madurai l saturday l april 25, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Houses set on fire, Many sustained injuries Three persons were killed in two separate incidents of firing between the armed groups of Manipur’s rival tribal communities Kukis and Nagas on Friday Kuki, Naga outfits condemn killings In one incident near Mullam village, security forces recovered two bodies at 11.25 am, officials said. The deceased were found in camouflage outfits and had bullet injuries. Earlier, a heavy exchange of fire broke out between militants at Mullam village in the Tangkhul Naga-majority district at dawn. Some houses were set on fire and several persons were injured Manipur bleeds again as fresh Kuki-Naga tension leaves 3 dead ■ ■ The Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust condemned the killing of ‘two village volunteers’ and the burning of houses In a separate incident, a 29-year-old man was killed in an ambush by militants near Sinakeithei village in Ukhrul district on Friday morning. The Tangkhul Naga Long expressed “profound sadness” over the killing 1992-1997 When the Kuki-Naga conflict was at its peak, claiming over 1,000 lives 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 AAP-ration Lotus in RS as Paytm Payments Bank loses licence Chadha, 6 others join BJP BENN K OCHUVEEDAN @ Mumbai Cross two-thirds mark to duck anti-defection law’s disqualification Anup Verma and Harpreet B a j w a @ New Delhi/ Chandigarh The AAP’s Parliamentary Party in the Rajya Sabha imploded on Friday with seven of its 10 members, led by Raghav Chadha, breaking away and merging with the ruling BJP . It came days after the party axed Chadha as its parliamentary party chief. Ironically, Ashok Mittal, who replaced Chadha as the AAP’s head in the Upper House, too bolted. The others defectors were Sandeep Pathak, Swati Maliwal, Rajinder Gupta, Vikram Sahney and former cricketer Harbhajan Singh. They comfortably crossed the two-thirds criteria for defection, leaving the AAP shell-shocked. Assuming Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan approves the merger, the BJP’s strength will go up from 106 to 113, which is 10 short of a simple majority in the 244-member House. As for the post-merger NDA, its strength of 145, including nominated members, is 18 short of two-thirds majority Two-thirds majority is what . is needed to pass Constitution amendment bills. “Seven MPs have signed the document, which was submitted to the Hon’ble Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. I, along with two other MPs, personally handed over the signed documents,” Chadha said on X. Justifying his defection, Chadha said, “The AAP that I gave 15 years of my life has AAP Rajya Sabha MPs Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and others arrive to meet BJP president Nitin Nabin, before their merger in New Delhi on Friday | Parveen Negi AAP implosion stepped away from honest politics. I was the right man in the wrong party I am moving away . from the party and going close to people. Today, the AAP is corrupt and compromised.” A livid AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal said, “The people of Punjab should remember the seven names.” Their exit will have far reaching ramifications for the ruling AAP in Punjab, especially since assembly election are due next year. The state government is already facing strong anti-incumbency due to perceived ‘non-performance’ and the poor law and order situation. Political analyst Dr Jagrup Singh Sekhon blamed it on the AAP’s structural flaw — the over-centralisation of Kejriwal. “The problem is everything Feb 2026: Early signs of AAP differences over parliamentary strategy, issue prioritisation April 2: Raghav Chadha axed as AAP’s deputy leader in RS; Ashok Mittal named replacement April 3-10: Chadha revolts, AAP friction deepens April 24: Chadha resigns from AAP, joins BJP along with six other RS MPs revolves around Kejriwal, which is not desirable in the political setup.” Another analyst Kuldip Singh described the split as an existential threat for the party Social activist Anna . Hazare rubbed it in. “They (the rebels) must have faced some trouble in AAP, which is why they left,” he said. P o s t m e r g e r , NDA 1 8 s h o r t o f t w o - t h i r d s m a j o r i t y NDA (post merger) 145 Two-thirds majority 163 Simple majority 123 BJP (post merger) 113 Opposition Oth 75 23 Actual RS strength : 244 The Reserve Bank of India on Friday directed Paytm Payments Bank to wind up operations and cancelled its licence with immediate effect. In a statement, RBI said it cancelled the banking licence as the entity consistently failed to meet regulatory requirements. The move comes two years after the regulator imposed business curbs on Paytm Payments Bank over violations, including lapses in customer due diligence. The order follows years of regulatory friction and persistent non-compliance. “The affairs of the bank were conducted in a manner detri- mental to the interest of its depositors, thereby not