NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday deferred the hearing on a plea of Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin seeking clubbing of multiple FIRs lodged against him over his purported eradicate Sanatan Dharma remark. A bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar posted the hearing in February, 2025. It further said the interim order granting the politician exemption from appearing physically before trial courts would continue till further orders. Arguing for Stalin, senior advo

DHARMAPURI: Residents of tribal hamlets near the district urged the district administration to take steps to construct a 1.5 km road connecting Mittakomberi and Kalikarambu village which would give them access to healthcare and education besides improve livelihood opportunities. Kaalikarambu panchayat in Dharmapuri union comprises three villages Kondakarahalli. V Muthampatti, Thippireddihalli. These are isolated hamlets and the only connectivity option is a foot path leading out of the three vil

KRISHNAGIRI: A total of 27 students of the Panchayat Union Primary School (PUPS) in Kovalli village near Urigam boycotted classes with a demand to demolish a decades-old overhead tank that is posing a threat to them. There are 27 students studying in a PUPS at Kovalli village in Urigam panchayat. A 30,000-litre overhead tank is located near the school building. The tank, constructed two decades ago, is dilapidated and cement shards have started to fall on the ground. Parents urged the district a

COIMBATORE: A 36-year-old man from Kerala was arrested by Valparai police for allegedly deceiving people at ATMs using expired cards, while pretending to offer assistance in withdrawing their money. He would switch fake cards with originals and then withdraw money from victims accounts. The arrested has been identified as K Najeeb from Cherthala in Alappuzha district in Kerala, who works as a wall painter. Police seized 43 dummy ATM cards, three caps, five face masks, and Rs 5,290 in cash from h

THOOTHUKUDI: Despite the November 22 deadline for removing jet pumps from country boats, a majority of chank divers have yet to comply with the fisheries department's order. According to fisheries department officials, the jet pumps, used to collect dead chanks and conches, pose a threat to marine life, including the sea bed, coral reefs, and benthic organisms crucial for coral ecosystems. Over 250 fishermen hold chank diving licences, which provide livelihoods for more than 3,000 people, an off

PERAMBALUR: Visitors to the National Fossil Wood Park at Sathanur village in the district are facing difficulties due to a lack of adequate facilities including a road, bus and signboards. The park was developed on behalf of the Geological Department on the site where a fossil tree was discovered by geologist MS Krishnan in 1940. A museum and the Sathanur Petrified Tree Education Centre (SAPTEC) were set up at the site in October 2021. Hundreds including students visit the park daily. However, t

TIRUCHY: The new integrated bus terminus in Panjappur is scheduled for inauguration in January, Minister for Municipal Administration KN Nehru said on Thursday. Addressing reporters, the minister stated that Chief Minister MK Stalin has been requested to finalise the date for the inauguration. The chief minister has assured to visit Tiruchy soon to launch various development projects and inaugurate new schemes, he said. On the condition of city roads, Nehru noted that road-laying work would resu

MADURAI: Madurai Kamaraj University announced the election of a nominee by the senate and syndicate to the committee for recommending a panel of three names to the chancellor for appointment of the vice-chancellor. Earlier, Governor RN Ravi appointed a UGC nominee to the search committee. The notification in the gazette calling for nomination by the senate and syndicate was November 13. The last date and time for filing nominations for the senate was December, 2 and for the syndicate was Decembe

PUDUKKOTTAI: Two private finance companies in Adhanakottai have allegedly defaced the walls of a house belonging to two loan defaulters, marking it as a pawned property and publicly displaying the outstanding amounts. The victims, B Sakthivel and his brother B Muthukumar, who took loans from different finance companies to manage agricultural and cattle-rearing expenses, said this illegal action by the companies has caused them severe emotional distress and social embarrassment. A complaint regar

TENKASI: TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai on Thursday told reporters that the CB-CID was conducting a scientific investigation into the murder of the partys Tirunelveli east district president, KPK Jayakumar Dhanasingh. Selvaperunthagai acknowledged the challenges faced by the investigation team while addressing the media during his visit to Tenkasi. There is mystery surrounding Jayakumars death, which occurred in May. We are closely monitoring the case, and an Inspector General of Police from

