1. Cops Lathicharge CAA Protesters; Demonstrations Continue
Hundreds of anti-CAA protesters have come out on the streets in various parts of Chennai after cops lathicharged protesters at at the city’s Old Washermanpet area on 14 February. Protests continued overnight at key location including, Trichy, Pondicherry, Coimbatore, Madurai, Sivagangai, Thiruvannamalai, Tirupur and Erode with people demanding the release of those who have been detained and also condemning the lathi charge by the Chennai Police.
Earlier during the day, the police allegedly lathicharged protesters to remove them and clear the area as they refused to budge. Some of the protesters were also detained. Four police personnel -- a woman joint commissioner, two women constables and a sub-inspector -- were injured in stonepelting, the police said, even as reports emerged that some protesters were also hurt.
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2. Woman Stabbed to Death After Argument
An argument proved fatal for a 27-year-old woman after she was stabbed to death by her husband’s uncle in Thiruvallur on Thursday evening. According to the police, Senthil Kumar (30) and his wife Kalaivani were living in Vellavedu. Senthil’s uncle, Raman lived next door. “Raman often complained that a tree in Senthil’s house was brushing his TV cable and it was causing disrupting the signal. He constantly asked them to cut the tree, but in vain. On Thursday evening, after strong winds, the cable snapped,” said a police officer.
An agitated Raman barged into Senthil’s house. At the time, Kalaivani was alone and during an argument, he stabbed Kalaivani with a kitchen knife and fled. On hearing her screams, the neighbours rushed to the spot and took Kalaivani to the Stanley GH, where she was declared dead on arrival.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
3. Deputy CM Hits Out at Centre Over GST Compensation
Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam once again hit out at the Centre over issues like GST compensation and the settlement of dues to the state. “In the Union Budget for 2020-21, the Finance Minister has indicated that hereafter, transfers to the GST Compensation Fund will be limited to collection by way of GST compensation cess,” he said in his Budget speech on Friday.
“The GST (Compensation to States) Act, 2017, was enacted to provide compensation to states for loss of revenue on account of implementation of the GST, based on the constitutional obligation of the Government of India to compensate the State for a period of five years under the Constitution (101st Amendment) Act, 2016,” Panneerselvam pointed out.
(Source: The Hindu)
4. Man Sentenced to Five-Year Jail Term in Sexual Assault Case
A special court under The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has sentenced a 35-year-old man to five years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) and imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 for sexually assaulting his 13-year-old daughter when she was alone in her room.
The accused is a construction worker. The assault happened on 14 April 2018, and the girl’s mother noticed on April that she was disturbed and running a temperature. According to the public prosecutor, the accused bought the victim’s silence by threatening to commit suicide if she spoke about the assault.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
5. Elections Are Not Athletics to Declare Joint Winners: HC
Observing that elections are not athletics or academic pursuits where joint winners can be declared, the Madras High Court has upheld the constitutional validity of two crucial provisions of the Tamil Nadu Panchayats (Elections) Rules of 1995, which provide for draw of lot to declare the winner to the post of village panchayat president if the top two contestants in the election had secured exactly the same number of votes.
Chief Justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi and Justice Subramonium Prasad said that in case of a tie between two candidates, there could be other alternatives such as ordering re-election, allowing both to work on a 50:50 tenure basis or giving one more opportunity to those who had not cast their votes, but it was up to the legislators to deliberate and figure out the best option among them and not for the court to suggest.
(Source: The Hindu)
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