Police said that fraudsters had siphoned off Rs 8 crore from these 3 men alone and suspected that there were several more who have lost a lot of money but haven’t yet come forward.

While romance frauds through dating apps have been around for years now, in these cases, financial losses are in crores, as scamsters lure the men into investment scams, which in the cyber fraud industry, is a separate vertical.

Across the world, this hybrid cyber scam model of romance-investment scam is on the rise and is called ‘pig butchering’, which has origins in China, according to law enforcement agencies from across the world. The crude terminology was named by scammers themselves after the Chinese term ‘sha Zhu pan’ (to fatten a pig before slaughter).

“In romance/matrimonial scams, victims lose a few lakhs before they realise they were conned. On the other hand, those who lose crores to cyber fraudsters usually click on links they see on social media promising high returns on investments and get trapped by fraudsters,” a police official said.

Crypto trading

Chennai resident Manohar (name changed) who works in a nationalised bank was one of the victims of ‘pig butchering’; he had lost over Rs 4.5 crore. In February this year, the 55-year-old had downloaded a dating app, Lovely, and became friends with a ‘woman’, who claimed to be from London. They exchanged phone numbers and began chatting on WhatsApp.

“The messages come from a number with London’s calling code and the men tend to believe they are talking with a real woman. More often than not, scamsters operate from compounds in Southeast Asia,” explained a senior police officer. “After a week of checking in everyday, exchanging pleasantries, conversations about everything, ranging from weather to the man’s area of interest, scamsters slowly gain his confidence.”

In Manohar’s case, after a week of conversation, the woman claimed that the photographs and name in the dating profile were fake as a cautionary measure and claimed that her real name was something else and shared another set of photographs. Ironically, this move convinced Manohar and the scamster gained his confidence.

The two then spoke about the paths they travelled so far and the scamster spun a sob story that she had lost both her parents and was living with her ‘uncle’. Manohar was drawn into this web of deceit and after a week of WhatsApp chatting, she gradually introduced him to her ‘uncle’, saying he was a cryptocurrency trading mentor and suggested that Manohar take his advice to grow his funds exponentially.

The ‘uncle’ made Manohar register in a crypto trading company, Coinexx, and persuaded him to invest. To convince him that the platform was genuine, the scamsters made him invest a small amount and made him withdraw the profits.

In Manohar’s case, he was made to sign a trading agreement stating that every participant had to complete a certain number of trading sessions and the 15 % of the profit earned in each session to be paid as commission. At the end of the sessions, his trading account reflected assets worth over $1.1 million (Rs 10.5 crore).

Manohar also paid the agreed upon commission after which his ordeal began. He was unable to withdraw his profits and when asked, he was told that his account was locked due to violation of trading rules and was demanded over Rs 2.6 crore to unlock the account.

This was in the first week of March and in the next three months, Manohar withdrew his savings, borrowed money from relatives, pledged his properties to pay the fraudsters, according to his complaint. He believed that his profits would compensate for his losses.

By the end of June though, the communication stopped and the trading website became inaccessible after which Manohar realised he was cheated. He registered a complaint with the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) after contacting the helpline (1930).

Ethereum, Forex

Like Manohar, a 51-year-old divorcee, Prasanna (name changed), a manager at an IT firm in Chennai, too lost about Rs 1.85 crore to such fraudsters. “They exploited my vulnerability as a divorcee,” the complainant stated. In November 2025, he had befriended a woman on Facebook, who portrayed herself as caring and emotionally supportive.

After he lowered his guard, the scamsters went for the jugular by luring him into Ethereum Trading (ETH). Ethereum is said to be the second-largest cryptocurrency by market value after Bitcoin. The usual ordeal of showing initial profits followed and over time, the IT executive ended up investing Rs 1.85 crore – his savings and loan from his family and friends and even withdrew his PF (provident fund). In July, he filed a complaint with the NCRP.

In another case, a Coimbatore-based NRI (non-resident Indian), lost Rs 1.6 crore to fraudsters who deployed the same modus operandi. In March this year, the 40-year-old man was connected with two women through ‘OkCupid’ dating app and they shifted conversations to Telegram.

After a week of conversations about daily life, work, family, future plans, current affairs, the women had gradually discussed forex trading with him and lured him to forex trading. One of the ‘women’ shared screenshots showing significant profits she earned through forex trading.

According to his complaint, she had cited the heightened market volatility because of geopolitical tensions involving the US and Iran and advised him that it was the ideal time to invest. Over the course of two months, the NRI ended up transferring Rs 1.6 crore to the accounts guided by the women. He realised the con only when he was asked to pay Rs 50 lakh while trying to withdraw his profits. After this, he registered a complaint with NCRP in August.

A senior police officer said that scamsters do not target high net-worth individuals in particular but they cast a wider net. According to available data, between January 2023 to February 2024, money taken out of India amounts to Rs 10,188 crore, an official statement from TN police said, citing the Ministry of Home Affairs’s I4C (Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre) report.

“If someone you met online yesterday is giving you investment advice today, they aren’t investing in you. You’re the investment,” the official said.

Who are these scamsters?

Scamsters mostly operate from compounds in the Golden triangle region – Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia – according to Tamil Nadu Police.

In March 2025, TN Police’s Cyber Crime wing arrested four men, including a duo working directly for a Cambodian handler, for cheating a mill owner from Theni of Rs 88.6 lakh. The fraudsters got in touch with the victim through a fake matrimony profile, police said.

The special team went on a digital trail and found that the bank accounts were in the name of two women who are daily wage labourers and were paid a commission of Rs 2,000 by one of the accused, C Nandagopal (30) of Erode, for opening the bank accounts. Nandagopal had handed over the accounts to R Yuvarajan (33) of Erode and S Padmanaban (32) of Coimbatore who had direct contact with the Cambodian accused via Telegram, police investigations revealed.

In some cases, perpetrators are victims of human trafficking themselves. TN Police has been repeatedly appealing to recent graduates and job aspirants to be wary of agents promising jobs in Southeast Asian countries as instances of gullible youth being engaged in Cyber Slavery to defraud their own citizens through online scams has seen a rise in the last few years.

Through ads in social media, unemployed youth with basic knowledge of computers and English are recruited through illegal manpower agencies and those selected are taken on tourist visas to Thailand and then to Laos and Cambodia and detained in wire-fenced compounds.

“They are forced to commit cyber frauds like Fedex scam, investment scam, illegal lending apps, matrimonial scam, romantic scamming, etc. Their passports are confiscated, and they are even subjected to physical abuse, torture and electric shocks if they refused to work. Ransom was demanded to release the victims to their own country,” an official release from Tamil Nadu Police stated, after interviews with those who were rescued.

Gift scam: High cost women pay online for love

Romance frauds, as they are commonly known, is a cottage industry where gullible men and women are targeted by organised cyber fraudsters and at times, by lone-wolf operators.

The basis is emotional manipulation wherein swindlers play an elaborate con on the victims after acquainting with them through social media and matrimony websites and usurp money from them. The con can last a few days to months until the victims realise that they are being swindled and question their ‘lover’ only to be blindsided.

As recently as last week, the West Zone cyber crime wing of Chennai Police arrested a 33-year-old man who had posed as a woman, a trainee Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer in a matrimonial website, and cheated a city based architect of over Rs 9.5 lakh. In 2023, a Chennai court sentenced two Nigerian nationals to 5 years jail for cheating a city woman of Rs 4.5 lakh. Police found that they had posed as a doctor from The Netherlands in a matrimonial website to swindle the money.

The city police had submitted in court that the duo were behind at least 6 similar cases in the city, of cheating by impersonation through social media, but could not substantiate their claims.