COIMBATORE: According to the Coimbatore Nature Society (CNS), which conducted a study of wetlands in the district, the arrival of migratory bird species in Coimbatore is sharply declining. Experts say most waterbodies in western TN, due to rainfall, have a widespread availability of prey, which could be a reason for the birds not to converge at a single place. The study was conducted from November 12 - 17 by a team of 35 members from the society, and it was coordinated by senior bird watcher A P

CHENNAI: Four men, including a former vice-president of Samsung India, were convicted for cheating a Tirupathi-based businessman of Rs 2.6 crore. They were sentenced to three years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 4,000 on each of them. The Special Court for CCB & CB-CID cases in Egmore awarded the sentence on V L Narayan, ex-VP at Samsung India, his wife Jyothi Narayanan, Caroline Eucharista and her husband Soundarajan alias V Franco Soundarajaran. According to the police, complainant Hemanth K

THOOTHUKUDI: In a bid to increase fishing exports, steps will be taken to develop the infrastructure of the Thoothukudi and Trespuram fishing harbours, assured Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Minister Geetha Jeevan, after taking part in the World Fisheries Day celebrations here on Thursday. Addressing the fishermen at Thoothukudi fishing harbour, the minister said that the state government, acting upon the community's request last year, had launched a bank for fishermen. The fishing harbour

RAMANATHAPURAM: For the second consecutive day, rain lashed parts of Ramanathapuram, especially the coastal areas, on Thursday. Though the water has drained off from most parts, some of the low-lying areas are still inundated in Mandabam, Pamban and Rameswaram, which endured a massive cloud burst on Wednesday. District Collector Simranjeet Singh Kahlon inspected the rain-affected places and advised officials to intensify relief operations. According to the IMD reports, the district on Wednesday

MADURAI: Over 500 residents from 10 villages in Melur taluk gathered at Nayakkarpatti, raising slogans against the centre and demanding the cancellation of the licence granted to a private company to mine tungsten on an area of 5,000 acres. Villagers have sought a resolution to be adopted in the upcoming grama sabha meeting to be held across the state on November 23. They also appealed to Chief Minister MK Stalin to intervene and stop the project. Madurai MP S Venkatesan wrote to Minister of Coa

CHENNAI: Teachers associations, on Thursday, staged protests in front of chief education offices in various districts, condemning the murder of Ramani, a 26-year-old temporary teacher at Mallipattinam Government Higher Secondary School in Thanjavur on Wednesday. They called for the enactment of a separate law to prevent violence against teachers and urged the need for improving security measures in schools. We took out the protest as, now, anyone can enter the government school campuses, said a

The deluge in Chennai city caused by either seasonal rain or cyclones such as Michaung of December, 2023, has created a serious impact on the life of common people. The rain and inundation have left these people especially living in the low-lying areas homeless, hungry, and helpless. It has, further, led to heavy loss of material things and affected the very morale of the people. The experiences have led to the realisation that certain action plans are to be charted and implemented on a war foot

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras HC recently expressed a need for the state government to form a state-level animal birth control implementation and monitoring committee to coordinate activities across the state in a scientific and phased manner as stipulated in Rule 9(3) of Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023. A bench comprising Justices RMT Teekaa Raman and N Senthilkumar said so while hearing a PIL petition filed complaining about stray dog menace in Muthulapuram village of Theni distric

DINDIGUL: Recalling a statement he had made 20 years ago, VCK founder and Chidambaram Lok Sabha MP Thol Thirumavalavan said he too had wished to become the chief minister. Addressing a public gathering in Palani, Thirumavalavan said, When I stepped into politics, I vowed to make common and underprivileged people a powerful and strong force, ensuring that the last man tastes the sweetness of democracy and the poor gain the key to govern and rule. But it is not easy. A few reporters asked me when

MADURAI: Observing that several irregularities are taking place in the administration of Christian institutions across India, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court recently suggested the centre to pass legislation, similar to Waqf Act and HR and CE Act, to monitor and govern the Christian institutions. A bench comprising Justices P Velmurugan and KK Ramakrishnan made the suggestion while hearing an appeal filed by Tirunelveli Tamil (Strict) Baptist Trust Society in Thoothukudi, against frau

