Vanniyar quota unconstitutional: PIL in Madras HC

Vanniyar quota unconstitutional: PIL in Madras HC

Chennai: 04.03.2021 

Then Naadu Makkal Katchi has moved the Madras high court challenging the validity of the bill passed by the Tamil Nadu assembly providing 10.5% internal reservation to vanniyars, hours before election was notified for the state.

On Tuesday, counsel for the petitioner made a mention for urgent hearing of the plea.

According to party founder S Ganesan, if the bill becomes an act, vanniyars and other sub-castes under vanniyakula kshatriya community will enjoy exclusive10.5% reservation in admission to higher education and government services while the other 25 castes under MBC and 68 castes under DC will have to share 7% of the remaining reservation. This exclusive reservation will affect the development of the state besides developing enmity among communities falling under MBC category, the petitioner said. TNN

Bihar medical school halts classes after student dies of Covid

Bihar medical school halts classes after student dies of Covid

V K Tripathi TNN

Patna:  04.03.2021 

A final-year MBBS student of Patna's Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) died of Covid-19 and eight others tested positive over the past three days, prompting the institute to suspend all classes from Wednesday until RT-PCR tests clear the remaining students and hostel inmates. All nine students infected with the virus had been administered their first vaccine dose around three weeks ago. Immunity kicks in only after the second dose.

Principal secretary of health Pratyaya Amrit visited the college and directed hospital superintendent Dr Binod Kumar Singh to ensure that everyone on the campus was tested. He also ordered rapid antigen testing at Aryabhatta Knowledge University, where several students are to write their first MBBS paper on Thursday.

Samples taken from those who have tested positive have been sent to the Institute of Life Sciences in Bhubaneswar for confirmation of the Covid strain.

The deceased had left for Bihar’s Begusarai on February 24 and was admitted to a hospital there with Covid-19 symptoms. He died on Monday.

One of 90 samples show UK strain

Out of 90 samples sent from Mumbai on February 17, only one showed the UK strain (B1.1.7), said preliminary reports shared with the civic authorities. Genome sequencing did not show any other significant variants at the moment. A final report is awaited. Over 350 samples from Mumbai and the districts of Vidarbha were sent to labs across the country for genome sequencing. TNN

Innocent man in jail for 20yrs walks free

Innocent man in jail for 20yrs walks free

Deepak.Lavania@timesgroup.com

Agra:  04.03.2021 

Vishnu Tiwari walked out of Agra Central Jail on Wednesday with three bags to start a new life. In them were his clothes, Rs 600 left over from the stipend he got in jail for his work and a copy of the high court judgment that had ordered his release after 20 years of wrongful incarceration on rape charges. He was wearing a T-shirt gifted by one of his fellow inmates.

As he made his way out, they cheered, garlanded him and applauded. He was finally getting justice and the inmates — the only friends he had had — were happy for him. The moment he stepped out, it all fell silent. No one had turned up to receive him. Two of his brothers and father had died years ago. His elder brother had long disowned him. His younger brother, 33, could not make it. “No one should go through what I did. Many innocent people are languishing in jail. The authorities should at least get them a fair trial,” Vishnu told TOI.

He had lost the fight in him while he was in prison, after trying once, in 2005, to challenge the trial court’s decision to sentence him to life. But prison authorities stepped in on his behalf, approached the State Legal Services Authority and placed his case in HC again which, on January 28, found him not guilty.

SC to decide on TN reservation law after Maratha quota ruling

SC to decide on TN reservation law after Maratha quota ruling

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:04.03.2021 

The Supreme Court on Wednesday deferred hearing on constitutional validity of Tamil Nadu reservation law providing 69% quota in government jobs and educational institutions and said the matter would be heard after the issue of Maratha quota is decided by the Constitution bench.

A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and R Subhash Reddy directed that the case be listed after the constitutional validity of Maratha reservation is decided by the court, but turned down the plea to tag the case with Maratha quota case so that the Constitution bench decides both the issues.

“After considering the submissions of learned counsel for the parties, we are of the view that these petitions need not be heard along with Civil Appeal No.3123 of 2020 (Maratha reservation) and be listed after the judgment in the case,” the court said.

The state government opposed tagging of the case with Maratha reservation. It contended that 1993 Act has special protection under Article 31B of the Constitution and the case must be heard separately after the Constitution Bench delivers the Judgment in Maratha reservation case.

“The Act which is under challenge is Tamil Nadu Act, 1993 whereas the Maharashtra Act, 2018 was an enactment which was enacted after the Constitution 102nd Amendment. Hence the question pertaining to Constitution 102nd Amendment is under consideration in Maratha reservation case which has been referred to the larger Bench,” senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for state, said.