complying with regulatory norms. The general character of the management of the bank is prejudicial to the interest of depositors as also the public interest. No useful purpose or public interest would be served by allowing the bank to continue. The bank also failed to comply with the conditions stipulated in the licence,” RBI said in a statement. The central bank ordered its winding up and said it will make an application before the High Court. RBI said the licence cancellation is ordered under Section 22(4) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. Why RBI went after it The Reserve Bank of India initiated action against Paytm Payments Bank after a comprehensive system audit report and compliance validation report by external auditors flagged persistent non-compliances and continued material supervisory concerns in the bank. According to the FY25 annual report, Paytm Payments Bank has 30 million bank accounts RBI said the bank has enough liquidity to repay its deposit liability upon winding up. As of March 31, 2025, Paytm Payments Bank held customer West Asia crisis Peace hopes emerge as Aragchchi in Pak, US team to fly in today day 56 A g e n c i e s @ Islamabad/Tehran Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi reached Pakistan late on Friday night, rekindling hopes of a peace deal to clear the war clouds over Gulf skies. While Iran’s official version for the purpose visit is “bilateral consultations”, Araghchi is expected to discuss with Pakistani interlocutors the US-Iran ceasefire and ways to de-escalate the conflict in the region. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-inlaw Jared Kushner will leave for Pakistan on Saturday morning to continue talks Israel, Lebanon extend ceasefire by 3 weeks Israel and Lebanon extended their shaky ceasefire by three weeks on Friday, as Iran’s foreign minister prepared for meetings with officials in Pakistan, which has been mediating efforts to end the wider West Asia war with the Iran team. It was not immediately known if Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led the earlier delegation to Pakistan on April 11, also accompanied Araghchi to Islamabad. According to Iran’s official IRNA news agency Araghchi , will fly to Muscat and then Moscow after his engagements in Islamabad. A senior Pakistan official said Araghchi will hold talks with the Pakistani mediators, expressing hope that this would set the stage for a second round of peace talks between the US and Iran. The development comes a day after the US issued shootto-kill orders on Iranian boats found to be laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. On Friday the US military , said it now has three aircraft carriers—the USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Gerald R Ford and USS George H W Bush— in West Asia. The three battle groups comprise over 200 aircraft and 15,000 sailors and marines, it added. This is the first time since the 2003 Iraq war that three aircraft carriers are deployed in the region. SC allows minor abort her 28-week pregnancy SUCHITRA K ALYAN MOHANT Y @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Friday allowed a 15-year-old girl to terminate her 28-week pregnancy , noting that forcing her to continue the unwanted pregnancy will be an insult to her right to live with dignity and reproductive autonomy . “No court can force a woman, especially a minor, to carry a pregnancy to full term, against her will. The pregnant woman carrying an unwanted pregnancy if compelled to continue such a pregnancy, then the constitutional rights of the pregnant woman would be breached,” said a two-judge bench of justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan. The bench said the choice of the pregnant woman is relevant rather than that of the unborn child, adding that continuation of such a pregnancy could have long lasting repercussions on the minor’s mental health, educational prospects, social standing and overall development. “Constitutional courts must prioritise the best interests of the pregnant woman over the statutory and procedural limitations under the Medical Termination of Pre gnancy (MTP) Act when dealing with cases of unwanted pregnancies, likely to result in major mental and physical trauma,” the court aded. The bench passed the order after factoring in the minor’s mental distress, as it was reported that she had attempted to take her own life multiple times. She is currently admitted in AIIMS, Delhi. E x p r e s s Re a d Sathankulam: Death penalty referred to HC Boating on Pykara Lake: HC refuses to lift ban Madurai: After the death penalty imposed on nine police personnel for the custodial death of P Jeyaraj and his son Beniks was referred to the Madurai Bench of the Madras HC for approval, the court on Friday issued notice to the convicts. A bench adjourned the case to April 30 and directed convicts to inform the court of steps taken to file appeals | P4 Chennai: The Madras HC has refused to lift the temporary stay on operating boating services