madurai l wednesday l september 09, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late city EDITION SC to consider issues related to Delhi hostel collapse on Sept 10 The Supreme Court was hearing a plea seeking a direction for a time-bound inspection and safety audit of PG accommodations in Delhi sc likely to transfer case from delhi hc amicus curiae files status report An SC bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R Mahdevan said it may transfer the case being dealt with by the Delhi HC. On Monday, the HC ordered a high-level inquiry into the tragedy. The SC bench on Tuesday said the issues dealt with by the Delhi HC are “serious” and overlap with the case already being heard by it on a pan-India basis ■ ■ Senior advocate Ajit Sinha, amicus curiae in the matter considered by SC, said she has inspected the site along with a professor from IIT and MCD officials and filed a status report in this regard Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Delhi government, termed the Sunday tragedy as “most unfortunate” 2022 Another satya niketan building collapse had left two people dead 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 Modi-Putin meet to lend big push to def, trade ties Bilateral meeting on Friday on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit J ayan t h J aco b @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet on Friday ahead of the BRICS Summit, their second bilateral in weeks, with the talks set to give fresh momentum to the India-Russia par tnership across energy, defence, trade and strategic cooperation. The meeting comes amid record levels of Russian energy supplies to India, discussions on expanding defence cooperation and efforts to address longstanding payment issues in bilateral trade. Putin will attend the BRICS Summit on September 12-13. Ahead of the visit, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said India-Russia energy cooperation was continuing to reach new highs. “Every month we have a new record,” Peskov said, while declining to disclose figures. Defence cooperation is also expected to feature prominently with Russia signalling readi, ness to discuss the supply and possible technology transfer of India-China 1st east Corps Commander talks held J a v ar i a R ana @ New Delhi INDIA and China have held their first Corps Commanderlevel flag meeting in the eastern sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), with the first engagement taking place at Wacha on the Indian side in Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday and the second talk at Damai on the Chinese side on Monday , the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Tuesday . The engagement, described by MEA as the first “Senior Highest Military CommanderLevel Flag Meeting” in the eastern sector, comes ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s expected visit to India for the BRICS summit later this week, as New Delhi and Beijing seek to consolidate the thaw in ties following the 2020 military confrontation in eastern Ladakh. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the meetings followed understandings reached between the two countries in August last year and last month, and subsequent discussions held in Beijing and New Delhi in May and August this year. Lt Gen Girish Kalia, commander of the Army’s III Corps, led the Indian delegation. The Wacha-Damai engagement was held at a point in the Kibithoo sector, sources said. A file photo of PM Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin | File pic Man fakes PMO ID card Mumbai police arrested two men at a PM Modi event venue after one of them, Rohan Parekh, used a forged PMO identity card to enter with bodyguard Dilip Kundre, carrying a licensed gun. The lawyer of the accused said his visit was only a “private” affair advanced platforms, including the Su-57 fighter and S-500 air defence system. “We have very good military equipment and are willing to offer it to the Indian side,” Peskov said. He indicated that Moscow was pre- pared to discuss India’s demand for technology transfer in connection with the Su-57. Peskov also suggested that the two countries could deepen joint defence production, citing the BrahMos programme as a model. The two sides are also working to resolve accumulated rupee balances arising from bilateral trade, while exploring closer cooperation in rareearth exploration, an area with growing strategic significance for both countries. Peskov also said Moscow broadly shares India’s position that the conflict must be resolved peacefully “We do want . a solution of the Ukrainian conflict by peaceful means.” The leaders are also expected to discuss security counterter, rorism, drugs and space cooperation. India has separately raised the issue of its nationals serving in the Russian military . Peskov said a list was being compiled and those identified would be sent home. On BRICS, Peskov rejected the characterisation of the group as antiWestern, saying it was based on trust, respect and benefit. K’kurichi tragedy: Panel blames officials for deaths E x press N e w s S er v i ce @ Chennai The Justice B Gokuldas Commission, constituted to inquire into the causes and circumstances leading to the deaths of 70 people after the consumption of arrack-mixed methanol in Kallakurichi in 2024, has held officials across departments responsible for the tragedy. Lapses by police, prohibition and excise, prohibition enforcement wing (PEW) and revenue departments contributed to the deaths in Karunapuram and neighbouring areas, the panel said. Negligence and intelligence and systemic failures contributed to the tragedy, said the report tabled in the Assembly on Tuesday The . one-man panel — constituted in June 2024 and mandated to file report by September that year — submitted its report on February 14, 2025 to the previous DMK government, but it was tabled in the Assembly only on Tuesday after nearly 18 months.  P5 Assembly Marshals evict protesting DMK MLAs from the TN House following Speaker JCD Prabhakar’s direction on Tuesday | Express DMK MLAs evicted ED seeks separate after ruckus over corruption case Vijay’s graft charge against Pinarayi ument, which, he contended, was against the rules of the In the first en masse eviction House. He also objected to referfrom the Assembly under the ences to the Sarkaria CommisTVK regime, DMK MLAs were sion and former union minister ousted from the House on Tues- Murasoli Maran, who is no day following intense sloganeer- more. Velu said the commission ing and sit-in protest over cor- had concluded that there was ruption allegations levelled by no evidence to substantiate the Chief Minister C 28 allegations levJoseph Vijay against elled a g ainst the Privilege plaint the party The opposi. then gover nment against CM tion demanded the and demanded that DMK on Tuesday immediate expuncthe CM’s remarks resubmitted a breach tion of remarks made lating to the allegaof privilege complaint tions be expunged. by the CM on Monagainst CM Vijay for day, invoking the Law Minister CTR references related to Sarkaria CommisNirmal Kumar desion report and En- Sarkaria Commission, fended the CM, sayforcement Directo- former CM Karunanidhi ing that he had not rate (ED) dossiers, and ex-union minister gone into the details during his reply to Murasoli Maran during of the case but had his reply to the the debate on the only referred to pordebate on demands demands for grants tions of documents for grants of police for the state police that were already in department | P5 department. the public domain. Speaker JCD PrabHe alleged that the hakar, however, denied the re- Sarkaria Commission had request for expunction, ruling that corded the receipt of “paythe references are already in the ments” and claimed that there public domain and the CM had was evidence relating to six only recalled them. charges, based on which the Raising the issue during the CBI had registered cases. zero hour, DMK whip EV Velu His remarks triggered fursaid the CM on Monday had ther protests from the DMK read out portions of an ED doc- benches.  