Latest news with #Marimuthu
The Star
19-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Form Six revamp overdue
STPM students to benefit from varsity entry and funding PETALING JAYA: The government's plan to bring all pre-university pathways under the Higher Education Ministry is long overdue, say education stakeholders. Tun Fatimah Form Six College Parent-Teacher Association chairman Mak Chee Kin said the change is much needed to address long-standing issues. 'Form Six students and schools have not been accorded the same treatment as other pre-university pathways – especially in funding, manpower and university entry.' Mak noted that when Form Six is combined with mainstream schools, students are often overlooked by the management. 'The teacher in charge of Form Six is just known as another senior assistant, with no power to make independent decisions as mainstream comes first for the principals.' He added that Form Six students often face more challenges in securing university placements despite having strong results. 'Even top Form Six students are being sidelined for university entry, while priority goes to other pathways like foundation (Asasi), diploma and matriculation.' Mak urged the government to separate Form Six from mainstream schools and upgrade them into proper pre-university centres with sufficient facilities and teachers. Educationist and former Universiti Malaya professor Tan Sri Dr T. Marimuthu agreed that streamlining would help ensure consistent quality across different pathways. 'There are so many courses of different lengths – matriculation, foundation, STPM – so bringing them together will help improve quality and coherence.' . However, he said clear planning was needed if Form Six, which is still mostly run in schools, were to be placed under the Higher Education Ministry, to ensure equitable access for all students, especially those from low-income families. 'The only thing I'm worried about is the B40 students who are studying Form Six in schools. 'It's easier for them than going to a college or university, which would involve more expenses,' he said. Marimuthu suggested that the ministry help ease this transition for disadvantaged students. 'If there is an economic problem, especially for the B40 group, the ministry can support them with hostels or a stipend,' he added. Both Mak and Marimuthu said the move could level the playing field for students if implemented well. Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir revealed a plan to streamline all pre-university pathways during the 'In Person with Doc Zam' session, livestreamed as part of Universiti Malaya's Week-of-Welcome for the 2025/2026 academic session on Thursday. He said implementation was expected either next year or the following year. The Higher Education Minister was responding to a student's question on why foundation studies were under his ministry while Form Six was still under the Education Ministry.
The Hindu
18-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
It is shocking that people are still being kept out of temples because of their caste, says Madras High Court
It is shocking that even after more than 75 years of independence people are still being kept out of temples because of their caste, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has observed in a recent order. Justice B. Pugalendhi observed that the Constitution did not allow discrimination. God did not discriminate. Only human beings did, the court said, while hearing the petitions filed by Vanniyakulachathiriyar Nala Arakattalai (Trust), represented by its president Murugan, and Marimuthu, who alleged that Scheduled Caste devotees were being denied entry into the temple. The court observed that the petitions raised serious constitutional and administrative issues concerning Mariamman Temple at Chinna Dharapuram in Karur district. The Trust sought removal of the 2018 prohibitory order and permission to resume festivals and worship. It said no caste discrimination took place in the temple, which they had the right to manage. On the other hand, Mr. Marimuthu alleged that the SC devotees were being denied entry into the temple. The officials had failed to protect their rights to equality and religion. The Karur Collector, in a status report, admitted that the temple had remained closed for public worship and festival-related activities since 2018. Pujas alone were being performed. The reason was apprehension of communal tension and law and order issues, he said. Condemning the report, the court observed that the closure of a public temple for years under the guise of law and order concern was a dereliction of constitutional duty. If there was any real threat, it was the Collector's responsibility to handle it. Equally disturbing was the role of police. 'They seem to think that the only way to keep peace is by denying entry to everyone. This is wrong. Stopping everyone from entering is not the way to maintain peace. It is the job of the police to make sure that rights are protected, and that anyone who breaks the law is dealt with properly,' the court observed. It observed that the Collector admitted that the temple was under the control of the HR&CE Department and was being managed by a Fit Person. Legally, the temple was a public temple under the HR&CE Department, and the Trust had no official right to claim full control. It was the duty of the department and the State to make sure that everyone was allowed to worship. A good example of how such situations could be handled was the Kandadevi Temple festival in Sivaganga district. The temple festival had been stopped for 17 years due to similar caste tensions. But, in 2024, the government took proactive steps and ensured that the festival took place peacefully with participation of all. The government must remember that peace built by denying rights was not real peace, it was surrender, the court observed. The court made it clear that no person or group could block the access to a public temple based on caste. If anyone tried to create trouble or claim superiority based on caste, they would face strict legal consequences, the court said. The court directed the Karur Collector, Superintendent of Police, and HR&CE Department to file a report and posted the matter for hearing after three weeks.
