Rajini can’t be reluctant any longer. Mind it!

STORYBOARD

Rajini can’t be reluctant any longer. Mind it!

ARUN RAM

07.09.2020

Mid-March, Rajinikanth gave a clarion call for an uprising against the political parties in Tamil Nadu to usher in a new regime and a fresh political order. “Closer to the assembly election,” said the master of ‘punch dialogues’ a few days later, “there will come a tsunami.” What came instead was the novel coronavirus. Rajini hasn’t spoken much since then.

In the past couple of days, television channels have been trying to create a buzz that he would finally take the political plunge in November, but having borne the repeated onslaughts of anti-climaxes, even Rajini fans appear not to be holding their breath. If Rajini is waiting for the virus to go away, he may well not get to launch his political party before the 2021 assembly elections. And that may be the last climax in Style Mannan’s story of great expectations.

This is not the first time this column has analysed Rajini, the reluctant politician. I have a feeling this will not be the last. Rajini’s latest call for a tsunami creates but a feeble déjà vu of the wave he created with his “Godwon’t-be-able-to-save-Tamil Nadu” statement against J Jayalalithaa in 1996. He then missed the tide – and the boat. Poked and prodded by a clutch of well-wishers and vested interests, Rajini reluctantly made some silent plans, but didn’t have the courage to spell them out as long as DMK leader M Karunanidhi and AIADMK prima donna J Jayalalithaa were alive. A curious combination of reverence and revulsion kept him in limbo.

During the run-up to the 2004 elections, he compounded his followers’ confusion, saying he would vote for the BJP, but wouldn’t ask his fans to vote for any particular party. It was an avoidable statement, one which not only exposed his indecisive self, but also his tendency to yield to pressure from the right wing which has been constantly wooing him. Once the last two main actors vacated the Tamil Nadu political stage, Rajini, again prodded by players in the saffron shadow, dusted his script. On new year’s eve of 2017, Rajini assembled his fans in Chennai to revive their hopes. “Naan arasiyalukku varuvadhu urudhi,” he said to rapturous applause, “idhu kaalaththin kattayam.” Those words found their way to a million hearts and some Tshirts. And then, the Superstar went into hibernation again.

Politicians and patriarchs have kept Rajini in prolonged political ambiguity. Now, a pathogen is doing that to him. Pushing 70, he wouldn’t be at his peak to rally his supporters after the new powers take over Fort St George in May 2021. I am not writing Rajini off as a prospective politician. Probably he is the only one today in Tamil Nadu with the calibre to make a sudden entry and trigger a political disruption. But that has to happen latest by this year-end. Prolonging a suspense beyond a point, as scriptwriters would tell you, is dangerous. Superstars draw adrenalin from cheering fans and when they deliver a flop, they can live with weeping fans, but not with yawning ones.

His dilemma is understandable: he wants to present himself as a credible alternative, but is unsure of his potential to take on seasoned politicians who gleefully play the mudslinging game. He need not — and should not — get his hands dirty, but he should be willing to take a few dirt balls before he can attempt to show a cleaner way to conduct political battles. Time is running out. If he is still unclear of the consequences or unable to face them, it’s better he bows out before the real show begins.

arun.ram@timesgroup.com

Talking ill of the party headed by the Prime Minister is talking ill of the PM himself — H Raja, BJP NATIONAL SECRETARY (REACTING TO AIADMK MINISTERS’ REMARK AGAINST THE BJP)

POKER FACE Same with the chief minister

BJP leader’s nomination to BU syndicate sparks row

BJP leader’s nomination to BU syndicate sparks row

Vishnu.Swaroop@timesgroup.com

Coimbatore: 07.09.2020

The nomination of professor P Kanagasabapathi, who was appointed the state BJP vice-president two months ago, to the Bharathiar University syndicate for the second consecutive term has raised concerns in academic circles. His term as syndicate member had ended in August.

Academicians and representatives of teachers’ association said while the nomination was not legally questionable, it raised ethical concerns. They said governor Banwarilal Purohit, who nominated Kanagasabapathi to the post, should have taken cognisance of the fact that the professor was now a political representative and nominated another academician instead.

A communication from the university registrar on Saturday said Purohit, who is also chancellor of the varsity, has nominated Kanagasabapathi and a representative of a private college as syndicate members and they would serve a term of three years from September 4.

Academicians said while there wasn’t any rule that politicians can’t be university syndicate members, Kanagasabapathi’s nomination could have been avoided.

Danger unlocked: crowds throng markets, weddings

Danger unlocked: crowds throng markets, weddings

Covid Safety Precautions Ignored All Over State

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

07.09.2020

As the total lockdowns on Sundays were lifted after more than a month, people flocked meat shops and gathered for wedding ceremonies across the state on Sunday.

While there was brazen violation of social distancing norms and hundreds of people came out on the roads, many without even wearing masks in places like Madurai, there was mixed response to norms in other parts of the state. Though Sunday lockdowns were imposed in most part of the state only in August, for Madurai the weekly lockdown was imposed way back in June itself to control the Covid spread. So when the lockdown was lifted for Sunday, there were a slew of wedding ceremonies organised where people congregated in large numbers.

The very reason for deciding to conduct a wedding on a Sunday, is to ensure a large number of people participate, said Ganeshan, whose niece had got married with about 200 people attending the wedding in Madurai.

Thangaraj, who conducted his daughter’s wedding in Madurai, said he took great effort to keep the number of guests below the stipulated 50. He said that he had ensured guests kept moving without spending a lot of time in the wedding hall or the dining hall.

Many such marriages took place across Madurai, where a large number of people turned up for the functions, and many of them were seen without masks. “Wearing a mask while going to a wedding spoils my look so I carried my mask in my bag, to wear if somebody questioned me,” said K Jothi of Chinthamani. Officials said that the monitoring of marriage halls would be tightened in the coming weeks. Police had a tough time in Salem since scores of people on cars and two wheelers started coming towards Yercaud. They were stopped at the foothills and sent away. “Only Yercaud residents can travel to and from the hill town without an e-pass. But many from Salem had planned for a trip to Yercaud since it was a Sunday and there was no lockdown. We turned them down saying they need e-pass,” said a police officer.

