Death sentence for rape-murder in 2019 highest in 4 years: NLU report

17 out of 26 cases of capital punishment awarded by HCs related to sexual offences

18/01/2020, SOIBAM ROCKY SINGH ,NEW DELHI

Higher number of death sentences awarded in India in recent years relate to cases of sexual offences, a report by National Law University (NLU), Delhi, revealed.

The fourth edition of ‘The Death Penalty in India: Annual Statistics’ published by Project 39A of NLU-Delhi said the number of death sentences awarded for murders involving sexual offences in 2019 was at the highest in four years.

Cases and convictions

The trial courts in India imposed 102 death sentences in 2019, a significant drop from 162 death sentences in 2018. However, the percentage of sexual offences in these cases increased from 41.35 (67 out of 162) in 2018 to 52.94 in 2019 (54 out of 102 sentences). This trend was also seen at the High Courts where 65.38% (17 out of 26) cases of confirmations of death sentences involved sexual offences along with murder, the highest in four years.

The Supreme Court in 2019 dealt with 27 capital punishment cases, highest number since 2001, primarily under former Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi’s tenure.

The report said that this can be linked to the priority given to such cases by Chief Justice Gogoi. The Supreme Court last year confirmed the death penalty of seven cases out of which four were of murder involving sexual offences. It commuted a total of 17 cases of death penalty.

The report stated that there were widespread discussions on capital punishment in 2019 involving sexual offences against women and children.

POCSO Act amendment

It observed that the amendment to The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, introducing stringent mandatory minimum punishments and death penalty for penetrative sexual assault on children was a major development in this direction.

Additionally, in response to the public outcry following a brutal gang-rape and murder in Hyderabad, the Andhra Pradesh amended the Indian Penal Code to introduce the death penalty for rape.

“National debates and legislative trends, as well as data on administration of death penalty in this report, indicate that the issue of sexual violence against women and children is now at the heart of the debate on capital punishment in India,” the report said.

It added that the “rampancy and impunity of sexual violence and the fractures within the criminal justice system perpetuating this cycle has led to a public outcry for harsher punishments”.

There was also a corresponding increase in death warrants issued last year, six against one in 2018, with all warrants eventually stayed by the courts, the report stated.

“All warrants that were issued indicate a lack of compliance with the guidelines issued in the case of Shabnam vs. Union of India, which requires that a warrant for execution not be issued until reasonable time for exhausting all remedies under the law has lapsed and specifies procedures to be followed in issuing such warrant,” Project 39A report stated.

Nirbhaya killers to hang on February 1

President rejects Mukesh’s mercy plea

18/01/2020, SOIBAM ROCKY SINGH,NEW DELHI

On a day President Ram Nath Kovind rejected the mercy plea of death row convict Mukesh Singh in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape case, a Delhi court on Friday issued a fresh death warrant to hang all four convicts in Tihar jail at 6 a.m. on February 1.

Mukesh had submitted a mercy petition to the President earlier this week. He had followed this up with a petition at the Delhi court, seeking the postponement of his execution.

Additional sessions judge Satish Kumar Arora, who had previously ordered the execution of all four convicts on January 22, questioned why the other three convicts had not yet appealed against the death warrant or exhausted their legal remedies.

“Would it not be delaying tactics? How far can it be stretched,” the judge asked.

The Delhi Prison Rules state that, “If the sentence of death has been passed on more than one person in the same case, and if an appeal or an application is made by or on behalf of only one or more but not all of them the execution of the sentence shall be postponed in the case of all such persons (prisoner sentenced to deaths).”

Currently, Vinay Sharma and Mukesh Singh have exhausted their option of a curative petition before the Supreme Court against the death sentence, while the other two — Pawan Gupta and Akshay Singh — are yet to approach the apex court with their curative pleas.

Sharma, Gupta and Akshay Singh — have also not filed a mercy plea before the President. Advocate A.P. Singh, representing Sharma and Gupta, said a case was pending before the Supreme Court on the question of Gupta’s alleged juvenile status when the crime was committed.

Tuition teacher, husband held under Pocso Act

19/01/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT ,CHENNAI

The All-Women police, Avadi, on Saturday arrested a 37-year-old man for aggravated sexual assault on a six-year-old girl. His wife, a tuition teacher, was arrested for abetting the crime.

According to police sources, the victim was studying in second standard at a private school. On the day of the crime, the victim’s mother left her, along with her five-year-old brother, at a home tuition centre.

When the mother returned, the boy told her that his sister was crying during the tuition. The child did not immediately tell her mother what had happened, and revealed the incident only 10 days later, the police said.

Based on the mother’s complaint, the police interrogated the tuition teacher, Vijayalakshmi, 33, and her husband, H. Naresh, 37. The police said that Naresh committed aggravated sexual assault on the child and his wife abetted the crime.

The All-Women police, Avadi, booked a case against them under sections 9 (aggravated sexual assault) and 10 (punishment for sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012, and arrested them.

We buried our differences, couple inform HC Bench

19/01/2020, STAFF REPORTER ,MADURAI

Taking cognisance of the fact that a married couple from Nagercoil had buried their differences and were living together, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court closed a divorce application pending before the Additional District Judge, Nagercoil.

It was hearing the appeal filed by the husband, Solomon Banerji from Nagercoil, who challenged the trial court’s order granting ₹ 8,000 towards maintenance to his wife and children. During the course of the hearing, it was informed that the couple had settled their differences amicably and were living together.

Taking note of the submission made by the couple who were present before the court, Justice N. Sathish Kumar said since the matter was settled, the divorce application pending before the lower court could be closed. Additional District Judge, Nagercoil, is required to close the divorce petition as infructuous as the matter had been amicably settled between the parties, the court said.

The court said that as far as the appeal was concerned, the trial court had taken note of the factual scenario then and awarded the maintenance. Since both parties were residing together, the question of executing the order does not arise. However, the court said that if the husband in future neglects to maintain his wife and children, the trial court order can be put in execution and enforceable by the wife. The appeal was disposed of.

‘There must be a system to ensure rape convicts are punished within 6 months’

Chief Minister reacts to verdict in Gandhi Nagar rape case

19/01/2020, PRESS TRUST OF INDIA,NEW DELHI

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said a system needs to be developed to ensure that rape convicts are punished within six months.

Reacting to the verdict in the 2013 Gandhi Nagar rape case, Mr. Kejriwal said it took seven years to find the accused guilty.

“We need to all come together and correct this system. If we want to ensure that no one misbehaves with our sisters and daughters we need to develop a system that ensures that the accused are punished within six months,” he tweeted.

Two men accused of kidnapping and raping a five-year-old girl in Delhi in 2013 were held guilty on Saturday by a city court.

The girl was raped in April 2013, four months after a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern, Nirbhaya, was raped on December 16, 2012, in a running bus in south Delhi’s Munirka.

Nirbhaya had succumbed to injuries in Singapore hospital. All four surviving convicts in the Nirbhaya case have been ordered to be hanged till death on February 1.

They were earlier ordered to be hanged on January 22 but the execution had been stayed by the Delhi High Court, pending disposal of the mercy petition to the president by one of them.

Railways told to pay passenger ₹5,000 for double-booking berth

He had to share berth with woman who had same seat

19/01/2020, STAFF REPORTER,NEW DELHI

A District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission here has directed the Indian Railways to compensate a passenger by paying ₹5,000 for allotting a berth booked by the complainant to another passenger.

Complainant L.G. Dass from Delhi said despite reserving an AC III-tier berth by paying ₹450 for travel between Jalandhar to Ambala, he found that the berth was occupied by another passenger.

“He was shocked to see that a lady was sleeping on the berth and on being asked to vacate the same, she insulted the complainant. After much insistence, the lady showed two tickets to the complainant... issued by the Railways for allotting the same berth and coach,” the Bench observed while noting the allegations in the plea.

“In these peculiar circumstances, the complainant had no option but to accommodate the lady and allow her to use his berth which caused him physical and mental pain during the five-hour journey and the coach attendant even refused to provide the complaint book to the complainant,” the Bench added.

Holding the railways deficient in services, the Bench of the consumer forum said, “The allotting of same berth as already allotted to the complainant wrongfully to another passenger is indeed deficiency of services in our considered view.”


‘Within a month’

Directing the Railways to compensate the complainant, the consumer panel said the order has been carried out within 30 days.

Two convicted for 2013 rape of Delhi minor

19/01/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,NEW DELHI

A special court in Delhi on Saturday convicted two men of raping a five-year-old girl at Gandhi Nagar in East Delhi in 2013, observing that the victim had experienced exceptional depravity and extreme brutality at their hands. Arguments on the quantum of sentence will be heard on January 30.

Stating that the case had shaken the collective conscience of society, Additional sessions judge Naresh Kumar Malhotra of the Karkardooma court held Manoj Shah and Pradeep Kumar guilty.

The gruesome incident, which had triggered widespread protests, took place on April 15, 2013. Police said the two men were inebriated when Shah lured the girl into his room. They then subjected her to unnatural sex and also attempted to strangle her, as alleged.

The missing victim was located after about 40 hours in a room on the ground floor of the same building where her family lived on the first floor.

The police seized three candles and a hair-oil bottle that were inserted inside the girl.

Former V-C’s memoirs released

19/01/2020, STAFF REPORTER,CHENNAI

Releasing Oru Thunai Vendharin Kathai, the autobiography of former V-C of University of Madras S. Sathikh, Panruti S. Ramachandran, former Tamil Nadu Minister, said that Mr. Sathikh was an example of how a V-C should conduct himself.

Justice K.N. Basha, former judge, Madras High Court, highlighted the role played by Mr. Sathikh in getting girl students enrolled at Annamalai University for the first time.

Smriti Irani blames AAP, Arvind Kejriwal says let’s not politicise matter

TNN | Jan 18, 2020, 04.38 AM IST

NEW DELHI: Union women and child development minister Smriti Irani blamed the Aam Aadmi Party government on Friday for the delay in the hanging of the four men convicted in the Nirbhaya case. She accused Delhi government of slowing the process after the Supreme Court had rejected the convicts’ review petition in July 2018. In response, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal urged BJP not to politicise the case but to work together in ensuring that the sentencing in such incidents was carried out quickly.
Kejriwal tweeted, “I feel sad politics being done on such issue. Shudn’t v be working together to ensure guilty r hanged soonest? Shudn’t v join hands to ensure a system so that such beasts get hanged within 6 months? Pl don’t do politics on this. Let’s together create a safe city for our women (sic).”

