Following the meeting, Stalin said in a post on X that the DMK had lakhs of cadres like Kasi, who served as role models for living by the party's ideology. He added that they were also living examples of how the party practised its policies, not merely spoke about them on public platforms.

Recounting his meeting with Kasi, Stalin said he saw the smile of former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi (Kalaignar) in his eyes.

Stalin said he (Kasi) had been inspired by Periyar, regarded Murasoli as his classroom and embraced the principles of self-respect marriage.

"There is much to learn from dedicated party functionaries like Kasi, who have contributed through their hard work and sacrifices to the growth of the party. Not only the party president, but also those who aspire to join the party should learn from such functionaries," Stalin said.

Kasi wanted to meet the party president, Stalin, and he expressed his wish through social media. After it went viral, Stalin met Kasi, a party cadre.

The arrested have been identified as Roshan Fiaz of Chennai and Ammar of Pudukkottai. According to the ED, the duo was part of an organised network that contacted victims through social media platforms and induced them to transfer large sums of money into mule bank accounts on the pretext of investment opportunities, share market returns, and job offers.

The money deposited in these accounts was split into smaller amounts and routed through multiple mule accounts. A portion of the proceeds was withdrawn in cash, while the remaining amount was transferred through cryptocurrency wallets, the central agency said.

The ED initiated its investigation based on two FIRs registered by the State Cyber Crime Command Centre of Tamil Nadu police and the Cyber Crime police station in Cyberabad, Telangana, under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, the Indian Penal Code, and the Information Technology Act.

The ED said Roshan Fiaz of Chennai was the key operative who coordinated the diversion and layering of the proceeds through an extensive network of mule accounts before transferring the money into cryptocurrency

During the investigation, the agency identified 10 more FIRs registered in Telangana, Karnataka, and West Bengal that were linked to the same network. More than 600 complaints have been received against the network from across the country, with the estimated proceeds of crime exceeding Rs 400 crore.

The ED said Fiaz was the key operative who coordinated the diversion and layering of the proceeds through an extensive network of mule accounts before transferring the money into cryptocurrency.

Investigators found debit and credit transactions exceeding Rs 300 crore in 31 bank accounts operated in his name, his wife's name, and the names of entities controlled by him.

Ammar allegedly arranged mule bank accounts belonging to individuals and entities, and supplied their account kits, net-banking credentials, SIM cards, mobile phones, and email IDs to Fiaz. These accounts were used to receive money in Indian currency from cryptocurrency buyers, the agency said.

Earlier searches at locations linked to the accused and their associated entities led to the seizure of Rs 14.50 lakh in cash and cryptocurrency worth Rs 3.26 crore. The ED also froze Rs 88.28 lakh in multiple bank accounts.

Advocate H Syed Alim sought directions to the Director General of Police to issue a Police Standing Order or circular prescribing uniform safeguards for police stations, cybercrime units, and investigating officers while dealing with complaints relating to social media posts, political criticism, satire, and online speech.

The petitioner said the plea was necessitated by the increasing registration of criminal cases against citizens, journalists, political commentators, activists and social media users for expressing criticism, satire and political opinions online. He cited recent cases registered against DMK MLA GV Markandayan, DMK's Anbanathan and Vinoth Suriya Kumar over remarks made during public speeches.

He contended that police often registered cases and made arrests without verifying whether the complainants were legally aggrieved by the alleged expression or examining the legal maintainability of the complaints. He further alleged that the police, under pressure from influential politicians and amid political rivalry, were using arrests and inquiries to harass individuals under the guise of investigation.

The petitioner argued that such arbitrary exercise of State power violated Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution and affected the freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a). He sought a uniform procedure requiring careful scrutiny of complaints involving political speech and social media expression before taking coercive action, without affecting the police's duty to register and investigate cognisable offences.

Chennai: Domestic help arrested for stealing 53 sovereign jewellery, Rs 16 lakh from 85-yr-old employer

A 51-year-old domestic help was arrested for allegedly stealing gold jewellery and cash from her employer's house in Mylapore. The police recovered around 53 sovereigns of jewellery and Rs 15.5 lakh in cash from her.

The complainant, V Padma (85), a retired government official lives with her daughter on Karaneeswarar Koil 2nd Street in Mylapore. The arrested woman, Manimekalai of Mandaveli, has been working as a domestic help at her house for the past 15 years.

On Wednesday, Manimekalai allegedly stole a box containing the cash and gold jewellery from the house. Based on Padma's complaint, the Mylapore police registered a case and began investigations.

A police team conducted a detailed inquiry at the spot and detained Manimekalai for questioning. Investigation revealed that she had access to all parts of the house and had stolen the box containing the cash and jewellery when the elderly woman was in another room.

After investigations, the police arrested Manimekalai and recovered the stolen valuables. She told the investigators that she stole the valuables to repay debts she had incurred. Officials said that she would be produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody.

15 school students injured in beetle attack in Kumbakonam

As many as 15 students from Kumbakonam were admitted to the GH after being stung by swarms of beetles on the premises of a government school on Thursday.

A swarm of beetles from a tree on the Government Girls Higher Secondary School premises in Tirunaraiyur stung students.

A few sustained injuries. On hearing them screaming, the teachers rescued them and rushed the injured to the Nachiyarkoil GH, where they underwent treatment till evening. Later, they were sent to their houses.

Based on the complaint by VAO Thiyagu, the police registered a case and conducted an inquiry. Meanwhile, the fire and rescue personnel removed the beetle nest from the particular tree.

Unemployed Kerala youth turns to smuggling, caught by Chennai Air Customs with 5 kg hydroponic ganja

A 27-year-old youth from Kerala, who was struggling to find a job after completing his graduation, turned to drug smuggling for an international ring, only to land in the Puzhal Central Prison after being nabbed by the Air Customs officials at the Chennai international airport for ferrying 5 kg of high-quality hydroponic ganja from Thailand via Kuala Lumpur.

The officials who were monitoring passengers arriving from Thailand via Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday became suspicious of the flyer who had returned to Chennai after visiting Thailand as a tourist. When questioned, he reportedly failed to cooperate properly with the officials. He was taken to the Customs office for further questioning, and his luggage was thoroughly checked.

During the search, officials found packets of processed food items in his luggage. Hidden between these packets were several other packets containing high-quality hydroponic ganja. A total of 5 kg of hydroponic ganja was seized from him.

Following this, the officials arrested the youth and seized the drugs. During further questioning, officials found that the young man was a graduate who had been unable to find a job. He had allegedly agreed to work as a drug courier for a smuggling gang. The arrested youth was produced before a court and remanded in Puzhal Prison.

The officials are now investigating further to find out the members of the smuggling ring who lured the youth.

Kumbakonam man held for illegal cracker manufacturing

Kumbakonam police on Thursday arrested a man on charges of illegally manufacturing and selling country crackers ahead of Deepavali.

Vijayapandian (37), a resident of Muppakovil in Kumbakonam, is a construction worker.

Acting on a tip-off that Vijayapandian has been illegally selling crackers to regular customers and making varieties of crackers for the past few weeks, the Kumbakonam East police conducted a surprise search in his house late Wednesday,

They seized 50 gunny bags full of country crackers and around 500 kgs of raw material from the house. The police registered a case and arrested Vijayapandian early Thursday.

Woman cop dies of cardiac arrest on way to work in Thanjavur

A woman head constable died of a sudden cardiac arrest while commuting from her home to work in Thanjavur on Thursday.

According to sources, S Muthu Nachiyar (39), a resident of Keezhavastha Chavadi in Thanjavur, was working as a head constable in Kallaperambur police station.

On Thursday, while Muthu Nachiyar was on her way to work, she suddenly suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed. Soon, the passersby rushed her to the Thanjavur Medical College Hospital.

However, the doctors declared her dead upon arrival. She is survived by her husband, Sankar, an Armed Reserve personnel, a son and a daughter. 

Burglars plunder 10 sovereigns of gold from retired teacher's house in Tiruvarur

Miscreants decamped with 160 sovereigns of gold jewellery belonging to a retired teacher in Tiruvarur in the early hours of Thursday. The police have retrieved CCTV footage and are searching for unidentified persons.

The incident occurred when Govindaraj (65), a retired teacher, residing at Karuppukilar village in Tiruvarur, had gone to Bengaluru with his family members to give ‘Deepavali seer (gift)’ to one of his daughters. They had left on November 2 and returned on Thursday.

Upon returning home, they were shocked to see the front door of their house broken. Govindaraj found the almirah in one of the rooms damaged and 160 sovereign gold ornaments and cash of Rs 10,000 missing. The value of the gold ornaments was said to be around Rs 2 crore.

Soon, he passed on the information to the Kottur police, who registered a case. The information about the theft was also passed on to the Tiruvarur SP, V Satish Kumar. The SP, along with a police team, visited the spot and conducted an inquiry with the retired teacher Govindaraj.

Fingerprint experts were also deployed while the police retrieved CCTV footage near Govindaraj's house. Further investigation is on, and a search is under way for the culprits.

Class 10 boy severely injured after leaping off school building

A Class 10 boy leapt from the second floor of his school after exam invigilator found him exchanging papers during a model exam on Wednesday.

According to reports, CBSE students in Class 10 and 12 were now involved in preparing for model examinations. On Wednesday, while an examination was going on, a Class 10 boy reportedly exchanged his paper with a classmate, which was found by the invigilator. He was caught red-handed and the invigilator inquired with him.

While the invigilator was talking with him, the boy suddenly ran out of the classroom and jumped from the second floor of the school.

On impact, he sustained severe fractures in his hand and hip. The school authorities rushed to his rescue immediately and moved him to a private hospital. He is currently undergoing treatment.

The E-Pudhur police registered a case and are investigating.

DMK man hacked to death over financial dispute

A DMK functionary, identified as Lakshmanan, was hacked to death by a gang near Kodaikanal in Dindigul district.

Police suspect that a dispute over money between Lakshmanan and one Ajith of Meenatchipuram led to the murder. According to the initial information, the gang had first attacked Lakshmanan's son in an attempt to murder him.

However, he escaped and lodged a complaint with the police. The assailants subsequently targeted his father, Lakshmanan, and hacked him to death. Following the incident, police have launched a search for Ajith and other suspects who fled the scene.

Dindigul Superintendent of Police Jayakumar is conducting an intensive investigation into the murder.

14-yr-old boy succumbs to fever after falling unconscious in school

A Class 8 boy who fell unconscious on his school premises died after undergoing treatment in the hospital in Tiruchy on Wednesday.

Sources said that on October 31, S Mohammed Yasin (14), studying in a private school near Pullambadi in Tiruchy, fell unconscious on the school premises after vomiting. Soon, the school authorities took him to a private hospital for treatment. The boy reportedly developed a fever for a couple of days, and the temperature failed to subside.

He was shifted to another hospital at Kallakudi near Lalgudi, but his condition had worsened. The boy was shifted again to the Tiruchy Government Hospital to continue treatment. Unfortunately, the boy's treatment failed, and he succumbed.

Based on the complaint by Mohammed Yasin's father, Seit Mohammed, the Kallakudi police registered a case and are investigating. The police also conducted an inquiry at the school and with the doctors who treated him.

Man gets triple life term for wife's murder

Karur Mahila Fast Track Court on Wednesday awarded a triple life sentence to a man who murdered his wife over a domestic quarrel and burnt the body to destroy evidence.

