BHUBANESWAR l thursday l november 24, 2022 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l JEYPORE EDITION Scottish govt loses court battle for referendum Britain’s Supreme Court has ruled that Scotland’s government can’t hold an independence referendum without UK’s consent Nicola Sturgeon, SNP leader and first minister of Scotland | AP U.K. Parliament REFUSES TO GIVE CONSENT Rishi Sunak welcomes ‘Definitive ruling’ The Scottish National Party (SNP) wanted a second referendum on October 19, 2023 but the UK Parliament refused to grant a formal consent. Supreme Court president Lord Reed said the laws that created the devolved Scottish Parliament in 1999 meant it does not have power over areas of the constitution including the union between Scotland and England ■ ■ Welcoming the verdict, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak termed it a “clear and definitive ruling from the Supreme Court” SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said her party respects the court’s decision but added that the next general election in 2024 will be a ‘de facto referendum’ where people will express their will 2014 THE sCOTS REJECTED THE FIRST REFERENDUM, HELD WITH THE U.K.’S APPROVAL, BY 55-45% 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 SC seeks files related to EC Arun Goel’s appointment Model code case: UP court declares BJP MP absconder Constitution bench says it wants to know if there was any ‘hanky panky’ in the process; government has to submit the papers today N a m i ta B a j pa i @ Lucknow A district court in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur on Wednesday declared BJP parliamentarian Arun Sagar an absconder following no-shows in court in connection with a case of violation of model code of conduct during the last Lok Sabha polls in 2019. Sagar is accused of getting a wall of Shahjahanpur painted without seeking the administration’s permission. According to Nilima Saxena, special public prosecutor of the Shahjahanpur MP/MLA court, Sagar had used campaign material without permission of the concerned officials in the 2019 polls. He was repeatedly summoned to appear in court but he failed to turn up. Arun Kumar During the Sagar 2019 general elections, the then SDM (Sadar)/Assistant Returning Officer Ved Sigh Chauhan was taking a round of Dadraul, a Vidhan Sabha segment, when he spotted campaign material of Sagar in Rasoolpur village. When Chauhan came to know that the campaign material was transported without prior permission, he lodged a complaint in the Kant police station. While phone calls to Sagar drew no response, BJP leader Dr Chandra Mohan said, “This often happens during elections. I won’t say much about it since the matter is sub-judice. However, law will take it own course and the MP concerned would abide by it.” NO entry to u.a.e. if passport has single name Indians will need to have their full names printed on passport to enter the Gulf nation. The new rules that came into effect on Monday, however, exempt those travelling on residential or employment visas the bench that Goel, a 1985 you are claiming that everybatch IAS officer of Punjab thing is going on smoothly We . TAKING note of the alacrity cadre and a secretary-level of- don’t think it’s a matter where with which the government ficial, was given VRS on Friday we should be withholding ingranted VRS to former bureau- and appointed as EC on Satur- formation. This is not matter crat Arun Goel and appointed day to enable him to start work- related to appointment of milihim as election commissioner, ing from Monday . tary person.” a five-judge Constitution bench “The government appointed The bench also observed that of the Supreme Court on someone in a single the Chief Election Wednesday ordered the Centre day and no one knows Commissioner should to submit all the original files what process was folbe a strong-willed perrelated to the appointment. lowed or what safeson who will not hesiThe five-judge bench headed guards were taken,” tate to act even against by Justice K M Joseph said it Bhushan said. the prime minister, if wants to know if there was any Asking attor ney need be. “hanky panky” because Goel’s general R Venkatara“Suppose there is appointment happened while it mani if the governsome allegation Arun Goel was hearing a plea seeking a ment has any hesitaagainst the prime mincollegium-like system for the tion in presenting the file, the ister and the CEC has to act. Election Commission of India. bench observed that the ap- But the CEC is weak-kneed. He The Centre should not have any pointment was inappropriate does not act. Is it not a complete problem submitting the rele- as the matter was being heard breakdown of the system? The vant files if everything was by the Constitution bench. CEC is supposed to be insulated done as per procedure, the When the AG objected to from political influence and bench observed. The court gave Goel’s appointment being should be independent,” the the Centre time till Thursday to dragged into a case where the bench remarked. produce all the relevant files. court is considering a larger isVenkataramani told the The direction came after ad- sue, Justice Joseph said, “We bench that there had to be a vocate Prashant Bhushan told would like to know… because trigger point for the top court to interfere in such matters. The AG also told the bench that ‘nEED A cec WHO CAN ACT EVEN AGAINST THE PM’ the appointments were on the The Constitution bench said the person appointed as the Chief Election basis on seniority and there Commissioner must be independent