The CM later asserted that his government had completed all its responsibilities with regard to the case “within a few hours”. He told reporters, “Delhi government has no role in delaying the hanging.”

In a video message released on Twitter, Kejriwal added, “The postponement of hanging of convicts has disappointed everyone. We all want them to be hanged as soon as possible. It is sad that such a sensitive issue has become the subject of politics.”

Vinay Sharma, Akshay Kumar, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh were sentenced to death for raping a 23-year-old woman in a moving bus in Delhi in December 2012. The brutalised victim, who was later given the name Nirbhaya, had died in a Singapore hospital while undergoing treatment.

Irani claimed that when the entire country was united in seeking expeditious justice for Nirbhaya, Kejriwal had delayed the process of justice. She said the Supreme Court had rejected the review petitions of the convicts in July 2018, but the jail administration and Delhi government had suppressed the case. She asked the AAP government why the convicts hadn’t yet been hanged in the year and a half since their review petition was rejected.

The Union minister also noted that Delhi government had granted Rs 10,000 and a sewing kit on the release of the juvenile accused, who she described as the cruellest among the rapists. She welcomed Friday’s rejection of Singh’s mercy petition by President Ram Nath Kovind.

Normalcy only after VC is sacked: JNU teachers

TNN | Jan 18, 2020, 04.43 AM IST

NEW DELHI: In its general body meeting (GBM) on Friday, JNU Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) reiterated that to restore normalcy on the campus, the vice-chancellor should be sacked. It also decided not to cooperate with the Jawaharlal Nehru University administration on resuming classes, saying the authorities should first try to end the impasse with students.

JNUTA will seek a judicial inquiry into the January 5 violence on the campus as neither the “sham inquiry” of the VC-appointed committee nor Delhi Police’s investigation would bring to light the complete truth, the resolution claimed.

“No teaching for the winter semester can commence before the academic activities of the monsoon semester are completed in a manner consistent with the statutory provisions and the maintenance of academic standards,” GBM stated. The teachers will engage with students but will not “accept the diktats of an administration that cannot even perform its job of ensuring a conducive environment for regular academic activities”, it pointed out.

The teachers, who assembled in front of School of International Studies and raised slogans, alleged that as the administration didn’t not want a fair investigation, JNUTA demanded the sacking of the VC as a “necessary, though not sufficient, condition for teachers to feel secure. GBM... cautions MHRD that it will be held squarely responsible should the distinct possibility of any further untoward incidents becomes a reality because of the delay in relieving the VC”.

The resolution rejected the registrar’s January 13 advisory alleging that it had “admonished teachers and threatened them”. After the “chilling experience of January”, there’s no doubt the VC and the administration “do indeed pose a serious threat” to the teachers, it stated.

Demanding that the private security agency at JNU be held accountable for its failure on January 5 and be replaced, JNUTA sought “an urgent review of security arrangements, which must include the participation of teachers, students, staff and residents”. It also said the current security arrangements were causing inconveniences to every body.

Won’t forgive even if God asks: Nirbhaya’s mother

TNN | Jan 18, 2020, 04.48 AM IST

New Delhi: Asha Devi, Nirbhaya’s mother, on Saturday slammed senior advocate Indira Jaising for suggesting her that she should pardon her daughter’s rapists.

Earlier, in a tweet, Indira Jaising had urged Asha Devi to follow the example of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and pardon the Nirbhaya’s rapists. This triggered a controversy as Nirbhaya’s mother reacted to the tweet saying that Jaising had no authority to suggest anything to her. “It is because of such comments that justice is not done to the rape victims,” Nirbhaya’s mother said in reaction to the lawyer’s tweet.

In the tweet on Friday night, Jaising wrote: “While I fully identify with the pain of Asha Devi I urge her to follow the example of Sonia Gandhi who forgave Nalini and said she didn’t not want the death penalty for her. We are with you but against death penalty.”

The tweet was accompanying a video in which Nirbhaya’s mother was heard saying that “Till now, I never talked about politics, but now I want to say that those people who held protests on streets in 2012, today the same people are only playing with my daughter's death for political gains”.

While Jaising received both support and criticism for the tweet, Nirbhaya’s family members said that they were shocked by her reaction.

“Who is she to tell or suggest to me to forgive them. Even if God asks me, I won’t forgive them. I don’t have anything to do with such people. She too is a woman and should have at least felt for me while saying those. I am really sad,” said Nirbhaya’s mother.

Nirbhaya’s mother broke down during a television interview when questioned about the tweet. “People like her keep earning money under the garb of human rights. I do not need her suggestions. Just because of people who think like her incidents like rape keep happening. She is an insult to women,” Devi added.

A Delhi Court had on Friday issued fresh death warrants against the four convicts -- Akshay, Pawan, Mukesh and Vinay in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case. Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Satish Kumar Arora fixed February 1 as the date of execution of the four death row convicts. They will be hanged at 6am.

2 convicted for raping 5-year-old girl in Delhi in 2013

PTI | Jan 18, 2020, 04.08 PM IST

NEW DELHI: A POCSO court convicted two men on Saturday for raping a five-year-old girl in east Delhi in 2013, saying the case had shaken the collective conscience of the society.

Additional sessions judge Naresh Kumar Malhotra convicted Manoj Shah and Pradeep Kumar in the case, saying that the child experienced exceptional depravity and extreme brutality.

Shah and Kumar had raped the girl at Gandhi Nagar area and shoved objects in her private parts on April 15, 2013. They had fled after committing the crime and leaving the girl at Shah's room after believing her to be dead. The child was rescued 40 hours later on April 17, 2013.

"Collective conscience of the society shaken. In our society, minor girls are worshipped as goddess," the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court said. "The child, who was just 5 years old, experienced exceptional depravity and extreme brutality."

The father of the victim expressed satisfaction on finally getting justice for his daughter.

"Though the trial should have been completed in two years, we are happy we got justice after six years," he said.

The court fixed January 30 for arguments on quantum of sentence.

Shah and Kumar were arrested by Delhi police separately from Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga in Bihar respectively in 2013. The charge sheet was filed on May 24 that year and charges were framed by the court on July 11.

It took more than five years to complete the recording of the statement of 57 prosecution witnesses in the POCSO court.

(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)

After HC order, Delhi Bar Council takes action against Nirbhaya convict's lawyer, issues notice

PTI | Jan 18, 2020, 07.03 PM IST

After HC order, Delhi Bar Council takes action against Nirbhaya convict's lawyer, issues notice

NEW DELHI: The Bar Council of Delhi on Saturday issued notice to advocate AP Singh, appearing for convict Pawan Kumar Gupta in the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case, after Delhi high court had last month directed it to take action against the lawyer for filing "forged" documents and not appearing for hearing. The bar body issued notice to Singh for February 28 and sought his reply within two weeks.

The Delhi high court had on December 19 last year dismissed the claim of death row convict Pawan that he was a juvenile at the time of the offence in December 2012 and had deprecated the conduct of Singh for filing forged documents and not appearing in the court.

The high court had imposed Rs 25,000 as costs on advocate A P Singh, who filed the petition for Pawan.

"Justice Suresh Kumar Kait, in his order dated December 19 last year, referred the matter to Bar Council of Delhi for taking necessary action against AP Singh, who appeared in the matter on behalf of the petitioner, Pawan Kumar Gupta.

"After perusing the order passed by the court, it is unanimously decided to issue notice to A P Singh, advocate for February 28. He is directed to file his reply within two weeks from the date of receipt of the notice," the bar council said.

The high court had asked the Bar Council of Delhi to take action against Singh for filing forged affidavit in the court regarding the convict Pawan's age and added that without applying his mind or deliberately he filed the documents to delay the process.

Pawan has now moved the Supreme Court challenging the high court's order dismissing his claim of juvenility at the time of offence.

The top court will hear matter on January 20.

On December 19, 2019, Singh had appeared in the court at 10:30 am and mentioned the matter for seeking an adjournment on the pretext of filing some additional documents, without informing the other party.

The judge, through his staff, sent several communications via phone, SMS and e-mail to the advocate to appear before the court as the matter was to be taken up again.

However, Singh did not "bother" to come to the court when the matter was again taken up after 2:30 pm or respond to any of the communications, the judge noted in his order.

While dismissing the plea, the high court had observed it seemed that the convict's advocate was not interested in appearing in the court and it "deprecates such a practice".

Irked over the conduct of Singh, the high court had imposed Rs 25,000 as costs on the the counsel for playing "hide and seek".

A Delhi court had on Friday issued fresh death warrants for February 1 against the four convicts -- Pawan (25), Vinay Sharma (26), Mukesh Kumar (32) and Akshay Kumar Singh (31) -- in the case.

President Ram Nath Kovind had rejected the mercy petition of Mukesh. The other three condemned convicts have not yet availed of the constitutional remedy of filing the mercy petitions.

The apex court had on January 14 dismissed the curative petitions of Vinay and Mukesh against their conviction and capital punishment.

The two other convicts -- Akshay and Pawan -- have not yet filed curative petitions in the top court.

A 23-year-old paramedic student, referred to as Nirbhaya, was gang raped and brutally assaulted on the intervening night of December 16-17, 2012 in a moving bus in south Delhi by six persons before she was thrown out on the road.

She died on December 29, 2012 at a hospital in Singapore.

(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)

Man gets trampled to death by own bull

TNN | Jan 17, 2020, 04.19 AM IST

Krishnagiri: A 40-year-old man died after his own bull stamped him to death during a ‘bull dance’ event near Anchetty in Krishnagiri district on Thursday.

The deceased farmer has been identified as P Murugan, of Vannathipatty village near Anchetty.

On Thursday, he went with his bull to participate in the bull dance.

It is learnt that his bull suddenly ran amok after hearing the beating of drums.

“The bull started running here and there,” said a police official from Anchetty police station.

“When Murugan attempted to bring the bull under his control, it knocked him down. He sustained injuries on the chest when the bull stamped him,” the official added.

Fellow villagers rushed him to the government hospital in Anchetty for treatment.

Doctors who examined him confirmed he was brought dead.

A case was registered by Anchetty police and further inquiry is on.

Nirbhaya case: Prison rule stands in way of quick hanging

TNN | Jan 18, 2020, 04.34 AM IST

NEW DELHI: A proviso in the revised 2018 Delhi Prison Manual now stands between the timely execution of the four Nirbhaya convicts on February 1 and the possibility of a further delay.
Rule 854 of the manual, which governs the administration of prisoners in Delhi’s jails, says that in case of multiple death-row inmates, the sentence will not be executed until the Supreme Court dismisses the appeals of all convicts.