TAGGING NOT POSSIBLE

Law student posts obscene video on WhatsApp group

Law student posts obscene video on WhatsApp group

Yogita.Rao@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:04.03.2021 

A student from a leading south Mumbai law college posted an obscene video on a WhatsApp group created for coordination of online lectures. While immediate attempts were made to identify the student, the phone number could not be identified and others in the class could not establish the person’s identity too. Eventually, the number was blocked and a complaint submitted to the college principal who, in turn, sent a letter to Marine Drive police station seeking a probe.

After a month passed and the teachers began to moderate all online groups, the student allegedly started harassing a female classmate using the same number. The teachers have now written to the principal again seeking a complaint with the cyber cell, alleging no steps were taken to identify and penalise the student in the past.

The video, which outraged the modesty of women, was posted on the group on February 1. A teacher from the college said there has been a delay in action, both from the college’s side as well as the police. “If a person is not penalised for his actions, he is bound to repeat it,” said the teacher. While online classes have become a necessity in the pandemic, sharing of obscene content and abuses under the garb of anonymity have been a nightmare for teachers. “Many teachers still live with this fear every day. Colleges need to back teachers and take strict action against offenders to set an example,” said a teacher from another college.

Teachers on poll duty say no to postal ballot, move court

Teachers on poll duty say no to postal ballot, move court

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:04.03.2021 

A government school teachers association has moved the Madras high court seeking a direction to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to permit government servants on election duty to cast their votes through EVMs in their respective constituencies at least three days prior to the actual polling.

Admitting the plea on Wednesday, the first bench of chief justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy directed the ECI to inform its stand by March 8. The association urged the ECI to make such an arrangement saying postal ballot was not effective and that most government staff on poll duty end up not casting a valid vote.

“During 2019 parliamentary election, 24,912 postal ballots were rejected for want of gazetted officer’s attestation of the 2,23,527 postal ballots polled, wasting votes of 15% of government staff on poll duty,” the petitioner said.

Recording the submissions, the bench said, that the ECI must ensure that not even a single voter is left out.

Politics not business for me, says Kamal at city campaign

CAMPAIGN TRAIL KAMAL HAASAN

Politics not business for me, says Kamal at city campaign

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: 04.03.2021 

Seeking to claim the legacy of M G Ramachandran, actor Kamal Haasan on Wednesday began his campaign trail from Alandur, earlier Parangimalai constituency which sent MGR to the assembly first in 1967.

“It was from here that part of MGR’s political journey began. I am happy that my journey also starts from here,” Kamal told amid a sea of supporters at Madanandhapuram near Porur.

Earlier in the day, the MNM chief released the party’s agenda for women and youth welfare and sports development at his party office in Alwarpet, after which he took the metro to reach Alandur.

Outside the Alandur metro station, cadres gathered in numbers to mark the beginning of the campaign trail.

Along the trail along the suburbs, the matinee idolturned-politician kept those gathered engaged with promises of a honest government.

Apart from the cadres, several turned up to catch a glimpse of Kamal Haasan, whom they were used to witnessing in the silver screen.

“I came to see Kamal in person. Though I couldn’t get close to him, I am happy that I was part of a historic event,” said G Pavithra, 46, of Thiruvottiyur, who accompanied an MNM cadre.

Kamal, while addressing the public at several locations, stated that he was delighted to see MNM’s support growing exponentially and wooed women and youth with promises of monetary compensation for household work and employment for youth. “Time for change has come. However dark it gets, torchlight will show the way,” Kamal said.

The campaign trail concluded at Mangollai in Mylapore where Kamal, in a short speech, took a dig at the ruling AIADMK government and the BJP stressing to the audience that neither he nor the future of Tamil Nadu was for sale. “Some are trying to buy votes. I am not a trader, nor is politics a business for me,” Kamal said

CHOOSING THE RIGHT START: MNM chief Kamal Haasan began his campaign trail at Alandur, earlier Parangimalai constituency from where MGR was elected to the assembly first. The campaign drew a sea of people and led to traffic snarls at Kathipara

Kalam’s advisor joins MNM, made V-P

Chennai:

V Ponraj, who was the scientific advisor of late President A P J Abdul Kalam, joined actor Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) on Wednesday. After introducing Ponraj at a meeting in Alwarpet, party president Kamal Haasan announced that Ponraj would serve as MNM’s vice-president along with Dr R Mahendran. “I was ready to work with anyone who will make Abdul Kalam’s vision for the country a reality. When the call came from Kamal, I decided to join the party. I am confident of ensuring Kalam’s vision under the able leadership of Kamal Haasan,” Ponraj said. Ponraj said the party he had started — Abdul Kalam Vision India Party — could not even be registered due to hurdles posed by the BJP government. TNN