In Coimbatore, there was a mixed response with some shops ensuring social distancing while others ignoring. However, except for meat and fish stalls, which had long queues, all other commercial establishments were closed in the city. Even shopping malls received very few footfalls despite the fact they were opened only few days back.

In Trichy, normalcy was restored to almost the pre-Covid levels with markets witnessing heavy crowd. Even though proactive measures such as ensuring strict social distancing norms were in place during the intense lockdown, such disease preventive measures completely vanished on Sunday. Trichy city corporation as on Sunday penalised only 40 people for not wearing masks, disproportionate to the violation committed.

INVITING TROUBLE: People gather in large numbers at meat and fish stalls at a market in Coimbatore on Sunday, without maintaining social distancing norms

Test positivity rate in city dips again to 7.8%

Test positivity rate in city dips again to 7.8%

There Could Be Another Spike In Covid Cases, Warns Corpn

Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com

Chennai:07.09.2020

The city’s Covid-19 test positivity rate (TPR), which is the number of positive cases for every 100 tests, was down to 7.8% on September 5, after reaching a high of 10.7% on August 22. This has been achieved despite constant daily testing of 13,000 by Greater Chennai Corporation. TPR is an indicator of the spread of the infection across the city.

The last time Chennai’s TPR was in the 7% range was on August 10, a few days before the city’s e-pass restrictions were relaxed, leading to an influx of people from other districts in the state and causing the spike. After regularly notching up more than 1200 cases every day, Chennai’s Covid-19 numbers are back to three figures for the past three days. The number of active cases as on September 5 was also down to 11,400, which was last seen on August 16.

However, GCC officials are anticipating an increase in the number of cases, though they are targeting a TPR of five percent.

GCC commissioner G Prakash said the strategy of aggressive testing, door-to-door surveys and home quarantine monitoring system would continue. “Added to this, there would be special focus on workplaces like construction sites, old age homes and vendors. These are the new focus areas,” he said.

There could be no shortcuts, as such detailed processes will have to be followed to keep the infection under control, Prakash added.

Data shows that the active cases in Ambattur and Adyar, which were recording a higher number of cases in the last three weeks, has come down drastically. For instance, Ambattur has shown a decrease of 600 active cases since August 17, while in Adyar, it is around 200 cases.

However, as witnessed on Sunday, the first time in many months without a total lockdown, the usage of masks and physical distancing went for a toss at playgrounds and markets. Infectious diseases expert Dr S Subramanian said that the government should rope in youngsters to create awareness about herd usage of masks and social distancing. “They should be involved in these activities like what happened during the 2015 floods,” he said.

The vast majority in this age group were bored now as educational institutions are closed and they need to be pulled in for peer counselling on use of masks. “If you give them ownership, it would bring in a lot of difference,” Subramanian said.

On 1st unlocked Sunday, public places packed

RULES DON’T APPLY

On 1st unlocked Sunday, public places packed

Social Distancing And Wearing Of Masks A Casualty As Residents Visit Markets, Recreation Spots In City, On Outskirts

Srikkanth.D@timesgroup.com

07.09.2020

The city’s meat, fish and vegetable markets, where ensuring physical distancing was tough even earlier, were packed on the first lockdown-free Sunday. The additions were playgrounds and beaches.

Somasundaram ground in T Nagar and the Gopalapuram ground were mainly filled with young people, almost all of them without masks in spite of warnings from the corporation and police. Pictures of crowded playgrounds shocked users of social media, particularly Twitter.

Many said they had missed physical activity for a long time. “Sunday cricket used to be our only physical activity. Due to lockdown, we missed it a lot. As norms have been relaxed, we played match at an unused plot in our neighbourhood,” said S Vignesh, a college student from Adambakkam.

Places of worship like temples and churches were also full. At St Patrick’s church near Alandur, Sunday service was attended enthusiastically. Separate entry and exit ways were created and people were let in only after their temperatures were checked. Around 100 people were allowed into the prayer hall at a time, with only two people permitted to sit on a bench meant for 10.

Traffic was like a normal Sunday in most parts, but in a few areas such as Loop Road near the Marina, it was slow moving. “We have been appealing to the public not to be complacent and follow physical distancing and wear masks like all these days. We are aware of the challenges and we hope to streamline them in the coming days,” said a corporation official.

At the Marina, the crowd began to swell in the evening and soon became uncontrollable, forcing police to deploy more personnel. “We were stopping them from venturing into the sea. We used a public address system so that out messages were audible,” said a senior officer.

Only a few of the beach-goers were seen wearing masks, while others removed it saying they had come to get some fresh air. Most were seen pleading with police to let them get wet in the water, as they had remained indoors for more than six months.

On the other hand, traffic policemen said, a majority of the motorists whom they saw had their masks on. “Being a Sunday, there was no traffic pile-up on any of the major roads including arterial stretches like Anna Salai, Nungambakkam High Road and Poonamallee High Road. Most roads had two policemen posted at all signals,” said a senior traffic police officer.

MAKING THE MOST OF IT: From the backwaters in Muttukadu (top) to the playing fields in T Nagar to St Patrick’s Church in Alandur — all were crowded with visitors

City Covid count below 1,000 for fourth day

City Covid count below 1,000 for fourth day

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:07.09.2020

Covid cases recorded a marginal drop in Tamil Nadu on Sunday even as the state added 5,783 more infections to its overall tally. The number of people discharged (5,820) on the day was little higher than new cases, leaving 51,458 active cases undergoing treatment across the state. The total number of cases in Tamil Nadu stood at 4, 63, 480.

In a positive sign, Chennai continued to record less than 1,000 cases for the fourth consecutive day with 955 people, accounting for 16% of the fresh cases in the state, followed by Coimbatore which reported 538 new cases.

Cases were mostly from the urban parts of Coimbatore, with the civic body identifying 93 out of the 5,000-odd streets to have high concentration of Covid incidence. “We are working on increasing manpower to conduct door-to-door surveillance and to increase the number of fever camps being organized in the city,” said Coimbatore collector K Rajamani.

