Access to Internet is a basic right: Kerala HC

Upholds college student’s plea

20/09/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,KOCHI

The Kerala High Court on Thursday held that the right to have access to the Internet is part of the fundamental right to education as well as the right to privacy under Article 21 of the Constitution.

Justice P.V. Asha made the observation while ordering the principal of Sree Narayanaguru College, Kozhikode, to re-admit a student who had been expelled from the college hostel for using her mobile phone beyond the restricted hours.

The court observed, “When the Human Rights Council of the United Nations has found that the right of access to Internet is a fundamental freedom and a tool to ensure right to education, a rule or instruction which impairs the said right of the students cannot be permitted to stand in the eye of law.”

The verdict came on a petition filed by Faheema Shirin, a third-semester B.A. English student of the college at Chelanur, challenging her expulsion for not adhering to restrictions on the use of mobile phone. As per the rules of the girls’ hostel, inmates were restrained from using mobile phones from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. She, along with a few other inmates, had protested against the restriction, as it was hampering their learning process.

CBI books 2 agri dept officers over harvester machine supply

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:20.09.2019

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Chennai, has registered a case of cheating and forgery against two officials from the agriculture department in Salem and the administrative director of a firm supplying harvester machines based on a complaint by a farmer, who was allegedly cheated of ₹19.39 lakh while purchasing a machine.

The case was registered on Wednesday by the anticorruption branch of CBI based on the Madras high court’s direction. The complaint was earlier rejected by a judicial magistrate in Attur. The high court suspects that the officials may have colluded to swindle the public exchequer and ordered a CBI probe.

According to the complainant V Ramakrishnan, a resident of Attur taluk in Salem, the assistant executive engineer of the agricultural engineering department, assistant engineer and the administrative director of South East Farm equipments Pvt Ltd in Salem cheated him.

Ramakrishnan said that in 2010-11 he had submitted an application at the agriculture department office for purchasing a paddy harvester machine. The application was scrutinised by the assistant executive engineer and it was accepted as it fulfilled the criteria.

The office later issued a supply order with a conditional clause that the machine was to be supplied within 15 days. The cost of the machine was ₹19.39 lakh. Of this, ₹15.39 lakh was paid to the South East Farm Equipments Pvt Ltd and the balance amount of ₹4 lakh was to be paid as a subsidy by the agricultural engineering department to the company, Ramakrishnan said. However, the company did not supply the machine as on date, Ramakrishnan alleged.

The trio have been accused of preparing a fake invoice by using a machine and chassis number which was purchased by Ramakrishnan earlier and swindling ₹4 lakh. He also stated that ₹15.39 lakh was not repaid to him and he did not get the paddy harvester machine as well.

The case was booked on Wednesday by the anti-corruption branch of CBI, Chennai, based on the Madras high court’s direction

Med seat for daughter: Cop conned of ₹1L

Chennai:20.09.2019

A woman police inspector was cheated of ₹1 lakh by an overseas education agency which promise a medical seat for her daughter in Poland. Following her complaint at the Mylapore police station, the agency owner was detained and the money was returned.

Shalini, 45, a CB-CID inspector at Old Police Commissionerate and a resident of police quarters in Pallavaram, allegedly paid ₹1 lakh to the agency at Alwarpet three months ago after it promised to get her daughter a medical seat in Poland. She approached police as the agency did not return the money.

Shalini’s daughter did not clear NEET and the family wanted to send her abroad for MBBS. “The girl’s documents were not cleared so the agency was not able to send her,” said a police officer. TNN

Sri Krishna sweets

Mining baron Sekar Reddy is TTD spl invitee

Chennai:20.09.2019

Sand mining baron A J Sekar Reddy, who was arrested by CBI and enforcement directorate (ED) in 2016 after ₹170crore new and demonetised notes besides 127kg gold were seized from him, has been appointed special invitee of Tirumalai Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). Only on Wednesday, the Andhra Pradesh government had nominated 24 TTD board members. The present GO has named seven people, including Reddy, from various cities as special invitees.

Reddy is at present incharge of the TTD’s information centre in T Nagar as well as the newly constructed temple at Kanyakumari. He has been made special invitee as he is the president of local advisory committee. “God has given me another chance to work for Him,” Reddy told TOI.

Colleges asked to examine student records after NEET impersonation

DME, Cops Suspect Larger Racket

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:20.09.2019

After a first-year medical student of Theni medical college was booked for getting admission without appearing for NEET, the government has directed all colleges to match photos in documents with students attending MBBS classes in government colleges. The directorate of medical education issued the order as it suspects a network of coaching centres and agents is operating a racket.

A seven-member police team from Theni, meanwhile, landed in Chennai in search of the student K V Udit Surya.

On Thursday, based on a complaint from Theni Medical College Dean Dr A K Rajendran, Udit was booked on charges of impersonation, forging documents and conspiracy. Preliminary inquiries revealed the photos of the medico in the college application and the NEET 2019 scorecard didn’t match the identity of the student attending classes. “Udit Surya has not been attending classes and was not on campus. Our team is searching for him in Chennai,” said Theni SP V Baskaran. “Inquiry with Udit is now crucial as we will have to find the person who wrote the NEET exam. We will also get information about the people involved in the network,” he said.

During inquiry, police found that Udit Surya had attempted to pursue medicine in Russia, but discontinued. His father Dr V K Venkatesh, who told TOI on Wednesday that his son wrote the NEET exam in Mumbai and that someone had changed the photographs on his scorecards, could not be reached on Thursday.

Meanwhile, after a day-long discussion with the committee from Theni medical college and selection committee secretary G Selvarajan, director of medical education (in-charge) Dr R Narayanababu asked deans of 23 government medical colleges in the state to verify documents of all students. “We received a complaint that the person who had applied for admission isn’t the one studying in our college. While we were holding inquiry, the student submitted a letter stating he wanted to discontinue the course,” said Rajendran. “It raised suspicion.... We suspect that many other students could have done this,” he said.

In addition to government colleges, the selection committee will urge self-financing medical colleges also to verify documents of students admitted this year. “This year, we opted to hold counselling off-line only because we did not want any such complication. We believe the candidate who came for counselling is the same as the one whose photo is on the admit card. Impersonation should have happened while attending classes,” he said.