In February 2024, the city police arrested two more Nigerians – Augustine Maduabuchi (29) and Chinedu Onyeaobi (36) – for cheating a city businesswoman of around Rs 3 crore using the same modus operandi.

The woman, who is into the pharma business, had registered her profile on a matrimonial website and got matched with a person named Alexander Sanchez in mid-2023. Shortly after they started talking on WhatsApp, Sanchez proposed marriage and promised to meet her in Chennai and told her that he had sent valuable gifts to her Chennai home.

The woman had then received a call from someone claiming to be a ‘Customs officer’ from New Delhi, who demanded money to release the gift parcel. The woman ended up paying Rs 2.87 crore to various bank accounts as told by the fraudster and only after two months she realised that she was being taken for a ride when she could not reach ‘Sanchez’ either.

A common pattern in those cases was that the fraudsters who approached these women claimed to be from abroad. After acquainting with the women through social media or matrimonial sites, they would exchange phone numbers and the numbers they converse with will have an ISD code, which made the victims believe that they were actually receiving a call from a foreign nation.

The conmen would tell them that they have sent them gifts. “Victims then get a phone call from a person claiming to be from the Customs department at any of the major airports and the ‘official’ would tell them that they have to pay duty to receive the gift,” a police officer said.

In one of the cases, a 22-year-old woman ended up paying Rs 11 lakh. Since she was fresh out of college and recently joined work, she drained the money from her mother’s bank account. The conman in this case claimed to be a marine engineer from Birmingham, England, and got in touch with the victim through Instagram.

The victim fell for the gift trap. He sent a video of the gift parcel he had sent her. “He told me he had bought some gifts for me and as a friend I have to accept it. Then he sent the courier tracking link and number. A video from the gift box showed handbags, iPhone 11 Pro Max, watches and other valuable jewellery,” according to her complaint in 2021.

Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan observed that dowry received before, during or after marriage should be handed over to the parents of the deceased woman if she has no children.

According to the petition, newly-wed woman A Rithanya from Avinashi in Tiruppur district died by suicide in June 2025 due to alleged dowry harassment.

Her father, Annadurai Ramasamy, approached the Madras High Court seeking the appointment of an officer not below the rank of Superintendent of Police as the new investigating officer.

He alleged that the Deputy Superintendent of Police had failed to summon the accused family members to record their statements and had not collected relevant evidence, including witnesses’ mobile phones and CCTV footage from the accused’s house.

He further alleged that the police had not seized the gold jewellery and car or produced them before the Judicial Magistrate, Avinashi. He claimed that the investigation was not conducted fairly and effectively due to the influence of political and communal persons and was prejudiced and suspicious.

The Court observed that whatever dowry was received before, during or after the marriage shall be transferred to the parents of the deceased if there are no children.

In the present case, the deceased had no children through Rithanya’s husband. Therefore, the entire dowry, comprising 100 sovereigns of gold and a Volvo car given as dowry to Rithanya’s husband, ought to have been recovered by the Inspector of Police.

Accordingly, the Inspector of Police was directed to seize the 100 sovereigns of gold jewellery given as dowry and the Volvo car registered in the name of the deceased and hand them over to the petitioner in accordance with law.

The petitioner was also permitted to mark the hard disk containing the CCTV footage along with the audio during the trial before the trial court.

With these directions, both the Criminal Original Petitions were disposed of.

The accused allegedly went into hiding after learning that a police team was searching to arrest him.

According to the police, the accused, Anthony Jennifer, 34, attached to A Company of the 9th Battalion at Manimutharu, is currently serving as a head constable in Kanyakumari. He is a native of South Agasthiyarpuram near Ambai.

Recently, Anthony Jennifer had come to his native place on leave. According to the complaint, the 15-year-old from Sivanthipuram near Vikramasingapuram had gone to a shop to buy sweets when the head constable allegedly noticed him.

He took the boy to a secluded place and sexually assaulted him, according to the complaint lodged by the boy’s parents.

The boy, who was reportedly in pain following the alleged assault, informed his parents about the incident. They subsequently lodged a complaint with the Ambai All-Women Police Station.

Based on the complaint, the police conducted an inquiry and examined CCTV footage from the area around the shop.

The footage showed Anthony Jennifer taking the boy away. The police subsequently registered a case against him under the Pocso Act.

Jennifer was selected for the Tamil Nadu Police Youth Brigade around 2013 and joined the Tamil Nadu Police in 2016.

The by polls hold immense political significance as a crucial litmus test for the ruling TVK and opposition in Tamil Nadu.

Madurantakam is located in the Chengalpattu district while Dharapuram is located in the Tiruppur district. Both reserved constituencies fell vacant after sitting AIADMK MLAs K Maragatham and P Sathyabama resigned from their posts to switch allegiance to actor Vijay's TVK.

Meanwhile, a bypoll is also underway in Thattanchavady constituency, located in the Union Territory of Puducherry, which was necessitated after Chief Minister N Rangasamy, who contested and won two assembly seats in the previous election, chose to vacate the Thattanchavady assembly seat to retain the Mangalam assembly constituency.

Serving as a high-stakes battle, the bypolls mark a multicornered contest between the TVK, DMK, AIADMK, Left parties, and NTK.

Voting commenced at 7 am and would go on till 6 pm across 285 polling stations in Madurantakam and 320 polling centres in Dharapuram, where a total of 49 candidates are totally in the fray.

The votes polled in Madurantakam, Dharapuram and Thattanchavady will be counted on October 9, with the results expected to be announced the same day.

Madurantakam bypoll

The Madurantakam SC-reserved constituency has 2,13,788 voters, including 1,04,926 men, 1,08,797 women and 65 transgender persons. There are 285 polling stations.

Twenty-seven candidates, including 17 independents, are in the fray. The key candidates are S Kanitha Sampath (AIADMK), I Paranthamen (DMK), K Maragatham Kumaravel (TVK), P Suganthi (CPM) and G Janakiraman (NTK).

A total of 342 EVMs, including a 20% reserve, will be used for the bye-election.

Dharapuram bypoll

The Dharapuram SC-reserved constituency has a total of 2,23,306 voters, comprising 1,07,285 men, 1,16,013 women and eight third-gender voters, are eligible to vote at 320 polling stations across 186 centres.

Twenty-two candidates are in the fray, with the main contestants being TVK’s P Sathyabama, AIADMK’s K Banumathi, DMK’s S Suganya, CPI’s P Lakshmanan and NTK’s M Karthika.

Palaniswami, in a social media post, described the police action against the protesting nurses as “cruel” and questioned the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government over the arrests.

He questioned how Chief Minister Joseph Vijay, who had spoken against “fascism” before coming to power, could allow such action against nurses protesting for their demands.

Recalling the assurances given by TVK leaders before the Assembly elections, Palaniswami said the party had promised nurses that they would be made permanent if the TVK came to power.

He also criticised Health Minister Arunraj for not intervening in the issue. Palaniswami questioned why the minister had not held talks with the protesting nurses and attempted to find a solution to their demands.

Alleging that the government had handled the protest in an undemocratic manner, he said electricity at the protest venue was cut and the nurses were subsequently called for talks before being arrested.

Palaniswami demanded the immediate release of the arrested nurses and urged the government not to register cases against them. He also called for talks with the nurses to resolve their demands.

Dhinakaran also condemned the arrests, stating that the TVK government should address the grievances of nurses fighting for their rights instead of using the police against them.

He alleged that calling representatives of the nurses for talks and subsequently arresting them amounted to a betrayal by the government.

Dhinakaran urged the government to hold talks with the nurses and address their demands, including job security and equal pay for equal work.

The Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant kept the substantial questions of law open for adjudication in an appropriate future case.

Besides the CJI, the bench comprised Justices Aravind Kumar, Prashant Kumar Mishra, Joymala Bagchi, Vipul M Pancholi, Shree Chandrashekar and V Mohana.

“The writ petitions are disposed of as having become infructuous. However, the questions of law are kept open to be pursued in future in appropriate proceedings,” the bench said in its order.

The proceedings concerned a reference arising out of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly's action against journalists, including N Ravi, in 2003 over articles and editorials published in The Hindu and Murasoli relating to proceedings in the assembly.

At the outset, senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, appearing for the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, brought to the bench's attention an affidavit dated August 24, 2004, recording a subsequent unanimous resolution of the assembly of July 30, 2004.

The July 30, 2004 resolution had withdrawn the earlier resolution of November 7, 2003, passed against the petitioners.

The CJI said that this subsequent development had apparently not been specifically brought to the notice of the bench when the matter was referred to a seven-judge bench.

"Even before the discussions could appear before the House, the legislative assembly passed a resolution on November 7, 2003," the bench noted while recording the details of the case.

The bench referred to news articles published in The Hindu newspaper on April 12, 13, 24 and 26, 2003, describing the events that took place in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.

“Similarly, on April 26, 2003, Murasoli carried a literal Tamil translation of the editorial published in The Hindu on April 25, 2003,” the bench noted.

The publication of these articles led to a reference to the Committee of Privileges by the speaker under the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Rules for examination and report, it said.

“The Committee of Privileges convened on May 5, 2003 and examined the subject news items, articles and editorials in question. The committee opined that the statements contained therein indicated a breach of parliamentary privilege and called for an explanation,” it said, adding that even before the discussions could appear before the House, the legislative assembly passed a resolution on November 7, 2003.

The bench said on December 8, 2003, an order was passed by the apex court noting the substantial questions of law as to the interpretation of Article 194(3), Article 19(1)(a), the interplay between these two Articles, Article 21, and also as to the interpretation of other provisions of the Constitution.

The matter was referred to a five-judge bench, the order said, adding that the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly passed a resolution on July 30, 2004.

“It seems that the most relevant subsequent event, namely the resolution dated July 30, 2004, whereby the legislative assembly unanimously resolved to withdraw its previous resolution dated November 7, 2003 passed against the petitioners, was not specifically brought to the notice of this court. It also escaped notice,” the CJI said.

The order then said that on December 8, 2004, this court noted certain observations made in the case of ‘Pandit M.S.M. Sharma v. Shri Sri Krishna Sinha and Others’, reported in 1959, a five-judge Bench decision of this court, were in conflict with the powers, privileges and immunities of legislators as explained in another case of 1964.

“This prompted the bench to make a reference to a seven-judge bench. This is how…,” the order said.

“In light of the above subsequent resolution, the previous resolution dated November 7, 2003, stands recalled,” the bench noted, adding that the subject matter has been rendered infructuous and there is no cause of action which survives for adjudication.

“They have, however, pointed out, and rightly so, that there are certain questions of law briefly touched upon by this court in the order dated 8th December 2004, and otherwise also, which arise for consideration and which need to be left open to be adjudicated in appropriate proceedings,” it said. One of the pleas -- N Ravi and others versus Speaker, Legislative Assembly, Tamil Nadu -- raises the question whether fundamental rights override legislative privileges.

The case pertains to 2003, when journalist N Ravi and others approached the top court after the Tamil Nadu Assembly’s then speaker K Kalimuthu ordered their arrest for alleged breach of privilege and contempt.

The top court had stayed the arrest of six journalists and later referred the matter to a seven-judge bench in view of conflicting verdicts.

One of the judgments had held that fundamental rights should prevail, while the 1965 verdict said fundamental rights were subservient to parliamentary privileges.

Union president N Sundari said the government had assured them that most of their demands would be addressed at the next meeting, prompting the protesters to suspend the agitation temporarily.

“Our demands are legitimate, and that is why thousands of employees have joined the protest. The government’s intention appears to be to disperse the protesters without resolving our grievances,” she told reporters after the meeting.

Sundari said the protesters were hopeful that their demands would be fulfilled during the November 3 talks. “If the assurances are not fulfilled after November 3, we will all unite and launch a massive protest across Tamil Nadu,” she said.

Former DMK minister Mano Thangaraj met the protesting nurses and extended his support. He said he had also participated in the talks with the Health Secretary.

Mano Thangaraj condemned the government’s handling of the agitation and alleged that police had taken some protesters, including the union leader, for talks after assuring them that their demands would be considered, but later informed them that they had been arrested and asked them to disperse. “I strongly condemn the government’s indifference to the nurses’ legitimate demands and the use of police action against those staging a legitimate protest,” he added.

The by-election was necessitated after Chief Minister N Rangasamy, who contested and won two assembly seats in the previous election, chose to vacate the Thattanchavady assembly seat to retain the Mangalam assembly constituency.

Thattanchavady has long been considered a bastion of Rangasamy.

Voting was underway smoothly across all polling booths. There are 31 polling stations and people turned up enthusiastically to exercise their franchise, official sources said.

There are 11 contestants, including five Independents. The main contest is between AINRC candidate Ashok Anand, the Congress candidate E Vinayagam and DMK's K Sedhu Selvam.

Speaking to reporters after casting her vote at the Madukkampalayam polling station, Sathyabama said she was confident of her electoral prospects.

“People have made up their minds and it will not have any impact on the election. Such fabricated videos are being circulated only because of my strong electoral prospects. I will definitely lodge a complaint with the Election Commission,” she said.

Sathyabama had won the Dharapuram seat as an AIADMK candidate in the assembly election. She subsequently resigned as MLA, quit the AIADMK and joined the TVK, prompting the by-election.

The organisations, in a joint representation submitted to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and concerned government authorities, sought clarity on the circumstances under which five elephants Durga, Rupsing, Shiva, Hiralal and Bijuli were transferred to temples and religious institutions in Tamil Nadu.

The groups have questioned whether the elephants were gifted, donated or purchased and sought details of their ownership history, payments, acquisition documents and the chain of ownership and transfer.

They have also raised questions over the birth dates and Ownership Certificates of the elephants. According to the representation, Ownership Certificates for three elephants were issued in October November 2025, despite their recorded dates of birth being several years earlier. The groups have also sought verification of the Ownership Certificate of the elephants, which they claim is around seven years old despite a five-year renewal requirement.

They have sought an independent veterinary assessment of the elephants’ age, height and physical condition, besides verification of their suitability for use in temple rituals and processions under the Tamil Nadu Captive Elephants (Management and Maintenance) Rules, 2011.

Additional Chief Secretary to the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department, Gagandeep Singh Bedi, reviewed the precautionary measures for the ensuing Northeast monsoon with Chennai Corporation officials.

During the meeting, the official issued several instructions on precautionary measures.

"Water hyacinth should be removed from all waterways in and around Chennai, including the Cooum and Adyar. Officials of the TNEB should also ensure that there is no loss of life due to electrical short circuits, " Bedi said in a statement.

He also said dredging works should be completed at 28 small bridges belonging to the Railways Department. He added that subways should remain free from waterlogging so that transportation would not be affected during the monsoon season.

"Volunteers will be involved in flood mitigation and monsoon precautionary works. Around 5,000 volunteers will be involved in these activities," Bedi said.

Chennai Corporation Commissioner GS Sameeran and Chennai Metro Water Managing Director T Anand participated in the meeting.

