College student held for rape of tennis player

25/09/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

The All Women Police, Kilpauk, on Tuesday arrested a 21 year-old college student on charges of raping and harassing a 20-year-old tennis player and threatening to upload videos of an intimate relationship on websites.

Studied in the U.S.

The girl was born in Royapuram and was a student of psychology in the U.S.

She had been playing tennis since the age of eight. She had won the Indian national under-14 championships for girls. She befriended K. Navith Ahmed, 21, of Kilpauk and the two then entered into a relationship.

As Navith allegedly threatened to upload the videos, she engaged a few friends and kidnapped Navith. He was assaulted by her men. She came out on bail. Based on her complaint, the All Women Police, Kilpauk arrested Navith.

Man offers poisoned ‘prasadam’ to couple; husband dies

Woman critical; accused who took ₹4 lakh promising deceased a job arrested

25/09/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

Karthik

A 36-year-old man died in Royapuram and his wife is in a serious condition in a hospital after they consumed prasadam that was suspected to have been mixed with poison.

The police said it was given to them by a person who defrauded them of ₹4 lakh.

The deceased has been identified as G. Karthik, a resident of S.N. Chetti Street, Royapuram.

The couple have two children. Mr. Karthik had completed M.E. (Computer Science) and was working as an assistant professor at a private college for sometime.

He lost his job due to retrenchment and ran a photo-copying shop in his house.

The couple paid ₹4 lakh to Velan alias Velayudham on a promise that he would help Mr. Karthik get a government job. Mr. Karthik began pestering Velan to return his money as the latter could not keep his promise.

On Monday, Velan called Mr. Karthik and told him that the appointment order was ready and asked him to collect it. Mr. Karthik and his wife, Saranya, 29, met him at his residence in MKB Nagar. Velayudham received them well and handed over ‘a letter of appointment’.

Felt giddy

The police said later Velayudham gave them prasadam, which he claimed was brought from a Shirdi Saibaba temple. Immediately after consuming the prasadam, Mr. Karthik felt giddy and stopped his wife from eating it. He rushed with his wife to a hospital. Near Mullai Nagar bus stop, he stopped his bike and collapsed on the road.

Passersby came to their rescue as Ms. Saranya also fainted.

Both were taken in an ambulance to the Government Stanley Hospital where Mr. Karthik was declared dead.

Ms. Saranya was admitted to the intensive care unit of the hospital.

The MKB Nagar police have arrested Velan.

The police said the suspect was working as an office assistant in a government food testing laboratory in Guindy.

He confessed to the police that he committed the offence as Mr. Karthik had been threatening him continuously. Further investigation is on.

The mystery of flight CS772 at Meenambakkam

The chartered Boeing 777LR spent a quiet 10 days at the airport

25/09/2019, MURALI N. KRISHNASWAMY,CHENNAI

The Boeing 777LR had flown in from Copenhagen to Mumbai on September 12 before continuing to Chennai. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT/CRYSTAL AIRCRUISES

When Flight CS772 flew into Meenambakkam on Friday, September 13, 2019, shortly before 1 p.m., it scarcely created a ripple.

But once the aircraft, ‘Crystal Skye’, was parked near a bay near the secondary runway to a distinct buzz and bustle in the ground handling agency concerned, there was realisation that this was a special flight.

The Boeing 777LR had flown in from Copenhagen to Mumbai on September 12 before continuing to Chennai.

Cruise on air

As aircraft go, the 777LR has been called the “most luxuriously appointed aircraft in the private aircraft industry”.

The cabin, with 88 ultra-plush and customised seats, is the byword in luxury travel, replicating the cruise ship experience in the air.

The few who can afford to charter it, can expect customised linen, global Wi-Fi, inflight entertainment options of a comprehensive film and audio bank that includes live television programming and live flight deck-to-airport ground control listening.

Inflight services that have been rated six-star include steam irons and lens cleaners.

The dining experience features Michelin-inspired cuisine along with the services of an inflight chef, a sommelier and mixologist.

The galleys with steam and convection ovens, espresso machines, blenders and ice machines promise gastronomic delights.

The plane has four flight captains and 19 cabin crew well-versed in a number of languages.

The aircraft’s owners — global leisure and hospitality company Genting Hong Kong, which operates in the luxury hospitality industry space — turned down requests by The Hindu for information about the charter, citing “customer confidentiality”.

Sources at Chennai airport, too, declined to comment.

Nolan’s niche

However, the “mystery” was solved when an aviation source in Mumbai said the aircraft had been chartered by the team of the film Tenet, an upcoming Hollywood film written and directed by Christopher Nolan, being shot in around seven countries. The action thriller is scheduled for release next year.

While the star-studded cast was completing its filming schedule in Mumbai, the aircraft was moved to Chennai to be parked and for crew rest.

The aircraft left Chennai for Mumbai early on Monday, September 23, and flew to Los Angeles later in the day.

