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DMK President and Chief Minister M K Stalin turned 70 on Wednesday and his party and supporters are celebrating his birthday across Tamil Nadu with fervour. Mr Stalin cut a cake and laid wreaths at the samadhis of former Chief Ministers M Karunanidhi and CN Annadurai on the Marina beachfront and visited the reformist leader Periyar E V Ramasamy's memorial here and offered floral tributes. #LIVE : 70-ஆவது பிறந்தநாளில் தந்தை பெரியார் நினைவிடத்தில் மரியாதை செலுத்தல் https://t.co/i5ClajkZVi — M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) March 1, 2023 'Dravida Nayagan' which means 'Dravidian hero' and Dravida Perarasar (great Dravidian emperor) and 'Dravidian model Chief Minister' are among the choice terms used by DMK and Mr Stalin's admirers to hail him on his birthday. A mega public rally is scheduled to be held here this evening by the ruling party and senior political leaders including Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge are set to take part. Jammu Kashmir National ...

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah will flag off two 'Vijay Sankalp Rath Yatra' and inaugurate various projects in his day-long visit to poll-bound Karnataka on March 3, top sources said on Tuesday. Amit Shah's visit to Karnataka is crucial as Assembly Elections to the 224 seats in the state are likely to be held in May this year. In the run-up to Karnataka Election 2023, Bharatiya Janata Party will undertake a massive 'Vijay Sankalp Yatra' in Karnataka. The campaign will kickstart on March 1, with party President JP Nadda flagging off the Yatra in Chamarajanagar. During a day-long visit to the poll-bound Karnataka on March 3, Mr Shah will flag off the first 'Vijay Sankalp Rath Yatra' from Anubhava Mantapa in the state's Basavakalyan area in Bidar. He will later attend a public meeting in the afternoon at Ther Maidan in Bidar In the evening, the Home Minister will offer prayers at Chennakesava Mandir at Awathi, Devanahalli area in Bengalu...

JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said the 2028 poll will be his last Assembly election, but he would remain active in politics thereafter too, and would contest other elections. The 63-year-old leader's statement is being seen in some quarters as an indication of his aspiration to play an active role in national politics at a later stage. The clarification from the former Karnataka Chief Minister came amid some reports quoting him as saying that the upcoming 2023 Assembly polls would be his last. "What I have said is 2028 will be my last election to the Assembly. It will be my last election to the Assembly, I have not said that I will not be in politics. I will remain in politics and face elections too," Mr Kumaraswamy said. Speaking to reporters here, he said, "we cannot remain all along, decisions have to be taken in accordance to the situation, hence have said what I had to." JD(S) has already announced the first list of 93 candidates for Assembly...

The BJP's top leaders in Telangana are meeting party chief JP Nadda home to work out a battle plan for the state election, due later this year, over concerns that their rival and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao may prefer an early election. source https://www.ndtv.com/telangana-news/bjps-big-meet-to-plan-telangana-battle-amid-kcrs-early-polls-concern-3821117

The Kerala assembly proceedings were again disrupted on Tuesday following an Enforcement Directorate (ED) remand report, containing certain allegations against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in the Life Mission case being read out in the House by the opposition UDF. The remand report was read out by Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan during discussion of the adjournment notice moved by him regarding the Life Mission case in which the Chief Minister's former principal secretary, M Sivasankar, was facing a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The ED is investigating the alleged violation of the Foreign Contribution (Regulations) Act in the Life Mission, a flagship housing project of the Left government. Mr Kuzhalnadan contended that according to the report, Mr Sivasankar told the central agency that there was a meeting between him, the Chief Minister, the UAE consul general and Swapna Suresh -- an accused in the gold smuggling through diplomatic bags case. He further contend...

