a massive number of 800-odd service PGs. CML seniority has not been maintained”, he said.

Junior doctors have been posted to DME institutions, while doctors who are senior as per CML have been posted to DMS and DPH institutions. This will lead to complications in promotion counselling for associate professors in the future,” he said.

A senior health official, however, said that the temporary postings were issued only for salary purposes. DME officials said the arrangement was temporary, for a month or two, until regular counselling is conducted after transfer counselling of assistant professors.