It adds that if the death sentence has been awarded to more than one person in a case and if only one of them moves a mercy plea, the execution of the others, too, has to be postponed till it is decided.

With three of the convicts — Askhay Thakur, Pawan Gupta and Vinay Sharma — yet to file a mercy plea, the new deadline fixed by a trial court on Friday runs the risk of being reduced to one of “academic” significance.

The AAP government on Wednesday described in Delhi high court the January 22 execution date as academic, citing Delhi Prison Manual that mandates a 14-day window between the rejection of the mercy plea of a death-row convict and the actual hanging.

Delhi government had also expressed apprehensions that the convicts might try to “frustrate” and “defeat” the judicial process by filing a mercy plea before the President one by one, each earning them a 14-day breather even if it was rejected.

A bench of Justices Manmohan and Sangita Dhingra Sehgal had taken a dim view of the AAP government stand. “Then your rule is bad, if you cannot take action till all the co-convicts have moved a mercy plea. It seems there has been total non-application of mind (while framing the rules). Every mercy plea is on different grounds, you can’t frustrate the judicial finding that has attained finality.”

The court pulled up Delhi government and the prison authorities for creating a system that was “suffering from cancer” and “capable of being exploited” by death-row convicts who wanted to “strategically” delay their execution.

Apprehensions along the same lines were also expressed by Nirbhaya’s parents. “In this country, justice for women seems to be difficult to get,” said the mother.

Nirbhaya case: Tihar rejigs preparations after new death warrants

TNN | Jan 18, 2020, 04.37 AM IST

NEW DELHI: With Mukesh Singh’s plea for a mercy petition getting dismissed by the President, Tihar authorities have started making fresh preparations for hanging the four Nirbhaya convicts on February 1.Their diet will be fixed again to maintain a standard weight parameter required for executing the death penalty, said jail sources.

Sources added that special attention was being paid to maintaining the health of the four convicts ever since Vinay Sharma fell unconscious inside his cell on Wednesday. Sharma has been behaving restlessly and aggressively, and also refuses to eat the food served to him in his cell. All the four convicts would now be kept on suicide watch through the day, said sources.



Jail officers, however, rubbished the rumour about a suicide attempt by Sharma, that was doing the rounds on social media.

The jail staffers and security guards have been asked to carefully monitor the activities of the four men, especially when they are in the bathroom and during night hours. A new set of ropes from Buxar might also be procured days before the hanging. The ones that were to be used on January 22 have already been softened with ripe bananas and soap, and they could decompose till the next date.

Jail sources said that the prisoners would now be allowed to meet their family members and lawyers twice a week. On Friday, Pawan Gupta was allowed to meet his father.

While the curative petitions of two of the convicts are pending with a court, Gupta has filed a petition in the Supreme Court to review the high court order, which earlier dismissed his plea to declare him a juvenile. Gupta, Sharma and Akshay Thakur can still lodge a mercy petition before the President before February 1. Tihar authorities will again issue a notice to the three prisoners giving them an ultimatum to file the mercy plea.

Jail officials added that the cells in which the four men have been moved now are well lit so that their activities can be monitored even at night. Their health would be monitored regularly and they would only be allowed medicines that are prescribed by the jail doctors.

(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)

Seniority issue among SIs: Madras HC upholds state’s decision

TNN | Jan 18, 2020, 04.15 AM IST

CHENNAI: Concluding over a decade-long legal battle between more than 1,300 sub-inspectors (SI) of 1994-95 batch falling under direct recruitment and in-service cadre, in connection with fixation of service seniority, the Madras high court has upheld the decision of the state to place the seniority of 267 in-service candidates above direct recruits, though both were recruited through the same recruitment drive.

“Government thought it fit that those in-service candidates are already aged when compared to the directly recruited candidates and therefore, if they are given preference in fixation of seniority, they could get promotional prospects before their retirement, otherwise they could not. In such view of the matter, we are of the view that the amendments brought to the Special Rules for Tamil Nadu Special Police Subordinate Service is proper and we do not see any reason to interfere with the same,” a division bench of Justices R Subbiah and C Saravanan said.

The issue pertains to a batch of plea moved by 20 sub-inspectors belonging to 1994-95 batch. On January 1, 1994 the Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board (TNUSRB) issued a notification for selection and appointment of 500 SIs through direct recruitment.

Though departmental candidates were also permitted to apply, most of them became ineligible as the cut-off ages was 30 years. Aggrieved, the in-service candidates moved the erstwhile Tamil Nadu Administrative Tribunal.

Since the tribunal ruled in favour of the departmental candidates, TNSURB earmarked 20% vacancies in the selection for direct recruitment of SIs. Subsequently, the board decided to recruit 1,100 persons as against the proposed 500 posts.

As all the 1,100 candidates cannot be accommodated altogether for training, the recruitment was made in three phases – 500, 600 and 267 (in-service).

After the first batch of 500 were imparted training and absorbed into service, the remaining 600 and 267 were sent for training together. However, as far as, seniority was concerned, in order to give preference to in-service candidates who were appointed against 20% quota, the state fixed them over and above the remaining 600 direct recruits.

Aggrieved, they have approached the court assailing the decision.

Over 9L visitors so far, publishers laugh all the way to the bank

TNN | Jan 19, 2020, 04.03 AM IST

Chennai: Non-fictions, current affairs, children’s books, environment and ecology are some of the titles seeing a lot of demand at the 43rd Chennai Book Fair. As the fair entered the 10th day on Saturday, many publishers and book sellers said sales have exceeded compared to last year.

The Booksellers and Publishers’ Association of South India (BAPASI) said 9lakh to 10lakh people have visited the fair so far.

Sahitya Akademi winning novel “Sool” by Cho Dharman is one of the favourites. “So far, we have sold more than 6,000 copies. We expect the number to cross 10,000 before the end of the fair,” said Sadhiq, a publisher of the book. He said the sale of books at his stall almost doubled compared to the previous year.

“Non-fiction books including history, social issues, and current affairs are moving out fast,” said writer and publisher S Ramakrishnan. He said lack of marketing and space for selling books are a major concern for the publishers. “Top institutions Anna University and IIT Madras do not have a separate book store for students who want to study beyond textbooks. The government should consider opening book shops in all districts on the line of Amma canteens and sell books at subsidized rates,” he suggested.

BAPASI president R S Shanmugam said so far, footfalls at the fair has seen an increase of 30% compared to last year and people’s interest in books has increased in the last few years.

However, Parthi Balu of Vasaka Saalai publishing house said greater footfalls may not translate into sale of books.

Manikandan, one of the publishers of children books, said the sale of children’s literature is brisk.

HC: Banks can’t have a say on staff union membership

TNN | Jan 19, 2020, 04.04 AM IST

Chennai: The Madras high court has made it clear that the right to admit a nationalised bank employee as a member of a particular union vests with the union concerned and that the bank has no say over it.

Justice K Ravichandrabaabu made the observation while modifying a circular issued by the Union finance ministry directing all the nationalised banks to facilitate auto deduction of membership subscription of employees’ unions from the salary of their staff.

Disposing of the pleas moved by Canara Bank Employees Union and Canara Bank Officers Association, the court said such banks cannot auto debit such subscription fee without the concurrence of the union/association concerned.

The issue pertains to a circular issued by the finance ministry dated November 25, 2019 to all nationalised banks regarding online facility for recording/modifying employee mandate for deduction of association membership subscription from salary.

Claiming that the circular is against the basic tenets of trade union rights to admit the members and regulate the same, the associations has approached the court seeking to quash the circular.

“By enabling auto admission of members by accepting their subscription fee automatically from their salary, the union concerned is deprived of its right to accept or reject membership of an individual applicant on valid grounds,” the petitioners said.

Responding to the plea, the finance ministry submitted that the ultimate deduction from the salary of an employee towards subscription of union is only at his/her written request and not at the request of the union.

Such request for deduction of subscription from salary was hitherto submitted in physical format which is now digitalised, and the employees are advised to submit the same through their office application. The said guidelines are only to align with the advent of technology and seamless movement of such request and for immediate implementation of such request of deduction of subscription and therefore, there is no violation of any legal right of the petitioner, the ministry said.

None but witnesses can prove rash driving charge: HC

TNN | Jan 19, 2020, 04.51 AM IST

Chennai: Only eyewitnesses can prove charges of rash and negligent driving, without such a witness such charge cannot hold good, the Madras high court has said.

Justice K Ravichandrabaabu made the observation while dismissing an appeal moved by the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) against the order of a labour court dated November 12, 201,3 directing the corporation to pay Rs 2 lakh compensation to the kin of a driver who was wrongly terminated by the TNSTC.

G Gopal (now deceased), was working as a driver for the corporation’s Villupuram division. On February 14, 1999, a bus driven by Gopal met with an accident in which three people died. According to Gopal, the accident was not due to his negligence or rash driving, but due to the fact that the vehicle was not properly maintained. However, the management terminated Gopal from service. Aggrieved, Gopal moved the labour court challenging his dismissal, which directed the corporation to pay Rs 2 lakh as compensation to Gopal’s kin as no eyewitnesses were examined to substantiate the charges levelled against him. TNSTC moved the present appeal challenging the same.

Rejecting the appeal, Justice Ravichandrabaabu said: “The right persons to speak about the accident are the eyewitnesses.” No eyewitness was examined in this case, he pointed out, adding: “The labour court was right in concluding that the dismissal of the deceased is not just.”

Nirbhaya Case : Delhi HC Refuses To Interfere With The Death Warrant Issued By Trial Court

Nirbhaya Case : Delhi HC Refuses To Interfere With The Death Warrant Issued By Trial Court: Delhi High Court has refused to interfere with the order passed by the Sessions Court on January 7 for the execution of the four convicts in the Nirbhaya rape case. The Division Bench of Justice...

வெறிச்சோடியது சென்னை மாநகர்!

By DIN | Published on : 15th January 2020 10:35 AM

 


சென்னை: பொங்கல் திருநாள் தொடர் விடுமுறை காரணமாக சென்னை மாநகரமே வெறிச்சோடிக் கிடக்கிறது. வீதிகளில் மக்கள் நடமாட்டம் மிகக் குறைவாக இருக்கிறது. வாகனப் போக்குவரத்து அறவே இல்லை. மிகக் குறைந்த எண்ணிக்கையிலான வாகனங்களே செல்கின்றன.

