New Delhi: A court here on Friday sentenced former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala to four years in prison and slapped a fine of Rs 50 lakh in connection with a disproportionate assets case, in which he was convicted earlier. The pronouncement of then quantum of punishment was delivered by Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court which was reserved on Thursday, after the submissions of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). During the course of the hearing, the court rejected Chautala’s prayer to grant 10 days to file an appeal in the matter.In this case, the probe agency will now seize four of his properties. In the last hearing, the probe agency opposed Chautala’s lawyer who argued for a concession on medical grounds for the 87-year-old politician. Instead, the Central agency argued for maximum punishment, pointing out that the convict is a public figure. If the punishment is less for him, it would send a wrong message to society. It was also argued that Chautala is convicted for the second time and does not have a clean image.On May 19, the court had reserved its verdict in this case. As per the charge sheet filed by the CBI, Chautala is responsible for amassing assets worth Rs 6.09 crore (disproportionate to his legitimate source of income) between 1993 and 2006. In May 2019, the Enforcement Directorate had attached over Rs 3.6 crore worth of properties of the former Chief Minister located in New Delhi, Panchkula, and Sirsa. Chautala was also convicted in the JBT scam in January 2013. In 2008, Chautala and 53 others were charged in connection with the appointment of 3,206 junior basic trained teachers in Haryana from 1999 to 2000. In January 2013, a court sentenced Om Prakash Chautala and his son Ajay Singh Chautala to ten years imprisonment under various provisions of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act. Chautala was found guilty of illegally recruiting over 3,000 unqualified teachers.Out on parole, Chautala was released from Tihar Jail on July 2, 2021 from a 10-year prison sentence after completing due formalities. He was the Chief Minister of Haryana four times between 1989 to 2005. His grandson Dushyant Chautala is the Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana.—IANS

A court here on Friday sentenced former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala to four years in prison and slapped a fine of Rs 50 lakh in connection with a disproportionate assets case, in which he was convicted earlier.

Delhi Court Sentences OP Chautala To 4 Yrs In Disproportionate Assets Case

New Delhi (The Hawk): The CRISPR gene-editing technology that received the Nobel Prize in 2020 has witnessed a new height. Indian scientists have demonstrated for the first time that the associated Cas9 enzyme, which acts as molecular scissors to cut DNA at a location specified by a guide RNA, can bind to and cut the target DNA at very low temperatures.
This work has shown the highly efficient functioning of this platform at temperatures as low as 4oC, making it possible to edit genes in temperature sensitive organisms, plants, or crop varieties.
CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) are short DNA sequences found in the genome of prokaryotic organisms such as bacteria, which are reminders of previous bacteriophage (viruses) attacks that the bacteria successfully defended against. Cas9 enzyme (part of bacteria’s defence mechanism) uses these flags to precisely target and cut any foreign DNA, thus protecting the bacteria from future attacks by similar bacteriophages. The unprecedented precision of targeting the DNA sequences and then efficiently cutting them is the basis for CRISPR-Cas9 technology, which has been recently demonstrated in editing genes in cells and organisms.
CRISPR-Cas9 technology has been successfully used for many purposes, including basic studies of gene function, agriculture, and medicine to increase our knowledge of disease processes and their potential future therapies. So far, most binding trials were typically performed at 37 °C.
As a further step to advance this platform into the forefront of biomedical and analytical biotechnology, scientists of Raman Research Institute (RRI), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), have explored temperature-dependent binding and release of cleaved products by the Cas9 enzyme. Serene Rose David, Sumanth Kumar Maheshwaram, Divya Shet &amp; Mahesh B. Lakshminarayana, under the guidance of Dr. Gautam V. Soni, have demonstrated that the Cas9 enzymes strongly bind to the target at very low temperatures and remains bound to the cleaved DNA products even after the enzyme has done its job. Subsequently, the bound products were released in a controlled fashion using high temperature or chemical denaturant (that make proteins and DNA lose their 3-dimensional structure and become non-functional).&nbsp;
The research published in the Scientific Reports journal of the Nature Portfolio expands possible application of the Cas9-based genetic toolbox to a previously unexplored temperature range that would be compatible with long-term storage of biological samples.
Their observations on high efficiency of Cas9 binding to target at very low temperatures also provide opportunities to edit genomes of the less explored organisms called cryophiles with an optimal growth temperature of 15°C. The results on Cas9-DNA binding and release mechanics will provide valuable insights for developing temperature-dependent applications of the CRISPR-Cas9 technology. It also builds a quantitative understanding of product release mechanism of this enzyme system.