After days of sharp rise for the past few days, Cuddalore saw a drop in number of fresh cases to 388. So were Tirupur and Salem which recorded 153 and 122 cases respectively, much lower than the number of fresh cases these districts saw in the days that went by. In fact Salem was one of the very few districts witnessing a very high fluctuation in the number of fresh cases declared. On September 2, the district reported 403 fresh cases and the very next day cases dropped by 50% to 214. For the next few days, the cases hovered in the range of 200 and on Saturday it reported 250 cases before it plummeted to 122 on Sunday. “Till last week, the numbers were high as we have been tracing contacts of people who tested positive earlier. Now we have traced almost all the contacts and hence numbers have come down,” said R Sadeesh, Salem corporation commissioner.

However, northern districts like Chengalpet, Tiruvannamalai and Tiruvallur saw more cases than Saturday. The death toll too rose to 88 compared to Saturday, of which Chennai alone accounted for 17 deaths, while Coimbatore and Cuddalore reported five each.

The southern districts added 806 new Covid-19 cases to the region on Sunday, which took active cases in the region to 7,626. Tirunelveli reported the highest number of single-day cases at 132, while three other districts including Madurai saw over 100 new cases.

Though, Thanjavur topped the charts with a total of 150 new cases, in central zone, it was Nagapattinam which has emerged as cause for concern.

There is a steady spike in fresh positive cases in the coastal district in recent days. A total of 136 positive cases were reported on Sunday. Clearing backlogs of pending test results was the reason for the spike in the district, health officials said.

Central zone had the lowest number of fresh cases being reported from a district in Tamil Nadu with Perambalur logging just17 new cases.

Inter-district buses from today, services to be skeletal for now

Inter-district buses from today, services to be skeletal for now

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: 07.09.2020

With the state government relaxing norms, inter-district buses will start operating from Monday.

While the State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) is expected to run 400 buses, the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) will operate 1,500 services.

TNSTC has a fleet strength of 3,000 buses and SETC has1,100 buses. A senior SETC official said 300 buses will be operated from Chennai to other districts. The remaining 100 will be run on the Madurai-Salem, Coimbatore-Tirunelveli routes among others.

Each SETC bus has a seating capacity of 43 but only 26 seats will be available for passengers in order to maintain social distancing. A TNSTC official said the buses will ferry 30 passengers against the seating capacity of 55.

Buses have been cleaned and disinfected. Passengers with valid tickets will be allowed inside terminals after checking their body temperature and they will be asked to sanitise their hands before boarding a bus. Masks are compulsory throughout the trip.

An official said only skeletal services will resume as MTC services in Chennai have not received patronage. He said more buses will be run if the patronage goes up.

PREPPING UP: A man cleans an SETC bus at the K

S Rly to run 3 inter-state trains from September 12

S Rly to run 3 inter-state trains from September 12

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:  07.09.2020

Southern Railway will operate three inter-state special trains from September 12. These will be the first inter-state services post unlock.

These trains are: MGR Chennai Central-New Delhi-MGR Chennai Central Superfast Express special that will leave daily at 7.15pm and reach New Delhi at 6.30am on day three. In the return direction, New Delhi-MGR Chennai Central Express special willleaveNewDelhi at 6.40pm and reach MGR Chennai Central at 6.20am on day three.

MGR Chennai Central-Chhapra-MGR Chennai Central Superfast Express special (bi-weekly) will leave MGR Chennai Central at 5.40pm on Mondays and Saturdays and reach Chhapra at 11.45am on Wednesdays and Mondays. In the return direction, Chhapra-MGR Chennai Central Express special will leave Chhapra at 9pm on Mondays and Wednesdays and reach MGR Chennai Central at 2.25pm on Wednesdays and Fridays. Trichy-Howrah-Trichy superfast express special (bi-weekly) will leave Trichy at 4.20pm on Tuesdays and Fridays and reach Howrah at 3.10am on Thursdays and Sundays. In the return direction, Howrah-Trichy express special will leave Howrah at 4.10pm on Thursdays and Sundays and reach Trichy at 3.05am on Saturdays and Tuesdays.

Mostof theberths aresold out because of high demand. As per guidelines issued by the railways, only those with confirmed tickets will be allowed to enter the station. However, railways is allowing thosewithRACticketstotravel. Linen, blankets and pillows will not be given to passengers in AC coaches.

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Varsities to finish PG intake by Sept 30

Varsities to finish PG intake by Sept 30

TNN | Sep 4, 2020, 04.57 AM IST

Ahmedabad: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has directed all varsities to complete admissions for postgraduate programmes before September 30.

If students are yet to get their undergraduate results, the varsity has instructed colleges to give them admission on provisional basis before the end of this month.

There are many universities in Gujarat including Gujarat University that are yet to complete the first round of annual college exams.

“Gujarat University is holding its first phase of in-person exams from September 3. These exams will end on September 20 and the results are expected in October. So many students at GU will have to take admission in PG courses on provisional basis,” said GU sources. UGC brought out these new guidelines to ensure students do not lose a semester due to the Covid-19 crisis, sources added.

Gujarat University’s first phase of exams began on Thursday, for which 21,008 candidates had registered. The varsity, which has more than 350 colleges affiliated to it, will conduct exams at 102 centres in the state.

The varsity is conducting exams for arts, commerce, science and law students in two phases from September 3 and September 12. About 70,000 students at various GU-affiliated colleges are expected to take the in-person exams that are to end on September 20.

Fake degree racket busted in Bodakdev

Fake degree racket busted in Bodakdev

TNN | Sep 4, 2020, 04.59 AM IST

Ahmedabad: City police on Wednesday busted a fake degree racket run from a Bodakdev flat and held two persons who sold forged degree certificates of various universities. The duo, Chintan Patel and Prajesh Jani, who were held from Ramjarukha apartments, were trapped with the help of a decoy.

According to the complaint filed with Vastrapur police, constable Govind Narshi had learned on July 27 that the duo were selling forged degree certificates. A woman LRD jawan of Vastrapur police station, Rinku Mulji, acted as a decoy and contacted Patel for a BCom degree of Gujarat University. She said she wanted the degree to go abroad for higher education. Patel demanded Rs 10 lakh for a degree and a marksheet with high marks.

