HC: How can govt apply state-specific OBC quota to AIQ?

HC: How can govt apply state-specific OBC quota to AIQ?

Sureshkumar.K@timesgroup.com

Chennai:11.08.2021

How could Tamil Nadu’s reservation formula of 50% for OBCs be followed under All India Quota (AIQ) MBBS seats, wondered the Madras high court, adding that the very purpose of AIQ would be defeated if state-specific quota is applied.

“The demography of every state is different. Can an OBC in Rajasthan be considered an OBC in Tamil Nadu and will they get reservation under the Tamil Nadu reservation policy,” the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice P D Audikesavalu asked on Tuesday.

State reservation can be applied only to the unfilled AIQ seats which are returned to the state pool, the court added. Since AIQ seats are meant for students from other states and those from Tamil Nadu, a separate reservation policy must be followed. Many states like Meghalaya do not have OBC reservation. Can such states insist that they will follow only state reservation in the seats they surrender, the bench wondered.

“If you want state reservation, then how does it become AIQ, it becomes your (state) seat,” the judges said.

Senior advocate P Wilson, representing the DMK, said: “We have a common list for the purpose of such AIQ seats issued by the central government and approved by the state. Once it is accepted by the state it becomes the government approved list.”

The issue pertains to a contempt plea moved by the DMK against the Centre for failing to provide 50% OBC reservation in AIQ seats surrendered by the state for admission to medical courses as directed by the HC from the current academic year.

Earlier, additional solicitor-general of SC K M Nataraj, representing the Centre, said, “All along SC and ST reservation has been provided in AIQ seats only on the basis of the Central Act. Now, if this is allowed, we have to adopt state reservation for OBCs alone which will lead to confusion.”

Recording the submissions, the bench adjourned the hearing to August 17.

State reservation can be applied only to the unfilled AIQ seats which are returned to the state pool, the court said

RGUHS announces conduct of MBBS Theory Exam September 2021

RGUHS announces conduct of MBBS Theory Exam September 2021: Karnataka: Through a recent notice, the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) has announced the conduct of MBBS Theory Examinations during September 2021.The Under Graduate Medical...

Iran says one person dying of Covid-19 every two minutes

Iran says one person dying of Covid-19 every two minutes

Dubai:  10.08.2021

One person is now dying from Covid-19 every two minutes in Iran, state TV said on Monday, as West Asia’s worst-hit nation reported a new record daily toll of 588 fatalities. With authorities complaining of poor social distancing, state media say hospitals in several cities have run out of beds for new patients. Some social media users have criticised the clerical establishment over slow vaccinations, with only about 4% of the 83 million population fully inoculated.

Total deaths have reached 94,603, the ministry said, while cases rose by 40,808 in the past 24 hours to 4,199,537 in a fifth wave blamed on the highly transmissible Delta variant. “Every two seconds one person gets infected in Iran and almost every two minutes one person dies from the coronavirus,” state TV said, adding that most of Iran’s 31 provinces have moved from the lower risk orange level to red alert.

That compares to a reported rate of about one death per three minutes a month ago. In January, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei banned imports of US- and British-made vaccines, saying they were unreliable. Iran has blamed US sanctions for hampering purchases and deliveries of vaccines from other nations. Iran’s new President Raisi, who received his first dose of homegrown vaccine ‘COVIran Barakat’ in public on Sunday, has urged officials to speed up vaccinations. REUTERS

People in France must now show a health pass to order a coffee in a cafe or travel on intercity trains as President Macron’s plan came into full effect on Monday

US sees highest caseload since Feb

For the first time since February, the US is averaging more than 1,00,000 new Covid cases a day. Over the past week, the average number of cases doubled from two weeks ago, according to NYT database. In the same period, deaths have nearly doubled to 516 a day. The surge is tied to Delta variant and CDC director Rochelle Walensky has described the current stage as a “pandemic of the unvaccinated”. NYT

Chinese officials punished for surge

China has punished a slew of officials for failing to curb a Covid-19 outbreak that’s spawned nearly 900 symptomatic infections in less than a month. Over 30 officials nationwide, ranging from mayors and local health directors to the heads of hospitals and airports, have been punished for negligence , state-run Global Times reported. BLOOMBERG

‘No authority can force RTI applicant to submit ID proof’

‘No authority can force RTI applicant to submit ID proof’

Ajay.Sura@timesgroup.com

Chandigarh:10.08.2021

In a landmark order, the state information commission (SIC) Haryana has made it clear that no authority in the state can force an RTI applicant to apply in a particular format or submit identity proof with the application.

“The RTI Act, 2005 is the central Act and Section 6 (2) of the same allows an applicant to conceal his identity and to seek information without giving any reason. An applicant making a request for information shall not be required to give any reason for requesting the information or any other personal details except those that may be necessary for contacting him,” the commission has held.

The commission held that the Haryana government nowhere made it mandatory till date that the provisions included in the rules notified in 2021 that to have information under RTI, one has to use the Form A performa and submit identity card and to give any other details as mentioned in the Form A.

