Model code stops govt from announcing incentive for Gomathi Marimuthu 

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

Published Apr 30, 2019, 1:46 am IST


The MCC came into force on March 10 this year. Gomathi had won gold at the recently-concluded Asian Athletics Championship in Doha.

Gomathi Marimuthu

Chennai: The state government could not announce incentives to honour athlete Gomathi Marimuthu, who won the 800 m gold at the Asian Athletics Championship last week, owing to the enforcement of the Election Commission's Model Code of Conduct (MCC), fisheries minister D. Jayakumar has said.

He however hastened to add that the government had sought permission from the EC and after "clearance" is obtained from the Election Commission, the government would make the announcement.

The MCC came into force on March 10 this year. Gomathi had won gold at the recently-concluded Asian Athletics Championship in Doha. She is now focussed on qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, media reports said. The athlete hails from a village near Tiruchy.

The Election Commission's guidelines for political parties and candidates prohibits parties in power from announcing financial grants in any form, Mr Jayakumar told reporters at the airport here on Monday. Refuting allegation that the state government failed to encourage Gomathi, he said it was the government under Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami who had enhanced the quota in government jobs for sports persons to three per cent from two. "Only Amma (former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa) government has been bestowing importance on sports," he said.

"That is a false allegation. It is worrying that knowingly or unknowingly that opinion is being expressed. Now the code of conduct is in place. At that time, without the clearance of the EC, (support) cannot be given. We have written to the Election Commission. If we get clearance, the Chief Minister is ready to provide all help in a happy way. Action will be taken after the Election Commission clearance is received," he added.

Days after winning the gold, Gomathi had said, "if the Tamil Nadu government supports me, I can try further, to win a medal at the Olympics. There is one more year for the competition." Stating that the government was set to help her, she requested, "no one else should struggle the way I have. It would be helpful if the Tamil Nadu government helped them."

She knew of many athletes who had given up on their sporting careers due to lack of support, Gomathi had said.

No man has right to compel girl to fall in love or marry him: Madras HC

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | J STALIN

Published Apr 30, 2019, 4:32 am IST


The judge directed the Superintendent of Prisons to immediately arrange for counseling of this petitioner with a psychiatrist.

Madras High Court

Chennai: Holding that no man has any right to compel any girl to fall in love with him or to marry him, the Madras high court has dismissed a bail petition from an accused, arrested in connection with stabbing all over the body of a girl, on her refusing to concede his request for marriage, in the city.

Dismissing the bail petition filed by Kavin, Justice N.Anand Venkatesh said, "It will be better if the petitioner is kept inside the jail and the jail authorities start giving this petitioner counseling by experts and bring him to normalcy before he is released from the jail. Probably, by the time, the petitioner gets out of the jail, he will regret for what he did to the girl with whom he had a love affair".

The judge directed the Superintendent of Prisons to immediately arrange for counseling of this petitioner with a psychiatrist.

The judge said this is yet another case where the lover of the victim girl has attacked the girl in a brutal manner with knife on her refusing to marry him. Incidents of this nature are continuing to happen on a daily basis and it has reached monstrous proportions where man seem to think that the girl has to concede to their request for love/marriage and on refusal to do so, they take the extreme step of brutally attacking girls and had also gone to the extent of setting them to fire, the judge added.

The judge said this trend is on the raise and it is high time that courts put down their foot and bring some sanity in society. These incidents continue to happen because man things that a woman is a chattel and she has to concede to whatever a mandemands. This attitude has to be changed. In the instant case, the petitioner was in love with the injured girl. It seems that the girl had informed the petitioner that her parents are looking for a marriage and she is not in a position to marry him. The petitioner lost his sense of balance and has proceeded to brutally attacked her. The ruthlessness with which the injured has beenattacked is apparent from the discharge summary that has been given by the hospital. The girl has been stabbed all over the body and there are four stab incisions on the left side of the face with one penetrating into the buccal cavity. There are multiple stab injuries on the chest and on the abdomen. This is apart from the stab injuries that are found in the neck, arms and lower limbs. "

It is a miracle that this victim girl has survived this attack due to the effective treatment that has been given by the hospital. After this attack, this injured girl can never come back to normalcy and this incident is going to remain deep in the mind of the victim girl till the end of her life", the judge added.

The judge said this court while considering the bail petition has to necessarily look into the gravity of the offence and also the seriousness of the accusation made against the accused person. Obviously, the present case falls within the ambit of a case with serious accusations and very serious gravity of offence. The courts must stop being merciful or tend to have misplaced sympathies in cases of this nature. If the accused person had committed the crime, since he was wounded by the conduct of the girl who had suddenly refused to marry him, that does not give him a right to resort to stabbing a woman. There were other ways to deal with the situation, the judge added.

Supreme Court Weekly Round Up

Supreme Court Weekly Round Up: Sentence Can Be Enhanced In Convict's Appeal Only By Giving Him Notice Of Enhancement [Kumar Ghimirey V. The State of Sikkim] The Supreme Court reiterated that the power of a High Court to...

HC allows rectification of error in application forms

STAFF REPORTER

MADURAI, APRIL 30, 2019 00:00 IST

Bringing relief to two candidates, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission to consider their claim for rectifying error in their application forms to the post of Assistant Horticulture Officer.

In separate petitions, M. Kavin Kumar and R. Uma Maheshwari had sought rectification of the errors. The candidates had wrongly entered their community status as Backward class (BC) instead of De-notified community (DNC) in their online application form.

Though both the candidates had cleared the cut-off marks and met the eligibility criteria, they were not short-listed due to the error. Their representations to the TNPSC for rectification of the error was rejected, following which they approached the court.

Justice R. Mahadevan observed that such mistakes happen inadvertently and can be rectified. The petitioners cannot be penalised by denying them employment. The court directed the authorities to consider them for appointment to the post if they were found to be eligible and if there were no other legal impediments.

Student who scored 99 given zero

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

HYDERABAD, APRIL 30, 2019 00:00 IST

The Board of Intermediate Education recommended suspension of a lecturer and imposed a fine of Rs. 5,000 on an examiner, after the Inter results fiasco.

The action was taken with regard to the error in the marks of Navya, CEC second year student of Karimala Junior College of Mancherial. Though she secured 99 in Telugu, she was given zero marks due to the wrong marking in the OMR sheet.

Flight overshoots Shirdi runway on landing, all safe

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:30.04.2019

A SpiceJet flight overshot the runway at Shirdi airport on Monday when its landing gear got stuck in unpaved area. Luckily, it stopped safely and nobody was hurt aboard the Boeing 737 aircraft.

The runway had to be closed to remove the aircraft, due to which flight operations were hit in Shirdi. Passengers are learnt to have remained inside the aircraft for a long time. Arrangements for quick deboarding were reportedly not made.

Aviation authorities have categorized this as a serious incident and referred the probe to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board.

T’gana teacher sacked for giving ‘0’ marks instead of 99

Hyderabad:30.04.2019

This is the most glaring and classic example of the scale of goof-up in Telangana Board of Intermediate examinations with a student getting ‘0’ marks instead of ‘99’in a subject.

Gajji Navya failed in Intermediate Second Year (Class XII) as she scored ‘0’ marks in Telugu paper. This student from Mancherial district (Hall ticket number 1933216764) scored 99 marks in Commerce, 96 in civics, 95 in economics and 68 in English.

She was shocked to see the results declared by the Telangana Board of Intermediate (BIE) on April 18. She could not believe when she saw ‘0’ in Telugu as she had scored 98 in Telugu paper in Class XI and equally good marks in the remaining subjects.

With a leading Telugu daily highlighting her plight, the BIE swung into action and after checking her answer sheet revised the marks obtained in Telugu to 99. The incident caused huge embarrassment to the board.

With 21 students committing suicide and many students like Navya coming out in open to vent their anger, the state government was forced to order re-verification of answer sheets of 3.28 lakh students who failed to obtain the pass marks. A total of 9.47 lakh students had appeared in the exams for both first and second year in February-March.

After an inquiry into Navya’s case, BIE suspended a teacher and imposed fine on another. It announced that it has imposed ₹5,000 fine against Uma Devi, a teacher of a private school who evaluated Telugu paper of Navya. She was also sacked by her school management.

BIE also suspended Vijay Kumar, a teacher of a tribal welfare school, who had served as a scrutinizer but failed to notice the blunder.

BIE announced the action against the two teachers late on Sunday, a day after a threemember committee submitted its report to the government, which admitted to the discrepancies. However, the opposition parties and student groups are demanding action against the higher-ups in the Board and also the information technology company for the massive bungling.

They alleged that BIE was shielding those who committed serious blunders like giving single digit marks. IANS

Goa univ to teach vaastu, astrology

Gauree.Malkarnekar | TNN

Panaji:Students will soon be able to pursue higher education programmes offered by Goa University in ancient Indian knowledge systems like vaastu shastra and jyotish shastra, as also take up study of the ancient Indian languages of Sanskrit, Pali and Prakrit. Vaastu shastra and jyotish shastra are the systems of architectural design and astrology, respectively, as practiced in ancient India.