When Mulji said she couldn’t give Rs 10 lakh, Patel told her that he could provide a diploma certificate of mechanical engineering from Madras University and also a migration certificate. He said the papers will be ready in 15 days. On September 1, Jani called up Mulji and told her the documents were ready and she could collect them after paying Rs 3 lakh.

Mulji, along with other cops went to the duo’s apartment on Wednesday. When they arrived with the degree and certificate, cops rushed in and nabbed Patel and Jani.Vastrapur police booked the duo for cheating and forgery.

Run service on September 13 for NEET, West Bengal government urges Kolkata Metro

Run service on September 13 for NEET, West Bengal government urges Kolkata Metro

TNN | Sep 4, 2020, 04.11 AM IST

KOLKATA: The Bengal government has requested Metro Railways to run their service on September 13 for the benefit of NEET candidates. A meeting between the state government and Metro authorities was held on Thursday to discuss the modalities of crowd control, which the latter is keen on having in place before resuming services after a five-month hiatus.

The meeting at Nabanna, the state headquarters, started at 11.30am. Among those present were home secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay, transport secretary Prabhat Kumar Mishra, police commissioner Anuj Sharma, ADG (traffic) Vivek Sahay, state health secretary N S Nigam and KMC commissioner Vinod Kumar. Metro Railway principal chief operations manager (PCOM) Satyaki Nath led the three-member Metro team.

Crucial logistical and planning details were discussed at the meeting, which lasted an hour. When services do re-start, passengers may have to furnish an e-pass or a smart card to a police officer to enter a station. The policeman would perhaps let them enter only after getting a green light from RPF personnel that passengers already at the station have moved to the platform to board a train. In other words, the state and Metro will have to work together as a team to ensure anti-Covid distancing protocols are stuck to.

Another meeting is scheduled at noon on Friday for the technical committee, which was formed on Thursday with officials from Kolkata Police, the state transport department and Metro Railway.

“The committee will deduce how to control access to stations and implement graded services, considering that 3.5 lakh people may have smart cards,” a senior state official told TOI. Metro wants to allow only smart-card holders; no token will be sold from counters.

It also hasn’t been decided yet whether the Kolkata Metro would run just for that day, or whether September 13 would mark the resumption of regular services.

Whether it will be e-passes or smart cards to ensure legitimate access is something that will be clinched in the next few days. “Initial discussions took place today. There will be some more to finalize the modalities. For elaborate SOPs, two or three more meetings may be required,” Metro Railway general manager Manoj Joshi told TOI. The focus of Thursday’s meeting, he added, was crowd control. It would be the starting point of Friday’s meeting as well.

Joint CP (headquarters) Subhankar Sinha Sarkar and transport commissioner Biswajit Dutta, members of the technical committee, will thrash out the standard operating protocol with their Metro counterparts at Friday’s virtual meeting and decide whether e-passes can be issued to commuters through an app. The draft SOP also includes 8am-to-8pm services, with a third of Metro’s existing fleet of 288 trains, that may be run seven days a week, at a 12- or 15- minute gap. Frequencies will reduce further during weekends.

Standing passengers may be allowed in a Metro coach. “The seats are only on the sides. So, it will be possible for commuters to maintain some distance, even if some of them stand,” a Metro official explained. One thing that emerged from Thursday’s meeting was that while the onus of implementing distancing inside stations and coaches was on the RPF, crowd control at the entries was the state police’s responsibility. While Bengal Police and Kolkata Police would keep guard outside north-south stations, for East-West Metro, the job will be done by the Bidhannagar Police.

Agra varsity to conduct OMR based exam for final year students

Agra varsity to conduct OMR based exam for final year students

TNN | Sep 3, 2020, 04.24 AM IST

Agra: Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University will be conducting exams for the session 2019-20 for the final year students of undergraduate and postgraduate courses from September 11. The exam will be based on optical mark recognition (OMR). Students will have to answer around 60 multiple choice questions in two hours. The exam process will be completed on October 6.

Varsity’s examination controller Rajeev Kumar said, “The exams for final year students will be conducted from September 11 to October 6. The sessional exam timetable is determined in such a way that it does not overlap with any competitive exam.”

“No theoretical questions will be asked. Students will have to answer multiple choice type questions on an OMR sheet. The duration of the exam will be 2 hours. We are in the process of finalizing the exam centers. The details will be made available on the varsity website very soon. Social distancing norms will be strictly followed while conducting the exam.”

According to the varsity records, maximum 43,495 students will be eligible to appear for BSc final year exam, 30,969 for BA final year, 10,812 for BCom, 8,684 for MA, 2,085 for MSc, 2,689 of MCom and 308 for Bcom (vocational).

CAG to audit TTD’s accounts from next yr

CAG to audit TTD’s accounts from next yr

TNN | Sep 4, 2020, 04.30 AM IST

Vijayawada: In a big step towards ensuring transparency in its functioning, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) trust board on Thursday decided to entrust the annual audit of the temple body’s accounts to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) from 2020-21.

TTD trust board chairman YV Subba Reddy said in a release that the move will ensure more transparency in auditing while upholding the belief of millions of devotees and donors of Lord Venkateswara. Rajya Sabha MP Subramanyam Swamy had earlier moved the court, seeking timely external audit of the temple body’s accounts.

“By taking into consideration the spirit of criticism in the matter, we have resolved to get the audit done by the CAG. We feel there is a need to instill full faith of pilgrims and donors in the accounting and audit systems of TTD,” Subba Reddy said.

Till now, the temple’s annual audit was being done by the state audit department. The CAG may take over the audit of TTD from 2020-21 as the audit for 2014-15 to 2019-20 has already been completed by the state audit department. Government may also be asked to request the CAG to also undertake a special audit of the previous years and furnish its report within six months. The trust board’s resolution shall be intimated to high court by filing an appropriate affidavit in the matter, Subba Reddy added.