On November 9, 2023, Sivakumar of Kulathupalayam quarrelled with his wife, Palaniammal, and later took her on a drive in their car to pacify her. Sivakumar later severely assaulted her, and she died on the spot. He then burned her body to destroy evidence.

After a few days, Palaniammal's parents lodged a missing person complaint with the Aravakurichi police. Subsequently, the police arrested Sivakumar following a probe.

The Mahila court judge Thangavel, who heard the case, awarded triple life term and a fine of Rs 10,000 to Sivakumar. He has been lodged in Tiruchy Central Prison.

History sheeter hacked to death in Madurai

A notorious history-sheeter was hacked to death by an unidentified gang near Samayanallur in Madurai district in the wee hours on Monday, police said.

The deceased, identified as Surya alias ‘Kuttisaku’, a resident of Sadachiamman Nagar in Samayanallur, had over 10 pending criminal cases against him, including charges of murder and assault. According to the police, the incident occurred when Surya was consuming alcohol at the old panchayat office complex located on the Madurai-Dindigul National

Highway around 2 am. An armed gang confronted him and attacked him with lethal weapons. His face was severely disfigured in the attack, and he died on the spot before the assailants fled the scene.

Upon receiving information, the Samayanallur police rushed to the site, recovered the body, and sent it to the Madurai Rajaji Government Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

Preliminary investigations suggest that prior enmity and retaliation could be the motive behind the murder.

The police have launched an intensive investigation and are currently on the lookout for the absconding gang members, officials added.

VCK man’s murder: DMK cadre among 5 held

Five people, including a DMK functionary, have been arrested in connection with the brutal murder of a VCK functionary at a petrol pump here, police said on Monday.

The Police apprehended all five suspects within six hours of the incident after reviewing CCTV footage from the fuel station. The deceased, Balamurugan (40), was a former VCK union secretary for Ottapidaram who ran a vegetable shop and worked as a van driver.

According to the police, the murder was the fallout of a dispute over the placement of flex banners on the Sottaiyan Thoppu main road. The fatal attack occurred around 6 am on Sunday. Balamurugan had gone to a fuel outlet on Sethupathi Road to refuel his two-wheeler when a five-member gang arriving on two motorcycles surrounded him. They hacked him with sickles, and he died on the spot.

The Thalamuthunagar police recovered the body and sent it to the Thoothukudi Government Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Based on a complaint filed by Balamurugan’s wife, Sudha, a case was registered at the Thalamuthunagar police station.

The incident triggered tension in the highly populated area. Hundreds of locals and relatives of the victim staged a road blockade on the Sottaiyan Thoppu main road, disrupting traffic and demanding immediate action against the killers. The protest was withdrawn after senior police officials held talks and assured them of swift arrests. Over 200 police personnel have been deployed in the area as a precautionary measure.

Woman smuggles 800g gold, held in Coimbatore airport

A woman passenger from Sharjah was arrested for smuggling 808.27 grams of gold, valued at around Rs 1.15 crore, at the Coimbatore International Airport on Monday. Acting on a tip-off, officials of the Customs Intelligence Unit intensified surveillance and screened over 200 passengers. During the checks, they found that the woman had concealed gold in paste form inside her garments. The officials recovered 808.27 grams of gold, valued at approximately Rs 1.15 crore, from her possession. The woman was detained, and the seized gold was confiscated. An investigation is ongoing to ascertain whether others were involved in the smuggling operation.

Ennore: Week after son's arrest in Pocso case, father held for similar offence

Days after his 32-year-old son was arrested for alleged sexual assault on a two-and-a-half-year-old girl child in Ennore, his 61-year-old father was arrested in a similar complaint.

The arrested person was identified as Desingh. He had allegedly behaved inappropriately with a 7-year-old girl in June, according to the police. The police said the two families had earlier tried to resolve the matter through a local community meeting, and no complaint was filed at that time.

The matter came to light again after the accused's son was taken into custody last week in a separate case registered under the Pocso Act concerning a toddler from the same locality.

Following the recent arrest of his son, the mother of the 7-year-old survivor approached the police and lodged a formal complaint. Based on her complaint, Ennore police registered a case and arrested Desingh on Saturday. He was produced before the court and remanded in judicial custody.

Earlier, Desingh's son, Ranjithkumar, was arrested on October 26 after he allegedly lured a child to his house twice last week and had allegedly sexually abused her.

63-yr-old woman killed as tanker rams bike near Pallikaranai

A 63-year-old woman died on the spot, and her husband was injured after a private water tanker hit their two-wheeler from behind near Pallikaranai on Saturday.

The victim was identified as Indumathi (63) of Radha Nagar, Perumbakkam. She was riding pillion with her husband Balachandar (67).

According to the Pallikaranai Traffic Investigation Wing, the couple was heading home on Velachery Main Road when the tanker rammed their bike near Mayilai Balaji Nagar.

Due to the impact, both fell on the road. Indumathi was run over by the tanker and suffered fatal injuries. Balachandar escaped with minor injuries.

Residents rushed them to a nearby private hospital, where Indumathi was declared brought dead. The police sent the body to Tambaram Government Hospital for post-mortem examination. The police registered a case and arrested the driver, Chinnarasu (31) of Tiruvarur

5 held for circulating counterfeit notes in Vellore

The Vellore police arrested five people for circulating counterfeit currency notes.

Rafiq Ahmed (46) of Gudiyatham had paid for a Flipkart delivery using two counterfeit Rs 500 notes.

The delivery agent tipped off the police, and Rafiq was arrested. He told the police he acquired the notes from Zubair Ahmed (52), who in turn revealed that Gopal (47) and Kamaraj (48) were his suppliers.

The duo named Babu (65) as their supplier. Further probe revealed that Babu had been arrested in counterfeit currency cases in West Bengal around 10 years ago and had served a prison term.

Police have seized counterfeit currency notes worth Rs 1.50 lakh and are Babu's connections in West Bengal.

Chennai: 26-year-old Siddha medical student dies by suicide

A 26-year-old postgraduate Siddha medical student dies by suicide at the girls hostel of the National Institute of Siddha in Tambaram on Thursday. The deceased was identified as T Shenbagavalli, who was pursuing her third year of postgraduate Siddha medicine at the institute and was staying at the college hostel along with two other students.

Police said that Shenbagavalli was also preparing for central government recruitment examinations. The question papers were difficult, and she was worried about whether she would clear the exam and secure a government job.

READ FULL STORY HERE

12-year-old FSC detainee accused of sexually abusing infant in Tiruchy

 A 12-year-old Bangladeshi boy, lodged as an alleged illegal immigrant at the Foreigners Special Camp (FSC) in Tiruchy, has been accused of sexually abusing a one-year-old girl inside the facility.

Sources in the Centre said the incident occurred because the boy, who should have been housed in the men’s block, was instead allowed to stay with his mother in the women’s block. The child he allegedly abused belongs to another Bangladeshi family lodged in the women’s block, they said.

READ FULL STORY HERE

Thanjavur: 3-yr-old girl sexually abused; mother, lover held

Thanjavur police arrested a man for sexually abusing a three-year-old child.

The police also arrested the child’s mother for supporting the accused on Friday. Yogaraj (32), a collection agent in a finance firm in Kumbakonam, had an extramarital affair with a 24-year-old woman whose husband was said to be working abroad.

On October 26, Yogaraj, who went to the woman’s house, had reportedly sexually abused the woman's three-year-old child. Yogaraj had also bitten the baby in several places.

When neighbours inquired about it, the mother gave an evasive response. Based on the alert, the Natchiyarkoil police found that the child was sexually abused and arrested Yogaraj and the baby’s mother.

Tamil Nadu: 3 assault cop and HG personnel, held

A gang of three arrested for attacking a policeman and a home guard personnel after being warned against consuming alcohol in a public place in Ariyalur in the wee hours of Friday.

When Raja Kannan (37), a policeman from Thalavai station near Sendurai, along with home guard personnel Venkatesan (47), were on routine patrol in the late hours of Thursday, a gang of three were consuming alcohol at a shed along the main road.

Both personnel urged them to leave the spot immediately. However, they picked up a quarrel and hurled abusive words at the personnel.

Soon, the police constable Raja Kannan contacted the Thalavai police station and passed on the information. Suddenly, the trio attacked the duo and escaped.

However, the police secured the trio, identified as Mathivanan, Thamaraikannan and Elamparithi, all from Silappanur village.

Tiruchy: 3 held in separate ganja peddling cases

Three persons, including a woman, were arrested for peddling ganja across Tiruchy City.

Based on a tip-off, the City Commissioner of Police Rupesh Kumar Meena ordered an elaborate raid across the city.

When a team from E-Pudhur police were searching at Panjapur, they found one Pavithran (22) from Ramji Nagar selling ganja.

Soon, the police arrested him and seized ganja packs. Similarly, another team found Sakthivel (24) from Ramji Nagar selling ganja in Rettamalai and arrested him.

A 35-year-old woman selling ganja was arrested from a house in Ariyamangalam.

Jewellery dealer cheated of 7.3 kg gold; man arrested in Triplicane

A 30-year-old man was arrested for allegedly cheating a jewellery dealer of 7.30 kg of gold ornaments worth several crores of rupees in Triplicane.

The accused, Masook Jain of Vepery, was arrested by the Triplicane police on Wednesday and remanded in judicial custody.

According to the police, the complainant, Seerak (25), runs a jewellery shop and workshop on Irulappan Street in Sowcarpet. Jain had reportedly been collecting gold ornaments from him on a commission basis, claiming that he would sell them to jewellery shops operated by his contacts.

READ FULL STORY HERE

Chennai man, Bangladeshi mother-in-law held for serial robberies

Thanjavur police arrested a Chennai man and his Bangladeshi mother-in-law for stealing 30 sovereigns of gold jewellery from a house. The duo were habitual offenders involved in a series of theft cases across the state, targeting houses locked for a long period.

On October 23, K Karthi, who runs a finance firm at Pillayarpatti near Tiruvidaimaruthur in Thanjavur, returned home in the evening after work, and he found the front door of his house broken and 30 sovereigns, 250-gram silver articles and Rs 2.50 lakh cash were missing. A complaint was filed.

During a vehicle check, on suspicion, the police secured B Gunasekar (40) from Choolaimedu in Chennai and his mother-in-law Hannah Begam (59) from Bangladesh. The probe found that the duo had been involved in the robbery at Karthi's house, and valuables were recovered. The duo was lodged in prison.

Further investigation revealed that Gunasekaran had befriended Hannah Begum's daughter on social media and managed to go to Bangladesh illegally and married her. He returned with his mother-in-law and they targeted several locked houses in a similar manner in Pudukkottai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Tiruchy.

Villupuram man strangles 14-year-old daughter to death for having a relationship

A 14-year-old Class 10 student was allegedly strangled to death by her father following an argument over her relationship with a young man in Villupuram district's Vanur on Thursday night (October 29).

According to a Maalaimalar report, the accused, identified as Sivasastri (40), a lorry driver, later surrendered before the Vanur police and was arrested.

READ FULL STORY HERE

Poverty drives Panruti woman to sell newborn boy for Rs 4.5 lakh; auto driver arrested

A three-day-old baby boy allegedly sold for Rs 4.5 lakh by his mother, who was struggling with poverty, was rescued by the police from a woman in Tiruchy.

