According to the officials, Nivanidha, a resident of Chetty Veedhi near Karambakudi in Pudukkottai, developed labour pain on Monday night, and soon, her husband contacted 108 ambulances, which came to the spot and took Nivanidha to the GH.

However, when they were nearing Thriuvalankulam, her pain intensified, and soon the emergency medical assistant Muthukumar and the ambulance driver Balamurugan acted swiftly and readied the ambulance for the delivery.

With support from the medical staff, Nivanidha delivered a baby girl weighing 2.8 kg, and the mother and the baby were later rushed to the Raniyar Government Reproductive and Child Health Hospital, Pudukkottai, where the mother and the baby were admitted for post-delivery treatment.

The officials, the family members and the public lauded the ambulance staff.

The association, which is affiliated to the Tamil Nadu Employees Union, has been demanding a wage hike for the past several years, but it is said their demands went unnoticed by the officials, and so they declared a protest for the wage revision.

Accordingly, more than 100 members of the association, led by the Tiruchy district president Aruna Devi, who assembled in front of the district collectorate, raised slogans in support of their demands. They said that they were appointed on a daily wage basis, but the wage has not been revised for the past 15 years.

They said that while the employees of other departments in the city corporation are given a periodical increment, the workers in Amma Unavagam were not allowed to get the benefits.

They demanded proper wage revision every year and appealed to the corporation to provide the provisions so that they could serve quality food. They also appealed to the Municipal officials to treat them honourably when they visit the canteen for inspection.

Later, they submitted a petition to the district collector mentioning their demands.

The woman died on the spot, while her two sons succumbed to their burn injuries at the Palayamkottai Government Hospital on Tuesday morning.

As most of the villagers had gathered at the Vadakasi Amman temple for the festival, the incident was not noticed immediately.

The deceased were identified as Mariammal (28) and her two sons, Kabineswaran (6) and Rabineswaran (4).

Mariammal, a native of Devathanam village in Virudhunagar district, had married Kalipandi (32) of Vadakusathiram near Sivagiri around seven years ago. Kabineswaran was studying in Class I at a local school, while Rabineswaran was attending an anganwadi centre.

Kalipandi, who worked as a painter, had a drinking habit and would frequently quarrel with and allegedly assault his wife after consuming alcohol, police said.

On Monday night, Mariammal took her two sons to the Vadakasi Amman temple to participate in a traditional kummi dance programme organised as part of the Purattasi month celebrations.

Meanwhile, Kalipandi allegedly arrived at the temple in an inebriated condition, picked a quarrel with Mariammal and assaulted her in public, police said. Upset over the incident, Mariammal took her two sons and returned home.

She allegedly locked the house from inside, took kerosene and poured it over herself and her two sons. She then allegedly lit a matchstick and set fire to her saree, police said. The flames quickly engulfed all three.

People returning from the festival around midnight noticed the fire at Mariammal’s house and alerted the Sivagiri police.

Police rushed to the spot and found Mariammal’s charred body. Her two sons were found seriously injured, but died despite treatment.

The Sivagiri police have registered a case and are questioning Mariammal’s husband, Kalipandi, in connection with the incident.

The division bench comprising Justices P Velmurugan and KK Ramakrishnan issued the direction on a petition filed by Anburaj of Iluppai Oorani village in Thoothukudi district. He alleged that the land allotted to 118 beneficiaries under the free house-site patta scheme was encroached upon and that when 21 of them attempted to construct houses in January this year, the encroachers prevented them and threatened them with dire consequences.

The petitioner said free house-site pattas were distributed to 280 persons belonging to the Backward Classes, Most Backward Classes and Denotified Communities in the Kovilpatti area of Thoothukudi district in 2002. However, as many of the beneficiaries failed to construct houses on the allotted sites, their pattas were cancelled and the district administration subsequently issued pattas to 118 new beneficiaries.

According to the petitioner, the beneficiaries are required to construct houses within one year of receiving the pattas, failing which the pattas could be cancelled.

