NEWNEWS TODAY 21.10.2026

‘Unwillingness to live with hubby valid to grant divorce’

‘Unwillingness to live with hubby valid to grant divorce’

 Sureshkumar.K@timesofindia.com 21.10.2026

Chennai: A wife’s statement that she is not willing to live with her husband is a valid ground to grant divorce, Madras high court has said. Forcing the husband and wife to live together, that too, when the wife herself had stated that she is not interested in living with the husband, is not sustainable, the court added. 

A division bench of Justice M Dhandapani and Justice A D Maria Clete passed the order while setting aside an order passed by a Karaikal family court dated May 22, 2020, denying divorce on a plea moved by the husband. 

According to the husband, who is a hearing and speech impaired person, the marriage between him and his wife was solemnized on Sept 8, 2013, at Thirunallar as per Hindu rites and customs. They have a male child. Later, after a misunderstanding, the wife refused to live with the husband. The husband was even prepared to leave his mother and sister who lived with intellectual disabilities. Therefore, he moved the family court seeking to dissolve the marriage. “Even a bare perusal of the cross examination of the wife would reveal that she has categorically stated that she is not interested in joining the petitioner. Though such a statement was made before the family court, it refused to grant divorce,” the husband said. The court set aside the family court order and held that their marriage was dissolved.

AIIMS Madurai to open with 150 beds in Jan, says MP

AIIMS Madurai to open with 150 beds in Jan, says MP 

21.10.2026

Madurai: All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Madurai will begin functioning with 150 beds from Jan 2027, AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP IS Inbadurai said on Tuesday following a meeting with institute director Dr Vir Singh Negi. Inbadurai, who was nominated to the institute’s governing body by the Union health ministry in Sept, said Negi briefed him on construction progress at Thoppur. 

“I am happy to learn that Madurai AIIMS will begin functioning with 150 beds in the first phase from January,” he said in a post on X, adding that construction had reached its final stages. The announcement follows Centre’s Sept 17 submission before Madras high court that fullfledged outpatient services would commence on Jan 1, 2027. However, that undertaking did not specify when inpatient services would begin. In its status report, the Centre said overall project completion would reach 59% by Sept-end, with 88% of Phase I and 35% of Phase II works completed. Five batches of MBBS students, previously accommodated at Ramanathapuram Government Medical College, were shifted to the Thoppur campus by Aug 31. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone in January 2019, but construction began only in May 2024. The project is largely financed through a Japanese development loan. Times News Network

Cardiologists conference held in city

Cardiologists conference held in city 

21.10.2026

Chennai: About 350 cardiologists from India and abroad attended an interventional cardiology conference organised by Promed Hospital in association with Chip-Cto over the weekend. 

The conference, inaugurated by school education minister A Rajmohan, had doctors from Japan, the US and Australia lead the faculty panel. Doctors in Canada, Saudi Arabia and the UK beamed live procedures into the hall. 

Sessions covered torn arteries, valve replacement and cardiac shock. Doctors practised with devices at a training village. “Complications in angioplasty are uncommon, but they will happen to every cardiologist. This will prepare them for that,” said Dr Arun Kalyanasundaram, the organising chairman. TNN

Anna univ grants 1-yr extension to students with pending courses

Anna univ grants 1-yr extension to students with pending courses 

21.10.2026

Chennai: Anna University has granted one-year permission to eligible undergraduate and postgraduate students who have exceeded the maximum period of study but could not complete prescribed additional courses due to changes in academic regulations. 

According to Anna University’s academic regulations, students must complete BE and BTech courses within seven years and ME and MTech courses within four years. The decision, approved at the university’s Academic Council, will allow students to complete pending courses during the academic year 2026-27. The provision applies to students enrolled under various regulations in the university’s UG and PG degree programmes, a university circular said. The permission covers students of Anna University departments, affiliated institutions and the Centre for Distance and Online Education. TNN

Sky-high fees leave 836 MBBS seats empty in final counselling round

Sky-high fees leave 836 MBBS seats empty in final counselling round

Pushpa.Narayan@timesofindia.com 21.10.2026

Chennai: Deemed universities in TN and Puducherry priced out 824 of their MBBS seats, which stayed empty in final round of all-India counselling. With annual fee ranging from 23 lakh to 35 lakh, these seats went unfilled although 11 lakh candidates cleared NEET-2026 qualifying cut-off. The seats will stay vacant as the admission process is over. Unless, of course, the govt decides to allow a mop-up round. Medical Counselling Committee holds counselling for 15% of seats in state govt medical colleges and for all seats in central institutions and deemed universities. 

This year, its stray round opened with 3,426 MBBS vacancies, including 1,171 all-India quota seats. Of these, 837 went unallotted. One is at AIIMS Madurai, and 12 are at Chettinad Institute in Kolar, Karnataka. The remaining 824 are in 14 deemed universities in TN and Puducherry. 