An auto driver, identified as Zafar Khan (41), who allegedly acted as a middleman in the transaction, has been arrested.

Fatima (30), from Thattanchavady near Panruti, gave birth to the boy at the Panruti Government Hospital on October 19. Already having two daughters and living separately from her husband, she reportedly struggled to raise the children.

Taking advantage of Fatima's financial difficulties, Zafar Khan, an auto driver from Panruti, allegedly persuaded her to sell the baby. Through him, the child was handed over to Renuka Devi of Tiruchy for Rs 4.5 lakh on October 22.

Zafar Khan allegedly took a major portion of the money, leaving Fatima with only a small amount. This led to a dispute between the two. Fatima later asked Renuka Devi to return the baby. However, Renuka Devi allegedly refused.

Fatima subsequently lodged a complaint at the Panruti police station on October 28. The police registered a case and formed a special team, which went to Tiruchy, rescued the baby from Renuka Devi and safely handed him over to Fatima. The police have arrested Zafar Khan in connection with the case.

Two arrested in separate Pocso cases in Ambattur, Guduvanchery

Two men were arrested and remanded in judicial custody on Thursday in separate cases involving the alleged sexual assault of minor girls in Ambattur and Guduvanchery.

In the first case, the Ambattur All-Women Police arrested Mohammad Rafeeq alias Sarphul Dewan (40), a native of Jharkhand, for sexually assaulting a seven-year-old girl who had gone to a mosque to attend Quran classes.

According to the complaint lodged by the girl’s father, the accused had assaulted the child while she was returning from the mosque after her classes. The girl later informed her parents, who approached the police.

In the second case, Kilambakkam All-Women Police arrested Manoharan (50), a financier, for sexually assaulting a three-year-old girl at her house near Guduvanchery in Chengalpattu. Police said Manoharan, a resident of Thailavaram, runs a small chit fund business.

On October 24, he visited the house, located two streets away from his residence, to collect money. The child was alone at the time, and he sexually assaulted her. Following a complaint from her parents, police registered a case, arrested Manoharan and produced him before a Chengalpattu court, which remanded him in judicial custody.

20-year-old son beats woman to death after quarrel in Dharmapuri

A 20-year-old construction worker, who was released on bail three days ago, beat his mother to death with an iron rod following a quarrel at their house in Dharmapuri district on Thursday night.

The police identified the accused as Devaraj of Old Indur village. Earlier on August 3, the Indur police had arrested him for creating a public nuisance while wearing a police cap and brandishing a knife. He had chased passers-by on the road and attempted to attack a man identified as Veeramani, according to the police. After a complaint, police arrested him and remanded him in judicial custody at Salem Central Prison. On October 28, he secured bail and returned home.

READ FULL STORY HERE

Villupuram man argues with wife, then throws six-year-old son into well; arrested

A 40-year-old man was arrested for allegedly throwing his six-year-old son into an agricultural well following an argument with his wife over money near Senji in Villupuram district.

According to a Daily Thanthi report, the deceased boy, identified as Sanjay, was the couple's only son. His father, Selvaraj, allegedly threw him into a well behind the government hospital in the area after a prolonged argument with his wife, Devi, over the spending of borrowed money.

READ FULL STORY HERE

Two arrested for murdering 19-year-old, burying body near Pulicat

Two men from Cuddalore were arrested for murdering a 19-year-old youth at Thirupalaivanam near Ponneri and burying his body on Sathankuppam beach near Pulicat. The arrested men were identified as G Dinesh (23) and S Devarasu (18), both from Siruvathur village in Cuddalore.

The body was exhumed on Friday following their confession, police said. The deceased, Prashanth (19), was working as a tile layer along with his maternal uncle Ramesh in Cuddalore. He is the son of Ezhilarasi, a domestic help working at actor Radhika Sarathkumar’s house in Chennai.

On October 27, Prashanth informed his uncle that he was travelling to Chennai to meet his mother. The following day he went missing. Based on a complaint lodged by Ramesh, Cuddalore police registered a missing person case and launched an investigation.

During the probe, police found that Prashanth was in a relationship with Devarasu’s wife. During interrogation, the accused confessed to assaulting Prashanth to death at Thirupalaivanam before burying his body at Sathankuppam beach near Pulicat.

Following the confession, Cuddalore police, with the assistance of Thirupalaivanam police, exhumed the body on Friday. It was subsequently sent to the Ponneri GH for a postmortem examination.

Kancheepuram: Three, including school student, killed in accident

CHENNAI: Three people, including a school student, were killed and three other school students injured in two separate road accidents in Kancheepuram district on Wednesday night.

In the first incident, four school students — Sanjay (16), Joshua (15), Jaswanth (14) and Chandru (14) from Echur near Sriperumbudur — were travelling on a bike towards Panrutti near Sunguvarchatram on Wednesday night. 

READ FULL STORY HERE

Rashly driven MTC bus kills woman on way to hospital near Puzhal

CHENNAI: A 49-year-old woman who was on her way to a hospital for a health check-up was killed in a road accident at Kathirvedu near Puzhal on Wednesday after a rashly driven MTC bus hit the two-wheeler she was travelling on.

The deceased woman was identified as K Savithri, a resident of Sholavaram. On Wednesday, Savithri, along with her husband, Kumar, were on their way to a hospital, police said.

READ FULL STORY HERE

22-yr jail for kidnap, assault of minor

CHENNAI: The Tiruvallur Pocso court on Wednesday sentenced a 22-year-old man to 22 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in 2018. Police said that the incident occurred on Dec 28, 2018.

The accused, Peter (aged 21 at the time) lured a 13-year-old girl on the pretext of marrying her and sexually assaulted her. Based on a complaint from the victim’s mother, a case was registered at the All Women Police Station, and the accused was arrested and remanded. After investigation, a charge sheet was filed before the Pocso Court.

Retired Warden killed inside CSI school in Sivaganga

A woman was murdered by unidentified persons who allegedly broke into her house inside the premises of the CSI School in Manamadurai, Sivaganga district, on Thursday evening. Vasantha Mallika, wife of Easwaran, was killed, and the assailant snatched the jewellery she was wearing before fleeing the scene. The incident occurred while the school was functioning. The deceased had worked as a warden at the school. The incident came to light only after her husband found her dead upon his return home. Sivaganga Superintendent of Police Abhishek Gupta inspected the spot. Further probe is under way.

5-member armed gang robs car dealer of Rs 1 crore in Erode

A five-member armed gang robbed a used-car dealer of Rs one crore at knifepoint near Perundurai in Erode on Thursday.

The police said Arun Kumar (55) of Rajendra Prasad Street in Perundurai was engaged in the used-car business and was also overseeing the construction of a temple on a 55-cent plot on Kanjikovil Road through receiving donations.

The police said a businessman from Tirupur had donated Rs one crore towards the temple's construction. On learning about the cash, some unidentified persons contacted Arun Kumar over the phone and offered to give him Rs 1.15 crore through online transfer in exchange for Rs one crore in cash.

Tempted by the prospect of making an additional Rs 15 lakh, Arun agreed to the deal and asked them to come to Perundurai. “Arun Kumar was counting the cash using a currency-counting machine at a house on Kanjikovil Road when five men arrived armed with knives and iron pipes on Thursday. When he attempted to raise an alarm, the gang threatened to stab him to death. The assailants then fled with the Rs one crore kept in a suitcase,” the police said.

Following the robbery, Arun Kumar lodged a complaint with the Perundurai police, who registered a case and special teams have launched a search for the accused.

Theni jailbreak: Last four inmates nabbed, all 17 back in custody

The police on Wednesday recaptured four more inmates, bringing all 17 inmates who escaped from the Theni District Jail on Monday night after assaulting three prison staff back into custody. The inmates had pretended that one of them was suffering from an epileptic seizure to trap the guards and carry out their escape plan.

On Wednesday morning, around 100 police personnel intensified their search in the Amachiyapuram hills to trace four inmates: Rejin from Kanyakumari, and Tirupathi, Meenatchisundram and Ponmuthuselvam from Madurai.

The police team recaptured Rejin and Ponmuthuselvam from the hills. The other two, Tirupathi and Meenatchisundram, who are brothers, allegedly fled after learning that police had entered the area where they were hiding. They allegedly assaulted a motorist who was passing by on a motorcycle, seized his bike and escaped, a police source said.

READ FULL STORY HERE

Trio snatches gold chain from home alone woman

An unidentified trio robbed a home alone woman of a 2.5-sovereign gold chain in Tiruchy on Wednesday after gaining entry into the house and locking it from inside.

The victim, a 41-year-old woman, lived alone in KK Nagar and works as a domestic helper. On Monday evening, while the woman was cooking, three unidentified persons had reportedly gained entry into the house and locked the doors from inside.

On seeing them, the woman raised an alarm, but one of them gagged her. They snatched her 2.5-sovereign gold chain and fled. She immediately ran out of the house, raising an alarm, but the trio had escaped. She lodged a complaint with the KK Nagar police, who registered a case and are searching for the culprits.

Thanjavur ganja peddler nabbed in Ariyalur

A notorious peddler from Thanjavur was arrested in Ariyalur while attempting to smuggle ganja from Odisha on Wednesday evening.

A police team led by Jayankondam inspector Balaji conducted a vehicle check following a tip-off and suspected a youth, who fled. After a chase, the man was caught and identified as R Shanmuga Ganapathi (29) of East Street, Thanjavur.

They found 6 kg of ganja concealed in his belongings and arrested him. Further probe revealed that the accused sold to regular customers in the neighbouring districts and procured the contraband from Odisha. He faces several pending cases in Thanjavur.

Two murdered in Otteri, Avadi

Two people were murdered in separate incidents in Chennai and Avadi on Tuesday night. In one incident in Otteri, an elderly man was beaten to death after an argument with a neighbour.

The deceased has been identified as S Ponnurangam (69), a resident of Rettaimalai Srinivasan Street in Otteri. Police said there was an existing enmity between Ponnurangam’s family and the family of his neighbour, Subramani.

A few days ago, Ponnurangam’s daughter-in-law was cleaning the entrance of their house when Subramani’s sons – Sathish (27) and Santhosh (25) – allegedly spat near the spot, which triggered an argument between the two families. On Tuesday night, an argument broke out between Ponnurangam’s son Kandhan and Sathish and Santhosh.

Hearing the commotion, Ponnurangam came out of the house and reprimanded the brothers after which they attacked him and pushed him to the ground. Ponnurangam was severely injured, and collapsed after which he was rescued and rushed him to the Kilpauk Government Medical College Hospital.

Doctors who examined him declared him brought dead. The Otteri police have registered a case and are searching for the duo, who fled after the incident.

In another incident in Thirumullaivoyal in Avadi city police limits, a 30-year-old man was hacked to death by his friend during a drinking session in the victim’s house on Tuesday night. The deceased was identified as Gokul.

Police said that Gokul and the accused, Rajesh (25) lived in the same neighbourhood and would argue often. On Tuesday, Rajesh made fun of Gokul, which had infuriated him and both of them argued and left.

The same night, the duo gathered again for a drink when Gokul questioned Rajesh about his comments and took a knife from the kitchen and attempted to attack him. Rajesh dodged the attacks, managed to retrieve the weapon from Gokul and stabbed him to death. On information, Thirumullaivoyal Police arrested Rajesh.

