Chennai, May 15 (): The Madras High Court hasordered the director of Indian Medicine and Homeopathy tohear out some petitioners who have sought use of a herbalmixture (Siddha) for COVID-19.A Division Bench of Justice Vineet Kothari and JusticePushpa Sathyanarayana, disposing of the PILs from K.Muthu Kumar Nayakar and Dr. K. M. Senthamilzh Selvan, saidthey can forward their representations to the Siddha CentralResearch Institute.The institute, in turn, may forward the representationwith comments to the committee headed by the director ofIndian Medicine and Homeopathy, the bench said.The director may consider the representations and passappropriate orders in this regard, preferably within a periodof one month, the court said. Nayakar claimed that the medicine contains nine herbalingredients which should be mixed with the blood of a COVID-19 patient and the mixture would kill the virus.Despite repeated representations to the Central and stateauthorities to try out Ayurveda,Unani, Siddha Homeopathy drugson COVID-19 patients, there was no response and hence thepublic interest litigation (PIL), said Dr Senthamiz Selvan.Reacting to the pleas, government pleader JayaprakashNarayan said the authorities have already considered thesekinds of representations and issued a detailed governmentorder on April 23 providing for variouskinds of medicines invarious systems, including allopathy, homeopathy, Unani andSiddha. As the petitioners still insisted that theirrepresentations to be considered separately, the courtsaid it was issuing the present directive. COR NVG BNWELCOME BNWELCOME

Hear out plea for herbal mixture for COVID-19, HC tells Indian Medicine and Homeopathy director

<ul><li>Supreme Court has issued a three week deadline for the Indian government to submit an affidavit outlining its efforts to curb <keyword id="1892122" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Misuse-of-Social-Media">misuse of social media</keyword>. </li><li>The Court has also asked the government for a timeline on when social media guidelines will be ready for implementation. </li><li>The bench stated that the Supreme Court and the High Court aren’t the correct forums for such discourse. </li><li>The guidelines should include measures on how to trace messages back to their original senders. </li></ul>Online crime is a growing menace and the Indian Supreme Court has given the government three weeks to disclose steps taken towards the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-indian-government-is-looking-at-policing-online-content-on-social-media-including-breaking-end-to-end-encryption-report/articleshow/67230131.cms">thwarting misuse of social media</a> so far. The Supreme Court bench, led by Justice Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose, has also asked the government to lay out the timeframe for when these guidelines will be ready to implement. The Supreme Court and the High Court aren’t the right forums to deal with issues of social media, according to Gupta, which is why the government needs to step in and have a policy in place. The guidelines should outline how information can be traced back to its original sender in order to prevent illegal activities, according to <a href="https://barandbench.com/social-media-case-sc-centre-when-guidelines-will-be-issued/">Bar &amp; Bench</a> report. At the same time, the bench also pointed out that there needs to be a balance between an individual’s right to privacy and the sovereignty of the state. The issue of encryption Platforms like WhatsApp — recently under the radar for facilitating the sharing of misinformation and fake news — have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/whatsapp-spyware-hack-questioned-by-indian-government/articleshow/69376429.cms">told the government</a> that tracking messages back to their original senders isn’t possible because of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indias-demands-to-whatsapp-are-easier-said-than-done/articleshow/65497255.cms">end-to-end encryption</a>. This means that no one but the sender of the message and the receipt know the content. Even, WhatsApp can’t see the messages, according to the company. Senior Counsel Kapil Sibal representing Facebook and WhatsApp, pointed out that while this may be an obstacle, it’s only restricted to a select few social networking platforms. Attorney General KK Venugopal argued that even if end-to-end encryption is in place, there are workarounds. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/whatsapp-messages-origin-can-be-traced-says-iit-madras-professor/articleshow/70603973.cms">A professor from IIT Madras</a> has already filed an affidavit with the Madras High Court on a possible solution to the problem. Even the government has been looking into <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/whatsapp-fingerprint-messages-to-avoid-encryption-issues-with-indian-government/articleshow/69836927.cms">digital fingerprinting</a> as a way to trace messages without breaking encryption. The Supreme Court will hold its next hearing on the matter on 22 October 2019. Before then, the Madras High Court is scheduled to hold its hearing on 1 October 2019. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/whatsapp-messages-origin-can-be-traced-says-iit-madras-professor/articleshow/70603973.cms">After Indian government, IIT professor points out how WhatsApp messages can be traced</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/whatsapp-faces-international-pressure-to-hand-over-access-to-encrypted-chats/articleshow/70467569.cms">WhatsApp faces international pressure to hand over access to encrypted chats</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/western-governments-enter-uncharted-territory-as-they-grapple-with-problem-of-harmful-content-on-social-media/articleshow/68881827.cms">Western governments enter uncharted territory as they grapple with problem of harmful content on social media</a>

India’s Supreme Court has put the government on a timer to curb misuse of social media

<keyword id="6354756" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="BCCI">BCCI</keyword>’s crucial Working Committee meeting was adjourned by President Jagmohan Dalmiya after witnessing high drama over the presence of its former chief N Srinivasan. "The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Working Committee meeting was adjourned sine die after deciding to seek the opinion of the Hon'ble Supreme Court whether Mr. <keyword id="151653" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="N-Srinivasan">N. Srinivasan</keyword> could attend the meetings of the BCCI as the authorised representative of Tamil Nadu Cricket Association," BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur said in a brief statement. The working committee was to discuss the report of the four-member working group on the roadmap for conducting the <keyword id="6354312" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword> in the wake of the two-year suspension of two franchises -- Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals -- by the Supreme Court-appointed Justice RM Lodha committee. 