A man, who has been arrested in the past for allegedly making controversial remarks against Hindu gods and goddesses, was beaten up inside a police van in Telangana. Bairi Naresh, 42, was attending an event at a law college when he was told that a group may come to thrash him. Fearing an attack, Mr Naresh called the police. When the police came to take him away from any trouble, the group came and thrashed him inside the police vehicle. The police tried to shield him, but the group overpowered them and thrashed him. A video of the incident shows the attackers surrounding the police vehicle and beating Mr Naresh despite the presence of cops. They punched him, pulled him and tore his clothes. The incident took place in Telangana's Hanamconda district. The attack was allegedly carried out by right-wing organisations.   Warangal police commissioner told NDTV that all the attackers have been arrested. Mr Naresh was earlier arrested for allegedly controversial comments about Hindu ...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the Shivamogga airport with a lotus-shaped terminal. The event coincided with the 80th birthday of Karnataka BJP strongman and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa. Shivamogga is the home district of Yediyurappa, a four-time Chief Minister. The new airport has been developed at a cost of around Rs 450 crore. The passenger terminal building of the airport can handle 300 passengers per hour. The airport is expected to improve connectivity and accessibility from Shivamogga and other neighbouring areas in the Malnad region of Karnataka, officials said This is Prime Minister Modi's fifth visit this year to poll-bound Karnataka, where Assembly elections are due by May. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) source https://www.ndtv.com/karnataka-news/shivamogga-airport-built-at-a-cost-of-rs-450-crore-inaugurated-by-pm-modi-3819979

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday lashed out at the BJP over the arrest of AAP leader and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, and said the central agencies were being used to intimidate the opposition parties and termed it as an attack on democracy. Mr Vijayan said the Centre was attempting to destabilise the opposition-ruled State governments in the country and termed it as a move to divert the attention from the issues of joblessness and economic crisis. The arrest of @msisodia by CBI is another example of how @BJP4India misuses the Union Government's agencies to intimidate the opposition. It's a blatant abuse of power and an attack on democracy. Such repression undermines the very foundation of our nation and should be resisted. — Pinarayi Vijayan (@pinarayivijayan) February 27, 2023 "The arrest of @msisodia by CBI is another example of how @BJP4India misuses the Union Government's agencies to intimidate the opposition. It's a blata...

Close on the heels of a woman medical student allegedly dying by suicide, an engineering student in Warangal ended her life by hanging after a male friend shared her personal photos with others, police said on Monday. The woman had a friendship with an undergraduate student who loved her, they said. However, she got acquainted with another engineering student later. The woman and the undergraduate student developed differences and the latter allegedly shared some personal photos with her other friends. This upset the woman and she allegedly ended her life by hanging herself at a relative's house Sunday evening, police said. The woman's parents alleged that she took the extreme step due to the harassment by the two men and the latter were now in police custody. A first-year post-graduate medical student who allegedly attempted suicide at a state-run hospital in Warangal district on December 22 after being "harassed" by her senior in the same college, a male doctor...

Six men drowned in a pond in Toderu village in Andhra Pradesh's Nellore district as their boat capsized, police said on Monday. The six were part of a 10-member group which entered the pond on Sunday, police said, adding four of them managed to escape to safety. Incidentally, all of them knew how to swim but swampy conditions in the pond meant six got stuck under the water, leading to their death, police said. The dead were Alli Srinath (18), Prasanth (28), Raghu (24), Balaji (18), Kalyan (25) and Surendra (18), police added. Police said the men took out the boat without informing the caretaker of the pond. "Only four of the 10 persons who went into the pond in a country boat made of iron, which is used to feed fish, managed to come out," Nellore Superintendent of Police Ch Vijaya Rao, said about the mishap which occurred on Sunday evening. According to Mr Rao, the men had previously also taken out the boat a few times without informing the pond caretaker. "Wh...

A tech geek in Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka has developed a humanoid robot named 'Shiksha' that can teach children up to class four. The model is ready but it has not been deployed anywhere officially. However, its developer Akshay Mashelkar, a post-graduate in physics with specialisation in electronics, said 'Shiksha' can be a useful learning tool for students up to class four. Mr Mashelkar, who hails from Sirsi and possesses a B.Ed degree too, says the idea to develop 'Shiksha' occurred to him during the Covid induced lockdown when students stayed glued to mobile phones or computers for lessons online. "People wanted an interactive tool instead of taking lessons online in a boring way where no fun is involved. Fun in learning makes the classroom lively and grasping lessons becomes easy. That's the reason I thought of this robot," Mr Mashelkar told PTI. A physics lecturer at Chaitanya Pre-University College in Sirsi, Mr Mashel...

