QChennai: Vivegam Draws Large Crowds, Anti-Defection Law Invoked

Here’s your roundup of news from Tamil Nadu.

1. Vivegam Hits Screens Amid Fanfare

With fans flocking to the theatres as early as 4am on Thursday, actor Ajith’s Vivegam opened big across the State. The much hyped spy thriller, directed by Siva, is the actor’s 57th film.

Many theatres across Chennai had early morning shows, where members of the several fan clubs of the actor made a beeline. With advance booking having started earlier this week, the movie is expected to have packed shows through the long weekend with Friday being a holiday for Vinayaka Chaturthi. While the movie released in over 700 screens across the State, tickets were sold at exorbitant prices in a few theatres, which did not have a computerised or online ticketing system in place, cashing in on the rush to see the movie on the first day of release.

Source: The Hindu

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2. Bike Racing Rivalry Claims Youth’s Life

The prevalence of rampant bike racing on the city’s outskirts led to rivalry between two persons, resulting in the murder of a 23-year-old youth at Maduravoyal.

The victim, K Shankar, of Gangaiamman Nagar was found lying in a pool of blood near the MGR Nagar junction when Maduravoyal police reached the spot at 9 pm on Wednesday.

Police personnel rushed him to the Government Kilpauk Hospital. However, he died on way to the hospital.

Source: The Hindu

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3. Action Against MLAs May Lead to Bypolls

The ruling camp’s swift action of seeking the disqualification of 19 Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs), which has surprised many in political circles, is, however, viewed by veterans of the AIADMK as posturing.

It may be recalled that no action was taken against the 11 MLAs who had voted against the State government in February when the government, headed by Edappadi K. Palaniswami, sought a vote of confidence. At that time Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, who headed a separate faction, was one among the 11 legislators.

Source: The Hindu

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4. Anbumani Reiterates Call to Abolish NEET

PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss reiterated his call for abolishing the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to medical colleges.

In a statement, he said, if continued, NEET would have serious implications and lead to a situation where only the rich could study medical courses.

Ramadoss urged that both political and legal options should be pursued for doing away with NEET.

Source: The Hindu

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5. Anti-Defection Law Invoked After 17 Years

The move to have 19 dissident AIADMK Members of Legislative Assembly (MLA) disqualified is among the handful of occasions the State has seen such a development ever since the Anti-Defection law came into force in 1985.

The last occasion when a legislator experienced disqualification was in June 2000. At that time, M Muthuramalingam, who won from Thirumangalam in 1996 elections on a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam ticket, had joined the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

Source: The Hindu

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6. Suspected Cellphone Snatcher Dies in Accident

A 20-year-old youth, riding a two-wheeler, died after he rammed a barricade on the Tambaram-Puzhal bypass near Kallikuppam Toll Plaza during the early hours of Thursday.

Police suspect that the victim was speeding away after snatching the cellphone of a truck driver.

Source: The Hindu

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7. Five Disabled Candidates Allotted MBBS Seats

As many as 117 seats allotted for persons with disabilities remained vacant on Thursday, the first day of single-window counselling for government quota seats in MBBS and BDS this academic year.

Although 58 applications had been received, only 20 were found eligible with NEET marks. Only five candidates were allotted seats, because they satisfied the disability norms prescribed. Officials said the rest of them did not qualify under the norms set for disability.

Source: The Hindu

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