HYDERABAD l friday l may 08, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 36 l LATE CITY EDITION SC appoints ex-CJI to act as mediator in kapur vs kapur keep family dispute private, says court Chandrachud will act as a mediator in the dispute between late industrialist Sunjay Kapur’s mother Rani Kapur and wife Priya Kapur over a trust what the lawsuit in the sc is all about Asking the parties to participate in the mediation proceedings with an open mind, the apex court said they may not make any statements in the public and also not go on social media about the dispute. “It is a family dispute. Let it be confined among the family only. It should not be a source of entertainment,” a bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and Ujjal Bhuyan said ■ ■ On April 27, the Supreme Court sought a response from Priya Kapur and others on a lawsuit by Sanjay Kapur’s mother seeking directions to declare the family trust “null and void” The bench issued notice to Priya Kapur on Rani’s plea alleging that the trust was a product of “fabricated and fraudulent” documents June 12 of 2025 was when sunjay kapur passed away during a polo match 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 Vijay hasn’t established support of majority: Guv 47 out of 63 MLAs back KC in Kerala CM race Vijay calls on Arlekar again, submits new letter staking claim as single largest party TVK chief Vijay returning from the Lok Bhavan on Thursday | Express House dissolved, Didi’s refusal to quit infructuous India presses Bangladesh on repatriation T M u r u g a n a n d h a m & P r a b h a k a r Ta m i l a r a s u @ Chennai S u b h e n d u m a i t i @ Kolkata J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Hours after TVK president Vijay, accompanied by senior leaders of the party, called on Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar on Thursday seeking an invitation to form a government, the Lok Bhavan in Chennai said the TVK is yet to establish that it has majority support (118 MLAs-elect) to do so. “The governor invited TVK president C Joseph Vijay to the Lok Bhavan. During the meeting, he explained that the requisite majority support in the TN Legislative Assembly, essential for forming the government, has not been established,” an official release from the Lok Bhavan said. Sources said the decision not to invite the TVK to form the government was taken after the governor sought legal opinion from Additional Solicitor General of India A R L Sundaresan. The issue stems from the TVK’s error in initially staking claim to form the governAlliance ment as a part of an alliance, along with the needs proof Congress, rather than as the single largest parof majority ty in the House. The TVK has 108 seats in the 234-strong Assembly, with Congress having The TVK has 108 seats in the 234five. As the TVK, in its letter to the governor, strong Assembly, had referred to itself as part of an alliance, it with Congress was required to demonstrate the support of having five. As the 118 MLAs-elect and the governor’s office TVK, in its letter, sought clarity on which other parties were had referred to prepared to back the TVK. itself as part of Sources added that during the 30-minute an alliance, it meeting on Thursday, the TVK president subwas required to mitted a fresh letter to the governor staking demonstrate the his claim to form the government as leader of support of 118 the single largest party . MLAs-elect and During their meeting, on Wednesday too, the the governor’s governor had sought from the TVK chief proof office sought of majority support. He also explained to Vijay proof of majority why the proof is necessary citing past instanc, es where courts have censured governors for failing to ascertain whether the party claiming stake enjoys a majority sources said. , They added that when Vijay said he was ready to face a floor test in the state Assembly, Arlekar referred to past orders. Having been asked to show proof of majority, TVK party functionaries have reached out to the DMK’s allies of CPI, CPM, VCK and IUML, each of which have two seats. Vijay personally phoned each of the party leaders and sought their support on Wednesday, aside from sending them a formal request in writing.  P5 GOVERNOR R N Ravi on Thursday issued an order dissolving the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, whose term expired the same day, after outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee refused to resign following her Trinamool Congress party’s drubbing in the state assembly elections, results of which were declared on May 4. “In exercise of the power conferred on me by sub-clause (b) of Clause (2) of Article 174 of the Constitution of India, I hereby dissolve the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal with effect from the 7th of May 2026,” the order read. The current assembly was constituted in May 2021 after the Trinamool Congress, unAll about der the leadership of Mamata Art 174(2b) Banerjee, returned to power used in WB for the third consecutive term in the state. Under Article 174 (2b) of