Man arrested for kidnap, murder of a Chennai woman

A 45-year-old man was arrested for kidnapping and murdering a woman from Aminjikarai and dumping her body in a farm well in Sirunagalur village near Melmaruvathur in Chengalpattu district.

Police said the murdered woman had failed to repay the loan which she had borrowed from him. The deceased was identified as Manimegalai (41), wife of Gurunathan, and a resident of Aminjikarai in Chennai.

Two days ago, the body of an unidentified woman with a slit throat was found in a private farm well in Sirunagalur village near Melmaruvathur. The Melmaruvathur police recovered the body and sent it to the Chengalpattu GH for a postmortem.

During the investigation, the police found that Manimegalai had borrowed money at interest from Jani Anbu Das (45), a resident of Egmore. He had allegedly threatened to kidnap her when she failed to repay the loan.

A special police team from Melmaruvathur detained Das for questioning. During interrogation, he confessed to kidnapping Manimegalai and murdering her by slitting her throat over the unpaid debt. Police said that the accused also allegedly removed the gold earrings and silver anklets worn by the woman, along with her mobile phone, before dumping her body in the farm well and escaping from the spot.

Following that, the Melmaruvathur police arrested Das for the murder, and he was remanded to judicial custody and sent to Puzhal prison.

Kanniyakumari: Four arrested for murdering panchayat staffer after he refused to steal lotuses from ponds

Four people, including Cyrus (32), have been arrested for allegedly murdering Kavin (27), a temporary electrician with the Alagappapuram Panchayat, after he refused to help them steal lotus flowers from local ponds, according to a Daily Thanthi report.

According to the police, Cyrus, a resident of Alagappapuram, had been illegally cultivating lotus flowers in ponds in the area. He allegedly asked Kavin, who hailed from Achankulam near Kottaram, to switch off the lights to facilitate the theft. Kavin’s refusal reportedly led to a dispute, following which Cyrus allegedly plotted to kill him.

READ FULL STORY HERE

Man hacked to death by friend following argument in Thoothukudi market

A man was allegedly hacked to death with an axe by his friend following an argument at a daily market in Tittangulam near Kovilpatti in Thoothukudi district in the early hours of Tuesday (October 27).

According to a Daily Thanthi report, the deceased, identified as Kaliraj, was employed as a load lifter at a private daily market in the area. According to the available information, Kaliraj and his friends were talking at the market premises when a light-hearted exchange of jokes and teasing reportedly escalated into an argument. One of his friends, identified as Ayodhya, allegedly attacked him with an axe, killing him on the spot.

READ FULL STORY HERE

Newborn rescued from pvt clinic toilet succumbs, cops mull altering case to murder

A newborn girl rescued from a private clinic's toilet succumbed on Tuesday. Police are contemplating altering the case based on postmortem findings.

A 19-year-old girl who was in a relationship with a lorry driver went to a private clinic on October 24 after experiencing labour pains. Despite her parents' knowledge of her pregnancy, she went alone.

She told the clinic staff that she had diarrhoea and locked herself in the toilet for nearly two hours. When the staff checked in on her, they found she had given birth there and shifted both of them to Government Stanley Hospital.

The girl is undergoing treatment; however, the newborn succumbed and was taken for autopsy. The reports indicated injuries, following which officials are considering altering the case to murder. The girl has not been arrested yet. The lorry driver has married another woman. Further probe is ongoing.

Woman arrested for allegedly setting husband on fire after domestic quarrel in Virudhunagar

VIRUDHUNAGAR: A 35-year-old construction worker, Shankar Guru, died after his wife, Sankareswari, allegedly poured kerosene on him and set him on fire following a domestic quarrel at their house in VVR Colony in Allampatti, Virudhunagar, in the early hours of Tuesday.

According to police, Shankar Guru frequently returned home intoxicated and quarrelled with his wife. The couple had divorced in 2022 but later reunited and resumed living together.

On Monday night, Shankar Guru returned home after consuming alcohol and picked up a quarrel with Sankareswari in the early hours of Tuesday. In a fit of anger, Sankareswari allegedly poured kerosene on her husband and set him on fire, said the police source. She subsequently surrendered at the nearby Virudhunagar East police station.

The police recovered Shankar Guru's body and sent it to the Virudhunagar Government Medical College Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

Virudhunagar SP Gautham Goyal conducted an inquiry.

History sheeter hacked to death in Indira Nagar

Chennai: A 22-year-old history sheeter was murdered in broad daylight in Adyar's Indira Nagar on Tuesday. The police identified the victim as Maithreyan, originally from Mylapore and currently residing in Tiruvanmiyur.

According to officials, Maithreyan was listed as a C-category history sheeter with multiple criminal cases. Last week, he had secured bail in a case with a condition to report at Mylapore police station every day. Around 11 am on Tuesday, he was returning from the station in his autorickshaw when he was intercepted by a gang.

READ FULL STORY HERE

Missing 7-year-old found dead in Madurai's abandoned house

A seven-year-old boy who went missing while playing near his house at Thaniyamangalam near Melur in Madurai district yesterday was found dead in an abandoned house nearby on Monday.

The deceased, Muthuchelvan, a Class 3 student, had left home around 11 am on Sunday to play and did not return. His relatives and villagers searched for him with police assistance. Police recovered the body and sent it to Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai for a post-mortem examination. Senior police officials are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death.

College student killed in clash over wastewater

A 20-year-old college student was hacked to death on Sunday night following a clash between two families over wastewater flowing in front of their houses at Alwarkarkulam near Srivaikuntam in Thoothukudi district.

The deceased, Isakkiraja, son of Mariappan, was a second-year student at an arts and science college near Srivaikuntam. The families of Mariappan and Sundararajan had reportedly been at loggerheads for a long time over the issue, the police said.

During an argument on Sunday night, both parties took to weapons and Isakkiraja was killed during the clash. The police have booked over 10 people in the issue.

Man held after pregnant wife dies by suicide in Otteri

Police have arrested a man on charges of abetment to suicide after the death of his pregnant wife in Otteri. The arrested man was identified as Santhosh (29), who worked in a mobile phone accessories shop.

Santhosh had married Kokila (26) on March 6 this year after being in a relationship with her. The couple lived in a rented house in Pudhu Vazhai Nagar.

Police said differences had developed between them within months of their marriage and the duo had frequent arguments. The couple had an argument on Saturday too after which Santhosh left the house. Kokila had video-called Santhosh on Saturday night and threatened to kill herself.

When Santhosh reached the house, he found her unconscious and rushed her to the Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital. Doctors declared her brought dead after which Otteri Police rescued her and sent the body for a postmortem. 

Meanwhile, Kokila’s family filed a complaint alleging that she had been subjected to dowry harassment by Santhosh’s family and protested demanding his arrest.

After investigations, police arrested Santhosh. As the couple had been married for less than a year, the police have recommended an RDO inquiry.

Man held for sexual assault of toddler in Ennore

Avadi City Police on Monday arrested a 32-year-old man for sexually assaulting a two-and-half-year-old girl child in Ennore. The arrested person was identified as D Ranjithkumar, a fisherman, a neighbour of the victim.

Police said that he was separated from his wife and lives alone, and that he had lured the child to his house twice last week and had sexually abused her.

The child’s parents, who noticed injuries on her body, took her to the Institute of Child Health in Egmore. The incident came to light on October 23, when doctors examining the child suspected sexual abuse and alerted the authorities. 

Based on the information received from the hospital and a complaint filed by the child’s mother, the Ennore All Women Police Station registered a case and launched an investigation on the same day. After investigations, Police arrested the accused under the Pocso Act (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences).

The child is undergoing treatment. The accused was produced before a magistrate and remanded to judicial custody. 

Techie flees after running over sleeping senior citizen in Chengalpattu; nabbed

An elderly man was killed after a techie who was reversing his car from a marriage hall reportedly ran over him, unmindful of the man sleeping on the roadside in Chengalpattu on Saturday.

Visuals showed the victim's friend sitting beside the body, holding an umbrella over it to protect it from the rain while they waited for an ambulance to arrive.

The deceased was identified as Kumar (77), who lived in a thatched hut in the neighbourhood. According to local residents, Kumar was sleeping along the roadside when a car reversing from a nearby marriage hall ran over him, killing him on the spot.

Police sources said the techie, who was behind the wheel, got down to check on the man but drove off upon seeing a mob gathering at the scene, as his wife and child were inside the vehicle.

The elderly man was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was declared brought dead. Meanwhile, the Chengalpattu police traced the car using CCTV footage and arrested the driver, G Saravanan (43), an employee with a private IT firm.

Bizman held under Pocso in Tirunelveli

A 52-year-old real estate businessman was arrested under the Pocso Act at Panagudi in Tirunelveli district for allegedly sexually harassing a six-year-old girl on Sunday.

According to police the accused was found committing the sexual offence after examining the CCTV footage. The accused was sitting in front of a church in the area on the night of October 23 when the girl walked alone on the road, said the police, adding that he allegedly called her over and sexually abused her.

The girl went home crying and told her parents, who lodged a complaint. The police registered a case under the Pocso Act and arrested him.

Special Sub-Inspector transferred to Armed Reserve on bribe charges

Tirunelveli District Superintendent of Police Viswesh Sastri on Saturday transferred a Special Sub-Inspector attached to the Seethaparpanallur police station to the Armed Reserve following a complaint that he accepted a bribe in a sand smuggling case.

According to the police, Special Sub-Inspector Muthupandi (54) is alleged to have received Rs 5,000 from the owner of a lorry linked to a sand smuggling case under investigation.

The money was reportedly transferred through his wife's GPay account.

Guest worker killed over card game in Chennai

A 26-year-old guest worker from Nepal was murdered after an argument during a card game in Perungudi on Saturday. Thoraipakkam police have registered a murder case and launched a search for the absconding suspect.

The victim has been identified as Ganeshkumar, who had been employed at a metal fabrication unit in Perungudi and was staying with his brother-in-law Umesh. The police said the suspect, Saurav (25), also a Nepali national, was working at a private eatery. Ganeshkumar and Umesh had gone to Saurav's house on Friday night. During a card game, a heated exchange between Ganeshkumar and Saurav turned into a physical confrontation. Saurav attacked Ganeshkumar with a knife.

Chennai: Woman dies after pushed to floor while rescuing son

A 62-year-old woman died after she was pushed to the floor while trying to rescue her son, who was being attacked by a group of men during a family dispute in Perungalathur. The deceased, Naseema Bee (62), was the mother of Vasivudeen (43), a resident of Kamarajar Street in Perungalathur.

Vasivudeen lives with his wife, Naseema (40). Police said an argument broke out between Vasivudeen and his wife on Wednesday.

READ FULL STORY HERE

Kancheepuram silk showroom owners arrested in Rs 20 crore fraud case

Two owners of a popular silk saree showroom in Kancheepuram have been arrested by the Kancheepuram District Crime Branch police in connection with an alleged Rs 20 crore fraud involving wholesale saree suppliers from Rajasthan, Chennai and Salem.

Krishnamoorthy (52) and Sathish (50), both residents of George Town in Chennai, jointly operated Murugan and Kalikambal Silks, located near Rangasamy Kulam in Kancheepuram.