Even though the prices of dyes and chemicals had increased by more than 100 per cent, dyeing units continued to grapple with an acute shortage of essential raw materials.

“Shortage and unprecedented price escalation could be mainly attributed to the export of raw materials used in dye manufacturing from India to neighbouring countries. It has become difficult for dyeing units to complete the existing job work orders and accept new ones, thereby affecting both domestic and export-oriented textile businesses,” said P Gandhirajan, president of Dyers Association of Tirupur (DAT).

The dyeing units have sought the intervention of the state and central government in imposing curbs on export of essential raw materials used by the dyeing industry to ensure adequate domestic availability and prevent further price escalation. The one-day strike was supported by the textile processing association in SIPCOT in Perundurai in Erode and units across Erode and Namakkal districts.

Eighteen common effluent treatment plants and private facilities in Tirupur also remained non-operational in view of the strike. “Around 2,800 tonnes of fabric is dyed every day in the dyeing units, generating dyeing charges of about 16.8 crore a day. The shutdown also resulted in an estimated loss of Rs 84 lakh in GST revenue to the government. The units employ more than 50,000 workers,” Gandhirajan.

The decision was taken at a meeting on jewel loans provided by various cooperative institutions functioning under the control of the Registrar of Cooperative Societies. Under the revised norms, the loan amount has been fixed at a maximum of Rs 10,000 per gram or 75 per cent of the market value of the jewellery.

The enhanced loan ceiling will apply to both fresh jewel loans and existing loans that are renewed, the government said. Earlier, loans were provided up to 75 per cent of the gold’s market value, subject to a maximum of Rs 7,000 per gram for loans with a six-month tenure. The maximum interest rate had been increased from 12 per cent to 13 per cent last year.

The government has also moved to address the disparity in interest rates between District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) and Primary Agricultural Cooperative Credit Societies (PACCS). The interest rate DCCBs charge PACCS on jewel loans must be at least 1.25 percentage points lower than the rate charged on jewel loans through DCCB branches.

Further, the government has capped PACCS's margin at 2.25 per cent.

It is said that Raja (54), a resident of Thirunellikaval Puthur village in Tiruvarur, was sowing paddy seeds in his field while his son Adityan (24) was tilling the land with the support of a tractor. Suddenly, the high-tension power line that was passing over the land snapped and fell onto the tractor, and Aditya was struggling for his life. Soon, his father, Raja, ran to rescue him, and he too was electrocuted. The tractor was reduced to ashes in the impact of the electrocution.

The public who witnessed the incident passed on the information to the Tiruvarur Taluk police, who rushed to the spot after suspending the power line, retrieved the bodies and sent them to Tiruvarur Medical College Hospital.

The information about the death spread among the farmers and residents. Subsequently, the leaders from farmers’ associations visited the family members of Raja at the medical college and consoled them.

The farmer leaders, along with the CPM functionaries, met the Collector V Mohanachandran and appealed for compensation of Rs 25 lakh each and a government job for the family members of the deceased. The Nagapattinam MP V Selvaraj also accompanied the members.

Karuppu Muruganandam, in his anticipatory bail petition, denied the allegations levelled against him by Divya Seshadri of Bengaluru in her complaint lodged at the Tiruchy police commissioner’s office on September 24, alleging that he had been in a close relationship with her, uploaded morphed photographs and videos intended to defame her on social media, and cheated her.

Based on the complaint, the police registered a case against him.

Muruganandam claimed that Divya Seshadri was living separately from her husband, had sought his help and had expressed an interest in joining a political party. He said she had been introduced to him and that he had extended various forms of assistance to her.

When the case came up for hearing, counsel for Muruganandam sought anticipatory bail for him. However, counsel for Divya Seshadri opposed the grant of anticipatory bail and sought to implead her as a respondent.

The court refused to grant interim protection from arrest. It then directed the police and Divya Seshadri to file their respective counter-affidavits and adjourned the case to Friday.

Within the next few days, all of them will move into secure housing units in the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) tenement complex in Kotturpuram.

To rehabilitate the residents of Chitra Nagar (VAMBAY) living in dilapidated structures near the Kotturpuram housing project, the Housing and Urban Development Department issued Government Order (4D) 25 in August. Given their low-income background, beneficiaries requested categorisation under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS). They sought to fix their financial contribution at Rs 1.50 lakh per dwelling unit, aligning with existing standards.

While the beneficiary contribution for EWS category tenements works out to Rs 10.49 lakh/dwelling unit, residents expressed their ability to pay only Rs 1.50 lakh. Consequently, the remaining Rs 8.99 lakh/dwelling unit will be covered through additional government funding support.

Nithya added that the condition of the houses had deteriorated drastically since the 2015 floods. During every monsoon, portions of the ceiling in these single-room units frequently collapse. “We spend sleepless nights dealing with rainwater mixed with sewage backflow that enters our homes through the toilets. We’re forced to live and carry out daily activities in cramped, unhygienic conditions,” she shared.

Concurring with was Ganesh, another resident, who explained, “Every year, crumbling roofs injure all of us. In May, we organised a road blockade to press our demands. Now, we’re happy that we’ll finally get a safe home before the monsoon sets in.”

Residents collectively thanked Ward 170 Councillor KR Kadhirmurugam (AIADMK), Saidapet MLA M Arul Prakasam, and members of the CPM for their continuous support, and Minister for Housing and Urban Development B Raj Kumar, who is likely to hand over the allotment order to residents.

Councillor Kadhirmurugam averred, “Over 190 families have already paid their share via demand draft, and the remaining will do so shortly. Our collective efforts have finally paid off.”

A senior official from the TNUHDB confirmed to DT Next, “The allotment orders are ready. After the by-poll, orders will formally hand them over to the residents.”

Dharapuram has a sizeable number of polling stations classified as vulnerable.

The electoral rolls in both constituencies have also expanded since the Special Intensive Revision, with women accounting for most of the new enrolments. The number of voters in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies has increased by a combined 2,103 over the past five months, with around 1,000 new voters added in each constituency.

In Madurantakam, the predominance of rural polling stations reflects the constituency's nature. Most polling stations are in rural areas, with the rest in urban locations.

The constituency has added more voters since April, with women accounting for the larger share of the increase. Dharapuram has seen a similar trend, though its electorate has grown less.

Security arrangements are extensive in both Dharapuram and Madurantakam, with police and Central Armed Police Forces personnel deployed for election duty.

Over 2,614 police and 480 Central Armed Police Forces personnel have been deployed in Madurantakam. In Dharapuram, 1,450 election personnel are deployed with 18 polling stations categorised as vulnerable.

The State government has meanwhile directed the Labour Department and the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health to ensure eligible workers receive a paid holiday on polling day.

The provision applies to workers in factories, industrial establishments and other establishments covered under the relevant labour laws. Daily-wage and casual workers are also covered.

Employees who are electors in the two constituencies but work outside them are entitled to the holiday.

Employers violating the provision may face penal action.

On Sunday, AICC general secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal approved the constitution of the Political Affairs Committee, Advisory Committee, and Disciplinary Action Committee of the TNCC.

Sources said the committees are expected to play a key role in determining the TNCC’s political position in the State. The Disciplinary Action Committee will also monitor the activities and social media posts of party members, and initiate action against those openly opposing the TVK-Congress alliance while favouring the DMK.

The differences came into sharper focus after former TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai questioned whether the Congress should continue its alliance with a party that was unwilling to accept Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as its Prime Ministerial candidate.

Reacting to the remark, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Praveen Chakravarty questioned Selvaperunthagai’s relevance within the party and asked why he was making “unnecessary comments” on the alliance.