and should be willing to act even was no separate appointment against the Prime Minister in the event of serious allegations procedure for CEC. S H R U T I K A K K A R @ New Delhi Japan’s Ritsu Doan (R) scores his team’s first goal against Germany at the Khalifa International Stadium on Wednesday | afp Land of rising sons E x p r e ss N e ws Se r v i c e Silence speaks louder Germany’s players covered their mouths for their team photo before the match in an apparent rebuke of FIFA’s clampdown on plans to wear armbands to protest discrimination in Qatar | AP Japan’s players did not know what to do apart from run in all directions. Some of them were going right, some were going straight, others left. All of them, though, had their arms outstretched. You didn’t need to know the scoreline. Japan had upset World Cup royalty, Germany The four-time champions . failed to kill the match and the Asian powerhouse won 2-1. Il- Three lecturers face action after video with HE Min in Bargarh E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bargarh/Bhubaneswar The district election officer cum collector of Bargarh has recommended disciplinary action against three lecturers of government colleges for allegedly flouting the model code of conduct. Collector Monisha Banerjee submitted a report to chief electoral officer (CEO) SK Lohani in this regard. Sources said, the CEO forwared the collector’s report to the Chief Secretary for necessary action. On November 19, a video surfaced in which the three teachers could be seen standing near the car of Higher Education Minister Rohit Pujari. The car was stationed at a college parking. Opposition BJP had raised the issue alleging that the three teachers organised a public meeting for the minister at the college. On the basis of the video, an enquiry into the matter was initiated by the additional tehsildar on the orders of collector. Since no CCTV footage could be obtained, statements of the three were recorded during enquiry and disciplinary action has been recommended to the CEO by the collector. In the letter, the collector also recommended that the headquarters of the three lecturers may be fixed outside Padampur assembly constituency The three . include Krushna Mohan Panda, reader in History at Anchal College, Binaya Ranjan Panda, incharge principal of Mandosil Degree College and Sudhira Kumar Ratha, lecturer with Dava Higher Secondary School. kay Gundogan had converted a first-half penalty and it was smooth sailing until Japan, who had the reached the last 16 in 2018, went for the jugular in the second half. They rung in the changes and drove at the heart of Germany’s creaking midfield till it crumbled like a house of cards. The defeat leaves Germany needing a result against Spain on Sunday. Or, it could be an early exit. More on: P11  Winter session starts today; Fin Min to present supplementary budget E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar THE winter session of the Assembly will begin on Thursday without any Covid-19 restrictions after a gap of two and a half years. Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari will present the first supplementary budget for 2022-23 financial year on the first day of the session. Official sources maintained that the size of the first supplementary budget will be around `16,500 crore with major thrust on rural development, drinking water, agriculture, health and family welfare and schemes announced by the state government during the last six months. In the supplementary budget, high impact new capital projects and announcements made by the government at different times for livelihood enhancement of poorer section of people will be fully funded. Besides, focus will be on funding of poverty reduction programmes, crop diversification, education and skill development announced by the government. The state cabinet on November 18 had approved a budget of `929.55 crore for three years from 2022-23 for implementation of crop diversification programme. Sources said that around `300 crore will be provided in the supplementary budget for implementation of the programme in 2022-23. Renovation and beautification of different temples and shrines will be another focus area in the supplementary budget. Sources said that around `100 crore will be allocated for this programme in the supplementary budget as master plans for beautification of different temples have been approved by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Besides, the supplementary budget will also be an exercise for re-prioritization of the budget in which the administrative departments will be allowed to augment the provision. Discussion on demand for grants on statement of expenditure will be held on November 30 and December 1. The Appropriation Bill on the first supplementary statement of expenditure will be presented on December 2. The supplementary budget outlay was `11,200 crore and `19833 crore in 2020-21 and 2021-22. express read Naveen’s spl package for kendu leaf workers Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday announced a special package for the kendu leaf pluckers and other employees. The package will benefit around eight lakh leaf pluckers, binders and other employees associated with the trade. As per the package, `1,000 will be given to each plucker and `1,500 to each seasonal staff and binder in the first phase | P3 ‘Some forces trying to destabilise Indo-Pacific’ New Delhi: The Indian Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral R Hari Kumar on Wednesday said that the region of Indo-Pacific has