Beneficiaries wait after receiving the dose of COVID-19 vaccine at the Government Omandurar Medical College Hospital, in Chennai. (PTI)Tamil Nadu Chennai Highlights and Updates: State today reported 1,039 new Covid-19 cases and 11 deaths, health department’s media bulletin said. With today’s infections, Tamil Nadu’s total caseload has reached 27,00,593. A total of 1,229 people recovered from Covid today. Chennai and Coimbatore has the highest number of fresh cases with 126 and 118 cases, respectively.
Meanwhile, a statement from Kauvery hospital, chennai, said actor Rajinikanth was admitted ‘following an episode of giddiness.’ He underwent carotid artery revascularization, a procedure done to restore blood supply to the brain. He is recovering well and will be discharged in a few days, the statement added. Rajinikanth was admitted to the hospital yesterday.
In another news, Chief Minister M K Stalin inspected the ancient excavation site of Keeladi in Sivaganga district today, where the archaeological findings reveal the Sangam-era settlement on the banks of Vaigai river. About 11,470 artifacts were dug out from Keeladi and group of sites over sustained excavation over the years and these would be displayed at the site museum.
The Centre for Urbanisation, Building and Environment (CUBE), which has assessed the quality of the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) at Kesava Pillai (KP) park in Pulianthope, found “poor quality” and “unacceptable workmanship” of plastering as one of the critical defects out of several discrepancies that led to faulty construction in the tenements.
A man crosses a street during rain at Nagercoil in Kanyakumari district, Thursday.. (PTI Photo)
The Madras High Court has set aside a lower court order awarding life term to a CISF jawan for gunning down three of his colleagues and injuring two others in 2014 at the Kalpakkam nuclear power plant near here, after invoking Section 84 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which deals with the 'act of a person of unsound mind."
A bench of Justice P N Prakash and Justice RN Manjula set aside the lower court order of 2018 and directed the transfer of the appellant, Vijay Pratap Singh to Government Mental Hospital in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, forthwith. (PTI)
State today reported 1,039 new Covid-19 cases and 11 deaths, health department's media bulletin said. With today's infections, Tamil Nadu's total caseload has reached 27,00,593. 1,229 people recovered from Covid today. Chennai and Coimbatore has the highest number of fresh cases with 126 and 118 cases.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday inspected the ancient excavation site of Keeladi in Sivaganga district where the archaeological findings reveal the Sangam-era settlement on the banks of Vaigai river.
About 11,470 artifacts were dug out from Keeladi and group of sites over sustained excavation over the years and these would be displayed at the site museum. The CM who visited the Sivaganga district near Madurai, enquired with the archaeological officials the status of museum to be established at an outlay of Rs 12.21 crore. (PTI)
Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK co-coordinator K Palaniswami on Friday asked DMK functionaries in the local bodies to stop intimidating government officials and police.
He alleged that the DMK members elected in the civic bodies election were indulging in "anarchy and intimidating" the government officials and police in order to "push their agenda."
"The elected representatives are indulging in anarchy and are intimidating the government officials and police on tender violation," Palaniswami, who is the leader of the opposition in the Assembly, said in a statement here. (PTI)
Condoling the death of Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar, Kamal Haasan wrote on Twitter, "The demise of my dear younger brother Puneeth Rajkumar was most unexpected. We were mutually very fond of each other. My deepest sympathy to his family and his fans in Karnataka."
Chennai will receive moderate to heavy rain for the next seven days, according to the weather forecast issued by the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai.
Chief Minister M K Stalin said he is deeply shocked and appalled to hear about the sudden demise of Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar. "Both our families share a cordial bond for many decades. Thus, it's a personal loss to me," Stalin tweeted. Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar passed away on Friday at Vikram hospital in Bengaluru after suffering a heart attack.
A statement from Kauvery hospital says actor Rajinikanth was admitted following an episode of giddiness. He underwent a procedure and is recovering well, it said. Rajinikanth was admitted to the hospital yesterday.