the The dissolution brought the Constitution, the constitutional standgovernor of a off that had gripped Assembly state may dissolve the state since Monelections the Legislative day to a meek end. Assembly. This In another develpower is a crucial opment, West Benaspect of the gal police on ThursGovernor’s day recovered one of responsibility, and the two motorbikes used in the comes into play murder of Suvendu Adhikari’s when the govt’s personal assistant Chantenure ends or it dranath Rath near a tea shop no longer holds in Madhyamgram in North 24 majority Parganas district on Wednesday Police are examining CCTV footage. No ar. rest has been made so far in connection with the murder. Union home minister Amit Shah is reaching Kolkata on Friday in his role as observer of the BJP legislature party’s first meeting to elect its leader. The swearing-in ceremony of the new chief minister is slated for Saturday at the sprawling Brigade Parade Ground. India on Thursday stepped up pressure on Bangladesh to expedite the nationality verification of suspected illegal migrants, saying nearly over 2,862 cases were pending with Dhaka, some for more than five years. The External Affairs Ministry said the delay was hampering the repatriation process and stressed that cooperation from Bangladesh was essential for the return of illegal immigrants under existing bilateral arrangements. The remarks assume significance as they come days after elections in Bengal and Assam, where illegal migration from Bangladesh remains a sensitive issue. The MEA statement followed comments by Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman earlier this week warning that Dhaka would respond if India “forcibly pushed” any individuals across the border without due process. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the comments from Dhaka had to be viewed in the larger context of pending repatriation requests. “These comments must be seen in the context of the core issue of repatriation of illegal Bangladeshis from India. This requires cooperation from Bangladesh,” Jaiswal said. K S SR E E J ITH @ T’Puram AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal seems to be emerging as the front runner in the race for the post of Kerala chief minister as 47 newly elected Congress MLAs, including KPCC president Sunny Joseph, proposed his name during the one-onone meetings with the central observers on Thursday . The MLAs-elect who favoured Venugopal as chief minister include Sandeep Varier, Sajeev Joseph, Usha Vijayan, and T O Mohan. I C Balakrishnan, a supporter of former opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala, proposed both Venugopal and Chennithala for the top post. Sources said eight MLAs supported Chennithala, while six indicated preference for V D Satheesan, the incumbent Leader of Opposition who is projected as the popular choice for the post. The Chennithala and Satheesan camps claimed to have the support of 23 and 35 MLAs, respectively . The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting held in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday passed a unanimous resolution authorising party president Mallikarjun Kharge to nominate the next CM. The meeting was attended by central observers Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik, along with AICC observer Mukul Wasnik carrying documents related to MLAs’ support for CM post | B P Deepu AICC general secretary in-charge of Kerala, Deepa Dasmunsi. Chennithala and Satheesan met the central observers while Venugopal skipped the meeting. Besides the 63 MLAs, Maken and Wasnik held one-on-one meetings with Congress MPs and senior leaders to know their preference for the post. It is learnt that the Congress high command will announce the name by Saturday or Sunday . Sources indicated the new chief minister would take oath within two days of the announcement. TG registered 27,230 cybercrime cases in 2024, most in India Summoned for counselling, Chithaluri Revanth @ Hyderabad Telangana ranked first in the country in registering cybercrime cases, with 27,230 cases in 2024, followed by Karnataka with 21,993 cases. The state also recorded the highest cybercrime rate in the country at 71.1 (per one lakh population) in 2024. Karnataka followed with a cybercrime rate of 32.2 (per one lakh population). According to NCRB data, 18,236 cases were registered in 2023 and the number rose to 27,230 in 2024, marking an increase of 49%. A total of 298 cases were registered for cyber stalking, while 18,922 cases were booked under fraud sections. Among them, 2,738 cases pertained to credit card or debit card frauds, 951 to gaming frauds and 2,296 to investment frauds. A total of 220 cases were registered for cyber blackmailing or threatening. It may be mentioned here that 595 such cases were registered across the country With 220 cases, Telan. Cybercrime motives Personal revenge Emotional motives such as anger Fraud Extortion Prank Sexual exploitation Political motives Disrupt public service 36 23 21,987 414 2 157 55 46 gana stood first in registering cyber