He further stated that the new beneficiaries had submitted complaints to the District Collector and the police seeking action against the encroachers, but no action was taken.

When the matter came up for hearing before the division bench, the Government Advocate submitted that the encroachments had already been removed.

The judges, however, observed that the scheme was intended to provide land to poor and landless people to construct houses.

“Is it not a prerequisite for the revenue officials to inspect the condition of the land before taking a decision to issue pattas?” the judges questioned.

The court directed the Collector to appear in person with all documents relating to the issuance of the pattas and explain the decision.

The case was adjourned to October 12.

In a statement, Anbumani said the police action against nurses who were peacefully protesting for their rights was strongly condemnable. He said Intermediate Health Workers, including nurses, were being paid extremely low wages despite serving for several years and repeatedly demanding job security and better wages.

Anbumani pointed out that the TVK had promised that temporary employees who had served for more than five years in various departments would be regularised if the party came to power. He said the protesting nurses were demanding the fulfilment of the same promise.

"Instead of respecting their concerns and addressing their demands, unleashing repression against them is unjustifiable," he said.

Following an assurance from the Health Secretary that their demands would be considered, the nurses have temporarily suspended their protest until November 3.

Anbumani urged the Tamil Nadu government to fulfil their demands within the period and ensure that the nurses were not forced to launch another protest.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

According to the police, Roslin Vedhakhan (55), a former serviceman, had been working as a Bible class teacher at a local church in Palapallam. The victim, a Class VII student from the same locality, regularly attended the Bible class on Sundays, police said.

The police said that when the boy attended the class on September 20, Roslin Vedhakhan allegedly sexually assaulted him. Traumatised by the incident, the boy stopped attending the class.

When his father questioned him, the boy revealed the incident. The boy’s father lodged a complaint with the Colachel All Women Police Station. The police registered a case against Roslin Vedhakhan under the Pocso Act and arrested him. He was subsequently produced before a court and remanded in judicial custody.

The Dindigul police secured four persons in connection with the murder and are questioning them.

According to the police, a gang intercepted Veerapathiran, a key accused in the murder case, while he was travelling with his wife on a two-wheeler near Nochiodaipatti village and hacked him to death. During the attack, Veerapathiran’s wife fell from the two-wheeler and suffered serious injuries. She was rescued by the police and taken to the Dindigul Government Medical College Hospital in a 108 ambulance.

Following the orders of Dindigul Superintendent of Police S Jeyakumar, a special police team led by Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Manjima seized a Scorpio vehicle allegedly used by the assailants to escape and recovered deadly weapons from it.

The police suspect that the murder could be an act of revenge and are questioning four relatives of ‘Bathroom’ Murugan in connection with the case.

According to police, ‘Bathroom’ Murugan, a Dindigul Corporation contractor and DMK functionary, was allegedly abducted in a car and hacked to death inside the moving vehicle in July 2025. The murder was reportedly linked to previous enmity over a dispute concerning the accounts of the Kaliamman Temple at Mettupatti.

Police had arrested eight persons, including Murugan’s car driver, in connection with the murder. All of them had been released on bail recently. Veerapathiran, a resident of Mettupatti, was named as an accused in the murder case.

In his petition, advocate K Sivasubramaniam recalled that during the proceedings and debates in the Assembly on August 24, Marie Wilson made an open and official admission on record that he had paid a bribe to a former minister to obtain necessary approvals for his educational institution.

The admission of bribe-giving by a sitting Cabinet Minister had caused intense public outrage, affected the dignity of the Legislative Assembly, and compromised public trust in governance, he submitted.

Sivasubramaniam added that on August 27, he sent a formal written criminal complaint to the DVAC by Speed Post, seeking immediate registration of an FIR under Sections 8 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, read with Section 173 of the BNSS, 2023. However, it failed to act on the complaint, register an FIR, or initiate an investigation against Marie Wilson, he alleged.

The petitioner sought a direction to the DVAC to register an FIR against Marie Wilson based on his public admission, and conduct an independent, thorough, and time-bound investigation into the alleged extortion network in T Nagar, and regulatory violations surrounding his educational institutions.

