Title row: Film producer told to move tribunal for relief
Chennai: Varaki, producer, director and actor of Tamil feature film ‘Siva Manasula Pushpa’, who challenged an order of the Revising Committee of film certification board asking him to change the title, has been directed by Madras High Court to exhaust the remedy available before the appellate authority - Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FACT) - under the Cinematograph Act. By-passing the tribunal is impermissible and statutory bodies created under the Act must be respected by the constitutional courts, Justice S M Subramaniam said on Friday. The judge was disposing of a writ petition from Varaki, challenging the orders of the Revising Committee of Central Board of Film Certification asking him to remove and modify certain scenes, dialogues, names of the leading characters and the title of the film. Accepting the arguments of CBSE counsel J Madanagopal Rao that the petitioner has not exhausted the legal remedies available to him and instead prematurely filed the writ petition, the judge said the court cannot adjudicate such complex facts under Article 226 of the Constitution. The disputed facts and circumstances of the case with reference to the story of the film is to be adjudicated only with the original documents before the competent authorities. The tribunals must be allowed to exercise their powers in accordance with law by scrutinising the documents, the judge said and directed Varaki to move within two weeks, the tribunal, which should adjudicate the same on merits and in accordance with law by affording an opportunity to him and dispose of the matter within four weeks.
Policeman’s plea against removal from service rejected
Chennai: The High Court rejected a writ plea from one A Aruljothi who was removed from service while working as a head constable in Cheyyar station, to quash the dismissal order of the SP, Tiruvannamalai. This followed a submission from Additional Advocate General A Kumar that the petitioner, instead of challenging the orders of the appellate authorities, had challenged the order of the disciplinary authority, i.e. the Tiruvannamalai SP. Aruljothi was dismissed from service by an order dated March 15, 2016, of the local SP, who was the disciplinary authority. The order was upheld by the first appellate authority, Deputy Inspector General of Police in Vellore, on April 22. The second and final appellate authority, the DGP, had also upheld the order, by order dated July 23 last.
4 accused in Coimbatore Tasmac bar murder case acquitted
Chennai: A division bench of the High Court acquitted the accused in a murder case near a Tasmac bar in Coimbatore in 2012. Citing discrepancies in the manner in which Thudiyalur police conducted the probe, preparation of FIR and evidence of witnesses, the bench of Justices C T Selvam and M Nirmal Kumar acquitted Viji alias Vijayakumar and three others from the murder case on December 12. One Perumal was hacked to death outside a Tasmac shop at Thudiyalur on October 10, 2012. The murder followed a quarrel between the accused and the deceased and his supporters when Perumal vomited. They later gathered outside the bar and in the brawl, Perumal was hacked to death.