The Hindu
09-07-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
NIMHANS study finds higher degrees of depression among ‘severely injured' road traffic accident victims
A recent study by a team of researchers from NIMHANS has found higher degrees of depression among 'severely injured' Road Traffic Accident (RTA) victims. Aimed at understanding the 'quality of life', anxiety, and depression levels among the victims of RTA, the study has recommended that following medical treatment, RTA victims and their families must undergo psychosocial counselling to lessen their anxiety and enhance their quality of life. The study titled Quality of life, anxiety and depression among non-fatal road traffic accidents victims in South India was published in Social Sciences and Humanities Open, an open access scientific journal, on June 28. Financial hardship Road traffic accidents, whether fatal or non-fatal, can be the cause of substantial financial hardships and significant mental health issues to victims and their families. While several studies done in the past have shown that RTAs lead to stigma, stress and anxiety, depression and economic burden on individuals and their families, there are a limited number of studies available on the association between RTA victims' quality of life (QoL) and their stressful conditions. QoL assessment is widely used for many ailments, for instance on stroke-affected, hypertensive, and diabetic patients. 'These conditions and their relationship with QoL have been reported in many studies. However, there is no Indian research available on depression, anxiety or the quality of life among RTA victims. Our study recommends that psychosocial counselling following medical treatment is a must for RTA victims and their families,' Palaniappan Marimuthu, professor and head of the Department of Biostatistics at NIMHANS, told The Hindu. Non-fatal RTA victims 'The objective of this paper is to understand depression among non-fatal RTA victims in terms of quality of life, anxiety and associated socio-demographic variables. This paper is part of a larger study funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR),' said Dr. Marimuthu, who is the corresponding author of the study. For the study, the researchers randomly selected a total of 407 non-fatal RTA victims from the State Crime Record Bureaus (SCRBs) of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Data collection was done using socio-demographic and accident information, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and WHO Quality of Life tools. 'The four domains of QoL (physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment) apart from education and age were employed along with the Quantile Regression approach to examine how they affect the dependent variable of depression score. Non-fatal victims were classified into 'Severely Injured' and 'No Serious Injury'. When age, education and expenditure on RTA treatment were compared, except age the other two variables were statistically significant. The four domains of QoL also significantly differed between these two groups,' the doctor explained. Anxiety as variable Manoj Kumar Sharma, professor at the Department of Clinical Psychology, who also heads SHUT Clinic at NIMHANS and is part of the research team for this study, said anxiety is the most important variable which contributed in almost all the quantiles of depression followed by psychological health, social relationship, environmental health and age of the RTA victims. Asserting the importance of not using mobile phones while driving, Dr. Sharma said using a phone while driving distracts the driver's attention from the road, slows reaction time, and increases the chances of accidents. 'Even a few seconds of looking at a screen can lead to a serious crash. Safe driving requires full concentration on the surroundings, road signs, and other vehicles, which is impossible if someone is texting or calling. Therefore, avoiding mobile phone use while driving helps ensure safety for everyone on the road,' he added.
The Hindu
29-04-2025
- The Hindu
Revenue Inspector of Cable TV Corporation gets two- year jail in bribery case
Chief Judicial Magistrate Court on Tuesday sentenced a Revenue Inspector with Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation, A. Marimuthu, to two year jail term in a 2013-bribery case. According to a statement from the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, Marimuthu had demanded ₹10,000 as bribe from one Malaikani of Sankarankoil Taluk for giving him Cable TV Registration Number. Malaikani had already been running a cable TV network in Rajapalayam after getting a licence number from the Rajapalayam Head Post Office. Based on his complaint, the DVAC Virudhunagar unit laid a trap and arrested him while accepting the bribe money. When the case came up for hearing, CJM M. Veerannan also imposed a fine of ₹5,000 on Marimuthu. Additional Superintendent of Police K. Ramachandran said that if any government servant of Virudhunagar district demanded bribe in cash or in kind, directly or through any agent, people can lodge a complaint with the DVAC unit in Virudhunagar over 94981 05882 or 94981 06118.
New Indian Express
27-04-2025
- New Indian Express
Scheduled Caste man attacked for increasing speaker sound at temple festival in TN's Palani
DINDIGUL: A 45-year-old man from the Scheduled Caste (SC) community was assaulted, allegedly by members of a dominant caste, during a religious festival in Palani on Friday night for increasing the volume of a loudspeaker. Following the attack, the Palani Taluk police registered a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against a 28-year-old man identified as Athiyan, who is currently absconding. The victim, P Marimuthu, told TNIE, "I have been operating mic sets for the last 30 years in Kodaimangalam panchayat. Every year, the members of the dominant community collect holy water from Kodumudi (Erode) and take it to Dhandayudapani temple in Palani, after offering prayers at the Savadi shelter." "On Friday evening, they installed loudspeakers and played devotional songs. One group had already proceeded with the holy water towards Palani. Later, Athiyan arrived on a bike and started to argue with me, saying I increased the volume unnecessarily. As I tried to calm him down, he hit me on my face, pushed me to the ground, and kicked me. He then jumped on my back, attempting to injure my spine, before hurling casteist slurs and fleeing the spot," Marimuthu alleged. Marimuthu was later admitted to the Palani Government Hospital with the help of locals. Marimuthu's uncle, Sevugaperumal (67), added that Athiyan had initially proceeded towards Palani but turned back after being informed by relatives about the loudspeaker issue. "He returned on a bike with a friend and brutally attacked Marimuthu. Sadly, no one intervened to stop the assault or the use of casteist abuse," he said. K Iraniyan, an activist, said, "Two years ago, a local female sanitary worker was thrashed by the members of the dominant community for raising a trivial issue. Now, Marimuthu was thrashed for just increasing the volume of the loudspeaker. It is very sad that dominant community people are still showing hatred towards other communities who are socially and economically weak. Despite filing a complaint at the Palani Taluk police station, no one was arrested." Meanwhile, an officer at Palani Taluk station confirmed that an FIR has been registered against Athiyan under the SC/ST (PoA) Act. "We are investigating the involvement of others in the attack. The accused is absconding. A detailed interrogation will reveal if a larger conspiracy is involved," the officer said.