Goa University is expected to start these courses in the academic year 2019-2020. This also makes the university rare among varsities to offer higher education in Indic knowledge systems.

CB-CID to probe Namakkal child trafficking case

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Namakkal:30.04.2019

The Namakkal child trafficking case was on Monday transferred to the CB-CID. The director general of police (DGP) office dispatched the transfer order to the Namakkal district superintendent of police, police sources said.

“As the newborn trafficking case involves hospitals, brokers and donors across the state, it is logical that the case is transferred to the CB-CID,” an officer from Namakkal district SP office said on condition of anonymity.

Salem range DIG T Senthil Kumar and west zone IG Periaiah sent a recommendation letter regarding the transfer of the case to the state government and police headquarters in Chennai two days ago. Based on their recommendation, the DGP transferred the case. So far the Namakkal district police have arrested eight people, including retired nursing assistant R Amuthavalli, her husband S Ravichandran and ambulance driver Murugesan. The Rasipuram all-woman police have arrested five touts from Erode district. All were remanded in judicial custody at the Salem Central Prison.

Meanwhile, the health department and the cooperative department issued suspension orders to Murugesan and Ravichandran for their alleged involvement in the case.

Anna univ to hold separate entrance test

PG Candidates Need To Clear AUCET 2019

A Ragu Raman TNN

Chennai:

30.04.2019

Friction between Anna University and the department of higher education has led to the university deciding to have a separate entrance exam for the PG courses it conducts on its own campuses.

Candidates for ME, MTech, MArch, MPlan, MBA or MCA at university departments, its constituent colleges and regional campuses will now need to clear the Anna University Common Entrance Test (AUCET) 2019. Till last year, the university used to conduct Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test (TANCET) and candidates were admitted to PG courses based on their scores in TANCET and Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE).

“Students who wish to join the affiliated private engineering colleges and government engineering colleges have to appear for TANCET 2019,” said a university official.

As per the new system, Anna University will conduct the entrance for MCA and MBA on June 22. The syllabus for the test is likely to be similar to that of GATE. The registration of application would be exclusively online.

For ME, MTech, MArch and MPlan the test will be held on June 23. Registration of applications start on May 6 and the last date for registration is May 25. Due to the differences of opinion over reconstitution of Tamil Nadu Engineering Committee (TNEA), Anna University vice chancellor M K Surappa had resigned from the committee. Now, DOTE will conduct the online engineering counselling for UG admissions.

“Following the reconstitution of TNEA, the committee for Tamil Nadu Common Admission (TANCA) also changed and Directorate of Technical Education (DOTE) commissioner was made the co-chairman of the committee,” said a source in the University.

PMK founder Ramadoss, meanwhile, has condemned the announcement of separate exam for university departments and constituent colleges by saying it would lead to confusion.

He has called for the removal of Surappa as VC.

Anna University Teacher’s Association (AUTA), however, has expressed full confidence in Surappa. In a statement on Monday, AUTA said, “The appointment was made by the governor of Tamil Nadu and politicians shall not undermine such a prestigious position.”

96% students clear ‘toughest’ maths paper; 50% schools register all-pass

CLASS X RESULTS: PASS PERCENTAGE RISES TO 95.2%, 0.7% MORE THAN 2018; TIRUPUR DIST FIRST WITH 98.53%

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:30.04.2019

The overall pass percentage in the Class X state board exams in Tamil Nadu touched 95.2% this year, slightly better than last year’s 94.5% and as usual girls fared better than boys. A record 97% girls cleared the exam while 93.3% boys passed.

Of 12,548 schools, nearly half — 6,100 schools — registered 100% pass. More students cleared science subjects

(98.56%) and 96.46% students cleared maths, which was termed as the toughest exam in recent years. Tirupur district registered the highest pass percentage with 98.53% rate followed by Ramanathapuram, 98.48%, and Namakkal, 98.45%.

Headmasters said the number of those scoring centum in science and maths had come down because of the creative questions. “Students who were able to think and answer creatively alone were able to score 100 out of 100,” said G J Manohar, headmaster, Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School, Chennai.

Students can apply for retotalling from May 2

Many students said the five marks section in science was also tough this year. “We have designed the question paper in a way to make it tough to score the centum. Students have to read the entire book and have to understand the concepts to score full marks,” said D.Vasundradevi, director of government examinations.

The matriculation schools registered highest pass percentage with 99%. Government schools saw 92.48% pass percentage, while aided schools registered 94.53%.

Students can download the provisional marksheets through their schools from May 2. From May 6, they can download the marksheets on their own by registering their date of birth and registration number.

Candidates can apply for retotalling from May 2 to 4 through their schools. The fee for retotalling for English and language is ₹305 each and for other subjects, it is ₹205 each.

AI flights delayed for second day

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:30.04.2019

Air India flight delays continued for the second day on Monday at Chennai airport, as congestion caused by Sunday’s delays affected services. It affected people who were returning home or travelling for business.

Around 13 departures were delayed by more than an hour since early morning. The delayed flights included three to Delhi and one flight to Singapore. The 6.10am flight to Delhi was delayed by more than three hours and left at 9.30am. Flights to Mumbai, Kochi, Madurai and Kolkata were delayed by an hour, while a flight to Mumbai and Coimbatore was delayed by less than an hour in the afternoon. The delays caused congestion at the airport though some of the passengers were alerted about the rescheduling in advance.

The delays were caused because of a slowdown of Air India's servers two days ago. The airline had set the snag right on Saturday night but there were problems in other airports. A few of the departures in Chennai were also delayed because of arrival delays. An official said handling of aircraft and baggage were hit because of the large number of delays. Spice-Jet flights were delayed throughout the day by nearly an hour. The disruption early morning on Monday created inconvenience to passengers as a huge number of travellers fly for work on early morning flights. The number of passengers are also high because of summer vacation. Around 10 Air India flights were delayed on Sunday creating chaos and long queues at the check in counters.

Cyclone Fani to skip city, eyes AP, Odisha

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:30.04.2019

Tamil Nadu’s loss is Andhra Pradesh and Odisha’s gain, as cyclone Fani is expected to bring only light rain in Chennai and its surrounding districts, while heavy rain is expected in several districts along the east coast of India for the next two days.

According to IMD, cloudy skies and scattered light rain are expected in the city on April 30 and May 1 as Fani will pass Chennai coast at a distance of about 300 to 350km on May 1. However, once it crosses Chennai, the cyclone, which is expected to intensify into a severe cyclone by April 29, will recurve towards Andhra Pradesh.

The sudden shift in the course of the cyclone will bring heavy rain to north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha, as well as Gangetic West Bengal and Bangladesh.

“Light to moderate rain is likely to occur at a few places over Tamil Nadu. In Chennai, the rain depends on the movement of the cyclone,” said S Balachandran, DDG, IMD.

According to Skymet Weather, Cyclone Fani was about 750km east-southeast of Chennai on Monday evening. After it crosses the north of Chennai on May 1, it will recurve in the east-northeast direction towards Andhra Pradesh and veer further up north. By April 30, it is expected to intensify into a very severe cyclone and by May 1, extremely severe cyclone. By then, the cyclone is expected to shift course and bring heavy rain in north coastal Andhra Pradesh, south coastal Odisha and West Bengal.

While only light and patchy rain has been forecast in and around Chennai, winds are expected to gust at a speed of about 40 to 60kmph with lightning likely to occur at isolated places. The sea condition will be rough on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, different weather models are generating different results when it comes to the cyclone’s landfall. A few projected that the cyclone will weaken before it reaches Bangladesh coast, while others showed that it will make a landfall near Bangladesh.

“Though the cyclone has a cloud cover of about 1,000km radius, the actual rain-bearing clouds are only at about 100 to 200km radius from the eye. The rest are at a 10,000 to 20,000 feet height which won’t bring rain,” said Mahesh Palawat, chief meteorologist, Skymet Weather.

Girl whose dad is in jail for mom’s death gets 72%

GRIT AND RESILIENCE KEEP THEM GOING AND HELP MAKE A MARK

Aditi.R@timesgroup.com

30.04.2019

Gayathri (name changed) was nine when she saw her mother set herself on fire after enduring years of dowry harassment. She later died of her injuries. Her father was sentenced to life imprisonment and sent to the Palayamkottai prison. Gayathri and her two younger sisters were left to fend for themselves.

“But during those turbulent times we remembered our mother’s words — to be brave, stay focussed and be educated,” she said.

Gayathri scored 72% in the Class X board exams. Though it was a lot less than what she had hoped for, she is satisfied. “Math was the toughest, since the questions were tricky. I lost my marks there. But next year I will do better,” she said.