he CRISPR gene-editing technology that received the Nobel Prize in 2020 has witnessed a new height. Indian scientists have demonstrated for the first time that the associated Cas9 enzyme, which acts as molecular scissors to cut DNA at a location specified by a guide RNA, can bind to and cut the target DNA at very low temperatures.

CRISPR Gene-Editing Possible In Temperature Sensitive Organisms, Plants & Crop Varieties

Islamabad: At least four Pakistan Army soldiers were killed on Saturday in a terror attack along the Pakistan-Iran border in Balochistan’s Kech district, according to the military’s media wing.
“On April 1, 2023, a group of terrorists operating from the Iranian side attacked a routine border patrol of Pakistani security forces along the Pakistan-Iran Border in Jalgai Sector, district Kech," an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement said.
The ISPR said that “necessary contact” with the Iranian side was being made for “effective action against terrorists” on their territory and to prevent such incidents in the future. —Inputs from Agencies

At least four Pakistan Army soldiers were killed on Saturday in a terror attack along the Pakistan-Iran border in Balochistan’s Kech district, according to the military’s media wing. “On April 1, 2023, a group of terrorists operating from the Iranian side attacked a routine border patrol of Pakistani security forces along the Pakistan-Iran Border in Jalgai Sector, district Kech," an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement said. The ISPR said that “necessary contact” with the Iranian side was being made for “effective action against terrorists” on their territory and to prevent such incidents in the future.

Four Pakistani soldiers dead in Iran border terror attack

At least four Pakistan Army soldiers were killed on Saturday in a terror attack along the Pakistan-Iran border in Balochistan’s Kech district, according to the military’s media wing.

Islamabad: On Monday, General Asim Munir, head of the Pakistani armed forces, declared the recent attacks on military sites to be "intolerable" and stated that May 25 will be celebrated as "Pakistan Martyrs Day" across the country.
According to a news statement published by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media branch of the army, he made the announcement at a ceremony honouring the fallen soldiers at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.
General Munir was cited as saying, "Undoubtedly, we are living in a free atmosphere due to the martyrs' sense of duty and great sacrifices."—Inputs from Agencies

On Monday, General Asim Munir, head of the Pakistani armed forces, declared the recent attacks on military sites to be "intolerable" and stated that May 25 will be celebrated as "Pakistan Martyrs Day" across the country.

Pakistan Army chief says recent military installations attacks 'intolerable'

Varanasi: A team of vigilance department has filed a charge sheet against jailed mafia don and former MLA Vijay Mishra and his wife and MLC Ramlali Mishra before the special court (anti-corruption &amp; MP-MLA) in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi in a case of disproportionate assets and income.  In the charge sheet filed on Wednesday, the vigilance team mentioned that against an income of Rs 2.32 crore, purchase of assets and other expenditure of Rs 23.81 crore had been detected during the investigation against the Mishra couple.  Additional district government counsel (criminal) Vinay Singh said that a vigilance team of Prayagraj had conducted an open inquiry and on detecting disproportionate assets and expenditure, it had lodged an FIR with Handia police station in January 2021 in Prayagraj.
As Prayagraj comes under jurisdiction of special anti-corruption court of Varanasi, he said, investigation officer inspector Kailashpati Singh filed the charge sheet before the court of special judge (anti-corruption and MP-MLA) Avanish Gautam.  The court took cognizance and has fixed September 11 as the next date for hearing, said Singh.  Vijay Mishra, who is currently lodged in Agra jail, and Ramlali Mishra have also been summoned on the date of hearing.  As per the details in the charge sheet, the open inquiry in disproportionate assets and expenditure was assigned to vigilance in October 2019. After completing the inquiry, the investigators had submitted their report to the state government in December 2020.  In this corresponding period, the investigators found that income of Mishras had been over Rs 2.32 crore while purchase of assets and other expenditure was approximately of Rs 23.82 crore.  The expenditure was over Rs 21.49 crore, which is 924 per cent, greater than the income of this period. The Mishra couple did not get their statements recorded during the open inquiry.
—IANS

