A happy Deepavali after land titles okayed

DOZENS of Indian families in Kuala Ketil, Kedah, can celebrate Deepavali with joy after their long battle to get land titles for their homes bore fruit this year, Malaysia Nanban reported.

Baling MP Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim said the residents of Kampung Dara, which was previously the Sungai Tawar Estate, had asked him to look into the matter for a number of years.

This year, he was finally able to make it happen, Azeez said, after handing out Deepavali gifts to 5,000 residents in his constituency.

Azeez, who has been giving out Deepavali gifts to residents here for the past seven years, presented RM150 to each recipient along with vaettis for the men and sarees for the women.

Azeez announced that the residents will receive the documents by the end of the year.

> The Madurai High Court has banned controversial guru Nithyananda from entering the ancient Madurai Adheenam following a petition by a devotee, Tamil dailies reported.

The 2,500-year-old institution, said to be the oldest in the Shaivite Hindu tradition, became the centre of attention when the disgraced former priest petitioned to enter the mutt (or monastery). The self-styled godman was appointed its spiritual leader in April 2012.

He was sacked six months later after being embroiled in a sex tape scandal. Accusations of sexual misconduct followed.

The devotee’s petition accused the preacher, who runs lucrative ashrams in Bangalore, of trying to take over the institution by force and intimidation.