1. BJP Candidate, Actor Vishal, & Deepa File Nomination Papers
BJP candidate Karu Nagarajan, actor Vishal, and J Deepa, niece of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, on Monday filed their nomination papers to contest in the R K Nagar by-election scheduled for 21 December.
BJP State president Tamilisai Soundararajan, who accompanied Mr Nagarajan, said that the results of the election would bear testimony to the BJP’s growing political clout in the State. She said that the BJP would prevail despite the presence of many independents in the fray.
(Source: The Hindu)
Also Read: Tamil Actor Vishal Files Nomination for RK Nagar Bypoll
2. Over 2,000 Fishermen Rescued as Cyclone Relief Efforts Pick Up Pace
As relief measures and search and rescue operations in the wake of Cyclone Ockhi are in full swing in Kanniyakumari district and nearby coastal areas, as many as 220 of the 294 missing fishermen from the district were rescued as on Monday evening. Another 2,384 fishermen from other places have also been rescued and their families informed, according to the State government.
Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday chaired a meeting at the Secretariat with ministers and officials tasked with coordinating the relief efforts in Kanniyakumari district.
(Source: The Hindu)
Also Read: Caught in Cyclone Ockhi for Hours, How 3 Fishermen Returned Home
3. Ply More Buses for School Children: HC
The Madras High Court has directed the State Transport Authority to increase the number of buses exclusively for school students. The court had taken suo motu cognisance of the dangers faced by school children while travelling on buses, based on a media report.
The court also directed the Transport Department to ensure that children were not allowed to board overcrowded buses, and buses did not ply with children hanging precariously on the footboard or hanging on the windows.
(Source: The Hindu)
4. 5-Year-Long Jail Term for Former V-C Upheld in Graft Case
The Madras High Court on Monday upheld a trial court’s order convicting R Radhakrishnan, suspended Vice-Chancellor of the erstwhile Anna University of Technology (AUT-Coimbatore), to undergo five years imprisonment in a corruption case.
Radhakrishnan was the first Vice-Chancellor of a State university in Tamil Nadu to be suspended over seven years ago.
The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) had in 2009 registered a case against Radhakrishnan and others on charges of demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs. 40,000 for supply of dual desk to the university. The agency said he had settled the bill due to supplier only after he paid the bribe amount.
(Source: The Hindu)
5. Gold Seized at Airport
As much as 1.2 kg of gold, worth Rs 35 lakh, was seized at the Chennai airport in two separate incidents.
On Monday, officials found two items of baggage left behind on a conveyor belt under the name of Amen Shahul Hameed, who came from Bangkok. The baggage had 12 gold bits weighing 399 grams and worth Rs 11 lakh concealed in condensed milk tins. No one came to claim the baggage.
On 30 November, Shaik Nazeer Ahmed, who came from Riyadh, was detained on suspicion. He had hid seven bars of gold weighing 815 grams worth Rs 24 lakh. Further investigations are on.
(Source: The Hindu)
Also Read: Cash, Gold and Foreign Currency Seized in IT Raid in Bengaluru
6. BJP’s B-Team – A Tag That Looms on AIADMK
The AIADMK, which emerged as the third largest party in Lok Sabha under Jayalalithaa, is now battling the perception of being the “B” team of the ruling BJP at the Centre.
This is in contrast to the situation that prevailed during the lifetime of Jayalalithaa, who had enjoyed the image of being a loner. This was borne out by the way she opposed the introduction of GST, the National Food Security Act, the NEET and the Centre’s inaction in the Cauvery dispute.
(Source: The Hindu)
7. December Art Festival Under Way
Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Sunday called upon art foundations and sabhas to act as a catalyst in creating a bridge between tradition and modernity.
Inaugurating Brahma Gana Sabha’s December Art Festival at Smt Sivagami Pethachi Auditorium here, he called for the preservation of the purity of the arts while welcoming new ideas and combinations.
Congratulating the Sabha for its contribution towards the promotion of art and culture, the Governor appreciated its initiatives in conducting music programmes every month.
(Source: The Hindu)
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