Four colleges, each with 250 MBBS seats, account for most empty seats. Shri Sathya Sai Medical College and Research Institute in Chennai tops with 188 vacant — 75%. Meenakshi Medical College and Research Institute in Kancheepuram has 117 (47%), Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute in Puducherry has 92 (37%), and Sree Balaji Medical College, Chromepet has 82 (33%). SRM Medical College and Research Institute, Saveetha Medical College and Chettinad Medical College & Research Institute also have vacancies. 

Deemed universities in TN and Puducherry charge 23 lakh to 35L a year. Elsewhere in India, the average is 22.68L. In Maharashtra’s deemed universities, where all seats are filled, the average fee is 24.58 lakh. 

In Karnataka’s, it is 20.85 lakh. Over a 4.5-year course, the gap between TN and Puducherry and rest of India comes to about 21L, consultants say. “Fee-hungry institutions must take the blame,” said DMK Rajya Sabha MP P Wilson. “It’s time Union ministry caps fees on deemed universities. Their fees range from 18 lakh to 35 lakh across India. Without a cap on tuition, institutions raise fees every year. It’s profiteering.” Some high-fee colleges managed to fill their seats, but their closing ranks fell sharply. 

At Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, the cut-off rank dropped from 7.3 lakh to 10.68 lakh. “Seats in this college usually fill by the third round. This year, students with minimum scores got in at the stray round. Those with better marks haven’t opted  because they can’t pay this fee. It defeats the spirit of NEET,” said Manickavel Arumugam, who counsels students on medical admissions.

சென்னை: புதிய பாடத்திட்டம் தொடர்பாக ஆசிரியர்களுக்கு பயிற்சி வழங்கும் பணியில், சக ஆசிரியர் களே ஈடுபடுத்தப்படுவதாக புகார்கள் எழுந்துள்ளன.

தமிழகத்தில், மாநில பாடத்திட்டத்தின் கீழ் பயிலும், ஒன்று முதல் மூன்றாம் வகுப்பு வரை படிக்கும் தொடக்கப் பள்ளி மாணவர்களுக்கு, நடப்பு கல்வியாண்டு முதல் புதிய பாடத்திட்டம் அறிமுகம் செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளது. தற்போது, இரண்டாம் பருவ வகுப்புகள் தொடங்கி உள்ளன.

இதற்காக, ஒன்று முதல் மூன்றாம் வகுப்பு வரை கற்பிக்கும் இடைநிலை ஆசிரியர்களுக்கு, கடந்த, 15, 16ம் தேதிகளில் வட்டார அளவில் பயிற்சிகள் வழங்கப்பட்டன.

பொதுவாக, புதிய பாடத்திட்டங்கள் தொடர்பாகவும், கற்றல், கற்பித்தல் செயல்பாடுகளை மேம்படுத்தவும், பயிற்றுனர்கள் வாயிலாக பள்ளி ஆசிரியர்களுக்கு பயிற்சிகள் வழங்கப்படுவது வழக்கம்.

ஆனால், சமீப காலமாக, ஆசிரியர்களை வைத்தே ஆசிரியர்களுக்கு பயிற்சி அளிக்கும் நடைமுறை, பள்ளிக்கல்வி துறையில் பின்பற்றப்பட்டு வருகிறது.

அதேபோல, தமிழகத்தின் பல்வேறு பகுதிகளில், இரண்டாம் பருவத்துக்கான பயிற்சிகளை, ஆசிரியர்களே வழங்கி உள்ளனர். ஆசிரியர்களுக்கு பயிற்சிகளை வழங்க, ஆசிரியர்களையே பயன்படுத்துவதால், கற்பித்தல் செயல்பாடுகள் பாதிக்கப்படுவதாக, புகார் தெரிவிக்கின்றனர்.

இதுகுறித்து, ஆசிரியர் வட்டாரங்கள் கூறியதாவது:

பயிற்றுனர்களே, ஆசிரியர்களுக்கு கற்பித்தல் செயல்பாடுகள் குறித்து பயிற்சி வழங்கினர். இதுவே, அவர்களின் முதன்மை பணி. ஆனால், தற்போது, ஆசிரியர்களே ஆசிரியர்களுக்கு பயிற்சி வழங்கும் முறை பின்பற்றப்படுகிறது.

மாநில பயிற்சி, மாவட்ட பயிற்சிக்கு ஆசிரியர்கள் தேர்வு செய்யப்பட்டு, அவர்கள் வழியாக வட்டார அளவில் ஆசிரியர்களுக்கு பயிற்சிகள் வழங்கப்படுகின்றன. இதனால், பள்ளிகளில் கற்பித்தல் செயல்பாடுகள் பாதிக்கப்படுகின்றன.

இவ்வாறு அவர்கள் கூறினர்.

NEWS TODAY 20.10.2026