Miss Conduct S03 E03: Kamalavalli Arumugam

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Blog Post: 

​​Kamalavalli Arumugam's name is one that 500,000 people across South India will never forget.

Because she was responsible for the Paazee fraud, one of the most elaborate and far-reaching financial scams ever seen in India (only rivalled by the Sahara Pariwar investor fraud).

 In 2008, Kamalavalli, along with her business partners Mohanraj Kathiravan and Karu Kathiravan, would set up a company called Paazee Forex Trading in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

 This company promised what was essentially a ponzi scheme – a type of investment fraud that pays existing investors with funds collected from new investors.

 Kamalavalli was featured heavily in the marketing for the company, promising investors 2x of their investments. And many thousands of investors believed them.

Over 2 years, Kamalavalli and her business partners swindled over 490 crore rupees (or 4.3 billion rupees) from about 45,000 investors.

In 2009, the India government stepped in and the Tamil Nadu police issued orders to freeze Paazee's bank accounts, and arrest the company's founders.

Between 2009 and 2010, thousands of investors found out that they were not going to get their money back. Many, many complaints were filed – with the police, with the consumer courts, and even with the Madras High Court. 

And just as Kamalavalli was going to be arrested, she pulled a trick on us all – she disappeared !

Find out more on the episode ! 

Timeline and sources: 

July 2009: Paazee Forex Trading company incorporated in Coimbatore

 September 2009: Chennai police busts Paazee

 April 2010: Investors file claim against Paazee for allegedly cheating them

 September 2010: Inspector Pramod arrested for allegedly extorting Kamalavalli for Rs. 3 crores

 April 2011: Case moved to CBI

 July 2011: DSP Rajendran sent to judicial custody

 August 2011: CBI grills Mohanraj AND Kamalavalli found and arrested

 May 2012: CBI Court dismisses Pramod Kumar's bail request & judicial custody extended. Also Pramod tried to bribe officials to get out of the case (LOL)

 

June 2012: Pramod Kumar arrested

 July 2012: RBI deposition filed at court

 May 2013: CBI chargesheet filed

 June 2013: Attaching owners houses and land

 Oct 2013: Mohanraj surrenders before court

 Nov 2014: HC orders auction of Paazee Properties

 Oct 2015: Pramod Kumar charged removed by HC

 August 2016: CAT revokes suspension of Pramod Kumar

 Nov 2021: Madras HC finally approves transfer of case to CBI AND apologises to the Supreme Court

 Feb 2022: HC stays verdict till March 31st 2022

 Some light reading, if you'd like to know more:

Miss Conduct S03 E02: Neha Verma

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Blog Post: 

In 2013, Neha Verma was convicted of killing 3 women from the same family, in cold blood. She was sentenced to death. 

Neha was a beautician who lived in Indore and befriended one of the women in the family. 

On 19th June 2011, she plotted and successfully killed these 3 women for… well, money. Turns out money is a great motivator to do terrible things. 

The victims were Ashlesha Deshpande (aged 21), her mother Megha Deshpande (aged 42) and Megha’s mother i.e. Ashleesha’s grandmother Rohini Phadke (aged 70). 

Neha however had company. She had two lackeys with her, Rahul Choudhury and Manoj Atodh, who helped her commit these crimes. The trio killed the women with no mercy, and then looted their home. They also made off with Rs 1.5 lakh in cash, ornaments worth Rs 5 lakh and two ATM cards belonging to the victims. 

Within a few days, all 3 were arrested. Why? Because they left a trail of very easily avoidable clues for the police to pick up. 

This case took Indore by storm, which (for some reason) was considered to be a sleepy little town where such stories just didn’t come up that often. It is also considered one of those police success stories in Indore, where meticulous investigation helped track down the criminals. 

At the time Neha was referred to by the media as a “criminal mastermind”. She was seen as someone who plotted the whole thing carefully, hired the right people to execute it for her, and even figured out a way to gain the victims’ trust. 

SOURCES:

Investigation, Trial and Sentencing:

 Crime in Indore and India:

Miss Conduct S03 E01: Gangubai Kothewali

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Our first episode of Season 3 is about Gangubai Kathiawadi, or in some circles as she is known, Gangubai Kothewali. 

Gangubai was a woman who existed and thrived in the 1960s in the Kamathipura area of Mumbai, which is essentially a red light district in the city.

She is known to have been a sex worker and a madam of a brothel. But more importantly she was known as a social activist, working for sex workers’ rights and the well-being of the children and orphans in the Kamathipura area. 

We are given to understand that Gangubai’s work, although involved in the flesh trade, aimed at sensitising the country’s perception of sex workers. To get the country to imagine them as people with hopes, dreams, rights, and agency. 

However, the way she did this – through a series of acts involving hooliganism and bootleg alcohol trading – puts her on the fence. 

