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Friday, November 13, 2026

NEWS TODAY 13.11.2026

Railways set to scrap RAC over berth pangs

13.11.2026 TIMES BENGALURU

New Delhi: Railways is looking into the option of doing away with the Reservation Against Cancellation (RAC) facility, under which two passengers are allotted a single berth and charged the full fare despite getting only half the sleeping space.

TOI has learnt the move is being examined in the wake of concerns over passenger convenience and the need to revisit a provision that has remained a part of the reservation system for decades. “There is a view that when a passenger isn’t getting full sleeping space, it may not be appropriate to charge the full fare,” said an official.

The RAC facility also becomes a cause for discomfort when the same seat is allotted to a male and a female passenger. Train ticket examiners face challenges in finding an alternative arrangement in such cases. The issue of travellers with RAC tickets being charged full fares has also been flagged by a parliamentary panel, which questioned its rationale. The panel has recommended that railways review the arrangement to ensure passengers are not made to pay the full fare without getting the benefit of a proper berth. — Dipak Dash

PAN, EPIC not enough: HC declares Assam woman a foreigner

Prabin.Kalita@timesofindia.com 13.11.2026

Guwahati: Gauhati HC has upheld a foreigners tribunal order declaring Kulchan Begum of Assam’s Darrang district a foreigner and revoke her interim bail, after she could not establish her Indian citizenship despite producing 14 documents, including PAN and voter ID cards, in a 26-year battle.

A bench of Justices Kalyan Rai Surana and Susmita Phukan Khaund ruled in its Nov 5 order that PAN card and elector photo identity card (EPIC) issued on self-declaration without formal inquiry could not independently establish citizenship. “The PAN card and EPIC exhibited by the petitioner is not a proof of citizenship. These are documents that are issued on self-application without any formal enquiry by the IT department and EC.

Therefore, unless, the records supplementing the PAN card and EPIC are proved, the said exhibited documents cannot be accepted as a proof of citizenship of India,” the bench said. Begum had submitted PAN and EPIC cards of a man she claimed was her father, who she said contested parliamentary and assembly elections. She had presented her own EPIC, voter lists carrying the names of a couple she claimed was her grandparents, and an acknowledgement of her NRC application.

But she failed to establish her relationship with her purported father and grandparents. The NRC acknowledgement was also not proved. The court said an Area Sabha representative’s certificate and ration card could not establish citizenship or parentage. It also found no evidence that the alleged father and grandparents had continuously lived in Assam for 27 years between 1970 and 1997, as required under special provisions of the Citizenship Act applicable to Assam. HC said none of the documents discharged her burden under Section 9 of the Foreigners Act, 1946, to prove she was an Indian citizen and the daughter of Indian parents.

Ragging complaints hit 15 medical colleges; NMC seeks action

Anuja.Jaiswal@timesofindia.com 13.11.2026

New Delhi: A spate of disturbing ragging complaints by first-year MBBS students — ranging from being forced to imitate sexual acts and change clothes in front of others to latenight humiliation and social boycotts — has prompted National Medical Commission (NMC) to issue 18 notices or communications to 15 medical colleges between Oct 16 and Nov 11.

The complaints, received by NMC’s anti-ragging cell, concern 14 colleges in Rajasthan and one in Karnataka. They allege physical and verbal abuse, sexual humiliation, coercive activities, restrictions on juniors’ movement and threats of academic retaliation. The action comes amid a separate ragging case at Govt Medical College, Jalaun, Uttar Pradesh, where videos of alleged harassment of junior students surfaced on social media in Oct.

The college initially suspended seven senior students for a week. Following a wider inquiry, 10 more were found involved, taking the total to 17 students, who were subsequently suspended for three months and fined Rs 25,000 each. In most cases, the commission sought detailed action taken reports within 24 hours, directing colleges to identify those allegedly involved, preserve footage from CCTV cameras and digital evidence, conduct impartial inquiries and protect complainants from intimidation.

The National Medical Commission has advised colleges to take the strictest action against students found guilty, including suspension or cancellation of their medical registration, a senior NMC official told TOI. Citing Gujarat as an example, he said some students’ registrations had been suspended there. He stressed that enforcement largely rested with state authorities and medical councils, adding that a lenient approach has often allowed offenders to escape action.

New school edu director appointed

TIMES CHENNAI 13.11.2026

Chennai: State govt on Thursday appointed P A Naresh, currently serving as director of elementary education, as the director of school education. Director of govt examinations K Sasikala was transferred and posted as director of elementary education. M Palanisamy, a member of the Teachers Recruitment Board (TRB), was transferred and posted as director of private schools. S Suganya, the incumbent director of private schools was posted as secretary of the TRB. TRB secretary V C Rameswaramurugan was posted as additional project director of Samagra Shiksha. S Uma, the incumbent additional project director of Samagra Shiksha, was transferred and posted as director of govt examinations.TNN

Annamalai univ, two other state varsities get in-charge VCs

Ragu.Raman @timesofindia.com TIMES CHENNAI 13.11.2026

Chennai: The Syndicate of Annamalai University on Wednesday resolved to appoint Professor V Selvanarayanan of the department of entomology as its in-charge vicechancellor (VC). Similarly, the Syndicates of Alagappa University and Manonmaniam Sundaranar University resolved to appoint Professor J Jeyakanthan of the department of bioinformatics at Alagappa University and Professor S Prabahar of the department of English at Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, as in-charge VCs.

Both professors were appointed interim vice-chancellors in Aug as an ad hoc measure and are now being appointed by their respective university syndicates. “The syndicates of three state universities have resolved to appoint senior professors as incharge VCs. Other state universities are likely to appoint in-charge VCs over the next two weeks,” higher education secretary Dheeraj Kumar said.

Under the statutes, some universities require approval to appoint in-charge VCs. The appointment is also temporary in nature. The higher education department sought panels of senior professors for the appointments. The universities have sent lists comprising four to seven professors to govt. State govt scrutinised the names and conducted background checks to appoint professors with clean records to the posts. Sources said the appointments at University of Madras and Anna University would also require the Governor’s approval.

Earlier, higher education minister P Viswanathan said the govt and governor’s office had reached an agreement on the appointments. An announcement is expected in a couple of weeks. Following this, the higher education dept will notify the VC search committees for all universities. A case is also pending with high court on this issue. Because of a dispute between the Governor and the previous state govt over including a UGC nominee on the VC search committees, state universities have been functioning without regular VCs for up to four years. The absence of VCs affected academic reforms and routine functioning of universities.