Sasikala bribery case: ACB raids residence of Hindalga prison SP

Sasikala bribery case: ACB raids residence of Hindalga prison SP

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Belagavi:12.08.2021

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) sleuths raided the official residence of Krishna Kumar, superintendent of police, Hindalga prison, in pursuance of the 2018 bribery case related to V K Sasikala, close aide of late J Jayalalithaa, the then chief minister of Tamil Nadu.

In 2018 ACB filed an FIR after the then deputy inspector general of prisons D Roopa had filed a complaint alleging corruption against the then director general of prisons H N Satyanarayana Rao.

Roopa had alleged that Rao has received money in exchange for offering VIP treatment for Sasikala in Parappana Agrahara prison. Krishna Kumar was in charge of Bengaluru prison when Sasikala was serving the jail term.

The ACB on Wednesday raided the house of Krishna Kumar and searched the premises for several hours. However, they could not find anything and left saying the officer should cooperate in further investigations. According to sources in the ACB, there are suspicions that Krishna Kumar benefitted in the deal to ensure VIP treatment to Sasikala in prison.

Sources further said they have received information about Krishna Kumar having bought assets with the same money and hence the search was conducted. Kumar is also a witness in the case as he was reporting to Satyanarayana Rao.

When contacted, Krishna Kumar told TOI that the raid was a routine legal procedure as a case was filed against the former DGP. “I am a very honest man and so the ACB could not find anything in my house even after a detailed search,” he said.

He further said the raid was related to a 2018 case filed against former prison DGP and he is one of the witnesses.

According to sources in the ACB, there are suspicions that superintendent of police Krishna Kumar benefitted in the deal to ensure VIP treatment to Sasikala in prison

IAS topper couple officially divorced

IAS topper couple officially divorced

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Jaipur:12.08.2021

Popular IAS couple, Tina Dabi and Athar Amin Khan, whose romance and wedding had taken social media by storm in 2018, was granted divorce by a Rajasthan court on Tuesday.

Dabi, a graduate of Delhi’s Lady Shri Ram College, shot to limelight after she became the first Dalit to top the prestigious civil services examination in 2015 in her first attempt. Khan ranked second that same year. The duo met in Mussoorie during training and fell in love. Their wedding in 2018 drew much public attention.

They were both allotted Rajasthan cadre. Dabi is now posted as joint secretary in the finance department in Jaipur while Khan is on deputation in his home state of Jammu & Kashmir.

The couple had petitioned the family court in Jaipur for divorce in November last year. The couple said there were irreconcilable differences and the divorce petition be disposed of early.

Chennai again has most new Covid cases at 243

Chennai again has most new Covid cases at 243

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:12.08.2021

Tamil Nadu reported 1,964 new cases on Wednesday when Chennai grabbed the slot of district with the highest number of cases for the first time since May 25. The city reported 243 new cases, 34 more than 209 cases it logged on Tuesday. Its neighbours - Chengalpet reported 140 cases compared to 105 cases on Tuesday and Tiruvallur reported a rise from 79 to 98 new cases.

Overall, the state added 71 more cases than its fresh cases tally on Tuesday. Coimbatore, which reported the second highest number of cases in the state, recorded 229 new cases compared to 224 on Tuesday. A total of 24 districts reported an increase in cases.

Increase in cases in Chennai came from clusters identified by the Greater Chennai Corporation over the last three or four days. For instance, there were 23 cases identified from the Varadhammal Garden Street at the Secretariat Colony in Kilpauk. Officials said the source of the cluster was religious festivals organised in the area. “A 43-year-old woman with diabetes died two days after she tested positive. She had not taken the vaccine so far,” said health secretary J Radhakrishnan, who inspected the area with senior officials from GCC. “We found that many people in the area have not taken the vaccine,” he said. The woman showed symptoms of Covid on August 2 and was tested for the viral infection three days later. When her results returned positive on August 7, she was admitted to the Kilpauk Medical College Hospital. She died on August 9.

While the civic agency announced that it will organise special drives in low vaccination areas, officials say that people must continue to follow covid appropriate behaviour. “Mask and social distancing must be followed at all times. There are breakthrough infections despite vaccination. While people vaccinated may not have severe disease, they can pass on the infection to those who are not vaccinated,” he said.

INSPECTION TIME: Health secretary J Radhakrishnan visited Varadammal Garden Main road and side streets along with Greater Chennai Corporation officials

Cobra swallows rat snake, gets stuck in drain

Cobra swallows rat snake, gets stuck in drain

Cuddalore:12.08.2021

A cobra, which could not move after swallowing its prey - a rat snake - and got stuck in a four-inch hole in a drain, was rescued by a selftaught snake catcher in Cuddalore district. The cobra spat out its prey while being rescued.

V Selvam alias Chellaa, 36, who has been rescuing snakes that venture into human habitation, received a call from security personnel at Cuddalore Sipcot Industrial Estate on Tuesday that a cobra was found swallowing a snake in a drain on the estate premises. “I reached the industrial estate in 30 minutes and found a six-foot-long cobra struck in a four-inch drain. The security guards said they saw the cobra swallowing a snake. The mobility of a snake will be affected after swallowing its prey. The bigger the prey, the tougher the mobility,” said Chellaa.

Chellaa caught the cobra using a simple hook and stick. “When I rescued the cobra, it started spitting out its dead prey. Cobra had swallowed a four-and-half-foot rat snake. I will release the cobra along with a dozen snakes caught in the past two days in a nearby forest,” he said. TNN

AIIMS still a non-starter as Centre clueless about work

AIIMS still a non-starter as Centre clueless about work

Madurai:12.08.2021

More than 135 days after the governments of India and Japan inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for sanctioning 22.9 billion yen (around ₹1,537 crore) in March 2021 as a loan for the construction of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Madurai, the date of commencement of construction is not available with the Union government.

This was stated by the ministry of health and family welfare in replies to RTI questions raised by activist A Pandiaraja, who has been tracing the status of the major healthcare project that would benefit the southern and central districts of TN. “The date of start of construction work is not available,” it said and added that “The revised date for completion of AIIMS Madurai has not been approved yet.”

Only the Expression of interest for engaging the project management consultant for AIIMS Madurai has been floated, the reply stated. TNN

Negative RT-PCR must for students of govt med colleges

Negative RT-PCR must for students of govt med colleges

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:11.08.2021

RT-PCR negative report will be mandatory for students joining government-run medical, dental and para medical colleges scheduled to reopen on August 16.

Students won't be permitted to attend classes or stay in hostels without a negative certificate, a circular from the Directorate of Medical Education Dr R Narayanababu sent to college administration said. Students who haven’t taken the test can get it done at the respective institutions, he said.

College administrators must sanitize classrooms, libraries, laboratories, hostel mess, hostel, college and hospital premises as per the standard protocol. Hand washing stations with liquid soap and sanitizer dispensers must be made available on campus, it said. Students with symptoms will have to be quarantined and treated as per standard protocol, he said.

Students won't be permitted to attend classes or stay in hostels without a negative certificate, a circular from the Director of Medical Education Dr R Narayanababu to college administration said

‘DMK’s claim on OBC reservation will not benefit T.N. students’

‘DMK’s claim on OBC reservation will not benefit T.N. students’

Centre places contention before HC

11/08/2021

Legal Correspondent CHENNAI

The Centre on Tuesday claimed that increasing the percentage of reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) from 27% to 50% in all India quota medical seats, as being demanded by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), would not benefit students from Tamil Nadu in a big way and that a majority of those seats would end up being garnered by OBCs from other States.

Appearing before Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice P.D. Audikesavalu, Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj contended that on July 20, 2020, a Bench led by the then Chief Justice A.P. Sahi had only ordered that OBCs would be entitled to reservation in all India quota and the Bench did not rule that the State reservation policy of 50% should be applied while filling such quota. The ASG pointed out that all India quota was basically a creation of the Supreme Court and that it was filled up without any reservation until the Supreme Court in 2006 ordered reservation for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. Subsequently, the SC/STs were provided 15% and 7.5% respectively as per the central reservation policy.

Pointing out that Tamil Nadu follows the 69% reservation policy of providing 50% to OBCs, 18% to SCs and 1% to STs, Mr. Natraj said the State government never objected to the quantum of reservation when it came to SCs and STs and was now wanting the State specific reservation policy to be followed when it came to implementing reservation for OBCs. “Even assuming their argument is accepted, Tamil Nadu students won’t get those seats. They are arguing to the detriment of their own students and the State as well,” the ASG said.