Tirupattur railway police arrest ‘fake ticket examiner’

T. Madhavan

VELLORE, JANUARY 31, 2019 00:00 IST

He demanded money from passengers by claiming compartment was reserved for the physically challenged

A man, who claimed to be a travelling ticket examiner (TTE) of the railways and collected money from passengers on a moving train, was arrested by the Tirupattur railway police in the early hours of Tuesday.

According to the railway police, the Salem divisional office received a call saying that a man, pretending to be a TTE, was checking the tickets of the passengers on Alappuzha-Dhanbad Express (13352).

The accused was asking passengers who did not carry original identity proof to pay fine.

The man reportedly boarded the train at Bomidi station and was checking tickets of passengers travelling in a compartment reserved for the people with disabilities. He went on demanding money from several passengers with valid tickets, by claiming that that the compartment was reserved for people with disabilities.

On receiving information, the Tirupattur railway police reached the compartment and the man was on ticket checking duty with all bill books and identity card.

Krishnan, special sub-inspector of the Tirupattur Railway Police Station, questioned the impostor, who was identified as Aljioni, 31, of Gengavalli near Salem.

Alijjoni was found in possession of a bogus TTE identity card. He was arrested under Section 170 (personating a public servant) and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code.

HC directs State to convene meeting on doctors’ demands

STAFF REPORTER

MADURAI, JANUARY 31, 2019 00:00 IST

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday directed the State to convene a meeting of all stakeholders to resolve the demands put forth by government doctors.

A Division Bench of Justices K. K. Sasidharan and P. D. Audikesavalu directed the State to convene a meeting of Health and Family Welfare department and the Tamil Nadu Government Doctors’ Association to resolve the issues of pay parity and time-bound promotions. The court sought an action taken report on the meeting on February 18.

The State had informed the court that it was looking into the recommendations of the working committee that had earlier convened a meeting to discuss the demands of State government doctors.

They have demanded pay parity with Central government doctors and other State doctors. The doctors also demanded that the process for time-bound promotions for doctors be expedited.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation petition filed by S. Mohamed Yunnis Raja of Madurai, who sought a direction to restrain the TNGDA from going ahead with its strike.

Convicted ex-Minister takes part in government function

P.V. Srividya

HOSUR, JANUARY 31, 2019 00:00 IST



Convicted ex-Minister Balakrishna Reddy along with Krishnagiri MP Ashok Kumar at the flower marketing building stone-laying ceremony in Hosur on Wednesday.

Balakrishna Reddy was sentenced to jail in a case of rioting

The prominence accorded to a convicted former minister at a government department’s event has raised questions of propriety. Former Minister for Youth and Sports Affairs Balakrishna Reddy, who was recently convicted and sentenced to three years’ jail in a case of rioting and destruction of government property, was accorded the centre-stage, to co-preside over an event by the Agriculture Department here on Wednesday.

The sentence has been suspended as he had gone on an appeal. But, that he had been stripped of his ministerial berth, and had to even vacate his MLA seat (Hosur) in view of the conviction, seemed to have been lost on those who organised the event.

On Wednesday, the Department of Agricultural Marketing and Agri Business organised a bhoomi puja for a flower marketing complex here.

Mr. Reddy was given the pride of centre-stage at the event, with the district officials also present.

Sporting a garland and in the company of Krishnagiri MP K. Ashok Kumar, District Revenue Officer S. Shanti and Hosur Sub Collector K.Vimal Raj, Mr. Reddy held a digging bar, symbolic of the stone laying ceremony.

“Why does this surprise us, when straightforward questions of propriety over the continuance of Jayalalithaa’s portrait or a mausoleum for her were raised in view of her conviction, they were normalised and received sanctions from the courts themselves?”asked Hosur-based writer Aadhavan Deetchanya.

When The Hindu contacted the DRO she was in a meeting and said she would revert. But, she did not.

“We had invited the MLAs, and maybe the local MP invited him (Mr. Reddy). This is political, and we do not know anything,” said Ramamurthy, Deputy Director of Agricultural Marketing, who was in Chennai and did not attend the event.

HC expresses shock over case of discharged accused getting convicted

Mohamed Imranullah S.

CHENNAI, JANUARY 31, 2019 00:00 IST



Says all stakeholders should hang their heads in shame

“Our legal system has made life too easy for the criminals and too difficult for law-abiding citizens. A touch here and a push there, India may become ungovernable in the present constitutional set-up, said eminent jurist N.A. Palkhivala, and the facts of this case validate his sagely prophecy.” This is how the Madras High Court began one of its verdicts on Tuesday.

Justice P.N. Prakash penned the prelude after coming across a shocking case of a trial court having convicted and sentenced a person in a criminal case though he had already been discharged. When an explanation was sought, the judicial officer replied that he had ‘inadvertently’ convicted and punished the first accused instead of the second accused.

What’s more, an appeal was preferred in the name of the discharged accused and the High Court too had suspended the sentence imposed by the trial court. Neither the special public prosecutor concerned nor any other advocate had brought the anomaly to the notice of the court, Justice Prakash lamented.