The development is significant, as the Haryana government had recently issued an order asking the RTI applicants to submit an identity proof.

3 officials booked by DVAC suspended

3 officials booked by DVAC suspended

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:10.08.2021

Three sub-registrars including a Chennaibased official who was booked by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) last week and an assistant in the registration department have been suspended for not obeying circulars issued by the inspector general of registration and carrying out activities affecting the public. An official press release said several circulars were issued to prevent fraudulent registrations. The inspector general of registration has placed Kodaikanal sub-registrar M Radhakrishnan, Othakadai, Madurai sub-registrar Sheik Abdullah, an assistant at the Othakadai office M Karthikeyan and Selaiyur sub-registrar A J George under suspension, the press release added. On Wednesday, the DVAC had registered a case against George after a recorded phone call exposed his demand for bribe.

Official sources in the registration department said that a sub-registrar in Madurai district had illegally facilitated the registration of 22 acres of land based on documents from Kerala. Another official in Dindigul district registered a fraudulent property, wherein a fake patta was used following which the original land owner approached the court concerned seeking relief. Moreover, one of the suspended officials was an accused in an FIR pertaining to a case relating to creating a fake Power of Attorney (PoA) to sell a plot at Madhavaram in Chennai worth ₹4 crore by forging the identity card of a person born in the city, who was residing in Australia in 2018.

TN set to add 1,650 MBBS seats in govt colleges

11 MED COLLEGES

TN set to add 1,650 MBBS seats in govt colleges

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:10.08.2021 

The National Medical Commission has completed inspectionsin four of the11 new medical colleges in the past 10 days, health minister Ma Subramanian said on Monday. Tamil Nadu will add 1,650 seats to the undergraduate seat matrix taking the tally to 5,200 MBBS seats across government medical colleges in the state if all 11 colleges get the sanction from the apex medical body.

The committee completed its surprise inspection in Namakkal, Krishnagiri, Tiruppur and Dindigul and has made no adverse comment so far. “We are waiting for them to visit the remaining seven colleges within the next few days. These are surprise visits, so we don’t have any timelines,” he said.

The panel of inspectors appointed by the apex medical body verifies the infrastructure and human resource facility required to admit students for the first year MBBS course in these newly-constructed colleges. The anatomy, physiology and biochemistry labs, library, hostels – required for first year students – are nearing completion, said director of medical education Dr Narayanababu R.

The state has set aside nearly ₹4,000 crore for construction of these buildings. With this most districts in the state will have at least one government medical college. Besides increasing the number of seats, these colleges will help us expand tertiary care to districts. The new medical colleges will help the health department provide quality training at an affordable cost and offer specialty and super specialty care to people living in the area free of cost.

Most of these colleges will have 700-750 bed hospitals attached to these colleges that have all the facilities to offer quality care. “But these units don’t have the experience of facing an inspection,” he said. “Over the past few weeks, we asked existing medical colleges to mentor new colleges. For instance, a team from Salem Medical College trained doctors at the Namakkal medical colleges in carrying out paperwork. They conducted mock inspections to find faults and rectify errors,” Dr Narayanababu said.

As part of the national mission to increase the number of medical colleges across the country, the Centre granted permission to TN for commencement of 11 new medical colleges.

Overage man can’t get job on compassionate grounds, says HC

AGE MATTERS

Overage man can’t get job on compassionate grounds, says HC

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Madurai: 10.08.2021

Taking into account that there was no provision for granting age relaxation for compassionate appointment as per Tamil Nadu Municipal Service Rules, 1970, the Madras high court has dismissed a plea moved by a man seeking compassionate appointment following his father’s death.

The court was hearing the petition filed by K Ravi. The petitioner’s father who was working as an employee at Aruppukottai municipality in Virudhunagar district died during service in 2015. Though the petitioner submitted an application seeking compassionate appointment, the authorities had rejected the same in 2016, on the ground that he had crossed the maximum age limit fixed for appointment by direct recruitment on compassionate grounds.

Ravi’s counsel submitted that the petitioner belongs to scheduled tribe community and he was eligible for age relaxation. He submitted that as per the Tamil Nadu State and Subordinate Service Rules, maximum age limit is not applicable to the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe candidates.

Objecting the contentions of the petitioner, the standing counsel appearing for the municipality, submitted that as per Tamil Nadu Municipal Service Rules, the maximum age limit for appointment by direct recruitment on compassionate grounds, shall be 30 years in respect of sons or the unmarried daughters and 40 years in respect of wife or husband of the municipal employee.

Taking cognizance of the submissions, justice D Krishnakumar observed that the rules is applicable to the facts and circumstances of the case and there is no provision for granting age relaxation for compassionate appointment. Unless there is age relaxation in the statute, the court cannot traverse the period prescribed by the authority.

In view of the settled legal position, this court is of the view that the contention of the petitioner for age relaxation is liable to be rejected, observed the judge while dismissing his petition.