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has instructed the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry (BCTNP) to work out measures, in consultation with the home secretary and the DGP, to prevent recurring attacks on lawyers. The first bench of Chief Justice KR Shriram and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy on Thursday gave the instruction when a petition filed by BCTNP seeking orders to instal surveillance systems in all the courts along with safety and security measures came up for hearing. Directing the B

KARUR: The Adani Group has no commercial relationship with the Tangedco in the past three years, Minister for Electricity, Prohibition and Excise V Senthil Balaji said in Karur on Thursday. Responding to questions about reports of an arrest warrant issued against Gautam Adani by a New York court, the minister clarified that the Tamil Nadu government has only signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a union government agency for power procurement. I came across reports on social media about a ca

KARUR: The Adani Group has no commercial relationship with the Tangedco in the past three years, Minister for Electricity, Prohibition and Excise V Senthil Balaji said in Karur on Thursday. Responding to questions about reports of an arrest warrant issued against Gautam Adani by a New York court, the minister clarified that the Tamil Nadu government has only signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a union government agency for power procurement. I came across reports on social media about a ca

CHENNAI: Though the states school education department issued a government order (G.O.) in June 2021 outlining safety guidelines to protect students from sexual harassment, the measures laid out in the order have largely remained on paper. The G.O. was issued after the schools in the state became the focus of the #MeToo movement, especially after allegations of sexual harassment against a commerce teacher in PSBB School. In a recent incident, a physical education teacher of a private school in T

CHENNAI: Holding that government authorities cannot stop a person from raising statues in private land unless it may cause serious issues, the Madras High Court has permitted a Salem-based activist to raise a memorial structure for late Father Stan Swamy who had rendered service for the upliftment of the highly oppressed tribal communities in Central India. Setting aside the July 16, 2021 notice of the Nallampalli Tahsildar stopping Piyush Sethi (Piyush Manush) from raising a stone pillar with t

COIMBATORE: Works for the international-standard hockey stadium in Coimbatore will begin soon and the project will be completed by April 2025, said Coimbatore in charge minister V Senthil Balaji on Wednesday. Minister for Electricity, Prohibition and Excise V Senthil Balaji, along with officials, inspected various projects that are being carried out by the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) including the Sanganoor Canal rejuvenation, UGD project and the RS Puram Corporation school grou

TIRUPPUR: The department of animal husbandry has stated that 195 goats have died due to stray dog attacks in Tiruppur district till September this year. The department has written to the District Collector to take steps to get compensation to the affected farmers. S Pugazhenthi, joint director of the animal husbandry department of Tiruppur, in his letter to the District Collector, stated, Animal husbandry is one of the main occupations of farmers in rural areas. In this, goats continue to die du

ERODE: A private higher secondary school at Moolapalayam dismissed three students who allegedly issued hoax bomb threats to the school. Police said two of the students had issued bomb threats earlier also. Sources said, more than 1,000 students from LKG to Class 12 are studying in the school. Around 5.30 pm on November 11, the school received an email threatening bomb explosion. But that day nobody saw the email. The next morning, the school administrators saw the email and informed police. Holi

DINDIGUL: Devotees visiting the Lord Dhandayuthapani Temple in Palani, Dindigul district, are greatly relieved as the rope car service resumed operations on Monday after a 43-day maintenance break. The Palani Thandayuthapani Swamy Temple is one of Tamil Nadu's most prominent shrines, attracting thousands of devotees each day. While there are three routes to the temple steps, a winch, and a rope car the rope car is the preferred option as it reaches the hilltop in just two minutes. However, the

DINDIGUL: Three persons, including two minor boys, were killed in a road accident, after their two-wheeler was hit by a truck in Sembatti in Dindigul district on Wednesday. According to a police source, R Ramasamy (32) of Chindaiyankottai in Dindigul was deployed as a forest guard in Kannivadi Range in Dindigul. Ramasamy left for his house after submitting documents in a local court. As he was moving he saw his relative Arunpandian (17) who asked for a lift to the bus stop along with another boy