The Centre for Urbanisation, Building and Environment (CUBE), which has assessed the quality of the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) at Kesava Pillai (KP) park in Pulianthope, found that “poor quality” and “unacceptable workmanship” of plastering as one of the critical defects out of several discrepancies that led to faulty construction in the tenements.
The report published by CUBE, which is a joint Initiative of IIT Madras and Tamil Nadu Government, had studied the tenements after several complaints were raised by the occupants about stability and quality of construction last month. CUBE had assessed the quality of 864 apartment units in four blocks in one of the two clusters at KP Park. The other cluster, which has a total of 1,056 units, was not included in the assessment, the report showed.
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Police in Tamil Nadu’s Kallakurichi busted an online gambling racket and arrested nine persons from a hideout in Krishna Nagar Wednesday. Based on a tip-off, the police arrested the gang who were conducting illegal betting through the ‘1X Bet’ application. The arrested were identified as M Manikandan (27), G Chandrasekhar (27), A Krishna Moorthy (27), R Gokul Nath (24), K Manivel (27), K Aravindh (24), R Prakash and R Balaji (23).
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As many as 60 lakh people in Tamil Nadu have not been inoculated against Covid-19 and the Health Department has embarked upon measures to identify the people in order to vaccinate them, State Minister Ma Subramanian said on Thursday. The Minister for Medical and Family Welfare said during the seventh edition of the mass vaccination campaign scheduled for October 30, the department would target the 60 lakh.
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The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday informed the Madras High Court that unused gold jewellery donated by devotees to temples in the state would not be melted before appointing the trustees to the respective shrines. The trustees alone are empowered to undertake such important works, Advocate-General R Shanmugasundaram said. An undertaking to this effect was given by the AG when the PILs from the Indic Collective Trust and four other individuals came up for further hearing, today.
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Holding that no employers should be allowed to take advantage of the pandemic situation and retrench their employees, the Madras High Court has directed the Labour Welfare and Skill Development Employment department to assess the situation in consultation with all the Commissioners of Labour and file a detailed report with regard to the conditions of service, non-employment particulars of the workers or employees in Tamil Nadu. Though the Covid-19 pandemic situation could be termed as a misfortune, the employers cannot be permitted to make a fortune out of this misfortune, Justice M S Ramesh said on Wednesday.
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Expelled AIADMK leader VK Sasikala on Friday paid tribute to freedom fighter Muthuramalinga Thevar before a statue of the leader at Goripalayam Junction in Madurai ahead of the 114th Thevar Jayanti and the 59th guru puja celebrations to be observed on Saturday. She also paid homage to the Maruthu Brothers, who were also freedom fighters, at Teppakulam before heading to Pasumpon.
Sasikala reached the venue in a van that had been exclusively used by former chief minister and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa during her campaigns. She garlanded the life-size bronze statue of Thevar early in the morning with her supporters alongside. The visit is considered significant as Sasikala enjoys sizeable support from the Thevar community. If the party heads for a vertical split in future, it is believed that the ‘caste card’ might prove useful.
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The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to consider a plea for more compensation to the victims of alleged excesses of the special task force (STF) deployed to nab forest brigand Veerappan in the border areas of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, in 2002. The dreaded bandit, a notorious sandalwood smuggler, was gunned down by the STF in an operation in October 2004. Justice R Mahadevan gave the direction on enhanced compensation recently, while disposing of a writ petition from Vidiyal People Welfare Foundation, by its managing director A Murugesan of Urnatham in Salem district.
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Four people, including a child, have tested positive for dengue positive and been undergoing treatment at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) in Coimbatore.
Following heavy rains in the district, many people have been landing at the CMCH with symptoms of fever and cough, said the hospital Dean Dr N Nirmala on Thursday. Already, there have been 80 cases with symptoms of malaria and viral fever, she said.
