TN this Week: 10 Get Life Sentence for Killing Dalit Man

After the outbreak of the war against Ukraine, the prices of raw materials have shot up, crippling the functioning of the industrial sector in western Tamil Nadu. It is attributed to the sharp increase in raw material cost by building up artificial demand through hoarding.

Out of the nearly 2,000 Tamil Nadu students stranded in the war-torn region, all those willing have returned to India. Chief Minister M K Stalin received the last batch of students evacuated from Ukraine at the Chennai Airport on March 12 morning.

Former Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K Palaniswami sent a legal notice to News18 media group for publishing a story titled 'Crisis to unite Sasikala… Is Palaniswami starting a separate party?' on March 7. Palaniswami alleged that the report was "untrue, false, scandalous and fake news."

A Sri Lankan court, on March 8, ordered the release of 11 fishermen from Rameswaram who were arrested last month.

Meanwhile, other fishermen from Tamil Nadu were apprehended by Indonesian and Seychelles authorities for allegedly entering international waters.

A farmer died by suicide near Gingee on March 9 night after finance company officials seized his tractor to cover his pending loan. The farmer's kins protested against the finance company, and a case was registered on the firm.

After almost two years, Tamil Nadu reported no COVID-19 deaths on March 11, while the state recorded 112 fresh cases.

PERARIVALAN GETS BAIL

The Supreme Court on March 9 granted bail to Perarivalan, Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convict, who was in jail for the last 32 years. The bail was granted on the grounds of inordinate delay in deciding his remission plea.

The Governor is yet to decide his plea seeking release from prison. However, the court said there was sufficient material regarding his conduct and ill health.

Gandhi was assassinated on the night of May 21, 1991, at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu by a woman suicide bomber, identified as Dhanu, at a poll rally. Fourteen others, including Dhanu herself, were also killed.

In its May 1999 order, the top court had upheld the death sentence of four convicts -- Perarivalan, Murugan, Santham and Nalini. In February 2014, the court commuted the death sentence of Perarivalan to life imprisonment and two other prisoners on the grounds of an 11-year delay in deciding their mercy pleas by the Centre.

GOKULARAJ MURDER VERDICT

A special court for cases booked under SC/ST Act has sentenced ten persons to life imprisonment until death for kidnapping and murdering a scheduled caste youth, V Gokulraj, in Namakkal in 2015. The prime accused in the case, S Yuvaraj, founder of Dheeran Chinnamalai Gounder Peravai, was awarded triple life-term on March 8.

The judge said that seeing Gokulraj talking to a girl belonging to their community had angered them, leading to the murder. However, all the accused said they were falsely implicated in the case.

The deceased Gokulraj was a 21-year-old engineering graduate and the youngest son of his widowed mother, Chithra.

SFI HOLDS FAST AGAINST NEET

Members of the Students' Federation of India on March 9-10 held a 48-hour fast against Governor's inaction on the Bill seeking to dispense with NEET for admission to undergraduate medical courses.

Last month, the Governor returned the Bill to the Assembly for reconsideration of the House, and the Assembly unanimously passed it and sent it back for the Governor's assent.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary K Balakrishnan, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi chief Thol Thirumavalavan and others participated in the protest.

KUDANKULAM PANCHAYAT RESOLUTION

The Kudankulam Village Panchayat, under which the construction of the 'Away From Reactor' (AFR) facility at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) site for storing nuclear waste falls, has passed a resolution against setting up the facility. CM Stalin earlier wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to halt the project.

All the 15 ward members of the Village Panchayat opposed the facility, citing a radioactive threat that would seriously jeopardise this region's environment.

44-DAY STRIKE ENDS IN METAL PLANT

Workers of MM Forging, a metal plant in the Singai area, Sivagangai district, called off their indefinite strike, which began on January 26. The call for strike was given against the order to transfer seven union leaders for organising the workers and establishing the Centre of Indian Trade Union.

More than 600 workers gheraoed the plant on March 10, but the management did not come forward to hold talks with the union. Following this, the CITU announced protests outside all MM Forging plants in Tamil Nadu on March 11.

The administration surrendered to the workers' demand ahead of the protest demonstrations and withdrew the transfer orders.