CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Secretary of Social Welfare department to appear in person before the Court with a detailed status report, in connection with the PIL petition seeking to provide temporary shelters and blankets to homeless persons during winter season. The Division Bench comprising Justices M Sathyanarayanan and R Hemalatha was hearing the PIL from M Muruganantham of Chennai.
The bench said that the Secretary, Department of Social Welfare, Government of Tamil Nadu, has been directed to personally remain present before the Court for filing a status report, and adjourned the hearing to March 11. The petitioner, who is an advocate, while referring to a Supreme Court order in which several directions were given in a similar matter submitted that, weather in recent times has become extremely heavy and people having resources manage to safeguard them from the cold wave. Government being the welfare state is bound to save and care about every individual, submitted the petitioner.
Though the Secretary, in his status report, mentioned various schemes implemented to prevent women from exploitation and about children homes, however, made no mention about prayer sought for by the petitioner.
HC directs govt to reply to DMK’s plea by March 12
Chennai: Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the government to file its response to the plea seeking CBI probe into alleged corruption in by-election. The issue pertains to the plea moved by the then DMK candidate N Maruthu Ganesh alleging electoral corruption during the 2016 RK Nagar by-election, by the ruling AIADMK, which was deferred by the Election Commission. A division bench comprising of Justices M Sathyanarayanan and R Hemalatha on Tuesday passed the interim order and directed the State to file its reply by March 12. The HC bench on January 29, had permitted DMK to add CBI as a party to the plea on the grounds that Abhiramapuram police who registered the FIR failed to cite anybody as accused in the case. Despite availability of 3 names including the Health Minister C Vijay Baskar in the report filed by IT department.