Realty blues: 3 sisters attempt suicide in Salem, one dies 

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | ZAKEER HUSSAIN

Published Sep 29, 2018, 5:33 am IST

After prolonged treatment, one of the sisters died on Friday, police said. 


 
. The other two sisters returned home after treatment, but Menaka died on Friday, not responding to the treatment. (Representional Image)

Salem: Financial loss from the collapse of a real estate firm here drove three sisters of a family, who invested their hard-earned savings in it along with some friends, to commit suicide. After prolonged treatment, one of the sisters died on Friday, police said.

This Tragic episode may run like a variance of the Russian playwright Chekov’s play, ‘Three Sisters’. Menaka, 33, daughter of Alagesan, working in a real estate firm near the new bus stand for the last three years, had invested close to Rs.15 lakh in the firm, funds including her personal savings and of her friends and kin.

Even as Menaka hoped for better returns on their investment, the real estate firm suddenly shut, after its promoter was held on a complaint of alleged fraud. That resulted in all its assets including cash and immovable properties being attached by the authorities, depriving investors in the real estate firm of their money.

Recently, the promoter of the firm, one Mr. Sivakumar came out on bail and Menaka who by then was planning to get married asked him to return their block of investments. But he pleaded helplessness saying all the assets of the firm have been attached.

With no immediate prospect of getting back their investments, including the money Menaka had earlier saved for her wedding, police said last month she went through a bout of depression and on August 28 had attempted suicide by popping a poisonous pill. Seeing Menaka in distress, both her sisters, Revathi and Kalaimagal, also consumed the same pill and attempted suicide.

Seeing them drop down in an unconscious state, neighbours had then rushed them to a private hospital in Salem, where they were under treatment for nearly a month. The other two sisters returned home after treatment, but Menaka died on Friday, not responding to the treatment.

Her body was sent to Salem government hospital for post-mortem. Ammapettai police registered a case and are investigating.

Chennai actor accuses scribe of sexual harassment, shares ordeal on FB 
 
DECCAN CHRONICLE. | Edited by : UMANG SHARMA

Published Sep 29, 2018, 4:00 pm IST

The actor said the journalist sat next to her at her house and misbehaved. 'I had to literally show him the door,' she added. 


 
Chennai based actor Gayatri Sai said harassment continued via phone and internet and that the journalist started sending her derogatory WhatsApp messages, threatening to defame her. (Representational Image | AFP)

Chennai: Renowned Tamil Nadu actor Gayatri Sai recently went live on Facebook to expose senior journalist Prakash M Swamy, who she claims has been sexually harassing and physically abusing her over the last two years. The 42-year-old actor also sought action against him.

Sai said she went up to police to file a case but they refused to file an FIR and instead they just registered Community Service Register (CSR), the picture of which she posted on her Facebook.

After repeated visits to police station and pleading before them to file a case, the police asked the actor to go to the Commissioner of Police to file the case.

The actor, in an eight-minute video, which went viral soon after, narrates the nightmare she went through, alleging that journalist, Swamy, targeted her after the death of her husband in Hong Kong, in the pretext of helping her in sorting an issue with her son's passport.

In the video, the Chennai based actor said that the journalist sat next to her at her house and misbehaved. "I had to literally show him the door," she added.

The actor went on to claim that harassment continued via phone and internet and that the journalist started sending her derogatory WhatsApp messages, threatening to defame her.

"He spread false stories that I killed my husband, who died of a massive heart attack. He even got a cheap baseless story on me published in a local magazine," alleged the actor.

She even said that her daughter was also defamed by the journalist and with the help of her daughter she mustered courage to post the ill-deeds of the journalist on social media.

Sai said she even went to the court but hearing has not been taken you till date.

The actor has further alleged that the journalist has over the course of years harassed many women, showing them pictures of him with top leaders and ministers so that people get intimidated by his stature.

"People believe he can get things done. He manipulates. He has to be punished," the actor demanded.

Swamy, who was based in the United States for a long time denied the allegations. Confirming that he did try to help Sai over a passport issue, he told NDTV, "I never visited her house nor did I sexually harass her. Even for argument's sake had I visited her, why did she keep quiet for so long?"

Swamy had been to jail for a month in connection with the Sahara case.

Apply and pay online for driving licences in Tamil Nadu from October

Applicants can pay the fee with their debit/credit cards, e-banking services or pay the sum in the nearest SBI branch and produce the receipt at the RTO.

Published: 29th September 2018 07:29 PM |

Image for representational purpose (File | PTI)
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: You can apply and pay for your driving licence online from October 1. Those who want to apply for their driving licences along with the learner's ones can do so through www.parivahan.gov.in/parivahan, according to a transport press release.

Since March 2017, regional transport offices across the state have digitised the licensing process and the State government said the move to enable online applications and payments will further benefit the public.

Applicants can pay the fee with their debit/credit cards, e-banking services or pay the sum in the nearest State Bank of India branch and produce the receipt at the RTO.

Vehicle owners have been able to pay their registration fees and road tax online since 2012. From October 1, they will also be able to complete tasks such as name transfer online, the release said.

Education should build character: Nirmala

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

VELLORE, SEPTEMBER 30, 2018 00:00 IST



Crowning glory:Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presenting the gold medal and certificate to a student at the 33rd annual convocation of the VIT University in Vellore on Saturday; G. Viswanathan, Chancellor, is also seen.

C. VENKATACHALAPATHYC_VENKATACHALAPATHY
Appeals to graduands to enter public service and contribute towards nation-building

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said education should build character, inspiring students to contribute to society.

Delivering the 33rd convocation address at the VIT University in Vellore, she quoted Swami Vivekananda to say that education should enable one to stand on one’s feet. Pre-colonial India was an enterprising society that prioritised education, she added.

