Tamil Nadu news capsule: EPS group reaches affidavits of GC members to ECI

Tamil Nadu news roundup: A quick summary of most important developments in Tamil Nadu

EPS group reaches affidavits of GC members to ECI

 Chennai: The day after landing in Chennai from New Delhi, AIADMK MP and prominent leader of the Edappadi K Palaniswami faction, C Ve Shanmugham, took a flight to the national capital on Wednesday carrying the original affidavits signed by 2,550 general council members of the party for submitting the documents to the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Shanmugham was part of the delegation led by Palaniswami that visited the ECI in a bid to prove to the election authorities that 2,550 of 2,661 GC members had sworn their support to them and that they were the real AIADMK.

But with the ECI officials asking them to submit proof of their claim that they enjoyed overwhelming support of the members when GC met on July 11 to elect Palaniswami as the interim general secretary, Shanmugham had to go back again with the necessary evidence.

In the affidavits, the GC members had sworn their total support to Palaniswami stating that they elected him as the interim secretary of their free will.

The exercise was aimed at countering the charge of the rival faction, led by O Panneerselvam, that the election was not held properly and that Palaniswami did not enjoy the overwhelming support of the General Council as claimed by him.

Externment provision invoked against 5 in discrimination case

Tirunelveli: The externment provision in the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act was invoked against five persons accused in the case of a caste Hindu shopkeeper refusing to sell candies to some school children belonging to the scheduled caste community.

The case of untouchability came to light four days ago after the video of a petty shop owner, Maheswaran, denying candies to a few schoolkids at Panchakulam village in Tenkasi district became viral. Following this, the Karivalamvanthanallur police registered a case under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act and under section 153 of IPC and 133(1) of CrPC against the five accused.

Till date, the police arrested Maheshwaran, Ramachandran alias Moorthy and Kumar and are on the lookout for two more accused, Sutha and Murugan.

Against this backdrop, the Tirunelveli district SC/ST court invoked the externment provision of the SC/ST Act against the five accused and ordered prevention of entry of all the accused into Panchakulam village for next six months from September 20. The order of externment was invoked on the plea of the Tenkasi district police against the accused due to the ability of the accused to affect the harmony of Panchakulam village by criminal activity, as exhibited by their prior conduct.