Madras High Court refuses to stall SIT probe into Madurai Kamaraj University sex scandal

The bench also directed the university to file a report on the proper implementation of the Act in its institutions.

  Published: 30th November 2018 01:08 PM |

 

 By PTI

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has made it clear that it cannot stall the probe by the Special Investigation Team appointed by the Tamil Nadu Governor into the alleged sex scandal at Madurai Kamaraj University in the state.

A division bench of Justice M Sathyanarayanan and Justice P Rajamanickam said Thursday, "We cannot stay the probe by SIT, all we can do is only ask the university whether it has implemented the provisions of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act."

The bench also directed the university to file a report on the proper implementation of the Act in its institutions.

The direction came on a plea by Revolutionary Students Youth Front seeking to stall the probe conducted by the SIT and constitute a new team headed by a woman official to investigate the scandal in which assistant professor Nirmala Devi allegedly tried to lure college girls to offer sexual favours to higher officials.

When the plea came up for hearing, the Advocate General filed a status report, which said the professor "voluntarily" confessed during custodial interrogation that she tried to lure girl students of her college only to offer sexual favours to other two accused in the case Murugan and Karuppasamy.

It was further submitted that with the assistance of cyber crime cell the call data records (CDR) of Nirmala Devi, Karuppasamy and Murugan were obtained from Mobile Service Providers (MSPs). The report said the records were analysed and relevant evidence of conspiracy was established.

"The calls made and received by the accused were analysed, and the concerned were summoned, examined and statements recorded. The calls among the three were corroborated based on the voluntary confession and the facts were verified," it was submitted.

The seizure of all digital evidences was done after following due legal procedure, the report added. Nirmala Devi, assistant professor at Devanga Arts College in Aruppukottai, was arrested on April 16, a day after an audio clip went viral on the social media, in which she purportedly sought to persuade girls to consider extending sexual favours to senior officials of MKU, to which the college is affiliated.

Madurai Kamaraj University scandal: Copy of CB-CID report sought 

She sought for a stay of all further proceedings on the final report and sought a direction to transfer the case to CBI for fresh investigation under a special investigation team. 

  Published: 29th November 2018 08:56 AM 

 

Madurai Kamaraj University

By Express News Service

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench directed the Srivilliputhur Mahila Court to produce the copy of the final report filed by the CB-CID in the Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) sex scandal case in a sealed cover before December 3.

The direction came in response to a petition filed by the General Secretary of All India Democratic Women’s Association P Suganthi seeking transfer of the investigation of the case to CBI. Suganthi submitted that the entire final report in the said case is totally flawed and stands on inadmissible confessions without any independent witnesses to corroborate the averments.

Though the audio conversation, which is the prime evidence in the case that had set the law in motion, included soliciting sexual favours from girl students and sexual gratification for higher officials of MKU, the latter part has been completely abandoned during the investigation, Suganthi stated. Even the statement of the Vice Chancellor of MKU has not recorded been recorded by CB-CID, she added.

Suganthi further pointed out CB-CID had added two higher officials of MKU namely Distance Education Director Viajayadurai and Director of Human Resource Development Centre Kalaiselvan, as witnesses in the case instead of accused, even though the officials, according to the prime accused Professor Nirmala Devi’s confession and their own statements, seem to have aided her in the crime directly and indirectly.

She sought for a stay of all further proceedings on the final report and sought a direction to transfer the case to CBI for fresh investigation under a special investigation team.

Quality, credible journals to get UGC's CARE

Based on special cells’ reports, CARE will maintain a dynamic ‘Reference List of Quality Journals’. 

  Published: 30th November 2018 05:31 AM 

 

UGC head office. (PTI)

By Express News Service

COIMBATORE: With the aim of promoting credible and quality academic journals in India in all academic disciples, the University Grants Commission has decided to establish the Consortium for Academic and Research Ethics (CARE).

CARE, to be chaired by the UGC vice chairman, will include representatives of the Association of Indian Universities, relevant statutory councils and government bodies concerning the sciences, medicine, agriculture and engineering, as well as the social science, humanities, arts and fine arts.

The UGC’s INFLIBNET (Information and Library Network) Centre, which will also be a CARE member, will act as a supporting agency, according to a public notice from UGC Secretary Rajnish Jain. CARE members will prepare a list of quality journals in their respective disciplines and these will be critically   analysed using ‘defined criteria’ by special cells at certain ‘entrusted institutions’ with proven track record in journal analysis and publication ethics. The cells will be guided by an empowered UGC-appointed committee.

Based on special cells’ reports, CARE will maintain a dynamic ‘Reference List of Quality Journals’. In the science and technology disciplines, it will also consider journals indexed by globally accepted databases like Scopus and Web of Science.

The number of research articles published in reputed journals is a globally accepted indicator for matters like institutional ranking, appointment and promotion of faculty members and award of research degrees, Jain pointed out. Credibility of research publications is extremely important as it reflects individual, institutional and national image. Publications in dubious, substandard journals, besides bringing a poor image, cause long-term academic damage.

These have, in fact, become a matter of concern all over the world. The percentage of research articles published in such journals is reported to be high In India, adversely affecting the country’s image. High quality, reputable journals and research papers are thus necessary to achieve higher global rankings   for our institutions and improve our quality of education, he said.