There’s also a movie about her, made by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, that came out in February 2022. Very small budget movie with a newcomer called Alia Bhatt. Not a bad movie actually, you should check it out ! 

SOURCES: 

On Gangubai:

 On the movie:

 On Kamathipura / Sex Work in India: 

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/as-pandemic-hit-brakes-on-red-light-areas-sex-workers-pushed-out-of-mumbai-city/articleshow/87095294.cms

Miss Conduct S02 E13: Indira Gandhi

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GUEST ON BOARD: This week, we are joined by Priya Mirza, who teaches political science at Zakir Husain Delhi College. Priya is the host of The Longest Constitution podcast, which looks at how the vision of the Constitution and how it affects everyday life!

In this episode, we talk about Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s stint as Prime Minister from 1971 to 1977, during which she was convicted of election malpractice and was also responsible for submerging the country into a 2-year long national Emergency – resulting in the suppression of fundamental rights, elections, freedom of the press, jailing of her naysayers, and all forms of democratic expression and demonstration. 

In 1971, general elections were held across India for Parliamentary seats to the Lok Sabha (or the lower house of the Parliament). In the constituency of Rae Baraeli, Indira Gandhi stood for and subsequently won the Lok Sabha seat. She was the incumbent constituent representative, and also the incumbent Prime Minister, having won two other general elections before this. She won with a total of 66.35% of the total votes. Her opponent, Mr. Raj Narain, of the Samyukta Socialist Party, only got 25.88% of the votes. As the leader of the party with the most seats, Mrs. Gandhi went on to become Prime Minister again. 

Raj Narain was a well-known and vocal critic of Mrs. Gandhi’s policies and policies. So it was no surprise that a few short days after her re-election, he filed an election petition against her, accusing her of malpractice under Section 123 of the Representation of Peoples Act, 1951. 

On 12th June 1975, the Allahabad High Court concurred with the accusations, and proceeded to set aside Mrs Gandhi’s election. 

Mrs Gandhi was removed from her Parliamentary seat. Additionally, she was disqualified from holding any Lok Sabha seats for the next 6 years. 

And when she was told this, literally a day later, Mrs Gandhi imposed a national Emergency that would last well into 1977. 

This saw nation-wide protests and, eventually, led to the Janata Party’s rise in Indian politics. Raj Narain too was arrested on the same day, along with many opposition leaders such as Morarji Desai, Jai Prakash Narayan, LK Advani, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Charan Singh. 

There is also a major constitutional angle to all this – Mrs. Gandhi govt passed the 39th amendment to the Constitution right after this incident. This amendment basically said that no court can take up the matter of the election of the Prime Minister. This measure was to ensure that no court, including the Supreme Court of India, could interfere if the election of the Prime Minister was suspect. This was just one of many steps that Mrs Gandhi would take to make sure that her position as Prime Minister would not be questioned by anyone. However, this matter was taken up by the Supreme Court at the insistence of Raj Narain, again. And the Supreme Court effectively struck down the 39th amendment, as a gross violation of the democratic principles of the country and of the Basic Structure of the Constitution.

And thus Mrs Gandhi’s reign would temporarily end. In 1977, after the Emergency was lifted, the opposition political faction formed a coalition of parties called the Janata Party, which inflicted the Indian National Congress' first electoral defeat since Indian independence. So you can comfortably say that Mrs Gandhi’s actions between 1971 to 1977 effectively brought down her government. 

And that’s what this episode is about! More specifically, the allegations around the electoral malpractice, what the Allahabad High Court said when she was “unseated” from public office, and what happened to Mrs Gandhi after the Emergency. 


SOURCES FOR THE EPISODE: 

 

Indira Gandhi - the early years and career

 

Before the various courts:

 

The 39th Amendment to the Constitution:

 

Raj Narain, the Emergency and beyond:

Miss Conduct S02 E12: Unniyarcha

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For this episode we will be speaking about Unniyarcha, a famed heroine from the old ballads of Kerala, a state located at the south-western most tip of India.

As far as we know – Unniyarcha is not a real person, she is a character from the Vadakkan Paattukal, which are the northern ballads of the Malabar region. The ballads speak of Unniyarcha as a warrior. And today she is considered a famous female icon produced by Malayalam literature. 

Unniyarcha is revered for her bravery, her beauty, her independence, and her insane Kalaripayattu skills, which is a Malabar martial art form that is practised extensively even today. But most importantly, at least important to this episode, is that Unniyarcha is known for two things: 

  • Her undying loyalty to her clan; and

  • Her horrific revenge against the man who killed her brother. 



SOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE: 

Miss Conduct S01 E11: Kangana Ranaut

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In this episode, we visit a complaint filed against Kangana Ranaut in Mumbai, Maharashtra, for allegedly making defamatory statements against Javed Akhtar, also part of the Bollywood film industry, but much more – he is 76 years old, born in India when it was still British India, and is a renowned poet, lyricist, screenwriter and political activist. 