Voting began at 7 am on Monday for the by-election to the Erode East seat in north-western Tamil Nadu, seen as a high-stakes prestige battle for the 21-month-old DMK government led by Chief Minister MK Stalin as well as the opposition AIADMK. While as many as 77 candidates are in the contest, the fight is largely seen as one between DMK-backed Congress candidate EVKS Elangovan and AIADMK's KS Thennarasru. Nam Tamizhar Katchi's Meneka Navaneethan is among the other candidates. The outcome of the election, the first since the DMK came to power in 2021, will have no major bearing on the assembly strength of the respective parties but is being seen as an indicator of the ruling party's popularity. For the AIADMK, the election is the first test for the leadership of former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, whose status as the party's top leader after a protracted power struggle with rival O Panneerselvam was just cleared by the Supreme Court last week. The election ...

With Karnataka BJP veteran BS Yediyurappa stepping down from electoral politics and passing the baton to his two sons, the party will face a challenge in the high-stakes state polls later this year, one of them has told NDTV. "I wish my father had contested one last time. Without him, BJP is without a face and it is a challenge," BY Vijayendra said in an exclusive interview with NDTV. However, the ruling BJP is ahead of other parties and will win more than 130 seats in the 224-seat assembly, he said. The elections will be the first time that, the BJP state vice-president has been given a state-level responsibility related to elections. He will be heading the committee that organises conventions in all constituencies ahead of the elections. "BJP is ahead of the Congress. We are working hard in the old Mysuru region," he said, referring to the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) stronghold. With Mr Yediyurappa's retirement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the c...

Vice Chairman of Telangana State Planning Board B Vinod Kumar has urged Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to hand over defence lands in the Cantonment area at Secunderabad to the state government for construction of flyovers. In a representation to the Union minister on Saturday, Vinod Kumar, a senior BRS leader and former Lok Sabha member from Karimnagar, said the commuters are experiencing traffic jams in these areas while entering and exiting Hyderabad as they connect the city to neighbouring districts. The state government has proposed construction of flyovers, road widening and others to facilitate smooth flow of vehicular traffic and to reduce travel time, he said in the letter, shared with the media here. He also said the proposed expansion of roads in the Cantonment areas will connect the Parade Grounds at Secunderabad to the Outer Ring Road Junction at Shamirpet on the city outskirts that will decongest the route. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by ND...

The glass windows of a Vande Bharat Express were damaged after some people threw stones at the high-speed train in Bengaluru, the South Western Railways said in a statement today. The train was travelling from Karnataka's Mysuru to Tamil Nadu's capital Chennai. No one was injured, the railways said, adding a police case has been filed. "Two windows of a coach of train No. 20608 Mysuru-Chennai Vande Bharat Express were damaged when some miscreants pelted stones at the train. The incident occurred today between Krishnarajapuram and Bengaluru Cantonment railway stations," the South Western Railways said. Two windows of the Vande Bharat Express was damaged when some people threw stones at the train Frequent incidents of people throwing stones at passing Vande Bharat Express trains have been reported recently. The Railway Protection Force filed 21 cases of stone-throwing at trains in January and 13 such cases in February in the Bengaluru division of the South Weste...

A final year MBBS student of Nizamabad Government Medical College died by suicide inside his hostel room, the police said on Saturday. According to the police, the student was identified as Dasari Harsha (22). The incident came to light on Saturday morning, the police said. The body of the student has been sent to District General Hospital for postmortem examination. The exact reason behind Dasari Harsha of taking the extreme step is not clear. Preliminary investigation revealed that Harsha spent time with his fellow students on Friday night. However, after dinner, he died by suicide in his room. The town police reached the spot and started an investigation, the police said. According to police, Harsha's hometown is Chintaguda village of Jinnaram mandal of Manchiryala district and his father Srinivas is in the Gulf countries for employment while his mother is a housewife. The Nizamabad Government Medical College, Principal K Indhra said, "He was a brilliant student. Th...

