NAGAPATTINAM l tuesday l december 30, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION IIP growth at 2-year high of 6.7% in Nov on robust manufacturing Factory output, based on the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), grew at 6.7% in November, driven by the manufacturing and mining sectors strong growth on back of GST cuts Metals, Pharma boost manufacturing The Goods and Services Tax rates were cut on a host of consumer items to boost demand and consumption. This led to a piling up of manufacturing orders to take advantage of the GST rate reduction. The data showed that the manufacturing sector’s output grew by 8%, up from 5.5% in the yearago month. Mining production rose by 5.4%, against 1.9% a year earlier ■ ■ ■ “The growth is led by manufacture of basic metals, fabricated metal products, pharma and vehicles,” the National Statistics Office said In manufacturing sector, 20 of 23 industry groups recorded growth The data also showed that power production contracted by 1.5% in November 2025 compared to 4.4% expansion in the year-ago period 11.9% The highest iip growth recorded in recent times. It came in nov 2023 CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI SC stays its Nov 20 fiat on Aravallis, SC stays Delhi HC to set up high-powered committee order suspending 2017 unnao rape case Bench says its previous order invited applications and pleas questioning the 100-metre rule su c h i t r a k alyan m o h an t y Interim win, say environmentalists @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Monday put its November 20 order that accepted an elevationlinked defintion of the Aravallis on hold after environmental groups raised serious concerns that the new definition could lead to unbridled mining in one of the world’s oldest mountain ranges. A vacation bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and comprising justices J K Maheshwari and Augustine George Masih said the court’s November 20 order had “critical ambiguities” that needed to be cleared up. The bench proposed forming a panel of experts to study the issue more carefully . “We direct that recommendations of the committee and findings of the Supreme Court shall remain in abeyance till then. The case to be taken up on January 21, 2026,” said the three-judge bench. The court had on November 20 accepted a uniform definition of the Aravalli hills and ranges and banned fresh mining leases. The SC Security officials outside the Supreme Court in New Delhi Monday | Shekhar Yadav A committee of experts will be constituted to study environmental impact and assessment of the recommendations made by an earlier committee that comprised of bureaucrats — CJI-led SC bench had also accepted the recommendations of a committee of the Environment Ministry that had recommended that “Aravalli Hill” be defined as any landform with an elevation of 100 metres or more above its local relief, and an “Aravalli Range” as a collection of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other. In its order on Monday, the court said, “It seems prima facie that both the committee’s report and the judgment of this court have omitted to expressly clarify certain critical issues.” The court said that the ministry’s definition might create a problem where protected areas become smaller while unprotected “non-Aravalli” areas become larger. The bench issued notice in Environmentalists objecting to the new definition of Aravallis welcomed the Supreme Court’s move on Monday. Environmentalist Bhavreen Kandhari said, ”This judicial intervention was much needed... the committee which is going to be formed should have ecologists, environmentalists and not just bureaucrats.” Neelam Ahluwalia, founder member of the People for Aravallis collective, termed the directive of Monday as an “interim win”. the matter and requested the Attorney General R Venkataramani to assist the Court, including in the composition of the expert panel. The problem started because Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat each had their own definitions of what counts as Aravalli Hills and Ranges, leading to loopholes that allowed illegal mining. Sengar’s life term ex p r ess ne w s se r v i c e @ New Delhi STRESSING that even the “finest judges are prone to errors” and judicial scrutiny is part of the system, the Supreme Court on Monday stayed a December 23 High Court order suspending the life sentence of expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the 2017 Unnao rape case. The top court said Sengar shall not be released from custody . A vacation bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices J K Maheshwari and Augustine George Masih, which was hearing the CBI’s plea challenging the high court order, said “substantial questions of law have arisen in the matter that require consideration”. The court issued notice to Sengar seeking his response in four weeks. The bench said it was conscious of the fact that ordinarily when a convict or an under, trial was released on bail after an order passed by a court, such order shall not be stayed by it without hearing that person. It noted that Sengar was also convicted and sentenced in a separate case and was still in custody in that matter. “In the peculiar circumstances of the case, we stay the operation of the impugned order dated December 23, 2025, passed by the high court,” it said. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, for the CBI, urged the bench to stay the high court order, saying it was a “horrific rape” of a child. The Delhi HC had, in its December 23 order, held Sengar was convicted under Section 5 (C) (sexual assault by a public servant) of POCSO Act but an elected representative does not fit the definition of a “public servant” under the IPC. The bench observed it was worried that a constable or a ‘patwari’ will be a ‘public servant’ in such an offence but a MP or MLA may be exempted if this interpretation was construed to be correct. `79,000 cr Arms buy gets defence ministry nod Mayan k S i n g h @ New Delhi The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, cleared the procurement of defence hardware worth `79,000 crore for the three services on Monday . “During the meeting, Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) was approved for the procurement of Loiter Munition System for Artillery Regiments, Low Level Light Weight Radars, Long Range Guided Rocket Ammunition for Pinaka Multiple Launch Rocket System, and Integrated Drone Detection & Interdiction System Mk-II for the Indian Army,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. Loiter munition will be used for precision strikes on tactical targets, whereas LowLevel Light-Weight Radars will detect and track small, low-flying Unmanned Aerial Systems. Long-Range Guided Rockets will enhance the range and accuracy of Pinaka MRLS, enabling effective engagement of high-value targets. Integrated Drone De- New hardware to help tackle drone threat Low-Level Light-Weight Radars will detect and track small, low-flying Unmanned Aerial System. While Integrated Drone Detection & Interdiction System Mk-II with enhanced range will protect the vital assets of the Indian Army in the Tactical Battle Area and Hinterland tection & Interdiction System Mk-II with enhanced range will protect the vital assets of the Indian Army in the Tactical Battle Area and Hinterland. For the Navy, AoN was accorded for the procurement of Bollard Pull Tugs, High Frequency Software-Defined Radios Manpack and for leasing High Altitude Long Range Remotely Piloted Aircraft System. Induction of BP Tugs will assist Naval ships and submarines in berthing, unberthing and maneuvering in confined waters/harbor. The HF SDR will enhance longrange secured communication during boarding and landing operations. For the Indian Air Force, AoN was approved for the procurement of Automatic Take-off Landing Recording System, Astra Mk-II Missiles, Full Mission Simulator and SPICE-1000 Long Range Guidance Kits etc. Induction of the Automatic Take-off Landing Recording System will fill the gaps in the aerospace safety environment by providing high-definition, allweather automatic recording of landing and take-off. Astra Mk-II Missiles will boost the capability of the fighter aircraft to neutralise adversary aircraft from large standoff range. The Defence Acquisition Council serves as the highest decision-making body on defence policy and capital procurement. feather in her cap Vice-President and Chancellor of Pondicherry University CP Radhakrishnan confers degree on a scholar at the 30th convocation ceremony of the varsity on Monday, in the presence of Chief Minister N Rangasamy | Sriram R express read ECI official’s car attacked in Bengal DMK’s 2.0 rule will be for TN women, says CM Mutts cannot claim spl honours as rights: HC KOLKATA: The car of the Election Commission’s Special Roll Observer in West Bengal was on Monday attacked by a group of women protesting against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls | P8 Tiruppur: Describing women’s progress as society’s success, CM MK Stalin on Monday proclaimed that “DMK’s 2.0 rule will be for TN women” and said the Dravidian movement has helped women to shed the shackles of slavery | P2 Chennai: The Madras High Court has dismissed an appeal filed by the Srirangam Srimath Andavan Ashramam seeking orders to provide special honours to the mutt head, stating such honours cannot be claimed as a right | P2 Prez returns Madras Univ Bill on V-C appointments B i n i ta J a i s w al @ Chennai President Droupadi Murmu has returned the University of Madras (Amendment) Bill to the Tamil Nadu government, dealing a fresh blow to the DMK government’s efforts to assert greater control over the