READ FULL STORY HERE

Sathankulam man kills teen lover’s mother for opposing relationship

A 23-year-old man launched a sickle attack on a couple in their house, killing the woman and injuring the man and their minor son, and kidnapped her two minor daughters, at Mudalur near Sathankulam early on Friday. The girls were rescued shortly and the man, Gnanaprakash of Anandapuram, was apprehended by the Thoothukudi police after the girls shared their live location with them via WhatsApp.

The father Muthukrishnan (50) and son Pleasant Raja (12) sustained grievous injuries and are in the intensive care unit of the Government Super Specialty Hospital in Tirunelveli. Muthukrishnan’s condition is said to be critical.

2 lorry drivers confess to murder of coworker in Tiruvallur

Two lorry drivers allegedly confessed to murdering their colleague following a drunken quarrel and burying his body in an isolated spot near Alamathi in Tiruvallur district, police said. The police are scheduled to exhume the remains on Saturday in the presence of a Tahsildar.

The deceased, M Gokul (27), a native of Kanniyakumari district, worked as a lorry driver for a private transport company in Alamathi. His younger brother, Rahul, lodged a complaint with Sholavaram police stating that Gokul had been missing since October 7.

Following the complaint, police registered a case and launched an investigation. They examined CCTV footage from the Alamathi area and identified two suspects, Ayyappan (18), and Sathish (33), who worked as lorry drivers.

READ FULL STORY HERE

The drive was undertaken based on the directions issued by Transport Minister Vijay Tamilan Parthiban, who inspected the ongoing work on Thursday.

Earlier, during an inspection of the area while overseeing special bus services for Ayudha Pooja, the minister had instructed officials to remove the encroachments immediately. Following his directions, officials from the National Highways Department, Revenue Department and Police Department jointly carried out the eviction drive.

Flags off new buses from Maduranthagam

Meanwhile, the transport minister, along with Human Resources Management Minister D Sarathkumar, flagged off nine new buses from the Maduranthagam bus stand in Chengalpattu district on Thursday. The buses will operate on new and additional routes.

The new services will connect Siruppayar Pandi with Maduranthagam; Veppankaranai with Tindivanam; Maduranthagam with Uthiramerur, Soonampedu, Chengalpattu, Orathi, and Anaikattu; Achirappakkam with Soonampedu; and Thozhuppedu with Tambaram MEPZ.

The new services are expected to improve public transport connectivity for residents of rural and urban areas in and around Maduranthagam.

The bungalow will be renamed Vettri Illam. The renovation included modern security features and other facilities needed for the Chief Minister's official functions. Vijay worked from the bungalow for around three hours on Thursday.

The decision to shift his camp office from Foreshore Estate to Raja Annamalaipuram was reportedly taken because the Chief Minister's stay at his official residence in Foreshore Estate caused inconvenience to residents.

Parking security vehicles and moving the Chief Minister's security convoy reportedly caused difficulties for neighbourhood residents. The shift is expected to address these concerns.

After Edappadi K Palaniswami, Vijay is the second Chief Minister to use a government bungalow as his camp office and official residence. Palaniswami stayed at Sevvanthi Illam from 2011 until the TVK-led government came to power in 2026. During this 15-year period, he continued to occupy the government bungalow while serving as a minister, Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition.

Former Chief Ministers and Dravidian leaders M Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa did not opt for government bungalows during their respective tenures as Chief Ministers.

When MK Stalin served as Deputy Chief Minister, he used Kurinji Illam as his camp office. Following in his father's footsteps, Udhayanidhi Stalin is also using the same bungalow as his residence.

According to the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai, the easterly winds and moisture are expected to bring widespread heavy rain next weekend (November 14 or 15), too.

VR Durai, director and senior atmospheric scientist at the RMC, told DT Next that easterly winds and moisture are expected to bring rainfall. "We are expecting widespread rain in Chennai and its neighbourhoods by November 14. Except on November 8, light to moderate rain may occur at some places in the city," he said.

According to RMC data, in the northeast monsoon period between October 1 and November 5, the State recorded a surplus rainfall of 10 per cent, at 231.5 mm against the normal 211 mm.

Moderate rain at a few places, with thunderstorms and lightning and wind speeds reaching 30-40 kmph at one or two places, is likely over Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Virudhunagar, Tenkasi, Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari, and the Puducherry and Karaikal areas.

Heavy rain is likely over Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Thoothukudi, Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, and Pudukkottai districts on Friday. Heavy rain will continue in Theni, Dindigul and Madurai districts on Saturday.

On Sunday, moderate rain, thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds reaching 30-40 kmph are likely over Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Kallakurichi, Tiruchy, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Sivaganga, Erode, Tirupur, Dindigul, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Theni, Tenkasi, and Tirunelveli districts, and Puducherry.

According to the TRB, it prepared the latest selection list from candidates on the waiting list belonging to the same communal categories and caste as those who did not join or subsequently resigned.

The board made the selection based on candidates' marks and the applicable communal rotation, in accordance with the Tamil Nadu Government Servants (Conditions of Service) Act, 2016.

The board published the revised provisional selection list for Tamil on March 28, 2025, followed by History on April 4, 2025. The board published lists for English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Botany, Zoology, and Geography on April 12, 2025. The board published the reserve list under Section 3(b) of the 2016 Act on its website on June 4, 2026.

The board said it had received details of candidates who had either failed to join service after selection or resigned after joining. Based on these vacancies, the board has provisionally selected eligible candidates from the corresponding waiting-list communal categories.

The respective appointing authorities of the concerned departments will issue appointment orders to the selected candidates, subject to the relevant rules. The TRB has published the latest provisional selection list on its website.

The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department, which maintains the temple, had recently opened the shrine's offering box (hundi) coinciding with the Tamil month 'Aippasi' and counted the offerings by devotees, reflecting their immense faith in God.

The Arulmigu Arunachaleswarar temple, Arulmigu Dhandayuthapani Swamy temple, Palani, Arulmigu Subramania Swamy temple, Tiruchendur, Arulmigu Mariamman temple, Samayapuram (in Tiruchy), and Arulmigu Subramania Swamy temple, Thiruttani, are among the major temples that frequently receive huge offerings from the devotees.

The hundis are periodically opened in the presence of senior HR&CE officials; the currency notes are counted, and the gold and silver articles are accounted for.

According to sources, the Arulmigu Dhandayuthapani Swamy temple received Rs 2.26 crore in cash, along with 286 grams of gold, 10.752 kg of silver and 393 foreign currency notes, while the Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram received Rs 1.21 crore in cash, 14 grams of gold, 1.405 kg of silver and 191 foreign currency notes during its monthly hundi counting, recently.

The police source said the accused policeman, Kumar (49), a native of Thalaiyuthu near Tirunelveli, served as a Special Sub-Inspector at the Melapalayam police station under the Tirunelveli city police.

On November 3, Kumar travelled with a team of male and female police personnel from Tirunelveli city to attend security duty at a welfare assistance distribution programme attended by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay in the Perundurai Assembly constituency in Erode district.

After the event got over, the police team was returning to Tirunelveli in a police van at night. Kumar allegedly sexually harassed a woman constable who was seated in the front row.

Shocked by the incident, the woman constable lodged a complaint with Tirunelveli City Police Commissioner Deshmukh Shekhar Sanjay after reaching Tirunelveli. Following the commissioner's instructions, she subsequently lodged a formal complaint with the Palayamkottai All-Women Police Station.

Based on the complaint, the police registered a case against Kumar under five sections, including the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.

The police source also claimed that Kumar had similarly harassed another woman constable a few months ago when he had gone for security duty during the Karthigai Deepam festival, but it was allegedly hushed up.

Nainar dismissed the minister’s charge that the DMK and AIADMK were attempting to destabilise the TVK government, allegedly with the BJP’s support, as baseless.

Taking a swipe at the TVK, Nainar alleged that the ruling party had disregarded the people’s mandate by enticing elected representatives of rival parties with inducements. He said it was ironic that a party accused of such practices was now alleging that others were attempting to buy its legislators. “People will dismiss these baseless allegations as a poor joke and will not fall for your attempts to divert attention,” he said in a statement.

The BJP leader further accused the minister of levelling unsubstantiated charges against opposition parties to deflect criticism of the government’s departmental handling. “However many false allegations you make, you cannot conceal your administrative incompetence or the continuing governance failures under the TVK regime,” he said.

Urging Nirmalkumar to stop blaming others, Nainar asked him to abandon horse-trading and focus on public welfare.

“Nirmalkumar, it’s a mirror,” he said, claiming it is the Vijay-led party that is poaching MLAs to ensure stability for the minority government, which is dependent on allies and outside support.

Nainar said such claims expose efforts to divert attention from administrative lapses in his departments, ranging from the controversial proposal to procure electricity at Rs 41.50 per unit to incidents of prisoners escaping from custody.

The minister disclosed the figures while chairing a monthly performance review meeting with senior departmental officials at the North Chennai District Registrar's office in Parrys Corner here.

The department's October revenue was Rs 147 crore higher than the Rs 1,803 crore collected during the corresponding month last year, he said.

Reviewing the department's performance, the minister directed district registrars to hand registered documents to applicants on the day of registration, without delay. He also reviewed pending documents and instructed officials to expedite their disposal.

The faceless registration facility, launched by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on August 17, has facilitated the registration of 2,46,260 documents up to November 3, the minister said. These included first-sale deeds for residential plots and apartments, mortgage deeds in favour of banks and financial institutions, and receipt deeds.

Stressing the need to prevent revenue leakage, he instructed officials to ensure the department collected government revenue without loss and met its prescribed revenue targets.

Earlier, the minister launched an artificial intelligence-powered application to monitor cases involving the department before the Supreme Court and High Courts. The application is intended to facilitate the timely preparation of counter-affidavits, expedite legal proceedings, and speed up the department's legal responses.

Cooperation Minister V Gandhiraj inaugurated the ‘Vetri Special Vegetable Pack’ scheme at Anna Nagar here, under which 10 varieties of vegetables are being sold for Rs 100 each at 218 selected cooperative outlets across the State from November 5 to 7.

Talking to reporters after the launch, the Minister initially said consumers could purchase any number of packs. However, Registrar of Cooperative Societies G Latha, who was seated beside him, immediately signalled that only one pack could be issued per person. The Minister subsequently clarified that families could purchase packs according to their requirements.

The department’s operational guidelines, however, explicitly restrict purchases to one pack per consumer. The Minister also said the government was procuring vegetables directly from farmers to keep prices affordable by eliminating intermediaries.

The scheme soon faced questions over its implementation, with a sizeable number of consumers turning up at the outlet shortly after the launch. Some were reportedly told by officials that sufficient packs were unavailable, leaving them disappointed.

V Balaraman, a resident of Anna Nagar, said he had waited nearly an hour to obtain a pack. He alleged that officials were accepting payments of Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 from certain buyers and allowing them to take away multiple packs, while others struggled to secure even one.

The Housing and Urban Development Department has amended the Tamil Nadu Change of Land Use (From Agriculture to Non-agriculture Purposes in Non-planning Areas) Rules, 2017, through Government Order dated November 4.

Under the revised rules, applicants seeking to develop wetlands for non-agricultural purposes must submit their applications through the online Single Window Portal, accompanied by nine categories of documents.

These include self-attested copies of the sale deed, lease deed or power of attorney, patta, chitta and adangal records for the preceding three Fasli years, including the current year.

Applicants must also furnish a site drainage plan, a site plan drawn to an appropriate scale of 1:400, 1:800 or 1:1,600, and a proposed layout, subdivision plan or building plan, wherever applicable.