NEET impersonation: ‘I am a victim of media exaggerations,’ medical student tells Madras high court

TNN | Sep 24, 2019, 04.33 PM IST

MADURAI: The Madras high court on Tuesday adjourned the anticipatory bail plea of a medical college student involved in NEET impersonation.

K V Udit Suriya, a resident of Chennai, moved the high court’s Madurai bench seeking anticipatory bail as the Gandamanur Vilakku police in Theni district registered a case against him under IPC sections 419, 420 and 120 (B) following impersonation in NEET exam.

He stated that a reporter had approached him stating that there were dissimilarities in the photo in the admit card and the hall ticket. He stated that in spite of the explanation, it was reported that there was an impersonation during the exam as someone else had written the exam instead of him.

The student stated that he was not involved in the alleged acts portrayed in the media. If he was arrested, he would be a victim of media exaggerations, the students stated.

He further submitted that as per the averments, all the documents were available with the college authorities and the same was accessible for the investigating agencies and therefore there might not be a necessity for custodial interrogation.

Hence, the petitioner moved the HC seeking anticipatory bail undertaking that he would abide by any conditions put forth by the court and cooperate with the investigation.

When the petition was heard on Tuesday, the state government submitted that the case would be transferred to the CB-CID soon and sought the boy to surrender for inquiry.

Taking note of the submissions, Justice G R Swaminathan orally observed that the allegation was serious in nature. The judge, who gave an option to the petitioner's counsel asking the petitioner to surrender before CB-CID on Friday and if he surrenders, then the anticipatory bail petition would be heard by the court as a bail petition.

Since, the counsel of the petitioner did not respond to the option of surrender, the judge adjourned the case to October 1 for further hearing.

MBBS, BDS admissions: Madras HC dismisses pleas challenging nativity of students ranked under state quota in TN

TNN | Sep 24, 2019, 02.16 PM IST

MADURAI: The Madras high court on Tuesday dismissed four petitions challenging the nativity of 126 candidates who were ranked under 85% state government quota for MBBS/BDS admission.

Four medical aspirants — G Somnath, K Neya, V C Ajithvass and A M Srilaya -- moved the high court seeking to conduct fresh counselling after deleting the names of candidates from other states who were ranked under 85% government quota for MBBS/BDS admission.

During hearing, the court suo motu impleaded all the 126 candidates mentioned by the petitioners and directed them to submit the documents regarding their nativity.

Justice M Sundar observed that 78 of the 126 candidates had proved their nativity and had been relived as parties to the petitions. The others also submitted their documents.

The judge cited that the question of deleting the alleged other state candidates under had clearly become a non- starter as far as the materials before this court was concerned.

"The petitioners have not made out any case for assailing the rank list published and the counselling conducted. There is no ground to direct the selection committee to conduct a fresh counselling," the judge observed.

The judge said a careful perusal of the cut-off marks revealed that even if all the remaining 48 candidates were dislodged, these four writ petitioners would not get admission.

Hence the judge dismissed the petitions citing that they were bereft of merits.

Tamil Nadu govt invites applications for naturopathy consultants

TNN | Sep 24, 2019, 08.54 PM IST

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has invited applications for filling 34 consultant posts sanctioned under the National AYUSH Mission at yoga and naturopathy wellness centres in the state.

Applicants must have a degree or diploma in naturopathy from a recognised university and they should have registered with the Tamil Nadu Board of Indian Medicine, Chennai.

Also, they should be aged between 18 and 57 as on July 1, 2019.

Shortlisted candidates will be engaged on hiring basis at the rate of Rs 1,000 per day (six hours) for six days in a week.

Candidates will be shortlisted based on marks obtained by them as per the modalities framed by the Government Order No 2154, Health and Family Welfare Department dated November 17, 2017.

Interested and eligible candidates can submit filled in forms on or before October 15 at the office of the Director of Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy, Arignar Anna Government Hospital of Indian Medicine campus, Arumbakkam, Chennai-600 106, through registered or Speed Post along with stamps for Rs 40.

TN submits proposals to start 6 new govt med colleges

Times News Network | Sep 25, 2019, 04.00 AM IST

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has submitted proposals for starting six new government medical colleges in the districts of Ramanathapuram, Virudhunagar, Nilgiris, Dindigul, Tirupur and Namakkal. The proposals were submitted to Union health minister Harsh Vardhan by his state counterpart C Vijaya Baskar in New Delhi on Tuesday.

In August, the cabinet committee on economic affairs had approved setting up of 75 government medical colleges by 2021-22. “These medical colleges are proposed in unserved areas. We have given a list of six districts in Tamil Nadu where there are no government medical colleges,” Vijaya Baskar said.

Now, the state has 23 government medical colleges, including four in Chennai. The state had made a policy decision to increase the number of medical colleges or add seats to existing colleges every year. Proposals for new medical colleges are pending in Perambalur and pressure has been building for new colleges in Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram. “All new colleges now have 150 seats. We are also trying to increase the number of MBBS seats to 250 in all existing medical colleges,” he said