With rains, diseases like dengue and viral fever are likely to increase and the general public is advised to consume hot water and approach the hospital if they have symptoms of fever and cough, Nirmala said. (PTI)
The district court on Thursday allowed the police to take into custody Dhanpal, the brother of deceased Kanagaraj, the driver of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, in connection with the Kodanadu murder and heist case.
The police had filed a petition in the court here seeking 10 days custody of Dhanpal, an accused in the case. But, the Magistrate allowed them five days to interrogate the accused in their custody.
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Amid a controversy over Tamil Nadu Governor, R N Ravi reportedly seeking presentations on the implementation of welfare schemes, Governor of Telangana Tamilisai Soundararajan on Thursday said it was routine and that she too used to seek such information from both Telangana and Puducherry, of which she holds additional charge.
Soundararajan, who was here to congratulate those who had worked to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, told reporters that the Governor seeking such details has become a controversy in Tamil Nadu and been politicised in the State.
Stating that she used to seek the information on the welfare schemes implemented in Telangana and Puducherry, she said both the administrations were cooperating with her in this regard. The information was collected to present before the Centre at the Governors' meeting scheduled on November 11 in New Delhi, she pointed out. (PTI)
Five ostriches in the Arignar Anna Zoological Park (AAZP), popularly known as the Vandalur zoo, in Chennai, died suddenly prompting stepped-up surveillance of the birds and monitoring of the others in enclosures, the AAZP said on Thursday. Also, a lioness named Kavitha (19) died of age-related ailments on October 26, the zoo said.
“Ostrich was breeding well naturally in AAZP. Five ostriches died all of a sudden on October 27. A team from Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS), along with the zoo veterinarians, was present during prophylactic treatment to the remaining birds in ostrich enclosure and during the postmortem,” a press release from the director of AAZP said.
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On Thursday, the Supreme Court directed that the maximum water level in Mullaperiyar dam should be 139.50 ft until November 10. The dam is at the centre of a decades-old dispute: for Kerala, where it is situated, the dam presents a threat to lakhs living downstream; and for Tamil Nadu, which controls the dam, the water it provides is the lifeline of people in five districts.
The dam is located in the upper reaches of the river Periyar, which flows into Kerala after originating in Tamil Nadu. The reservoir is within the Periyar Tiger Reserve. The water diverted from the reservoir is first used for power generation in lower Periyar (by Tamil Nadu) before flowing into the Suruliyar, a tributary of Vaigai river, and then for irrigating nearly 2.08 lakh hectares in Theni and four other districts farther away.
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A nutrition organiser was placed under suspension on Thursday for allegedly supplying rotten eggs to school students as part of the noon meal scheme at Vavipalayam in the nearby Tirupur district. Since the Corporation Primary School was not functioning owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the organiser Maheswari called the parents of over 100 students and handed over the eggs to them on October 26, official sources said.
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Superstar Rajinikanth is undergoing routine medical examination at a hospital here, sources close to the top star said on Thursday. “It is a health check-up done routinely on a periodical basis. He is now in a private hospital for the check-up,” the actor’s publicist Riaz K Ahmed said.
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A fight between two elephants over a lorry load of sugarcane held up traffic on the Dindigul-Bengaluru highway for more than 25 minutes, forest officials said on Thursday. The incident happened at Karapallam near Hasanur in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Erode district on Wednesday night, the officials said.
According to the officials, the fight broke out after the driver of a lorry carrying sugarcane stopped upon seeing a female elephant with its calf on the side of the road. When the lorry stopped, the adult elephant went up to the vehicle, took some sugarcane and passed it on to its young one. Moments later, the tusker showed up and the two adult elephants began to fight over their share of the cane.
Seeing this, other motorists passing through stopped to watch the spectacle.This held up traffic. After 25 minutes or so, the three elephants slowly went their way and the vehicles on both sides of the national highway got cleared, the officials said. (PTI)
Parts of Chennai will face a power shutdown from 9 am to 4 pm, with supply expected to resume before 4 pm if the work is completed.
