Off the cuff: Lights out

During the 70th cooperative week celebration on Thursday in Tirunelveli, when Electricity Minister Thangam Thenarasu was addressing the event, there was a power cut and the hall turned pitch black. In no time, people on the stage and in the audience turned their cell phone torches towards him. The power supply returned after about 30 seconds. Resuming his address, the minister sarcastically said journalists had got good content from the event. “I was thinking about what content I could give media persons today. Now they can give a headline that there was a power cut when the electricity minister was speaking. I am happy that I have helped with that.”

Matter of justice
The Tiruppur district police filed an 800-page charge sheet against five people for murdering four members of a family at Kallakinaru in Palladam recently. The chargesheet was filed by SP Sowmya with the Palladam judicial magistrate claiming there was sufficient evidence against them and the accused were detained under the Goondas Act. However, Sowmya was soon transferred to the prohibition wing in Cuddalore. Media circles were abuzz with speculation that top police officials had ordered Sowmya to finish off the accused in an encounter, but she refused, and hence as the transfer as punishment.

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