numerous challenges which also include the forces trying to destabilize the region. The CNS was delivering its inaugural address here at the international Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD) 2022 | P7 murders most foul Shraddha’s 2-yr-old SOS to police revealed Aaftab design Anupam Kher announces Hindi Drug addict out of rehab kills remake of Odia film ‘Pratikshya’ four of his family in Delhi U JW A L J A L A L I @ New Delhi U j w al Jalal i @ New Delhi The horrific case of murder and dismemberment of a woman in Delhi by her live-in partner took a new turn on Wednesday after the copy of a letter she wrote to the Maharashtra police exactly two years ago revealing his threats to “kill and cut her into pieces” surfaced. “Aaftab Amin Poonawala has been abusing me and beating me up. Today he tried to kill me by suffocating me and he scared and blackmails me that he will kill me cut me up in pieces and throw me away wrote Shraddha Walker ,” in a hand-written letter dated November 23, 2020. Shraddha was allegedly strangled on May 18 this year, her body chopped into multiple pieces and disposed of. Shraddha’s letter is now a crucial piece of evidence to establish Aaftab was a repeat offender and had a history of domestic violence. While the Palghar police acknowledged receipt of her letter, they claimed she had a subsequently written another letter withdrawing the complaint. “We went to their house twice. They told us that they have nothing against each other and had decided to withdraw the complaint as well. Therefore, after 26 days, we disposed of the complaint,” a police official said. Her letter revealed that Aaftab’s parents were aware of their son beating her up. “His parents are aware that he beats me and that he tried to kill me. They also know about us living together and they visit on weekends,” Shraddha’s letter read. A drug addict just out of rehab allegedly went on a killing spree, stabbing four members of his family in southwest Delhi’s Palam area, the police said on Wednesday . The mass murder took place late on Tuesday night. “A person made a PCR call around 10.30 pm claiming he was hearing sounds of quarrel in his neighbourhood after which the police immediately rushed to the location,” Deputy Police Commissioner (Southwest) Manoj C said. Accused Keshav (25) was caught by neighbours and the police while he was trying to bolt. He hacked his 75-yearold grandmother Diwano Devi, parents Dinesh and Darshan, and sister Urvashi with a sharp-edged weapon. One of the family members, while speaking to this newspaper, said the accused spent more than 30 months at a rehabilitation centre and had recently come out of it. “He was a drug addict and had frequent fights with his family. He used to nag them for money,” said Keshav’s cousin Kuldeep Saini, who stayed just a floor below. On Tuesday night, he heard a noisy quarrel and climbed the stairs to check. “I heard screams of my cousin Urvashi after which I rushed upstairs and started banging the door to know her welfare but none opened,” Kuldeep said. Keshav responded from inside asking him to buzz off as it was his family matter. “There was complete silence for 15 mins but in the meantime I had called the police. When the police arrived, Keshav jumped from the second floor to escape but we caught him,” Kuldeep said. Shraddha Walkar Fadnavis orders probe into letter Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday ordered a probe after this letter surfaced. “Had they (police) taken prompt action, Shraddha would have been alive today,” he said (Clockwise from top left) Accused Keshav, his mother, grandma, father and sister | PTI Cousin threatened When police took Keshav into custody, he threatened Kuldeep of dire consequences. “Once I’m out of jail, you will be next.” E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar ACTOR-director Anupam Kher on Wednesday announced the remake of Odia film ‘Pratikshya’, directed by Anupam Patnaik, in Hindi at the 53rd edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI)-2022 in Goa. ‘Pratikshya’ is the only Odia film being screened at the prestigious IFFI this year. Speaking at a session on the film at the festival, Kher offered the token signing amount for the rights of the film to Anupam and expressed his interest in playing the role of the father in the film that highlights the dynamics of a f ather-son relationship. Speaking on the occasion, Anupam said it was a special moment for him, and a way to honour his late father Amiya Ranjan Patnaik. “It was a moment straight out of the movies, befitting that it happened at IFFI, a platform that celebrates the magic of the movies,” he said. Inspired by a short story written by Gourahari Das, it is the story of Sanjay, a boy from a middle class family who is on the lookout for a Anupam Kher with ‘Pratikshya’ team at IFFI-2022 in Goa on Wednesday | Express government job, a few months before his father retires. His father, Bipin, is insistent that he find a job, as the family has debts, and he is also diagnosed with a terminal illness. Sanjay learns about the government’s scheme of compassionate appointment where a family member gets the job of the deceased government employee. A frustrated Sanjay waits for his father’s death for the job. Dipanwit Dashamohapatra, who plays Sanjay, said it is also a big moment for him as it is his first film as a lead actor. “But for the people of Odisha, it is an even bigger deal as the Odia film industry has been struggling for some time,” the actor said. The film is scheduled to release on December 2.