After her mother passed away, Gayathri and her sisters were sent to her paternal grandfather’s house. But their grandfather declared his helplessness and they moved to her uncle’s place. However, the siblings found their uncle was suffering from mental illness. The girls were rescued by the district Child Welfare Committee and a good Samaritan sponsored their education at a local residential school in Tirunelveli.

The incidents starting from her mother’s death have deeply scarred the 15-year-old. She has been struggling with bouts of depression and is undergoing counselling and therapy.

“My sisters were too young during the death of my mother, so they don’t remember anything,” she said.

But she has clearly planned her future. “I will be taking up pure science to become a nurse,” she saidand explained, “My economic condition does not allow me to prepare for NEET and pursue MBBS. My focus right now is to top the next board exams, get admission in a good college and move to Chennai with my sisters.” she said.

Directorate of examinations draws veil of secrecy over result details

A Ragu Raman TNN

30.04.2019

Along with abolition of ranks, the Directorate of Government Examinations (DGE), which conducts the state board exams, has drawn a veil of secrecy over the details of the results. This makes it difficult for parents and teachers to analyze the performance of students and guide them for higher studies.

“It would be easy for the students to select the groups in Class XI, if they know the performance of other students in the boards. Without knowing the competition, it would be difficult for them,” said Jayaprakash A. Gandhi, a career consultant. “It’s fine if they don’t want to give the details of toppers. But, they should at least say how many students score above 450 and 400 so that everyone can have an idea where they stand,” he added.

In the past two years, the board gave the slab-wise performance of students — the number of students who scored above 481 out of 500 marks, between 451 and 480, 426 and450, and 401 and 425 marks. It also said how many students scored between 301 and 400, and 201 and 300 marks. For the Class XII exam also they had given a break-up of performance – and also how many scored centum and how many students failed in single or multiple subjects, which helped the teachers analyze what worked and what went wrong.

But, this year after increasing the difficulty of question papers, and with

many students scoring less than 400 marks, the board simply did not share any of these details, which has left many teachers and parents confused.

In the plus 2 results also many students had no idea whether the cut-off would come down or go up without knowing the full details.

“With the details, a student would know whether he would get admission in a good college or not. Now, many students with 180 cut-off marks believe they would get admission in Anna University,” Jayaprakash Gandhi said.

Some teachers claimed that the DGE has adopted moderation to increase the pass percentage in the maths exam this year. They asked the DGE to release the true results, which would reflect the actual state of school education. D Vasundradevi, director of government examinations, said, “We didn’t do any moderation. But, the question paper design was such that it was easy to clear the exam but tough to score high marks.”

Asked why the board was not sharing details, she said, “Other boards including CBSE are not sharing details other than pass percentage. We felt sharing the centum and performance details would demotivate the students.”

UNLIKE PAST TWO YEARS, THIS YEAR THE BOARD DID NOT SHARE ANY DETAILS LIKE SLAB-WISE PERFORMANCE, LEAVING MANY TEACHERS AND PARENTS CONFUSED

Madurai EVM Security lapse: Madras HC orders disciplinary 
action against errant Election Officials 

Meera Emmanuel April 28 2019 

https://barandbench.com/evm-security-lapse-madras-hc-transfer-election-officials/

After it came to light that a Tahsildar and three other municipal officers had trespassed into a room proximate to an EVM strongroom in the Madurai constituency, the Madras High Court has directed that disciplinary action be taken against errant election officials in charge.

The order was passed on a plea filed in the wake of the alleged trespass by Su Venkatesan, an electoral candidate representing the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

For allowing the security lapse, the Bench of S Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad on Saturday directed the transfer of the following officials i.e. Dr S Natarajan, the Madurai Collector/ District Election Officer; Guruchandran, the Assistant Returning Officer to the Collector; Mohandas, the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of elections and other police officers in charge.

A letter addressed by the ECI dated April 27 (Saturday) informed the Court of their transfer appointments with immediate effect.

The Court was working on Saturday to compensate for the Court’s holiday on April 18, in view of the Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu.

On noting that no punitive action had been initiated certain others, the Court has also directed the ECI to initiate disciplinary action or prosecution against the Personal Assistant (General) to the District Collector, Madurai District, among others reported having been involved in the incident as per a report of a designated Enquiry Officer.

The controversial incident occurred on the evening of April 20 in the No. 32, Madurai Parliamentary Constituency. The Electronic Voting Machines (EVMS) had been taken to a strong room in Madurai Medical College Premises.

The EVM strongroom was expected to be monitored round the clock under strict security conditions. However, on the evening of April 20, a woman Tahsildar was found to have entered the document storage room situated above the counting room where the EVMs were kept.

As per the petition, she was allowed entry without authorisation and remained in the building for three hours, “for the reasons best known to her.” During the hearing yesterday, the Court was informed that the Tahsildar has been suspended following the incident. Three other municipal corporation employees were also reported to have accompanied her.

The petition goes on to inform,

“They did not even have any identity cards issued by the competent authority… Very shockingly, the Police and security personnel took note of their unlawful presence, only after three hours and detained them. But, on the intervention of some unidentified top officials in the City, they were let off, for obvious reasons.”

On coming to know of their illegal entry, efforts were made to contact the Returning Officer (RO), S Natarajan. However, the RO did not respond. Rather, the petitioner contended that he was only able to meet the RO around midnight.

“Shockingly”, the petitioner goes on to submit, “he [RO] said that he was not at all aware of the said incident and he came to know it only through me; which is totally untrue as he cannot be a person unaware of the said incident, when the unlawful entrants were let off only at the intervention of some officials from his office.

The said unlawful entry was made with an intention to make possible manipulations in the postal ballots.”

A representation was consequently addressed to the Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to initiate a high-level inquiry into the matter. The Additional CEO for Tamil Nadu was therefore deputed to Madurai as the Enquiry Officer. A report in the matter was also submitted to the CEO.

The petitioner further alleges that there may be possible collusion between the trespassing Tashildar and her team with the ruling party to do unlawful things in their favour.

However, citing the failure of the Election Commission officials to discharge their duty, the Court was approached to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by an officer not below the rank of the Principal Secretary to the Election Commission of India to conduct an enquiry into the matter under its direct supervision.

The petition also prays for a direction to provide a three-tier security system to election counting centres at Madurai and other constituencies through the deployment of adequate CPRF personnel.

Another interim direction prayed for was the appointment of a Special Observer in the rank of an IAS officer for No. 32 Madurai Parliamentary Constituency. The matter has been posted to be taken up next on April 30.

The order passed yesterday states,

“Having regard to the above discussion, we are inclined to grant the interim relief as prayed for, in the W.M.P.Nos.13147 and 13150 of 2019 and both the petitions are allowed.

We direct the registry to post the matter on 30.04.2019, for filing counter.”

Read the Order:

Health dept seeks to debar Salem gynae

TNN | Apr 26, 2019, 04.46 AM IST

Chennai: The state health department has asked the Tamil Nadu Medical Council to debar a Salem-based gynaecologist from practising medicine as “she could be a threat to society and poor pregnant women.”

The complaint was one of the 24 cases presented before the disciplinary committee of the council on Tuesday and Wednesday. Dr Rani Arivukkarasu, who failed to appear before the council on Tuesday for detailed inquiry as she was unwell, has sought for detailed charges against her. Council president Dr K Senthil said the committee is yet to decide on the course of action. “It is under discussion. We will be giving her the chargesheet. She has to appear before the committee for an inquiry,” he said.

A woman died under the care of Dr Arivukkarasu soon after delivery in February. That was a week after the Tamil Nadu Medical Council revoked the doctor’s suspension for “negligence and misconduct” that had led to a similar death in 2016. In the first case, the directorate of medical services had forwarded the family’s complaint to the medical council. Following disciplinary inquiry, she was suspended from medical rolls for six months in October 2018. But on February 18, the council revoked her suspension based on “her repeated pleas.” On February 28, a pregnant woman, Durga Damodharan, was admitted to Arokya Hospital in Salem. She died on March 1.

Officials at the health department said the decision to revoke her suspension was done in haste without informing the department or the complainant. The council has now received letter from the joint director of medical service from the directorate of medical services in Salem and National Health Mission Tamil Nadu mission director Darez Ahamed, who is in-charge of the maternal death audits in the state.

Audits showed Durga suffered severe bleeding after delivery. It did not stop even after her uterus was removed. Since the hospital does not have facilities to deal with such cases, Dr Arivukkarasu should have referred her to a better centre. Doctors had induced labour the previous night but weren’t present in the hospital to monitor her progress and reference to tertiary hospital was not done on time. O fficials now said late referral was one of the reasons that caused the patient’s death in 2016. “If she is not stopped now it could be a threat to society and poor pregnant women,” the official said.

Insurance racket: Doctor got Rs 1.5 lakh for fake autopsy

TNN | Apr 27, 2019, 07.21 AM IST

CHANDIGARH: Investigations into the insurance scam targeting cancer patients revealed that the doctor of civil hospital was paid Rs 1.5 lakh each for the autopsy of fake accident victims. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) members are conducting raids to round up the medico. He is suspected to have performed 15 such autopsies, said the members of SIT.