	The meeting was postponed as the members argued over the presence of Srinivasan, who was earlier barred by the Supreme Court from contesting the BCCI President's post following the IPL spot-fixing scandal. 
 

	In his defence, Srinivasan, who attended the meeting as President of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, placed Justice Sri Krishna's opinion which said he was entitled to attend the meeting, an official who attended the meeting said. 
 

	But some BCCI members countered that argument and claimed that the Supreme Court had made it clear that he should stay away from BCCI meetings. 
 

	"Since there was no clarity on the legal status of Mr Srinivsan, President adjourned the meeting after the BCCI legal adviser Ushanath Banerjee also said that he was not sure about Srinivasan's legal standing as of now," the official said. 
 

	The official said that Srinivasan was specifically told not to attend the meeting and among those who tried to dissuade him were IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla and BCCI Treasurer Anirudh Chaudhary. However, the Chennai strongman did not give in and attended the meeting. 
 

	Srinivasan tried explaining his stance to the BCCI members by insisting that there was no conflict of interest in his position as an administrator and as owner of Indian Cements -- the company which owned CSK. 
 

	The BCCI, it is learnt, has decided to call an emergency working committee meeting in the first week of September to finalise the date of its Annual General Meeting, which is likely to be held in Kolkata on September 27. 
 

	Today, the working committee was to discuss the Justice Lodha Committee report and the subsequent recommendations of the Working Group. 
 

	The meeting was also set to deliberate on the the Madras High Court order directing the BCCI, India Cements and others involved to submit their counter affidavits to the petition which has been filed by CSK Ltd. 
 

	The High Court has directed the parties to file their written submissions within a certain time period and the next hearing has been scheduled for September 23. 
 

	The two-time champions CSK had moved the Madras HC challenging the suspension. The first bench of the High Court had found the petition maintainable and issued notice to the Board of Control for Cricket in India. 
 

	Other key points on the agenda were the NCA committee recommendations on whether to keep the apex academy in Bangalore, discuss affiliation status of Chattisgarh, Bihar and Manipur and the technical committee recommendation among others. 
 

	Appointment of India's next coach was not on the agenda but the working committee was to ask the Cricket Advisory Committee, comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman to finalise the name. 
 Yesterday, the IPL Governing Council had recommended Having two news teams for the next two editions of <keyword id="6354831" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Indian-Premier-League">Indian Premier League</keyword> in place of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals. 
	 
	(Image credits: Indiatimes)