blackmailing cases. The state also topped the country in cases related to fake news on social media, with 139 cases registered. A total of 15,738 cases were pending investigation from the previous year, while 27,230 cases were reported during 2024. Among them, 151 cases ended as false final reports, while 16,084 cases were classified as true but with insufficient evidence, untraced, or with no clue. However, 3,177 cases were chargesheeted during 2024. A total of 549 cases were compromised. As many as 230 cases ended in conviction, while 558 cases resulted in acquittal. A total of 257 persons were con- Unwanted statistics n  Crimes against children increased nearly 10%, rising NCRB data for 2024 points to sharp rises in from 6,113 to 6,767 cases narcotics, trafficking, crimes against women, n  Juvenile crime cases rose 36%, with 61 juveniles children and senior citizens across the state apprehended in rape cases Telangana recorded Crimes against senior citizens the country’s highest n  went up 35%, from crime rate against 2,150 to 2,907 cases women at 128.6 per incidents of crime n  Environment-related offences lakh population against women increased 65%, from 358 to 591 cases n  Human trafficking cases stood at 423, the highest in India, with 770 victims trafficked n  Act cases rose 46%, from NDPS 1,487 in 2023 to 2,183 in 2024 for sexual exploitation n  Hyderabad recorded 347 NDPS n  Telangana’s trafficking conviction rate cases in 2024, with traffickingstood at just 1.9% despite a 99% rate of related cases rising sharply to 331 filing chargesheets 24,495 victed and 635 persons acquitted. A total of 4,855 cybercrime cases were reported in 2023, of which 4,009 cases were reported in Hyderabad. man murders wife in public E x p r e ss Ne ws Se r v i c e @ Suryapet A 24-year-old woman was stabbed to death allegedly by her husband near the Kodad bus stand in Suryapet district on Wednesday night following a domestic dispute. The victim, Battula Shirisha, was a resident of Nelakondapalli in Khammam district. She and Payili Manideep of Babunagar in Kodad had married five years ago and have a three-year-old son. Police said disputes had been continuing between the couple and Manideep had recently lodged a complaint with the Ko- dad police. Shirisha, along with her aunt Venkamma, went to the police station on Wednesday evening in connection with the issue. As it was late, police advised them to return in the morning. After leaving the police station, Shirisha and her aunt went to the auto stand opposite the Kodad bus stand to travel to Jaggaiahpet. While Shirisha was seated in an auto, Manideep allegedly pulled her out and attacked her with a knife. Locals tried to intervene, but he allegedly stabbed her four times in the chest. Shirisha died while undergoing treatment. depth trap Hyderabad staring at ‘now or never’ moment as water crisis deepens K h yat i S h a h @ Hyderabad Hyderabad may be heading for a full-scale urban water crisis, with environmentalists warning that the city is entering a “now or never” phase as groundwater reserves shrink year after year and authorities continue to rely on temporary fixes instead of long-term water security measures. With the India Meteorological Department warning of possible El Niño conditions developing by late May or early June, experts fear a weak monsoon could push the city into one of its worst water emergencies in recent memory. If El Niño coincides with a negative Indian Ocean Dipole, Telangana could face a major rainfall deficit this year — a scenario experts say Hyderabad is dangerously unprepared for. For a city already battling drying borewells, falling groundwater tables and soaring tanker dependence, even a modest monsoon shortfall could have cascading consequences across households, apartment complexes, industries and urban supply systems. Environmentalists warn Hyderabad has reached a stage where every failed monsoon directly threatens the city’s ability to survive the following summer. “Whatever rain comes, that’s all you may get. If you fail to capture it now, you lose it forever,” says Kalpana Ramesh, founder of The Rainwater Project. Comparing the situation to the “golden hour” after a medical emergency, she says Hyderabad is rapidly exhausting a critical window to revive groundwater reserves. Experts say decades of unchecked urbanisation have slowly destroyed the city’s natural recharge systems. Lakes have shrunk, nalas have been encroached upon, open land has disappeared and vast stretches of Hyderabad are now buried under concrete, preventing rainwater from entering the ground. “Twenty years ago, rainwater could still seep into the soil through open spaces. Today al, most every surface is concretised. Every apartment, every commercial complex and every gated community should be harvesting rainwater. There is no alternative anymore,” Kalpana says.  CONTINUED ON P5 Nitish’s Son nishant gets CABINET berth JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar’s son Nishant and 31 others took oath as ministers in the first BJP-led government in Bihar on Thursday | P8