Meanwhile, in a related development, the Sonipat court on Friday has extended the police remand of Pawan Bhoria for four days. Pawan, along with his two aides, was arrested last Saturday. Closely after, two lab technicians were arrested. Sumit Kumar, the son of the cancer patients, was the last to be arrested on Tuesday.

DSP Shamsher Singh, the supervising officer of the SIT said that the accused, including Sumit Kumar who had lodged a false FIR regarding the death of his father Krishan Kumar, have been remanded to judicial custody. “We have got enough information from Bhoria’s associates. We have made recoveries from Sumit and Pawan as well into the claim received by Sumit. Hence, except Pawan, we did not require other accused for further interrogation,’’ said DSP Singh.

Nurse commits suicide, doctor booked

TNN | Apr 28, 2019, 12.04 PM IST

 RAJKOT: Two suicide cases have been reported from Surendranagar district and Rajkot city. A nurse committed suicide at a village in Surendranagar district on April 24, while in the second case, a lady professor consumed poison on April 25 evening.

The first case was reported from Jhinjhuvada village of Patadi taluka in Surendranagar district, where Mayuri Parmar (22), who served as a nurse at the primary health centre of the village, consumed poisonous tablets on April 24. She died at the VS Hospital in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

“We have booked Dr Naresh Makwana, who is the head of the primary health centre, for the crime on the complaint of Mayuri’s father Kalu Parmar. His complaint alleged that Makwana used to harass Mayuri as she did not give in to his demand for sex,” said an official from Jhinjhuvada police station.

In the second case, Saipranata Patimala (25), who served as a lady professor with RK University in Tramba village of Rajkot taluka, died after she consumed poisonous tablets on the evening of April 25. Her husband and in-laws were booked on Friday night.

Government Servant Is Not Eligible To Make Will Of Family Pension: Chhattisgarh HC

 By: LIVELAW NEWS NETWORK

28 April 2019 7:52 PM

Government Servant Is Not Eligible To Make Will Of Family Pension: Chhattisgarh HC [Read Judgment]

More However, Will of Provident Fund, Gratuity, Leave Encashment, Group Insurance Scheme and Family Benefit Fund can be made. The Chhattisgarh High Court has held that a Government servant is not eligible to make a Will of family pension.

Vijay Kumar Kaushik, a police constable, had made a Will, by which he bequeathed all the pensionary benefits and pension in favour of his second wife and son from her. After his death, his first wife and her son made an application for grant of succession certificate.

This application was rejected by the court, upholding the claim of the second wife based on the Will.

] In the revision petition, issue considered by the High Court was whether the Government servant can make a testamentary disposition of all his retiral benefits or it has to be disbursed in accordance with the rules and regulations governing the service conditions of such Government servant?

Answering the issue, referring to some Supreme Court judgments, Justice Sanjay K. Agrawal observed as follows:

An employee has no power of testamentary disposition with respect to something which was not payable to him during his lifetime.

If the qualifying event/benefit occurs only on the death of the deceased while he is in service and due to this, some monetary benefits accrue, it would not form part of the estate of the deceased and the same cannot be disposed by testamentary disposition because there is an element of uncertainty of happening of event.

If the scheme and/or service Rules designate certain persons who are entitled to receive benefits out of the scheme, then no other person except those designated persons can be entitled to the said benefits.

If the employee makes no contribution to the benefit, he has no control over the same to dispose it by testamentary disposition.

If the scheme/Rules do not provide for nomination of any person during the lifetime of the deceased employee, he has no title to the same and it cannot be disposed by testamentary disposition.

Applying these principles to facts of the case, the court held that the first wife, being legally wedded wife of the deceased Government servant would be entitled for the entire amount of pension, ex-gratia and police welfare payment, as they do not form part of the estate of the deceased employee over which he has right to testamentary disposition. However, the court observed that the gratuity, leave encashment, Group insurance scheme, Family benefit fund, Department Provident Fund would form part of the estate of the deceased employee over which he has right to testamentary disposition. These would go to the second wife, as per the will, the court held.

https://www.livelaw.in/news-updates/government-servant-is-not-eligible-to-make-will-of-family-pension-144605

‘Choice of college is more important than course of study’ 

Special Correspondent 
 
April 29, 2019 00:00 IST



Chief Education Officer K.P.Maheshwari addressing the career guidance programme in Hosur on Saturday.

Perumal Manimekalai Polytechnic and Engineering College, Hosur, jointly with The Hindu organised a career guidance programe Unnal Mudiyum for Plus Two students here on Saturday.

Educationalist Ramesh Prabha, who was the special chief guest, said the choice of college is as important or sometimes more important than the course of study, because it is often the reputation of the college that fetches students jobs through campus interviews. Further, it is important to bear in mind that the students do not choose course of study based on peer pressure and popularity. A decision should be made in consultation with the parents too.

A thorough knowledge of the course of study, engineering, sciences, arts or medicine is sure to fetch good jobs in our country, Mr.Prabha said. Good conversational skills, spoken English, all if it would go a long way in fetching opportunities for students, according to him

Earlier, Chief Education Officer K.P.Maheshwari, founder, PMC Tech group of institutions, Perumal, were among those present.

Practical wisdom and intuitive decision making are key factors for success’ 

Special Correspondent 
 
Tiruchi, April 29, 2019 00:00 IST



R. Senguttuvan, Chief Executive Officer, ITC, presenting the certificate to a candidate at the 29th convocation of Bharathidasan Institute of Management in Tiruchi on Saturday.HANDOUT

29th convocation of Bharathidasan Institute of Management held

Chief Executive Officer, Packaging & Printing Divsion of ITC, R. Senguttuvan said that fine blending of practical wisdom and theoretical knowledge with intuitive decision making were key factors for achieving success.

In his convocation address at the 29th convocation of Bharathidasan Institute of Management (BIM) here on Saturday, he said that the art of management was a delicate balance between theoretical knowledge, practical wisdom and intuitive decision making capabilities. Taking initiative with new ideas, demonstrating leadership qualities, tackling tricky situations with confidence, putting aside fear of failure and mobilizing resources around tactfully could produce distinctive leaders.

Mr. Senguttuvan said that India was ranked among the top 5 economic powers in the world and was poised to become world No.3 in the next decade. It would produce numerous opportunities for talented Indians to show their class and emulate Indians who were holding the center stage at leading business enterprises all across the world.

The country had a strong youth force and while several of them were employed, a section of them were unemployed.

But, they could make a big difference in the business or industrial profile of the country if they tapped the opportunities wisely.

In this context, the Central Government had initiated major reforms in the field of education and had given significant thrust to the cause of higher management education by recognizing institutes of eminence and opening educational institutions, he said.

Mr. Senguttuvan added that the country had produced several inspirational business leaders.

They had not only run companies successfully but had become role models for young Indians to emulate. Leaders such as Ratan Tata, Azim Premji, Y. C. Deveshwar, N. Narayanamurthy, Indira Nooyi and Sundar Pichai had made the country proud with their visionary leadership qualities. Young entrepreneurs and graduands should study their success stories so as to emulate them.

N. Bala Baskar, member, Board of Governors, Karuthaiah Pandian, Director, BIM, M. Sankaran and R. Subramanyam, Professors, participated.

As many as 170 students received MBA degrees. M. Mohamed Nafees and S. Aravind were awarded gold medals for their academic excellence.

Yercaud getting ready for flower show 

Staff Reporter
 
Salem, April 29, 2019 00:00 IST

About 15,000 saplings of flower varieties readied, say officials

Though dates haven’t been officially announced due to model code of conduct for Lok Sabha elections, Horticulture Department officials are busy with the preparatory works for the annual summer festival and flower show in Yercaud.

Preparatory works are in full swing at Anna Park, the main venue of the annual flower show and other spots like Lake Park, Botanical Garden and Rose Park here. Department staff here have arranged around 10,000 flower pots of various varieties including Salvia, Dahlia, Chrysanthemum, Balsam, Marigold, Hydrangea and many others.

According to officials, over 15 flower varieties have been readied for the flower show here.

Officials also said that they have readied around 15,000 saplings of the flower varieties for the flower beds at various venues here.

“As the preparatory works have begun according to regular schedule, the flowers have begun to bloom now and there is a huge crowd of tourists at various venues here,” said an official.

Officials are yet to finalise the various flower models for the show, this year.

An official said that tourists from all over the country are thronging the venues and enjoying the show here and many wedding and candid shoots are happening at the park now.

PIL plea on NEET frisking disposed of 

Staff Reporter 
 
MADURAI, April 29, 2019 00:00 IST

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Saturday was informed by the Central and the State governments that separate frisking enclosures were provided to check female NEET candidates. The submissions were made after a public interest litigation petition sought separate enclosures to frisk male and female candidates.