Soon, Selvaperunthagai hit back in a social media post, alleging that questioning his identity reflected an “upper caste, communal mindset” and equated it with the incident in north India where the stage was allegedly “cleansed” after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s visit.

Selvaperunthagai also reiterated his question over Rahul’s candidature, asking why the Congress should remain in an alliance with a party that did not accept the Leader of Opposition as the Prime Ministerial candidate.

Against this backdrop, TNCC president B Manickam Tagore is learnt to have urged the Congress high command to initiate a scrutiny process within the State unit to identify functionaries who continue to oppose the party’s present political line.

The division bench comprising Justices P Velmurugan and KK Ramakrishnan also directed the Principal Secretary to file a report before the court and adjourned the case for four weeks.

The petitioner, advocate Theeran Thirumurugan of Madurai, said in his Public Interest Litigation that he was shocked to find widely circulated videos showing students of Alagappa Model Higher Secondary School in Karaikudi allegedly raising slogans of “TVK... TVK” during a government function held on August 3 in the presence of dignitaries, including a minister. The videos and media reports also created an impression that the slogans were not immediately restrained, he contended.

The petitioner said schools must remain insulated from partisan political influence as students are minors and at a formative stage of intellectual and emotional development. Educational institutions should instead foster independent thought, scientific temper, constitutional morality and democratic values, he said.

“Irrespective of the political party involved, school students should neither be encouraged nor permitted to participate in partisan political slogans, political campaigns or political demonstrations within educational institutions or during official government functions conducted on school premises,” he said.

If such practices continued unchecked, government schools and other educational institutions could gradually become platforms for political mobilisation, compromising the objective of providing children with a free, fair, impartial and politically neutral educational environment, he contended.

The petitioner further contended that the issue was not confined to one school. There were no comprehensive State-wide SOPs or binding administrative guidelines governing political activities during government functions on school campuses, he said, adding that the absence of such guidelines could result in similar incidents recurring across the State.

He had submitted a representation to the Chief Secretary and the Additional Chief Secretary of the School Education Department on August 3, seeking an inquiry into the reported incident and formulation of State-wide guidelines to prevent the use of school students and educational institutions for partisan political activities. After receiving no effective response, he approached the High Court.

The TVK won 107 seats in the Assembly, 11 short of a majority, and is dependent on allies. For principal opposition DMK, the bypolls are an opportunity to demonstrate its strength to stage a comeback, while AIADMK is seeking to re-establish its presence in the two constituencies after its MLAs switched to TVK, triggering the vacancies.

The five-cornered contests have also put the spotlight on the Left parties. Though CPM and CPI extend outside support to the TVK government, they have fielded candidates and campaigned aggressively against the ruling party, accusing it of horse-trading and bribing voters. Seeman's NTK is the fifth major player in the contests.

TVK founder Vijay campaigned for two days each in Dharapuram and Madurantakam, holding roadshows and making local stops, including visits to a temple, a tea shop and a tractor ride, in an effort to connect with voters. DMK president MK Stalin campaigned for a day in each constituency. His remarks about the physical appearance of TVK's Dharapuram candidate P Sathyabama drew criticism from political parties.

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami was the sole campaigner for his party in both constituencies and directly targeted Vijay during his campaign. The party's campaign, however, was affected by internal dissent, with Palaniswami keeping senior leaders SP Velumani, P Thangamani and CVe Shanmugam away from the campaign.

The opposition has alleged that the vacancies were created through "horse-trading" by TVK, forcing voters to return to the polls within months of the Assembly election. TVK has rejected the charge, saying the AIADMK MLAs resigned after becoming disillusioned with Palaniswami’s alleged attempts to join hands with the DMK.

TVK has fielded former AIADMK MLAs K Maragatham Kumaravel in Madurantakam and P Sathyabama in Dharapuram, both of whom resigned from the Assembly before joining TVK. They face DMK's I Paranthamen and AIADMK's Kanitha Sampath in Madurantakam, and DMK's S Suganya and AIADMK's K Bhanumathi in Dharapuram.

During the campaign, Vijay projected himself as the political inheritor of the welfare legacy of former AIADMK chief ministers MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa, while positioning TVK as the principal alternative to DMK. Victory in the bypolls would provide a political boost to the four-month-old TVK government and strengthen its claim to have consolidated its position after the Assembly election.

The effective strength of the Assembly is currently 227. TVK has 107 MLAs, including the Speaker, followed by DMK with 59 and AIADMK with 41. Congress has five MLAs, PMK four, CPI and CPM two each, VCK two and IUML two. BJP, DMDK and AMMK have one MLA each.

The Chengalpattu and Tirupur district administrations have declared a local holiday on Tuesday to enable voters to exercise their franchise. Polling will be held from 7am to 6 pm, with arrangements made for peaceful voting.

A total of 27 candidates are in the fray in Madurantakam, where 2,12,639 voters will exercise their franchise at 268 polling stations. Dharapuram has 30 candidates, with 2,22,406 electors eligible to vote at 282 polling stations.

People began gathering in front of the polling stations well ahead of the start of the polling exercise and enthusiastically waited to exercise their franchise.

Elaborate security and surveillance arrangements are in place and personnel from Tamil Nadu and Central Armed Police Forces have been deployed.

Before the voting commenced, officials conducted mock poll exercises in both the segments in the presence of agents of parties to cross check the working condition of the EVMs.

The elections were necessitated due to the resignation of then AIADMK MLAs K Maragatham Kumaravel and P Satyabama from Madurantakam (Chengalpet dt) and Dharapuram (Tiruppur dt) before they joined the ruling TVK. They have been re-nominated. DMK and AIADMK are in the contest in both seats.

The party’ general secretary Duraimurugan had filed the civil suit before the High Court against Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) over alleged defamatory statements concerning the party’s handling of the Veeramani case.

The plea alleged that TVK ministers Aadhav Arjuna and Nirmal Kumar, on September 21, accused the DMK of inaction in the case. It further alleged that the TVK’s IT wing and the party's official social media accounts on X, Instagram and Facebook had published, reposted and circulated the statements and materials, thereby causing injury to the party’s reputation.

The DMK submitted that a complaint relating to the alleged offence was received by the police on October 6, last year, and that an FIR was registered on the very next day. It contended that the police had acted promptly and that there was no delay or interference on the part of the party.

The DMK also contended that the publications were false, baseless and without lawful justification, and amounted to civil defamation. It sought damages of Rs 1 crore, stating that the actual damages could not be quantified.

The court had also directed the removal of the allegedly false and derogatory posts, clips, edits, videos, captions and thumbnails.

When the matter came up for hearing, the Ministers opposed the grant of leave to sue, arguing that the mandatory two-month notice under Section 80 of the CPC, required before suing a public officer, had not been issued. Petitioner’s senior counsel J Ravindran argued that the notice was unnecessary as the party was challenging the ministers’ defamatory statements, and not acts done in their official capacity.

After hearing all the sides, Justice K Govindarajan Thilakavadi reserved orders on October 1 and pronounced the order on October 5, granting permission to the DMK to institute the defamation suit.

In a letter to Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, the Chief Minister said the Sri Lankan Coast Guard had arrested nine fishermen from Rameswaram.

"This incident has created anxiety and fear among Tamil Nadu fishermen. Fishing is their primary livelihood, and repeated arrests have caused considerable distress and economic stress to fishermen's families," the Chief Minister said.

Stressing the need to secure the release of the fishermen and retrieve their fishing boats, Vijay said the existing Joint Working Group, which was constituted to hold discussions between India and Sri Lanka on the fishermen issue, needed to be strengthened.