A team of vigilance department has filed a charge sheet against jailed mafia don and former MLA Vijay Mishra and his wife and MLC Ramlali Mishra before the special court (anti-corruption & MP-MLA) in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi in a case of disproportionate assets and income.

Charge sheet filed against ex-MLA & gangster Vijay Mishra

Chennai: The Madras High Court judge, Justice Anand Venkatesh said that the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) acts as a chameleon and as per the colours of the ruling regime.  The judge made the comments in the open court while he was hearing the case on a disproportionate asset case against former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, O. Panneerselvam (OPS). It is to be noted that Justice Anand Venkatesh has taken up a revision petition in the disproportionate asset case.  The court had taken up suo moto the revision petition as OPS was set free in the case by a lower court in 2012.
Justice Anand Venkatesh observed that there was a pattern in the three revision petitions he had taken up against sitting ministers and the pattern started from this case.  He also observed that the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption (DVAC) was acting like a chameleon and that courts were also failing in their duties.  He said that the DVAC used to charge cases against opposition leaders and when the same opposition comes to power, the DVAC opens a re-investigation and closes the file. He added that this was a practice that was unheard off in the criminal judicial system.  Justice Anand Venkatesh also said that the courts are looking at ordinary people, and the MPs, MLAs, ministers in a different manner. He added that this was a shame to the criminal judicial system.  He said that this was the reason why he took up suo moto in this case which was closed a decade ago. The court also directed the registry of the Madras High Court to issue notice to the accused, including OPS and that the revision petition will be heard on September 27. 
—IANS

The Madras High Court judge, Justice Anand Venkatesh said that the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) acts as a chameleon and as per the colours of the ruling regime.

Madras HC judge addresses TN DVAC as 'chameleon' while hearing OPS case

Patna: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday arrested JD-U MLC Radha Charan Sah in connection with a disproportionate assets case under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Sah was arrested following a day-long raid at his premises in Arrah on Wednesday. Sah is facing charges of owning disproportionate assets.
Separate teams of ED conducted raids on six premises belonging to Shah in Patna, Arrah and other places in Bihar on Wednesday.
Sah used to own a sweet shop outside the Arrah railway station a few years ago. Now, he has become a billionaire and has properties in several states. Sources said that he is also involved in sand mining and has earned crores of rupees in the last few years.
A week ago, the ED had served notices to Sah and his son Kanhaiya Sah, asking them to submit a written reply with the department. The father-son duo had submitted the reply, but the ED was not satisfied with it.
—IANS

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday arrested JD-U MLC Radha Charan Sah in connection with a disproportionate assets case 

ED arrests JD-U MLC in disproportionate assets case

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned hearing on a plea filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against an interim order of the Karnataka High Court staying probe against Congress leader and now Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar in connection with a disproportionate assets case.
A bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M. Trivedi deferred hearing the plea for a period of three weeks. The matter is likely to come up for hearing on October 16 as per the details available on the website of the apex court.
The CBI’s plea said that the High Court erred in granting an interim stay of investigation against the settled position of law that the manner, mode, and direction of investigation is the sole prerogative of the investigative agency and it is not appropriate to substitute court’s wisdom in place of the same.
On July 31, the top court had refused to interfere with another interim decision of the Karnataka High Court staying a CBI probe against Shivakumar in connection with an alleged corruption case.
However, it had granted liberty to the central probe agency to apply before the high court for early disposal of the pending proceedings.
—IANS

The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned hearing on a plea filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against an interim order of the Karnataka High Court

SC delays hearing on CBI challenge to Karnataka HC’s stay order on deputy CM Shivakumar’s probe