The court was informed that sufficient booths were set up to frisk candidates and those preferring to wear traditional outfits must have indicated their intention in their NEET application forms. Such candidates must reach the examination centres one hour before the reporting time for frisking. Candidates should wear light clothes, it was submitted.

Recording the submissions, a Division Bench of Justices P.N. Prakash and B. Pugalendhi disposed of the petition filed by advocate B. Ramkumar Adityan from Thoothukudi.

Cots donated to VHS hospital 

Special Correspondent 
 
CHENNAI, April 29, 2019 00:00 IST


 
Cricketer Murali Vijay, second from left, Suresh Jain, CEO, Solokrafts Industries and Abhishek Jain, MD, Surgical Avenue, with Dr. H. Yuvraj Gupta, Director, andDr. J. Balasubramanian of VHS Hospital.M. VedhanM. Vedhan

Over 300 persons donate blood in a drive held on the occasion

Two voluntary organisations — Round Table 123 and Rotary Club of Madras — together donated 101 cots to the Voluntary Health Services hospital here.

At a function on Sunday, Surgical Avenue’s director Abhishek Jain said the health sector lagged in infrastructure and organisations pitched in to support them. “We have previously helped numerous hospitals with infrastructure through our CSR activities and are looking forward to helping more in the future,” he said.

The multi-specialty beds are designed to make bedridden patients self-reliant. They come with a commode, a flush and a basin.

Surgical Avenue had earlier donated such beds to the Cancer Institute, Adyar. In the aftermath of the 2015 floods, the company had supplied medicines and oxygen free of cost in the State.

Cricketer Murali Vijay, who participated in the function, launched a blood donation drive in which over 300 persons donated blood.

Registration a must, but several hostels yet to apply 

Sangeetha Kandavel 
 
Chennai, April 29, 2019 00:00 IST

Raids to be conducted once code of conduct ends

Despite several alerts, only 1,046 hostels have applied for registration with the Chennai Collectorate.

Chennai Collector A. Shanmuga Sundaram, on Friday said, “We received 1,046 applications. We have given licence to seven of them. Over 48 of them have been given provisional licence. The other cases are under scrutiny,” he said.

Ball park estimates show that Chennai could have over 4,000 hostels and paying guest accommodations.

“There are so many hostels which are yet to apply for licence. Once the model code of conduct ends, raids will be conducted and stern action will be taken against those hostels functioning without even applying for licence,” the collector said.

According to the Tamil Nadu Hostels and Home for Women and Children (Regulation) Act, 2015, all women and children’s hostels must be registered with the respective district collectorate.

In December 2018, Chennai Collector had mandated that all hostels must be registered, failing which they cannot continue operations.

Mr. Shanmuga Sundaram said they would soon start tracking all unregistered hostels across the city. Since this is an unorganized industry, it was difficult to get details, he said. All applications received will be reviewed thoroughly before giving away the licence. A handful of men’s hostels have also applied for licence. The collector also made it clear that if any violation is found, a showcause notice would be issued to the authorities running the hostels.

‘Unaware of process’

One of the hostel owners in Chennai, said, “Many small hostel owners are still unaware about the registration process. Maybe after elections more people will come forward and register,” he added.

The hostel business, which is highly unorganized, has an estimated turnover of over Rs. 1,000 crore per annum. On an average, hostels in Chennai charge anywhere between Rs. 2,500 to Rs. 15,000 per month.

Cyclone Fani won’t hit State’s coast: IMD 

Staff Reporter 
 
CHENNAI, April 29, 2019 00:00 IST

‘However, north T.N. might get mild rain’

Cyclone Fani will not hit the Tamil Nadu coast, said officials of the India Meteorological Department on Sunday.

S. Balachandran, Deputy Director General of Meteorology of the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), said, “The cyclone will not make landfall in Tamil Nadu. We will not have any direct impact because of this. But we may get some moderate rainfall in northern parts of the State when it nears the coast of northern Tamil Nadu.”

Minor respite from heat

As far as Chennai is concerned, the residents may get minor respite from the heat as there could be some mild showers for a day or two this week, he said.

The sky will remain partly cloudy.

While the maximum will be around 36 degree Celsius, the minimum temperature is likely to be 28 degree Celsius. The storm now lies about 910 km off the coast and it is likely to bring in only moderate rains to some parts of northern Tamil Nadu.

Change of direction

The cyclone may get as close as 300 km off the Tamil Nadu coast on April 30 and after that, there may occur a change of direction too, officials said.

Cyclone Fani is likely to turn into a ‘severe cyclonic storm’.

This may develop into an ‘extremely severe cyclone storm’ on Wednesday.

Fishermen told not to enter sea

Fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea from April 29 to May 1. Also, fishermen in deep sea have been asked to return at the earliest.

Chennai may get some mild showers for a day or two this week

Met officials

Government servant not eligible to make will of family pension, says Chhattisgarh HC

TNN | Apr 29, 2019, 01.26 PM ISTRAIPUR:

The Chhattisgarh high court has held that a government servant is not eligible to make a will of his or her family pension since it has to be disbursed as per the pension rules.

Allowing a revision petition filed by one Samunda Bai, first wife of late Vijay Kumar Kaushik - who was working as a head constable in Janjgir-Champa - the bench of Justice Sanjay K Agrawal said in his order that the family pension do not form part of the estate of the deceased. The deceased had no right to make testamentary disposition with regard to family pension in favour of any family member. Samunda Bai along with her son Sudhir Kumar Kaushik had moved the high court after challenging an order passed by the lower courts, rejecting their application for grant of succession certificate in their favour.

Stating the brief facts of the case, the high court, in its order, mentioned that the petitioners Samunda Bai and her son and the private respondents of the case including Kanti Bai - the second wife of the deceased - and her three sons, have claimed amount of dues including provident fund, gratuity, leave encashment, pension, family benefit fund, ex gratia amount and police welfare amount for which the competent authority directed them to produce succession certificate.

The petitioners stated that Samunda Bai, being the first and legally wedded wife of deceased Vijay Kumar, is entitled for all pension benefits and it cannot be bequeathed by way of will, the order said.

Referring to the guiding principles and judgements made by the Supreme Court, the high court, in its order, said that the grant of family pension in the instant case is governed by Chhattisgarh Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1976, which provides that the grant of family pension is restricted only to the family of the deceased and further, no nomination for grant of family pension can be made.

Government Servant Is Not Eligible To Make Will Of Family Pension: Chhattisgarh HC [Read Judgment]

Government Servant Is Not Eligible To Make Will Of Family Pension: Chhattisgarh HC [Read Judgment]: However, Will of Provident Fund, Gratuity, Leave Encashment, Group Insurance Scheme and Family Benefit Fund can be made.

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மாற்றப்பட்ட பணம் எவ்வளவு? வேலுார் கனரா வங்கியில் விசாரணை!

Added : ஏப் 24, 2019 23:09

வேலுார், கனரா வங்கியில், பண மதிப்பிழப்பு நடவடிக்கையின் போது, எவ்வளவு பணம் மாற்றப்பட்டது என்பது குறித்து, வங்கி அதிகாரிகளிடம், நிதித்துறை சேவைகளை கண்காணிக்கும் அதிகாரிகள், தீவிர விசாரணை நடத்தி வருகின்றனர்.தேர்தலின்போது, வாக்காளர்களுக்கு பணம் கொடுக்க, வேலுாரில் உள்ள கனரா வங்கியில், கோடிக்கணக்கான ரூபாய் நோட்டுகள் மாற்றப்பட்டன.இதற்கு உடந்தையாக இருந்த, வங்கியின் மண்டல மேலாளரும், தி.மு.க., பொருளாளர், துரைமுருகனின் உறவினருமான தயாநிதி, கிளை மேலாளர், சிங்காரம் உட்பட, மூன்று அதிகாரிகள், 'சஸ்பெண்ட்' செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளனர்.இந்நிலையில், இந்த வங்கியில் பண மதிப்பிழப்பு நடவடிக்கையின் போது, எவ்வளவு தொகை மாற்றப்பட்டது என்பது குறித்து, விசாரணை துவங்கி உள்ளது. விசாரணை அதிகாரிகள் கூறியதாவது:வேலுார் கனரா வங்கியில் நடந்த சம்பவம், மிகப் பெரிய தாக்கத்தை ஏற்படுத்தி உள்ளது.தேர்தலுக்காக, பெரிய தொகையை மாற்றியவர்கள், பண மதிப்பிழப்பு நடவடிக்கையின் போது, எவ்வளவு தொகை மாற்றி இருப்பர் என்ற கேள்வி எழுந்தது.இது தொடர்பாக, நிதி துறை சேவைகளை கண்காணிக்கும் அதிகாரிகள், தீவிர விசாரணை மேற்கொண்டுள்ளனர். இந்த சம்பவத்தில் தொடர்புடைய அதிகாரிகள், 'சஸ்பெண்ட்' செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளனர். அவர்களிடமும், துறை ரீதியிலான விசாரணை மேற்கொள்ளப்பட்டு வருகிறது.இவ்வாறு, அவர்கள் கூறினர். - நமது நிருபர் -