A topographical plan showing all existing developments within a 500-metre radius of the proposed site, as depicted in the village map and drawn to a scale of not less than 1:2,000, is also mandatory.

Additionally, applicants must submit an online affidavit declaring that the proposed development includes no poramboke land, government land, or property belonging to third parties.

The amended Rule 4 stipulates that the Director must obtain NOCs from the jurisdictional Revenue Divisional Officer, the concerned Joint Director of Agriculture, and the Executive Engineer of the Water Resources Department before processing applications related to wetlands.

Responding to Law Minister Nirmal Kumar’s allegation of an attempt to destabilise the government by offering up to Rs 70 crore to TVK MLAs, he said he believes the TVK legislators would not be that weak.

“I am not aware whether attempts are being made to topple the government, but it is confirmed that the allied parties supporting the TVK government are not going to withdraw their support,” he told reporters after participating in a welfare distribution programme organised by the VCK in Madurai.

Responding to Leader of the Opposition M K Stalin’s allegation of corruption in electricity procurement and his criticism over frequent power cuts, Thirumavalavan said there is a debate over irregularities in procurement, and power cuts are occurring in various places.

“The government shouldn’t dismiss this issue as a complaint raised by the opposition parties. Instead, the Chief Minister should treat it as a people’s issue and intervene directly and at the earliest,” he said.

Pointing out that people travelling to their hometowns for Deepavali are forced to wait for long hours at toll plazas, causing them great hardship, he said the Union government should consider suspending toll collection temporarily for five to six days, covering a few days before the festival and one or two days after it.

He urged Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to intervene immediately and stop the ongoing road works in the wetland, warning that the PMK would launch protests if no action was taken.

Addressing reporters at the PMK headquarters in Panaiyur, Anbumani alleged that a senior government official rejected nearly 200 maps submitted to demarcate the Pallikaranai marshland, allegedly to protect land owned by private real estate companies.

He claimed that, during the previous DMK regime, a similar attempt was made to extend benefits worth Rs 3,000 crore to a private company through alleged corruption, which the PMK opposed. He further alleged that the proposed developments involved Rs 70,000 crore worth of projects by various construction companies, including Brigade Group, which he claimed has interests worth Rs 3,000 crore.

Questioning the construction of a road and walkway inside the wetland, Anbumani asked why Rs 21 crore in World Bank funding had been obtained for laying a pathway on land belonging to the Forest Department. He alleged that the road and a marble-floored walkway were built in the marshland, despite restricting public access to the area.

Demanding that the official responsible for approving the road project be suspended, he called for the structure to be demolished.

Anbumani alleged that the developments aimed to obstruct the natural flow of floodwater so private construction companies could develop properties in the surrounding areas. He also accused government officials of furnishing misleading information before the Madras High Court on the extent and boundaries of the marshland.

He questioned the Tamil Nadu Wetlands Authority's functioning and the need for IAS officers in an institution that, he said, was not effectively discharging its responsibilities. Anbumani said he would soon reveal the identities of the senior officials allegedly involved and announced that the PMK would organise various forms of protests if the government failed to act.

He also opposed the proposed construction of the new Secretariat at Pattinapakkam; he said the government should reconsider the project, citing traffic congestion and the presence of religious institutions, educational establishments and registration department offices in the vicinity. He said developing a Secretariat complex with an Assembly that could serve the State for the next 100 years would require at least 100 acres.

The nine fishermen, including boat driver Surya, had ventured into deep sea on October 27 in a mechanised fishing boat owned by Selvalagan of Kasimedu. They reportedly returned to the shore on October 29 to refuel and resumed fishing in the deep sea.

With the India Meteorological Department warning of Cyclone Murasu crossing the Andhra coast, the boat was last reportedly spotted fishing near Nizampatnam harbour. Attempts to contact the fishermen through wireless communication and GPS yielded no response.

According to the boat owner, Surya had made a final call informing him that strong winds were prevailing and seawater was entering the boat. However, before the owner could ascertain their exact location, Surya's mobile phone had gone unreachable.

Their families approached Fisheries Department officials at Kasimedu fishing harbour, who then initiated search efforts with the assistance of the Coast Guard. Distressed over the lack of information about the missing fishermen, more than 500 fishermen and relatives staged a road blockade on Thursday on Suriyanar Salai, alleging negligence by Fisheries Department officials and the police.

During the protest, the families received information that bodies had washed ashore at Kothapatnam. The Andhra police reportedly informed Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department officials, and the four bodies were identified as fishermen from Kasimedu. The Prakasam District Collector also reportedly confirmed the information.

Later, speaking to reporters after visiting the families in Kasimedu, minister N Marie Wilson said he would personally travel to Andhra Pradesh along with the relatives of the fishermen to identify the deceased and coordinate further steps. He also said appropriate action will be taken against officials concerned, if negligence was established.

The scheme, which will be in force for three days, was inaugurated by Minister for Cooperation V Gandhiraj at the Poonga Nagar Cooperative Wholesale Store in Chennai, where he distributed the first sets of vegetable packs to the public.

Through the scheme named after the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, the special vegetable pack will be made available across 218 selected cooperative outlets and four mobile units in Chennai.

"The special sale will run for three days from November 5 to 7, across 218 selected cooperative retail outlets throughout Tamil Nadu. To ensure wider reach in the state capital, the government has also deployed four mobile vegetable vending vehicles to distribute the packs across various neighbourhoods in Chennai," the Minister later told reporters.

Each eco-friendly pack weighs between 2.55 kg and 2.60 kg, and contains fresh, sorted, and hygienically packed essentials to insulate the public from open-market price fluctuations during the festival.

The Rs 100 combo contains: onions: 500g, tomatoes: 500g, brinjal: 250g, potatoes: 250g, carrots: 200g, beans: 200g, green chillies: 100g, lemons: 100g, ginger: 50g and coconut: 1 piece (weighing 400g to 450g).

To ensure that the benefits reach the maximum number of households and to prevent hoarding, authorities have restricted the sale to one vegetable pack per person. The packs will be available during the regular working hours of the designated cooperative stores, according to a release here.

The Cooperation Department confirmed that adequate stocks have been maintained across the state. Regional and Joint Registrars of Cooperative Societies in all districts have been instructed to monitor the supply chain closely and ensure smooth distribution.

Additional Chief Secretary to Government, Cooperation, Food, and Consumer Protection P Amudha, Registrar of Cooperative Societies G Latha, and Additional Registrar, Consumer Affairs K Tharpagaraj, and other senior officials participated during the launch.

"To combat rising vegetable prices during the festival season, the government is introducing vegetable kits priced at Rs 100. These kits are not part of the Public Distribution System nor sold through ration shops. They are being sold in specific supermarkets and outlets," the Minister clarified.

The government is procuring vegetables directly from farmers to eliminate middlemen, ensuring lower prices for consumers and better returns for the farmers, he added.

The incident occurred in Karungalakudi village near Melur in the small hours of Thursday, causing severe damage to the first floor of the house, which collapsed under the impact of the blast.

The victim is identified as Manoj, a friend who had come to celebrate Deepavali.

According to police, Lokesh (20), a catering student at a private college near Othakadai, had procured crackers from Sivakasi to celebrate the upcoming festival with his friends and had stored them on the upper floor of his house.

The crackers accidentally went off, triggering an explosion that left Lokesh, his mother Yogavani (42), and his college classmate Manoj (20) critically injured.

Manoj succumbed to his injuries later in the hospital.

Fire and rescue services personnel from Kottampatti rushed to the spot and, with the assistance of locals, rescued the injured persons. They were initially transported in a 108 ambulance to the Melur Government Hospital for emergency treatment and later shifted to the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai for further medical care.

Kottampatti police, supervised by Melur Deputy Superintendent of Police Sivakumar, inspected the scene and launched an investigation. Melur Tahsildar Vasanth also visited the injured persons at the hospital to inquire about their condition.

A case has been registered and further inquiry is underway, police added.

Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Wednesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting the constitutional provisions supporting the establishment of a Supreme Court Bench outside New Delhi.

In his letter, Vijay referred to Article 130 of the Constitution, which provides that the Supreme Court shall sit in Delhi or at such other place or places as the Chief Justice of India may, with the approval of the President, appoint from time to time.

Pointing out the difficulties faced by litigants from southern States, the Chief Minister said that people seeking justice before the Supreme Court were invariably required to travel to New Delhi, causing considerable inconvenience.

He said Chennai, being an important city in South India, would be an appropriate location for establishing a Supreme Court Bench, which would benefit people from all southern States.

Highlighting the professional competence of the Madras High Court Bar and the Madras High Court's historical significance as one of the oldest chartered High Courts in India, established in 1862, he said establishing a SC Bench in Chennai would reflect the true federal character of the country.

He also referred to the recommendations made by the Parliamentary Standing Committees in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2021, along with various Law Commission reports, on the need for regional Benches of the Supreme Court.

Expressing confidence that the Prime Minister would consider his request, Vijay urged him to take up the matter afresh with the Supreme Court and secure a favourable decision for establishing a Bench in Chennai.

Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi was arrested on October 26 in connection with a case involving the alleged cheating of private schools to the tune of over Rs 100 crore.

The Chennai Central Crime Branch (CCB) police had filed a petition before the Special Court seeking permission to take Anbil Mahesh into police custody for five days for interrogation. After hearing the plea, the judge permitted the CCB police to take Anbil Mahesh into custody from 1 pm on November 2 until 5 pm on November 4.

The judge also directed the police to obtain medical fitness certificates from Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital before and after the interrogation.

Justice N Ramesh passed the order while dismissing a bail petition filed by Kumaresan, who was arrested on September 26 and has been in custody since then.

The abuse came to light after the survivor, now aged 21, was reported missing on September 25. The police traced her the same day. Later, in her statement to a judicial magistrate on October 6, she said Kumaresan, who entered her mother’s life when she was in Class 2, has been sexually abusing her from Class 3 after threatening to kill her mother if she disclosed it.

The abuse continued over the years, and after she joined college, he monitored her through photographs, video calls, and location tracking. Despite her complaints, her mother failed to act, citing the family's reputation and her education, she alleged.

On September 20, he took her from the Poonamallee bus stand to an apartment, where he sexually assaulted her. Three days later, she moved to a paying guest accommodation in Chennai with the help of a friend, where the police traced her.

Based on her complaint, the Kancheepuram police registered a case under BNS and also Pocso Act, and arraigned her mother as the second accused for failing to report the abuse despite being informed of it.

When Kumaresan’s bail petition came up for hearing, his counsel argued that the survivor had left home with her friends but falsely implicated him and her own mother after being traced.

Rejecting the plea, Justice Ramesh observed that the materials in the case did not favour granting bail at this stage. The accused, who was about 15 years older than the survivor, occupied the position of a father in her life from childhood, and had access to her home through his relationship with her mother.

The court also noted that the alleged abuse continued for years and was concealed through threats and the silence of her mother. The survivor, therefore, had no one at home to support her independently of the petitioner, the judge said.

The court also noted that the survivor had spoken of threats as recently as September 20 and that her evidence was yet to be recorded. Since the investigation was only a month old, there was a real risk of her being pressured, directly or through her mother, to withdraw her allegations if the petitioner was released, the court said.

The judge then directed the police to complete the investigation and file the final report within two months, as required under Section 193 (2) of the BNSS.

