1. Congress Alliance Possible If DMK Ties Snapped: TTV Dhinakaran
Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam deputy general secretary TTV Dhinakaran on Thursday said his party would consider forging an alliance with the Congress if that party came out of the alliance with DMK. Dhinakaran, who had already ruled out any alliance with the BJP in future, had made this statement while responding to a query at Bengaluru after meeting VK Sasikala in the Parappana Agrahara Prison in Bengaluru.
“On our own, we will win 37 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. Already, many are in touch with us for forging an alliance. We welcome forging an alliance. At present, the Congress is in alliance with the DMK. Let that party come out of that alliance. After that, we will consider forging an alliance with the Congress,” Dhinakaran said.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
2. Top Cop Opens Special Cell to Address Women Issues
Woman facing crime and abuse in the city can now approach new special cell for women for justice as well as counselling as the city police commissioner AK Viswanathan threw open the facility on Friday. The aggrieved women can dial 94983 36002 to avail its services. The details and identity of women approaching the centre will be kept confidential, the police said.
The centre, which is opened on the purview of National Commission for Women, Tamil Nadu Police and Tata Institute of Social Science, would function at the premises of Thousand Lights police station. Such special centres are opened in Salem, Madurai, and Thirunelveli apart from Chennai.
(Source: Deccan Chronicle)
3. Police to File Chargesheet in Rape of 11-Year-Old Within 20 Days
Two weeks after the alleged rape and sexual assault of a 11-year-old girl in Chennai, police are confident that they have a water tight case against the 17 accused in the case. Top sources in the department have told that the chargesheet in the case will be filed in the next 20 days and that the culprits will be charged with different sections.
Chennai Police Commissioner AK Vishwanathan himself is directly overseeing the case. The directive to investigating official inspector Vijaya Chandrika from the All Women's station in Ayanavaram has been to conduct the probe in a speedy manner. The chargesheet will contain evidences gathered from the scene of crime, medical reports as well as forensic analysis.
(Source: The News Minute)
4. Plea to Stop Release of ‘Vishwaroopam 2’
Pyramid Saimira Productions, represented by its director PS Swaminathan, has approached the Madras High Court to restrain the release of Kamal Haasan starrer Vishwaroopam 2. The production company claimed that the actor owed it Rs 7.75 crore and the money could not be collected from him if the movie was allowed to be released.
According to an affidavit filed by the production house, it had entered into a memorandum of understanding with Rajkamal Films International, in which the actor is a partner, in 2008 for jointly producing a movie titled Marmayogi. Haasan had reportedly agreed to play the lead, besides writing the story, screenplay and dialogues.
(Source: The Hindu)
5. Salem-Chennai Green Corridor Will Protect the Environment, Centre Tells Madras HC
The Central government has submitted to the Madras High Court that the Salem-Chennai Green Corridor is for protecting the environment. According to a report in The Hindu, the Centre told the HC that the expressway could actually help in reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 17 crore kg, which is equal to the good effect from 38,000 hectares forest area with 75 lakh trees.
It also said there will be a reduction of carbon dioxide because diesel consumption will go down by 10 crore litres per annum since the distance between the two cities will be reduced by at least 57 km. The major issue raised by activists and the general public are that the project passes through 10 km of reserve forest.
(Source: The News Minute)
6. It's a Wasteful Expenditure Says Madras HC and Suspends Reghupathi Commission
The Madras High Court ordered the Tamil Nadu government to suspend the Regupathi Commission that was constituted to probe into the alleged irregularities in the construction of the new Secretariat complex during the DMK regime. The order comes after Justice Subramaniam had, on Wednesday, commented on the unnecessary expenditure by the government in maintaining the commission.
The Madras High Court ordered the Commission to hand over the records, reports of investigation and the statements and the evidence collected over the time to the government within two weeks from the date of the order. The court also ordered the state government to read the documents handed over by the Commission and to initiate criminal proceedings against everybody named in the report.
(Source: The News Minute)
7. Mylapore: Prostitution Racket Busted, 4 Arrested
The anti-vice squad (AVS) sleuths of Central Crime Branch (CCB) rescued two foreign nationals from a prostitution racket during a raid at a star hotel in Mylapore, on Thursday night. According to sources, officials closely monitored certain five-star hotels across the city for over a week based on a tip-off.
The police said the nexus had been operating underground for over a year. The gang with roots in Bengaluru had carried out all its activities online to evade authorities' attention. Customers booked their slots online avoiding any direct communication with operators. "The perpetrators contacted two women hailing from Uzbekistan and Ukraine and brought them to the country using tourist visa," the police said.
(Source: Deccan Chronicle)
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