The matter is expected to be listed for hearing shortly.

The secretary of the Tamil Nadu Tasmac Salesmen Welfare Association filed a petition before the High Court challenging a circular issued by the managing director of the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) on July 24.

The impugned circular prescribes penalties for overcharging customers, and provides for apportioning the penalty amount between the salesperson and supervisor under certain circumstances. It also provides for progressive disciplinary action for subsequent infractions, including temporary removal from service, punitive transfer, and other disciplinary measures.

For a third alleged instance, the circular prescribes issuing a charge memo, conducting a formal inquiry and, upon proof of the alleged misconduct, termination of service.

When the matter came up for hearing before Justice K Surender, the petitioner's counsel contended that the circular imposes punitive consequences without ensuring a reasonable opportunity of being heard to the employees concerned. The petitioner argued that the summary procedure contemplated under the circular was arbitrary, violates the principles of natural justice, and runs counter to Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India.

After hearing the plea, the court observed that no punitive action can be taken against a workman without following the principles of natural justice. It directed that any disciplinary action under the impugned circular dated July 24 must comply with the relevant service rules and statutory provisions. No worker should be penalised, transferred or terminated without a fair opportunity of defence through a proper inquiry, the court instructed before disposing of the petition.

After the TVK-led government came to power, the State-run liquor corporation brought in punitive action as part of its measures to curb instances of overcharging by salesmen at its retail stores. Adopting a carrot and stick strategy, it also hiked their salaries twice.

Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister C Ramesh and Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare Minister A Srinath inspected the arrangements at the temple and surrounding areas.

Speaking to reporters after the inspection, Ramesh said the Kulasekarapattinam Mutharamman temple festival was celebrated on a grand scale by people from the southern districts.

He said officials were reviewing arrangements for devotees' safety, entry and exit routes, basic amenities, the temporary bus stand, vehicle parking areas and the beach where the Mahishasura Samharam would be held.

The minister said a review meeting involving officials from various departments would be held at the district Collectorate to discuss arrangements and basic facilities for devotees.

He said all necessary basic amenities would be provided before the festival and steps would be taken to ensure the festival was conducted smoothly.

During the inspection, the ministers visited the Mutharamman temple premises, the Chidambareswarar temple beach area where the Mahishasura Samharam is held, the Karungali Amman temple area and the Aram Valartha Nayagi Amman temple area.

Temple authorities accorded the ministers a purna kumbha welcome before the inspection. The ministers also had darshan along with the general public.

Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Commissioner Vinay, Collector Vishi Mahajan, Superintendent of Police Siva Prasad, Tiruchendur Revenue Divisional Officer Gautham, District Revenue Officer Guru Chandran, District Rural Development Agency Project Director Saravanan and joint commissioners Rojali Sumatha and Arunachalam, among other officials, were present during the inspection.

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

A Rithanya from Avinashi in Tirupur district died by suicide on June 28, 2025, allegedly due to dowry harassment. Before her death, she sent voice messages to her father alleging that her husband and his parents abused her mentally and physically. The husband and parents were arrested by the police, but were released on conditional bail granted by the High Court.

Even as the case is going on, her father, Annadurai Ramasamy, approached the High Court seeking the appointment of an officer not below the rank of Superintendent of Police as the new investigating officer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

With these directions, both criminal original petitions were disposed of.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meanwhile, high drama unfolded as protesting groups claimed that leaders of the struggle were arrested after being told they were being taken for discussions.

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

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

Sundari said the protesters hoped their demands would be fulfilled during the November 3 talks. "If the assurances are not fulfilled after November 3, we will all unite and launch a massive protest across the State," she said.

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

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

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

Thattanchavady has long been considered a bastion of Rangasamy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Madurantakam bypoll

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

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

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

Dharapuram bypoll

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Crypto trading

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ethereum, Forex

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Who are these scamsters?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gift scam: High cost women pay online for love

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Employers violating the provision may face penal action.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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