Latest news with #Balasubramanian
The Hindu
23-06-2025
- The Hindu
Madras High Court orders criminal, disciplinary, and contempt proceedings against lawyer for abusing, threatening judges
The Madras High Court has directed the Arakkonam police in Ranipet district, Tamil Nadu, to initiate criminal action against an advocate for having prevented the police from from executing a non-bailable arrest warrant (NBW) issued by the court against his clients and producing them before the court. Justice P.T. Asha also referred the issue to a Division Bench for initiating suo motu criminal contempt of court proceedings against the advocate, R. Balasubramanian, as he had obstructed the administration of justice by preventing the police from executing a warrant issued by the court. Further, the judge directed the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry (BCTNP) to initiate appropriate action against the advocate by taking note of his deplorable conduct, which included abuses and curses hurled at the judges of the High Court as well as a district munsif, both orally and in writing. The entire dispute began with a petition filed jointly by three individuals, S. Krishnaveni, M. Markandan and E. Subramani of Arakkonam, for transferring a civil suit, related to a property dispute pending before the Sholinghur district munsif court in Ranipet district, to any civil court in Chennai. On perusing an affidavit filed in support of the transfer petition, Justice Asha found that it contained scandalous and defamatory remarks against the judges of the High Court and the district munsif. Further, the transfer petitioners had described the counsel for the opponent as a 'fraud and rogue'. When the judge wondered how such an affidavit could be filed in court, Mr. Balasubramanian, with 47 years of practice at the Bar, turned vituperative and raised his voice to bully the court. Thereafter, the judge initiated suo motu contempt against the three petitioners and directed them to appear before the court. Since they did not appear on June 4, 2025, the judge issued an NBW with a direction to the police to produce them in the court on June 18, 2025. Additional Public Prosecutor S. Sugendran informed the court that though the contemnors had been brought to the court premises, their lawyer was not letting them step into the court building. The APP said the lawyer had taken away the petitioners' Aadhaar cards to prevent the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) from checking their identity before letting them into the court building. Then, Mr. Balasubramanian entered the court hall and intimidated Justice Asha. He told the judge he would lodge a complaint against her with the Chief Justice and insisted that she should recuse herself from the case. He also used unparliamentary words in the court hall and threatened the judge that he would destroy her if she takes any kind of action against him. Observing that his conduct clearly amounts to criminal contempt, Justice Asha referred the issue to a Division Bench holding the criminal contempt portfolio. Subsequently, when the three petitioners were produced before the court on June 20, 2025, the judge recorded their statements. All the three petitioners told the court they had not instructed Mr. Balasubramanian to file any transfer petition and they had merely affixed their thumb impressions and signatures on the affidavit written in English without even understanding what exactly was written on it. They were interested only in their property. 'From the above, it is clear that the contents of the affidavit are also a script prepared by the counsel which makes it all the more shocking to this court, considering the language that has been used not only against the judicial officer but also against the judges of this court,' Justice Asha said. Expressing dismay over a member of the noble profession of law having brought discredit to it by his conduct, the judge directed the High Court Registry to forward her order, along with the CCTV footage of the lawyer's conduct inside the court hall, to the BCTNP for necessary action. However, since the three petitioners had no knowledge about the contents of the affidavit and they had also tendered an unconditional apology before the court, the judge purged them from the contempt proceedings.
The Hindu
23-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Amazon India launches home diagnostics services in six cities
Completing the trinity of healthcare service offerings, Amazon India on Sunday (June 22, 2025) stated that it is foraying into the diagnostics space with the launch of a new at-home diagnostics service that enables customers to book lab tests, schedule and track appointments, and access digital reports from the Amazon app. Three years back, Amazon entered into the space of delivering online medicines through Amazon Pharmacy. Six months ago, it launched country-wide virtual doctor consultation services through Amazon Clinic for over a hundred-odd health conditions. 'Diagnostics closes the outpatient loop by connecting testing with doctor consultation and medicine delivery, all of which can be accessed through the Amazon app,' Jayaramakrishnan Balasubramanian, Category Leader, told The Hindu. Amazon Diagnostics has partnered with Orange Health Labs, a company launched in 2020-21, to launch the testing services in six cities — Bengaluru, Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Mumbai and Hyderabad — across over 450 pin codes, operational from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week. The company claims that while its diagnostic services are being introduced in a limited set of PIN codes to begin with, its online medicine delivery services are its fastest-growing service and are functional in a majority of PIN codes across the country. Customers can book from over 800 diagnostic tests, get doorstep sample collection in under 60 minutes and digital reports in as less as 6 hours, for routine tests. Mr. Balasubramanian said, 'With Amazon Pharmacy, customers get an access to a wide range of prescription medications and healthcare essentials, along with a free telemedicine consultation service and delivery benefits for Prime and non-Prime members.' He further added, 'Amazon Clinic enables customers to consult licensed doctors for a range of primary healthcare needs through a seamless digital experience.' 'The addition of Diagnostics brings lab testing into the same continuum of care. With all three services now integrated, a connected outpatient journey, from consultation to testing is offered in the single interface on Amazon Medical in a full stack health model,' Mr. Balasubramanian said. Even with established health care players like Tata-1MG and Pharmeasy in online pharmacy market and Practo in online doctor consultation space, Amazon Medical has stated that the opportunity space is very high. Mr. Balasubramanian told The Hindu, 'The market is largely fragmented. There are several established players however it not about speed but about how your ecosystem is built.' Amazon Medical refused to comment on the nature of investment that has been infused into building the full stack health services including Pharmacy, Clinic and Diagnostic verticals. Mr. Balasubramanian stated, 'For Pharmacy, we get lot of orders even from Tier two and three towns. We work with multiple accredited sellers having over twenty-five warehouses and licensed pharmacies. When the order is received, the seller ships it, and Amazon delivers it to customer.' He explained that order fulfilment is handled by licensed sellers with strong compliance and delivery coverage across the country. 'Same-day delivery available in 23 cities and standard delivery in others areas. Prescription and chronic medications, wellness products, medical devices all available. Auto-refill and subscription options for long-term conditions with discounts up to 25% on select categories, with additional savings for Prime members are available,' Mr. Balasubramanian added. As far as Amazon Clinic goes, consultations since launch have ranged into 'thousands' and start at ₹299 with licensed doctors across various specialisations such as general physicians, dermatologists, gynaecologists, paediatricians, and so on. 'Average end-to-end consultation time ranges for about 13 minutes with a free 7-day follow-up support for every consultation,' Mr. Balasubramanian said. Amazon Medical is in for a long haul in the healthcare services business in India, the company has said. 'Growth in healthcare services is measured in multi-decadal manner. It's not a limited scope run way,' Mr. Balasubramanian said.