"The Union government should restructure the Joint Working Group and initiate talks to find a meaningful solution to the long-standing fishermen issue," the Chief Minister said.

He also urged the Union government to take proactive measures to secure the release of Tamil Nadu fishermen lodged in Sri Lankan prisons and retrieve their 270 fishing boats.

A sum of Rs 812 crore has been allocated as the initial provision in the Revised Budget Estimates for 2026-27 for implementing the scheme, according to an order issued by the Social Welfare and Women's Rights Department.

Under the scheme, eligible brides belonging to Tamil Nadu and getting married in the State will receive an 8-gram 22-carat gold coin and one silk saree. The detailed eligibility criteria and guidelines for implementing the scheme will be issued separately.

According to the order, the procurement of gold coins will be carried out in accordance with the Tamil Nadu Transparency in Tenders Act.

The purchase price of the gold coins will be determined based on the rate fixed by the India Bullion and Jewellers Association (IBJA).

The government order also states that funds have been allocated for marriages taking place from the first day of implementation of the scheme.

Annan Seer scheme was one of the poll promises of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). After coming to power, the TVK led government is going to implement the Annan seer scheme.

Former TNCC IT and Social Media Wing chairman S Nabil Ahamed strongly condemned the incident in a statement issued on Monday. He said observing official protocol and respecting the dignity of elected representatives was essential at public functions.

Ahamed said preventing a sitting Rajya Sabha member from participating in a ceremonial event was unacceptable and undermined parliamentary dignity and political civility.

He also urged MLA Navalpattu Viji to express regret to MP M Christopher Tilak, stressing the need for mutual respect and dignity among alliance partners.

After the event concluded, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department Minister S Ramesh addressed the press and explained the issue. He said that Thiruverambur MLA Navalpattu S Viji asked for the candle as per protocol. He claimed there is no rift between the TVK and Congress, and no rift between old cadres and new cadres who joined from the ADMK and DMK parties.

The minister later downplayed the incident, saying it was over protocol.

The incident occurred in the presence of HR&CE Minister S Ramesh, Tiruchy Collector Pratik Tayal and around 240 pregnant women who attended the Samuthaya Valaikappu programme organised by the Social Welfare and Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).

The event began with the lighting of the traditional lamp. After Minister Ramesh and Collector Tayal lit the lamp, TVK MLAs R Kathiravan (Manapparai) and Vignesh (Musiri) took their turn and passed the candle to MP Tilak.

Viji then rushed towards the group, snatched the candle from Tilak and threw it down, saying protocol had not been followed. Tilak appeared shocked for a moment but did not react and stepped back.

The minister, collector and others tried to pacify Viji. Ramesh later picked up the candle, handed it to Viji and asked him to light the lamp, following which the programme went on.

After the event, Viji continued to raise his voice, claiming that he was the senior-most among the MLAs. Kathiravan attempted to pacify him, but the exchange turned into a heated argument between the two MLAs. Minister Ramesh intervened and brought the situation under control.

Viji was expelled from the DMK, joined the TVK ahead of the Assembly polls, and defeated Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi in the Tiruverumbur seat. He is reportedly upset over not getting a cabinet berth despite defeating a sitting minister.

He also dismissed allegations of money being transferred to voters through GPay.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a community baby shower (Samuthaya Valaikappu) programme in Tiruchy, Ramesh said the TVK was contesting the bypolls in both constituencies fairly and that its leaders and cadres had mounted an intensive campaign in Dharapuram, including door-to-door outreach.

He claimed the campaign had changed voters' minds, with many promising to support the TVK.

The minister alleged that opposition parties were mobilising people wherever TVK cadres campaigned and creating a false narrative that the ruling party faced public opposition.

Responding to a charge by the CPM State Secretary that the TVK was transferring money through GPay, Ramesh termed it baseless.

“We don’t need to distribute money to the voters as our achievements in just four months would get us a favourable result. The welfare schemes that have been launched by the TVK government have good reception among the people,” he said.

Ramesh also alleged that the then DMK government prevented TVK president and Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay from meeting people during the Assembly general polls.

“Since the TVK formed the government, the party president and CM has been meeting the people in each village, and he will continue to meet the people,” he added.

Lasar was with Veeramani for 23 years while the two others were employed with him for eight years.

SIT personnel conducted searches at the residences of the drivers and seized 8 mobile phones and 55 documents. So far, five cases have been registered against the granite baron based on complaints from the survivors. Police said that the survivors are also approaching them through the SIT's whatsapp helpline, 9345319676.

Last week, Commissioner A Amalraj had issued orders directing that Veeramani and two of his associates, Mahandra Simhan (63) and Shanthi (60), be detained under the Goondas act. Veeramani, who ran GEM granites and group of companies, and his associates have been in prison since August 29.

A pendrive with the video was sent to the city police’s ITPU (Immoral Trafficking Prevention Unit) in October 2025 and a case was registered on October 7, 2025. However, a closure report was filed by the city police in February 2026 stating that the video is unclear, which was rejected by the special court judge after which police began investigations again.

Police identified the elderly man in the video as prominent industrialist Veeramani and began probe. Another person, Ganesan (42), a former employee of Veermani, was arrested for being in possession of a video of Veermani sexually abusing a minor and not alerting the police.

The case was eventually transferred to an all-women Special Investigation Team (SIT), supervised by Commissioner A Amalraj.

The party also demanded action against former MDMK general secretary Vaiko and his son Durai Vaiko.

Addressing a press conference at Anna Arivalayam on Monday, DMK joint secretary of the legal wing I Paranthamen said two MDMK MLAs - T M Rajendran and R Senthilselvan - who represent the party in the Assembly on the DMK symbol, had submitted a petition to the DVAC seeking action against the Chief Minister, Minister Aadhav Arjuna and MDMK leaders, alleging that they had pressured them to resign.

"They were told to resign, and after resignation, they were told to face the by-election and one of them would become a minister. It was a clear conspiracy against the two MLAs. The DVAC should act on the petition submitted by the two MLAs," Paranthamen said.

Alleging that the four legs of the Chief Minister's chair were built on corruption, he said the TVK leadership was attempting to purchase MLAs and increase its strength in the Assembly.

"The ruling party criticised cash-for-votes during elections, but they are purchasing MLAs. Is this thooya sakthi?" Paranthamen asked.

Investigation is under way to ascertain if the murder is linked to his police complaint against a minor boy for allegedly harassing his daughter. 

Yuvaraj lived with his wife and three children. On Sunday evening, two youths wearing masks entered his house and attacked him with a knife and fled the scene. His family members and neighbours rescued him and moved him to the Tiruttani GH, where he succumbed to his injuries. Tiruttani Police registered a case of murder and have formed special teams to trace the attackers.

Preliminary probe has revealed that Yuvaraj’s daughter, a Class 12 student, was harassed by a 17-year-old boy who opposed her alleged relationship with another youth. The 17-year-old shared his disappointment with his friends who ganged up and confronted the girl outside her tuition centre two weeks ago and threatened her to discontinue her relationship. 

Learning of her daughter being harassed, Yuvaraj had filed a police complaint after which the four of them went absconding. On Saturday, Police detained one of them, Lawrence for questioning. 

Police said that it could not be confirmed yet if the 17-year-old was behind the murder and they are probing other angles too. 

The minibus owners association headed by the president VND Venkatesan approached the district collector R Revathi and submitted a petition in which they stated that they have been struggling to run the bus service due to fuel prices, prices of spare parts and tyres. In such a scenario, the state government has announced free bus service to women (Vetri Payanam), which affected their daily business and even destroyed their livelihood.