With Assembly polls round the corner, the Congress in Karnataka on Friday announced its third "guarantee" of providing free 10 kg of rice per month to each BPL (Below Poverty Line) family member, under 'Anna Bhagya' scheme, to fulfil its commitment to eliminate hunger from the state. The Congress has already announced two guarantees from the party if voted to power, which are 200 units of free electricity to every house under the "Gruha Jyoti Yojana", and Rs 2,000 to every women-led household under the 'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme. State Congress President D K Shivakumar and Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah announced the third guarantee of the party at a joint press conference. "We are happy to announce the Anna Bhagya guarantee of providing free 10 kg of rice per month to each member of BPL card holders in order to eliminate hunger from Karnataka," Shivakumar told reporters here. Noting that 'Anna Bhagya Yojana' was an important sch...

The Kerala government on Friday launched robotic scavenger, Bandicoot, to clean sewages in this temple town, becoming the first state in the country to use robotic technology to clean all its commissioned manholes. Water Resources Minister, Roshi Augustine, launched Bandicoot under the Guruvayur Sewerage Project in Thrissur district by the Kerala Water Authority (KWA), as part of the 100-day action plan of the state government. "With the launch of the project in Guruvayur, manual scavenging in Kerala has ended. Now Kerala has become the first state in the country to use robotic scavengers to clean manholes," the Minister claimed in a release. The robotic Tron Unit, which is the major component of Bandicoot, enters the manhole and removes sewage using robotic hands, similar to a man's limbs, the release, adding that the machine has waterproof, HD vision cameras and sensors that can detect harmful gases inside the manholes. Bandicoot, developed by Kerala-based Genroboti...

The Enforcement Directorate has seized assets worth Rs 305.84 crore of the popular jewellery chain Joyallukas on Friday, days after five of the company's premises were raided by the probe agency. The ED has accused the jewellery chain of violating provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act. The case relates to a huge amount of cash transferred to Dubai from India through Hawala channels and subsequently invested in Joyallukas Jewellery LLC, Dubai which is 100 per cent owned by Joy Alukkas Verghese. On Tuesday, the company had withdrawn its Rs 2,300 crore initial public offering or IPO saying it needed more time to incorporate substantial changes to its financial results. The attached assets include 33 immovable properties valued at Rs 81.54 crore consisting of land and a residential building in Shobha City, Thrissur. Three bank accounts valued at Rs 91.22 lakh, three fixed deposits amounting to Rs 5.58 crore and Joyallukas shares worth 217.81 crores have also been seized b...

Deposed AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam today said the Supreme Court judgment that allowed Edappadi K Palaniswami to continue as party interim chief is not a setback and asserted that he would go to the people and seek justice. In his first official reaction to the top court's ruling, Mr Panneerselvam said no verdict is a setback for them. "Only after this judgment, our party workers are enthused more," he told reporters. Asserting that the 'Dharma Yudham' is on, Mr Panneerselvam, popularly known as OPS said he and his followers would go to the people to seek justice. The campaign to reach out to the people would begin soon and it would be held district-wise across the state. "We will seek justice by standing on the side of dharma." So far the concentration of his camp was on court matters and from now on they would work on going to the people. "We fought it out in the top court. Our battalion has started. We will go to the people's court,...

Forest department officials on Friday captured the tusker that claimed the lives of two persons in Kadaba village of Dakshina Kannada district. "We have successfully captured the elephant which claimed the lives of two persons," Deputy Conservator of Forest Dr. Dinesh Kumar Y.K told ANI. He added that there are many elephants left to capture including a baby elephant, and they will continue to conduct the operation in the area. Soon after the big animal was captured, locals of the area got into an argument with forest department officials, and insisted to capture another elephant who, they claimed, was troubling them for long. Authorities assured to continue the operation the next day. However, their attempts to convince the locals failed. The locals allegedly resorted to violence, and started pelting stones at the police and forest authority and damaging two of their vehicles. 7 people have been arrested in connection to the incident so far, officials said. The elepha...