The following areas in the city will be affected:
Tambaram: Bharathamatha street, Valmigi street, Erikkarai street, Thiruvalluvar street, LIC colony, Sundaram colony areas and above all surrounding areas.
Perungudi: Suburayan nagar, Pandiyan nagar, Mangalambigai nagar, Sakthi nagar, Venkateswara nagar, Senthil nagar, Maruthi nagar, Veeramani salai, Lakshman nagar, Balraj nagar, Thiruvalluvar nagar, MGR nagar and above all surrounding areas.
Valasaravakkam: Meenachiamman nagar, Kamarajar Nedunsalai, Periyar nagar, Udayam colony, Arcot road, Alwarthiru nagar annex, Gandhi road and above all surrounding areas.
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Vanakkam Chennai!
Welcome to today’s live blog. We bring to you the latest news on Covid-19, politics, features, entertainment, sports, weather, art and culture from across Chennai and Tamil Nadu. Follow our live blog and @ie_chennai to stay up to date with what’s happening in the state.
Tamil Nadu logged 1061 fresh Covid cases on Thursday taking the overall tally to 26,99,554, according to a media bulletin by the state health department. The state also witnessed 12 fatalities . Chennai and Coimbatore accounted for the majority of new infections with 135 and 123 cases, respectively.
Actor Rajinikanth was admitted to Kauvery Hospital in Chennai for a routine medical examination today. 'It is a health check-up done routinely on a periodical basis,' the actor's publicist Riaz K Ahmed told PTI.
Hindu Munnani activists have alleged that they were prevented by police from entering the Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (MSU) in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. The state secretary of the outfit said that they went to the university campus to attend a lecture on ‘Periyar and Islam’.
Notably, the Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy in association with the Department of Sociology at the MSU had organised the second lecture of the ‘Samooga Needhi and Arivoli (Social Justice and Enlightenment)’ series on ‘Periyar and Islam’. Riyaz Ahmed, the joint editor of ‘Puthiya Vidiyal’, was the guest speaker. Janardhan Koushik reports
Five ostriches in the Arignar Anna Zoological Park (AAZP), popularly known as the Vandalur zoo, here, died suddenly prompting stepped-up surveillance of the birds and monitoring of the others in enclosures, the AAZP said on Thursday.
Also, a lioness named Kavitha (19) died of age-related ailments on October 26, the zoo said.
"Ostrich was breeding well naturally in AAZP. Five ostriches died all of a sudden on October 27. A team from Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS), along with the zoo veterinarians, was present during prophylactic treatment to the remaining birds in ostrich enclosure and during the postmortem," a press release from the director of AAZP said. (PTI)
The district court on Thursday allowed the police to take into custody Dhanpal, the brother of deceased Kanagaraj, the driver of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, in connection with the Kodanadu murder and heist case.
The police had filed a petition in the court here seeking 10 days custody of Dhanpal, an accused in the case. But, the Magistrate allowed them five days to interrogate the accused in their custody. (PTI)
N Nanmaran, senior CPM leader and former MLA passed away on Thursday.
A nutrition organiser was placed under suspension on Thursday for allegedly supplying rotten eggs to school students as part of the noon meal scheme at Vavipalayam in the nearby Tirupur district.
Since the Corporation Primary School was not functioning owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organiser Maheswari called the parents of over 100 students and handed over the eggs to them on October 26, official sources said. (PTI)
Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday congratulated Arunkumar, son of a labourer from Trichy's Karadipatti village, who got admission in IIT Hyderabad. During an in-person meeting with Arukumar, the Chief Minister also assured that the govt will bear the coast of his education.
AIADMK today expelled their minority wing joint secretary JM Bashir for 'acting against party principles.' Bashir had issued a statement alleging that Edappadi K Palaniswami had betrayed Muslims.