“As we have been in this business for more than three decades, we are unaware of other business options and so the state government should consider the welfare of the minibus owners and allow us to operate from the Thanjavur old bus stand to the new bus stand and reduce the number of free buses in the section,” the petition said.

After submitting the petition, Venkatesan told the media persons that the minibus services were affected by the previous DMK government, which introduced Magalir Vidiyal Payanam, and now it has been launched as Vettri Payanam.

“We are struggling to meet our daily expenses, and hundreds of workers involved in the minibus services face difficulties even for their daily bread, and so the state government should consider our plea,” Venkatesan said.

P Wilson, the Rajya Sabha MP from Tamil Nadu, said the Joint Committee on the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, travelled to different parts of India and interacted with legislators, Assembly speakers, political representatives, former chief election commissioners, constitutional experts, administrators, and ex-chief justices of India, among several other stakeholders.

The purpose of these consultations was simple: to hear every relevant perspective and ensure the Bill is examined comprehensively, transparently, and with a strong constitutional foundation, he said.

“Every institution has a different perspective. Legislators will look at the federal and democratic implications. Election commissioners will bring their experience of conducting elections. Administrators can speak about the practical and logistical consequences. Constitutional experts can examine the legal architecture. Former chief justices can provide valuable insights into constitutional questions and institutional implications,” Wilson said.

That is precisely why the Committee has been speaking to everyone and the objective is to identify the constitutional, legal, financial, administrative and practical consequences of the proposed reform and to see whether the Bill can be strengthened by addressing those concerns, the DMK MP said.

“That is the job of a Parliamentary committee. In this spirit of broad-based consultation, I suggested that this Committee hear the views of the present Chief Justice of India and other judges of the Supreme Court of his choosing through a study tour,” Wilson said in a seven-page clarification submitted to the panel.

The meeting between the JPC and the Supreme Court judges was fixed for October 6 before it was cancelled.

Sources said that on October 1, the Supreme Court secretary general's secretariat informed the Lok Sabha secretariat that the proposal for informal consultations between the Supreme Court judges and the panel members had been discussed among senior judges and it was conveyed that, since the proposed constitutional amendment might become a subject matter of judicial review before the Supreme Court, it might not be expedient or desirable to discuss the issue on the administrative side.

Wilson said that due to political objections surrounding this meeting, “unfortunately”, it was decided to call it off because of “unnecessary and unfortunate circumstances caused by vested interests”.

“With great pain and sadness, I place on record that this Committee has lost the valuable opportunity to interact with the Chief Justice of India and some judges of the Supreme Court. But I want to clarify certain things because several arguments, some publicly, are fundamentally flawed,” he said.

The DMK MP said some argue that a JPC cannot meet sitting Supreme Court judges because those same judges may one day be called upon to examine the legislation's constitutional validity.

He said another argument was that such an interaction would violate the separation of powers. There was yet another argument that such a meeting was unprecedented and constitutionally impermissible.

“I respectfully disagree with these arguments,” he said.

Wilson said separation of powers is a fundamental Constitutional principle, but separation of powers does not mean the three organs of the state must operate in watertight compartments, never communicate with one another, or never exchange institutional perspectives.

“The Constitution does not establish three isolated islands. The legislature makes laws. The executive implements them. The judiciary reviews, interprets and adjudicates upon them. But constitutional governance necessarily involves institutional interaction, consultation and dialogue at appropriate stages,” he said.

The Rajya Sabha MP said seeking informal views of the Chief Justice of India and other judges was not the same as seeking adjudication from the Supreme Court.

“We are not asking the views of the Supreme Court. We are asking for their (judges’) views in their individual capacity, as stakeholders in democracy. We are asking for their institutional perspective, in their individual capacity, informally, on a constitutional reform of enormous significance.

“To assume that because some judges gave suggestions to this Committee, future judges will not be able to hear challenges to this Bill undermines the ability and integrity of the judiciary. The Hon'ble CJI and Hon'ble Judges giving their suggestions and inputs to this Committee does not preclude constitutional courts from hearing challenges to the legislation, if and when enacted,” he argued.

Wilson also said that when the draft Constitution was prepared, it was circulated widely, and those judges who later became the first judges of the Supreme Court and the chief justices of the various high courts were specifically invited to offer their opinions.

“In March 1948, the judges of the Federal Court and the Chief Justices of the High Courts even met to formulate their collective views on the Draft Constitution,” he said in the clarification.

Peechi Muthu, 89, lodged the complaint with the Rajakkamangalam police in Kanyakumari district. He alleged that Madhumitha had stolen the jewellery from him and threatened him when he questioned her about it.

In his complaint, Muthu said he works as a building contractor and frequently undergoes physiotherapy for back pain. During one such visit, he became acquainted with Madhumitha of Thambathukonam in Nagercoil. She allegedly contacted him frequently over the phone.

Madhumitha allegedly spoke to him in a sexually suggestive manner using double entendres, following which he avoided speaking to her over the phone, Muthu said. In 2022, she allegedly asked him to meet her urgently and told him to come to a bus stop near the Tirunelveli court complex.

Muthu said he went there in his car and Madhumitha got into the vehicle. She allegedly attempted to provide him physiotherapy, but he declined. He then dropped her at the Tirunelveli bus stand and returned home.

It was only then that he noticed that a five-sovereign gold chain he had been wearing around his neck was missing, he said.

When he questioned Madhumitha about the missing jewellery, she allegedly threatened him. Fearing humiliation, he did not lodge a complaint at the time, Muthu claimed..

As the alleged incident occurred in Tirunelveli district, the Rajakkamangalam police registered the FIR and transferred the case to the Tirunelveli Taluk police for further investigation.

Incidentally, the police arrested four persons last week for allegedly stealing 118 sovereigns of gold jewellery from Madhumitha’s house at Thambathukonam in Nagercoil. The accused reportedly targeted the house after watching her YouTube videos, in which she displayed cash and gold jewellery.

Despite the robbery, Madhumitha has continued to upload videos displaying cash and gold jewellery in large quantities.

Komburaja collapsed and fainted while undergoing training at the Madras Engineer Group Centre in Bengaluru on October 3. Though fellow recruits rushed him to a nearby hospital, doctors declared him dead.

Komburaja, the only son of Veeralakshmi, had cleared the Agnipath recruitment examination conducted by the Indian Army while pursuing his third year of engineering. He had been undergoing training at the Madras Engineer Group Centre in Bengaluru since June 26, 2026.

After doctors declared Komburaja dead, Army officials arranged for a post-mortem examination at a government hospital in Bengaluru. His body was subsequently transported by ambulance to his native village and brought to his residence on Monday.

Unable to bear the loss, his mother Veeralakshmi broke down in grief, saying, “My husband died without even seeing the face of our son. After his death, I chose not to remarry and lived only for my son. Now, my only son has also left me.”

Her emotional outburst left villagers present in tears. After the completion of the final rites at his residence, the body was taken to the cremation ground, where Army personnel placed a wreath and paid their respects.

Villathikulam DMK MLA GV Markandeyan, Kayathar Tahsildar Appanaraj, revenue officials and residents also paid floral tributes to Komburaja. His mortal remains were subsequently cremated with State honours.

At Kallar near Mettupalayam, a car with a man, his college-going daughter and their driver were swept away after a portion of the road caved in due to erosion in the early morning hours. The man from Sivaganga district was taking his daughter to a private college in Coonoor.

“As the car crossed the Kallar checkpost, a portion of the weakened road collapsed, and the vehicle was swept into a plantation, where it overturned. Soon, some local shopkeepers and police personnel at the nearby check post rushed to the spot, broke open the car windows and rescued all three occupants,” said a cop from Mettupalayam station.