administration of state-run universities. The decision brings back into focus the long-running tussle between the state government and Governor RN Ravi over the appointment of vice-chancellors in state universities. The Bill, passed by the state Assembly in April 2022, sought to amend the University of Madras Act by transferring the power to appoint and remove the vice-chancellor, from the governor Droupadi Murmu — who serves as the ex-officio chancellor of the university — to the state government. By replacing the term “chancellor” with “government” in the Act, the state aimed to make the elected government the final authority in matters of academic leadership. However, Governor Ravi reserved the Bill for the President’s consideration, citing concerns that the proposed changes could be at odds with University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations and established norms governing vice-chancellor appointments. “With the President now returning the Bill without granting assent, as per rules, the state will again have to reconsider the legislation,” said an official from the higher education department. Higher education department officials were tightlipped over the details of the explanation given by the President’s office for returning the Bill.  P5 2 B’deshis harassed at Bhubaneswar Faster travel from Jan 1 as SR speeds up 65 trains airport, refused treatment by hospital track upgrades B A N B U S E LV A N @ Chennai The long-pending completion of doubling of 300-km railway lines in southern Tamil Nadu, electrification of single lines, and upgradation of tracks enabling train speeds of up to 110 kmph will deliver tangible benefits in the form of speedier train travel in 2026. The Southern Railway has increased the speed of 65 trains in its new timetable which will be effective from January 1. According to the official order issued by Southern Railway to six divisions on Monday , among express trains, the Nagercoil-Tambaram Express train will run 50 minutes faster, while the Kollam-Tambaram Express will save 85 minutes. The Coimbatore-Rameswaram Weekly Express and Cuddalore Port-Mysuru Express will reach their destinations 55 minutes and 50 minutes earlier, respectively and the tri-weekly , Rameswaram-Tirupati Express will reduce travel time by 25 minutes. While the travel time on the Thoothukudi-Chennai Egmore Pearl City Express will be shorter by 30 minutes, its return journey will be faster by 15 minutes. Travel time for Sengottai-Chennai Egmore Podhi- gai Express, Chennai EgmoreMang alur u Express, and Chennai Egmore-Guruvayur Express has been reduced by 20 minutes each. The AhmedabadChennai Express and ChennaiTirupati Express will each save 15 minutes, said the order. Railway officials attributed the reduced travel times to extensive infrastructure upgrades carried out over the past few years, such as increasing permissible speeds from 80/90 kmph to 110 kmph, and from 110 kmph to 130 kmph; electrification of single-line routes that eliminated locomotive changes; conversion of metregauge lines to broad gauge; and doubling of railway lines in southern Tamil Nadu.  P5 E X PR E S S N E W S S E R V IC E @ Bhubaneswar TWO Bangladeshi nationals travelling to Bhubaneswar for medical treatment were subjected to police verification on arrival at the Biju Patnaik International Air port on Sunday night after the locals raised suspicion on their identity . Furthermore, the hospital concerned also reportedly refused admission to the patient in apprehension trouble and both were forced to return to Mumbai from where they had flown to Bhubaneswar. According to police sources, the two brothers, aged 49 and 35, arrived from Mumbai after flying in from Dubai, where they were employed as a driver and a labourer, respectively. The elder sibling, who is suffering from a cardiac ailment, was scheduled to undergo treatment at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar. The hospital had arranged an ambulance to receive them at the airport. However, it failed to arrive due to some communication gap. As the ambulance did not turn up, the two attempted to hire a taxi. When the cab driver enquired about their nationality and learnt they were Bangladeshi citizens, he alerted others present at the airport. Lo- cals gathered and informed the police raising suspicion that they were illegal immigrants. The two were then taken to the Airport police station where their travel documents, including passports and visas, were checked and found to be valid. “After thorough verification, they were cleared,” inspector-in-charge Rabindranath Meher said. However, police sources said the private hospital later declined to admit the ailing man, citing concerns over possible backlash in the wake of recent tensions over killing of Hindus in Bangladesh. With no alter native, the brothers returned to Mumbai on Monday morning.