THENI: Periyakulam Sub-Collector Rajat Beeton has imposed a fine of Rs 138.04 crore on 58 quarry owners for violating mining norms. The quarry owners have been directed to remit the penalty within 30 days from the issuance of the notice. Periyakulam taluk, comprising Theni, Andipatti, and Periyakulam regions, has 17 quarries operating on poramboke land and 22 on patta land. An investigation revealed that these 39 quarries, although holding valid permissions for mining minerals and gravel, were e

THOOTHUKUDI: Following continuous rains, Thoothukudi district received an average rainfall of 57 mm on Wednesday. In anticipation of severe rains, District Collector K Elambahavat declared a holiday for schools and colleges. According to rainfall data collected by the IMD for the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am, Thoothukudi recorded 57 mm of rainfall. Since the start of the northeast monsoon on October 1, the district has received a total of 163.4 mm of rainfall, against the normal of 297.7 mm. Rainf

THOOTHUKUDI: The Kulathur police busted an illegal godown at Thalavaipuram near Kurukusalai on Tuesday and seized 14,400 kg of urea and 2,400 kg of beedi leaves. Nine persons have been arrested in connection with the seizure and search is on for five more. Sources said the police personnel were conducting a road check when a vehicle with a gunny bag stitching machine came their way. Upon questioning, the men in the vehicle gave contradictory answers. Growing suspicious over their response, the p

THOOTHUKUDI: The Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department has decided to take possession of a 6.51-acre parcel of land belonging to the Sri Sankararameswarar Devasthanam, commonly known as the Sivan temple, in Thoothukudi district. The move comes in response to complaints alleging encroachment of the land located at Gomezpuram in Mapilaiyoorani panchayat. According to sources, the land was leased to Palanisamy, but was subsequently taken over by DMK supporters who established a

RAMANATHAPURAM: The long pending demand of expanding the existing two-lane road from Paramakudi to Ramanathapuram to a four-lane has been approved by the NHAI. The highways department floated tenders as two packages for expanding the road at a cost of over Rs 700 crore and Rs 800 crore respectively. Trade experts opined that the project would develop the movement of logistics throughout the district. Sources said thousands of tourists and logistics ply through the Madurai-Ramanathapuram national

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday, initiated suo motu contempt proceedings against the divisional engineer (highways) construction and maintenance, Madurai for failing to obey an order passed by the court last week. In the said order, dated November 15, 2024, a bench comprising Justices MS Ramesh and AD Maria Clete directed him to appear before the court along with relevant documents in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition that complained about poor road safet

MADURAI: Noting that encroachments on nearly 540 acres of land belonging to the Balasubramaniya Swamy Temple in Karur have not been cleared by the HR and CE department despite a court order issued five years ago, allegedly due to threats from influential persons, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court directed the authorities to provide details of serving or retired government officials, industrialists, and other influential individuals among the encroachers. A bench comprising Justices P Ve

RAMANATHAPURAM: A total of 164 cm of rain lashed Ramanathapuram district from 6 am to 4 pm on Wednesday. The highest rainfall of 41 cm was recorded in Rameswaram, followed by 32.2 cm in Thangachimadam, 26.1 cm in Mandapam, and 23.7 cm in Pamban. Rainfall was reported across all pockets of the district. Sources said this was the first time in decades that such heavy rainfall had been recorded in the region. A cloudburst caused the rain to persist for over three hours in Pamban. In several areas,

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday ordered an interim injunction restraining the state government from evicting the residents of Chinna Udaippu village, whose land had been acquired for the Madurai airport expansion project. Justice N Mala passed the interim order in a joint petition filed by 258 residents of the village, seeking direction not to evict them without providing proper rehabilitation and resettlement as per the Tamil Nadu Land Acquisition Laws (Revival

CHENNAI: Scholars including professors and archaeologists contended that the Indus valley civilisation is not an Aryan civilisation and that the language of the people of the Indus Valley was not Sanskrit. They also quoted the research done from time to time to prove that the Indus Valley Civilisation was pre-Vedic civilisation. They were speaking at a seminar organised by the Thamizhiyakkam and the Tamil Nadu Open University on Wednesday to celebrate the centenary of the discovery of Indus Vall