மாநகரப் போக்குவரத்துக் கழகப் பேருந்துகளின் எண்ணிக்கையும் வெகுவாகக் குறைக்கப்பட்டுவிட்டது. அங்கொன்றும் இங்கொன்றுமாகவே பேருந்துகள் செல்கின்றன. இரு சக்கர வாகனங்களும் அதிகளவில் சாலைகளில் செல்லவில்லை. ஏறத்தாழ நூறு சதவிகிதமான கடைகள் மூடப்பட்டுள்ளன. மிக மிகக் குறைந்த அளவில் சில உணவகங்களும் தேநீர்க் கடைகளுமே திறந்திருக்கின்றன.

சென்னைப் புத்தகக் காட்சி நடைபெறும் நந்தனம் ஒய்எம்சிஏ திடல் பகுதியில் ஓரளவு வாசகர்கள் வந்துசெல்கின்றனர். சென்னை மாநகரின் குறிப்பிட்ட பகுதிகள் தவிர்த்து, புதிதாக உருவான குடியிருப்புப் பகுதிகள் முழுவதும் ஆளரவமின்றிக் காணப்படுகின்றன.

சென்னை மாநகர மக்களில் வெளியூர்களிலிருந்து தொழில், வேலை உள்பட பல்வேறு காரணங்களால் குடியேறியவர்களே பெரும்பான்மையானவர்கள். தென் மாவட்டங்களிலிருந்து வந்தவர்கள் ஏராளம். எல்லா வகையிலும் இவர்களுக்குச் சென்னையே தங்கள் ஊராக மாறிவிட்டிருந்தாலும் பொங்கல் திருவிழாக் காலத்தில் (தொடர்ந்து நான்கு அல்லது ஐந்து நாள்கள் விடுமுறையாக இருப்பதும் முக்கிய காரணம்) சொந்த ஊர்களுக்குச் செல்வது வழக்கமாக இருந்து வருகிறது.

லட்சக்கணக்கானோர் சொந்த ஊர்களுக்குச் சென்றுவிட்டதாலும் சென்னையைச் சேர்ந்தவர்களே கூட தொடர் விடுமுறை காரணமாக வெளியூர்களுக்கும் சுற்றுலாக்களுக்கும் சென்றுவிட்டதாலும் ஒட்டுமொத்த சென்னை மாநகரே அமைதியாக அரவமின்றிக் கிடக்கிறது.

ஞாயிற்றுக்கிழமை வரை விடுமுறைக் காலம் என்பதால் வரும் திங்கள்கிழமை, மக்கள் எல்லாம் வெளியூர்களிலிருந்து திரும்பிய பிறகுதான் சென்னை மாநகர், தனது வழமையான பணிக்கும் பரபரப்புக்கும் திரும்பும்.

இழுத்தடிப்பு! 'நிர்பயா' குற்றவாளி மீண்டும் கருணை மனு; ஜன., 22ல் தூக்கு தண்டனை நிறைவேறுமா?

Updated : ஜன 16, 2020 00:02 | Added : ஜன 15, 2020 22:56

புதுடில்லி: டில்லியில் மருத்துவ மாணவி 'நிர்பயா' பாலியல் பலாத்காரம், கொலை வழக்கில் துாக்கு தண்டனையை நிறைவேற்ற பிறப்பிக்கப்பட்டுள்ள 'வாரன்டு'க்கு தடை விதிக்க டில்லி உயர் நீதிமன்றம் மறுத்தது. 'அதே நேரத்தில் செஷன்ஸ் நீதிமன்றத்தை அணுகலாம்' என கூறியுள்ளது. இந்த நிலையில், 'திட்டமிட்டபடி, ஜன. 22ல் தண்டனை நிறைவேற்ற முடியாது' என டில்லி அரசு கூறியுள்ளது.

டில்லியில் மருத்துவ மாணவி நிர்பயா 2012ல் ஆறு பேர் கும்பலால் ஓடும் பேருந்தில் பாலியல் பலாத்காரம் செய்யப்பட்டார். சித்தரவதை செய்யப்பட்ட அவர் பஸ்ஸில் இருந்து துாக்கி வீசப்பட்டார். சிங்கப்பூர் மருத்துவமனையில் அனுமதிக்கப்பட்ட அவர் சிகிச்சை பலனின்றி உயிரிழந்தார். இந்த சம்பவம் நாடு முழுவதும் பெரும் கொந்தளிப்பை ஏற்படுத்தியது.

இந்த வழக்கில் குற்றஞ்சாட்டப்பட்ட ஆறு பேரில் ஒருவர் சிறுவன் என்பதால் சிறார் நீதிமன்றத்தில் அவர் மீது வழக்கு தொடரப்பட்டது. அவரை மூன்று ஆண்டுகள் சிறார் சிறையில் அடைக்கும்படி தீர்ப்பு அளிக்கப்பட்டது. மற்றொரு குற்றவாளியான ராம் சிங் சிறையில் தற்கொலை செய்தார். இந்த வழக்கில் முகேஷ் 32 வினய் சர்மா 26 அக் ஷய் குமார் சிங் 31 பவன் குப்தா 25 ஆகியோருக்கான துாக்கு தண்டனை உறுதி செய்யப்பட்டது. இது தொடர்பாக தாக்கல் செய்யப்பட்ட சீராய்வு மனுக்களை உச்ச நீதிமன்றம் சமீபத்தில் தள்ளுபடி செய்தது.

நால்வருக்கும் துாக்கு தண்டனையை நிறைவேற்றுவதற்கு டில்லி நீதிமன்றம் சமீபத்தில் வாரன்ட் பிறப்பித்தது. அதன்படி 'ஜன. 22ம் தேதி டில்லி திகார் சிறையில் தண்டனை நிறைவேற்றப்படும்' என அறிவிக்கப்பட்டிருந்தது. தண்டனை நிறைவேற்றும் வாரன்டை எதிர்த்து குற்றவாளிகளில் ஒருவரான முகேஷ் குமார் சிங் டில்லி உயர் நீதிமன்றத்தில் மனு தாக்கல் செய்திருந்தார். மேலும் ஜனாதிபதிக்கு கருணை மனுவையும் அவர் அனுப்பியிருந்தார்.

இந்த வழக்கை நீதிபதிகள் மன்மோகன் சங்கீதா, திங்கரா செஹல் அடங்கிய டில்லி உயர் நீதிமன்ற அமர்வு நேற்று விசாரித்தது. 'வாரன்டில் எந்தத் தவறும் இல்லை. அதனால் அதற்கு தடை விதிக்க முடியாது. இந்த மனு தள்ளுபடி செய்யப்படுகிறது' என அமர்வு கூறியது. அதே நேரத்தில் 'மனுதாரர் டில்லி செஷன்ஸ் நீதிமன்றத்தை அணுகலாம்' என அமர்வு கூறியுள்ளது.

அப்போது டில்லி அரசின் சார்பில் ஆஜரான வழக்கறிஞர் ராகுல் மெஹ்ரா கூறியதாவது: தண்டனையை இழுத்தடிப்பு செய்ய வேண்டும் என்பதற்காக நான்கு பேரும் மாறி மாறி புது மனுக்களை தாக்கல் செய்து வருகின்றனர். தற்போது ஒரு குற்றவாளி தண்டனையை நிறைவேற்றும் வாரன்டை எதிர்த்து மனு தாக்கல் செய்துள்ளார். மேலும் ஜனாதிபதிக்கும் கருணை மனுவை அனுப்பியுள்ளார்.

அதே நேரத்தில் மற்ற மூவரும் எந்த மனுவையும் தாக்கல் செய்யவில்லை. முகேஷ் குமார் சிங்கின் கருணை மனு மீது முடிவு எடுக்கப்படும் வரை தண்டனையை நிறைவேற்ற முடியாது. ஒரே நேரத்தில்தான் நான்கு பேரின் தண்டனை நிறைவேற்ற வேண்டும். அதனால் திட்டமிட்டபடி 'ஜன. 22ம் தேதி தண்டனையை நிறைவேற்றுவது சந்தேகமே. இவ்வாறு அவர் கூறினார்.

அப்போது அமர்வு கூறியதாவது: சட்டவிதிகள் சரியாக இல்லை. இதுபோன்ற குழப்பங்கள் நடந்தால் மக்களுக்கு நீதியின் மீதான நம்பிக்கை போய்விடும். இவர்களுக்கான தண்டனை உறுதி செய்யப்பட்ட உடனேயே கருணை மனுவை தாக்கல் செய்யும்படி ஏன் வலியுறுத்தவில்லை. அதேபோல் குற்றஞ்சாட்டப்பட்டவர்களும் இத்தனை காலம் காத்திருந்து கடைசி நேரத்தில் மனுக்களை தாக்கல் செய்வது சரியல்ல. இவ்வாறு அமர்வு கூறியது.

உயர் நீதிமன்ற உத்தரவைத் தொடர்ந்து தண்டனையை நிறைவேற்றும் வாரன்டை எதிர்த்து 'டில்லி செஷன்ஸ் நீதிமன்றத்தில் முகேஷ் சார்பில் நேற்று மாலை மனு தாக்கல் செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளது. 'கருணை மனு நிலுவையில் உள்ளதால் துாக்கு தண்டனையை நிறைவேற்றும் உத்தரவை ஒத்திவைக்க உத்தரவிட வேண்டும்' என மனுவில் கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது. இது தொடர்பாக பதிலளிக்கும்படி டில்லி அரசுக்கும் மாணவியின் பெற்றோருக்கும் 'நோட்டீஸ்' அனுப்ப நீதிமன்றம் உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளது.

முகேஷ் சிங் தாக்கல் செய்துள்ள கருணை மனுவை ரத்து செய்யும்படி டில்லி அரசு பரிந்துரைத்துள்ளது. ''மின்னல் வேகத்தில் செயல்பட்டுள்ளோம். கருணை மனுவை நிராகரிக்கும்படி பரிந்துரை கடிதத்தை துணை நிலை கவர்னருக்கு அனுப்பியுள்ளோம். அது மத்திய உள்துறை அமைச்சகத்துக்கு உடனடியாக அனுப்பப்பட்டுள்ளது'' என ஆம் ஆத்மி கட்சியைச் சேர்ந்த டில்லி துணை முதல்வர் மனீஷ் சிசோடியா கூறியுள்ளார்.

