Officials summoned in plea to bring temple chariot to SC community area by Madras HC
MADURAI: The vacation bench of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday directed the district collector of Karur and its superintendent of police (SP), and the IGP (Central zone) to appear before it on Thursday in connection with a plea seeking a direction to the authorities to have the temple chariot of the Aravayee Amman temple at Senappadi taken to the SC community-dominated Nerur for rituals during the upcoming Vaikasi festival.
A Division Bench of Justices P Velmurugan and KK Ramakrishnan passed the directions on a PIL petition moved by P Ramesh (52) of Nerur in Manmangalam taluk of Karur. Ramesh in his plea stated that the Aravayee Amman temple at Senappadi belongs to members of both the SC and caste Hindu (Vanniyar) communities.
On the second day of the three-day festival during the Tamil month of Vaikasi, the chariot of the Amman temple is usually brought to the Mariamman temple in Nerur during which residents hailing from the same SC community as I prepare Pongal and perform poojas in front of the chariot before it is taken back to Senappadi. This year the festival falls during May 21-23, the petitioner stated.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Lost in translation: Witness statement in Hindi gets drug case accused acquitted
Chennai: A crucial narcotics case in Chennai fell apart after the prosecution submitted a key witness statement in Hindi — without any Tamil or English translation — leaving the court unable to understand the contents. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The court acquitted the accused, Nag Narayan Prasad from Kolkata, citing a lack of admissible evidence. The case began with the seizure of 4.6kg of hashish hidden inside 38 sheep-like toys in a courier parcel intercepted at Aramex, Ekkatuthangal, in March 2021. The parcel, booked under a West Bengal sender's name, was flagged as suspicious during X-ray screening. Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officers confirmed the contraband using field test kits and collected samples before launching an investigation. The accused was arrested based solely on statements from Ranjith Singh, a courier operator in Chennai, and U Ismail of Dil Express who allegedly linked him to the consignment. However, Singh's statement, filed only in Hindi, had no translated version annexed. The judge, S Govindharajan, said this made it impossible "to come to the conclusion whether there is something available against the accused". Crucially, neither Singh nor Ismail was examined in court. The court also found that no contraband had been recovered from Prasad personally, and that his name appeared in no airway bill, manifest, or booking document. The prosecution relied heavily on a photograph-based identification without conducting an identification parade. Adding to the lapses, CCTV camera images from a Chennai hotel where the accused allegedly stayed were submitted without the mandatory digital certification under the Evidence Act. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The hotel manager, considered a key witness, was also never examined. The court concluded that the case lacked a legal chain linking the accused to the drugs and held that the investigation had failed to prove his guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Prasad was acquitted, and the seized narcotics were ordered to be destroyed after appeal timelines lapse.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Lost in translation: Hindi statement sinks drug case in Tamil Nadu court
Representative image CHENNAI: An important narcotics case here fell apart after the prosecution submitted a key witness's statement only in Hindi-without any Tamil or English translation-leaving the court unable to understand its contents. The city court acquitted the accused, Nag Narayan Prasad from Kolkata, citing a lack of admissible evidence. Besides, there were a host of other lapses in the case. The accused was arrested in connection with the seizure of 4.6 kg of hashish hidden inside 38 woollen sheep-like toys in a courier parcel intercepted in Ekkatuthangal near Chennai in March 2021. The parcel, booked under a Bengal sender's name, was flagged as suspicious during X-ray screening. NCB officers confirmed the contraband using field test kits and collected samples before launching the investigation. Prasad was arrested on the basis of statements from two individuals- Ranjith Singh, a courier operator in Chennai, and U Ismail of Dil Express-who allegedly linked him to the consignment. However, Singh's statement, filed only in Hindi, had no translated version annexed. The judge, S Govindharajan, noted this made it impossible "to come to the conclusion whether there is something available against the accused". Crucially, neither Singh nor Ismail was examined. The court also found that no contraband was recovered from Prasad, and his name appeared in no bill or document. The prosecution relied heavily on a photograph-based identification without conducting an identification parade. CCTV images where the accused stayed were submitted without the mandatory digital certification. The hotel manager was not examined.
The Hindu
10 hours ago
- The Hindu
Chikkamagaluru DC instructs officials to investigate atrocity cases on people belonging to SC/ST
Chikkamagaluru Deputy Commissioner Meena Nagaraj has instructed officials to investigate the cases of atrocities on people belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and file a chargesheet within the stipulated time. Ms. Nagaraj was speaking at a meeting of the district-level SC/ST awareness committee held in Chikkamagaluru on Friday. The officials should not delay in releasing the compensation amount to the victims of atrocity cases and act as per the provisions under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, she said. Referring to the demand of Ashraya sites for the beneficiaries at Bannur Gram Panchayat in N.R. Pura taluk, Ms. Nagaraj said that she gave suitable instructions to the officials concerned. She wanted to know why the officers did not act, and directed the N.R. Pura tahsildar to allot sites at the earliest. She instructed the tahsildar of Kadur taluk to take action with regard to the sanction of land for a burial ground at Ambedkar Nagar in the town. Zilla Panchayat CEO H.S. Keerthana, Additional Superintendent of Police C.T. Jayakumar and others were present.
