BELAGAVI  SATURDAY  MARCH 27, 2021  `7.00  PAGES 14  LATE CITY EDITION S.C. DISMISSES PLEA TO STAY SALE OF ELECTORAL BONDS The plea was moved by the Association for Democratic Reforms alleging lack of transparency in funding of political parties ‘NO EVIDENCE OF ADVERSE IMPACT ON POLLS’ The NGO had claimed that the sale of electoral bonds before the Assembly elections would “increase illicit funding of political parties through shell companies”. Dismissing the plea, a bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said there is no evidence that electoral bonds would adversely impact elections. The SC said fresh electoral bonds can be issued from April 1 ■ `1 crore TRANSACTIONS VIA BANKING CHANNELS ■ “The purchase as well as encashment of the bonds, happening only through banking channels, is always reflected in documents that eventually come to the public domain,” the order stated Donors can buy e-bonds from SBI and donate to political parties, which can encash them through their accounts within 15 days IS THE HIGHEST DENOMINATION VALUE OF ELECTORAL BONDS CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOGGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ WARANGAL ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI ‘DIDN’T LET STUDENTS LOSE A YEAR’ MUCH like everything else, the biggest education conc l ave, T h i n k E d u , went virtual this year. Union minister for education Ramesh Pokhriyal, in his inaugural address, elaborated on his vision for the National Education Policy and the way ahead. He also spoke about how India was among the very few countries in the world that didn’t let students’ year go waste. Ramesh Jarkiholi FIR against Jarkiholi after woman files case EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru IN a major twist to the sleaze CD row, the Cubbon Park police on Friday booked former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi for sexual harassment, based on a written complaint by the woman, who is believed to be seen in the video. Jarkiholi has been charged under Sections 376C (sexual intercourse by person in authority), 354A (sexual harassment), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 506 (criminal intimidation), 417 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and Section 67A (punishment for publishing or transmitting of material containing sexually explicit act, etc., in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act. All the sections invoked are non-bailable. A senior police officer from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) said the First Information Report (FIR) has been registered and the case has been transferred to SIT. “We have issued a sixth notice to the woman through her lawyer who filed a case on her behalf, and she has to appear before the investigation officer to take further legal course,” the officer said. A few hours before the FIR was registered, the woman released a third video statement alleging that Ramesh Jarkiholi was behind the CD and that she would file a case against him, claiming to be a P4 victim in the case. EXPRESS READ Bharat bandh: Roads blocked in Punjab New Delhi/Chandigarh: Road and rail traffic was disrupted in several parts of Punjab and Haryana during the Bharat bandh called by farmers on Friday as part of their protest against the three laws, though there was partial response to it in other parts of the country. The Samkyukta Kisan Morcha claimed that shutdown was observed in many parts of the country. President admitted to Army hospital New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind is undergoing check-up at the Army’s Research and Referral hospital here after complaining of chest discomfort on Friday morning, the hospital said. “President of India visited Army Hospital (R&R) following chest discomfort this morning. He is undergoing routine check-up and is under observation,” the hospital added. “Even when the rest of the world had foregone a year, India ensured that its students didn’t waste it. Around 33 crore students were given education online. Provisions were made for those who couldn’t come online through mediums like radio,” said Pokhriyal. TNIE Editorial Director Prabhu Chawla kicked off the ninth edition of ThinkEdu, saying: “This year, we have brought illuminating discussions and conversations about new ideas from India’s finest thinkers — scientists, businessmen and storytellers.” In a different session, Subhash Kak was in conversation with Indic scholar Dushyanth Sridhar and senior journalist Kaveree Bamzai. Kak spoke about how he sifted through various layers of Sanskrit literature to find a lot of subjects, including astronomy , that had been lost for thousands of years. “It opened a whole new horizon to me,” he said. S Vaidhyasubramaniam, Vice-Chancellor, SASTRA Deemed-to-be University was in conversation with Makarand Paranjape, Director, Indian Institute of Advance Study, who spoke about Swami Vivekananda and AI replacing human teaching. “Swamiji is so important because he takes us beyond the idea of education being some sort of livelihood training.” FULL COVERAGE: P7 We successfully conducted JEE and NEET amid the pandemic, which are the country’s largest competitive exams - Ramesh Pokhriyal, Union education minister Modi announces scholarship on Day 1 of Bangladesh visit ladesh’s future together has a lot in store, he said it is imporPRIME Minister Narendra tant that New Delhi and Dhaka Modi on Friday began his two- progress together. “The youth day trip to Bangladesh by hail- of both the