Chennai, Oct. 24: Archana Veeramani, daughter of jailed granite businessman R Veeramani, was taken into custody by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) at Chennai International Airport on Friday, moments before she was due to leave for Singapore. According to sources, Archana had completed immigration formalities and boarded a flight scheduled to depart at 2.20 pm when officials stopped her following an alert from the SIT. The action is part of an investigation into alleged financial transactions suspected to have been carried out to protect her father from prosecution in cases registered against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual…
Author: Pugazh
Chennai, Oct 24: Arignar Anna Zoological Park at Vandalur will reopen to visitors on Sunday after a temporary closure following the detection of bird flu among birds at the zoo. The closure was intended to facilitate sanitisation and strengthen preventive measures to contain the spread of the infection. The H5N1 avian influenza infection was confirmed after samples from dead waterbirds were tested. Seven birds, including painted storks, a grey pelican, a grey heron and an oriental darter, reportedly died between October 3 and 9 in the zoo’s Vedanthangal enclosure. Zoo authorities have undertaken disinfection and sanitation work in the affected…
Chennai, Oct 24: The Chennai Special POCSO Court has permitted the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to take Gem Granites owner R. Veeramani, his associate Shanti and her husband Mahendra Simhan into custody for two days for further questioning in cases involving the alleged sexual abuse of minor girls. The SIT had sought three days of custody to investigate the first case registered in connection with the allegations. The petition was heard by Judge S. Padma. The prosecution, represented by government counsel Anita, sought custodial interrogation of four accused, including Veeramani, Shanti, Mahendra Simhan and Veeramani’s assistant Ganesan, for three days.…
Chennai, Oct 24: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for five districts in Tamil Nadu on Saturday warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places amid an active northeast monsoon. The districts are Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, the Nilgiris, Coimbatore and Theni. According to the weather department, these districts are likely to experience heavy to very heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds. The continuing rainfall activity is attributed to the prevailing monsoon conditions and a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal that is expected to intensify in the coming days. A heavy…
Chennai, Oct. 24: The DMK on Friday criticised the TVK-led government over alleged caste discrimination against a 15-year-old student in Coimbatore, who died by suicide, and the murder of a woman at her house in Sathankulam. Party leaders Udhayanidhi Stalin and Kanimozhi accused the government of failing to ensure public safety and demanded effective action. DMK youth wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin condemned the alleged caste-based harassment faced by the school student. In a statement, he alleged that the boy was discriminated against after questions were raised about his food habits, particularly his consumption of beef. He claimed that the alleged…
Tiruchy, Oct. 24: DMK leader and Karur district secretary V Senthilbalaji has said that reorganising the party’s organisational structure in Karur district would be crucial to strengthening its electoral prospects in upcoming bypolls and local body elections. Addressing the party’s district executive committee meeting on Friday, chaired by district president Rajendran, Senthilbalaji said Karur, which has four Assembly constituencies, had been divided into two organisational districts, each headed by a district secretary. He said the restructuring was being undertaken based on the number of voters and the need to improve the party’s organisational reach. The move is intended to make…
Chennai, Oct. 24: The Madras High Court has held that an alleged extramarital relationship, by itself, would not constitute cruelty under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code, while dismissing an appeal challenging the acquittal of a man in a case connected with his wife’s suicide. Justice Sunder Mohan passed the order after examining the prosecution’s allegations and the evidence presented during the trial. The husband had faced charges under Sections 498A and 306 of the IPC in connection with allegations of cruelty and abetment of suicide. According to the prosecution, the couple married in September 2008. The husband was…
Chennai, Oct. 24: A man from Rajasthan who was arrested in connection with an alleged artificial intelligence-generated deepfake video impersonating Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has been granted bail. The case relates to fabricated videos circulated on Facebook and other social media platforms in which a person appearing to be Vijay, with Hindi audio, purportedly offered financial assistance to members of the public. Viewers were asked to contact a WhatsApp number to seek help, allegedly as part of an attempt to defraud people. The Tamil Nadu Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department’s Cyber Crime Cell registered a case on September…
Chennai, Oct. 24: Ā The Congress high command has replaced Ranjan Kumar as chairman of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committeeās Scheduled Caste department and appointed R Senthamil Selvan in his place, amid renewed political attention on the cases involving granite businessman R Veeramani. The appointment was announced in a press release issued on Friday by All India Congress Committee general secretary K C Venugopal. The party, however, did not state any specific reason for the change or link the decision to the ongoing investigation into the allegations against Veeramani. The organisational change has drawn attention because Ranjan Kumar had earlier raised…