தமிழகத்தில் 2,000 போலி நர்சிங் கல்லூரிகள்

Added : ஏப் 24, 2019 23:36

வேலுார், ''தமிழகத்தில் 2000 போலி நர்சிங் கல்லுாரிகள் செயல்படுகின்றன'' என தமிழ்நாடு செவிலியர் கல்லுாரிகள் சங்க மாநில தலைவர் பாலாஜி கூறினார்.இது குறித்து அவர் நேற்று வேலுாரில் நிருபர்களிடம் கூறியதாவது:தமிழகத்தில் புதிதாக ஒரு நர்சிங் கல்லுாரி துவங்க இந்திய நர்சிங் கவுன்சில் அனுமதியை பெற வேண்டும். அதன்பிறகு மாநில அரசின் அனுமதியை பெற்று தான் கல்லுாரி துவங்க முடியும். ஆனால் தமிழகத்தில் 2000 போலி நர்சிங் கல்லுாரிகள் உள்ளன. இந்த கல்லுாரிகளில் ஓராண்டு இரண்டாண்டு பயிற்சி எனக்கூறி மாணவ - மாணவியரிடம் பல லட்சம் பறித்து மோசடி செய்து வருகின்றனர்.இவற்றில் படித்த 40 ஆயிரம் மாணவ - மாணவியர் தற்போது ஏமாற்றம் அடைந்துள்ளனர். இதில் மாணவர்களுக்கு பண விரயத்துடன் கால விரயமும் ஏற்படுகிறது. போலி நர்சிங் கல்லுாரிகள் முறையாக பதிவு செய்யவும் முடியாது.எனவே புதிதாக நர்சிங் படிக்க விரும்புவோர் நர்சிங் கவுன்சில் வெப்சைட்டிற்கு சென்று அரசு அங்கீகாரரம் பெற்ற நர்சிங் கல்லுாரிகள் குறித்து அறிந்து அதன் பின் அவற்றில் சேர வேண்டும். உண்மையான பதிவு பெற்ற நர்சிங் நிறுவனங்களில் மூன்று ஆண்டு பயிற்சி வழங்கப்படுகிறது.இவ்வாறு அவர் கூறினார்.

தேர்தல் பணியில் இறப்பு நிவாரணம் உயர்வு

Added : ஏப் 24, 2019 23:08

சென்னை, தேர்தல் பணியின்போது இறக்கும், ஊழியர்கள் குடும்பத்திற்கு வழங்கப்படும் நிவாரணத் தொகை, 15 லட்சம் ரூபாயாக உயர்த்தப்பட்டுள்ளது.தேர்தல் பணியின்போது இறக்கும் ஊழியர்களின் குடும்பத்திற்கு, 10 லட்சம் ரூபாய் நிவாரணமாக வழங்கப்பட்டது. இந்த நிவாரண தொகை, தற்போது, 15 லட்சம் ரூபாயாக உயர்த்தப்பட்டுள்ளது.தேர்தல் பணியின்போது, பயங்கரவாதிகள் தாக்குதலில் இறந்தவர்களின் குடும்பத்திற்கு வழங்கப்பட்ட, 20 லட்சம் ரூபாய் நிவாரணம், 30 லட்சம் ரூபாயாக உயர்த்தப்பட்டுஉள்ளது.பலத்த காயமடைவோருக்கு வழங்கப்பட்ட, ௫ லட்சம் ரூபாய் நிவாரணம், தற்போது, 7.5 லட்சம் ரூபாயாக உயர்த்தப்பட்டுள்ளது. இதற்கான உத்தரவை, தேர்தல் ஆணையம் பிறப்பித்துஉள்ளது.

திருப்பதி, 'டெபாசிட்' ரூ.12 ஆயிரம் கோடி

Updated : ஏப் 25, 2019 05:01



திருப்பதி: திருமலை திருப்பதி தேவஸ்தானம், பல்வேறு வங்கிகளில் செய்துள்ள, முதலீடுகள், 12 ஆயிரம் கோடி ரூபாயை எட்டியுள்ளது.

ஆந்திராவில் உள்ள, உலகப் புகழ்பெற்ற திருமலை திருப்பதி தேவஸ்தானம், பக்தர்கள் காணிக்கையாக செலுத்தும் பணம் மற்றும் இதர வருவாயை, வங்கிகளில், 'டெபாசிட்' செய்கிறது.இவ்வாறு, பல்வேறு வங்கிகளில் செய்துள்ள, டெபாசிட் அளவு, 12 ஆயிரம் கோடி ரூபாயை எட்டியுள்ளது. இதற்கு வட்டியாக, ஆண்டுக்கு, 845 கோடி ரூபாய் கிடைக்கும் என, தேவஸ்தான அதிகாரி ஒருவர் தெரிவித்தார். தேவஸ்தானத்திடம், 8.7 டன் தங்கம் உள்ளது. இதைத் தவிர, 550 கிலோ தங்கம் மற்றும் வைர ஆபரணங்கள் உள்ளன.

Madurai Kamaraj University sex scandal case: HC summons Nirmala Devi for second in-chamber hearing
The All India Democratic Women Association had sought a CBI probe into the marks for sex scandal in the Madurai Kamaraj University.

Published: 24th April 2019 12:17 PM |

Assistant professor Nirmala Devi of Devanga Arts College in Aruppukottai

By Express News Service

The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court conducted an in-chamber hearing with Nirmala Devi, the prime accused in Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) sex scandal case on Monday. This is the second such hearing conducted by the High Court Bench with Nirmala Devi.


A division bench comprising Justices N Kirubakaran and SS Sundar conducted the hearing on public interest litigation (PIL) filed by one Suganthi of All India Democratic Women Association (AIDWA) seeking CBI investigation into the MKU scandal.

The previous in-chamber hearing was ordered by the Bench to ascertain whether she was being denied legal aid. Whereas the previous hearing had taken place in the presence of the CB-CID Investigating officer, this hearing, the duration of which exceeded an hour, was conducted with the accused alone.

Incorrect info on NEET hall tickets leaves examinees confused in Tirunelveli
As more than 30 NEET applicants from the southern districts have reportedly received their hall ticket printed with mismatching details about the examination centre and its address,

Published: 25th April 2019 02:23 AM

By Thinakaran Rajamani

Express News Service

TIRUNELVELI: As more than 30 NEET applicants from the southern districts have reportedly received their hall ticket printed with mismatching details about the examination centre and its address, their parents are running from pillar to post to clear the discrepancies. A coordinator working at Kerala NEET Academy, Tirunelveli, told Express that there was a mismatch between the examination centre number and its address in the hall tickets that were received by around 25 of their students hailing from southern districts, including Tirunelveli, Ramanathapuram and Thoothukudi.

“While the hall tickets say examination centre 4106, situated in Madurai, has been allotted for the students, it has the address of a Tirunelveli-based private school,” he added. Asaraf Ali, the father of a Ramanathapuram-based medical aspirant, said the authorities of the National Testing Agency (NTA) could not be reached through the given toll-free number and e-mail address.

“Officials at the office of the Chief Educational Officer and collectorate told us that they were in no way connected with the NEET process and asked us to contact the officials in New Delhi. There is not even a single nodal officer appointed for Tamil Nadu to lend an ear to the issues of NEET applicants,” he said. “My calls to the toll-free number were attended only on April 17 and 18.


The person on the other side told there were printing mistakes in the hall tickets due to virus-infected computers, then my calls went unanswered,” he added.

UAE woman wakes up from coma after almost 30 years

The story of Munira Abdulla, who woke up from a coma after 27 years, will make you believe in miracles!

Published: 24th April 2019 03:45 PM |

By Online Desk

We often hear people use the phrase 'medical miracle.' But, have we actually seen or known one? The story of Munira Abdulla stands testimony to it.

It was just any other day for Omar Webair, Abdulla's son, when his mother came to his school to pick him up in their car. But, the incident that followed left an unforgettable impact on the family.

Little did they expect that they would crash into a bus, which would leave Abdulla with a serious brain injury. Omar was four when the fateful incident happened. Recalling the accident, Omar said that when his mother saw the crash coming, she hugged him to protect him from the blow. After that, the 32-year-old Abdulla slipped into a coma that lasted for decades.

Omar didn't want to give up on his mother, waiting with hope and despair for years to hear her call his name once again. 27 years later, the 32-year-old Omar's belief didn't fail him as his mother woke up from the vegetative state. The number 32 certainly has some significance in the lives of both mother and son.


Through the years, there wasn't anything that Omar didn't try to help his ailing mother. Abdulla spent years in hospitals in UAE where she was tube-fed and underwent physiotherapy to prevent muscle deterioration.