countries need to be ing the contributions of Banga- connected for better ties. I b a n d h u S h e i k h M u j i bu r hence announce the setting up Rahman and the Indiof suvarna jayanti an armed forces in scholarships for BangBangladesh’s war of ladeshi students and liberation. also invite 50 entrepre“Bangabandhu gave I announce the neurs of Bangladesh setting up of up his life for the peoto visit India,” he suvarna jayanti ple of Bangladesh. Tosaid. scholarships for day, on the 50th anniEarlier, Modi preBangladeshi v e r s a r y o f sented the Gandhi students and invite Bangladesh’s inde- 50 entrepreneurs P e a c e P r i z e 2 0 2 0 pendence and Bangaawarded posthumousto India bandhu’s birth centely to Mujib, to BanglaPrime Minister nary celebrations, I desh Prime Minister Narendra Modi remember and salute Sheikh Hasina. Modi his contribution and also recalled how he the contributions of the Indian had participated in Banglaarmed forces, mukti jodhas in desh’s struggle for independBangladesh’s war of independ- ence by holding a satyagraha. ence,” Modi said at the NationMeanwhile, a protest by a al Day celebrations of Bangla- mob against Modi’s trip got viodesh in Dhaka. lent, leaving four persons dead P9 Saying that India and Bang- with bullet injuries. P U S H K A R B A N A K A R @ New Delhi WHERE THE STATES STAND R-Naught reported in the country over a two-day period Maharashtra AS ON 23 MARCH 2021 @ Chennai 1.59 Kerala 0.86 Karnataka 1.65 Andhra Pradesh 1.56 Tamil Nadu 1.44 Delhi 1.52 Uttar Pradesh 1.83 Bihar 1.68 Punjab 1.52 Telangana 1.39 Gujarat 1.61 NATIONAL AS ON 24 MARCH 2021 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE 1.51 Maharashtra 1.59 Chhattisgarh 1.98 Karnataka 1.66 Uttar Pradesh 1.90 Haryana 1.66 Delhi 1.60 Madhya Pradesh 1.63 Rajasthan 1.59 Andhra Pradesh P 1.59 Punjab 1.53 NATIONAL 1.53 Source: covid19india.org Prime Minister Narendra Modi handing over the Gandhi Peace Prize conferred upon Mujibur Rahman, to his daughters Sheikh Rehana (L) and PM Sheikh Hasina, in Dhaka on Friday Mistry’s ouster from Tata Sons kosher, says SC Upholds group’s decision to sack him as chairman; sets aside Dec 2019 NCLAT order K A N U S A R D A @ New Delhi IN a huge win for Tata Sons, the Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the ouster of former Tata Sons executive chairman Cyrus Mistry was legal, setting aside a 2019 National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) order that directed his reinstatement. A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice S A Bobde said, “There was no oppression of the minority shareholder (Mistry). There was no mismanagement by Tata Sons.” The apex court, however, added it was open for Tata and Mistry to work out their terms of separation. The court answered all the legal questions arising out of this dispute in favour of Tata Sons bringing an end to one of the biggest corporate battles in recent times. “If someone, aggrieved after his removal from office can engage in shadow-boxing through the companies controlled by him, he cannot accuse the very same person who chose him as successor to be a shadow director. Someone who gained entry through the very same door, cannot condemn it when asked to exit,” the 282-page Cyrus Mistry Ratan Tata judgment read. Welcoming the verdict, Ratan Tata said the order validated the values and ethics that had always guided the Tata Group. “It is not an issue of winning or losing. After relentless attacks on my integrity and the ethical conduct of the group, the judgment upholding Tata Sons is a validation or the values and ethics that have always been the guiding principles of the group. It reinforces the fairness and justice displayed by our judiciary,” he said in a statement. The ruling came on a plea that challenged the December 18, 2019 NCLAT order which reinstated Shapoorji Pallonji Group scion Cyrus Mistry as the executive chairman of Tata Sons. The Tata-Mistry dispute began when Mistry, who succeeded Ratan Tata in 2012, was ousted four years later. ‘FAIR COMPENSATION’ NOT ADJUDICATED The bench refused to entertain Cyrus Pallonji Mistry’s plea for fair compensation for his 18.5% stake in Tata Sons saying “the valuation of the shares of SP Group depends upon the value of the stake of Tata Sons in listed equities, unlisted equities, immovable assets etc... Therefore, we cannot adjudicate on the fair compensation”. | P12 Firefighters attempt to douse a blaze at Dreams Mall, affecting patients admitted in the nearby COVID-19 dedicated Sunrise Hospital, in Mumbai, early on Friday | PTI 10 perish in Mumbai Covid hospital fire EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Mumbai AT least 10 coronavirus patients died and several others were injured in a major fire at Sunrise Hospital in Mumbai on Friday The hospital is situated . on the top floor of Dreams Mall at Mulund. According to the BMC, the blaze was noticed around midnight on Thursday on the first floor, and it quickly spread to the upper floors. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray visited the spot and ordered an inquiry. Thackeray apologised for the incident and said the guilty won’t be spared. “In view of rising Covid-19 cases, permission was given to start new Covid treatment centres or hospitals in Mumbai. It seems there were lapses in fire safety he said ,” Thackeray also announced `5 lakh as financial help to the families of the deceased. Congress minister Aslam Sheikh said he was surprised to see a hospital inside the mall. “The Dream Mall itself has not even got the occupation certificate (OC). Then how was the hospital set up inside the mall? Strict action will be taken against the guilty he added. ,” Covid infection rate higher in K’taka than national average C H E TA N A B E L A G E R E @ Bengaluru WITH the number of daily new Covid-19 cases increasing every day, the Covid-19 infection rate in Karnataka has edged past the national figure. The R-Naught (R-0) value, which represents the average number of people that a single infected person can transmit that disease to, stands at 1.66 for the state as of March 24, while the national figure is 1.53. The R-Naught value has crossed the 1 mark in 19 states across the country . Epidemiologists and virologists now fear that second coronavirus surge could be worse than the first and stress that the government needs to pay immediate attention to containment measures. The case fatality rate too may see a rise because of the burden on the health care system with rising cases, they add. Dr Giridhara Babu, Professor of Epidemiology at the Public Health Foundation of India and member of the Covid Techincal Advisory Committee explained, “ R-0 of 1.65 means An that for every 10 people infected, a further 16.5 will be infected by them. This is not a good situation to be in.” Gratuity should be paid in 30 days: HC EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru IT is not necessary that employers wait till an employee files an application for release of gratuity amount. It should be done immediately within 30 days after the cessation of a person’s employment, the Karnataka High Court has ruled. Referring to Section 7(2) of The Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972, the court noted that an employer is under obligation to settle the gratuity dues within 30 days of the end of service, whether or not an employee files an application. Justice Nagaprasanna also noted that interest should be paid if there be any delay in the payment. DETAILS |P5 Experts say there are many reasons for this surge. While some point out that there have been significant changes in the virus itself, with data showing the growing presence of more infectious strains, others argue that people not following Covid-appropriate behaviour is the main reason. However, renowned virologist Dr V Ravi, who is the nodal officer for genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 at NIMHANS, and is part of the international scientific advisory board for Russia’s Sputnik vaccine, says the data available is not enough to say that the rise in cases is due to the “double mutation variant” and refers to a “variant of concern”. Even a study, published recently by NIMHANS in the scientific journal MedRxiv, found four major SARSCoV-2 variants circulating in Bengaluru. Of them, the B.1.36 variant has the highest prevalence, he pointed out. “The variant was seen in 45 per cent of the swab samples which NIMHANS subjected to genomic sequencing. The B.1.36 type cannot be called a variant yet, as its significance is yet to be studied,” Dr Ravi, who spearheaded the study said. P5 , WRITER ANIL DHARKER PASSES AWAY The noted journalist and author died in Mumbai on Friday. He was 74. Over a five-decade-long career, Dharker was columnist, writer, architect, and a member of the advisory committee of film Censor Board. Soil digging at Talaghattapura near Hampi was stopped earlier this week after locals opposed it | EXPRESS Indiscriminate soil digging poses danger to Hampi monuments ‘Set up special task force’ Activists have demanded that a special task force be constituted to ensure that no such activities take place in and around Hampi. After incidents of vandalism of monuments surfaced, CCTV cameras were put up at many points. But the World Heritage Site area is vast and there are many places where sand or soil can be lifted. Hence, establishing a separate force could help stop such incidents, they reasoned. K I RA N BA L A N N A N AVA R @ Hosapete MONUMENTS in the World Heritage Site of Hampi are facing a new kind of threat with villagers on the periphery of the historical town utilising soil from near the hillocks for construction work, much to the chagrin of heritage lovers. Some local road contractors were lifting the soil near a hillock recently, and after some residents alerted the authorities, it was stopped. Activists are now demanding that such activity be stopped immediately before it causes any damage to the archaeologically significant monuments that dot Hampi. There are several areas in Hampi where the slightest vibrations from quarrying or movement of heavy vehicles can potentially damage sensitive and old monuments. Keeping the interest of heritage structures in mind, soil lifting should be banned, they demanded. Last week, soil lifting was reported in Talaghattapura and Venkatapura villages, but the authorities responded quickly and warned the people. Locals point out that the soil is mixed with thin sand, and the mixture is used in several civic works, including road construction. “The soil holds the boulders and any kind of disturbance is not good for the monuments. There have also been attempts at stone quarrying around Hampi, which must be stopped,” rued a resident. Krishnadevaraya, scion of the erstwhile royal family from Anegundi, said that there has been a long-pending demand to stop quarrying activities in the vicinity of Hampi. “Many times, the officials do not take proper steps. They must take such incidents seriously. A committee must be set up to evaluate the damage caused by such acts,” he felt.