1. HC Says No to Vedanta’s Plea for Interim Orders in Sterlite Case
The Madras High Court on Friday, 1 March, refused to pass an interim order permitting Vedanta Limited to carry out at least maintenance work at its Sterlite copper smelting plant in Thoothukudi. The plant was shut down by the state government and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) in May last year due to environmental concerns.
After recording their submission, the judges admitted a writ petition filed by Vedanta for reopening the plant and ordered notices to all official respondents returnable by 27 March. They hoped that both the government and the board would file their counter affidavits by then and would be willing to commence arguments on the case.
(Source: The Hindu)
2. ICF Sees Political Ambition Behind Shifting Train 18 Production
In a sudden twist, the Indian Railways has decided to shift the manufacturing of Train-18 coaches from ICF in Chennai to Modern Coach Factory in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh. Critics have attacked BJP, saying the move is aimed at gaining political mileage in UP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
ICF officials who toiled for three long years to produce the first rake of Train-18 are dejected and shocked. Coaches of Train-18 — later renamed as Vande Bharat Express and introduced between Delhi and Varanasi recently — are manufactured with 80 percent indigenous materials. “Train-18 rake was the result of painstaking efforts of the ICF,” said ICF officials speaking on the condition of anonymity.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
3. AIADMK Sticks to Its Offer of 4 Seats to DMDK
The AIADMK, which is confident of roping the DMDK into its front for the upcoming polls, is willing to offer a maximum of four Lok Sabha seats to the party and nothing more. In the last two weeks, the DMDK is said to have held parallel negotiations with the AIADMK and the DMK. After the ruling party allotted seven Lok Sabha seats to the PMK, the DMDK demanded that it be treated on a par with the PMK.
Initially, the AIADMK was ready to offer three LS seats, as it had to accommodate other smaller parties like the Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar). Now, a senior leader of the party says his camp can set aside four seats at best, and that the question of offering a Rajya Sabha seat does not arise. In view of the scheduled rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Vandalur on the outskirts of Chennai next Wednesday, 6 March, the AIADMK wants to finalise the constituents of the alliance that it is going to head.
(Source: The Hindu)
4. Act Against Illegal TASMAC Outlets, Says HC
A division bench of the Madras High Court has suggested to the state government to impose stringent punishment on those who are running illegal bars in the retail shops of the TASMAC.
Passing further interim orders on the PIL petition from one D Prabakaran of Coimbatore, the bench of Justices S Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad said that though the courts generally do not issue direction to the government to legislate, the magisterial courts in their discretion are empowered to impose a higher fine amount or impose sentences as provided there for, under the Tamil Nadu Home, Prohibition and Excise Act, the government has to consider as to whether the punishment prescribed under the Act for running an illegal bar is sufficient to act as a deterrent, especially in case of repeated violators.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
5. Police to Probe Animal Rights Activists’ Group
Taking serious note of an animal rights organisation having made false averments to solicit donations through its website for paying lawyer’s fee to take on a series of cases filed by it for rescuing animals, the Madras High Court has directed the Commissioner of Police, Greater Chennai, to inquire into its activities.
A Division Bench of Justices S Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad directed the Commissioner to first find out whether S Muralidharan of Indian Centre for Animal Rights and Education (INCARE), based in Chennai, could claim to be an animal rights activist and seek donations. He was also directed to ascertain the quantum of donations received by the group.
(Source: The Hindu)
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