It is a sea of men clad in dhotis with distinctive party colour border design seeking votes with a smile and folded hands for their party candidates. The town is abuzz, with electioneering at the peak, and teeming trendy cars criss-cross the busy roads and bylanes bringing in more and more leaders from elsewhere for campaign. The February 27 bypoll to Erode (East) Assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu has emerged as the mother of all byelections in the State mainly for 'experiments' by parties with 'new formulae' to win. No wonder, claims on a variety of inducements to voters by parties have become the talk of the town. The kind of attention the bypoll is getting from the ruling DMK and principal opposition AIADMK is striking. Herding people in sheds to prevent rivals from approaching them, cash for votes, attractive gifts including branded clothing, 1-gram gold coins and silver articles, organising tours to tourist places and providing fresh meat during the weekend fo...

The mutilated body parts of an unidentified man were recovered from different canals in Mandya district of Karnataka, police said on Thursday. "Police have recovered the hands, legs, and the chopped head of the man. We are trying to trace the remaining body parts," said Yathish N, Superintendent of Police, Mandya district. The body parts were found in different canals near Shivara, Hodaghatta, along with Gulur in Maddur taluq and Danayakapura, police said. Tattoos were also found on the man's body parts, police further said. The police have registered the case and are trying to identify the man. Further investigation is underway. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) source https://www.ndtv.com/karnataka-news/chopped-up-human-body-parts-found-in-different-canals-in-karnataka-3809524

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu called on the people of Andhra Pradesh to 'save' the State from the alleged destructive and atrocious rule of YSRCP, a charge denied by the ruling party's adviser Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy on Thursday. The former Chief Minister claimed that the ruling dispensation is resorting to violent activities, false cases and indecent attacks on opposition parties' leaders for merely questioning these 'anti-democratic tendencies', citing the recent Gannavaram skirmish. "The atrocities of the ruling YSRCP are increasing by the day and the dictatorial attitude of Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy is turning out to be a major setback to democracy," Mr Naidu alleged in an open letter to the people of the State. "TDP leaders were subjected to severe torture at Gannavaram and their properties were completely destroyed. The affected TDP leaders are projected as the prime accused and were sent to jail," h...

The Telangana High Court on Wednesday initiated a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) over the gruesome death of a five-year-old boy who was mauled to death by stray dogs in Hyderabad on Sunday. The High Court blamed "negligence" on part of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) for the boy's death and asked the municipal body what steps are being taken to curtail incidents of stray dog attacks. The High Court expressed condolences for the five-year-old's death and assured that it would look into the matter of compensation for his family. Notices have been issued by the High Court to the Chief Secretary, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department Principal Secretary, GHMC Commissioner, GHMC Deputy Commissioner (Amberpet), GHMC Veterinary Officer, Hyderabad District Collector and Member Secretary of Telangana State Legal Services Authority. The next hearing has been scheduled for March 16, the High Court said. Meanwhile, the GHMC held a seri...

Sounding poll bugle in Karnataka which goes to Assembly polls later this year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah urged the people to give a chance to former chief minister BS Yediyurappa for forming a corruption-free government. He said that Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) are dynastic parties and such parties can never work for the welfare of the people. Addressing a "Vijay Sankalp Samavesh" in Karnataka's Bellary, the Home Minister said, "BJP is fighting for a complete majority in Karnataka. The people of Karnataka are resolved to make lotus bloom again. On one side it's Modi Ji's BJP and on other side, it's Rahul Baba's tukde tukde gang Congress." Mr Shah at 'Vijay Sankalp Samavesh' said that Congress and JDS will never be able to benefit common people and work for the upliftment of those in poverty. "Give a chance to Yediyurappa and we will give you a corruption-free government. Congress and JDS are dynastic parties and such pa...

IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri has sent a notice to IPS officer D Roopa for allegedly making "false and defamatory posts" against her and warned of criminal proceedings if she does not issue an unconditional apology in writing within 24 hours. This comes after IPS officer D Roopa accused the IAS officer of corruption. Roopa also posted Sindhuri's pictures on Facebook alleging that she had shared them with three IAS officers in 2021 and 2022. Roopa had claimed that Sindhuri had violated the rules of service conduct by sending her pictures to male IAS officers. Following the accusations, the IAS officer sent a notice through advocate CV Nagesh and demanded an unconditional apology stating that the "serious allegation" against her touches her "character". "As things stood, while my client was discharging her duties under her current position she has come across a Facebook post dated February 18, 2023, which incidentally your Facebook page bearing th...

The ruling CPI(M) has said it agrees with the order of the Kerala High Court that those involved in active politics are ineligible to oversee affairs of temples. CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan said temples should not be administered by politicians or political parties. "That is our stand. What the High Court said is also our stand. Be it the Congress, RSS, BJP or Marxist, none of them need to be administering or presiding over temple affairs," he said. Mr Govindan was speaking to reporters on Wednesday in the district in between the party's state-wide month-long People's Defence Rally, which began from Kasaragod on Monday. The Kerala High Court had on Tuesday held that three persons -- two local CPI(M) leaders and one DYFI leader -- were ineligible to be appointed as non-hereditary trustees of the Pookkottukalikavu Temple under the Malabar Devaswom Board in Ottapalam taluk of Palakkad district. The court said the notification inviting applications for appoint...

The Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Wednesday passed a Bill, amending the Factories Act, to allow women to work night shifts at factories.  It also allows employees who put in 12 hours a day for four consecutive days to take off for three days in a week. The Factories (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, was passed without any debate in the Assembly. "There were limitations on work hours for women, and there was pressure on the government, including from the software industry, to relax this," Law & Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy said. Even the High Court had given a direction that equal opportunity must be provided to all under Article 14 of the Constitution, he said. The government in 2020 had allowed women to work in night shifts at hotels, restaurants, cafes, theatres and other such shops and establishments. According to the Bill, it further allows the government to increase daily work hours to 12 from 9, but not exceeding 48 hours a week. This will creat...

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday dismissed actor Mohanlal's plea against a trial court order rejecting the state government's move to withdraw prosecution proceedings against him in a case related to illegal possession of ivory tusks.  Justice A Badharudeen was of the view that an accused in a case "have no right to challenge an order refusing withdrawal of prosecution" since the said procedure is the prerogative of the prosecution. The court, however, also set aside the trial court order and directed it to consider afresh the state government's plea to withdraw prosecution in the case. "...the prayer for withdrawal of prosecution of the present case sought for by the government requires reconsideration by the trial court," the high court said. It directed the parties to appear before the trial court on March 3. "There shall be a direction to the trial court to hear and pass fresh orders as expeditiously as possible from the date of receipt o...

Five premises of the popular jewellery chain Joyallukas are being raided by the Enforcement Directorate in Kerala. The raids came just a day after the company withdrew its Rs 2,300 crore initial public offering or IPO, saying it needed more time to incorporate substantial changes to its financial results. The company plans to refile its IPO documents "at the earliest, subject to market conditions," Chief Executive Baby George told Reuters on Tuesday, without elaborating further. The jewellery retailer, which focuses mainly on Southern India, is the latest to delay or pull its IPO plans amid market volatility and stubbornly high inflation. The company operates showrooms across roughly 68 cities. source https://www.ndtv.com/kerala-news/raids-at-jewellery-chain-joyallukas-in-kerala-by-enforcement-directorate-3805117

Social media platforms were flooded this morning with reports of mild tremors in and around Chennai. However, soon after the National Center for Seismology - a government body which monitors quakes - and weather department clarified that the tremors weren't because of an earthquake. The seismology department said the tremors could have resulted because of the ongoing work of the Chennai Metro Rail Limited. But, that wasn't the case either as the metro agency denied any such report. The initial reports came around 11 AM from a group of employees of a private firm at Anna Nagar who rushed out of the office after sensing mild tremors. Later, similar reports came from the arterial Anna Salai. When NDTV checked with the officials of the Regional Meteorological Centre, an officer said "No tremor has been recorded by the National Center for Seismology yet". "This could be due to the ongoing Chennai Metro Rail Work," he added. The denial by the Chennai Metro Rai...

