QBullet: Chinnamma Takes Over; Taxmen Wield New Benami Law

The Quint brings to you a collection of the most important news stories from the previous day.

Sasikala pays tribute to J Jayalalithaa after she was appointed as AIADMK General Secretary in Chennai on 29 December. (Photo: PTI)

1. Chinnamma ‘Coup’ in Tamil Nadu

VK Sasikala, a constant presence in the last years of Jayalalithaa's life, is set to become Tamil Nadu Chief Minister in a stunning takeover that skips the more familiar dynasty path and heralds crony coronation.

Sasikala is going to be the new AIADMK General Secretary. (Picture Courtesy: democratsnewz.com)

Sasikala, officially the AIADMK general secretary, is expected to replace O Panneerselvam, a Jayalalithaa loyalist whose increasing popularity appears to have hastened his exit.

Unless an unexpected legal challenge crops up or the Centre puts in a spanner in the works, Sasikala is expected to be sworn in on Tuesday.

Sasikala's takeover will put an end to the dual leadership the state had witnessed after Jayalalithaa's death. But the political acumen and administrative ability of the middle-school-educated leader have not been tested in any forum so far.

(Source: The Telegraph)

Also Read: In Jayalalithaa’s TN, It Is Sasikala’s Family That Runs the State

2. Punjab, Goa Polls Done; Spotlight Shifts to Uttar Pradesh

A day after voting in Punjab and Goa, the focus sharpened on Uttar Pradesh where an acronym war raged between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the duo of Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav for the second successive day.

The big guns from the parties boomed in the bellwether state which goes to polls in seven phases beginning 11 February, when 73 constituencies of the communally and politically volatile western UP go to polls.

After coining ‘SCAM’ in Meerut on Saturday to target rivals, Modi gave ‘VIKAS’ (development) a new spin at a rally in Aligarh on Sunday.

He said the BJP was “riding a wave in UP” and would bring VIKAS — V for vidyut (power), ‘KA’ for ‘kanoon’ (law and order), and ‘S’ for ‘sadak’ (roads). Modi said Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav was wary of ‘imminent defeat’ and had formed an alliance with the Congress.

(Source: Hindustan Times)

Also Read: Barkha Chats With Yadavs’ Chhoti Bahu Aparna Before Her Poll Debut

3. Crackdown After Demonetisation: Taxmen Wield New Benami Law to go After ‘Black Money’ Deposits

An Indian counts currency notes of 1,000 and 500 denomination in New Delhi. (Photo: AP)

Tax department has taken recourse to the new law on benami property to seek the attachment of properties of about 20 individuals and entities in Mumbai whose bank accounts were allegedly used by owners of small and medium firms to deposit unaccounted money following the demonetisation announcement on 8 November.

The tax department issued show-cause notices on 27 January to these individuals and entities for attachment of properties under the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, which came into force on 1 November 2016, sources told The Indian Express.

Under the Act, the tax agency can confiscate and prosecute depositors and those whose illegal money has been “adjusted” in the depositors’ accounts. Violation of rules of the Act attracts a heavy penalty and rigorous jail term of a maximum of seven years.

(Source: The Indian Express)

Also Read: Budget 2017: ‘Ardh Satya’ About Lack of Jobs & Tax Collection

4. Bhopal: Chief of Probe into SIMI Jailbreak Resigns, MP Govt Rejects it

Bhopal witnessed high drama after SIMI judicial commission chief justice (retd) SK Pandey resigned on Saturday evening, but the state government refused to accept his resignation.

Sources said Justice Pandey, who heads the single member judicial commission to probe the jailbreak and alleged encounter of eight SIMI men in Bhopal on 31 October, reportedly put in his papers and left Bhopal. Sources added he left the circuit house, where he was staying with his baggage and boarded an auto.

When Hindustan Times contacted Justice Pandey on phone, he said he didn’t want to comment on the developments.

(Source: Hindustan Times)

Also Read: What’s SIMI and So What If the Bhopal Jailbreak Men Were Members?