The Namakkal District Crime Branch police Wednesday registered a case against former AIADMK minister for Social Welfare and Nutritious Noon Meal Programme Dr. V Saroja for cheating job aspirants to the tune of Rs 76.5 lakh.
In her complaint, Kalai Mathi, who claims to be Saroja’s relative, said she was the coordinator of the noon meal scheme. On Saroja’s instructions, Kalai Mathi and her husband Gunaseelan, who reside in Rasipuram, allegedly collected cash worth Rs 76.5 lakh from 15 people promising to provide them jobs in Anganwadi.
According to reports, the couple had transferred the money in two installments to Saroja but never received any appointment letters.
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In order to reduce the learning gap that arose among students due to closure of schools during the Covid-19 pandemic, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin Wednesday launched the ‘Illam Thedi Kalvi‘ (Education at Doorstep) scheme. Launching the scheme at a function held in Villupuram district, Stalin said, “This programme will brighten the future of lakhs of students and will last for a hundred years.”
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In order to increase its capacity, the Southern Railways announced that it will add one more coach to certain trains leaving from Chennai.
Here is the list of trains that have increased their capacity:
Check the full list here
Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi called on Union Ministers Amit Shah and Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday in Delhi, Raj Bhavan said. Ravi's meeting with Home Minister Shah and Finance Minister Sitharaman follows his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh days ago. On October 23, Ravi visited Modi in the national capital and discussed issues related to the development of the state and people's welfare, Raj Bhavan had said adding the Prime Minister assured all possible assistance for Tamil Nadu. (PTI)
Puducherry Education Minister A Namassivayam on Wednesday announced here that all government and privately managed schools in the union territory and its outlying regions of Karaikal and Yanam would reopen on November 8 to conduct physical classes for students of grade 1 to 8. The Minister told reporters after holding discussions with officials of the Education department that with the incidence of Covid-19 cases having come down in the Union Territory, it was decided to allow in-person classes in schools for grade one to eight students.
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Home Minister of Puducherry A Namassivayam on Wednesday said the territorial government was mulling introduction of what he termed as very stringent laws to maintain law and order. After a meeting with officials of the Police Department here to review the law and order situation, the Minister said recent incidents of crimes were reviewed.
He said the police have arrested those involved in the murders of some persons in the peripheral pockets of Puducherry recently. 'We discussed the law and order situation in a detailed manner and suggestions were given to the police to tighten the vigil,' he said.
Asked if the government would invoke Goondas Act to curb crimes, he said provisions of the Act have already been invoked on 32 individuals and once necessary procedural formalities were completed, the police would go ahead to handle the criminals under the Goondas Act. He said there were allegations of designs of crimes emanating from among those lodged in the central prison here. (PTI)
Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday asked the Centre to sanction additional 800 seats for admitting students to the 11 medical colleges in the State, said Health Minister Ma Subramanian. The Central government had already approved an intake of 850 students. "We have sought additional 800 seats so that about 1,650 students can benefit," the Minister said. (PTI)
The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday told Kerala the water level in the Mullaperiyar dam stood at 137.60 ft as on date and informed it was drawing the “maximum quantity” of water as sought by the latter. The current water level was well within the storage level compliant with the upper rule levels approved by the Central Water Commission (CWC), Chief Minister M K Stalin said, in response to a letter by his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday.
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Parts of Chennai will face a power shutdown from 9 am to 4 pm, with supply expected to resume before 4 pm if the work is completed.
Perungudi: Arignar Anna nagar, Pandiyan nagar canal puram, Rajendra nagar, Siruseri village, Sabari flats, Thiruvalluvar nagar, Dr. Ambedkar purachi nagar, Govindasamy nagar, Annai Sandhiya nagar, Old Kamarajar nagar and above all surrounding areas.
Valasaravakkam: Thirunagar and Gandhi nagar, Kaikankuppam, BLN Prasad nagar, Nehru street, Kamarajar street and above all surrounding areas.
