1. TTV Aide Leaks Jaya Hospital Clip as RK Nagar Goes to Poll
Throughout the RK Nagar bypoll campaign, the TTV Dhinakaran group had a whisper campaign going that it had enough ammo to demolish the ruling AIADMK’s charges of secrecy shrouding Jayalalithaa’s death. On Wednesday, the eve of polling, TTV’s lieutenant and expelled legislator P Vetrivel fired what he thought was a salvo: A 20-second video clip, purportedly of Jayalalithaa in an Apollo Hospitals bed, sipping a drink and apparently watching television.
Vetrivel soon found himself in the dock, with the Justice Arumughaswamy commission investigating the former chief minister’s death, and RK Nagar returning officer Praveen Nair, filing police complaints and police filing an FIR. N Panneerselvam, secretary to the commission, said the video was possibly morphed, and it was released on the eve of the election to create a law and order problem. “He has intentionally done this to degrade the commission and interfere with its function,” the secretary said.
(Source: The Times of India)
2. HC Order Ensures Presence of Politicos on Banners
Politicians are set to come back on hoardings and banners, as Madras High Court has set aside the a single judge order banning pictures of living people on banners and hoardings.
The first bench headed by Chief Justice Indira Banerjee passed the order noting that there was no legal bar to have such pictures on banners. However, the bench made it clear that the portions in the single judge's order pertaining to prohibiting display of living persons' pictures only had been set aside and the other portions of the order were still operational.
"All other aspects of the order prevail and the authorities must ensure strict compliance of statutes and rules pertaining to display of such banners and hoardings. It must be made sure that such banners are not allowed to be placed encroaching public and private properties," the bench said.
(Source: The Times of India)
3. Firm Linked to Karti Moves HC Against IT Order
Two weeks after a single judge of Madras High Court rejected a plea moved by Advantage Strategic Consulting Private Limited, with which former finance minister P Chidambaram's son Karti Chidambaram is closely associated, assailing a notification of income tax department, the firm has filed an appeal against the order.
On 24 June 2016, the department clubbed a case of search and seizure conducted in the firm and the residences of its directors under Foreign Exchange Management Act along with a similar case concerning Vasan Healthcare Private Limited. Claiming that the two cases were different, the petitioner wanted the court to quash the notification.
But rejecting the submissions, a single judge on 8 December dismissed the plea. Now assailing the dismissal order, the company has preferred the appeal.
(Source: The Times of India)
4. Parts of Chennai May Receive Light Rain Till Friday
With just 10 days to go for the northeast monsoon to officially end, rainfall activity may largely remain subdued. However, some places across the state may receive light rainfall till Friday.
An upper air cyclonic circulation that lies over the Comorin area and its neighbourhood will influence light to moderate rainfall in some parts of south Tamil Nadu, including Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar, Dindigul and Madurai.
(Source: The Hindu)
5. Order to Remove 500 Black Pigs From Residential Area
The Madras High Court has ordered removal of about 500 black pigs reared by two individuals in a residential area at the Selakkarichal village in Coimbatore district.
Rearing of pigs causes deadly Japanese Encephalitis (brain fever), swine flu, et cetera. Pig is an agent that spreads virus from animal to human beings. The official respondents have to ensure that unlicensed pigs that were grown, are removed within a week and file the status report to the Registrar-General, Justice S Vaidyanathan has said.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
6. Tomato Prices Plunge From Rs 40 to Rs 15 in 10 Days
Tomato prices have plunged in the city on the back of a glut in production in vegetable growing areas, especially Erode, over the fortnight.
While farmers face losses as the value of their produce nosedived in recent weeks, in Chennai, the surplus was a key reason for wholesale tomato prices to drop from Rs 40/kg to between Rs 15/kg and Rs 20/kg in the past 10 days. Retail prices have also fallen to about Rs 25/kg to Rs 30/kg. Market vendors said the fall in prices could not be entirely attributed to overproduction but that was one of the reasons for the cost of the staple to plummet.
(Source: The Times of India)
7. HC Seeks ASI Inspection of Its Building for Maintenance
The Madras High Court on Wednesday made a request to its ‘heritage committee,’ comprising four judges, to consider a plea made by one of its advocate members to get the 125-year-old building of the court inspected by top officials from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in order to find out ways and means through which it could be maintained properly.
The first Division Bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M Sundar asked Additional Advocate General C Manishankar, also a member of the committee, to convey the oral request made by it to all the members of the next committee during the meeting and hoped that the plea would be considered positively.
(Source: The Hindu)
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