It has been difficult for Omar to balance work and family, but he always made time for his mother. Taking cognisance of the incident, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi gave the family a grant for a comprehensive multidisciplinary programme in Germany.

When the miracle happened...

It was their final week in Germany and Omar had an argument in the hospital room when Abdulla reacted with strange sounds. But she was still in a coma. Three days later, Omar woke up to his mom calling his name.

Speaking to The National, he said, “It was her. She was calling my name. I was flying with joy. For years I have dreamt of this moment, and my name was the first word she said."

Today, Abdulla has become more responsive and has returned home to Abu Dhabi.

"I shared her story to tell people not to lose hope over their loved ones," Omar told the UAE daily.

Like the saying which goes 'where there is love, there are miracles,' this is a story full of love and faith and makes us exclaim in joy that family is above all!

Rs. 8 crore to reprint Tamil University publications

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

THANJAVUR, APRIL 25, 2019 00:00 IST

The State Government has allocated Rs. 8 crore to reprint publications brought out by the Tamil University.

So far, 452 books on various topics and collection of research papers presented in workshops or seminars conducted by the university including books on ‘Bharathiyar poems’ have been published. Books on Subramaniya Bharathi regarding business activities of Tamilians during Sangam period, inscriptions of Chola and Nayak have elicited good response from readers.

Though more than 450 publications have been brought out, only around 250 were available for sale as on date. The government will release fund in four equal instalments over the next four years for reprinting all books and making them available for sale for the benefit of students, researches and book-lovers, Vice-Chancellor G.Balasubramanian said.

It has been proposed to re-print 225 books / publications this year using the government fund and the excess fund, if available, would be used to publish new books. New books and collection of research papers on various topics numbering around 20 were under print apart from 10 publications brought out already during this year using Rs. 13 lakhs received from the University Grants Commission, he said.

Inaugurating the New Year sale of university publications at half-the cover price at the Publications Depot at the Palace Complex here on Wednesday, the Vice-Chancellor said that the book on Copper plate inscriptions of Maratha period was the first publication brought out by the university.

The half-the cover price sale during the fortnight long New Year sale and the month-long sale coinciding with the Foundation Day of the university and birth anniversary of former Chief Minister, C.N.Annadurai (from September 15 to October 15) last year had fetched Rs. 3.50 lakhs to the university as more than 5000 books/publications were bought by book lovers, students and researchers during the 45-day period.

In all, the Publications Division earned Rs. 10 lakhs through sale of books and periodicals during the entire last year.

The New Year half-the cover price sale would be conducted at the Tamil University Publications Division, Palace Complex, Thanjavur, from April 24 to May 8 between 10 a.m. and 5-45 p.m. on all days except on Sundays and government holidays.

Kabaddi to help keep children in tenements off bad habits

Vivek Narayanan

CHENNAI, APRIL 25, 2019 00:00 IST

Healthy diversion:Children at a kabaddi class.

After Perumbakkam, TNSCB plans to take the initiative to other settlements

Fear of their children picking up bad habits has always haunted residents of Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) tenements.

To help teenagers steer clear of the vice trap, the board has now started kabaddi coaching classes for boys and girls.

“The lack of recreational facilities in the colonies put our children at the risk of picking up bad habits,” said Abirami, a resident of Athipattu TNSCB settlement.

To address this issue, TNSCB held a meeting with de-addiction centres, NGOs and police officers recently. They decided to roll out various measures including introducing sports activities and counselling programmes. “We have initially started kabaddi coaching for the boys and girls in Perumbakkam,” said a TNSCB official. “As of now we have started summer coaching in Perumbakkam for kabaddi. Over 20 girls and close to 30 boys are taking part in the camp,” said V. Sathyaseelan from Don Bosco Anbu Illam, which is coordinating the training programme. “Sports will surely deter the children from getting into bad habits,” he noted.

More to come

Similar coaching is also planned at other resettlement colonies including Navalur and Gudapakkam. “We have to improve the playgrounds in the colonies and install goalposts . After this we will start football coaching. Following this, we will hold matches. This will also help the children secure admission to colleges and land jobs through sports quota,” the TNSCB official said.

TNSCB is also planning to hold counselling sessions for children to prevent them from picking up bad habits. “We will be doing this with the help of de-addiction centres and NGOs,” an official said.

Jio overtakes Airtel as India’s No. 2 telco

Pankaj.Doval@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:25.04.2019

Nearly two-and-ahalf years after launching mobile phone services, Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio has overtaken Bharti Airtel’s subscriber base to emerge as the second-largest telecom company in the country.

Jio, which has a customer base of 30.6 crore, now trails only Vodafone-Idea. Airtel has 28.4 crore subscribers while Vodafone-Idea had announced that it had 38.7 crore subscribers in December 2018.

Airtel’s numbers were confirmed by a company spokesperson after TOI sent a query on Tuesday evening.

A telecom industry analyst said that the pace of growth of Jio’s subscriber additions may see the company overtake Vodafone-Idea in the coming quarters. “Vodafone-Idea is the most vulnerable of the three private players in the market, and it may just be a matter of few more quarters, may be three-four, before it is overtaken by Jio,” the analyst said, requesting anonymity as he advises many telecom companies.

For Sunil Mittal’s Airtel, which dominated the Indian telecom space for almost two decades, the fall has been dramatic – it used to be the market leader till the middle of last year before being edged out by the new entity that formed after the merger of Vodafone India and Idea Cellular.

The meteoric growth in Jio’s business since it launched services in September 2016 has been fuelled by aggressive and dirt-cheap consumer tariff plans with the company launching operations with free voice call facility. “The remarkable growth of Jio has been unprecedented and the company is expected to dominate the customer acquisition space through aggressive and innovative tariff plans, including bundling of content packages,” said Mohan Shukla, CEO of FinX-Pros, a consultancy firm.

Jio has been adding subscribers at breakneck speed at a time when Airtel and Vodafone-Idea have been weeding out low-paying users. According to a report by JP Morgan, Jio added 2.7 crore new customers between January and March 2019, after logging in 12 crore new members through 2018. Importantly, the company continues to lead the data space through its 4G-only business, and is actively scouting for more customers with cut-throat tariffs. “… we see no prospects of a tariff hike in FY2019-20, unless Jio’s net-additions (of subscribers) come down,” JM Financial said in a just-released report. Jio’s aggressive entry into the telecom business – in Mukesh Ambani’s second avatar in the mobile space – had unshackled the financials of the industry completely. Airtel, which had initially accused Jio of engaging in “predatory pricing” to gain market share, has seen its domestic operations slip into losses, while Vodafone India and Idea were forced to strike synergies and lower operating costs.

In ‘fire season’, poor quality gadgets worse than having nothing
A.Subramani@timesgroup.com

25.04.2019

Summer is the season of fires, and fire safety specialist Khalid Al Khatib shudders to enter highrises with low quality fire safety devices. Uncertified safety gadgets, poor legal backing, absence of training and education, besides weak enforcement have meant that almost every highrise in the country is a sitting duck for fire-related disasters, he said, during a recent visit to Chennai. “Not having any fire safety equipment is better than having substandard equipment,” said Khatib commenting on fire safety in most buildings, including star hotels in Chennai. A random check in the hotel he was staying revealed that the fire emergency door was locked.

The chief executive officer of NAFFCO, a global fire safety firm, tells TOI in an interview that though Tamil Nadu is progressing in all sectors — commercial, residential and industrial — it is not able to fortify its properties from fire accidents.

What does India need to do on the fire safety front?

Price for quality fire safety gadgets and mechanism is less than 3% of the overall building cost. So, stop all unapproved and unlisted products and use products approved by international laboratories. Strict application of NFPA codes and imposition of hefty penalties on violators is needed. No approval should be given for occupancy of a building unless these norms are met. There should be dedicated fire inspectors for approvals. In some countries, I have seen uncertified products being the cause of a fire — due to poor quality of fire alarm cables and panels. Such gadgets have caused the fire instead of detecting the fire.

India is cost-conscious. Do you have any India-specific strategy in mind?

People across the world are economical, but quality too is important. Will you buy an ‘economical’ car, if you are told the brake system may not be effective? Safety is crucial. Yes, we can provide economical equipment, but approved products come at a price, especially since labour cost, logistics and infrastructure is competitive here.

What is the venture proposal you have in mind?

We are here to set up a factory for certified fire protection equipment and systems in India with state-of-the-art engineering. NAFFCO will provide training and begin the journey.

How about your commitments to awareness and training?

Due to the serious nature of fire and its consequences, we takes it as our moral responsibility to educate the public and train engineers on fire safety and the latest technologies to combat it. NAFFCO conducts fire awareness campaigns in malls and parks to teach public how to use a fire extinguisher. We also conduct fire simulation training, drills and evacuation plans for residents of highrises, and for families and children. We have NFPA certification courses for design engineers, consultants and authorities. Also, we have courses for fire safety inspectors, fire risk assessment and recognition of approved and unapproved products. These accreditation courses will help people update their knowledge about latest international techniques.