Justice P Murugan also dismissed petitions filed by former Manamadurai DSP N Shanmugasundaram, former Tiruppuvanam inspector Ramesh Kumar, Special Sub-Inspector S Sivakumar and head constable G Ilayaraja, challenging the trial court’s order remanding them in judicial custody.

The guard of the Madappuram Kali temple near Tiruppuvanam, Ajithkumar, died after allegedly enduring custodial torture stemming from a jewellery theft complaint filed by Nikitha, who claimed her valuables were stolen from her car. He was taken into custody by a special police team. The alleged custodial death sparked outrage across the state and the case was shifted to the CBI.

The judge observed that the four accused, being police personnel, could potentially intimidate witnesses or tamper with evidence. Considering the gravity and nature of the charges, the trial court was justified in remanding them to judicial custody, the judge held.

The judge also rejected the petitioner’s contention that the remand order should be set aside because they had executed bonds under Section 91 of the BNSS. The court observed that once major charges carrying severe punishment had been framed, the accused should have surrendered before the trial court and sought bail. They could not challenge the remand order by invoking the High Court’s inherent powers under Section 528 of the BNSS without approaching the court for bail.

The court noted that the case involved 146 witnesses, 123 documents and 49 material objects. It directed the V Additional Sessions Judge, Madurai, to expedite the trial and complete it within nine months from the date of receipt of a copy of the order. The accused were directed to cooperate with the trial. The court also left it open to the trial court to pass appropriate orders if they adopted delaying tactics during the examination of witnesses.

The CBI initially filed a chargesheet against six police personnel on August 20, 2025. It subsequently filed a supplementary chargesheet on December 12, 2025, naming four more police personnel, taking the total number of accused to 10.

On September 10, the V Additional Sessions Court, Madurai, framed charges against the accused, including major charges relating to murder and abetment of murder under Section 103(1) and Section 49 of the BNS. The court also remanded the four additional accused to judicial custody.

While ordering their remand, the trial court referred to allegations that the four police personnel had fabricated police records, manipulated General Diary entries and destroyed their mobile phones to conceal evidence.

It also recorded the prosecution’s allegation that Shanmugasundaram had attempted to broker a compromise with Ajithkumar’s parents with the assistance of local political functionaries. The CBI further alleged that witness protection provided to Naveen Kumar, the deceased’s brother and a key witness, had been withdrawn. Challenging the remand order, the four accused approached the HC.

According to the tender document, around 60,000 beneficiaries are expected to receive assistance under the scheme during the current financial year. The tender process is scheduled to be finalised on December 8.

The government plans to procure 60,000 gold coins weighing eight grams each, along with silk sarees, from reputed companies. The tender conditions stipulate that participating companies should have at least three years of experience in the gold jewellery business. Each gold coin must carry a BIS hallmark and a Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) number.

Under the scheme, women belonging to families with an annual income of up to Rs 2.5 lakh are eligible for assistance. The marriage should be conducted in Tamil Nadu to be eligible for the benefits of the scheme. Each eligible bride will receive an eight-gram, 22-carat gold coin and a silk saree as part of the marriage assistance. 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 last month sanctioned Rs 812 crore as the first instalment for implementing the scheme from the current financial year's budget

The government last month sanctioned Rs 812 crore as the first instalment for implementing the scheme from the current financial year's budget. According to the order, the procurement of gold coins will be carried out in accordance with the Tamil Nadu Transparency in Tenders Act.

The tender marks the commencement of the procurement process for distributing the marriage assistance to eligible beneficiaries during the financial year.

The hospital's joint replacement surgery department, which began functioning in 2021 under the leadership of orthopaedic specialist Dr Vernon Lee, offers surgeries at affordable costs. While patients undergoing conventional joint replacement procedures generally take around three months to recover, patients at Naruvi are able to recover within two months, the hospital said.

The hospital has also introduced robot-assisted joint replacement surgery using the US-made CORI surgical robot. This technology has helped reduce recovery time to around one month while significantly reducing post-surgical pain, the hospital said.

Patients from several districts in the state, neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and from foreign countries, including the US, Australia, Bangladesh and West Asian countries, have also undergone treatment there.

Naruvi Hospitals provides treatment for a range of conditions, including cardiac and pulmonary diseases, diabetes, hypertension, gastrointestinal disorders and neurological conditions. It is also authorised to perform organ transplantation procedures involving the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, pancreas, bone marrow and small intestine.

The hospital management said it would soon establish a bone marrow transplant centre to treat blood cancer patients and an assisted reproductive technology (ART) centre to help couples facing infertility.

At an event held on Wednesday, hospital chairman GV Sampath honoured Dr Vernon Lee for leading the department that achieved the milestone. Deputy chairman Anitha Sampath, executive director Dr Paul Henry, head of medical services Dr Aravindan Nair, medical superintendent Dr Jacob Jose, chief operating officer Dr Vikram and general manager Nithin Sampath were among those present.

Officials said 11 premises in the two states were covered by the Kochi office of the central agency under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

It is alleged that Premkumar misused his influence to divert crores of rupees that the society collected from public depositors to the accounts of his wife and relatives for personal use. The ED claimed he pledged the society's Ragam Theatre without the money reaching the society and acquired about 500 acres at Kancheepuram in his wife's name.

Meanwhile, after coming under the radar of the Kerala police and the Enforcement Directorate, the society claimed that it has been providing appropriate profits to all their members and deposits for the last 20 years.

Terming Premkumar’s arrest by the Kerala police on October 29 as illegal, citing a magistrate order, the group accused the police of planning to register further false cases. "Active efforts are under way to cause damage to the reputation of BLM and its founder," it said in an official statement.

In the statement, BLM added that the annual reports and accounts of the institution were properly audited and approved at the annual general body meeting and filed with the Central Register, Central Multi State Co-operative Society.

A division bench of Justices P Velmurugan and KK Ramakrishnan issued the direction while hearing a petition filed by A Radhakrishnan, a trustee of the Thiruthondar Sabai.

Radhakrishnan alleged that he found an on-duty sub-inspector smoking a cigarette at the checkpoint in the southeastern part of the temple on October 16. He told the officer not to smoke in a sacred place and that he was someone meant to act against such habits and enforce law and order.

The sub-inspector continued smoking anyway and the petitioner filed a complaint at the Meenakshi Amman temple police station and the office of the City Police Commissioner seeking action against the officer. However, no action was taken, and Radhakrishnan approached the court to register a criminal case and impose a fine on the officer, as was the rule for any civilian.

During the petition's hearing, the public prosecutor informed the bench that a charge memo was issued to the officer.

The judges observed that it was unacceptable for the police, who are meant to uphold the law, to engage in such conduct. They asked whether any circular had been issued instructing police personnel not to do so in future, how much fine had been imposed on the officer and whether it had been collected, and whether any departmental action had been taken.

The public prosecutor said appropriate action would be taken. The judges refused to accept this, directed the Commissioner to appear in person and explain, and adjourned the hearing to the 12th.

A division bench of Justices P Velmurugan and KK Ramakrishnan passed the interim order on a petition filed by Radhakrishnan, a trustee of Thiruthondargal Trust, seeking to quash the government order that lifted the ban on registration of the temple lands.

Radhakrishnan submitted that valuable properties belonging to several prominent temples in Karur district, including Balasubramanya Swamy temple, Kalyana Pasupatheeswarar temple and Raveeshwarar temple, were spread across 15 villages. Pattas had been issued in the names of 3,390 individuals in respect of these lands. Registration of documents relating to the properties had earlier been prohibited, the petitioner said.

However, the government recently issued an order lifting the ban on registration of around 3,085 acres of temple land. He contended that this could pave the way for the transfer of pattas and sought to quash the government order and restrain registration of the properties.

The Court gave an opportunity to the government and other parties to file their counter-affidavit, passed an interim order and adjourned the case.

The move comes amid protests by Tasmac employees over the additional workload involved in collecting, verifying and storing returned bottles. The reverse vending machines (RVMs), which have already been introduced on a pilot basis at select outlets in Chennai, will be rolled out across the State in phases. Once implemented, consumers will be able to return eligible bottles at authorised collection points and receive Rs 10 through digital payments, without having to visit the outlet where they purchased the liquor.

According to Government Order No 63 issued by the Home, Prohibition and Excise Department, the system operator will be responsible for arranging manpower, operating the machines, collecting and storing bottles, and transporting them for further processing or disposal.

The order explicitly excludes Tasmac retail shop employees from collecting, counting, verifying, handling, and temporarily storing empty bottles, as well as processing cash refunds. They will also not be required to maintain manual accounts for these transactions. The operator must make its own arrangements for manpower and operations without transferring these responsibilities to shop personnel.

The transition will be carried out region-wise, with the existing arrangements continuing until the new system is commissioned. During the interim period, arrangements must, to the extent operationally feasible, avoid involving retail staff in manual refunds, handling and storage, except for supervision.

As part of the transition, existing region-wise contracts for collecting and disposing of empty liquor bottles, awarded for the period from August 2025 to July 2028, will be pre-closed or terminated in accordance with the applicable contractual provisions.

The state government conveyed its position during a meeting between the High-Powered Task Force on Examination Reforms, headed by Nandan Nilekani, and Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay at the Secretariat.

During the meeting, the state government reiterated that NEET and similar examinations should be abolished for admission to medical and other higher education courses.

The government also pointed out that the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly had unanimously adopted a resolution on August 11, 2026, opposing NEET.

The government maintained that admissions should instead be based on marks obtained by students in the Class 12 examinations, reiterating its stand against common entrance tests for higher education admissions.

The two months before, the Tamil Nadu Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution urging the Union government to do away with the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to undergraduate medical courses, citing repeated irregularities in the conduct of the examination, proliferation of coaching centres, and loss of lives.

The members, led by the state general secretary, Sami Natarajan, converged in front of the Tiruvarur district collectorate and staged a protest against the state government, alleging harassment by agriculture department officials. The protestors highlighted the hurdles they face during the process of insuring their crops, as officials mandate identity cards.

Pointing out that farmers who applied for identity cards provided by the union government have been waiting for several months, the farmers said the deadline to apply for crop insurance would end soon.

The protesting members demanded that the Tamil Nadu government issue explicit directives to agricultural officials, instructing them to immediately stop forcing farmers to produce specialised identity cards.

Instead, the association urged that farmers should be permitted to use their Aadhaar card as a standardised, universally accessible document to claim all agricultural benefits and subsidised fertilisers. They raised slogans against the government, highlighting how their livelihood has been hit.

“They said, ‘Take Rs 15 crore now, and when a no-confidence vote is brought, we will offer the Rs 15 crore then,’” he claimed. The MLA said he had informed the party leadership.

Separately, senior TVK leader and Minister R Nirmalkumar accused the opposition DMK and the AIADMK of attempting to poach the ruling party legislators ahead of the upcoming bypolls.

Addressing reporters in Madurai, he said the two Dravidian parties had thousands of crores to spend, and alleged that offers ranging from Rs 60 crore to Rs 70 crore were being made to MLA. Hawala money trails linked to these operations were already surfacing in Bengaluru, he alleged.

The AIADMK rejected the allegations, dismissing the charge as “baseless” and warning ministers and legislators of legal action if they continued to make “irresponsible statements”.

