CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has ordered the Tamil Nadu Rural Development Department (TNRDD) to take criminal action against slaughter houses operating without licence. Disposing of a writ petition, Justice SM Subramaniam ordered the Director of TNRDD to issue directions/instructions to all subordinate officers to enforce the Tamil Nadu Panchayats (Prohibition or Regulation of the uses of places for slaughtering animals and licensing of slaughterers) Rules, 1999 and initiate appropriate action against violators.
“In the event of slaughtering of animals without any licence, criminal cases are to be registered and all appropriate and necessary actions are to be initiated,” he ordered. Saying that safeguarding public interest is of paramount importance, he noted that people are facing health issues due to unclean atmosphere and improper management of garbage and medical waste of slaughtered animals. He wanted authorities to scrupulously implement the statutes, rules and guidelines and if there is any slackness, it means they are failing in their duties mandated by the Constitution.
Justice Subramaniam further stated that health being the basic right of every citizen, complaints on health issues must be attended to immediately and swift action should be taken. The orders were passed on a petition filed by V Panneerselvam of Panangal village in Nagapattinam district. He alleged that a meat vendor, Sat alias Mohammed Ali, of the same village, was slaughtering animals without a licence. He stated that authorities failed to take action despite submitting complaints.
CB-CID books lawyer for misconduct
Chennai: The Crime Branch-CID (CB-CID) on Thursday booked a lawyer for misconduct during a virtual High Court hearing. This comes after a video clipping of him in a compromising position with a woman went viral on social media on Tuesday. A preliminary report by the Cyber Crime Cell of CB-CID said a case has been booked against lawyer RD Santhanakrishnan, under sections 228 (intentional insult, or causes any interruption to any public servant, while such public servant is sitting in any stage of a judicial proceeding), 292 (2) (a) (public exhibition or circulation of obscene contents) and 294 (a) of IPC and 67-A (publication or transmission of sexually explicit act or conduct in electronic form) of Information Technology Act, 2008. Steps are being taken to identify the woman seen with the advocate. Police asked social media platforms to block circulation of the video. The bench ordered statutory notice to the lawyer returnable by January 20.
‘Guv to decide on plaints against former v-c’
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday informed the Madras High Court that the Governor is the competent authority to take action against former Vice-Chancellor of Anna University, MK Surappa, over complaints of malpractice. When petitions filed by the former V-C challenging a probe ordered against him came up for hearing before Justice V Parthiban, AG R Shanmugasundaram submitted that, the Governor is the competent authority to take action against Surappa. The judge posted the matter to January 3. Surappa approached the HC this year after the previous AIADMK regime initiated a probe against him. An inquiry commission headed by retired judge P Kalaiarasan was also constituted. Surappa said he was made a scapegoat on basis of allegations after he questioned the process of passing students without examinations and raised other issues.