23 முறை விதிமீறல்:திகார் சிறை அதிகாரிகள் கூறியதாவது: கடந்த ஏழு ஆண்டுகளில் சிறையில் இருந்தபோது நிர்பயா குற்றவாளிகள் 23 முறை சிறை விதிகளை மீறியதற்கான தண்டனையை பெற்றுள்ளனர். இதில் வினய் 11 முறை, அக் ஷய் ஒரு முறை, முகேஷ் மூன்று முறை, பவன் எட்டு முறை விதி மீறினர். சிறையில் இருந்தபோது வேலை செய்ய முகேஷ் மறுத்தார். அதே நேரத்தில் அக் ஷய் வேலை செய்து 69,000 ரூபாய், பவன் 29 ஆயிரம் ரூபாய், வினய் 39 ஆயிரம் ரூபாய் ஊதியம் பெற்றனர். 2016ல் முகேஷ், பவன் மற்றும் அக் ஷய் 10ம் வகுப்பு தேர்வு எழுதினர்; ஆனால் தேர்ச்சி பெறவில்லை, என்றனர்.

கருணை மனு நிலுவையில் உள்ளதால், நால்வரின் துாக்கு தண்டனை, திட்டமிட்டபடி நிறைவேற்ற இயலாது என நீதிமன்றத்தில் டில்லி அரசு கூறியுள்ளது. தாமதப்படுத்தும் இந்த நடவடிக்கையை ஏற்க முடியாது. ஏற்கனவே நீதிமன்றம் பிறப்பித்த உத்தரவின்படி, ஜன. 22ல் துாக்கு தண்டனையை நிறைவேற்ற வேண்டும்.

ரயில் பயணத்தில் சினிமா பார்க்கலாம்

Added : ஜன 15, 2020 23:58

புதுடில்லி: ரயில் பயணத்தின்போது தங்களுக்கு விருப்பமான சினிமா அல்லது நிகழ்ச்சியை பார்க்கும் வசதி 2022ல் பயணியருக்கு வழங்கப்பட உள்ளது.

இது குறித்து ரயில்வே அமைச்சக மூத்த அதிகாரிகள் கூறியதாவது: தற்போது நாடு முழுவதும் உள்ள 5563 ரயில் நிலையங்களில் 'வை - பை' வசதி செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளது. இதைத் தவிர அனைத்து ரயில்களிலும் வை - பை வசதி செய்யப்பட்டு வருகிறது. இதன் மூலம் பயணத்தின் போது தங்களுக்கு விருப்பமான சினிமா 'டிவி' நிகழ்ச்சி இசை கல்வி நிகழ்ச்சிகளை பார்க்கும் வசதி பயணியருக்கு வழங்கப்பட உள்ளது. சில சேவைகளுக்கு கட்டணம் வசூலிக்கப்படும்.மேலும் தாங்கள் செல்லும் ஊர்களில் கார் பஸ் ரயில்களுக்கான முன்பதிவு வசதிகளையும் ரயில்களில் பயணிக்கும்போதே செய்து கொள்ளலாம். இதைத் தவிர ரயில்களில் மக்களுக்கு தேவையான தகவல்கள் அளிக்கும் வசதியும் செய்யப்பட உள்ளது. இந்த சேவைகள் அளிப்பதற்கான நிறுவனம் தேர்வு செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளது. வரும் 2022ல் அனைத்து ரயில்களிலும் இந்த வசதி களைப் பெறலாம். இவ்வாறு அவர்கள் கூறினர்.

Cartel Of Doctors, Pharma Companies And Diagnostic Labs Fleecing The Patients : Madras HC Takes Suo Moto Case [Read Order]

Cartel Of Doctors, Pharma Companies And Diagnostic Labs Fleecing The Patients : Madras HC Takes Suo Moto Case [Read Order]: The Madras High Court has observed that the cartel of doctors, pharma companies and diagnostic labs is fleecing the patients by over pricing the drugs over and above the maximum scale price fixed by...

Nirbhaya Case : SC Dismisses Curative Pleas Of Two Death Row Convicts [Read Order]

Nirbhaya Case : SC Dismisses Curative Pleas Of Two Death Row Convicts [Read Order]: A 5-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the curative petitions of Vinay Sharma and Mukesh, two of the four convicts awaiting execution of death penalty in the Nirbhaya gang...

Smart toilet in troubled waters on the first day

If you visited the city’s first smart toilet near the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital before Monday, you could have spotted the picture of a man with a moustache at the entrance.

Published: 14th January 2020 11:51 AM 


By Jose K Joseph

Express News Service

TIRUCHY: If you visited the city’s first smart toilet near the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital before Monday, you could have spotted the picture of a man with a moustache at the entrance, a picture that raised a storm on social media on Monday.

Some netizens claimed that the picture resembled legendary Tamil poet Subramanya Bharathi. Although the designers did not place the entire face of the man, a vague resemblance to the poet stirred a controversy, compelling the authorities to remove it.

Though the authorities removed the picture by noon, the move failed to assuage the critics as they found more issues with the toilet. They pointed out that the planners forgot to place any Tamil boards in front of the facility. They claimed that people would not notice the toilet if the authorities did not fix a Tamil board.

Sources said that the corporation decided to correct the mistake by placing a Tamil board on Tuesday morning. Sources said that the authorities inaugurated this facility on Sunday evening after 6 pm ,an auspicious timing to ward off issues. But, all these efforts failed to save the smart toilet from controversies.

However, some officials said positive things about the incident. “We are open to suggestions. Some people raised some issues and we made the necessary changes. We hope the changes would quell the controversy,” a source said.

Nirbhaya case: Tihar asks convicts to give date for last meet with kin

TNN | Jan 15, 2020, 04.43 AM IST

NEW DELHI: Tihar Jail authorities asked the Nirbhaya rapists to inform when they would like to meet their family members for the last time. Jail sources said that the meeting would be disallowed after January 20, two days before the hanging. 

During the last meeting, the four death row convicts — Mukesh Kumar, Akshay Singh, Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta — would be allowed to meet the families for a longer time during which they would prepare a will in the presence of a jail superintendent. The jail officials will also calculate the amount of wage each of them had earned from the work they had done during the stay at the jail, which would be handed over to the family. Singh earned the maximum of Rs 69,000 during his stay, followed by Sharma (Rs 39,000) and Gupta (Rs 29,000). Kumar had refused to do any physical labour.

A senior jail official said that after the curative petitions of two of the convicts were dismissed by the Supreme Court, Sharma’s father went to meet him. Sharma broke down several times during the conversation with his father.

“We are allowing them the usual weekly meetings, while Kumar, Sharma and Gupta’s parents met them, Singh’s family had last met him in November,” said an official.

For the time being the authorities are allowing the families to meet the convicts for half an hour as per the jail manual. “Once they agree on the date of the last meeting, we might allow them a little more time during which more than two members of the family can meet them. However, all of them will not be allowed to meet their families at the same time,” said an official.

Tihar sources said that the convicts were currently kept in isolation wards and under the observation of doctors. They were not allowed to access any news source — newspaper or television. However, they were being informed about the relevant developments by the wardens and their lawyers. Their diet, too, had been controlled since Monday.

In the past few days, Sharma — with a tendency to grow violent — had at least half a dozen instances of misconduct, during which he refused to eat or cooperate with the jail staffers. The others, however, stayed calm.

Jail sources said that Sharma had been punished 11 times during his stay at Tihar, while Gupta was punished eight times, Kumar was hauled up thrice and Singh just once.

(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)

Not rooting for a route change

Abrupt modification in the course of bus number 88D has left commuters stranded, MTC promises action

Published: 14th January 2020 06:41 AM | Last Updated: 14th January 2020 06:41 AM | A+A A-

By KV Navya

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Dilapidated shelters, lesser frequency of buses and improper maintenance of vehicles have always been burning concerns for bus commuters. Adding to their woes, diversions and sudden bus route changes leave them with no choice but to opt for other modes of transport, which might pinch their pockets. This is the problem that frequent commuters of bus number 88D are now facing.

The unannounced and abrupt change of this bus route after 25 years has caused the commuters of Kundrathur, Porur and Saidapet much suffering. The bus service which connects Kundrathur and West Saidapet was initially plying via Porur, Butt Road, Guindy, Saidapet and T Nagar. About 15 days back, the bus was suddenly rerouted through Butt Road, Kasi Theatre and Ashok Pillar to reach West Saidapet. Commuters, mostly comprising IT employees and students, are in a fix as there are just few buses connecting Saidapet and Guindy from Kundrathur.

“Mostly, the commuters from DLF IT Park and Kundrathur travel towards Guindy and Saidapet. It is also easy to switch buses from there. There aren’t many commuters for this bus on the Ashok Pillar route, and yet, the route has been changed, without any prior information. Conductors too do not inform us about the change till we ask them,” said Ravi, an IT employee.

Turnover falls

Commuters rue that they were initially waiting for hours at Guindy and Saidapet only to be informed later that the bus route has been changed. A few others had to get down the bus after realising the sudden change.

As a result, the daily turnover too fell drastically. “Initially, the collection per day would be at least `10,000 and now the turnover is not more than `3,000. Weekends are worse. We have informed about the issue to the officials, but no action has been taken yet. Change of route for a bus service with good collection and patronage was uncalled for,” said Swamy RM, president, SVS-AAP State Transport Corporation Employees Union. Conductors and drivers said that the timings of the bus changed due to this new route and the commuters hold them responsible.

R Vidhya, a regular commuter said, “After the change, we are forced to switch two or three buses to reach our destination. We are also spending double of what we paid initially.”

When contacted, the officials of Metropolitan Transportation Corporation said they will look into the patronage and make necessary changes.

Sudden change

Commuters rue that they were initially waiting for hours at Guindy and Saidapet only to be informed later that the bus route has been changed. A few others had to get down the bus after realising the change. Conductors and drivers said that due to this new route commuters hold them responsible.

To pay or not, FASTag rules being flouted?

The order a copy of which available with ‘Express’ also directs NHAI to mandatorily issue zero transaction receipt to such vehicles. 

Published: 14th January 2020 06:41 AM 



By B Anbuselvan

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Even though rules say that vehicles that have sufficient balance in their FASTag account must be allowed to pass through toll gates free of cost in the case of failure of electronic payment system, motorists are being forced to make cash payments. With traffic piling up ahead of Pongal holidays, automatic toll collection systems developed a technical snag at Sriperumbudur, Paranur and Athur toll gates.

Both the scanners installed at the gates, and the hand-held devices were not functioning properly. As a result, motorists had to pay with cash. NHAI officials claimed ignorance of the matter. As per the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) 2018, which was amended in June last year, if a vehicle, with a valid functional FASTag or any such device, with the sufficient balance, is not able to pay user fee owing to malfunctioning of Electronic Toll Collection infrastructure, the vehicle user shall be permitted to pass the toll gate without payment of user fee.