“Enterprise was not alien to us. We were not just looking for jobs: again, a trait which has come into this country thanks to our colonial past and thanks to the first 50 years of horrible socialism....That licence inspector Raj of the first 50 years of our Independence has changed the character of our economy or what we are, inherently. We are very free-thinking individuals, which is why our democracy is noisy,” she said. She urged the graduands to enter public service and contribute to nation-building as new avenues open up. “Coming from defence, I am under the impression that no longer will wars be fought just on the borders,” she said.

‘Liberate Saraswathi’

Earlier, VIT University chancellor G. Viswanathan called for deregulation of the education sector. “In 1991, the new economic policy was introduced, and deregulation happened in industry and business which has not yet happened in education. ‘Lakshmi’ was liberated in 1991; even after 27 years, ‘Saraswathi’ is in chains. We want to request the Minister....to liberate ‘Saraswathi’, we want her help,” he said.

Responding to this, Ms. Sitharaman said: “The bureaucracy, which, as I said, were glorified clerks as officers, who were trained to run this country have got so used to this chaining…That is the chain the government under this Prime Minister wants to break. Eventually, the chains on education, too.”

In his address, Viji Santhanam, chairman and managing director of TVS Brakes India, recalled his father, the founder of Sundaram Finance, as saying, “When you go into the community, you have an obligation and moral responsibility to give back to the community, which has helped you grow.”

Gold medals were presented to 54 candidates. Degree certificates were given away to 6,277 candidates, including those of 257 who completed their Ph.D.

Flight returns after medical emergency

MURALI N. KRISHNASWAMY

CHENNAI, SEPTEMBER 30, 2018 00:00 IST

A Singapore Airlines flight operating on the Singapore-Chennai-Singapore sector on September 28/29 (Friday/Saturday) returned to the Meenambakkam airport a little over an hour after take-off, following an inflight medical emergency.

An airline spokesperson said, “Singapore Airlines flight SQ529 returned as a passenger required medical attention. There were 270 passengers on board.”

Chennai colleges can apply online for faculty qualification 

approval

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

CHENNAI, SEPTEMBER 30, 2018 00:00 IST

V-C says several self-financing colleges yet to submit details

Arts and Science colleges affiliated to the University of Madras can now apply online for obtaining qualification approval for faculty members. Qualification approval from the university is a mandatory requirement to ensure that colleges have made appointments based on the eligibility requirements prescribed by the University Grants Commission.

Vice-Chancellor P. Duraisamy said that once the applications are obtained online, the university would constitute a panel comprising the Vice Chancellor’s nominee, three experts for each subject, SC/ST and women nominees, and interview the faculty members in the university and grant qualification approval to those eligible. Principals of the respective colleges would also be on the panel.

At the university’s academic council meeting held on Saturday, Mr. Duraisamy urged the affiliated colleges’ representatives to inform their respective managements to send the details of their faculty. It was mostly self-financing colleges that had not submitted the details yet, he added.

Officials said so far it received details of only 1,467 teachers. The Vice-Chancellor told The Hindu that there must be at least 2,500 qualified teachers. At least, 60 to 70 self-financing institutions had not sent in the details yet.

On conducting the interview in the university he said, “Instead of having to send an expert panel to each college it would be better for the faculty to come to the university.”

The norm is that within three months of the selection of faculty members, colleges must send the details of the appointment for qualification approval, “but self-financing colleges do not send them. They ask for approval with retrospective effect. Even for Principal selection they do this,” Mr Duraisamy said.

HC convicts three under SC/ST Act

Legal Correspondent

CHENNAI, SEPTEMBER 30, 2018 00:00 IST

Sentences them to one year of rigorous imprisonment for abusing an individual

In a significant judgment, the Madras High Court has found a 72-year-old retired school teacher, a serving school teacher and an executive guilty of having abused a person belonging to a Scheduled Caste by using the name of his caste in a derogatory manner.

It sentenced them to one year of rigorous imprisonment under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act of 1989.

Acquittal reversed

Justice P. Velmurugan reversed their acquittal by the trial court while allowing an appeal preferred by the victim Shanmugam of Vaniyambadi taluk in Vellore district. The judge found the convicts, Venkatachalam, Arun Kumar and Gopi guilty of criminal intimidation also and sentenced them to three months’ rigorous imprisonment for the offence, though both the sentences were ordered to run concurrently.

“In India, the caste system prevails even now, especially in the villages,” the judge said and added that in some of the villages, non-SC/ST community Hindus would not allow the SC/ST community people into their streets.

‘Living in fear’

“Further, they are not treating the SC/ST community Hindu people with dignity. In some of the villages, SC/ST community people are living in fear,” the judge observed.

The delay of two days in lodging the complaint could have been because of the trauma faced by the Scheduled Caste people.

The convicts had taken a defence that the complaint was lodged only on October 30, 2010, though the alleged incident took place on October 28, 2010.

However, the judge held that the delay would not vitiate the prosecution case against them.

He added that the case could not be eschewed just because the prosecution witnesses also belonged to a Scheduled Caste and that they were the relatives of the complainant.

“In a case of this nature... evidence of other community cannot be expected to support the case of de facto complainant.

“Merely because eyewitnesses are family members and belong to the same community, their evidence cannot be per se discarded,” the judge added.

Nevertheless, in the present case, one of the three witnesses belonged to the convicts’ community and he had deposed in consonance with the evidence adduced by the other witnesses as well as the complainant.

Yet, the Principal District and Sessions Court in Vellore had erred in acquitting all the three accused from the case on June 29, 2012, the judge said.

He cautioned that trial courts should not discard credible evidences without a valid reason.

“Merely because eyewitnesses are family members, their evidence cannot be per se discarded