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will "take a call" on listing a plea to allow girls to sit for exams in Karnataka government schools while wearing the hijab. Following the top court's split verdict on the issue of the ban on wearing the headscarf, girls in hijab are not being permitted to take the exams scheduled to begin from March 9, a bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud was told. "They are wearing headscarf. If they are wearing headscarf they are not allowed inside the examination hall. Only on that limited aspect, the court may consider listing it on Monday or Friday," said lawyer Shadan Farasat. He told the bench, also comprising Justice P S Narasimha, that a few girls have moved to private institutions because of the prohibition on wearing hijabs but have to take their exams in government institutions. They risk losing another year if not permitted, he said. "I will take a call," the CJI said. Due to the split verdict, the hi...

A group of ex-servicemen on Tuesday called on Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi over the killing of an Army jawan, allegedly by a DMK Councillor and shared their anguish with him, the Raj Bhavan said. They also flagged the "lukewarm response" of the state law enforcement to the issue, the Governor's office said in a tweet, "Some Ex-Servicemen met Governor and shared their collective anguish at the gruesome killing of M Prabhu, a serving soldier by an armed gang led by a DMK councillor and lukewarm response of the state law enforcement, " a tweet on the official Twitter handle of the Raj Bhavan said. "Indeed, it is a matter of serious concern," it added. Mr Prabhu, who was severely thrashed by a DMK functionary and his accomplices, died last week and six people have been arrested in connection with the crime. Veterans of the Indian armed forces including the highly decorated Brig N L Narayanan participated in the one-day fast and candle light march organis...

The next big opposition show of unity will be on March 1 – sponsored by Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK. The occasion is the 70th birthday of Chief Minister MK Stalin and the DMK is planning a huge public meeting in Chennai. But while the occasion will have most opposition leaders on one stage, the rifts will be also there in plain sight owing to the absentees. Sources said Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has not been invited. The Trinamool Congress chief is has been keeping a low-profile since the election for the President's post and lending only issue-based support to Opposition front even inside Parliament. Sources also said Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal have not been invited out of "mutual understanding". The Congress will be present for the function, represented by Mallikarjun Kharge and this is not acceptable to either leader. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will skip event as his birthday falls on sam...

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan lashed out at the BJP-led government at the Centre over the Triple Talaq law, questioning why the practice of instant divorce among Muslims was "criminalised when divorces happen in all religions". "While divorces take place in all religions, it is ony the Triple Talaq that was criminalised (through the law). Why is it a criminal offence for Muslims alone? All other divorce cases are seen as civil matter in court. However, if it's a case of dvorce between a Muslin couple, then that person (husband) can be sent to jail (for pronouncing Triple Talaq to his spouse)," the Kerala CM said while inaugurating the ruling CPM's march, 'Janakeeya Prathirodha Jadha', in Kasaragod on Monday. Chief Minister Vijayan added that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), legislation brought by the Centre to facilitate grant of citizenship to minority Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains and Parsis from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Banglad...

AIADMK's O Panneerselvam on Monday attacked the Edapaddi K Palaniswami (EPS) faction, accusing them of betraying party regulations. Addressing an event on Monday, OPS said, "After MGRs demise, our leader Jayalalithaa was the permanent general Secretary of the AIADMK. The one who wants to be party chief should be elected by party cadres only." "At the AIADMK General Council, the party laws were betrayed," he added. OPS further said, "We have started the second 'Dharma Yudham' to save the party laws which was founded by MGR and followed by Jayalalitha. Our aim is to make sure that the real cadres of Amma become the next chief minister and party's coordinator, deputy coordinator." Regarding the Erode (East) bye-elections, OPS said they have accepted the Supreme Court verdict on the bypolls. "We bow our heads and accept the Supreme Court verdict. The people's verdict is above all," he said. He further said the people's v...

Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief K Annamalai on Monday attacked DMK and Congress over the alleged distribution of pressure cookers for attracting voters. The BJP state chief was campaigning for AIADMK candidate KS Thennarasu in Erode-East Assembly seat ahead of bypolls. Addressing the campaign, Mr Annamalai said, "DMK didn't fulfil their election promises. Instead, what you get is a useless pressure cooker which will burst." He said that BJP has reached out to the Election Commission regarding the districution of "freebies". "The distribution of free pressure cookers, and silk sarees is happening right under the watch of State Election Commission observers. BJP has taken this up with ECI. AIADMK has gone to court on this issue. DMK thinks it can win by distributing freebies," he said. Mr Annamalai further said that they are confident that the NDA candidate KS Thennarasu will be winning by a huge margin. "The vote is going to be ...

A man called off his marriage in Hyderabad after he reportedly found that "old" furniture was given by the bride's family as dowry, police said on Monday. The groom, who works as a bus driver, did not turn up for the wedding, which was scheduled on Sunday, following which a complaint was lodged by the bride's father with the police and a case was registered. The bride's father told media that the groom's father misbehaved with him when he had gone to their house. "They said the items which they had asked for were not given and the furniture was also old. They refused to come. I had arranged for the feast for the wedding and invited all relatives and guests. But the groom did not come for his wedding," the bride's father said. The groom's family had expected furniture among other items as dowry, but as used furniture was reportedly given by the bride's family, the groom's family rejected it and did not turn up on the day of the mar...

Electric vehicle maker Ola Electric will set up what it says will be the world's largest electric vehicle hub in Tamil Nadu. Five other states - Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh - were in the race but the investment went in favour of Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu government credited its revamped Electric Vehicles Policy for the Rs 7,614 crore investment to manufacture electric cars in Krishnagiri district where it already manufactures electric two-wheelers. State Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu described the big-ticket investment as a reflection of the industry's confidence in Tamil Nadu. He explained the state offered the electric vehicle maker the choice of capital or turnover subsidy besides land subsidy and electricity benefits. Along with the original equipment manufacturers, the state also offered amenities to battery manufacturers and to users to create an ecosystem. For instance, the users of these public electric vehicles will get ...

Having decided to approach the Women's Commission against Chief Minister Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) chief YS Sharmila on Monday said that women are not respected under KCR's rule in the state. Speaking to ANI, Ms Sharmila said, "It is evident that KCR fears Sharmila. Since my padayatra crossed the 3,000-km milestone, KCR's goons have been trying to foil this. Women are not respected in Telangana. Ruling party leaders using derogatory language against me since I entered politics and began padayatra ." "Just because we are taking it up does not mean you demean women to such an extent. We have decided today to go to the Women's Commission and give a complaint," she added. On Sunday, Telangana Police detained Ms Sharmila for allegedly making inappropriate remarks against the Mahabubabad MLA and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader Shankar Naik. Asked about the complaint against her over her alleged objectionable comments aga...

A public squabble between two senior women officers has shocked many in the Karnataka administration and has left the Basavaraj Bommai government at a loss for a response. State Home Minister Araga Jnanedra today warned action, furious at what he called the "bad behaviour" of two officers. On Sunday, D Roopa Moudgil, an IPS (Indian Police Service) officer, shared private photos of an IAS (Indian Administrative Service) officer, Rohini Sindhuri, on social media. She claimed that Rohini Sindhuri had violated service conduct rules by sending her photos to male IAS officers. D Roopa posted the images on her Facebook page and alleged that Ms Sindhuri had shared them with three IAS officers in 2021 and 2022. The day before, D Roopa had put out a long list of corruption accusations against Ms Sindhuri. She claimed she had also complained to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Chief Secretary Vandita Sharma. Enraged, Ms Sindhuri said in a statement on Sunday that D Roo...