5. Naga Outfits Take Our Help for Peace, Deny Us Quota: Women Candidates

Prohibitory orders were in force in areas, including Raj Bhavan, Chief Minister’s official residence and civil secretariat. (Photo: The Quint)

Elections to urban local bodies in Nagaland were cancelled on Saturday in the wake of violent protests by tribal groups opposing the provision of 33 per cent reservation for women, but Hukheli T Wotsa, a mother of four children and an Independent candidate, refused to give in to pressure, even threats to excommunicate her.

“This election has been finally cancelled, but I will continue to contest even if there is no reservation for women,” Wotsa told The Indian Express.

Wife of a senior government officer, Wotsa said the same traditional bodies, which cite Article 371 to oppose reservation for women under Article 243 (T), had taken the help of women in peace-building and conflict resolution in the troubled state.

(Source: The Indian Express)

Also Read: Nagaland: Prohibitory Orders Continue in Kohima, No Fresh Violence

6. Condition at Home for Mentally-Challenged Shocking: DCW Chief Swati Maliwal

Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal said she was “shocked” to see gross violation of human rights at Asha Kiran Home for mentally-challenged persons here where women were roaming naked in unhygienic surroundings.

Maliwal, along with DCW member Promila Gupta and other staff members, spent the night at the shelter home on Saturday and found that 11 deaths have occurred there in the past two months.

The commission said it was “deeply disturbed at the inhuman condition” in the home and Maliwal issued a notice to the Secretary of the Delhi government’s Social Welfare department to respond within 72 hours as the “matter is extremely serious and concerns the life and liberty of the residents”.

(Source: The Indian Express)

Also Read: Two Cops Booked for Raping Mentally-Challenged Woman in Tumkur

7. Erratic Rains, Urbanisation Make Summers Hotter in Delhi, Mumbai and 23 Cities

Erratic monsoon rain and rapid urbanisation are making the Indian summer hotter and more humid, especially in Mumbai, Delhi and another 23 cities that have a combined population of 116 million people.

The findings are from an analysis of temperature and humidity levels recorded at 283 weather stations between 1951 and 2010. The study conducted by the Pune-based Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) and Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology found an increase in heat index that measures human discomfort at particular temperatures. The index has risen by 0.56 degree Celsius on an average every decade during summer, and 0.32 degree Celsius a decade in monsoon.

Human activities such as urbanisation and release of heat-trapping greenhouse gases from industries, vehicles, biomass burning, are creating islands with ambient temperatures that are often higher than surrounding areas.

(Source: Hindustan Times)

Also Read: Solar Panels Over Canals May Help India Combat Climate Change

8. In East Delhi, Even Metro Can't Bridge Communal Gap

In Trilokpuri, which sees sporadic incidents of violence, two communities don't want to live next to each other.

Roshan (name changed), a resident of Block 18 in Trilokpuri, is happy that Metro is coming to the area. But while Metro may be welcome, neighbours living in Block 15 aren’t. “It would be better if they were shifted elsewhere. Why seek trouble,“ he says even as a bunch of boys sitting with him echo this sentiment.

In Trilokpuri, progress in the form of Delhi Metro is fighting a battle against communal feelings as well as claims of environmental damage. One hundred and eight houses in Block 15 are to be razed to make way for the viaduct of the Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar corridor that is part of Phase III. The pillars and track will come up in the area for which residents are being relocated to alternative accommodation to be built by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). The problem is that neighbours at that alternative site –located opposite blocks 16, 17 and 18 – are none too happy about the move.

(Source: Times of India)

9. Preventable Deaths on the Rise in Delhi: Study

Deaths due to preventable illnesses such as tuberculosis have been on the rise in Delhi, warned a new study which shows that government efforts to improve healthcare have been insufficient to combat the impact of poverty and inequalities in Delhi.

Researchers from Rutgers School of Public Health, New York University and Columbia University in the US found that between 2004 and 2013, amenable mortality increased by about 25% in Delhi, while the cities being compared with it experienced a decrease in amenable mortality by at least 25%.

Delhi was selected for the study because its statistics are medically certified and more complete than those of India as a whole.

(Source: Times of India)

Also Read: Muzzafarpur’s Mysterious Child Killing Disease Linked to Litchis

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