In July 2020, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, a young Bollywood actor by the name Sushant Singh Rajput passed away, and the police investigation and autopsy ruled it as a suicide. 

  • His death was mourned by many, including the Bollywood fraternity. However, it also became a media circus, with many many conspiracy theories floating around about him, his mental illnesses, his alleged use of recreational drugs, his family, friends and partners, and his relationships with established Bollywood old-timers.

  • In the midst of this was Kangana, who turned up on national TV to announce that Sushant Singh Rajput’s death was largely caused by friction between him and these established Bollywood producers and screenwriters. 

  • In particular, Kangana’s allegations focussed on the filmmakers Karan Johar and Mahesh Bhatt, along with Javed Akhtar.

Kangana also made additional allegations that the industry had blacklisted her for speaking against nepotism, where kids of already established celebrities were being offered roles that other actors could only dream of.

  • Also, in 2016, a fellow actor and her former co-star Hrithik Roshan, filed a lawsuit against Kangana for cyber stalking and harassment.

  • Kangana filed a countersuit stating that she and Hrithik were in fact in a relationship prior to the suit, and he merely filed it to draw attention away from his divorce proceedings. 

  • Kangana alleged that in the middle of all this, Javed Akhtar had called her to his home and threatened her to leave Hrithik’s family alone. 

And with all that in mind, Javed Akhtar proceeded to file a criminal complaint for defamation against Kangana. 

SOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE: 

The alleged events:

 

The trial:

 

On nepotism and her struggles in the industry:

 

Editorials and opinions:

 

Some non-official sources:

Miss Conduct S02 E10: Renuka Shinde, Seema Gavit and Anjanabai Gavit

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SOURCES

Missing Children:

 

 The women and their crimes:

Miss Conduct S02 09: Indian Athletes and Doping Allegations

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SOURCES

Special thanks to our producer Anthony, who helped us pronounce most of the doping compounds. We were truly terrible at it, and we thank him for his well-timed intervention during the recordings. :) 

Doping generally and in India

 

Doping allegations against Ashwini Akkunji, Jauna Murmu, Mandeep Kaur, Priyanka Panwar, Sini Jose and Tiana Mary Thomas (2011)

 

 Doping allegations against Dutee Chand (2014 and 2015)

 

Doping allegations against Nirmala Sheoran (2019)

 

Doping at other Olympic events

Miss Conduct S02 E07: Jayalalitha and Sasikala Part 2

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EPISODE OUTLINE AND SOURCES: 

About the former Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha

  • Early days, childhood, films and stardom

    • Vaasanthi, Amma: Jayalalithaa's Journey From Movie Star To Political Queen (2016, Juggernaut Publishing)

    • Vaasanthi, The Lone Empress: A Portrait of Jayalalithaa (2019, Penguin Viking)

    • Kalyani Shankar, The Empress: The Dramatic Life of A Powerful and Enigmatic Leader (2017, Bloomsbury India)

 About V.K. Sasikala

 Allegations:

Miss Conduct S02 E06: Jayalalitha and Sasikala Part 1

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EPISODE OUTLINE AND SOURCES: 


About the former Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha

  • Early days, childhood, films and stardom

    • Vaasanthi, Amma: Jayalalithaa's Journey From Movie Star To Political Queen (2016, Juggernaut Publishing)

    • Vaasanthi, The Lone Empress: A Portrait of Jayalalithaa (2019, Penguin Viking)

    • Kalyani Shankar, The Empress: The Dramatic Life of A Powerful and Enigmatic Leader (2017, Bloomsbury India)

 

About V.K. Sasikala

 Allegations:

Miss Conduct S02 E05: Santokben Jadeja

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Sources: 

​​

Crime in Gujarat:

 

About Santokben:

 

Narco-analysis case:

 

Later years and political successors:

Miss Conduct S02 E04: Sessy Xavier

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If you have any information about Sessy Xavier should contact the police on the following numbers 0477 2245541 (Alappuzha North police station), 9497990041 (Dy.SP, Alappuzha), 9497987058 (Circle Inspector, Alappuzha North) and 9497980298 (Sub-Inspector, Alappuzha North).


Sources: 

Time of News Breaking:

 

Applies for anticipatory bail:

 

Issue of fake lawyers:

 

Recent court proceedings:

 

 Still at large:

Miss Conduct S02 E03: Jeanne de Valois - Saint - Rémy

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When we sat down to plan season 2 of Miss Conduct, something that struck us was how Indian women don’t do “cool” crimes. Sure, we have Zoya Khan who gamed the system with no qualms. And I suppose we have Baby Patankar, who also used the system to her advantage. But… where are the art heists? Why aren’t Indian women stealing a ton of jewellery from rich people? Why don’t we have a female Indian Robin Hood?!? 

