1. Madras HC Bench quashes proceedings against Lois Sophia
The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court has quashed the lower court proceedings pending before the Judicial Magistrate III Thoothukudi against Canada-based Tamil student Lois Sophia. Earlier in September 2018, Ms. Sophia was arrested for raising slogans against the BJP and for verbal duel with the then BJP state president Tamilisai Soundararajan on a Chennai - Thoothukudi flight.
Justice P. Dhanabal observed it did not constitute an offence and the matter was trivial in nature. The court was hearing the petition filed in 2019 by Lois Sophia who had sought the quash of the proceedings against her.
In March last year, the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) had ordered the Tamil Nadu government to pay a compensation of ₹2 lakh to Ms. Sophia’s father, for arresting her without following the procedure laid down by the Supreme Court.
2. Peace returns to village after 8 years
After a gap of eight years, the Kallakurichi district administration has managed to bring together the two warring groups: Vanniyars and Dalits, at Seshasamudram village in Kallakurichi district, a day after a gram sabha meeting was held yesterday on the occasion of Independence Day, for the first time since 2015.
The village, earlier part of the composite Villupuram district witnessed unprecedented violence on August 15, 2015, after a section of Vanniyars allegedly went on the rampage and attacked the Dalit colony in the village after its inhabitants insisted on their rights to take the temple car through the main road, which is common to both communities.
The temple car and five houses belonging to Dalits were burnt down, and eight policemen and three revenue officials were injured in the violence. Later, 190 members belonging to the Vanniyar community were arrested in connection with the violence.
3. Recall Governor: CPI leader
Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi is not acting within the framework of the Constitution and he should be removed from office, said D. Raja, general secretary of Communist Party of India (CPI), in Salem.
Addressing the media while taking part in the party’s State council meeting, he condemned the remarks made by the Governor on the State’s anti-NEET Bill. “The Governor has the right only to approve of Bills sent by the elected State government to the President. He does not have the powers to decide [on these Bills],” he said, and added that the State government was elected by the people and not by Mr. Ravi.
