QChennai: Jaya Panel Recalls Docs; No Negative Marking, Rules HC

Here is your roundup of the top stories from Chennai.

The Justice A Arumughaswamy Commission has summoned 10 doctors and a technician from Apollo Hospitals for re-examination by Sasikala’s counsel.

(Photo Courtesy: The News Minute)

1. Jaya Panel Calls Doctors for Re-Examination on 5 & 6 Feb

A commission has been constituted to look into the mystery around Jayalalithaa’s death.(Photo: AP)

The Justice A Arumughaswamy Commission has summoned 10 doctors and a technician from Apollo Hospitals for re-examination by Sasikala’s counsel on 5 and 6 February. Meanwhile, a fresh date has not been fixed for Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam’s deposition.

Earlier, a source had claimed that Panneerselvam could depose on 1 February. But the Commission will reconvene only on 5 February for the re-examination of the doctors, the official added. On 5 February, doctors including VL Arul Selvan, Ravichandran, Rama Gopalakrishnan, Sajjan K Hegde and Meenakshi Sundaram have been summoned.

(Source: The News Minute)

2. No Negative Marking in Competitive Exams, Says Madras High Court

Negative marking acts a weight behind the mental strength of a student and the student approaches every question with an element of fear, the judge said.(Photo: The News Minute)

The Madras High Court has held that the system of negative marking in the competitive examination has to be done away with, in as much as the same perforce requires reconsideration. Justice R Mahadevan gave the ruling while disposing of the petition filed by S Nelson Prabhakar, a student.

The judge said the very system of awarding negative marks is improper and against principles of fairness, equality and equity. Students, who take part in competitive examinations, come from different strata of society. Those hailing from affluent families can afford to take private coaching and enhance their knowledge and techniques and the same cannot be expected from meritorious students coming from economically weaker background.

(Source: Deccan Chronicle)

3. PM Likely to Inaugurate Chennai Metro Stretch

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to inaugurate Chennai Metro’s AG-DMS-to-Washermanpet stretch either on February 10 or 19.(Photo Courtesy: The News Minute)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to inaugurate Chennai Metro’s AG-DMS-to-Washermanpet stretch either on February 10 or 19. “He may launch the service through video-conferencing on February 10, or if he does come to Chennai on 19 February, he will do it then. This plan will be finalised in a few days,” a source said.

The 10-km stretch from AG-DMS to Washermanpet will be entirely underground, with stations at LIC, Thousand Lights, Government Estate, Chennai Central, Mannady and High Court in between. When this stretch opens, the frequency of trains is likely to increase.

(Source: The Hindu)

4. Tamil Nadu Has Given Us a Bad Name Over Sterlite, Vedanta Tells Supreme Court

Earlier, Vedanta had said that unless electricity to the plant was restored, it would not be able to comply with the conditions imposed by the National Green Tribunal in its 15 December 2018 judgment. (Photo Courtesy: The News Minute)

The Vedanta Group whose Sterlite Copper smelting plant has been shut down since 28 May 2018, told the Supreme Court that they were being harassed and their image being besmirched by the Tamil Nadu government. Vedanta said that the pollution report that was shown to the court was six months after the plant was put under lock.

Describing the action against the plant as "political", senior counsel CA Sundaram appearing for Vedanta, said that the State government overlooked the plea for daily maintenance to plug the sulphuric acid leaks. Senior counsel Guru Krishnakumar appearing for Tamil Nadu said that the plant management resorted to quick fixes when the environmental violations were pointed out to them.

(Source: The News Minute)

5. Cash Stolen from Car in Farmhouse

A large amount in cash was allegedly stolen from a luxury car parked in front of a farmhouse in Uthandi along the East Coast Road a couple of days ago.(Photo: Reuters)

A large amount in cash was allegedly stolen from a luxury car parked in front of a farmhouse in Uthandi along the East Coast Road a couple of days ago. According to police sources, unidentified persons broke the car’s window pane and stole several lakhs of rupees and a huge quantity of foreign currency. The car, belonging to the family of a businessman, was parked in an empty plot opposite the farmhouse.

On being informed, a special team of the Chennai police perused footage from surveillance cameras installed in the area and gathered details of suspicious persons. Investigators were following specific clues and were close to solving the heist, the sources said.

(Source: The Hindu)