Row over discrimination at Kerala temple thickens with fresh allegation of 'upper caste appointments'
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The Hindu
28 minutes ago
- The Hindu
DMK should ignore opposition to separate law against honour-based crimes from caste outfits: Thirumavalavan
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi founder Thol. Thirumavalavan, on Wednesday, said the DMK government should ignore the opposition of the caste outfits in the issue of enacting a separate law against honour-based crimes and pave way for a 'democratic revolution'. Mr Thirumavalavan met with Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, along with CPI and CPI (M) state secretaries, R. Mutharasan and P. Shanmugam, on Wednesday. On the other hand, the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee observed a day's fast led by its SC wing leader, M.P. Ranjan Kumar, inside the Sathyamurthy Bhavan. Mr. Thirumavalavan pointed out the Hindu Marriage (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act, 1967, which legalised self-respect marriages, and the implementation of Mandal Commission's recommendations, providing 27% to backward classes in government jobs and in education, also faced stiff opposition from upper castes and dominant castes. 'These were accepted by the larger society over time. The separate law is not a law in favour of scheduled castes. Honour-based crimes are national phenomena – such crimes are happening across communities and States and even within SCs and OBCs. Even recently, an OBC boy attacked another OBC boy for speaking to a girl from his own caste. It is a law against regressiveness and backwardness. CM Stalin should ignore the opposition of caste outfits as the democratic forces within these communities would welcome it,' he told The Hindu. He explained to Mr Stalin about the need for a separate law to tackle such crimes and give it a special focus just as we have separate laws for crimes against women, Scheduled Castes and so on. 'We have given him several references that reiterate why such a law is needed as recommended by National Commission of Women, Law Commission of India, Supreme Court's directives in Shakti Vahini vs Union Of India case and bills introduced as private member bills in Parliament and also a Bill introduced by CPI-M MLA A. Soundarrajan in 2015 in Tamil Nadu Assembly. Even Rajasthan has introduced a separate law against it. We take pride in calling Tamil Nadu a land of social justice and we talk about Dravidian model. He listened to us patiently. He didn't give us any assurance but we hope CM Stalin would enact a separate law. It is needed today,' he said.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Poll Rollout: City Wards Mapped, Voters Up 1L
Nagpur: Taking a key step towards holding civic elections, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) submitted its draft of ward boundaries to the state urban development department (UDD) on Tuesday. The redrawn structure, approved by an internal committee, retains the earlier number of 38 wards (prabhags) but features minor changes in boundaries to account for updated voter data and demographic considerations. As per the draft, each ward is now set to represent between 62,000 and 65,375 voters based on the newly updated total of 24,84,250 registered voters — an increase of over one lakh since the 2024 assembly elections. The structure retains four-member representation in 37 wards and three members in prabhag 38, keeping the total strength of the general body at 151 corporators, as in 2017. The boundaries were redrawn using a combination of Google Earth, block-wise population data, and natural demarcations such as roads, rivers, and railway lines. Officials were directed to maintain geographical continuity, safeguard representation for Scheduled Castes and Tribes, and avoid splitting existing neighbourhoods — a major source of legal contention in previous demarcations. Now that the draft has been submitted, the next steps are set to follow a defined timeline. The UDD will forward the proposal to the State Election Commission (SEC) by August 11. The SEC or its authorised officers will then review and recommend revisions. NMC is expected to publish the draft for public objections and suggestions between August 22 and 28, followed by hearings from August 29 to September 8. Based on the feedback, a final version will be submitted to the UDD by September 15, which will then forward it to the SEC for approval by September 22. The final ward structure will be officially notified between October 3 and 6. The NMC has been functioning under an administrator since March 6, 2022, following the end of its elected body's term. Although the Supreme Court directed that urban local body elections be held within four months, the actual poll dates are yet to be announced. The State Election Commission recently indicated a three-phase model, and senior political leaders expect that NMC elections will follow the zilla parishad and municipal council polls, possibly by February 2026. While the ward structure has largely remained the same, political observers point out that even minor boundary tweaks could impact electoral outcomes — especially for the ruling BJP, which swept the 2017 elections with 108 out of 151 seats. The Congress won 29, BSP 10, Shiv Sena 2, NCP 1, and one independent, with five nominated members. Once the final ward map is approved, a lottery system will be used to allocate reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and women. Recently, the Supreme Court paved the way for local body elections in the state with a 27% quota for OBCs by confirming its May 6 directives on OBC reservation in local body elections and also ruled that the 2017 ward formations will apply. Of the 156 total seats (including five nominated members), 78 will be reserved for women, including 12 for SC women and 6 for ST women. As per 2017 reservations for candidates, 68 seats will be reserved for general candidates, 30 for SC, 12 for ST, and 41 for OBC. Polling booths will be around 3,150, said sources. Despite the ongoing uncertainty over poll dates, political parties have already begun groundwork, eyeing every shift in ward demarcation as a potential advantage or challenge in what promises to be a fiercely contested civic battle.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
The Spectator wins defamation claim brought by Muslim activist who criticised Hindus
TOI correspondent from London : The Spectator magazine and Douglas Murray have won a defamation case brought by a Muslim online influencer who stirred up trouble during the 2022 Leicester riots. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Mohammed Hijab, a YouTuber with 1.3 million followers, whose real name is Mohammed Hegab, claimed that an article in the Spectator about the riots, titled 'Leicester and the downside with diversity' and published in Sept 2022, defamed him. The author, Murray, wrote Hijab was a 'a street agitator' who 'cropped up in Leicester to whip up his followers'. He wrote: 'Among other things he (Hijab) told them that Hindus are ridiculous people, not least because of their belief in reincarnation.' Hijab sued for defamation claiming he lost thousands of pounds in fees as a result of the article. But in a judgment handed down on Tuesday in the high court, Justice Johnson found that what Murray wrote about Hijab is 'substantially true, and it is not materially inaccurate'. Hijab's claim was that his comments were not about Hindus but 'the Hindutva' in Leicester which, Hijab, claimed 'promotes conspiracy theories, including that Muslim men conspire to convert Hindu women to Islam'. Johnson wrote: 'When asked to name anyone in the world who subscribed to the Hindutva ideology but who was not Hindu [Hijab] was able to give only one name: Benjamin Netanyahu.' He also said Hijab 'lied on significant issues, with the consequence that his evidence, overall, is worthless'. Johnson pointed out a video of Hijab's speech in Leicester shows him, 'far more vividly than is conveyed by the words of the article, directly whipping up a large group of masked men and ridiculing Hinduism'.