Ambattur: Thiruverkadu Pallikuppam, Pallavan nagar, Kamaraj nagar, Kauveri nagar, Thambusamy nagar, Vadanoombal Ayyapanthangal Mooventhar nagar, Balaji nagar, Moogambigai nagar, Raja garden, Part of thandalam and above all surrounding areas.
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Vanakkam Chennai!
Welcome to today’s live blog. We bring to you the latest news on Covid-19, politics, features, entertainment, sports, weather, art and culture from across Chennai and Tamil Nadu. Follow our live blog and @ie_chennai to stay up to date with what’s happening in the state.
The trailer of Superstar Rajinikanth’s upcoming film Annaatthe was released on Wednesday ahead of its theatrical release next week. Judging by the trailer, it looks like Siva has made an old-school relationship drama.
Siva has used all the ingredients that had been a staple in the brother-sister relationship movies from the 90s. It has a doting brother (Rajinikanth) and a sister (Keerthy Suresh), who is highly dependent on the former. And one day, she gets married. She later seems to fall outside the safety bubble of her elder brother as the reality of this unpromising world catches up with her. It is a classic melodrama setup. But, Siva is not just promising a highly sentimental film. He has also seemed to have whipped up high-voltage, over-the-top action sequences fraught with non-stop flow of punchlines. Even as punchlines and over-the-top action have always been synonymous with Rajinikanth, it has been some time since we have seen him in such a comfortable space. Read More
The Chennai city police have arrested six people, including two women, in connection with a burglary at a businessman’s house at Anna Nagar on October 1. The police have recovered 65 sovereigns of gold, diamonds worth Rs 2 lakh and Rs 2.5 lakh cash from the thieves.
The complainant Elangovan (54) resides in Anna Nagar West with his wife and son. While they were sleeping on the first floor of their residence, the accused allegedly broke into the ground floor of the house and fled with 100 sovereigns of gold, diamond, and silver items and cash worth Rs 85,000, Elangovan said in his complaint. Read More
Tamil Nadu logged 1075 new Covid cases today taking the active caseload to 12,288. The state also reported 12 deaths, a media bulletin released by the state health department stated. Reporting 139 fresh cases, Chennai registered the highest number among districts followed by Coimbatore (125). There are 306 testing facilities across the state, which tested 1,21 553 samples today.
On his route to Mudhaliarkuppam in Villupuram district to launch 'Illam Thedi Kalvi' Scheme (Education at doorstep) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister today made a sudden inspection at P Krishna Government Higher Secondary School and interacted with students. He also checked how the mid-day meal is prepared there.
The project, 'Illam Thedi Kalvi' or Education at Doorstep, aims to address the learning gap induced due to the closure of schools during the pandemic among students of classes 1-8.
That Vijay nurtures a career in politics is an open secret. Although, he has not openly acknowledged it. Taking a cue from Superstar Rajinikanth, he is keeping his political plunge in suspense. However, unlike Rajinikanth, he is not merely playing the game of “will he, won’t he?”. He has begun the groundwork in pursuit of political power, Manoj Kumar R writes.
Tamil Nadu will receive rainfall one week starting tomorrow, as the low-pressure area formed under the influence of a cyclonic circulation over the Southeast and adjoining Southwest Bay of Bengal is likely to move westwards, the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai said in its forecast. Fishermen are advised t not to venture into the sea.
Superstar Rajinikanth on Wednesday tweeted photos from his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind. He met the top leaders in Delhi, where he had gone to receive the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Read More
At a sweets and snacks shop in Palayamkottai town of Tirunelveli district, a dead lizard was reportedly found inside a packet of snacks. The image of the dead lizard, alongside the fried savoury snack in a packet, was shared widely on social media.