Srinivasan's presence creates high drama at BCCI meeting

<keyword id="144015" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kalanithi-maran" source="Orion">Kalanithi Maran</keyword> and <keyword id="169847" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kal-airways" source="Orion">KAL Airways</keyword> informed the Supreme Court on Monday that <keyword id="6358032" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="spicejet" source="Orion">SpiceJet</keyword>'s offer of ₹600 crore towards full and final settlement of the share transfer dispute was not acceptable. Senior advocate Maninder Singh, representing KAL Airways, submitted before a bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana that it was not possible for his clients to consider the offer proposed by SpiceJet airlines. The bench, also comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and Hima Kohli, inquired further whether none of the two offers proposed by SpiceJet was acceptable. Singh replied in the negative and added that as per the arbitral award SpiceJet has to pay them ₹920 crore. Singh also submitted that he could take the court through the calculations as per the arbitral award from the pleadings itself in support of the arguments. He also submitted that the matter may be listed for arguments on the next date of hearing. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing SpiceJet airlines, urged the bench to hear the matter within 2 weeks. Singh was assisted by advocates from Karanjawala &amp; Co. After hearing arguments, the top court has scheduled the matter for further hearing on March 2. On February 10, the Supreme Court asked Kalanithi <keyword id="44006" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="maran" source="Orion">Maran</keyword>, the former promoter of SpiceJet, to consider the full and final settlement offer made by SpiceJet to end the dispute in a share transfer matter. In a statement SpiceJet, after the hearing in the top court, said: "SpiceJet has offered to pay ₹600 crore in cash in the share transfer case with its former promoter Kalanithi Maran and his firm KAL Airways for a full and final settlement of all disputes. Out of the principal amount of ₹578 crore awarded in arbitration, SpiceJet has already paid ₹308 crore in cash and deposited a bank guarantee of ₹270 crore." SpiceJet's counsel had proposed to pay the bank guarantee equivalent amount of ₹270 crore in cash and top it up with additional ₹22 crore aggregating the total pay-out to ₹600 crore as full and final settlement of all disputes between the parties. Maran and his firm, KAL Airways, had urged the top court to lift the stay on a Delhi High Court order asking the low-cost airline to deposit ₹243 crore as interest on the amount of ₹579 crore in the dispute. In November 2020, the top court stayed the high court order. Maran sought the stay to be lifted to secure the decreed amount -- refund amount awarded and interest -- from SpiceJet. Singh had argued that the high court had asked them to pay the decretal amount and against which SpiceJet had deposited only ₹270 crore as bank guarantee and now there is a winding up order passed against SpiceJet by the Madras High Court in another case being Credit Suisse AG Vs SpiceJet. He added that in such a change in circumstance, SpiceJet should be directed to pay and deposit ₹242 crore otherwise his client will have to run from pillar to post. Karanjawala &amp; Co. in a statement said the top court proposed two offers to Maran and KAL Airways that SpiceJet will give ₹300 crore towards full and final settlement of the dispute and the matter finally gets settled and no further litigation. Second, out of the bank guarantee of ₹270 crore deposited with HC, SpiceJet will give ₹100 crore for now and the order will be passed by the top court to hear petitions, which are pending before the high court expeditiously. The top court asked Singh to discuss the settlement with his client. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/sbi-and-icici-bank-lost-over-10000-crore-to-abg-shipyard-bank-fraud/articleshow/89559899.cms">SBI and ICICI Bank investors pay the price for the nearly ₹10,000 crore lost to the biggest bank fraud ever in India</a>

Kalanithi Maran and KAL Airways reject SpiceJet's ₹600 crore settlement offer

New Delhi, Mar 13 () NCLAT Chairperson Justice Sudhansu Jyoti Mukhopadhaya, who handled several big-ticket insolvency cases like Essar Steel during his tenure at the appellate quasi-judicial body, retired on Friday. Justice Mukhopadhaya, who turns 70 on March 15, was the first chairperson of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) which was established on June 1, 2016. An NCLAT chairperson is appointed for five years and can hold office till the age of 70 years. He delivered several landmark judgements during his tenure of nearly four years. He supervised and handled several major big ticket insolvency cases that includes Essar Steel, Bhushan Power &amp; Steel, Bhushan Steel, Jaypee Infratech, ElectroSteel Steel, Binani Cement, Reliance Communications.Besides, Justice Mukhopadhaya also delivered several judgements and laid precedents for several NCLT orders and the newly-enacted Insolvency &amp; Bankruptcy Code, 2016.He would also be known for his order reinstating the ousted Tata Sons head Cyrus Mistry as it shocked the entire business world.Besides, he also proposed resolution of the IL&amp;FS group which has an outstanding debt of over Rs 94,000 crore, on the pattern of IBC."I have enjoyed every moment here from the day one," he said while addressing a function organised by the NCLAT bar here on Friday.He also said that the Chennai bench of the NCLAT would be functional from Friday."I am happy that all courts are functioning with speed. For me, speed was essence for any resolution process," he said. Prior to this, Justice Mukhopadhaya was a judge of the Supreme Court of India from September 13, 2011, to March 14, 2015.Justice Mukhopadhaya had started practice at Patna and Ranchi benches of the High Court in 1979 and was designated as senior advocate in February 1993.He was appointed as a permanent Judge of the High Court of Patna in November 1994 and after that served as judge of Jharkhand High Court after its creation. He also served as Judge of the Madras High Court, where he also functioned as the Acting Chief Justice for about five months.Thereafter from December 2009 to September 2011 he was the Chief Justice of the High Court of Gujarat and then was elevated to the apex court from where he retired on March 14, 2015.NCLAT constituted under Section 410 of the Companies Act, 2013 for hearing appeals against the orders of National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). It is also appellate tribunal for hearing appeals against the orders passed by NCLT under the IBC and Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India.It is also the Appellate Tribunal to hear and dispose of appeals against any direction issued or decision made or order passed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI).The NCLAT Chairperson is appointed for a term of five years and can hold office till the age of 70 years. KRH MRMR

