Chennai, Oct 7: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay visited his MLA office in Perambur on Wednesday, met residents, received their petitions and directed officials to promptly address grievances raised by people in his own constituency.

During the visit, CM Vijay interacted directly with members of the public who had gathered at the office and listened to their complaints.

He accepted petitions seeking intervention on local issues and instructed officials to ensure that the requests were taken up without delay.

The Chief Minister also distributed various certificates to residents who had applied through electronic service platforms. The distribution formed a part of his visit to the constituency office, where he reviewed the handling of public requests and the delivery of services.

CM Vijay examined the progress of development works in Perambur and sought details of the procedures followed to receive and resolve complaints.

He also reviewed the effectiveness of a dedicated application used for constituency services and grievance handling. His discussions with officials covered both development projects and the response to petitions submitted by residents.

He reiterated that grievances from people in Perambur should be addressed promptly, placing the disposal of pending requests among the issues reviewed during the visit.

With preparations for the rainy season also on the agenda, CM Vijay sought information about waterlogging in north Chennai. He asked officials about the precautionary measures taken for the monsoon and the arrangements made to deal with rainwater accumulation in affected neighbourhoods.

Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister inspected the Madhavaram dairy farm in Chennai and held detailed discussions with officials on milk procurement and distribution.

He sought information about the processes involved in collecting milk and supplying it to consumers.

At the dairy complex, CM Vijay inaugurated the Aavin Central Laboratory annexe building, constructed at a cost of Rs 2.23 crore. The inauguration took place as part of his inspection of the facilities at Madhavaram.

He also examined construction work on a new farm being developed within the Madhavaram dairy farm complex and reviewed the ongoing works before proceeding to Perambur.

The two visits brought together a review of dairy operations and an assessment of constituency services.

At Perambur, the focus remained on residents’ petitions, development works and preparations for rain, while the Madhavaram inspection covered milk procurement, distribution and construction activities within the dairy complex.

New Delhi, Oct 7: Congress MP K.C. Venugopal on Wednesday dismissed the FIRs registered against Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi over protest, saying the party was not afraid of such cases and would continue its fight to protect democracy.

“Let them file thousands of FIRs. Who is bothered about it? Let them do it. We are very much proud that we are fighting to retain the democracy of this country,” Venugopal told reporters as INDIA bloc MPs gathered for a lunch hosted by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, a day after the Opposition’s protest against the Election Commission.

His remarks came after the Gandhi siblings were booked on trespassing charges for allegedly entering Akashwani Bhawan in Central Delhi during Tuesday’s protest march against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

Congress MP Pawan Khera also dismissed concerns over the FIRs, saying they were a “badge of honour” for the party.

“Are we afraid of FIRs? FIRs are a badge of honour. We have to sign something, and we will sign it because the Election Commission wants everyone’s signatures,” Khera said.

“We are here for signing something. The ECI wants signatures from all the people. We will then send the letter,” he added.

Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda said the Opposition’s fight to protect democracy and the Constitution would continue.

“Look, we have come for lunch now, and we will have lunch. Our fight is continuing to save democracy and the Constitution. I have been informed that an FIR has been registered, in which our name has also been mentioned. We are not people who are afraid of FIRs. They should have understood this by now,” he said.

Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal also criticised the Chief Election Commissioner, alleging that the Election Commission had not shown the courage to meet the Opposition leaders.

“You have seen the conduct of this Chief Election Commissioner when he gave time also… They have no courage to meet,” Sibal said.

Kharge has invited INDIA bloc MPs for lunch at Sagar Ratna on Janpath. The MPs are also expected to sign a letter seeking a meeting with CEC Gyanesh Kumar.

The meeting comes a day after Opposition MPs marched from Parliament towards the Election Commission headquarters, demanding a meeting with the election commissioners over allegations of irregularities in the electoral process.

New Delhi, Oct 7: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the government to treat a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking mandatory use of body-worn cameras by Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel deployed for crowd control and protest management duties as a representation.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Arun Bhardwaj directed the government to take a decision within six months on the framing of a standard operating procedure (SOP) concerning the use of body-worn cameras by police and RAF personnel during protests and crowd-control operations.

The High Court passed the order while disposing of a PIL filed by advocate Chahat Raghav in the aftermath of the July 2026 demonstrations at Jantar Mantar involving the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk.

Senior advocate Akhil Sibal, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that the Delhi Police’s existing framework relies on third-person videographers positioned along the periphery and does not provide an adequate mechanism for contemporaneous recording of actions by personnel deployed for crowd control.

He argued that the availability of technology for body-worn cameras could go a long way in ensuring transparency and fixing accountability during crowd-control operations.

“If technology is available, it can go a long way in fixing accountability whenever required. It is different from facial recognition where there are concerns of surveillance,” the senior counsel argued.

Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, appearing for the Centre, submitted that the petition could be treated as a representation and that a decision would be communicated within six months.

Referring to a Supreme Court judgment and the Delhi High Court rules, ASG Sharma said that a representation was required to be made to the authorities concerned before invoking the PIL jurisdiction.

The Centre also submitted that guidelines were already in place for organising protests and that videography was covered under the existing framework. It said the petitioner could make a representation seeking framing of an SOP for the use of body-worn cameras, which could be considered in accordance with law.

With the government agreeing to consider the issue as a representation and communicate its decision within six months, the High Court disposed of the PIL.

The plea was filed against the backdrop of clashes during the July protests at Jantar Mantar, which resulted in injuries to student protesters as well as more than 50 police and paramilitary personnel.

According to the petition, the events exposed a “systemic vacuum” as there was no rule, regulation, standing order or SOP mandating police or RAF personnel to wear body-worn cameras while deployed on crowd-control duties, or governing the storage, integrity, retention and evidentiary use of such footage. The petitioner said the July 2026 protests had seen allegations of disproportionate use of force by police, while there were also allegations of attacks on police personnel and vandalism by some protesters.

It submitted that a contemporaneous and tamper-proof officer’s-eye recording could help fix accountability for alleged excesses by the police and also provide authenticated evidence to identify and prosecute persons in the crowd who resorted to violence.

The plea further claimed that Delhi Police had itself recognised the need for body-worn cameras during protests as far back as January 2020, but had not translated that recognition into a binding and effective regime. It referred to Delhi Police Standing Order No. L&O/10/2022 concerning regulation of rallies and processions, submitting that the existing framework provides for third-person videography but does not mandate body-worn cameras for personnel engaged in crowd control.

The petition also claimed that Delhi Police had floated a tender for procurement of 1,500 body-worn cameras at a total value of around Rs 7.4 crore, while the CRPF had initiated procurement of 480 such cameras for the RAF. The petitioner sought directions for framing and enforcement of a binding SOP mandating compulsory, always-on body-worn cameras for police and RAF personnel deployed on crowd-control and protest-management duties, along with a data-storage, integrity and evidentiary regime governing the footage.