Tamil Nadu: I-T dept seizes Rs 4.2 crore unaccounted cash

Tamil Nadu: I-T dept seizes Rs 4.2 crore unaccounted cash

TNN | Sep 2, 2020, 04.38 AM IST

COIMBATORE: A land transaction has landed two people in trouble after the investigation wing of the income tax department seized Rs 4.2 crore that the buyer paid the land seller over and above the guidance value at which the property was registered.

Registration department sources said a resident of Gobichettipalayam in Erode district had sold two acres of land to businessman Somasundaram, of Sri Nagar in the same locality.

Somasundaram is engaged in fertilizer sales and owns a company named Royal Fertilizer Corporation at Gobichettipalayam.

The land registration was done on Monday and they showed that the land was sold at Rs 80 lakh, which was its guideline value.

The sources said as per the market value, the land was worth Rs 5 crore. “The buyer had paid the seller Rs 4.2 crore in cash before registration. The seller kept the amount at his residence with a plan to distribute the same among 12 people.”

Meanwhile, I-T investigation wing officials in Coimbatore and Erode got a tip about the deal and conducted a surprise search at the house of the land seller and seized the cash on Monday night. The officials also conducted a raid at Somasundaram’s house and office.

“The cash is unaccounted. We have asked them to appear before the investigation officer of income tax department in Erode for further investigation," the source said.

The source said the income tax department would collect 30% tax on the unaccounted money and another 30% as penalty. The land buyer has to answer for the unaccounted money before the IT department sleuths.

Rlys to run 5 daily passenger trains from September 7

Rlys to run 5 daily passenger trains from September 7

TNN | Sep 4, 2020, 04.24 AM IST

Trichy: Railways has announced that five daily special trains will run via Trichy, two of them passing through Madurai too, from September 7 following the nod given by the state government in this regard. These are Trichy – Chennai, Karaikudi-Chennai, Mayiladuthurai-Coimbatore, Madurai-Chennai and Chennai-Tuticorin. The frequency and the number of trains are expected to be gradually increased in the coming days.

Trichy railway division had begun preparing coaches for resumption of services. A senior official said many rakes were being halted at various stations as they were operated to carry guest workers during the lockdown. However, with the available rakes in Trichy division, they can operate 80% of the trains, the official said.

The required overhauling, maintenance and repairing works on rakes have already been completed. Hence, they were ready to operate any number of trains at any time, official sources said.

Meanwhile, in view of the resumption of services, a team of Railway Protection Force (RPF) along with Government Railway Police (GRP) conducted a mock drill at Trichy railway junction on Thursday morning. The team comprising the bomb and dog squad along with personnel from both the forces executed the mock operation on board the workmen special train which arrived on platform number 2 from Thanjavur carrying employees. The exercise tested the preparedness of railway armed force, employees and their response time in case of an emergency situation like bomb threat or accident, RPF inspector Sridhar told TOI.

Tamil Nadu: Colleges, varsities gear up for final year/sem exams

Tamil Nadu: Colleges, varsities gear up for final year/sem exams

TNN | Sep 4, 2020, 07.48 AM IST

MADURAI: Many top colleges and universities are preparing to conduct semester exams for final year students following the state government’s announcement that they will happen after September 15. Plans are on to hold the exams offline with Covid-19 safety protocols as there is a feeling that there is no need for further delay as public transport also resumes on September 7.

“We are not really prepared to hold it for online mode this time as there are connectivity issues especially in rural areas. Possibility of malpractices is also a concern. However, offline mode of examination could be held easily with proper planning as there are only five papers,” said Dr K Pitchumani, vice-chancellor, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (MSU). Heads of colleges and universities felt that with all public transport resuming and JEE Mains and NEET being conducted, it should not be much of an issue to hold the exams for final year students.

“Offline is the best way to hold the exams as it would ensure no student misses out. Logistics too should not be an issue after September 15,” said N Rajendran, VC of Alagappa University, Karaikudi. Madurai Kamaraj University VC Dr M Krishnan too said that discussions have been held with college principals and all are ready to conduct the exams following UGC guidelines. “Though we are yet to receive any communication from the state government, as an autonomous college, we have decided to hold the semester exams for final years from September 17 to 30. The same has been communicated to students. The exams will happen in two shifts following all precautions. All students have already paid the fees,” said Dr Davamani M Christober, principal, The American College, Madurai.

Final year students, many of whom are already working or have got admission for higher studies, are also looking to finish the exams soon. “It is a bit tough for us as we have to suddenly write the exams after months of postponement. But there is no point in waiting further. Just clearing it would be enough to ensure I can continue with my job. By now, all are aware of Covid-19 safety rules like hand washing, wearing masks and social distancing. Just like in any public place, it shouldn’t be difficult to follow,” said G Kaviya, a final year BSc IT student.

1,300km on scooter from J’khand to MP for pregnant wife’s exam

1,300km on scooter from J’khand to MP for pregnant wife’s exam

P.Naveen@timesgroup.com

Bhopal  04.09.2020

 Let’s go, she said. And they did.

Battling floods, torrential downpour and rain-battered roads, a couple from Jharkhand drove 1,300km on scooter, the pregnant wife sitting pillion, so that she could appear for her second-year exam for a diploma in elementary education in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.

With one raincoat to share, Dasrath and Soni Manjhi set off from Jharkhand’s Gantatola village on August 28. Soni is seven months pregnant, and Dasrath was unwilling to risk travelling such a long distance by scooter — that too in peak monsoon — but she was determined not to miss a year.

“I am a non-matric school dropout. She has completed her first year. I want her to build her career, follow her dream. She will become a teacher once she completes the course, and we can give a better future to the one who will come into our life in two months,” Dasrath said.

“I can face any situation with the support of my husband,” said the braveheart mother-to-be. They have been married for nine months.

Dasrath, 37, works with a catering firm. “Trains aren’t running, and taxis asked for ₹25,000 to ₹30,000. We couldn’t afford it. This exam was important for her, so we decided to go by road,” Dasrath told TOI over phone on Thursday while Soni wrote her exam at Padma College in Gwalior. The centre was allotted to her at random.

They reached Gwalior on August 30 and word trickled out on Wednesday night.