NCLAT Chairman Justice S J Mukhopadhaya retires

Chennai, Apr 4 () The Madras High Court on Mondayissued notice to the Centre and Tamil Nadu government on aPIL by a former scientific advisor to late A P J Abdul Kalamwhich said the number of COVID-19 tests can be ramped up to3.76 lakh per day if all PCR labs in educational institutionsand research institutions are roped in. The public interest litigation petition filed by scientistV Ponraj, associated with former president Kalam for 20 years,sought a direction to the Centre and the state government tosubmit an action plan to ramp up the testing for coronavirus. The petitioner sought report on the number of RT-PCR(reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) testingequipment available in labs in the universities and otherresearch institutions in the country.When the PIL came up for hearing before a division benchof Justices Vineet Kothari and Pushpa Sathyanarayana throughvideo conference, the court issued notice to the Union andstate governments directing them to file counter affidavits byand posted the matter for further hearing to May 12.The petitioner submitted that at present only around 367PCR labs under the Indian Council of Medical Research werebeing used for testing samples, with 1,814 samples each bythem per day. He said in Tamil Nadu alone there were about 126 RT-PCR/qPCR Labs where RNA/DNA research was pursued. The numberof similar labs in the country and ICMR labs can add up to1,000 in which case 3.76 lakh tests can be done per day. The petitioner said the Tamil Nadu government need notwait for the Central government for the Rs 1,000 crore forpurchase of PCR machines and can utilise the 126 labs, hesaid. NVGVS VS

Use existing lab facilities against COVID-19, says scientist

Chennai, Apr 25 (): The Madras High Court onSaturday closed a PIL seeking a direction to the Tamil Nadugovernment to appoint a committee for providing emergencyintegrated medicines against COVID-19 within a timeframe fixedby the Court.The division bench, comprising Justices M Sathyanarayananand M Nirmal Kumar gave the direction on a petition by socialactivist "Traffic' Ramaswamy.It observed that Ramaswamy was also becoming an expert inthe medical field, apart from the honorary doctorate he has."This court lacks expertise in the relevant medical fieldand as such, the positive direction sought for by thepetitioner cannot be issued," the court said.Ramaswamy, among the other things, had sought a directionto appoint a Committee to provide emergency integratedmedicines by inviting health practitioners to join hands withthe State in the fight against coronavirus.Additional Advocate General Narmada Sampath had drawn theattention of the bench to the April 23 Government Order of theHealth and Family Welfare DepartmentThe G.O said that to explore the feasibility of usingthe Indian system of medicines, the state government hadthrough its April 15 order, constituted a committee under thechairmanship of the Director of Indian Medicine andHomeopathy.The Union government had also issued guidelines for usingIndian system of medicines used for similar illnesses, to beused as a general immunity booster and accordingly formulateda scheme "Aarokyam", a special programme with AYUSHinterventions for COVID-19 for immune enhancementShe further submitted that convulsions and theAnnexures to G.O had also given a detailed enumeration as tothe adoption and put in use of the Indian System of Medicine.The bench, after hearing the submissions, said that inthe light of the Govrenment Order, the court was of theconsidered view that no further orders are necessary in thiswrit petition.That apart, the prayer sought for by the petitioner wasan omnibus one which falls within the domain of the concernedexpert, the court said. COR APRRAVINDRANATH APRRAVINDRANATH

HC closes PIL seeking direction to TN govt to give emergency integrated medicines against COVID-19

Chennai, July 9 () The Madras High Court on Thursday came down on the Central and the Tamil Nadu governments for not considering or verifying claims of cure available for COVID-19 in Siddha medicines and said it seemed vested interests were acting against development of the indigenous drugs. The court directed the state government to file a report by July 23 as to the number of such cures forwarded to the government and action taken on them. The interim order was passed by a division bench of Justice N Kirubakaran and Justice V M Velumani during the hearing of a plea challenging detention of Siddha doctor V Thanikasalam under Goondas Act for claiming he had found a cure for the pandemic. The apathetic attitude of the governments was not going to help anyone when the entire world is desperately looking for a solution to cure COVID-19, the bench said. "If the medicines developed by qualified Siddha doctors are not recognised and sent for analysis by the state government to the AYUSH department, the very purpose of having Siddha institutes and Siddha medical colleges would be lost," the judges said. It seemed vested interests are acting against development of Siddha, which is why the indigenous medicines are not properly promoted and published in the media, they said. Noting how a Siddha doctor was forced to approach the Madurai Bench of the court to get a medicine that he found to cure COVID-19 tested by the state government, the judges said he has come out with a drug about three months ago during the initial stages of the pandemic. If the state had been prompt enough to analyse the medicine properly and recommend the same to the AYUSH, by this time, the new Siddha medicine would have been recognised and the doctor, who developed it and its efficacy, would have been popular throughout the country. It is said that in all the hospitals, including private hospitals, 'kabasura kudineer' (a herbal dicoction) is given to COVID-19 patients apart from immunity-boosting medicines like vitamin C and zinc tablets and paracetamol and antibiotics, in case of fever. Therefore, the government has to come out with a statement as to what are the medicines given for patients in Tamil Nadu and as to whether Siddha medicines play a vital role in curing the infection, the court said. The Madurai Bench on July 7 had directed the Centre and the central councils of Ayurveda and Siddha to take immediate steps for verifying the efficacy of the drug "IMPRO", a mix of 66 herbs, developed by Siddha doctor S Subramanian. COR NVG VS VS