Long road to trial

He recalled that the case dated back to May 2, 2000, when Shivshankar, a Dalit, lodged a police complaint accusing Nanjappan and Saravanan of having abused him using his caste name and assaulting him. In 2004, a Sessions Court in Krishnagiri district discharged Nanjappan from the case, and that order was not challenged either by the prosecution or the complainant. In the meantime, a non-bailable arrest warrant was issued against Saravanan since he was absconding. It took more than eight years for the police to arrest the absconding accused, and eventually, he was made to face trial in the case in 2008.

Finally, on August 26, 2011, a Sessions Court convicted and sentenced Nanjappan instead of convicting Saravanan.

The trial court had convicted Nanjappan under Section 323 (causing hurt voluntarily) of the IPC and sentenced him to one year of rigorous imprisonment, apart from imposing a fine of Rs. 1,000. Assuming that the punishment had been imposed only against him, Saravanan paid the fine amount and instructed his lawyer to prefer an appeal.

Accordingly, an appeal was preferred in the High Court in the name of Nanjappan in 2011 and the sentence got suspended. The appeal was gathering dust for the last seven years until Justice Prakash took it up for final hearing recently.

“The tragedy is that for the occurrence that took place in the year 2000, the system has not been able to properly acquit or punish the offender till 2019, for which all the stakeholders should hang their head in shame,” the judge said..

Later, the judge remitted the matter to the Dharmapuri Sessions Court for passing judgment afresh within a month.

A smooth ride soon from Tidel Park to ECR

Deepa H. Ramakrishnan

CHENNAI, JANUARY 31, 2019 00:00 IST

Work on Thiruvanmiyur grade separator to commence in six months

The decade-long wait for a grade separator in Thiruvanmiyur seems to be coming to an end, with the State government recently notifying the lands required for the proposed 1.3-km-long facility.

Around 8,500 sq. m of land is required for the 4-lane facility that was initially proposed by the Chennai Corporation, but later given up. The Highways Department then decided to take up the work due to increase in traffic on East Coast Road (ECR).

A total of Rs. 54 crore has already been sanctioned for land acquisition by the State government.

Smooth ride

“The grade separator will take off 100 m from the Buckingham Canal at Tidel Park junction on West Avenue and end at the RTO junction on the ECR. It will allow motorists from the Tidel Park side to cross at least four junctions without stopping,” explained an official in the Highways Department. On completion, motorists, who now take over 20 minutes during peak hours to travel the distance, will be able to sail through.

“Since the Thiruvanmiyur bus terminus is on the ECR, on the right, the entry and exit of buses delays traffic. Added to this is the traffic coming in from small roads that join the ECR and buses to Puducherry and beyond that wait near the Marundeeswarar temple,” said M. Ramesh, a resident of Thiruvanmiyur.

Many vehicles avoid this stretch and take internal roads instead, to reach their destinations.

The grade separator will run along the median most of the way. “At the curve, we will take a deviation to the right and then again get onto the median,” explained an engineer associated with the project.

Awaiting valuation

The valuation of lands has to be done and that is likely to take 3-4 months, after which, compensation has to be paid to the 83 landowners.

There are also parcels of government lands that will be alienated.

“After that, tenders will be called for the construction. Work is likely to commence in about six months’ time,” an official said.

It will allow motorists from the Tidel Park side to cross at least four junctions without stopping

DVAC blows lid off school education scam

S. Vijay Kumar

CHENNAI, JANUARY 31, 2019 00:00 IST

Registers case against top officials on charges of criminal conspiracy, forgery and corruption

The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption on Wednesday exposed serious irregularities in the implementation of major educational projects aimed at enhancing the competency of teachers and learning capabilities of students in 31,322 government and panchayat union primary and middle schools across Tamil Nadu.

The agency registered a case against G. Arivoli, Director, Tamil Nadu State Council of Educational Research and Training; R. Latha, Director, Non-Formal Education; Sangeetha, Asst. Professor, TNSCERT; and others on charges of criminal conspiracy, forgery and corruption.

Govt. staff suspend strike

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

CHENNAI, JANUARY 31, 2019 00:00 IST




Duty calls:A teacher is back at work in a government school in Mogappair West, Chennai.M. VedhanM_VEDHAN 

31.01.2019

Jactto-Geo cites upcoming exams, CM’s appeal as reasons


In a relief to students of State-run schools, the general public as well as the government, the Joint Action Council of Tamil Nadu Teachers’ Organisations and Government Employees’ Organisations (Jactto-Geo) on Wednesday announced its decision to “temporarily postpone” its indefinite strike, which has been on since January 22.

Temporary halt

“In view of the upcoming examinations and practical tests for Class 10, 11 and 12 students and in consideration of the welfare of students and the sentiments of their parents, directions of the High Court as well as the appeal of the Chief Minister and other political leaders, we have decided to temporarily suspend our indefinite protest. Our demands remain,” A. Vincent Paulraj, a Jactto-Geo coordinator and Tamil Nadu Teachers Federation General Secretary, announced.

Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami had on Tuesday appealed to the striking employees and teachers to prioritise welfare works over their rights and return to work. DMK president and leader of the Opposition M.K. Stalin too appealed to striking teachers on Wednesday to return to work in view of the examinations.

Tamil Nadu Government Employees Association (TNGEA) general secretary and Jactto-Geo coordinator M. Anbarasu said that the association was still hopeful that the CM would hold talks with them to resolve issues.