Khalid Al Khatib

BREAKING RULES TO EXERCISE RIGHTS

Is It A Sense Of Entitlement Or Fan Frenzy That Makes Celebrities Feel More Equal Than Others?
Neeraja.Ramesh@timesgroup.com

Chennai 25.04.2019

Cast your vote at any cost seemed to be the message of some Tamil Nadu film stars on polling day last week. While actor Sivakarthikeyan ‘managed’ to cast his vote despite his name missing from the voters’ list, actor Srikanth, who accompanied his wife, was also able to vote though his name was missing from the list. Theirs was hardly an honest vote and their social media posts about how they ‘fought’ for their right was hardly an example to emulate.

A video clip of the otherwise imageconscious Ajith Kumar jumping the queue to get inked and being confronted by irate women voters went viral. Actor Trisha, an ambassador of a plethora of social causes, came under criticism for having used her grandmother as an excuse to jump the queue. Her parked car blocking the entrance of the polling booth became a topic of discussion on social media. While Tamil Nadu stars seem to be setting a bad example for good conduct this election, in neighbouring Kerala, mega star Mohan Lal patiently waited in queue for an hour to cast his vote.

But in a country where fan frenzy is the norm, celebrity spotting during the biggest carnival of democracy is a reality. In the polling booths where film stars were supposed to exercise their franchise, voters made it their priority to get the celeb selfie right. In some polling centres a few fans were seen chasing actors for a click, while others posed as party workers to get close to them. So does the onus of making the actors feel more at ease around public not lie with the people as well?

The culture of treating actors like demigods could be the root of the problem. Observers say special treatment for celebrities works both ways, it is the entitled star as much as the star-struck fan who is responsible for the idolatry and mindset that no rules apply to them.

Actor-politician Khushbu says every citizen is expected to follow a certain decorum when it comes to places like polling booths. There are places like the airport where, at a premium, celebrities have the option of avoiding attention. The election process, which comes with great responsibility, is a leveller. “In the interest of one’s image and dignity it would be appreciated if celebrities have a responsible approach and follow due diligence during voting,” she says.

Popularity comes with a price, says film critic Subaguna Rajan. “It is hypocritical of actors to cast votes when their names don’t figure on the voters list. Jumping queues shows arrogance and disregard for commoners. It is unusual for Ajith Kumar to behave in this way. He is someone who stands apart from other celebrities and is known for his simplicity and straightforwardness. Perhaps, this time something could have triggered the actor or maybe officials at the polling booth could have wanted to avoid mayhem and forced him to exit the centre quickly,”

says Subaguna Rajan, who voted in the same booth as Ajith in Valmiki Nagar.

While poll officials who allowed actor Srikanth to vote have been taken to task and an election commission inquiry ordered, the actor in his defence says, “I went to do my duty at the booth in Saligramam. Yes, I did change my address and had submitted all the necessary documents. But after waiting for my turn for one-and-a-half hours was told that my name was missing. But officials told me I could cast my vote after I signed a ledger. If at all there is anybody to be blamed for this mess, it is not me but the election officials,” says the actor, who feels celebrities are soft targets.

Agreeing that the perks of being a celebrity also bring the responsibility of using it judiciously, Nadigar Sangam trustee Kutti Padmini says, “Using star power at the right moment is a judgment call. There is nothing wrong in waiting in a queue, but fan frenzy is also a reality. Unpleasant experiences force actors to be on guard. Now more actors come out to vote like any other citizen. This is a positive trend. Stray incidents should not be reason to paint a negative picture of actors.” Mobbing celebrities not only makes the situation uncomfortable for them but also puts them on a pedestal and makes them feel indispensable. A balanced approach perhaps can emerge if priorities are reoriented, she says. Despite repeated calls and messages to Nadigar Sangam president Nasser regarding the issue, there was no response.

Email your feedback to southpole.toi@timesgroup.com

I was tempted to take a selfie with Jyothika, who was with Surya and Karthi. Somehow, I overcame the temptation and did my duty. Actors are like any other professionals, we should learn to respect their space

— Jayanthi Srinivasan | VOTER

I went to the polling booth early in the morning. It is natural to get mobbed by fans who see us in person. But I waited in queue. If I didn’t want a selfie, I politely declined and if I was in a mood I agreed. I made sure I had all papers with me to avoid confusion

— Khushbu | ACTOR-POLITICIAN

Saw video of Srikanth voting: CEO
Had Earlier Said Actor Didn’t Vote

Sivakumar.B@timesgroup.com

Chennai:25.04.2019

Tamil Nadu chief electoral officer Satyabrata Sahoo on Wednesday said he has sought a report from the Chennai district electoral officer on how actor Srikanth cast his vote in the Lok Sabha elections on April 18, though his name was not on the electoral rolls.

In a U-turn from his earlier statement that the actor did not vote, the CEO said he received a video showing Srikanth casting his vote in a polling booth at Saligramam in South Chennai Lok Sabha constituency. “We have received a video through WhatsApp showing Srikanth voting. Immediately, we forwarded the video to the Chennai district electoral officer asking for a detailed report,” said Sahoo.

He also said action has been taken against an official who allowed actor Sivakarthikeyan to cast his vote, though his name was also not on the electoral rolls. Sivakarthikeyan cast his vote in a booth at a school in Valasaravakkam. His wife’s name was on the rolls and she voted in the same booth. “Now that the vote has been cast, we will take it into consideration as part of the total account. Since the actor voted without his name on the rolls, we have informed the Election Commission. The EC has ordered departmental action against the official,” said Sahoo.

Experts said there are three options for the Election Commission during counting. “During counting, when the margin between the two leading candidates is wide, then the votes polled in the problematic booths need not be counted and the results can be announced by the returning officer,” said former chief election commissioner N Gopalaswami.

The other option is to know to which party’s candidate the two actors had cast their votes. “This can happen only when the court says so. Even with the EVMs, we can know through a roundabout way to which candidate the actors have voted for and count all other votes except the two votes,” said Gopalaswami.

The last option is to go for a re-poll in the two booths. “The Election Commission must immediately order repoll in these booths so that there is no confusion during counting and see to it that the two actors don’t vote again in the re-poll,” he said.

DMK spokesperson T K S Elangovan wanted the Election Commission to decide on the issue immediately. “Before the EVMs, such votes will be challenged and the ballot paper used to be kept in a separate envelope and not considered during counting. Since both the actors have polled their votes in the EVMs and it has been accounted for, it is for the Election Commission to take a decision on whether to order a re-poll,” said Elangovan.

Meanwhile, additional chief electoral officer V Rajaraman will be visiting Karur to check the security of the counting room after Congress candidate Jothimani filed a complaint seeking better security.

Not more than 40 students in a class, each person to have 10sqft space: Edu dept
Aditi.R@timesgroup.com

Chennai:25.04.2019

The department of school education will from the coming academic year strictly enforce the Right to Education Act, 2009, on the number of children who can be admitted in a classroom. Officials said they will make it compulsory for schools to not have more than 40 children in a class.

“It is also mandatory that each student is provided 10 sq ft space as per the norms. This will help them concentrate better,” said an official.

Stuffing more students in classrooms will affect teachers in enforcing discipline and completing their portions early, he added.

The RTE Act prescribes a Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) of 30:1 and 35:1 at primary and higher classes in every school. Guidelines prescibed for school infrastructure by the Union ministry of human resource development mandate that each classroom have a plinth area of 66 sqmt and secondary schools should have two additional classrooms.

Officials said they will inspect schools across the state to ensure they do not take in more students than they can handle.

Rev Bro K K Thomas, principal and correspondent of Montfort Matriculation Higher Secondary School, said that when implemented, the directive can cause problems. The schools permit up to 50 children in higher classes and up to 40 at the primary level, When asked why, the principal said it was due to increasing demand for admissions. “We have been receiving a rising number of requests for admission from parents. If we deny, they use influence and recommendations from higher authorities. In such circumstances, we are helpless,” he said. “If this rule is implemented, we will need to have a detailed discussion with officials as we cannot drastically reduce our intake suddenly,” he said. “Apart from recommendations, many schools take in more students to get more income so they can pay their staff and meet their yearlong educational expenses,” said S Arumainathan, state president of Tamil Nadu Students and Parents Welfare Association. In such cases, the officials should have a proper interaction with principals of schools and come up with a viable solution, so that children are not affected,” he said.

“We have found that effective teaching is possible with a strength of 40,” said P Vijayalakshmi, principal of Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Virugambakkam. She added that when more than two children are seated on each bench they are not able to pay proper attention, resulting in poor discipline and unhygienic conditions. “Many a time, the teacher also fails to remember the names of students when there are more number of students, which is not ideal. Children end up losing out on individual attention. It is laudable that the state has decided to monitor this aspect,” she said.