Doctors over 70 will have to update credentials by January 31

TNN | Nov 30, 2018, 08.16 AM IST


 

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Medical Council has asked doctors over the age of 70 to update their credentials by January 31. If they don’t, they will be termed “dormant and inaccessible” practioners and barred from practising.

The move was as a part of efforts to revise the state medical registry, the council said. The state has more than 15,000 senior doctors – those 70 or older as of June 1, 2018.

A notification from the council published in the Tamil Nadu Gazette said these doctors must send in their registration certificates, aadhaar cards and proof of practice as prescribed on the council website before January 31, 2019. Those who don’t would be moved to the category of “dormant and inaccessible practitioners” from February 1, 2019. “With this they will delisted from the active registry and will not be able to practise medicine. To get back to the registry, they will have to furnish details. Unless we do this, we will not be able to keep an active and functional registry of doctors,” said council president Dr K Senthil. “To make it convenient for the seniors, we have asked them to send the details by post,” Dr Senthil said.

The council has more than 1.4 lakh medical practitioners as members. “Some of them are in their nineties and we don’t know if they are still actively practising medicine,” he said. The council has urged the relatives of doctors who are dead to intimate it through email or post along with a copy of the registration certificate and the death certificate.

An active registry, Dr Senthil said, would give the council and the state an idea about the doctor-patient ratio. They would also get details of doctors in particular geographical locations that can be put to use during emergencies, he said.

Seniors, however, have been exempted from the mandatory 90-hour attendance at continuing medical education programmes. Younger doctors, who don’t have a 90-hour attendance at continuing medical education programmes for the last five years, will have to pay a fine and complete the deficit hours in 2019, the Council said.

Another cazette notification, published on Wednesday, said all doctors in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands must comply with the code of ethics of the council that mandated 30 credit hours – 90 absolute hours – of attending medical education programmes conducted by recognised or accredited organisations. The council, on September 30, resolved to implement the clause strictly, the notification said.

Doctors have been asked to update their credit hours accrued from June 1, 2012, to May 31, 2017, and also periodically update their credit hours post June 1, 2017. “Doctors have to pay Rs50 for each participant for carrying forward deficit credit hours for the ne-xt year,” said Dr Senthil. “If the hours are not completed in the next year too, the fine has to paid once again. We kept the fine amount low because our intention is not to punish but to encourage doctors to complete courses and update them,” Dr Senthil said.

Block health officer arrested for taking Rs 25,000 bribe from Tuticorin college

TNN | Nov 30, 2018, 03.58 PM IST MADURAI:

Sleuths of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) arrested a block health supervisor in Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu on Friday after he was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000 from a private college to issue a sanitary certificate. 

The arrested officer has been identified as Alvarappan, 55, who is the block health supervisor at Eral.

Sources said in September, G U Pope College of Education at Sawyerpuram in Tuticorin applied for the sanitary certificate. As the process of issuing the certificate had got delayed, college authorities approached the health department officials, who in turn told them that it would be issued after inspection and certification by the block health supervisor.

On behalf of the college, staff member Jayakumar met Alvarappan, who demanded Rs 65,000 as bribe to issue the certificate. Later, he reduced the bribe amount to Rs 25,000 when the college refused to pay the amount.

The college management decided to deal the issue legally. Jayakumar lodged a complaint with the DVAC on Thursday evening.

As directed by DVAC deputy superintendent of police Dharmaraj, chemical coated currencies were given to Jayakumar so that he could hand them over to the official.

On Friday morning, Alvarappan came to the entrance of the private college where a team of six DVAC sleuths, led by inspector A Annamalai, caught him red-handed when he received the chemical coated currencies.

Alvarappan was booked under Section 7(A) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Southern Railway to run Tejas train between Chennai Egmore and Madurai

TNN | Nov 30, 2018, 06.03 PM IST

 
CHENNAI: Southern Railway will operate a swanky Tejas train between Chennai Egmore and Madurai five days a week. The train will run at an average speed of 70kmph during the day-time, official sources said. 

The train, which will be started within a week, will have features like infotainment, luxurious seats, WiFi and modular toilets.

It will start from Chennai Egmore around 6am and reach Madurai in six and a half hours. It would return to Chennai in the night, official sources said.


The Tejas rake was churned out of the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai on Friday. It will reach Southern Railway's Villivakkam yard on Friday night. Initially, it would be run as a special and then regularised, said official sources.

Man cheats senior citizen at ATM in Chennai, escapes with Rs 20,000

TNN | Nov 30, 2018, 06.21 PM IST

 

CHENNAI: An unidentified man escaped with Rs 20,000 from a senior citizen after diverting his attention at an ATM in Virugambakkam here on Friday.

Thiruvengadam, 65, was at an SBI ATM when an unidentified man approached him stating that the ATM was not working properly and that he would help him withdraw money.

Thiruvengadam handed over his debit card to the man and revealed the PIN number. The man inserted the card in the ATM and entered the PIN number. After sometime, he told Thiruvengadam that he could withdraw cash.

Thiruvengadam withdraw Rs 10,000 cash. When he reached home, Thiruvengadam saw an SMS on his cellphone which suggested that he had withdrawn Rs 20,000 using the card just before withdrawing Rs 10,000.

Thiruvengadam lodged a complaint with the Virugambakkam police, who launched a hunt for the miscreant.