No drug use affidavit must for all in Malayalam film industry from Thursday

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Kochi, June 20 (IANS) From June 26, celebrated globally as International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, everyone in the Malayalam film industry will have to sign an affidavit that they will not use narcotics while shooting for films.

The proposal was floated by the Film Producers Association, which has had discussions with all segments of the Malayalam film industry and has been able to get a green signal from all.

According to the Producers Association, this affidavit has to be submitted by each and every person, starting from the driver to the superstars, when they sign the contract for doing a film.

The no-drug zone would include shooting sets, places where they reside during the shooting and also when the post-production activities take place.

This new condition has surfaced after there have been reports where those in the film industry are having drugs which including actors like Shine Tom Chacko, and Sreenath Bhasi, who were in the news recently.

There were cases of arrests being recorded of those who work in the film industry, working behind the camera, which included drivers, as well as stunt artistes, for drug abuse.

A top Malayalam actor, on condition of anonymity, told IANS that the body of all actors, the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), is having their annual general body meeting on Sunday, and the issue may be on the agenda.

“At the moment, since I am busy at the shooting location, I am not aware of this new affidavit. Maybe it might have been announced. Anyway, now that this has surfaced in the media, this issue is certain to be taken up for discussion on Sunday at our meeting and definitely, that will be our decision too,” the actor said.

One prime reason why the Producers Association decided to make this anti-drug measure mandatory is because after numerous cases of drug abuse in the film industry surfaced, there have been searches by the authorities at shooting locations, causing delays in production activities, and the worst affected are the producers.

–IANS

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Maha govt tables Bill for temporary postponement of polls linked to ZPs, panchayat samitis

Nagpur, Dec 16 (IANS) The Maharashtra government on the first day of a weeklong winter session, on Monday, presented a bill to temporarily postpone the elections of the presidents, vice-presidents and chairmen of the Subject Committees of some Zilla Parishads (ZPs) and chairmen and deputy chairmen of some Panchayat Samitis for 90 days.

The elections for these posts were due in October-November and due to the state Assembly elections held in November, the government earlier had issued an ordinance as both Houses of the state legislature were not in session.

However, with the commencement of the winter session, BJP Minister Chandrakant Patil presented the Bill in the state Assembly.

Patil said the government had issued an ordinance on October 14. “The general elections to the state legislative assembly were likely to be held in November. On account of the election, all collectors and staff of the district collectorate as well as police personnel were busy with preparation for the election and would have been occupied with pre and post-election duties. To rule out any overlapping of the elections and any possible undue pressure on civil and police administration and any law and order problem or any inconvenience to the citizens, the candidates and the electors concerned, it was considered expedient to temporarily postpone the elections of the Presidents, Vice Presidents and Chairmen of the Subject Committees of some Zilla Parishads and Chairmen and Deputy Chairmen of some Panchayat Samitis for a period of 90 days,” reads the Bill.

According to the Bill, all the presidents, vice-presidents and chairmen of the Subject Committees of some Zilla Parishads and chairmen and deputy chairmen of some Panchayat Samitis, whose terms of office are deemed to have been extended or are extended, as the case may be, shall throughout the extended period, be deemed to have been and be competent to exercise all powers, perform all the duties and discharge all the functions.

The arrangements shall be made by the Collectors and other officers concerned to hold the elections of the president, vice-president and chairmen of the Subject Committees of some Zilla Parishads and chairmen and deputy chairmen of some Panchayat Samitis in accordance with the provisions of the Zilla Parishad Act and the rules made thereunder before or as soon as possible after the expiration of the extended term of these office bearers, reads the Bill.

The Minister also presented the Bill to amend the Maharashtra Municipal Councils, Nagar Panchayats and Industrial Townships Act, 1965 to provide for the election of the president and vice-president by elected councillors from among themselves and a two-and-half-year term of such officers. In the case of the indirectly elected president and vice-president of the Nagar Panchayats, the term has been considered for five years.

(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in)

–IANS

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DMK-led TN govt is dictatorial, not democratic: Khushbu Sundar

Chennai, Jan 4 (IANS) BJP leader and actor-turned-politician Khushbu Sundar has criticised the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government, calling it as “dictatorial rather than democratic”.

Speaking to reporters at the Chennai airport on Friday, she alleged that the Tamil Nadu government had displayed bias in granting permissions for political events.

Khushbu accused the DMK government of granting permission for a rally organised by MDMK leader Vaiko but denied it for a BJP protest march.