Islamabad: Twenty-three Pakistan Army soldiers were killed in an attack on a checkpost in Dera Ismail Khan's Daraban area on Tuesday.  Six terrorists attacked the security post in the early hours of December 12, Pakistani media outlet Dawn reported, citing the military's media affairs wing.  "The attempt to enter the post was effectively thwarted which forced the terrorists to ram an explosive laden vehicle into the post, followed by a suicide bombing attack. The resulting blasts led to the collapse of the building, causing multiple causalities; 23 brave soldiers embraced shahadat, while all six terrorists were effectively engaged and sent to hell," the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.  Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan, a new group affiliated with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the attack.  This is the military’s highest single-day death toll from terrorist attacks reported this year. Before this, 12 soldiers were martyred in separate military operations in the Zhob and Sui areas of Balochistan in July, the media report said.  In a post on X (formerly Twitter), caretaker Interior Minister Sarfaraz Bugti condemned the "terrorist attack on the police station" and expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives.
—IANS

Twenty-three Pakistan Army soldiers were killed in an attack on a checkpost in Dera Ismail Khan's Daraban area on Tuesday.

23 Pak soldiers killed in attack on army checkpost

California: Researchers at UC San Francisco may have found a novel method for diagnosing autism by observing the movements of children's eyes when they turn their heads. Children with a gene mutation linked to severe autism were found to be hypersensitive to this motion. The gene, SCN2A, makes an ion channel that is found throughout the brain, including the region that coordinates movement, called the cerebellum. Ion channels allow electrical charges in and out of cells and are fundamental to how they function. Several variants of this gene are also associated with severe epilepsy and intellectual disability. The researchers found that children with these variants have an unusual form of the reflex that stabilizes the gaze while the head is moving, called the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR). In children with autism, it seems to go overboard, and this can be measured with a simple eye-tracking device. The discovery could help to advance research on autism, which affects 1 out of every 36 children in the United States. And it could help to diagnose kids earlier and faster with a method that only requires them to don a helmet and sit in a chair. "We can measure it in kids with autism who are non-verbal or can't or don't want to follow instructions," said Kevin Bender, PhD, a professor in the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences and co-senior author of the study, which appears Feb. 26 in Neuron. "This could be a game-changer in both the clinic and the lab."  A telltale sign of autism in an eye reflex Of the hundreds of gene mutations associated with autism, variants of the SCN2A gene are among the most common. Since autism affects social communication, ion channel experts like Bender had focused on the frontal lobe of the brain, which governs language and social skills in people. But mice with an autism-associated variant of the SCN2A gene did not display marked behavioral differences associated with this brain region. Chenyu Wang, a UCSF graduate student in Bender's lab and first author of the study, decided to look at what the SCN2A variant was doing in the mouse cerebellum. Guy Bouvier, PhD, a cerebellum expert at UCSF and co-senior author of the paper, already had the equipment needed to test behaviors influenced by the cerebellum, like the VOR. The VOR is easy to provoke. Shake your head and your eyes will stay roughly centered. In mice with the SCN2A variant, however, the researchers discovered that this reflex was unusually sensitive. When these mice were rotated in one direction, their eyes compensated perfectly, rotating in the opposite direction. But this increased sensitivity came at a cost. Normally, neural circuits in the cerebellum can refine the reflex when needed, for example to enable the eyes to focus on a moving object while the head is also moving. In SCN2A mice, however, these circuits got stuck, making the reflex rigid. A mouse result translates nearly perfectly to kids with autism Wang and Bender had uncovered something rare: a behavior that arose from a variant to the SCN2A gene that was easy to measure in mice. But would it work in people? They decided to test it with an eye-tracking camera mounted on a helmet. It was a "shot in the dark," Wang said, given that the two scientists had never conducted a study in humans. Bender asked several families from the FamilieSCN2A Foundation, the major family advocacy group for children with SCN2A variants in the US, to participate. Five children with SCN2A autism and eleven of their neurotypical siblings volunteered. Wang and Bender took turns rotating the children to the left and right in an office chair to the beat of a metronome. The VOR was hypersensitive in the children with autism, but not in their neurotypical siblings. The scientists could tell which children had autism just by measuring how much their eyes moved in response to their head rotation. A CRISPR cure in mice The scientists also wanted to see if they could restore the normal eye reflex in the mice with a CRISPR-based technology that restored SCN2A gene expression in the cerebellum. When they treated 30-day-old SCN2A mice - equivalent to late adolescence in humans - their VOR became less rigid but was still unusually sensitive to body motion. But when they treated 3-day-old SCN2A mice - early childhood in humans - their eye reflexes were completely normal. "These first results, using this reflex as our proxy for autism, point to an early window for future therapies that get the developing brain back on track," Wang said. It's too early to say whether such an approach might someday be used to directly treat autism. But the eye reflex test, on its own, could clear the way to more expedient autism diagnosis for kids today, saving families from long diagnostic odysseys. "If this sort of assessment works in our hands, with kids with profound, nonverbal autism, there really is hope it could be more widely adopted," Bender said. —ANI