Centre, TN govt get HC rap over cure for COVID-19

Chennai, Apr 8 () Expressing concern over the Centreallocating Tamil Nadu only Rs 510 crore so far to fightcoronavirus, the Madras High Court on Wednesday directed it toconsider increasing the state's share.    Taking a serious view of violation of the lockdown tocheck the spread of coronavirus, the court also directed thestate police to arrest those flouting the orders and seizetheir vehicles.A bench comprising Justices N Kirubakaran and RHemalatha, hearing a PIL, observed that the quantum allocatedto Tamil Nadu was lower than the apportionment to states thathave lesser COVID-19 cases.    Impleading the Union Home Ministry as a respondent, thebench in its interim order said out of 5,194 people infectedby coronavirus (in the country), as on date Tamil Nadu standssecond with 690 patients, while Maharashtra stands first with1,018 patients.   However, with regard to the release of Disaster RiskManagement Fund, the Home Ministry has released only 510crores which in the opinion of this court was not adequate,whereas, the states which have got lesser number of virusinfected patients have been allotted more fund, it said.   "This Court is not against the allotment of more fund tothe other states, but concerned about Tamil Nadu gettinglesser amount of fund. Therefore, the Central Government maypositively consider increasing the amount," the bench said.  A city-based NGO, India Awake for Transparency, filed thepublic interest litigation petition seeking a direction to theTamil Nadu government to ensure 100 per cent testing of allpeople who have been exempted from the lockdown.  Pointing out to the significance of social distancing andappealing to people to stay indoors, the court directed theAdditional Advocate General Aravind Pandiyan to file a statusreport.  Also, the bench directed the state government to arrestmotorists as well as seize their vehicles -two wheelers orfour wheelers- when used in violation of curbs under Section144 CrPC and if anybody comes out of their houses beyond 1 pm.   The state government has allowed functioning of groceriesand other outlets vending essentials to be open only upto 1 pmin a bid to curb movement of people.  The bench directed Police authorities to enquire andinform the employers of the violators (government or privatesector) about the violations by their employees and posted thematter for further hearing after two weeks.  While referring to daily wagers, migrant workers andplatform dwellers who are without food and shelter, the benchin its order said the authorities are directed to verify thepersons who are without food and shelter and provide them byhaving community kitchens."   Stressing that the pandemic was spreading like a wildfire, the the court also appealed to those who had travelledabroad recently and their family members and friends tosubject themselves voluntarily for testing and gettingquarantined as it would help curbing the dispersion of thevirus.  COR VGNVS   VS

COVID-19: Consider a larger fund pie to TN, HC tells Centre

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">GettyTikTok has been removed from the Apple and Google app stores in India.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="http://businessinsider.com/category/apple">Apple</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/google">Google</a> have pulled popular video sharing app <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/tiktok">TikTok</a> from their app stores in India amid pornography fears. </li><li>Earlier this month, the Madras high court asked the government to ban the app, saying it encouraged pornography and made young users vulnerable to sexual predators. </li><li>India is one of the top markets for the app. Business Insider recently reported that more than 40% of the app's new users in 2018 were from India.</li></ul>Apple and Google have pulled popular video sharing app TikTok from their app stores in India amid pornography fears. <a href="https://qz.com/india/1597347/tiktok-app-download-not-available-on-android-apple-in-india/">Quartz India</a> reported early Wednesday morning that TikTok was unavailable for download on both the Google and Apple store. Business Insider contacted Apple and Google for comment but did not immediately hear back. Earlier this month, the Madras high court asked the government to ban the app, saying that it encouraged pornography and made young users vulnerable to sexual predators. Its creator, Chinese company ByteDance, urged the court to stop this ban on the grounds that it would go against <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-blocks-tiktok-in-india-2019-4?r=US&amp;IR=T">freedom of speech rights in India</a>.In its Supreme Court filing, Bytedance <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47957684">said</a> that a "very minuscule" proportion of TikTok content was considered inappropriate or obscene. Bytedance did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-hit-1-billion-downloads-surpassing-instagram-in-2018-2019-2?r=US&amp;IR=T">TikTok was bigger than Instagram last year after passing the 1 billion download mark</a>India is one of the top markets for the app. Business Insider recently <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-hit-1-billion-downloads-surpassing-instagram-in-2018-2019-2?r=US&amp;IR=T">reported</a> that mor than 40% of the app's new users in 2018 were from India, citing data from <a href="https://sensortower.com/blog/tiktok-downloads-one-billion">app analytics site Sensor Tower</a>. There are more than 120 million TikTok users in the country, the firm said, and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/17/tiktok-india-bans-video-sharing-app">500 million</a> worldwide.The <a href="https://qz.com/india/1597347/tiktok-app-download-not-available-on-android-apple-in-india/">case for a national ban</a> will go to the supreme court in India on April 22. "We have faith in the Indian judicial system and we are optimistic about an outcome that would be well received by over 120 million monthly active users in India, who continue using TikTok to showcase their creativity and capture moments that matter in their everyday lives," the company said in a statement to the press, as reported by <a href="https://qz.com/india/1597347/tiktok-app-download-not-available-on-android-apple-in-india/">Quartz India.</a>Get the latest Google stock price<a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/GOOG-Quote"> here.</a> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/disney-plus-finally-reveal-its-streaming-platform-2019-4">Disney Plus is set to have more than 500 movies and 7,500 TV shows. Here's a look at which ones you'll find.</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Apple and Google yanked TikTok in a giant market over worries about pornography