She said, “I will raise my voice whenever women are affected. I won’t wait for a miracle like Ghajini to happen before I take action. Having been a part of the DMK, I know how they function. I will not remain silent; I will speak out.”

The actor-turned-politician emphasised the importance of women’s safety over monetary benefits, stating, “Money is not the most important thing for women — safety is. The ruling party, DMK, is responsible for protecting women’s dignity, modesty, and safety. Women cannot be silenced with money.”

Calling on the government to prioritise women’s safety, Khushbu urged women not to remain silent and criticised the DMK’s governance, claiming that its schemes were ineffective.

She questioned the government’s tendency to compare Tamil Nadu with other states, asserting that the southern state is an integral and significant part of India.

Khushbu also criticised the politicisation of sexual assault cases, pointing out the lack of response from DMK leaders to similar incidents in other states.

She asked, “Why are you politicising sexual assault cases against women? When a similar incident happened in Chhattisgarh, did Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin or Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin raise their voice? Did Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi come to Tamil Nadu to protest when a similar incident happened here? No, they didn’t do anything.”

She stressed that violence against women should not be politicised and urged those in power to focus on providing safety rather than drawing comparisons with other states.

Speaking as a native of Tamil Nadu, Khushbu reiterated her commitment to addressing the state’s issues, saying, “It’s not about BJP, DMK, or AIADMK — it’s about ensuring safety for women.”

She also accused the DMK government of being overly reactive to the BJP’s actions, stating, “The DMK government is doing politics by constantly watching what the BJP is doing. Stalin said we are playing politics, but what else can we do? When you get hurt, it’s blood; but when we get hurt, it’s just tomato sauce?”

The BJP leader concluded by asserting that she would continue to speak out about Tamil Nadu’s governance and women’s safety issues.

–IANS

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SC judgment tomorrow on Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi’s plea to quash FIR registered over Instagram video

New Delhi, March 27 (IANS) The Supreme Court will deliver on Friday its verdict on a plea filed by Congress Rajya Sabha member and poet Imran Pratapgarhi challenging an FIR registered against him in Gujarat for allegedly disturbing social harmony.

As per the causelist published on the website of the apex court, a bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan will pronounce the judgment on March 28 on Pratapgarhi’s plea to quash the complaint alleging that a video posted by the Congress leader on Instagram, which featured a poem, was inciting unrest and harming social peace.

After the Gujarat High Court had turned down Pratapgarhi’s plea to quash the FIR, he moved a special leave petition before the Supreme Court.

In an interim order passed on January 21, the Justice Oka-led Bench shielded Pratapgarhi from arrest as it issued a notice to the Gujarat government in the matter and in the meantime, ordered that no coercive steps should be taken against the petitioner in any manner on the basis of the impugned FIR.

During the course of the hearing, the apex court raised questions over the registration of an FIR.

“Please see the poem. It’s ultimately a poem. It is not against any religion. It is not against any particular community. Please apply your mind to the poem,” remarked the Justice Oka-led Bench.

The complaint against Imran Pratapgarhi dates back to January 3, 2025, when a complaint was filed at the Jamnagar police station by an advocate’s clerk. The complainant alleged that a video posted by Pratapgarhi on Instagram, which featured a poem, was inciting unrest and harming social peace.

Refusing to quash the FIR, the Gujarat HC stated that as a lawmaker, the Congress leader should have acted responsibly and respected the legal process. It further directed him to submit an affidavit clarifying the origin of the poem used in the video.

Pratapgarhi was asked to specify whether the poem was written by him or sourced from elsewhere, and if so, provide the details of its author. He told the High Court that the poem in question was either written by the renowned poets Faiz Ahmed Faiz or Habib Jalib. He stated that he had found the poem through online sources, including internet forums and chat rooms, but could not provide a definitive source.

He presented screenshots from an AI tool (ChatGPT) to support his claims. He argued that the poem, which promotes love and non-violence, was harmless and did not constitute a criminal act. However, the prosecution disagreed, asserting that as a parliamentarian, he had a responsibility to act with caution and not to incite public unrest through social media.

The police had issued a notice to Imran Pratapgarhi on January 4, asking him to appear on January 11, but he failed to cooperate with the investigation. The Gujarat High Court highlighted that Imran Pratapgarhi’s action could not be defended simply based on his status as a public figure. His failure to appear before the authorities and his lack of clarity about the origin of the poem were key factors in turning down his petition. The Gujarat HC ultimately dismissed Pratapgarhi’s plea, reinforcing that lawmakers must uphold the law and act responsibly.

–IANS

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