The injured trio were taken by ambulance to Mettupalayam Government Hospital and later shifted to a private hospital in Coimbatore for further treatment. Police placed barricades around the damaged stretch as a precaution.

In Coonoor, a huge tree got uprooted onto a car on the Railway Station Road at Aruvankadu, disrupting traffic. Fire and rescue services personnel from the nearby cordite factory rushed to the spot and removed the tree. The tree fall incident led to more than ten villages facing prolonged power outages through the night.

The downpour also triggered boulders to roll down the Coonoor-Mettupalayam Highway, while a minor landslip was reported near Burliar. In Kotagiri, strong winds uprooted two trees, bringing down electricity poles and snapping wires at night.

Firefighters cleared the fallen trees on Monday morning, after which power was restored. Another tree fell across the Kotagiri-Mettupalayam Road. Due to rains, the tourist footfall in popular destinations across the hill district remained low, after a good turnout over the weekend.

Kottai Karuppanasamy festival draws devotees

According to a Daily Thanthi report, the festival began with special pujas and deeparadhanai for the deity. As part of the main ritual on Sunday night, more than 100 goats were sacrificed as offerings by devotees whose wishes had been fulfilled.

The meat from the sacrificed goats was then used to prepare traditional mutton curry and rice in large vessels at the temple premises. The cooking continued through the night before the feast was served to devotees.

Men-only feast continues tradition

Only men were allowed to participate in the cooking and the feast, which is a distinctive tradition followed during the festival. Thousands of men from nearby villages and other parts of Dindigul district gathered in long queues to offer prayers and partake in the non-vegetarian prasadam.

The festival has been conducted for generations, with devotees continuing the traditional practice as part of their worship of Kottai Karuppanasamy.

In letters to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the MP has proposed extending the New Tinsukia–Tambaram and Silghat Town–Tambaram Express services to Kanniyakumari via Villupuram, Tiruchy and Madurai. He has also sought to extend the Howrah–Tiruchy Express to Kanniyakumari and increase its frequency from twice a week to daily.

It would give passengers from parts of Northeast India and eastern India more direct rail links to southern Tamil Nadu, without having to end their journey at Tambaram or Tiruchy and arrange onward travel separately.

In another proposal, he has sought to extend the Chennai Central–New Jalpaiguri Express to Agartala and Kanniyakumari, creating a direct rail link between Tripura and southern TN. The requests come alongside demands for better services at Thirumayam railway station in his constituency.

The MP has sought a halt for the Chennai Egmore–Rameswaram Express at the station, citing the needs of students, employees, business travellers and pilgrims. He has also called for Platform 1 at Thirumayam to be extended to around 540 metres to accommodate 24-coach trains. The MP has requested an inspection of the station to assess passenger amenities, accessibility and safety.

The project, which involves installing a turbine on a foundation built on the seabed and laying a submarine cable to bring the power to the shore, is scheduled for completion within 12 months of the Letter of Acceptance.

Unlike conventional wind farms with multiple turbines, the proposed installation will have only one turbine; but the project will build experience in offshore installation, marine logistics, and grid connectivity.

The turbine will be located about 1.65 km from the southern breakwater of the existing Inner Harbour and around 1 km from the proposed southern breakwater of the Outer Harbour. The seabed at the site is about 9.7 metres below Chart Datum, the reference level used to measure water depth.

The contractor will have to conduct site-specific seabed and marine surveys before designing the foundation and installing the turbine. The work also includes supplying the vessels and lifting equipment required for offshore installation, laying the submarine export cable, and providing the associated electrical and control systems. The cable must be buried or otherwise protected as required.

Electricity generated by the turbine will be stepped up to 22 kV through a transformer and carried by the subsea cable to a Transition Joint Bay at the port's existing substation. From there, the power will be connected to the State grid. Onshore meters will record electricity exported to and imported from the grid in accordance with Tangedco and Tantransco norms.

The sequence includes detailed surveys and engineering, equipment procurement, foundation installation, cable laying, turbine installation, and electrical integration, followed by testing and commissioning. The contractor will also be responsible for the required environmental studies and statutory approvals.

The turbine will have three blades mounted on a tubular steel tower, with a minimum design life of 25 years. The contract, issued by Indian Port Rail - Ropeway Corporation Ltd (IPRCL) on behalf of the port, includes two years of operation and maintenance after commissioning.

After commissioning, the turbine must meet specified performance requirements, including at least 95% annual machine availability, an energy-production demonstration test and a 96-hour reliability run without faults or alarms.

India has pursued offshore wind development off Tamil Nadu and Gujarat coasts for more than a decade, but the sector has yet to take off.

N Kalamani, a stage carriage operator from Erode, has filed a writ petition before the Madras High Court challenging the expansion of the free bus travel scheme for women and transwomen.

In her plea, she stated that the DMK government had introduced the ‘Vidiyal Payanam’ Zero-Ticket Bus Travel (ZTBT) Scheme for women and transwomen. Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay announced in the State Assembly on August 24 that it would be expanded to ordinary-fare buses in mofussil and hilly areas under the name ‘Vetri Payanam’, with effect from October 2, at an estimated annual expenditure of around Rs 6,000 crore.

She further submitted that the State government had announced an annual subsidy grant of Rs 1,200 crore to State transport corporations, based on the assumption that women contribute 40% of the Rs 3,000 crore annual ticket revenue of city and town buses. She contended that if the scheme was introduced, private-sector operators may not find passengers in their vehicles, and that no GO had been issued following the announcement made in the Assembly.

The petitioner sought an order or direction in the nature of a writ, declaring the August 24 communication of the Tamil Nadu Department of Information and Public Relations as unconstitutional, ultra vires and void, and for passing such further or other orders.

When the matter came up for hearing, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan were disinclined to entertain the plea, questioning how an operator licensed only in a particular area could challenge a scheme applicable across Tamil Nadu. “You are an operator only in a particular area. How can you challenge the scheme which is applicable in the entire Tamil Nadu? You can challenge only that portion which affects you. This is private interest litigation,” the Bench orally remarked.

The court also noted that the petitioner had challenged the CM’s Assembly announcement instead of the GO implementing the scheme, and permitted her to withdraw the plea and work out her remedy in accordance with the law.

The strike, organised under the banner of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), saw municipal and local body workers assemble outside the Nagapattinam Municipality office to stage demonstrations and press their six-point charter of demands.

With workers abstaining from work, garbage began piling up across residential neighbourhoods and commercial areas in the coastal town.

The protesters' key demands include the permanent absorption of all contract, daily wage, and outsourced workers; discontinuation of handing over civic maintenance to private contractors; implementation of a fixed monthly living wage; provision of compassionate appointments for the kin of deceased workers; disbursal of pending allowances for hazardous duty performed during the COVID-19 pandemic; and strict compliance with Employee Provident Fund (EPF) and safety gear provisions.

Speaking during the agitation, Selvi, a municipal sanitation worker, highlighted the disparity in wages and the hazardous conditions endured by sanitary staff.

"We have been working for 12 to 15 years, yet our jobs have not been made permanent, nor are we given adequate wages. Successive governments promised regularisation upon coming to power, but nothing has changed. Even liquor shop employees are paid Rs 30,000, whereas we, who risk our lives sorting through garbage with our bare hands, are not even provided protective gloves," she told reporters here.

Addressing the demonstration, former MLA Nagai Mali urged the state government to immediately initiate tripartite talks with trade union leaders.

"Sanitation work is permanent and indispensable in nature, yet keeping the workers temporary for decades is bizarre and unjust. The government's attempts to privatise these essential municipal services must be stopped immediately," the former MLA said.