1. T.N. Assembly | Governor Ravi refuses to read customary address
Tamil Nadu Governor R. N. Ravi refused to read out the customary address on the opening day of this year’s first Legislative Assembly session. He stated that it contained passages with which he disagreed on factual and moral grounds. This comes a year after he skipped portions of the address and walked out of the Assembly in January 2023.
Minutes after the Speaker read out the Governor’s address in Tamil, Tamil Nadu Assembly unanimously passed a resolution to take on record only the speech prepared by the State government.
Congress, MDMK, VCK and Manithaneya Makkal Katchi, all allies of the ruling DMK, and PMK condemned Governor Ravi.
In its statement issued a couple of hours after the session, Raj Bhavan charged that the Speaker lowered the dignity of the Chair and the grace of the House by “his tirade against the Governor.”
2. Rajesh Das case | Madras HC refuses to stay conviction, sentence
The Villupuram Principal Sessions Court upheld the conviction and three-year sentence imposed on former special Director General of Police (DGP) Rajesh Das in a case relating to the sexual harassment of a woman Superintendent of Police (SP), while on duty, in February 2021.
Later in the day, the Madras High Court refused to stay the operation of the judgement passed by the Villupuram court.
3. Demand for 14 LS seats not my view: Premalatha Vijayakant
DMDK general secretary Premalatha Vijayakant clarified that her earlier statement that her party will join alliance with any party which offers 14 Lok Sabha seats and a Rajya Seat was neither her stance nor that of the party high command, but it was the one expressed by the district secretaries.