The order a copy of which available with ‘Express’ also directs NHAI to mandatorily issue zero transaction receipt to such vehicles. The vehicular passage at toll plazas turned chaotic after many motorists told their FASTag account was blacklisted because of non-maintenance of minimum balance of Rs 200. “As my Paytm account balance reduced to `195, I was told my FASTag account was blacklisted and asked to make double the payment. After I disputed, I was asked to make the cash payment,” said K Krishna Kumar of Tindivanam. K Rajesh of Perambur who has got over Rs 5000 balance in his FASTag account told to make cash payment after electronic payment developed glitches.

“My car neither recognized electronically by scanner nor by handheld device manually. Hence I was asked to make cash payment. The NHAI have migrated to e-payment without sufficient infrastructure. ” explained Rajesh.

Besides, pothole-ridden stretch between Koyambedu and Sriperumbudur and shrunken road width at Vanagaram due to ongoing patch up works has added to woes of motorists on Bengaluru bypass road. PT Mohan, Project Director, Project Implementation Unit (PIU), Kancheepuram, NHAI claimed that only blacklisted fastag accounts being asked to make the cash payment when they enter into the fastag lane and he was not aware of criteria under which vehicles are getting blacklisted. Regional officer (Chennai), Pawan Kumar could not be reached for comments.

NCW sends notice to Myladuthurai college
 
15/01/2020 , Staff Reporter, CHENNAI

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has sent a notice to Dharmapuram Adheenam Arts College in Myladuthurai, following a complaint raised by an activist about the college’s dismissal of four students for consuming alcohol at a friend’s house.

In December, a video where the four second-year undergraduate students consuming alcohol went viral. The students, three female and one male, were dismissed from the college.

Following this, K.M. Karthik, founder of the All India Private Colleges Employees Union submitted a complaint to the NCW stating that the students had been dismissed without any prior warning or any corrective measures. He further allegedthat the college had circulated the dismissal circular on social media to publicly shame the students.

“I had approached Bharathidasan University which the college is affiliated to, with my concerns before approaching the Commission but no action was taken,” Mr. Karthik alleged. In his complaint to the NCW, Mr. Karthik had requested the future and the education of the girls to be protected and action to be taken against the college.

In the notice to the college, Shyamala S. Kundar member, NCW, has said that the complaint raised by Mr. Karthik pertains to the alleged cruelty, harassment and indecent representation of women and has asked the principal to look into the issue. The Commission has further directed the college principal to communicate the action taken about the same within 30 days from the date of the circular.

‘Candidates for exam put to hardship’

15/01/2020 , staff reporter, MADURAI

Students writing the main examination for recruitment to clerical cadre in 17 nationalised banks have been gravely inconvenienced as their preferred centres and the centres appearing on their hall tickets were different, said Madurai MP Su. Venkatesan.

In a press release, he said students residing in Madurai would have to travel all the way to Chennai and Coimbatore to appear for the main exam scheduled for January 19.

“Some people have been asked to go to Chennai. In fact, the centre at Coimbatore was not even a choice for the main examination as per the notification. The unemployed youth cannot be expected to spend thousands of rupees just to attend the exam,” the statement read.

Socially and economically backward and rural poor aspirants would not even have the chance to appear for the exam as they would not be able to shell out the money for travelling. “The bank officially should not create a new controversy,” he said.

Happy Pongal 2020

Three V-Cs attend TMC’s anti-CAA demonstration 

Oppn. raises questions on their conduct

15/01/2020 , Special Correspondent, Kolkata

The presence of Vice-Chancellors of State Universities at a sit-in demonstration against the amended citizenship law organised by the students’ wing of the Trinamool Congress on Tuesday triggered a controversy with the Opposition raising questions on their conduct.

Three Vice-Chancellors – Subiresh Bhattacharya of North Bengal University, Dipak Kar of Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University and Deb Kumar Mulhopadhyay of Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University – were present at the agitation organised by the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad, which entered its fifth day on Tuesday.

Later in the day, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also visited the demonstration site on Rani Rashmoni Avenue and said she was happy to receive inputs from experts on the protests against CAA.

The presence of the Vice-Chancellors at the protest raised eyebrows as only a day ago as they had given a meeting called by Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar a miss. Mr. Dhankhar, who was upset with the development, said educational institutions and universities were being dismantled “brick by brick”.

Will get you arrested, pilot tells passenger seeking help 

IndiGo de-rosters captain who threatened woman seeking wheelchair assistance for her mother at Bengaluru airport

15/01/2020 , Staff Reporter, CHENNAI

An IndiGo pilot, who reportedly harassed and threatened to get arrested two women passengers for seeking wheelchair assistance, has been taken off duty, pending an enquiry by aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday.

Supriya Unni Nair, a resident of Bengaluru, had posted a harrowing account on social media of the “harassment” meted out to her and her mother late on Monday. Ms. Nair and her 75-year-old mother Vijayalakshmi had taken an IndiGo flight from Chennai to Bengaluru and sought wheelchair assistance in advance.

The ordeal began after the flight landed.

Recounting her experience, Ms. Nair said, “Our flight was late and when we landed at 9.15 p.m., I tried calling the assistance bell and when the crew did not respond, I walked up for help.”

The airline staff allegedly claimed that they didn’t have access to a wheelchair. “When I pointed this out, the captain Jayakrishna came barging out [of the cockpit] and yells at me for pressing the assistance button and annoying him and his crew,” she said in her post.

Ms. Nair said the captain then prevented the staff from bringing a wheelchair to help her mother out of the aircraft. He allegedly threatened them, saying that he would get them arrested.

“He prevents the wheelchair people from taking my mom out of the aircraft threatening us that he will ensure we are detained and spend a night in jail. Disbelievingly I ask him whether he is serious. ‘Shut up. Who do you think I am? I’ll get my CEO to make sure you spend a night in jail; we will teach you some manners, he says’,” Ms. Nair said in her post.

“We reach the bus and the captain is meanwhile ranting and stops it from moving forward,” Ms. Nair said, adding that it was the on-ground security and IndiGo staff who came to their rescue.

Speaking to The Hindu, Ms. Nair said the entire experience was traumatic. “I felt the need to put it out on social media because this shouldn’t happen to anyone else. No one, especially, a senior citizen should have to endure what my mother did. She was nervous and shivering.”

On seeing the post, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted: “I requested my office to contact @IndiGo6E as soon as I saw the tweet by Ms @SupriyaUnniNair about the pilot’s behaviour.... The airline has informed @MoCA_GoI that the pilot has been off-rostered...”

Ms. Nair said she was happy that the Minister had responded quickly to the complaint.

A statement from IndiGo said it was aware of the complaint raised by the passenger, and the matter was “under internal review”, and that necessary action would be taken.

(With inputs from Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi)

Rajiv Gandhi case: SC unhappy at CBI report on larger conspiracy

15/01/2020 , Legal Correspondent , NEW DELHI

 
The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed its unhappiness about the CBI’s status report on the probe into the larger conspiracy behind the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu in 1991.

Instead of revealing the progress made to unearth the truth, the report filed in the Supreme Court by the investigating agency merely parroted its past reports over the years. “We are not happy with the report,” a Bench of Justices L. Nageswara Rao and Hemant Gupta said.

The court called for the presence of a senior law officer, an Additional Solicitor General, to appear, and kept the case on hold to be taken up later.

After half-an-hour, the case came up again. This time, Justice Rao expressed the court’s dissatisfaction without mincing words.

“There is no difference between this report and the ones filed before. Everything said is quite the same as before... going to Bangkok or something... What we want to know is what progress has been made [in the investigation] in the past two years at least,” Justice Rao observed.

Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict A.G. Perarivalan, submitted that the CBI’s Multi Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA), probing the larger conspiracy behind the killing, was yet to conclude its investigation pertaining to the origin and make of the bomb.

The Bench allowed Perarivalan’s lawyers to peruse the CBI report in the courtroom. The report was filed in a sealed cover. The court finally ordered the CBI to file a fresh report detailing the work done. The case is listed on January 28.

Perarivalan, who is in his mid-forties now, has spent about a quarter of a century inside jail serving life imprisonment. He was 19 at the time of his arrest. Perarivalan has sought an order from the court to stay his life sentence till the MDMA probe is completed. He has argued that the CBI has still not been able to question Nixon alias Suren, one among the 21 suspects the MDMA is waiting to investigate, who allegedly knows about the making of the bomb. He contended that his role in the alleged crime taken to the maximum would be that of supplying two nine-volt batteries without the knowledge of what it was going to be used for.

SC rejects curative pleas of 2 Nirbhaya death row convicts
No merit in their appeals to spare them the gallows: Bench

15/01/2020 , Krishnadas Rajagopal, NEW DELHI

The curative petitions of Vinay Sharma, 26, and Mukesh Singh, 32, who were sentenced to death in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case, were rejected by a five-judge Supreme Court Bench, led by Justice N.V. Ramana, on Tuesday.

In a three-page order, the Bench concluded, after an in-chamber consideration that began about 1.45 p.m., that there was no merit in their pleas to spare them from the gallows.

“We have gone through the curative petitions and relevant documents. In our opinion, no case is made out within the parameters indicated in the decision of this court in Rupa Ashok Hurra versus Ashok Hurra. Hence, the curative petitions are dismissed,” the Bench held.

Curative is a rare remedy devised by a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in its judgment in the Rupa Ashok Hurra case in 2002.

A party can take only two limited grounds in a curative petition — one, he was not heard by the court before the adverse judgment was passed, and two, the judge was biased.

A curative plea, which follows the dismissal of review petition, is the last legal avenue open for convicts in the Supreme Court. Sharma was the first among the four convicts to file a curative.

The Bench also rejected their pleas to stay the execution of their death sentence and for oral hearing in open court.

Besides Justice Ramana, the Bench comprised Arun Mishra, Rohinton Nariman, R. Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan.

Mercy plea

Shortly after the Supreme Court ruling, Mukesh filed a mercy plea before the President, Tihar jail authorities said.

Mukesh, Sharma, Akshay Kumar Singh, 31, and Pawan Gupta, 25, are scheduled to be hanged at 7 a.m. on January 22 in Tihar jail. A Delhi court issued their death warrants on January 7.

GRH doctors remove 150g heart tumour from 11-yr-old

TNN | Jan 15, 2020, 04.35 AM IST

Madurai: Doctors at Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) in Madurai have removed a tumour weighing 150g from the heart of an 11-year-old girl.

