.jpeg)
BIG NEWS
- Air quality moderate in city
- 56 killed as storm, rain batter UP
- Praveen Sood gets one more year extension as CBI director
- Vijay’s U-turn: TVK govt revokes astrologer Vettrivel’s appointment after backlash
- Air India cuts international flights, suspends services on six overseas routes amid airspace curbs, high jet fuel prices
- TVK regime wins trust vote in TN Assembly, AIADMK rebel group backs govt
- Govt raises import duty on gold, silver to 15 pc to curb non-essential imports
- Mulayam Singh Yadav’s younger son Prateek Yadav dies
- Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed 380 people despite ceasefire
- Himanta takes oath as Assam CM for second successive term, 4 MLAs sworn in as ministers
Vijay’s U-turn: TVK govt revokes astrologer Vettrivel’s appointment after backlash
Public Lokpal
May 13, 2026
Vijay’s U-turn: TVK govt revokes astrologer Vettrivel’s appointment after backlash
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday revoked its order appointing astrologer Rickey Radhan Pandit Vettrivel as officer on special duty (political) to Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay.
Earlier in the day, the appointment was challenged before the vacation bench of the Madras High Court, comprising Justices Victoria Gowri and N. Senthilkumar, on the grounds that it violated the constitutional principle of scientific temper.
The decision came a day after Vijay drew criticism across political lines, with even allies questioning the move.
Much of the objection to the appointment stemmed from criticism that one’s personal beliefs must not influence governance.
Just moments after a floor test on Wednesday, the government issued a notification stating, “the orders issued regarding the appointment of Thiru. Rickey Radhan Pandit Vettrivel as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to chief minister (Political) vide in the reference second cited is hereby revoked.”
On Tuesday, a government circular announcing the appointment said that Vettrivel would function as the political aide to the chief minister, Vijay to help in political coordination and advisory functions.
Vettrivel, personal astrologer to actor-politician Vijay, predicted the victory of Vijay’s party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
Vettrivel came into the limelight for backing the political newcomer’s landslide success, even when allies and political rivals were uncertain of the actor’s two year old party.
A few months before the polls, Vettrivel claimed that Vijay’s horoscope indicated a major political breakthrough to the effect of a “tsunami,” reported Economic Times.
Vettrivel was also the personal astrologer of former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa.
Vetrivel had reportedly assured Jayalalithaa that she would avoid imprisonment in the disproportionate assets case. But in September 2014, she was jailed following the court verdict, leading to a breakdown in their association.
According to reports, his client base included former Reserve Bank deputy governor Jagathish Kapoor, IDBI chairman Chakravarthy, advocate Girish Gokhale, a judge of the Mumbai High Court, actress Manisha Koirala, Tea Board Chairman Shom Shekhar and Payal Abdullah, wife of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
PTI