Former minister and senior AIADMK leader RB Udhayakumar said Nirmalkumar and TVK legislators must immediately stop dragging the AIADMK’s name into the issue to divert attention from their own corruption. He described the minister’s charge that the DMK and AIADMK were conspiring to topple the TVK government as baseless and politically motivated. Mustafa, he said, was “making up stories”.

He also alleged that the minister had signed agreements to purchase electricity at Rs 37 and Rs 41.50 per unit, while the Kerala government bought power at Rs 12.50 per unit.

Instead of indulging in “political drama” through baseless allegations, ministers and legislators should focus on resolving people’s problems, Udhayakumar said. The AIADMK, founded to fight corruption, knows how to meet the people democratically and come to power, and has no need to seek political gains through backdoor methods, he added.

Udhayanidhi described it as a government that was doing nothing despite being in power. "The government is like an onion. When you peel it layer by layer, there is nothing inside," he said. He alleged that the government had purchased 450 tonnes of onions from NAFED without conducting any proper inspection. The onions, procured from Maharashtra, were allegedly found to be rotten and left without being unloaded at Korukkupet railway station.

Udhayanidhi further alleged that the onions had been covered up without being unloaded, while the Chief Minister is busy in constituencies where by-elections were due instead of addressing the issue.

Questioning the government over the procurement, he asked who had ordered the purchase of the onions and who was responsible for covering up the rotten stock.

He also questioned whether the Chief Minister had answers to these issues and demanded accountability from the government over the alleged irregularities.

Addressing a felicitation function organised by the Dravidar Kazhagam in Coimbatore to honour him for establishing Periyar Arivulagam, Stalin said the power outages are a drama enacted to justify its purchase of electricity at higher rates.

“The government had cancelled long-term power procurement agreements secured by the previous DMK regime at cheaper rates and is now buying electricity at nearly double the cost,” he said.

Launching a scathing attack on Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, calling him the ‘weakest Chief Minister’ Tamil Nadu had ever seen, Stalin claimed that some power centres were controlling the state administration from behind the scenes.

“When he assumed office, Vijay claimed that there would be no parallel power centres in his government. But he has now become a dummy, with some corporate power centres behind him taking control of the administration,” Stalin said. He further claimed that people who voted for Vijay had lost their livelihoods and were now regretting their decision.

Referring to the escape of prisoners from jails in Theni, Chennai and Coimbatore, Stalin said that while it had earlier promised to open files against the DMK, it was now opening the prison gates.

Claiming that Tamil Nadu's economic performance had deteriorated within five months of the new government assuming office, Stalin said the Chief Minister had failed to take corrective measures. He also expressed concern over investments moving to other States.

“The Chief Minister's job is not like a cinema shoot, with working hours from 10 am to 5 pm and holidays on Saturdays and Sundays,” he said.

Stalin also criticised the government over what he described as a deterioration in law and order, citing murders, sexual offences against women and children, and the growing prevalence of drugs. He accused TVK functionaries of being involved in several criminal offences.

Referring to the repeated raids at the residence of former minister KN Nehru as an act to cover up the government’s wrongdoings, Stalin said, “We will not be intimidated or retreat. We will only rise stronger. That is the DNA of the DMK.”

Questioning Vijay's silence on several issues, Stalin also accused the Chief Minister of refusing to take responsibility for administrative lapses.

“Fortunately, 99.75 per cent of the work on Periyar Arivulagam had been completed during the DMK regime. Had it been left halfway, it would not have been surprising if the present government had shut it down,” he told reporters during a visit to the facility.

Stalin also expressed hope that other library projects initiated by the DMK government would be completed and opened to the public. He referred to the ongoing works on libraries named after freedom fighter Quaid-e-Millath in Tirunelveli and former Chief Minister K Kamaraj in Tiruchy.

Highlighting the DMK's initiatives to create landmark public libraries, he recalled the establishment of the Anna Centenary Library in Chennai during the tenure of former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and the Kalaignar Centenary Library in Madurai.

Accompanied by Dravidar Kazhagam president K Veeramani, Stalin toured various sections of Periyar Arivulagam and urged youngsters and students to learn about social reformer Periyar's ideals and the principles of the Dravidian movement. "Youth should understand the Dravidian movement, Periyar's thoughts and his vision for society, and broaden their knowledge," he said.

The Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) has constructed 304 housing Units at Arumbakkam, 216 units at Ashok Nagar, 16 Units at Besant Nagar, 80 Units at Padikuppam and 24 units at Nungambakkam.

The newly constructed housing units are equipped with basic amenities, including lifts, fire alarms, CCTV surveillance systems and solar power facilities.

Under the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board, the Chief Minister also inaugurated 125 housing units at Kulantha Goundanur in Karur district. In another programme, Vijay inaugurated new police station buildings at five locations, including Kothaval Chavadi and Medavakkam in the city.

He also inaugurated two new industrial estates at Perundurai in Erode and Nayanoor village in Villupuram. The two industrial estates are expected to generate direct and indirect employment opportunities for 2,550 people.

Further, he inaugurated a Common Facility Centre for coir clusters at Mudalipalayam in Tirupur, which is expected to provide direct and indirect employment opportunities to 500 people.

In a separate event, Vijay distributed sanction orders to farmers under the special incentive scheme providing Rs 709.50 per tonne of sugarcane. With an allocation of Rs 603.33 crore, around 85,000 sugarcane farmers are expected to benefit under the scheme.

Perarivalan, who was convicted by the designated TADA Court and initially sentenced to death in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, had his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment on February 18, 2014, before he was released by the Supreme Court on May 18, 2022, using its extraordinary power under Article 142 of the Constitution.

According to Perarivalan, he had applied for a fresh passport under the normal scheme on May 6, 2024. Though he attended the appointment at the Passport Seva Kendra in Tambaram on October 21, 2024, his application was kept on hold pending police verification.

He also submitted a representation on September 1, seeking its speedy disposal, but no action was taken. Finally, after waiting for two years to get his passport application processed despite completing all necessary formalities, Perarivalan filed a petition before the Madras High Court.

In his plea, he contended that the delay was causing him hardship and affecting his plans to travel abroad for higher studies.

After hearing the petition, Justice PT Asha held that since Perarivalan had been set at liberty by the Supreme Court, the passport authority's reluctance to process his application on the ground that it was awaiting the police report was unjustified. The court also held that the counter affidavit filed by the inspector of Jolarpettai police station in Tirupattur district could be treated as the police verification report, as it contained details of Perarivalan's mother and siblings.

The court observed that Perarivalan's sentence had been modified by setting him at liberty and issued a writ of mandamus directing the Passport Seva Kendra, Tambaram, to dispose of his passport application by treating the counter affidavit filed by the Jolarpettai station inspector as the police verification report.

The court directed the authorities to complete the exercise within four weeks and disposed of the writ petition.

Since he was released by the Supreme Court after spending three decades in prison, most part of it as a death row convict, Perarivalan joined LLB course in Dr BR Ambedkar Law College, Bengaluru, under the Karnataka Law University, and completed the course in 2025. He also cleared the All India Bar Examination the same year. In April, he had enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

BJP councillor Uma Anandan withdrew her complaint citing his public apology and assurance that he would not repeat such remarks, and the need to maintain communal harmony.

She filed a petition along with an affidavit seeking to withdraw the complaint, stating that the accused had publicly apologised for his remarks on Saivism and Vaishnavism and assured her that he would not make such remarks in the future.

She also stated that the accused had personally expressed regret and sought her forgiveness. Citing the need to maintain communal harmony, as well as the accused's age and health condition, she decided to withdraw the case voluntarily, without any pressure or compromise. She expressed no objection to the dismissal of the case or the acquittal of the accused.

After hearing the matter, judge C Sundarapandian, VII Metropolitan Magistrate (FAC), George Town, observed that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges under BNS sections 196 (1) (a), 299 and 302 beyond reasonable doubt. The court acquitted the accused under Section 271 (i) of the BNSS, as the complainant withdrew the complaint and did not wish to pursue the case further.

The case arose from controversial remarks allegedly made by Ponmudy on Vaishnavism, Saivism and women during an event in Chennai in April 2025. The Madras High Court had earlier directed the State to register an FIR and subsequently initiated suo motu proceedings after no FIR was registered, observing that the speech prima facie amounted to hate speech.

The suo motu proceedings were later closed after the State government informed the High Court that the complaints had been investigated and closed for want of material. However, the court granted liberty to the complainants to approach the jurisdictional Metropolitan Magistrate.

Pursuant to the liberty granted by the High Court, BJP Chennai City Councillor Uma Anandan filed a private complaint before the Metropolitan Magistrate under Sections 196 (1) (a), 299 and 302 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Seventeen inmates escaped from the prison at Thekkampatti in Theni district on the night of October 26, allegedly after assaulting prison personnel. Of them, Meenakshi Sundaram, Thirupathi and two other injured remand prisoners, Solai Mugileswaran and Sabarinathan, surrendered before the police.

Subsequently, K. Arumugathammal of Madurai, mother of Meenakshi Sundaram and Thirupathi, filed a petition before the Madras High Court.

In her petition, she stated that police personnel attached to Chinthamani Police Station in Madurai had taken her sons from their residence on October 9, 2026, citing possible law and order issues ahead of Thevar Jayanthi. They were later allegedly falsely implicated in two criminal cases involving the robbery of Rs. 500 and possession of 300 grams of ganja, and remanded to Theni District Prison.

She further alleged that prison personnel assaulted all 17 remand prisoners who escaped, using lathis and kicking them with their boots while they were in the custody of the prison authorities.

Her son Meenakshi Sundaram sustained multiple injuries, including an injury to his toe that resulted in the loss of his toenail, torn skin and swelling. Her other son, Thirupathi, also sustained multiple injuries, particularly to his feet. The other prisoners, Solai Mugileswaran and Sabarinathan, too, sustained injuries in the alleged assault by prison warders.

The petitioner sought a direction to refer the four injured prisoners, who are presently lodged in different prisons, to the Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital for a complete medical examination and necessary treatment, including specialist care wherever required.

She also sought an independent judicial inquiry into the alleged custodial assault and ill-treatment by prison authorities.

The petition came up for hearing before a Division Bench of Justices A.D. Jagadish Chandira and B. Karthikeyan. The police informed the court that three of the prisoners were lodged in Salem Central Prison, while Thirupathi had been lodged in Palayamkottai Central Prison in Tirunelveli.

Following this, the Bench directed a team of three doctors from the Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital, Salem, to visit the Central Prison, accompanied by the Chairman and Secretary of the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), and examine prisoners K. Meenakshisundaram, N. Solai and P. Sabarinathan. The team was also directed to provide medical treatment if required.

The Court further directed a medical team from the Tirunelveli Government Medical College to visit Palayamkottai Central Prison, examine K. Thirupathi and provide treatment if required.

The Bench ordered the medical teams to examine the prisoners on Wednesday (November 4), provide necessary medical treatment and file a report before the court by November 6. The matter was posted to November 13.

The service, suspended since October 24, was scheduled to resume on Thursday.

However, continued rainfall and fresh mudslides along the route have forced the railway authorities to extend the cancellation by another three days.

Heavy rain on the night of October 23 triggered a landslip between Adderly and Coonoor railway stations, causing huge boulders to roll onto the tracks.

Railway personnel have been carrying out restoration work to clear the affected stretch. They blasted and removed massive boulders obstructing the tracks as part of efforts to restore services.