Seethalakshmi G, a Class VI student from Tirunelveli district, had been complaining of palpitations and chest pain.

Admitted to GRH, an echo cardiogram and a CT scan revealed she has cardiac fibroma, a benign tumour in the right ventricular chamber of her heart.

Doctors performed an open-heart surgery on her on January 13 and removed the tumour sized 9cm x 6cm x 4cm and weighing 150g.

“It is a rare surgical procedure,” said Dr Rathnavel A, former head of the cardio thoracic department at GRH.

Dr Rathnavel led the team of doctors who treated Seethalakshmi.

The Glenn shunt procedure was done after the surgery to re-join the right pulmonary artery and superior vena cava to ensure proper blood flow with the right ventricle.

“There were no complications during post-operative care. Seethalakshmi has now made complete recovery and will be able to lead a normal life,” said GRH Dean, Dr Sangumani J.

இணையதள அடிமையா நீங்கள்? 




ஆசாத்

நம்முடைய வாழ்க்கையை 1990-க்கு முன்பு, 1990-க்குப் பின்பு என இரண் டாகப் பிரிக்கலாம். 1990-க்குப் பின் நமது வாழ்க்கை முறை இயந்திரத்தனமாகி விட்டது. பெரும்பாலும் கைபேசியுடனோ மடிக் கணினியுடனோதான் அனைவருடைய நேரமும் இன்று கழிகிறது. விளையாடுவதாக இருந்தாலும் இணையதளத்தில்தான் பெரும்பாலானவர்கள் விளையாடுகிறார்கள். இதனால் பாதிக்கப்படுவது உடல்நலம் மட்டுமல்ல; மனநலமும்தான்.

அதிக அளவு இணையதளத்தைப் பயன்படுத்துவதும், இணையம் இல்லாமல் இருக்க முடியாது என்பதும், மது, புகைபோல் ஓர் அடிமைப் பழக்கம்தான். ஒரு வாரத்துக்கு 38.5 மணிநேரத்துக்கும் அதிகமாக இணையதளத்தைப் பயன்படுத்துகிறவர், மனத்தளவில் அதற்கு அடிமையாக இருப்பார் என்று ஆய்வின் மூலம் தெரியவந்துள்ளது. தற்போது, இணையதள உலகம் அசுர வளர்ச்சி அடைந்துள்ளது. இந்த அசுர வளர்ச்சியோ ஆரோக்கியமான முன்னேற்றத்துக்கு வழி வகுக்காமல், இணையத்துக்கு அடிமையான சமூகத்தையே உருவாக்கிவருகிறது.

அதிகாலை சூரிய உதயத்தின் அழகையோ குருவிகளின் சத்தத்தையோ ரசிக்கக்கூடத் தெரியாமல் இணையத்துக்கு அடிமையாகி வாழ்வின் மகிழ்ச்சியை இன்றைய தலைமுறையினர் தொலைத்து நிற்கின்றனர். அக்கம்பக்கத்தில் என்ன நடக்கிறது என்பது அவர்களுக்குத் தெரியாது.

சாப்பாட்டைவிட இணையதளமே அவர்களுக்கு முக்கியம். இணையதளத்துக்கு எதனால் அடிமையாகிறோம், எவ்வாறு அடிமை யாகிறோம், எதற்காக அடிமையாகிறோம், இணையதளத்துக்கு அடிமையாகி உள்ளதை எவ்வாறு அறிந்துகொள்வது? குறிப்பாக எந்தெந்த விஷயத்துக்காக இணைய அடிமை யாகிறோம் என்பதைக் குறித்து ஸ்டான்லி அரசு மருத்துவமனையின் மனநலத் துறையினர் சார்பில் வெளியிடப்பட்டுள்ள தொகுப்பு இது

அதனால் உண்டாகும்  பாதிப்புகள் என்னென்ன?

* நேரத்தைக் கையாளுவதில் சிரமம் உண்டாகும்.
* பொறுப்புகள் அனைத்தும் அரைகுறையாக நிற்கும்
* குடும்பத்துடன் ஆக்கப்பூர்வமாகச் செலவு செய்ய நேரம் இருக்காது
* உறவுகள், கல்வி, வேலை வாய்ப்புகளை இழக்க நேரிடுதல்
* மன அழுத்தம், பதற்றம்,
* தாம்பத்திய உறவில் நாட்டமின்மை,
* தற்கொலை எண்ணங்கள்,
* மதுவுக்கும், பிற போதைக்கும் அடிமையாதல்
* தூக்கமின்மை, தேவையற்ற எண்ணங்கள்.

எந்தெந்த விஷயங்களுக்காக இணையதளத்துக்கு அடிமையாகிறோம்?

* தகவல்களை அதிகமாகத் தெரிந்துகொள்ள வேண்டும் என்பதற்காக
* கட்டுப்பாடில்லாமல் இணையதள விளையாட்டுகளைக் கணினி அல்லது செல்போனில் விளையாடுவதற்காக
* இணைய வழி சூதாட்டத்தில் ஈடுபடுவதற்காக
* இணையவழி ஷாப்பிங் மூலமாக விதவிதமான பொருள்களை வாங்குவதற்காக
* முகநூல், டிவிட்டர் மூலம் கிடைத்த இணையதள நண்பர்களுடன் நீண்டநேரம் உரையாடுவதற்காக
* பாலின இன்பக் காட்சிகளைப் பார்ப்பதற்காக

யார் யாரெல்லாம் எளிதில் பாதிக்கப்படக் கூடியவர்கள்?

* கூச்ச சுபாவம் உள்ளவர்கள், தங்கள் தாழ்வு மனப்பான்மை மனக்குறைகளை நிவர்த்தி செய்துகொள்ளப் பயன்படுத்திக் கொள்வார்கள்.
* பெற்றோர் குடும்பத்தினரின் கவனிப்பு இல்லாதவர்கள்.
* தன்னை அடையாளம் காட்டிக்கொள்ள விரும்பாதவர்கள்
* தனிமை விரும்பிகள்

இதிலிருந்து நாம் எப்படி மீள்வது? பிறரை எப்படி மீட்பது?

* மது, போதையில் பாதிக்கப்பட்டவர்களை அதிலிருந்து மீட்க நடவடிக்கை எடுப்பது போல் இணையதள அடிமைகளாக சிக்கியவர்களையும் மீட்க முடியும். பாதிக்கப் பட்டவர்களுக்குக் குடும்ப உறுப்பினர்களும் நண்பர்களும் உதவ வேண்டும்.
* ஒருவர் இணையதளத்தில் செலவிடும் தினசரி முறையைக் கண்டுபிடித்து, அதைப் படிப்படியாகக் குறைக்க வேண்டும்
* தொடர்புடையவரின் அன்றாடச் செயல்பாட்டில் அவரது சிந்தனையைக் கவரும் வகையில் உள்ள மாற்றுப் பழக்கங்களைக் கண்டறிந்து பழக்க வேண்டும்.
* இணையதள அடிமைப் பழக்கத்தால் கைவிடப்பட்ட அவரது வாடிக்கையான பழக்கவழக்கங்களைப் பட்டியலிட்டு அவருக்கு அதனை மீண்டும் தொடங்க வலியுறுத்துவது.
* கவனிப்பு அல்லது மேற்பார்வை இல்லாத வர்களைச் சுயஉதவி குழுக்களில் சேர்ப்பது.
* குடும்பம் சார்ந்த உறவு முறை பிரச்சினை களுக்கு சிகிச்சை எடுத்துக்கொள்வது.
* மனநிலைப் பிரச்சினைகளுக்கு மருத்துவரை அணுகுவது.
* நினைவூட்டல் அட்டைகள், இதனால் உண்டாகும் நன்மை தீமைகளை, தன் கைப்பட ஒரு அட்டையில் எழுதி வைத்துக் கொண்டு, அதனை அடிக்கடி படித்து நினைவூட்டிக்கொள்வது.
* இணையத்தால் பல்வேறு நன்மைகளும் உண்டு, தீமைகளும் உண்டு. தற்போதைய காலகட்டத்தில் பல வேலைகளுக்காக இணையதளத்தைப் பயன்படுத்தித்தான் ஆக வேண்டும். தேவையில்லாமல் இணையத்தைப் பயன்படுத்துவதைத் தவிர்க்கலாம். இணையம் இல்லாமல் இன்றைய உலகம் இல்லை. இணையத்தை மட்டும் உலகமாக நம்பிக்கொண்டிருப்பது பிழை என்பதை உள்ளார்ந்து உணர்வதே இணையதள அடிமை முறையிலிருந்து விடுபடுவதற்கான முதல் வழியாகும்.

செல்லாத நோட்டுகளுடன் பரிதாப மூதாட்டி

Added : ஜன 13, 2020 23:44





வேலுார்: பழைய ரூபாய் நோட்டுகளை மாற்றித் தரும்படி, 12 ஆயிரம் ரூபாயுடன், கலெக்டர் அலுவலகத்திற்கு வந்த மூதாட்டியால், பரபரப்பு ஏற்பட்டது.

வேலுார் கலெக்டர் அலுவலகத்தில், நேற்று மக்கள் குறைதீர் கூட்டம் நடந்தது. மாவட்ட வருவாய் அலுவலர் பார்த்திபன், பொதுமக்களிடம் மனுக்களை பெற்றுக் கொண்டிருந்தார். அங்கு, வேலுார், சலவன்பேட்டை சூளைமேட்டைச் சேர்ந்த மூதாட்டி புவனேஸ்வரி, 65, வந்தார். அவர், பண மதிப்பிழப்பு செய்யப்பட்ட, 500 - 1,000 நோட்டுகள், 12 ஆயிரம் ரூபாய் வைத்திருந்தார். அதனுடன், தான் கொண்டு வந்த மனுவை, டி.ஆர்.ஓ., பார்த்திபனிடம் வழங்கினார்.

மனுவில் கூறியுள்ளதாவது: கணவரை இழந்து, யார் ஆதரவுமின்றி, குடிசையில் வசிக்கிறேன். கூலி வேலை செய்து, அதில் சேர்த்த, 12 ஆயிரம் ரூபாயை, பானையில் போட்டு வைத்திருந்தேன். மருத்துவ செலவுக்கு அந்த பணத்தை கொடுத்த போது வாங்க மறுத்தனர். அப்போது தான், இந்த பணம் செல்லாது என்பது தெரிந்தது. இந்த பணத்தை மாற்றித் தர வேண்டும். இவ்வாறு, அதில் தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

அதிகாரிகள், 'இனி இந்த ரூபாய் நோட்டுகளை மாற்ற முடியாது' எனக் கூறினர். இதைக் கேட்டு, மூதாட்டி கண்ணீர் விட்டார். அவரை சமாதானப்படுத்தி அனுப்பி வைத்தனர்.