CHENNAI: The state government has disbursed Rs 252 crore to beneficiaries under the Kalaignar Kanavu Illam scheme for the construction of houses. A press release issued here said in 2024-25, the government approved the construction of 1 lakh concrete houses, each costing Rs 3.5 lakh, with a total budget allocation of Rs 3,500 crore. Funds under the scheme are directly transferred to beneficiaries through a single nodal account. In the first phase, Rs 300 crore was allocated, of which Rs 252 cror

CHENNAI: School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi on Wednesday released the guide and logo for Magizh Mutram, the new house system to be introduced in 37,592 government schools across the state. The event took place at Jaigopal Garodia Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Choolaimedu in Chennai. Speaking at the event, the minister said it was announced in the assembly that house systems will be introduced in the government schools with teams named Kurinji, Mullai, Marudham and Ne

CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to initiate steps to secure the release of 14 fishermen, including 7 from Tamil Nadu, arrested by the Pakistan Navy on January 3. Stalin, in his letter, said for the past 10 months since their incarceration, there has been no communication regarding their status or any efforts being made towards their release. He said the 14 Indian fishermen ventured into the sea for fishing from Porbandar in Gujarat and

CHENNAI: The DMKs high-level executive committee meeting chaired by party president and Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday urged the BJP-led union government to keep away from ideas that would destabilise the diversity of the country. Pointing out that the people did not give an absolute majority to the the saffron party in the Lok Sabha election, the meeting also urged the centre to come forward to do minimum good to all sections of the people at least now. In one of the resolutions adopted,

TIRUCHY: Angered by his wifes intense spiritual devotion, a 56-year-old farmer in Tiruchy allegedly splashed petrol on her, leading to a fire accident on Tuesday night. Four members of the family, including the couple, sustained burns requiring hospitalisation. According to police, Rajendra Prasads wife R Hema Bindu, 50, spent most of her time engaged in prayers and rituals at home. This upset Prasad, leading to frequent arguments between the couple. On Tuesday, at around 11 pm, the couple had a

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the state government to file a report once in three months on the progress of the investigation and other actions taken in connection with the sexual assault of students at fake NCC camps held in Krishnagiri and other districts. A division bench of Justices D Krishnakumar and PB Balaji passed the orders on Wednesday while disposing of a PIL petition filed by advocate AP Suryaprakasam seeking a CBI probe into the sexual assault. Pointing out the swift a

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court recently granted DVAC an additional two months to complete its investigation into the issuance of fake PSTM certificates by various universities to candidates for securing Group I posts in Tamil Nadu. A bench comprising justices P Velmurugan and B Pugalendhi granted the time while hearing a contempt petition filed by G Sakthi Rao of Madurai over TNPSCs non-compliance of a judgment that only candidates who studied their entire education in Tamil med

CHENNAI: The baby bonnet macaque rescued from the Vellore Division and admitted to the veterinary hospital at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park at Vandalur, died on Wednesday, the zoo authorities said in a statement. While the female macaques health had shown gradual improvement, it appeared dull over the past two days. Experts from Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (Tanuvas) were consulted, and appropriate treatment was administered. However, despite efforts, the animal succum

VIRUDHUNAGAR: MDMK Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) principal secretary Durai Vaiko said on Wednesday, there is no possibility of a third front in Tamil Nadu politics. Addressing the media in Sivakasi, Durai Vaiko said there are only two fronts in the state, one, which is based on religion, and another front headed by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which fights against the religion front. There is no possibility of a third front. Even if a third front arises, vote sharing can

TIRUNELVELI: The chairperson of Manimuthar town panchayat, who belongs to a scheduled caste, filed a complaint with Ambasamudram Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Satheesh Kumar on Wednesday seeking legal action against the husbands and relatives of certain caste Hindu panchayat councillors for allegedly harassing her on the basis of caste and also issuing death threats. In her petition, J Anthonyammal said she has been facing constant intimidation at their hands for the past two years. I ha