<ul><li>Tamil Nadu is going to poll for the first time in the second phase of the 2019 Parliamentary elections in India.</li></ul><ul><li>The Neduvasal hydrocarbon project and Chennai-Salem expressway project driven by the central government have faced severe public outrage. </li></ul><ul><li>The Narendra Modi government’s stance on imposing a central exam for medical college admissions has further tilted the scales in favour of its rivals.</li></ul><ul><li>While the country’s largest copper smelter operated by Sterlite has been shut by court order, the police firing that killed 14 protestors in 2018 is still fresh in the voters’ minds. </li></ul><ul><li>The blame for the shootout in Tuticorin fell on the ruling state government under AIADMK, which is now fighting the Parliamentary elections in alliance with the BJP. </li></ul>The voters of one of India’s <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/himachal-pradesh-tamil-nadu-and-kerala-top-ranking-in-sdg-index-niti-aayog/articleshow/67192585.cms">relatively developed states</a>, Tamil Nadu, are an angry lot. A series of missteps by the Narendra Modi government meant that their indignation has been directed towards the incumbent alliance between the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On the other side is the coalition between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Indian National Congress, the Left Front, and a set of other local parties that significance within certain segments-- either geographically or among specific sections of the electorate. While there are other regional outfits and smaller coalitions in the fray, including the iconic movie star Kamal Hasan who is making his electoral debut, almost <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/elections/lok-sabha-elections-2019/tamil-nadu/news/tamil-nadu-poll-survey-says-dmk-front-to-get-30-33-lok-sabha-seats/articleshow/68784727.cms">all opinion polls</a> in the run up to the elections have handed a landslide to the challengers led by the DMK and Congress. There are at least four big decisions that work against the incumbent <keyword id="5013725" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="AIADMK-BJP-Alliance">AIADMK-BJP alliance</keyword>. A small oil field In 2015, the <a href="https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/energy/no-noble-gases-57750">Modi government approved a project to dig</a> for oil and natural gas from a 10 square kilometre field in Neduvasal, in Pudukottai district. The reason being the oil field was located in one of the more fertile parts of Tamil Nadu’s delta region around the Cauvery river. The proposal to dig for oil in the region scratched the wounds of an existing wound in the minds of the local farmers. A standoff with the neighbouring state of Karnataka over <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/a-brief-history-of-the-cauvery-dispute/tale-of-two-states/slideshow/63698683.cms">the sharing of Cauvery’s water</a> is decades old. Even after a settlement ordered by the Supreme Court, the farmers’ in Tamil Nadu’s rice bowl feel parched as well as wronged by the system. Farmers were caught by surprise when they were asked to give up their land to extract oil, while they were still hoping to their share of water to till the land. A big highway Farmers have been up in arms in five other districts too, far away from Neduvasal. The point of contention is an eight-lane expressway stretching nearly 280 kilometres west from the state capital Chennai to the industrial town of Salem. Once again the BJP has found itself in the firing line of the voters as it continues to push for the project despite stiff resistance that the party’s rivals have capitalised on. The Madras High Court on April 8 quashed the land acquisition process for the Chennai-Salem Expressway project. The challenging coalition led by Congress and the DMK have vowed to scrap the project if voted to power. A medical entrance test Seventeen-year-old Anitha, an aspiring medical student, committed suicide in September 2017 after she failed to clear the then newly-introduced medical entrance exam, that goes by the acronym NEET. The National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) replaced the admission tests for medical colleges across the country with a centralised process. The <a href="https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/why-neet-election-issue-tamil-nadu-98604">people’s resentment against NEET</a> stems from the view that it puts local students, even the high-scorers, at a disadvantage because the curriculum is structured based on the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), which is different from the state syllabus. The state administration’s high-handed approach in the wake of protests, and <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/story/piyush-goyal-neet-tamil-nadu-bjp-aiadmk-1500468-2019-04-12">the BJP’s persistence</a> on imposing NEET, has only hurt the alliance’s chances in the state. Once again, BJP’s rivals have promised to let states decide the mode of admission into medical colleges. The <a href="https://www.livemint.com/Politics/QgYD6W50rev6VcHmGs9GKP/NEET-protests-More-states-join-the-fight.html">protests against NEET was not unique</a> to Tamil Nadu, but the outrage in the southern state was the most severe. Tamil Nadu is known for its huge population of aspiring doctors. The state has 22 medical colleges, among the highest in the country, and 4 doctors for every 1,000 people, <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/6-states-have-more-doctors-than-whos-11000-guideline/articleshow/65640694.cms">nearly at par with</a> developed countries like Norway and Sweden. Despite the enduring resentment, Tamil Nadu had the <a href="http://www.newindianexpress.com/education/2019/feb/03/tamil-nadu-has-the-highest-number-of-doctors-who-cleared-pg-neet-1933745.html">maximum number of students</a> clearing the NEET exam in 2019. The shootout In May 2018, The Tamil Nadu Police <a href="https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/sterlite-violence-video-shows-policemen-taking-aim-and-shooting-protesters-81744">opened fire at a sea of protestors</a> outside the country’s largest copper smelter, operated by Sterlite, a Vedanta Group company. More than 10 people died in the shootout and the public anger that swelled further poured on the ruling state government led by the AIADMK. Sterlite’s plant was accused of violating pollution norms, causing fatal health issues to its workers and the population in its vicinity. Local protests against the plant have been underway in patches since 1996, and they escalated once again in 2018 leading up to the <a href="https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/editorials/tuticorin-massacre/594415.html">‘Tuticorin Massacre’</a>. Subsequent probe and judicial inquiry revealed gaping regulatory lapses, eventually leading to the closure of the plant pending investigations and corrections. The London-based Vedanta Group has been a big donor to <a href="https://www.thequint.com/news/india/sterlite-congress-bjp-fcra-violation-finance-bill-amendments">both the BJP and the Congress</a> between 2004 and 2015. However, BJP also found itself further on the wrong side of the debate soon after the issue came to the fore, as some of its leaders tried to colour some of the protestors as anti-social elements. 
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="HRajaBJP" handlename="Chowkidar H Raja" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/690063070870241280/uH8lVPNK_normal.jpg" favoritecount="668" retweetcount="333" status="Not only Thoothukudi even the protest against the 8 way highway is orchestrated by the same anti social elements. https://t.co/UcjvxjiDsV" createdat="1530593499000" id="1014008749197946880"></div>