ரேஷனில் பொங்கல் பரிசு 21ம் தேதி வரை அவகாசம்

Added : ஜன 13, 2020 23:01

சென்னை : ரேஷன் கடைகளில், பொங்கல் பரிசு வாங்குவதற்கான அவகாசம், வரும், 21ம் தேதி வரை நீட்டிக்கப்பட்டு உள்ளது.

தமிழக ரேஷன் கடைகளில், இரண்டு கோடி அரிசி ரேஷன் கார்டுதாரர்களுக்கு, தலா, 1 கிலோ பச்சரிசி, சர்க்கரை; 20 கிராம் முந்திரி, திராட்சை; 5 கிராம் ஏலம், கரும்பு, 1,000 ரூபாய் அடங்கிய, பொங்கல் பரிசு தொகுப்பு வழங்கப்படுகிறது.இது, 9ம் தேதி முதல் வழங்கப்பட்டு வருகிறது. பொங்கல் பரிசு தொகுப்பு வாங்க, நேற்று வரை அவகாசம் வழங்கப்பட்டது. நேற்று வரை, 1.91 கோடி கார்டுதாரர்களுக்கு, பரிசு தொகுப்பு வழங்கப்பட்டு உள்ளது. இந்நிலையில், அதை வாங்குவதற்கான அவகாசம், நீட்டிக்கப்பட்டு உள்ளது.

இது குறித்து, மாவட்ட கலெக்டர்களுக்கு, உணவு வழங்கல் ஆணையர் அனுப்பியுள்ள சுற்றறிக்கை:பொங்கல் பரிசு மற்றும் 1,000 ரூபாய் ரொக்கத் தொகையை, அனைத்து அரிசி கார்டுதாரர்களும் பெற வேண்டும் என்பதால், அவற்றை வழங்குவதற்கான அவகாசம், வரும், 21ம் தேதி வரை நீட்டிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.விடுபட்ட அரிசி கார்டுதாரர்கள், ரேஷன் கடைகளின் வேலை நாட்களில், பரிசு தொகுப்பு பெற்று கொள்ளும் வகையில், தகுந்த அறிவுரைகளை, சம்பந்தப்பட்ட அதிகாரிகளுக்கு வழங்க வேண்டும். இவ்வாறு, அதில் கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது.

No, the railways does not condone bigamy

 Published: 13th January 2020 08:16 AM

By Jose K Joseph

Express News Service

TIRUCHY: The Railway board clarified that its direction (Appointment on compassionate grounds-cases of the second wife and her wards) on compassionate grounds has been misconstrued as accepting bigamy among its employees. At the end of 2019, the Railway board complying with a direction of the Supreme Court issued the procedure to be followed by the second wife of a railway employee in case of the employee's death.

Adding to the troubles of the transporter, some regard this as New Year gift because the direction became known at most railway zones in the first week of January. Although many senior-level and middle-level employees are familiar with the direction, most ground-level employees only have a vague idea about it.

Many ground-level employees working as track maintainers and workers in goods yards are unable to decipher this direction, which is in English. However, many workers say that they understood the subject line- 'Appointment on compassionate grounds-cases of the second wife and her wards'- in the order as appointing both the second wife and her wards (children) on compassionate grounds.

Interestingly, this generosity of the transporter has also been an impetus for disputes in some families. While some employees have started enquiring about the order, some have even approached the officials at the Railway Personal Branch and union offices to know whether the second wife and her family would get the medical and travel benefits from the railway.

"We will consider the case of compassionate ground appointment only if the employee dies during service. Some of the employees want to know whether the railway would give medical benefits to the second wife of employees. Whenever I get such personal queries, I clarify that as per the service rules, the railway can even take disciplinary action against an employee for bigamy. After that many employees have stopped asking me questions about this order," said a senior railway officer with a smile.

However, some employees admitted that the order was a great relief because they were often caught in the middle of the fights for such claims. "We would come to know about the second wife of the employee only after his demise. So, we would have to be in the middle of the fight between the wives. This order is a blessing for us. It has been clearly mentioned in the direction that we can consider such cases only after getting a no objection undertaking from the first wife or her children," a senior officer clarified.

However, some employees still believe in the false information about the direction that has been circulating on social media platforms.

An employee pointed out the need for issuing a regional language copy of such important directions.

"The railway cannot expect everyone to be familiar with English. Therefore, it should issue a copy of such orders in the regional language. Otherwise, the Railway would again face a similar situation in the future," a railway employee said.

Tirunelveli: In this govt hospital, untrained technician, student perform dialysis at nights “We request the Joint Director (Health) to arrange well-trained technicians as soon as possible,” they added.

Published: 14th January 2020 05:39 AM

By Express News Service

TIRUNELVELI: Patients visiting the government Kudankulam hospital for kidney dialysis have claimed that they were forced to visit the hospital in the nights for treatment due to shortage of dialysis technician here on Monday.

Speaking to TNIE, the patients wishing anonymity, said that the hospital authorities are using an untrained technician and a student to perform dialysis after a trained technician discontinued the job due to poor salary. “At present, the technician comes to the hospital in the night.

“We find it very difficult to return home as there are no bus service during the night hours. Those with several health issues spend the night in the hospital. If any problem takes place during performing dialysis, it would be impossible for the authorities to shift the patients to another hospital.

“We request the Joint Director (Health) to arrange well-trained technicians as soon as possible,” they added.

Joint Director (Health) said that his administration is trying to recruit a technician on contract basis. “Once we get a technician, we would start performing dialysis in the daytime. At present, a technician from a private hospital is performing dialysis in the GH after his shift. We do not have any student performing dialysis here,” he added.

‘Education sans employment meaningless’

“The right to employment is a fundamental right. When a special institution is created for a specific purpose, it is the duty of the State to make way for adequate employment opportunities”.
 
Published: 14th January 2020 05:45 AM 

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: While recruiting engineers, draftsmen, and stapathis for the newly-constituted Renovation and Conservation Wing for Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, first preference must be given to students of Government College of Architecture and Sculpture in Mahabalipuram and other institutions recognised by the government.

It’s the duty of the State to provide ample employment opportunities to its citizens, said the court, adding that education without job opportunities is meaningless.

“The right to employment is a fundamental right. When a special institution is created for a specific purpose, it is the duty of the State to make way for adequate employment opportunities,” Justice R Mahadevan said.

The judge was allowing a writ petition from DV Murugan praying for a direction to the HR&CE and the Tourism department to appoint the degree holders from the Mahabalipuram government college to the post of stapathis. The Tourism secretary has been asked to finalise and bring into life the HR&CE Engineering and Subordinate Service Rules within 3 months.

The Tourism department shall provide infrastructure and other facilities to the Mahabalipuram college to qualify the students efficiently.

Private hospitals threaten to suspend cashless treatment over pending dues

14/01/2020 , Staff Reporter, Bengaluru

With several crores due from the Union and State governments for the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) and the ex-servicemen’s contributory health schemes (ECHS), hospitals have threatened to suspend cashless service under these two schemes citing financial constraints.

Hospitals claimed they are unable to bear day-to-day expenditure and pay salaries to their employees.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Devi Shetty, cardiac surgeon and founder of Narayana Health, said: “At least now the government will be aware of the health industry and give us the payment that is due, as well as the realistic tariffs. As of now, we will continue the scheme but after first week of March we will take a decision and stop cashless treatment,” he said.

He said that they would give the governments a month’s time before suspending the service.

A press release by the hospital managements alleged that the four insurance companies are dictating the reimbursement, which is less than what is incurred by the hospitals to render the services.

R. Ravindra, president of Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes’ Association, said: “ECHS is for the armed forces. Every month, a certain amount of their salary is being cut for the health insurance, under which their family has to be covered. Thus, there is a special rate for them. The government has so much money but still hesitates to pay it to us.”

The Indian Medical Association, Association of Healthcare Providers India, Federation of Healthcare Associations Karnataka, and Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes’ Association have been negotiating with the bureaucracy for the early release of the dues.

‘T&C not honoured’

The terms and conditions that both the governments and hospitals had agreed upon were not being honoured, the doctors alleged. They said that private hospitals are only able to recover 40% of the amount incurred during treatment.

“We believe that we shouldn’t cause trouble the patients, and that we can come up with a viable solution in their interest,” said H. Sudarshan Ballal, director of Manipal Institute of Nephrology and Urology, the chairman of the Medical Advisory Board of Manipal Hospitals Group, and Senate Member of Manipal University.

TNPSC conducts re-exam for candidates

14/01/2020 , Special Correspondent, CHENNAI 
 
Following allegations of malpractice in Group IV examination, the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) has conducted an examination for a group of candidates who have reportedly scored top marks in the examination centres in Ramanathapuram district. The examination to assess their learning is part of an inquiry by the TNPSC.

The TNPSC has started investigation into the allegation on malpractice by a group of candidates who allegedly opted for centres away from their hometown and scored high marks in the examination. After allegations surfaced on social media, 35 candidates who are on the top 100 rank list have been screened by the TNPSC.

According to sources, the candidates were from areas such as Tiruvallur, Chennai, Arakkonam, Vellore, Cuddalore and Kanniyakumari. These candidates had opted for two centres in Ramanathapuram district and scored very high marks.

The candidates were asked to appear for an examination with questions on general knowledge. The candidates are expected to be subjected to further questioning after their marks scored are evaluated.

A Hindu family grieves demise of Oman Sultan

14/01/2020 , Special Correspondent , MAYILADUTHURAI

The announcement by the Home Ministry about the Central government’s declaration of one-day State mourning on Monday in view of the demise of the Sultan of Oman has evoked condolences from a Hindu family in Mayiladuthurai town in Nagapattinam district in the form of a banner with a touching obituary.

‘Beacon of peace’

The late Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said has been described, in the bilingual hoarding, as a beacon of peace by Ashokan, his wife Malathi, and their children Swetha and Perunselvan.

A retired schoolteacher, Mr. Ashokan had worked in Oman for 11 years, before returning to his hometown in 2008 after securing a government job.

Mr. Ashokan who retired from service six months ago said that he placed the order for the banner on January 10, the very day the Sultan died.

“I spent 11 years in Oman with my family. My children underwent their school education there,” Mr. Ashokan said, reminiscing his days in Oman under the rule of the lovable leader.