chennai l friday l october 30, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 102 l late city EDITION Disabled inmate behind plan that led to escape of 17 TN prisoners Linga Prasath, a disabled prisoner, is suspected to have hatched the plan that led to the escape of 17 prisoners from Theni jail on Monday night plotted at 6.30 pm, executed at 10 pm The inmates began discussing the plan around 6.30 pm after some of them learnt that their bail pleas had been rejected, and executed it between 9.30 pm and 10 pm, IG Vijayendra Bidari told TNIE. Police teams swung into action by 10.30 pm and sealed all the routes leading out of the area, forcing the fugitives to hide in the forest and hilly areas A drone clip of escapees huddled in a forest near the Thekkampatti jail | File pic tore Shirts and used them as Bandages Several escapees sustained injuries while moving through the rugged hilly terrain after fleeing from the prison without footwear ■ The escapees tore their shirts and tied the pieces around their injured feet before continuing through the hills. Three specialised drones were deployed to scan the forest and locate the escapees | P7 ■ 26 cases faced by Linga Prasath, the suspected mastermind 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 meira at helm INDIA bloc to conduct public ‘impeachment’ of CEC today P r e e t h a N a i r @New Delhi THE INDIA bloc will hold a three-hour “public impeachment” of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s official residence on Friday, with for mer Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presiding. Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, will move the motion to impeach Kumar, while LoP in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will conclude the discussion before the ‘motion’ is passed by voting, sources said. The contours of the proceedings were finalised at a meeting of INDIA Meira Kumar l e a d e r s a t Kharge’s residence here on Thursday . At least 30 speakers, including representatives of 21 political parties, are expected to participate in Friday’s proceedings. Sources said an invitation has been extended to the BJD, but the party is yet to confirm its participation. Civil society representatives and persons affected by the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls will share their accounts. The symbolic gesture comes ahead of the Opposition’s November 1 rally here against the SIR exercise. Bid to alter system via violence? No job in up n a m i ta b a j pa i @ Lucknow THE Uttar Pradesh government has tightened character verification norms for candidates selected through direct recruitment, stating that individuals associated with organisations seeking to alter the existing social or political system through violence would not be eligible for government jobs. The order, issued by the appointments department, will apply to recruitments across departments and comes amid recent calls for “regime change.” The state gover nment, however, clarified that political ideology alone cannot be grounds for denying employment. It said mere registration of an FIR or a pending investigation would not automatically disqualify a candidate as authorities have to assess circumstances of each case rather than rely solely on criminal complaints or ongoing probes. WITH THIS ISSUE Chennai’s Best Weekend Guide 102 PAGES, INCLUDING 88 of anniversary Special TN to commence social Pak envoy joins SCO’s luncheon justice survey next year ahead of Civilisational Dialogue State to file review plea in SC over quota for Muslim converts E X PRESS NE W S SER V ICE @ Chennai The Tamil Nadu cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, on Thursday decided to constitute a commission headed by a retired high court judge to conduct the Social Justice Survey (SJS). The cabinet also decided to file a review petition in the Supreme Court against the court’s verdict regarding quashing of a GO providing reservation benefits to converted Muslims in the next few days. The commission to assess the socio-economic status of the people will be formed in February-March next year, after the conclusion of the Census operations. The TVK government had announced its plan to hold the SJS in the first customary address delivered by Governor Rajendra Arlekar in the Assembly Law Minister CTR Nir. mal Kumar, who briefed reporters on the decisions taken at the cabinet meeting, said the proposed commission would also include IAS officers, and K e y d e c isi o n s o f T N C a bi n et Anadheenam land regularisation 550 2,000 acres in Thalambur village to be regularised residential properties likely to benefit; modalities yet to be worked out Registration freeze on 450 acres, valued at `4,000 cr, to be reviewed quota for converts SC dismissed TN’s appeal against HC verdict on Oct 15 HC had struck down a 2024 GO on reservation eligibility for Muslim converts Incentives for eight companies across multiple sectors Sectors include defence, aviation and textiles, among others Three proposals cleared for expansion of existing operations The anadheenam land issue has been embroiled in a legal dispute for over 30 years and affects around 3,000 residents and more than 15 educational institutions CTR Nirmal Kumar its exact structure would be finalised soon. Nirmal Kumar said the CM instructed ministers to ensure the delivery of essential services, review the implementation of government schemes in their respective districts and examine public grievances to ensure appropriate redressal. The CM also directed the ministers to expedite precautionary measures for the monsoon season, the minister added.  P7 J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Pakistan’s Chargé d’Affaires to India, Saad Ahmad Warraich, attended a luncheon reception hosted by the Secretary (West) in the External Affairs Ministry, Sibi George, for resident envoys of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states and partner countries, as India prepares to host the grouping’s first Civilisational Dialogue Forum next month. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the discussions focused on strengthening cooperation within the SCO framework, particularly cultural and civilisational exchanges, and preparations for the upcoming dialogue forum scheduled for November 20. “The interaction underscored In- Modi’s initiative The forum will bring together representatives from more than 25 countries at Purana Qila, a 16th-century fort in Delhi. The initiative was proposed by Modi at the SCO leaders’ summit in Tianjin in 2025 and subsequently adopted by the grouping dia’s commitment to strengthening longstanding civilisational connections and people-to-people ties with the SCO region,” Jaiswal said. India will host the SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum in New Delhi from November 20 to 22, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to inaugurate the event. Pakistan has yet to confirm its rep- resentation at the forum. Pakistan’s Minister for National Heritage and Culture, Aurungzeb Khan Khichi, is among those invited. If Khichi attends, it would mark the first visit by a Pakistani minister since then foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari attended the SCO foreign ministers’ meeting in Goa in May 2023. The luncheon comes amid continued diplomatic strains between New Delhi and Islamabad. However, both countries remain engaged through multilateral platforms such as the SCO. In September last, India sent its SCO National Coordinator, Alok Dimri, to Islamabad for a meeting ahead of Pakistan’s presidency of the grouping and its planned SCO leaders’ summit in August 2027.