R Venkataramani is next AG Senior advocate R Venkataramani was on Wednesday appointed the Attorney General of India for a term of three years He will succeed K K Venugopal, 91, whose term will end on September 30 Born on April 13, 1950 in Puducherry, Venkatamanani, 72, has practised in the Supreme Court for decades He has practised constitutional law, law of indirect taxes, human rights law, civil and criminal laws, consumer law, as well as law relating to services TIRUNELVELI  THURSDAY  SEPTEMBER 29, 2022  `9.00  PAGES 14  CITY EDITION Venugopal had expressed his unwillingness to continue due to his advanced age Another senior advocate, Mukul Rohatgi, had last week declined the offer to be the AG 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 PFI, 8 affiliates banned for five yrs, SDPI spared Home ministry notification says the outfit has links with global terror groups like ISIS EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi THE Centre on Wednesday banned the Popular Front of India (PFI) for five years, less than a week after the National Investigation Agency conducted countrywide raids and arrested hundreds of its leaders and activists primarily across Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and the Northeast. The PFI later put out a statement saying it stood disbanded after the ban, adding as “lawabiding citizens of the country , we accept the decision”. Curiously, the government chose not to include the PFI’s political front, the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), on its list of banned outfits. The proscribed affiliates and fronts of the PFI are the Centre are Rehab India Foundation, Campus Front of India, Junior Front, All India Imams Council, National Confederation of Human Rights Organisation, National Women’s Front, Empower India Foundation and Rehab Foundation, Kerala. They all were outlawed under UAPA. Claiming that investigations have established a hub and spoke relationship between the PFI and its associates, a notification issued late on Tuesday night by the home minstry said they were pursuing a secret agenda to radicalise a particular section of the society to undermine democracy . Pointing out that the UP Kar, nataka and Gujarat governments had already sought its ban, the notification warned that any delay in curbing the PFI could be used by it to “continue its subversive activities”, “encourage and enforce terror based regressive regime”, “radicalise a particular section of society” and “aggravate activities which are detrimental to the integrity security and sov, ereignty of the country”. The government claimed PFI has linkages with Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh. Besides, it said it has found a “number of instances of international linkages of PFI with global terrorist groups like ISIS”. The Centre will set up a tribunal within 30 days to adjudicate whether or not there is sufficient cause for declaring the PFI an ‘unlawful association’. While the BJP hailed the ban, several opposition leaders demanded similar action against the RSS. Cong suspense remains, Sonia-Gehlot meet today S H A H I D F A R I D I @ New Delhi THE suspense over the Congress presidential candidates moved to the penultimate day of filing of nomination papers, as the widely expected meeting between party president Sonia Gandhi and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot got postponed to Thursday . Gehlot was closeted with his confidants right through the day at Jaipur and was expected to arrive in Delhi late in the night. As suspense over whether or not Gehlot would agree to resign as CM to file his nomination papers continued, names EXPRESS READ ED arrests businessman Sameer Mahendru New Delhi: The ED on Wednesday arrested businessman Sameer Mahendru in connection with its money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. He was produced in a Delhi court, which remanded him in ED custody for eight days. Mahendru, the managing director of Indospirit, a liquor distributor CBI raids D K shivakumar’s properties Ahead of the Congress party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra’s entry into poll-bound Karnataka, the CBI raided several properties belonging to state Congress chief D K Shivakumar across the state of other Congress probables started doing the rounds. Right on top of the list was that of former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh Digvijaya Singh, who shares a close personal equation with Rahul Gandhi. Gandhi family loyalist Ambika Soni, considered close to Sonia, could also be on the ballot. Others include the party’s top Dalit leaders like Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikar jun Kharge, AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik, former Maharashtra chief minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and ‘To express feelings of loyalists’ “The CM is going to Delhi to express the feelings of 102 MLAs, as their guardian, with the party leadership,” minister Pratap Khachariyawas said former Haryana president of Congress Kumari Selja. Party t re a s u re r Paw a n Ku m a r Bansal’s name is also being mentioned as a possible contender. On Wednesday Sonia Gandhi , consulted Ambika Soni and A K Antony, who was called from Kerala where he is leading a retired life, on the Rajasthan crisis. She was advised to meet Gehlot one last time to try and iron out the differences. The two central observers — Ajay Maken and Mallikarjun Kharge — shielded Gehlot in their report after returning from Jaipur where they were not able to meet the party MLAs loyal to the CM. These MLAs opposed to the high command’s plan to replace Gehlot with his former deputy Sachin Pilot and refused to sign a resolution authorising Sonia to pick the successor. Gehlot was originally scheduled to leave Jaipur at 5.30 pm but delayed his departure. 9 months on, retired Gen Anil Chauhan is govt’s pick for Chief of Defence Staff M AYA N K S I N G H @ New Delhi THE Centre on Wednesday appointed Lt General Anil Chauhan (Retired), a former eastern Army commander and director general of military operations, as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). He will also function as Secretary to Government of India, Department of Military Affairs with effect from the date of his assumption of charge, a governmetn release said. Since his retirement from service in May last year, he has been serving as Military Advisor in the National Se- curity Council Secretariat headed by NSA Ajit Doval. The appointment comes nine months after the post fell vacant following the death of former CDS in a helicopter crash on December 8, 2021 in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. The government had widened the CDS selection pool in June this year to include threestar officers who haven’t attained the age of 62 at the time of appointment. Lt General Chauhan is 61. The age limit for CDS is 65 with no fixed tenure defined. Born on 18th May 1961, Lt General Chauhan was commissioned into the 11 Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army in 1981. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and Indian Military Academy Dehradun. , He will be the first Lt General and only the second officer to become the CDS. In a career spanning 40 years, Lt Gen Chauhan has held several command, staff and instrumental appointments and had extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir and North-East. He was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal. Tangedco to install tripping devices to end freak deaths S G U R U VA N M I K A N AT H A N @ Chennai TANGEDCO is planning to install tripping devices in transformers across the State at a cost of `5,800 crore. A senior official said the device will stop power supply immediately whenever overhead power cables get snapped. Instances of humans and animals getting electrocuted by coming into contact with snapped power lines may become a thing of the past once the project is implemented successfully, officials said. A detailed project report has been submitted to the State government for approval, officials said. We expect the installation work to start by December, they said. Official data said 97 people and 28 animals were electrocuted across TN in the first three months of 2022. Officials say electrocution due to snapped power cables is one of the major causes of electricity-related deaths in the State, and is high during monsoon. A senior Tangedco official said the tripping device will act as a circuit-breaker and it will also spot abnormal conditions such as voltage fluctuations and alert the common central server being set up for tracking the devices. According to a technical staff, Tangedco had installed similar tripping devices in Tirunelveli a few years ago, but was not taken forward. Presenting Natural Dyed Silk Sarees Our exquisite handwoven silk sarees are adorned with stunning designs & borders, which are 100% natural dyed with ingredients such as Indigo, Mulberry leaves, Indian Madder, Myrobalan, Lac, Pomegranate, Catechu resin, etc. Conceptualized and designed in RmKV design studio and woven by RmKV master weavers. Tirunelveli : Vannarpettai.Ph: 0462 2503105 | North Car Street, Tirunelveli Town. 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