 Going into the 2019 elections, the party is in alliance with the regional party, AIADMK, which bore the brunt of the public anger. A year on, the memory of the lethal attack on protestors is still fresh among voters, particularly in the region. As is the outrage against NEET, the Chennai-Salem expressway, and the proposed oil field in Neduvasal. The odds are heavily stacked against the AIADMK-BJP alliance. This is the first-time in decades that Tamil Nadu is going to polls without a strong, regional leader to back. Over decades, a series of larger-than-life leaders, with their share of taints, from <a href="https://www.firstpost.com/india/cn-annadurai-legacy-of-a-dravidian-stalwart-6007351.html">CN Annadurai</a> to <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19880115-m.g.-ramachandran-death-marks-the-passing-of-an-era-of-stability-in-tamil-nadu-796866-1988-01-15">MG Ramachandran</a> to <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/karunanidhi-1924-2018/newslist/65311339.cms">M Karunanidhi</a> and <a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/cover-story/jayalalithaas-legacy/article9435860.ece">J Jayalalitha</a> had turned Tamil Nadu into a politically unbreachable fortress for national parties. The mandate kept passing between the DMK and AIADMK for years. However, the passing away of Karunanidhi and Jayalalitha in recent years has left a political vacuum that the national parties intended to capitalise on. Neither the BJP nor the Congress by itself has made any significant headway so far.

Tamil Nadu’s angry voters have a small oil field, a big highway, a medical entrance test, and a police shootout in mind