Researchers at UC San Francisco may have found a novel method for diagnosing autism by observing the movements of children's eyes

Researchers Discover New Way To Test Autism In Children

New Delhi [India]: The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned the hearing till March 19 on Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha's plea against ED summons in connection with the Delhi excise policy irregularities matter. A bench of justices, Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal, deferred the hearing on various pleas filed by different political leaders against ED summons.
In the meantime, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju objected to the adjournment sought by the party concerned in the case and said that an interim stay cannot be extended from time to time. He also said that now the ED will give them 10 days' notice before issuing a summons. The court also clarified that it will not keep extending interim relief on appearances from time to time and will consider this issue on March 19. Besides K Kavitha, the court was dealing with TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee's plea against ED summons in connection with a recruitment irregularities case in West Bengal.
ED had earlier assured the top court that they would not assist Kavitha's appearance before the next date of hearing. The court was hearing Kavitha's plea against the ED summons. Kavitha was quizzed by the ED in connection with a money laundering case related to the Delhi excise policy irregularities matter.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.thehawk.in/posts/after-ed-raids-brs-mlc-k-kavitha-being-brought-to-delhi-for-questioning-in-liquor-case" target="_self">https://www.thehawk.in/posts/after-ed-raids-brs-mlc-k-kavitha-being-brought-to-delhi-for-questioning-in-liquor-case</a> K Kavitha, who is the daughter of Telangana former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, in her plea challenging the summons issued by the ED against her, said, as per norms, a woman cannot be summoned for questioning before the ED in office and questioning should take place at her residence.
Her lawyer had argued earlier that whether she needs to be interrogated at home or in Delhi, the Court is seized of and has issued a notice in similar petitions of Nalini Chidambaram and Abhishek Banerjee. ED had said that Section 160 CrPC will not apply in PMLA cases as per the Supreme Court judgement in the Vijay Madanlal Choudhary matter. In a petition filed through advocate Vandana Sehgal, Kavitha has urged the top court to quash the ED summons dated March 7 and 11, stating that asking her to appear before the agency office instead of her residence is contrary to the settled tenets of criminal jurisprudence and thus wholly unsustainable in law, being violative of the Proviso to Section 160 of Cr.P.C. She has also sought that all procedures carried out by ED, including those about the recording of statements, be audio or videographed in the presence of her lawyer at a visible distance, inter alia, by way of the installation of appropriate CCTV cameras. She has also sought to set aside the impounding order dated March 11, 2023, and declare the seizure made thereunder null and void. In the petition, she said, "Despite the petitioner, Kavitha, not being named in the FIR, certain members of the incumbent ruling political party at the Center made scandalous statements linking the petitioner to the Delhi Excise Policy and the said FIR." "The political conspiracy against the petitioner (K Kavitha) unfortunately did not end with judicial intervention by way of the suit. The Enforcement Directorate filed a remand application against one of the accused on November 30, 2022, before the concerned court. This remand application contained the personal contact details of the petitioner. There was no rhyme or reason to include the personal contact details of the petitioner in a remand application, which did not even concern the petitioner. The act is all the more egregious considering the petitioner is a lady," the BRS leader said. "The subsequent events are extremely shameful and, in the belief of the petitioner, were orchestrated by the Enforcement Directorate at the behest of the members of the incumbent ruling party at the Center as part of a larger conspiracy against the petitioner," she said. K. Kavitha further added that the said remand application containing the contact details of the petitioner was leaked to the media and the public. "The remand application was shared extensively over social media. Such an act is petty, illegal, and an unfortunate reflection of the malicious conduct of the Enforcement Directorate in consonance with the political party in power at the Center," Kavitha said. Kavitha said that ED has also denied her request to be examined at her residence, and the probe agency made a categorical statement that "there is no provision under the PMLA for the recording of statements at any person's residence." "That immediately thereafter, on March 8, 2023, at 11:03 pm, the petitioner sent an email asserting her rights to be examined at her residence. However, the petitioner, after reserving her rights, intimated to the respondent that she would appear before them on March 11, 2023," Kavitha added.
—ANI