So we are now going to use one episode a season to talk about a non-Indian woman that went beyond the scope of what was expected of them. 

And this week -- we have Jeanne de Valois-Sant-Rémy, a French woman of questionable royal lineage, who forged the signature of the then Queen of France, Marie Antoinette, and used it to steal a diamond necklace worth about $15 million in today-money. Her actions rippled across France very quickly, and soon the already-pissed-off population of France was calling for Queen Marie’s head -- thus sparking the French Revolution. 

I know, right? It’s insane how this panned out. Listen to our latest episode to understand how it all went down. 

And when you get the time, send some Instagram love to our hosts Ragavi (@ragi.dosai) and Nisha (@just.nishful.thinking)! 

Sources: 

  • W. R. H.F Trowbridge, Cagliostro and the Diamond Necklace Affair, Kessinger Publishing Co (2005)

  • Jonathan Beckman, How to Ruin a Queen: Marie Antoinette and the Diamond Necklace Affair, Dreamscape Media LLC (2014) 

  • Jeanne de Valois-Sant-Rémy, Mémoires Justificatifs de la Comtesse De Valois, London (1756-1791) 

  • http://bascom.brynmawr.edu/library/exhibits/PointingFingers/collier.html

Miss Conduct S02 E02: Noor Inayat Khan

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Noor Inayat Khan was a British- Indian spy who was born in Russia and grew up largely in France. When World War II hit the continent, Noor and her family moved to England to escape the violence. Noor was a pacifist her whole life… till the war happened. And then she decided to contribute in the best way she knew how. 

She was recruited into the army’s Special Operations Executive. She started off as a wireless operator, the first female one in all of England. She perfected her craft so much that she was sent into the enemy front in France, in the middle of the Nazi invasion. Here she helped countless field spies and intelligence officers of the Allied Powers escape capture by the Nazis. She did for several months, and was eventually captured by the Gestapo. She spent many months in a cold, wet jail, being interrogated and tortured by the Nazis, but she never spoke a word about her job or the work of the British intelligence agencies. 

In 1944, Noor Inayat Khan was sent to the Dachau concentration camp by the Gestapo, where she was tortured and executed. Today, she is honoured for her courage, and was awarded the George Cross by the British government in 1949.

Sources: 

Miss Conduct S02 E01: Maria Susairaj

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Sources for this episode:

Investigation

 

Trial

 

Verdict

 

Where is she now?

 

Ram Gopal Varma's Movie

Miss Conduct - Shabnam

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The story of Shabnam and her lover Saleem is a violent one. But there is an extensive debate to be had here about how the death penalty plays a role in society today. Tune in to listen to her tale and where she is now. 

All our sources are below. And do follow us on our Instagram handles (@ragi.dosai and @just.nishful.thinking).

Love (platonically),  

Ragavi & Nisha

Sources: 

Miss Conduct - Kannagi

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We are just gonna leave this here -- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/if-im-accepted-as-jayalalithaa-i-want-to-do-a-film-on-kannagi-next-kangana-ranaut/articleshow/73871828.cms 

All our sources are below. And do follow us on our Instagram handles (@ragi.dosai and @just.nishful.thinking).

Love (platonically),  

Ragavi & Nisha

Sources:

  • Kanaka Eswar and Savithri Venkatraman (Nisha’s grandmothers)

  • Rajalakshmi Ramachandran and Savithri Ganesan (Ragavi’s grandmother)

  • Shilappadikaram | Ilango Adigal and Alain Daniélou (Translator) | April 2016 | Aleph Book Company

Other Sources: 

Miss Conduct - Indrani Mukerjea

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A-HA, fooled you! It’s not the crime you are thinking of. It’s the other one! Nyahahahahahahahahhahhahhhahahahhah. 

All our sources are below. And do follow us on our Instagram handles (@ragi.dosai and @just.nishful.thinking).

Love (platonically),  

Ragavi & Nisha


Sources:

That one Youtube video: 

Another Youtube video that summarises the case really well: 

Indrani’s early life: 


Growing at INX Media: 

Funding and quitting INX Media: 

INX Media timeline: 


Later developments in the case: 

Miss Conduct Ep 09 - Seema Parihar

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Seema strikes us as a person who never, ever gives up. Irrespective of how hard things get -- she’s always fighting. And it’s this insane spirit to survive that made us want to read more about her! This is a particularly fascinating episode about a women who survived and thrived. 

All our sources are below. And do follow us on our Instagram handles (@ragi.dosai and @just.nishful.thinking).


Love (platonically),  

Ragavi & Nisha


Sources: 

Miss Conduct Ep 08 - Haseena Parkar

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Sources: 

GENERAL: