First transwoman to be a TNSTC bus conductor says it’s a dream ticket

First transwoman to be a TNSTC bus conductor says it’s a dream ticket

Subburaj.A@timesofindia.com 03.09.2026

Coimbatore: Breaking deep-rooted societal barriers with quiet determination, C Vinodhini, 25, has become the first transwoman bus conductor to serve with Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC), in Coimbatore. Fulfilling a long-cherished childhood ambition after navigating years of adversity, she is now a familiar, welcoming face aboard Coimbatore city buses. 

A native of Palani in Dindigul district, Vinodhini studied up to Class X before social stigma and rejection over her gender identity forced her to leave her house. Relocating to Coimbatore eight years ago, she found shelter and solidarity living with members of the transgender community at Selvapuram. To sustain herself, she took up odd jobs over the years, working primarily as a cook and driver, but never abandoned her dream of joining the state transport sector. Her efforts bore fruit when she completed training and obtained a conductor’s licence nearly 18 months ago. 

Last month, TNSTC brought her on board as a temporary conductor, assigning her to bustling local services. Commuters and colleagues have embraced her presence, praising her efficiency, punctuality and warm demeanour. Rather than facing prejudice, Vinodhini said passengers treat her with respect and dignity. Expressing gratitude to depot officials for their encouragement, she now hopes that state govt would step in to secure her future. “As of now, I am working as a temporary employee with TNSTC. If the govt makes my post permanent, it will not only secure my livelihood but also inspire many more from the transgender community to come forward and join the govt sector,” she said.

A week on, Nepal movesto rehab as hopes of finding survivors fade

A week on, Nepal movesto rehab as hopes of finding survivors fade

Vishant.Agarwala@timesofindia.com 03.09.2026

Trishuli Bazaar (Nepal): The govt in Nepal has shifted its focus from rescue to relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction a week after the Aug 26 Bhote Koshi flood as hopes of finding survivors across most of the devastated corridor recede. 

Search teams, however, continued digging into hydropower tunnels where workers could still be alive in chambers or air pockets. Nepal Police on Wednesday put the toll at 1,127 dead and 4,858 missing. For Indian families, uncertainty continued: New Delhi’s last detailed missing-person update listed 275 nationals and 128 persons of Indian origin, or PIOs, as missing or uncontactable. India subsequently said 163 of its nationals had been rescued in Nepal, but did not issue a revised missing count. Across the border in Tibet, Chinese authorities raised the toll to 21 dead and 541 missing. The missing there included 49 Indians.

TN to go digital with driving licences, RCs from Sept 15

TN to go digital with driving licences, RCs from Sept 15 

Shanmughasundaram.J @timesofindia.com 03.09.2026

Chennai: Tamil Nadu govt will roll out digital driving licences (DCs) and vehicle registration certificates (RCs) across the state from Sept 15, allowing applicants to download the documents online instead of waiting for chip-based cards delivered by post. Announcing the initiative under Rule 110 in the assembly on Wednesday, chief minister C Joseph Vijay said the move was part of the govt’s push for “transparent and citizen-friendly delivery of services”. 

At present, applicants pay 250 for chip-based driving licences and RCs, which are dispatched by post and can take between a week and a month to reach them. “The new digital system will eliminate this delay,” said the CM, noting that the documents will carry QR codes, enabling govt offices and other authorised agencies to instantly verify their authenticity electronically. It would also curb the use of fake documents. Under the new system, buyers of new vehicles can download their digital RC online after registration. Similarly, applicants who clear their driving test will receive their digital driving licence the same day.

NEWS TODAY 02.09.2026

Refusal to leave ailing mom not cruelty: HC

Refusal to leave ailing mom not cruelty: HC 

Partha.Behera@timesofindia.com 02.09.2026

Raipur: A husband’s refusal to move away from his old and ailing mother cannot, by itself, be treated as cruelty towards his wife, Chhattisgarh HC ruled Monday, observing that marriage does not extinguish a person’s responsibilities towards parents. Justice Naresh Kumar Chandravanshi allowed an appeal filed by a man seeking a divorce from his wife, set aside the trial court’s order dismissing his divorce petition, and dissolved the marriage. The HC noted the wife’s insistence that her husband shift to a different house and held that the demand for a separate matrimonial home could not invariably be characterised as cruelty, as a spouse may have legitimate reasons for seeking independent accommodation. What had to be examined was whether such insistence was justified in the circumstances or amounted to an unreasonable attempt to compel the husband to sever or alter his relationship with his parents, the court observed. In this case, the husband’s mother was “very old and ailing”. The husband’s contention that he was unwilling to distance himself from his mother was “neither unnatural nor unreasonable”, the HC noted. Instead, it reflected a legitimate familial obligation that he was entitled to consider while deciding where to live. The HC further stressed that a matrimonial relationship did not give either spouse an unfettered right to compel the other to renounce or abandon pre-existing familial responsibilities. “Marriage creates a new family, but it does not, by itself, extinguish the moral and legal responsibilities which a person may owe towards aged or infirm parents,” the court stated.

Maternity leave can’t cost job or promotion on return, says HC

Maternity leave can’t cost job or promotion on return, says HC

Abhinav.Garg@timesofindia.com 02.09.2026

New Delhi: Noting that maternity leave can’t cost a woman her job or promotion on return, Delhi High Court has held that statutory protection extends to her duties, functional status, reporting hierarchy, supervisory responsibilities and prospects of appraisal. 

Granting over Rs 10 lakh as compensation to a chartered accountant who was subjected to professional disadvantage on disclosing her pregnancy and returning from maternity leave, the court stressed that protection to women in such cases can’t be reduced to merely retaining their salary and designation. Justice Sachin Datta said Monday that a woman returning from maternity leave is entitled to be restored to the post she held immediately before going on leave. 

“Motherhood cannot be permitted to become a basis for unequal treatment or professional disadvantage,” it said. “Where a woman employee is placed at a disadvantage, deprived of professional growth, denied promotion, stripped of responsibilities, or otherwise subjected to adverse employment consequences solely on account of pregnancy or maternity leave, the resulting action is not merely contrary to the spirit of Maternity Benefit Act but is also manifestly arbitrary and offensive to the guarantee of equality under Article 14.” 

It stressed that permitting an employer to maintain an employee’s salary and designation while stripping her of meaningful responsibilities, authority or career prospects would allow the employer to achieve indirectly what the law prohibits directly. The petitioner said she had around 14 years of professional experience and was appointed as manager, accounting, when she proceeded on leave in Dec 2023. 

On her return in July 2024, she was told that her original position was no longer available and allotted substantially inferior work. The employer claimed that her designation, level, salary and seniority remained unchanged and she was assigned investment accounting and currency revaluation functions at the same managerial level following organisational restructuring. HC stressed that protections under Maternity Benefit Act and Code on Social Security, 2020, stem from constitutional guarantees even against a private employer. It also asked Centre to  frame rules or schemes, or issue directions, for effective implementation of maternity protections.

Can’t recover excess salary from retd Class III, IV staff: HC Bhopal/Jabalpur:

Can’t recover excess salary from retd Class III, IV staff: HC Bhopal/Jabalpur:

02.09.2026

Recovery of excess salary payments from retired Class III and Class IV govt employees is illegal, Madhya Pradesh HC has held while dismissing a revision petition filed by the state govt against a 2025 order. The case relates to Ramrao Bhimte, who joined the police force as a constable in 1991 and retired as a sub-inspector after 36 years of service. 

In 2024, seven years after his retirement, the Bhopal DIG ordered the recovery of Rs 10,87,192 from his pension on the grounds of “erroneous payment of ad hoc increase in the salary during his service period”. The division bench of acting Chief Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Pradeep Mittal, in its Aug 25 order, referred to a 2015 SC judgement in which the apex court had held that there should be no recovery from Grade C and Grade D employees after retirement. tnn