P5 E X P R E S S N E W S S E R VI C E @ Chennai J O S E K J O S E P H & S H A N A S @ Kochi/T’Puram the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has asked the Kerala Police to register a separate corruption case against Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, his son-in-law and MLA P A Mohamed Riyas, and daughter T Veena over alleged bribe transactions linked to Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL). The agency has forwarded its findings and supporting evidence from the money-laundering probe to State Police Chief Ravada Chandrasekhar, seeking registration of an FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act and other relevant provisions. Chandrasekhar told TNIE that he had received ED’s communication. “We are assessing the report and will seek legal opinion.” Though no formal announcement has been made, the government has, in-principle, decided to hand over the matter to the vigilance and anti-corruption bureau (VACB). Sources said legal opinion has been sought on whether the VACB can directly register a case under the PCA or it should conduct a preliminary inquiry before registering a FIR. Since Pinarayi and Riyas are public servants, a prior approval from the state government is required to conduct a probe against them. Government sanction is also required to register an FIR against them. The ED’s recommendation marks a major expansion of its CMRL-Exalogic probe, which initially focused on payments totalling `2.78 crore made by CMRL to Exalogic Solutions, a now-defunct company owned by Veena. The payments were shown as being towards IT and consultancy services, which the ED alleged were bribe money . Bill mooted to ease land, cash norms for setting up private varsities in TN E x press N e w s S er v i ces @ Chennai Risky Rescue op Video clip of a leopard knocking a forest dept official to the ground during a rescue mission in Karnataka’s Davanagere. The animal was hurt after it was hit by a car on a highway. The official’s team members quickly intervened and saved him | Express The TVK government on Tuesday introduced the Tamil Nadu Private Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2026, to ease the norms for setting up private universities in the state. The Bill, introduced by Higher Education Minister P Viswanathan in the Assembly proposes to re, duce the land and endowment fund required for setting up private universities. Left parties and university teachers have opposed the bill saying that it would lead to the E x p r e s s Re a d Asiad: Indian hockey teams to wear blue jersey New Delhi: The Indian hockey teams will revert to their traditional blue jerseys for the upcoming Asian Games. They had earlier shifted to a orange coloured kit during the World Cup, leading to a massive controversy. Now, in line with the contingent, Indian teams will stick to blue as their primary jersey colour for the Asian Games. HC allows idol smuggler to return to Germany Vijay calls ‘broken jaw’ gesture unintentional Madurai: The Madras HC has permitted an American antique smuggler, Subash Chandra Kapoor, to return to Germany nearly 14 years after his extradition from the country over a case booked by Ariyalur police for the theft of 19 idols worth `94 crore in 2008 | P2 Chennai: CM C Joseph Vijay on Tuesday said his gesture of touching his jaw during his Assembly speech on Monday was involuntary and unintentional. He issued the clarification after it was alleged that he was mocking DMK chief MK Stalin Resolution against open-column method TN Assembly has passed a resolution urging centre to collect OBCs’ details during the 2027 Census only on the basis of the official lists of state & union govts, instead of ‘open-column method’ | P4 rapid expansion of private universities and affect the affordability and accessibility of higher education. The Bill proposes to reduce the minimum land requirement for setting up private universities from 100 acres to 12 acres within the Greater Chennai Corporation, 18 acres in other municipal corporations and municipal councils, and 25 acres in other areas. It also seeks to cut the mandatory permanent endowment fund from `50 crore to `25 crore under the Tamil Nadu Private Universities Act, 2019. The reduced endowment requirement will also apply to existing private universities covered under the 2019 Act.  Eiffel Tower reopens after staff strike The monument was closed for a day after its staff went on strike over women being asked to leave during a visit by BAPS delegation | P7 Cabinet nod awaited Decks cleared for satellite broadband services in India R A K E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi IN a move that could bring satellite communication services closer to commercial launch in India, the Digital Communications Commission (DCC), the apex decision-making body for telecommunications and digital policies at the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has approved a spectrum usage charge of 5% of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) for satellite communication services. Service providers await security clearance The Digital Communications Commission’s decision paves the way for the govt to allocate spectrum to Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications, subject to them meeting security and other regulatory clearances With this decision, the government can now move ahead with spectrum assignment for satellite communication companies such as Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb, and Amazon Leo to launch commercial services in India. The charge will be lower at 4% of AGR for operators providing services in rural and remote areas. DoT will now move the proposal through the Inter-Minis- terial Committee and then seek Cabinet nod. The DCC has also approved spectrum assignment for five years with an option for a twoyear extension. Telecom regulator Trai had recommended 4% of AGR spectrum usage charge, along with an additional `500 per urban subscriber per year for nongeostationary satellite orbitbased satellite services with rural and remote subscribers being exempt from the additional levy . However, the DoT rejected the per-subscriber charge, citing difficulties in distinguishing between rural and urban users. It also rejected the proposal to subsidise rural users.