Time of India
20-06-2025
- Time of India
Former Rasipuram municipal chairman arrested for cheating public
COIMBATORE: The crime branch of the Namakkal district police arrested a former Rasipuram municipal chairman -- who is an AIADMK functionary -- on charges of cheating the public to the tune of Rs 11.50 lakh by promising to give them house sites. The arrested man has been identified as M Balasubramanian, 56. He is AIADMK's Rasipuram urban secretary. Police said Balasubramanian was a real estate promoter in 2009. He sold around 2,500 plots in and around Rasipuram. He announced that people who wanted to buy sites for constructing houses could pay him in instalments over a period of 50 months. Once people paid the full amount of Rs 1.15 lakh, he would register a site in their names immediately. He sold more than 2,000 sites to people. However, he allegedly failed to register plots in the name of some people who invested their money with him. Around 11 people lodged a complaint with the DCB police two weeks ago, alleging that Balasubramanian had failed to register the sites in their names and cheated them by receiving the amounts through monthly instalments. They demanded action against him. After a detailed inquiry, the police registered an FIR against Balasubramanian and arrested him on Thursday evening. He was remanded in judicial custody on Friday.
The Print
02-06-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Maldives holds ‘very special place' in India's foreign policy: Envoy
The diplomat said Maldives is important to India not because of its strategic geographical location, but because 'we have been neighbours, and we will continue to be neighbours'. In a recent interview with news portal, Balasubramanian expressed hope India and Maldives will always work together for the benefit of the region as a whole. Male, Jun 2 (PTI) Maldives occupies a 'very special place' in New Delhi's foreign policy, not because of its strategic geographical location but because it is India's neighbour, Indian High Commissioner G Balasubramanian has said. 'We are one of the closest partners to Maldives, and so are you for us… for India in its diplomatic outreach, 'Neighbourhood First' is one of its major policies. And in the 'Neighbourhood First Policy', Maldives occupies a very special place,' he said. Balasubramanian said in India, there is a 'complete recognition' of the importance that Maldives has 'in our relationship in our neighbourhood'. India and Maldives are very close to each other both culturally, people-to- people, and contact-wise, he said. 'There are linguistic linkages also and we have always been there, standing shoulder to shoulder with Maldives in the growth that both our countries have witnessed in the past 60 years,' Balasubramanian said. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Maldives. The ties between India and the Maldives came under severe strain after Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, took charge of the top office in November 2023. Within hours of his oath, he had demanded the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from his country. Subsequently, the Indian military personnel were replaced by civilians. There was a thaw in the relations as Muizzu vowed to boost the bilateral ties with India during his visit to Delhi in October last year. Affirming India's commitment to the principle of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam', meaning the whole world is one family, Balasubramanian said India wants all countries to grow together peacefully and resolve any differences between each other through negotiations and dialogue only. 'We have been solid partners for many years, many decades together. And our concept is 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'… So we treat all our friends, our neighbourhood, particularly in the Global South, as very important partners to grow together. 'We are happy to share our technology, experiences, and we are happy to come to assistance whenever it is required, whether it is the Indira Gandhi medical hospital that was set up earlier or the various other projects,' the envoy said. Last month, India extended crucial financial support to the Maldives through the rollover of the USD 50 million Treasury Bill for one more year, a move the Maldivian government said will support its ongoing efforts to implement fiscal reforms for economic resilience. India has maintained that the Maldives is its key maritime neighbour and also an important partner in the 'Neighbourhood First' policy and Vision 'MAHASAGAR' (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions). India has recently signed 13 MoUs with the Maldives for enhancing ferry services in the island nation, with an MVR 100 million grant, expanding maritime connectivity and uplifting community livelihoods. PTI SCY SCY This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Hindu
31-05-2025
- The Hindu
Manonmaniam Sundaranar University seeks police action in question paper leak incident
The Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (MSU) on Saturday filed a police complaint seeking action against the culprits who leaked a semester examination question paper recently. As the question paper on Industrial Law, a subject for third-year students, got leaked on May 27, the university postponed the examination at the last minute, and instead conducted it on May 30 with a fresh question paper. Sources in the MSU said Controller of Examination Balasubramanian was sent the question paper anonymously on a social media platform on the night of May 26. The decision to cancel the exam on May 27 was taken after he discussed the issue with Vice-Chancellor N. Chandrasekar. The MSU administration decided to seek the police's help to identify the culprits, and Registrar J. Socratees filed a complaint at the Pettai police station. The police have registered a case and started an inquiry to identify the person who sent the question paper to Mr. Balasubramanian on the social media platform.