“I have been flooded with calls since this morning. One call was apparently from the chief minister’s office. I was told that the MP government will help us with a return flight to Delhi and further transportation to our village in Jharkhand. They will send our scooter by railway parcel. That is more than we can ask for. We are overwhelmed,” said Dasrath.

Full report on www.toi.in

AGAINST ALL ODDS: Dasrath and Soni Manjhi

‘TN among 5 high-burden states showing decline in daily cases’
Health Ministry Data Shows State Saw Almost 24% Dip In Avg No. Of Cases

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: 04.09.2020

While active cases of Covid-19 are rising on a daily basis led by rapidly rising positive cases across the country, the health ministry data shows that the trajectory of average daily active cases in the five high-burden states have declined during the last week (August 27-September 2), as compared to the week of August 13-19.

Five high-burden states — Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu — account for 62% of active cases in the country. The data also shows that Tamil Nadu saw an almost 24% decrease in average number of daily active cases during August 27-September 2 as compared to August 13-19. In Maharashtra, it dropped by 6.8%. UP, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh also showed a decline by around 17%, 16% and 13.7% respectively. However, Maharashtra has recorded high numbers on a daily basis and has a worrying positivity rate that hovers around 20%.

There have been fluctuations in the week of August 20-26 where the number has gone up as compared to the August 13-19 week, but over all, in the three week period, the states have registered a decline.

Overall, active cases across the country are increasing consistently despite high number of recoveries on a daily basis. On Wednesday, 68,584 Covid-19 patients were discharged from either home isolation or hospital taking the total number of recoveries to nearly 30 lakh. Despite this, the active case-load of the country stood at 8,15,538, up from 8,01,282 a day ago. Not too long ago, the number was in the 7 lakh region.

In case of deaths, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi and Tamil Nadu account for 70% of the total Covid-19 deaths in the country. However, only Karnataka and Delhi saw a surge week-on-week between these three weeks. “On a week-to-week basis, there has been 4.5% decrease in average daily deaths reported in Andhra Pradesh, 11.5% decline in Maharashtra and 18.2% decline in Tamil Nadu. On the other hand, Delhi has seen 50% and Karnataka 9.6% increase in average daily fatalities,” he said.

Full report on www.toi.in

King cobra sighting at 2,400m sets new altitude record for the species

King cobra sighting at 2,400m sets new altitude record for the species

Prashant.Jha@timesgroup.com

Nainital:04.09.2020

Forest officials in Uttarakhand have for the first time recorded sightings of king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) at heights of 2,200m to 2,400m in the Himalayas, a new altitude record for the species which has led to several experts calling for a detailed study on the how the world’s largest venomous snake was thriving at such elevations.

The observations, part of a report prepared by the Uttarakhand forest department’s research wing in Haldwani, a copy of which is with TOI, put the species’ habitat range as varying from 400m in Terai region to up to 2,400m in the hills. The report said that such a wide variation in habitat for a cold-blooded or ectothermic species was “unusual” and demands scientific investigation.

Reptiles are cold-blooded, meaning they depend on external heat sources for thermoregulation and generally prefer warmer climates. But during a ninemonth study, forest officials found nests of the snakeclassified as ‘vulnerable’ in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list— at heights of up to 2,400m in Mukteshwar (Nainital district) where winter temperatures are close to freezing and snowfall is common.

Chief conservator of forests (research) Sanjeev Chaturvedi, who led the study, said that the research involved field investigations as well as interviews with local residents. “This is the highest altitude at which a king cobra has ever been sighted,” Chaturvedi told TOI.

A study published in the journal Herpetology Notes in 2018 authored by Jignasu Dolia, a researcher at the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India, had mentioned the highest recorded altitude for the king cobra—India’s national reptile— at 2,303m after a hatchling was found in the Indian Veterinary Research Institute’s (IVRI) campus in Mukteshwar in 2012. The species has been sighted at 1,840m in Sikkim, 1,170m in Mizoram and 1,830m in the Nilgiris.

(Inputs by Shivani Azad)

Universities can hold exams for 1st & 2nd year UG courses: SC

Dhananjay.Mahapatra@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:04.09.2020

Lakhs of students in first and second year undergraduate courses may have to appear for examinations this year to get promoted to the next year as the Supreme Court on Thursday said the University Grants Commission (UGC) has left it to the discretion of universities whether or not to conduct such exams.

Ayush Yesudas, a Delhibased 24-year undergraduate student of Indira Gandhi National Open University (Ignou), through counsel Manish Pratap Singh, argued before a bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, R S Reddy and M R Shah that the July 22 notification of Ignou asking first and second year students to appear in examinations in December would not only keep them in confusion since many universities had decided to promote them to the next year without examination but also put them in grave danger because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The bench said the UGC had left it to the discretion of universities to hold or not to hold examinations for first and second year undergraduate students. “It is for each university to decide. UGC has given discretion. If a university decides to hold an examination, it is not subject to judicial review. We cannot start deciding whether examination is necessary or not. It (Ignou’s decision) does not violate the UGC’s July 6 guidelines,” the bench said.

Each year, around 2.5 lakh students enrol for various undergraduate courses offered by Ignou. This means, around five lakh students will have to prepare for first and second year undergraduate examinations in December. The petition, filed through Pratik Bombarde, said most students who enrolled in undergraduate courses of Ignou came from poor backgrounds and would find it difficult to appear in online examinations.

The bench had recently upheld UGC’s July 6 guidelines making it mandatory for final year undergraduate and postgraduate students to appear in examinations to be entitled to their degrees. However, it softened the September 30 deadline set by UGC for completion of final examinations by ruling that states, under the Disaster Management Act, could defer final examinations given the Covid-19 situation.

Covid norms go for a toss on buses

Covid norms go for a toss on buses

Deepak Karthik & Sukshma R TNN

Trichy/Madurai:  04.09.2020

Twodays after intra-district bus services resumed, there has been significant improvement in patronagefrom passengers in Trichy and Madurai. However, buses that stop at borders of neighbouring districtswereovercrowded in Trichy despite inter-district services not resuming. Passengers have been taking the buses plying within the district to reach the border and then walking the remaining distance.