As per reports, a man hailing from Maharaja Nagar had purchased a packet of pakora from a shop on October 23. When he reached home and opened the packet, he had found a dead lizard inside it. He then lodged a complaint through WhatsApp with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) who directed Tirunelveli officials to look into the issue. Read More
After she walked out of the Bengaluru prison this February, where she served four years as a convict in the disproportionate asset case in which late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa was the prime accused, V K Sasikala stayed away from politics during the Assembly polls. There was no clarity on why she did that as her followers expected her to lead the AIADMK at the time.
Recently, however, she sent out messages that she was looking at staking a claim to the party and setting it in order, the latest signal being the unveiling of a plaque on October 17 that addressed her as ‘AIADMK general secretary’.
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In the absence of eye witnesses, the cogent deposition of a 11-year-old sexual assault victim can be trusted, the Madras High Court has held. Justice P Velmurugan gave the ruling last week, while confirming the order dated April 23 this year of a trial court in Coimbatore awarding five years rigorous imprisonment (RI) to a youth.
There was no eye witness except the victim child, who was 11 years at the time of occurrence and she had clearly spoken about the incident and the manner in which the offence was committed by the appellant. It was cogent, consistent and trustworthy and there was no reason to disbelieve the evidence of the victim child, the judge said.
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The Salem district crime branch has booked former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami’s personal assistant, Mani Marappan, for allegedly taking bribes from people by promising them government jobs. The complainant, Tamilselvan, a graduate in mechanical engineering, was allegedly cheated by Marappan in 2019.
According to the complaint filed on October 25 this year, a copy of which was accessed by The Indian Express, Tamilselvan was introduced to second accused in the case, Selvakumar, through a friend of his father. Selvakumar then introduced Tamilselvan to Marappan. “He was asked to pay Rs 17 lakh as a bribe to secure a government job by the then CM’s personal assistant,” said an official.
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A barber and the owner of a saloon in Tamil Nadu’s Salem district were booked for allegedly refusing to give a Dalit man a haircut and using casteist slurs against him. The complainant, 26-year-old Poovarasan, recorded the entire incident on video, which later went viral on social media.
In the video, the saloon owner, Annakili, was seen telling Poovarasan that they wouldn’t provide give him a haircut and can be heard using a casteist slur. The barber, identified as Loganathan, who belongs to a nearby village, was heard telling Poovarasan that he can complain to whomsoever he wants. Poovarasan, who belongs to the Viduthalai Siruthaigal Katchi community, is heard claiming in the video that the shop owner and other men are trying to gang up against him to create trouble.
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The Madras High Court on Tuesday issued a set of 12 guidelines to be included in the new regulations that are to be framed under the National Medical Council (NMC) Act, 2019 for effective handling of complaints against medical practitioners.
Justice R Mahadevan issued the guidelines while quashing an order dated May 4 this year of the Tamil Nadu Medical Council removing the name of Dr P Basumani, Gastroenterologist, from its medical register for six months. The order alleged the doctor had fallen short of the integrity and conduct expected out of a medical practitioner, besides violating the trust the public placed in the medical profession.
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A special court near here on Tuesday convicted and sentenced a couple to four death sentences, double lifer and imposed a fine of Rs six lakh for killing their family members in 2019. After killing his parents and brother with the help of his wife, by dousing them in petrol while in sleep and setting them ablaze, the accused Goverdhanan had claimed they had died after the AC in the room exploded.
However, circumstantial evidence, medical report and the chemical analysis report went against the accused, who were pronounced guilty and awarded death penalty on three counts, Special Public Prosecutor N Vijayaraj said. P Velmurugan, District Judge, Sessions Court for exclusive trial of Bomb Blast Cases at Poonamallee pronounced the verdict.
Goverdhanan had been demanding money from his parents for long to start a new business venture and was agitated that his parents did not heed to it. In May 2019, the victims were found dead inside their locked house and Goverdhanan blamed an AC explosion for their death and even preferred a police complaint in this regard. (PTI)