for tourists on Pykara Lake in Nilgiris despite TTDC pointing to the summer season and it already having incurred a loss of `40 lakh. A special bench said it would consider TTDC’s request only after perusing test reports of samples collected from the lake | P4 CEC back in cross-hairs of the opposition 18-month protest ends Administration staff help bring down activist Gurjeet Singh Khalsa from a 400-foot BSNL tower after he ended his 560-day protest, in Samana, Patiala district on Friday. He had demanded stricter laws against sacrilege incidents in Punjab | PTI The Opposition on Friday submitted a fresh notice in RS seeking to move a motion for the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, on charges of “proved misbehaviour” and continued partisanship in MCC enforcement deposits of `1,395 crore across wallet, and current and savings accounts. Payments banks can’t accept credit and can take deposits only up to `2 lakh. Backed by One 97 Communications, Paytm had obtained the licence in August 2015 that allowed it to take small deposits but not give out loans. RBI has been after the bank since March 2022 when it barred it from onboarding new customers. In January 2024, RBI had ordered the bank to stop accepting fresh deposits due to non-compliance of rules. Again in March 2024 it prohibited the bank from accepting new deposits, credit transactions, or top-ups in customer accounts, wallets, Fastags and or NCMC cards. TN man gets 5 death sentences for sexually assaulting girls EXPRESS NE W S SERVICE @ Sivaganga The Special Court for Trial of Pocso Act Cases in Sivaganga on Friday awarded five death sentences, four life-terms and 22 years rigorous imprisonment to a 49-year-old man for sexually assaulting five minor girls. According to sources, the convict was identified as M Chandran, a daily wage labourer of Sivaganga district. He had lured the girls aged below 10 years by offering them money and snacks, and sexually assaulted them at his house for several months in 2023. He had also enticed the children by teaching them how to play video games at his house, sources added. The matter came to light after the father of one of the girls lodged a police complaint in this regard in February 2024. Subsequently, the Thiruppathur All Women Police registered a case against Chandran under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. He was later remanded in judicial custody and also detained under the Goondas Act. Hearing the case on Friday, Sessions Judge R Gokul Murugan found Chandran guilty and awarded him five death sentences, which will be run concurrently, and imposed a fine of `11,000. The judge appreciated the father of the victim, and other girls for their courage in bringing the crime to light. He also directed the state government to pay `7 lakh compensation to each of the victims. It may be noted that this is the first time the Sivaganga Special Court for Trial of Pocso Act Cases is awarding five death sentences to a convict. m o v ie pi r a c y ‘Jana Nayagan’ leak: SIFEA suspends film’s editor for violation Express News Service @ Chennai In an unprecedented move, the South Indian Film Editor’s Association (SIFEA) on Friday temporarily suspended Pradeep E Ragav, editor of Vijaystarrer ‘Jana Nayagan’, for violating the bylaws of the association and allegedly failing to prevent the online leak of the film around April 9. The decision follows an emergency meeting convened on April 17 to discuss the matter. The much-anticipated film, starring the actor-turned-politician, was originally set to release in January for Pongal but ran into issues with the censor board. The leak occurred during Vijay’s campaign for his party TVK amid elections to the Tamil Nadu Assembly . The Chennai Cyber Crime police probing the case arrested a freelance editor, who had worked on the film, for allegedly stealing and sharing the film. In a statement on Friday, SIFEA said that Pradeep was being suspended for the hiring of editors, who are not members of the association. Though Pradeep is not directly responsible for the leak, he has been suspended as the incident happened under his purview, the association said, adding that it will not support Pradeep’s endeavours during the suspension period. SIFEA also urged other film associations to stand by the action. Asked if the hiring of freelance editors for films is an unusual practice, SIFEA president V Gopikrishna said, “Union protocols are established to preserve the sanctity of a film. In this day and age, when access to technology creates editors every day, protocols are there to safeguard that trust. So even though freelance editors have been hired in the past, we try to avoid hiring a non-member to prevent problems like this. This is a practice that has been followed by unions that represent various departments in cinema.” It may be noted that although multiple films have faced similar issues due to leaking of footage, crew members of such films were not directly penalised by the association in this manner.  P5