Though services resumed after two monthsfrom September 1,TNSTC had been blaming the poor patronage on absence of inter-district operations. However, the past two days saw more people, particularly women, taking buses to reach their workplace. In Trichy, Pettaivaithalai which shares borders with Karur and Thuvakudi that has a border with Thanjavur saw a surge in footfall. Besides locals travelling to reach Trichy city, inter-district travellers constitute a sizeable chunk.

In Madurai, buses connecting Melur and Thirumangalam witnessed overcrowding in peak hours. Between 8am and 10am, safety measures such as wearing face masks and social distancing had gone for a tosson these buses. “During peakhours, nobody maintains social distancing. Certain buses connecting Trichy city with Pettaivaithalai were overcrowded,” P Aiyarappan, a resident of Allur said. TNSTC officials in Trichy said the situation will improve once inter-district bus services resume. “Inter-district passengers are also a reason for overcrowding,” an official said.

In Coimbatore, the situation was not alarming. TNSTC officials said buses that were operated to places abutting the district borders had more passengers than city buses, but even in those vehicles masks were worn by most passengers. But, buses plying in Coimbatore had fewer passengers. Hesitation and fear to use public transportation as Covid-19 is peaking in the district were cited as the reasons for poor patronage for TNSTC buses in Coimbatore.

(With inputs from A Subburaj)

PATRONAGE POURS IN: A scene at Chathiram bus stand in Trichy on Thursday

S Rly to run 9 spl trains from city

S Rly to run 9 spl trains from city

Chennai: 04.09.2020

Southern Railways will operate nine special trains from Chennai to various cities in the state including Madurai, Coimbatore, Trichy and Tuticorin from September 7. Reservations for the trains will start at 8am on Sunday.

The trains include Chennai Egmore – Karaikkudi – Chennai Egmore Superfast Special (02605/02606) (daily), Chennai Egmore – Madurai – Chennai Egmore Superfast Special (02635/02636) (daily), Chennai Egmore – Madurai Chennai Egmore Superfast Special (02637/02638) (daily), Chennai Egmore – Tuticorin - Chennai Egmore Superfast Special (02693/02694) (daily), Chennai – Coimbatore – Chennai Superfast Intercity special (02675/02676), Coimbatore – Mayiladuthurai – Coimbatore Janshatabdi special (02084/ 02083) (except Tuesdays), Chennai – Coimbatore – Chennai Superfast Express special (02679/02680), Chennai – Coimbatore – Chennai Superfast Express special (02673/ 02674) and Chennai Egmore – Trichy – Chennai Egmore special (06795/06796) via Main line. TNN

Persons, Not Having Even Gone To Regular School/College, To Get Into Law College For First Time In Life : Madras HC Urges BCI To Amend Rules [Read Order]

Persons, Not Having Even Gone To Regular School/College, To Get Into Law College For First Time In Life : Madras HC Urges BCI To Amend Rules [Read Order]: The Madras High Court has urged the Bar Council of India to take a cue from its judgment and make necessary changes in Rule 5 of its Legal Education Rules to ensure that the candidates who

Persons, Not Having Even Gone To Regular School/College, To Get Into Law College For First Time In Life : Madras HC Urges BCI To Amend Rules

Persons, Not Having Even Gone To Regular School/College, To Get Into Law College For First Time In Life : Madras HC Urges BCI To Amend Rules [Read Order] 

Mehal Jain

3 Sep 2020 9:41 PM 

The Madras High Court has urged the Bar Council of India to take a cue from its judgment and make necessary changes in Rule 5 of its Legal Education Rules to ensure that the candidates who complete their Higher Secondary and UG through regular course alone are made eligible to participate for selection in the 5 year or 3 year LLB courses. 

"In the absence of the same, persons who have not even gone to the regular school or college will get into a law college for the first time in their life and that may not be a healthy trend to maintain the quality of education in Law", cautioned Justice N. Anand Venkatesh, stating that the Bar Council of India should seriously take this suggestion into consideration and make necessary changes to the Rule. 

The case of the petitioner before the Single Judge was that he had completed SSLC (10th) in the year 2010 and thereafter, he completed the Higher Secondary Course (+2) in the year 2014. The petitioner thereafter completed three years BCA Degree Course in the year 2017 through Distance Education mode from Tamil University, Thanjavur. The petitioner applied for the three year L.L.B. Degree Course under the MBC category and the petitioner has also obtained necessary 

cut off marks. At the time of counselling, the petitioner was informed that he was not eligible to be considered for selection for the 3 year L.L.B Course on the ground that the petitioner did not satisfy the requirements under Rule 5 of the 

Bar Council of India Rules. Aggrieved by the same, the present writ petition had been filed before the Court. Reliance was placed on the Full Bench Judgment of the Madras High Court, in the case of Mohammed Mustafa v. the Chairman, Tamil Nadu Dr.Ambedkar Law university and two others dated 13.03.2018, making it very clear that a person who has obtained the qualification even through distance/ correspondence education is eligible to be considered for admission to the 3 year course. 

Rule 5 reads as follows: 

Eligibility for admission.- (a) Three Year Law Degree Course: An applicant who has graduated in any discipline of knowledge from a University established by an Act of Parliament or by a State Legislature or an equivalent national institution recognised as a Deemed to be University or foreign University recognised as equivalent to the status of an Indian University by an authority competent to declare equivalence, may apply for a three years' degree programe in law leading to conferment of LL.B. Degree on successful completion of the regular program conducted by a University whose degree in law is recognised by the Bar Council of India for the purpose of enrolment. 

(b)Integrated Degree Programe: An applicant who has successfully completed Senior Secondary School course (+2) or equivalent (such as 11 + 1, 'A' level in Senior School Leaving certificate course) from a recognised University of India or outside or from a Senior Secondary Board or equivalent, constituted or recognised by the Union or by a State Government or from any equivalent institution from a foreign country recognised by the Government of that country for the purpose of issue of qualifying certificate on successful completion of the course, may apply for and be admitted into the program of the Centres of Legal Education to obtain the integrated degree in law with a degree in any other subject as the first degree from the University whose such a degree in law is recognised by the Bar Council of India for the purpose of enrolment. Provided that applicants who have obtained +2 Higher Secondary Pass Certificate or First Degree Certificate after prosecuting studies in distance or correspondence method shall also be considered as eligible for admission in the Integrated Five Years course or three years' LL.B. Course, as the case may be. 

Explanation.- The applicants who have obtained 10 +2 or graduation / post graduation through open Universities system directly without having any basic qualification for prosecuting such studies are not eligible for admission in the law courses. 

On a careful reading of Rule 5 of the Bar council of India Rules, it became clear to the Single bench that an applicant must graduate through a regular programme conducted by a University for the purpose of being considered for admission in the 3 year Law Course. "If the Rule had stopped there, obviously the petitioner will not be eligible since he has not completed the minimum education through regular course. However the proviso, which should be considered as an exception to the main Rule, expands the eligibility. The proviso makes it clear that even the applicants who have obtained Higher Secondary or Under Graduation through Distance Education will also be eligible for admission for the 5 year course or the 3 year course, as the case may be", noted the bench. 

The bench opined that the explanation clearly states that the applicant should not have obtained 10+2 or UG or PG through the Open University system directly without having any basic qualification. The bench explained it to mean that a person who has not completed 10th cannot qualify for 10+2, a person who has not completed 10+2 cannot qualify for UG and a person who has not completed UG cannot qualify for PG. "This is the literal meaning for the explanation appended to Rule 5 of Bar Council of India Rules. This Rule has been interpreted by the Full Bench in the judgement referred supra, and the Full Bench has made it very clear that a person who has obtained the qualification even through distance/correspondence education is eligible to be considered for admission to the 3 year course", said the bench. 

Noting the concern expressed by the counsel appearing for the respondent-law university to the effect that a candidate who has right through undergone education through distance education in 10th Standard, 10+2 and UG and who has never undergone regular course at any point of time, is knocking the doors of this Court claiming himself to be eligible for being considered for the 3 year Law Course, the bench, however, observed that the Rule viz., Rule 5 of the Bar Council of India Rules does not seem to match the concern so expressed. 

"The Rule itself provides for an exception to undergo education through distance/correspondence mode. Till this Rule is in force, a candidate who satisfies the requirements of this rule will have to be considered for admission to the course", stated the bench. 

The bench held that as per the existing Rules, the petitioner is eligible for being considered as a candidate for the 3 year B.L Course subject to the condition that the petitioner again participates in the selection for the academic year 2020-2021 and obtains necessary cut off marks. 

At the same time, the bench urged that the Bar Council of India can take a cue from this judgment and make necessary changes in Rule 5 to ensure that the candidates who complete their Higher Secondary and UG through regular course alone are made eligible to participate for selection in the 5 year course or 3 year course.

"I have dealt with every case with my conscience", Justice Arun Mishra bids farewell to the Supreme Court

"I have dealt with every case with my conscience", Justice Arun Mishra bids farewell to the Supreme Court

"Analyse every Judgment and don't colour it this way or that way. If I have hurt anybody then please pardon me, pardon me, pardon me", the retiring judge said.

Debayan Roy

Sep 2, 2020, 1:37 PM IST

Chief Justice of India SA Bobde and senior members of the Bar bid farewell to Justice Arun Mishra, who retires as a judge of the Supreme Court today.

As per tradition, Justice Mishra shared the Bench with CJI Bobde on his last working day.

In a short farewell speech, Justice Mishra said that whatever he could do "came from the Supreme powers of this Court". He said,

"I always tried to borrow the weapon of power given to me by my learned brothers. All of you were the power behind whatever I have done."

Paying tribute to the Bar, he said,

"I have learnt so much from the members of the Bar. So many branches of law I have learnt from the Bar members. You can master the facts but there are so many local laws... And interpretation of those by lawyers."

Justice Arun Mishra

Justice Arun Mishra said that over the course of his career as a judge, he has "dealt with every case with his conscience."

"Sometimes I have been very harsh in my conduct directly or indirectly. Nobody should feel hurt. Analyse every Judgment and don't colour it this way or that way. If I have hurt anybody then please pardon me, pardon me, pardon me."

Justice Mishra

Referring to the Prashant Bhushan contempt case that he heard and decided, Justice Mishra stated,

"...even in the last case of contempt, AG said that he didn't want any punishment (for Prashant Bhushan) but.....".

CJI Bobde remarked that it was the very first time that he and Justice Mishra were sitting together, and would be the last time too. He said,

"It has been a privilege to have Justice Arun Mishra as a colleague. It is a peculiar thing that this is the first time I am sitting with him in Court and this happens to be his last time. You have been a beacon of courage and fortitude in discharging your duties."

CJI SA Bobde

Attorney General KK Venugopal, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, Supreme Court Bar Association President Dushyant Dave and Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association President Shivaji Jadhav were among the lawyers logged in to Court 1 to address Justice Mishra on his last day in office.

While AG Venugopal addressed Justice Mishra as the "iron judge of the Supreme Court," other law officers wished him well for his "second innings." The AG said,

"It is disappointing that this farewell is done through video conferencing. We are hoping he will be in Delhi, after all, he is only 65 years of age. I have had a good relationship with Justice Mishra for the last 30 years. He is the iron judge of the Supreme Court. We will miss him in Supreme Court and we wish him good health."

AG Venugopal

[Breaking] 'Students Do Not Suffer For No Fault On Their Part':Bombay HC Directs NTA To Consider Plea Of Students Unable To Attend JEE Due To Flood/Transport/Communication Issues [Read Order]

[Breaking] 'Students Do Not Suffer For No Fault On Their Part':Bombay HC Directs NTA To Consider Plea Of Students Unable To Attend JEE Due To Flood/Transport/Communication Issues [Read Order]: 'if any of the students is unable to attend the examination on the centre due to flood situation, a representation can be made through the local agency to the Apex Body of the JEE-Main

Bangalore University's Alternate Guidelines For Law Students Have BCI Approval; Can Be Implemented : Karnataka HC

Bangalore University's Alternate Guidelines For Law Students Have BCI Approval; Can Be Implemented : Karnataka HC: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday disposed of a petition filed by two final year students of the Bangalore University, seeking directions to the Bar Council of India (BCI) to dispense with the...