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Jamie McCarthy/Getty ImagesScott Rogowsky attends the 'Ocean's 8' World Premiere at Alice Tully Hall on June 5, 2018 in New York City.</div></div></div>Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Thursday.<ol><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-uploaded-1-5-million-users-email-contacts-without-permission-2019-4?r=US&amp;IR=T">Facebook said that it has "unintentionally uploaded" the email contacts of 1.5 million new Facebook users since May 2016</a>. The Silicon Valley company said the contact data was "unintentionally uploaded to Facebook," and it is now deleting them.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-galaxy-fold-reviewers-breaking-2019-4?r=US&amp;IR=T">Four reviewers of Samsung's Galaxy Fold foldable smartphone have said that the phone's display broke after just two days of use</a>. The company said the Galaxy Fold's display is durable enough for 200,000 folds and unfolds, but some units are barely lasting a couple of days.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-the-employee-mutiny-against-hq-trivias-ceo-2019-4?r=US&amp;IR=T">Quiz firm HQ Trivia was in disarray after the sudden death of its cofounder and CEO Colin Kroll, with its other cofounder Rus Yusupov then taking the top job, sources told Business Insider</a>. Employees were in a state of mutiny until Yusupov agreed to resign.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pinterest-prices-ipo-2019-4?r=US&amp;IR=T">Pinterest priced its IPO at $19 a share on Wednesday, giving it a valuation of $10 billion</a>. That's above the range the company originally set for its IPO, though still below its last private funding valuation of $12.3 billion.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/porn-age-verification-to-launch-in-uk-on-july-15-2019-4?r=US&amp;IR=T">Porn will be age-blocked across the UK on July 15 under new laws introduced by the British government</a>. The regulation will require commercial providers of online pornography, such as PornHub, to verify that users are over the age of 18.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-building-voice-controlled-ai-assistant-2019-4?r=US&amp;IR=T">Facebook Inc is working to develop a voice assistant to rival the likes of Amazon.com Inc's Alexa, Apple Inc's Siri and Alphabet Inc's Google Assistant</a>. It remains unclear how exactly Facebook envisions people using the assistant, but it could potentially be used on the company's Portal video chat smart speakers, the Oculus headsets or other future projects.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-google-pull-tiktok-in-india-over-pornography-fears-2019-4?r=US&amp;IR=T">Apple and Google have pulled popular video sharing app TikTok from their app stores in India amid pornography fears</a>. Earlier this month, the Madras high court asked the government to ban the app, saying it encouraged pornography and made young users vulnerable to sexual predators.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zoom-prices-ipo-36-share-2019-4?r=US&amp;IR=T">Video communication company Zoom priced its IPO at $36 per share on Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the process</a>. This values Zoom at $9.2 billion, up from its last private valuation of $1 billion.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/measles-on-googles-mountain-view-campus-report-2019-4?r=US&amp;IR=T">Amid criticisms for letting anti-vaccination (anti-vax) content spread across YouTube, a case of the measles was reported on one of Google's Silicon Valley campuses</a>. The incident was revealed in an email sent to Google employees, obtained by BuzzFeed, which stated that one of its employees working out of its Mountain View, California offices had been diagnosed with the measles.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/customers-citymapper-pass-overcharged-unhappy-2019-4?r=US&amp;IR=T">Popular travel startup Citymapper is two months into the launch of its cheap travel card, the Citymapper Pass, and customers are tearing the new offering apart</a>. They complained the card arrived late, that there were hidden costs, and about poor customer service.</li></ol>Have an Amazon Alexa device? Now you can hear 10 Things in Tech each morning. Just search for "Business Insider" in your Alexa's flash briefing settings. You can also <a href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/free">subscribe to this newsletter</a> here - just tick "10 Things in Tech You Need to Know." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-airline-shuttle-transportation-pan-am-eastern-new-york-2019-1">The rise and fall of Donald Trump's $365 million airline</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

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CHENNAI: <keyword id="107835" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Nokia-India">Nokia India</keyword>, which is fighting several tax demands, fell into further turmoil after the head of its Chennai factory quit and workers alleged that they were being forced to take up an early retirement scheme. 
 
The mobile device maker, which is in trouble with taxmen over dues for royalty payments made to its parent company in Finland and allegations that it classified domestically sold units as exports, had offered a voluntary retirement scheme to its nearly 7,000 employees. 
 
“We can confirm that Prakash Katama (the factory head) is leaving the company, but will stay with us in a consultancy role for a fixed period of time,” a company spokeswoman told ET. Katama will be replaced by V Sembian, the head of product and process engineering at the unit, effective immediately, she said. 
 
Katama was appointed as the director of Nokia's Chennai facility in 2010. 
 
The company’s case against the Tamil Nadu government, which claimed that Nokia India owes it Rs 2,400 crore in taxes, came up for hearing in the Madras High Court on Tuesday. While Nokia’s counsel Arvind P Datar presented his arguments, the government counsel is likely to present his on Wednesday. 
 
Nokia, whose devices and services unit is being bought by Microsoft, is already fighting a Rs 21,000-crore claim by the income tax department over royalty payments. 
 
On Tuesday, employees at Nokia India’s facility near Chennai alleged company officials were forcing them to opt for the early retirement scheme offered last week. Nokia India’s VRS scheme comes into effect from Tuesday and is open till May 14. 
 
“They (the management) urged the employees to take up the VRS saying they would cut down transportation facilities to 40 km from 80 km,” said an employee, who did not wish to be identified. “They said they have received instructions from Finland (the parent company) to cut down the overall costs.” 
 
Nokia India provides transportation facilities to its nearly 7,000 workers, most of who are from small towns and villages near Chennai. 
 
The company denied forcing its employees. “We would like to clarify that we haven’t stopped bus or canteen facilities for our employees at Chennai factory,” the spokeswoman said. “Also, the voluntary retirement scheme is ‘voluntary’ for all factory employees.” 
 
Sources said the company has made two offers: one for permanent employees and the other for its nearly 700 trainees. Over 200 trainees have opted for the offer which will give them Rs 2 lakh as well as double the salary for the number of earned leaves, they added. 
 
“I think all the trainees will opt for this offer as they have no other choice,” said a source close to the developments at Nokia India’s factory who did not want to be identified.

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