Supreme Court delays hearing on K Kavitha's challenge to ED summons in Delhi excise policy case amid allegations of political conspiracy.

SC adjourns hearing on K Kavitha's bail plea against ED summons

New Delhi [India]: The Supreme Court on Thursday questioned the conduct of Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi over his decision to refuse to appoint K Ponmudy as a minister in the state cabinet and said that he had defied the order of the top court. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, made these observations while hearing the Tamil Nadu government's plea challenging the Governor's decision to refuse to appoint K Ponmudy as minister in the state cabinet.
The court, while adjourning the matter for tomorrow, also remarked that if it doesn't hear anything in a positive manner over the issue, then it may pass the order with certain observations. CJI noted that Ponmudy's conviction has been stayed by the top court and in spite of that, the Tamil Nadu Governor is not allowing him to swear in. The top court remarked, "Attorney General, what is your Governor doing, Please tell the Governor that it is going to make some observations now." The Supreme Court said that after the top court stayed Ponmudy's conviction, how could the governor say that, Ponmudy's re-induction as the Minister would be against constitutional morality?
CJI Chandrachud said, "We are seriously concerned about the conduct of the Governor in this case. We did not want to say it out loud in court but you are now constraining us to say that aloud." The top court commented that the Governor is defying the Supreme Court of India. The bench also remarked that when a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court stays a conviction, the Governor has no business to tell us that this does not wipe off the conviction and observed that those who have advised the Governor have not advised him correctly. Now the Governor better be informed that when the Supreme Court of India stays a conviction, then law has to follow its course, the court said. The court was dealing with the TN government's plea against the Governor's decision refusing to appoint Ponmudy as minister. In the plea, TN Government has urged the top court to issue directions to appoint K Ponmudy as a Member of Legislative Assembly as a Minister of the Government of Tamil Nadu. Recently, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi has refused to accept the recommendation of Chief Minister MK Stalin to appoint K Ponmudy as a minister after he was reinstated as an MLA. The TN Government submitted that the letter of the Governor refusing to accede to Chief Minister's request to appoint Ponmudy as the Higher Education Minister amounts to a blatant breach of Article 164(1) of the Constitution and is liable to be set aside. The TN Government said that the Governor is attempting to run a parallel government and is attempting to choose a minister as per his subjective assessment of suitability, which is impermissible.
Disqualified Tamil Nadu minister and DMK senior leader K Ponmudy was reinstated days after the Supreme Court stayed his conviction and three-year jail sentence in a disproportionate asset case on March 13, 2024. Reinstating Ponmudy, the state legislative assembly speaker, M Appavu, has said he will continue as a member of the Legislative Assembly. However, the Governor has expressed his inability to appoint Ponmudy as a minister again. Notably, the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption registered a case against Ponmudy and his wife, Visalakshi, in 2011. Ponmudy was also the minister for higher education and mines during the DMK regime from 2006 to 2011.
—ANI

Supreme Court scrutinizes Tamil Nadu Governor's refusal to appoint K Ponmudy as minister, citing defiance of court orders and constitutional norms.

The Hawk

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Delhi Court Sentences OP Chautala To 4 Yrs In Disproportionate Assets Case

Karan

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Delhi Court Sentences OP Chautala To 4 Yrs In Disproportionate Assets Case

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