coimbatore l thursday l may 19, 2022 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION U.S., global banks unveil plan to tackle food crisis Anthony Blinken Billions of dollars to be spent on helping farmers, boosting fertiliser supply and developing land for food production World bank to contribute $30 billion Blinken chairs meet on food security The US Treasury Department said several global development banks will work together to address the food security crisis exacerbated by Russia’s war in Ukraine. The World Bank announced it will contribute $30 billion for projects to address food crisis. The Asian Development Bank and the African Development Bank, among others, will also chip in ■ ■ A two-day Global Food Security Call to Action meeting of foreign ministers from 30 countries, chaired by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken began past midnight on Wednesday, in New York Russia and Ukraine produce a third of the world’s wheat, and the disruption of supply due to the war has led to prices soaring 193 million people experienced acute food insecurity worldwide in 2021 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 Apex Court refers to Article 161, says advice of State Cabinet binding on Governor; Arivu credits mother’s struggle; Stalin welcomes verdict, Congress circumspect separated, by a strait Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday flagged off a ship carrying the first consignment of humanitarian aid to the people of Sri Lanka from Chennai | P4 Day after, CBI arrests Karti’s aide in money-for-visa case E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Chennai The CBI on Wednesday arrested chartered accountant S Bhaskararaman, a close associate of Lok Sabha MP Karti Chidambaram, a day after raiding the latter’s premises in connection with a `50 lakh bribery case for clearing visas of 263 Chinese nationals working at a power plant in Punjab. Bhaskararaman was arrested since he was not cooperating in the investigation, CBI sources said. He was produced before a local CBI court, which issued a transit remand to fly him to New Delhi. Bhaskararaman was among the five named in the first information report (FIR) in the case. Other booked include Karti, Vikas Makharia, representing Talwandi Sabo Power Limited, Mansa (Punjab); Bell Tools Limited, Mumbai (Maharashtra) and unknown public servants and private persons. The FIR said Karti was approached through Bhaskararaman to get visas to bring in more Chinese professionals so as to expedite work on the thermal power plant. The visas issued were beyond the ceiling imposed by the Union home ministry Karti allegedly nego. tiated the `50 lakh speed money deal through Bhaskararaman to provide the visas. The deal happened in 2011 when Karti’s father P Chidambaram was Union home minister. SC invokes spl powers, frees Perarivalan after 31 years E xpress N ews S ervice @ Chennai/New Delhi “Let me breathe; I’m free after 31 years,” said A G Perarivalan, a life convict in the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, after the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered his release by invoking its extraordinary power under Article 142 of the Constitution. A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao, B R Gavai, and A S Bopanna, who held that the advice of State Cabinet is binding on Governor in exercise of powers under Article 161 of the Constitution, said the Governor’s referral to the President the recommendation of the Tamil Nadu Cabinet (to grant pardon to all seven convicts in the case) two-and-a-half years after such a recommendation was made doesn’t have constitutional backing. Non-exercise of power under Article 161 or inexplicable delay in exercise of such power, which is not attributable to the prisoner, is subject to judicial review of the court, said the judges rejecting the Centre’s It is important to note that the judges have said that when Governor becomes inactive, court will intervene MK Stalin, Chief Minister AG Perarivalan and his mother Arputhammal met Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday to express their gratitude | Express argument that in some cases President and not the Governor is the competent authority to grant pardon. Chief Minister MK Stalin hailed the verdict as a victory for State rights and federalism. “The verdict has established that Governors cannot interfere in political and policy decisions of State governments. It is important to note that the judges have said that when Governor becomes inactive, court will in- tervene,” the CM told reporters at the secretariat. Speaking to reporters, Perarivalan credited his mother, 74year-old Arputhammal, for her sacrifices and non-stop efforts that eventually led to his release. “She has faced insults, she was ignored, and she suffered agony Despite all that she was . persistent and fought for me without a break for 30 long years,” he said. “For both of us, me and my mother, it is the truth and justice on our side which gave us the strength to fight,” he said. Arputhammal profusely thanked everyone from the State government to a whole lot of sympathisers for their support in getting her son released. Thanking all those who stood by him in his long struggle, Perarivalan paid tributes to Senkodi, who took her life demanding the release of the convicts, for mer SC judges, Justices Krishna Iyer and K T Thomas, and retired IPS officer Thiyagarajan, who admitted in the court that he had omitted to record a part of Perarivalan’s confession that proved his innocence in the case. “Tamils all over the world gave me love and affection and treated me like their own son. I need to pay my gratitude to a lot of people and wish to do that in person through the course of my life,” Perarivalan said. While the AIADMK, the BJP, Left parties, the PMK and various Tamil outfits welcomed the verdict, the State unit of the Congress was circumspect in its reaction. Full coverage on: P4 a brief TIMeLIne June 11, 1991: CBI arrests 19-year-old AG Perarivalan in Rajiv Gandhi Assassination case 1999: SC upholds TADA court’s death sentence to the seven convicts September 9, 2018: The AIADMK government recommends to Governor Banwarilal Purohit the release of all seven convicts May 18, 2022: SC orders release of Perarivalan invoking Article 142 Tamils all over the world gave me love and affection and treated me like their own son. I need to pay my gratitude to a lot of people and wish to do that in person AG Perarivalan