Hello, this is your daily dose of news from Onmanorama. Tune in to get updated about the major news stories of the day.
Hello, this is your daily dose of news from Onmanorama. I'm your host, Susan Joe Philip, and these are the major news stories of the day:
1) Let's start with the High Court's Verdict that Priya Varghese is unqualified to be an associate professor
2)Youth Cong Tvm Corporation march over letter row turns violent
3)Sabarimala: Police handbook referencing controversial SC verdict will be withdrawn, says minister.
4) Beneficiary of Anavoor’s letter to cooperative is the son of the CPM leader
5) Republicans win US House majority, setting the stage for divided government
Let's get into the details....
1) The Kerala High Court on Thursday stated Priya Varghese does not possess sufficient teaching experience as mandated by the University Grants Commission (UGC) norms to be appointed as an associate professor of Malayalam at Kannur University. The court further stated that no university is above the rules and regulations laid out by the UGC. Priya is the wife of K K Ragesh, who is the private secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan had cancelled her appointment citing nepotism.
"Teachers play a significant role in nation-building. They must be like the candlelight that leads through the darkness. According to UGC, teaching experience is mandatory for a candidate to be considered for the post of associate professor. However, not all of Priya Varghese's qualifications can be considered as academic experience," stated the court. The bench, headed by Justice Devan Ramachandran, said work experience was a must to ensure the standards of educational institutions.
2) The Youth Congress march to protest alleged nepotism in the Thiruvananthapuram corporation in the wake of the appointment letter row turned violent on Thursday afternoon. As the protesters started pelting stones, police used water cannons and tear gas for about 15 minutes to disperse the activists, but they did not retreat. Some cops and media persons were injured during the clash. Manorama driver Vibin suffered injuries on his head. On Wednesday too, cops had booked 10 Mahila Congress activists under the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act for allegedly damaging the iron grills of the Corporation office compound.
3) Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan on Thursday said the police handbook, in which the Supreme Court's verdict allowing the entry for women has been referenced, will be withdrawn. The handbook, provided to all officers on Sabarimala temple duty, states everyone has access to the hill shrine. The BJP was quick to register its opposition, following which the minister promised the handbook would be withdrawn. Radhakrishnan clarified that the government has no intention to allow entry for all into Sabarimala and that decisions will only be made in accordance with the court order.
4) More revelations are coming out related to the letter row in the state capital. According to the latest disclosure, J S Kiran, who was appointed as a junior clerk in the District Mercantile Cooperative Society at Thycaud based on a recommendation from CPM district secretary Anavoor Nagappan, is the son of a former Kattakkada area secretary of the party. However, Nagappan defended his letter by suggesting Kiran for the job. He said that the recommendation was made after the society had sought his opinion on appointing some staff. Anavoor’s letter suggesting three persons to fill vacancies in the society came to light on Wednesday.
It was on the letter pad of CPM Thiruvananthapuram district committee and addressed to Babujan, a member of the society’s board of directors, who is tasked with implementing the CPM’s programmes in the cooperative.
5) Republicans were projected to win a majority in the US House of Representatives on Wednesday, setting the stage for two years of divided government as President Joe Biden's Democratic Party held control of the Senate. The victory gives Republicans the power to rein in Biden's agenda, as well as to launch potentially politically damaging probes of his administration and family, though it falls far short of the "red wave" the party had hoped for. The final call came after more than a week of ballot counting when Edison Research projected Republicans had won the 218 seats they needed to control the House.
That brings us to the end of this episode. Be sure to come back tomorrow. As always, thanks for listening to Daily News Dose