thrissur l saturday l december 03, 2022 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION The KnockOut punch Japan and Morocco played beyond expectations. Germany and Belgium exit. After an exciting group stages, the knock-outs begin from Saturday. A look at who plays whom in the Round of 16 and potential clashes Top half December 3 8.30 PM Netherlands vs USA 12.30 AM (Sun) Argentina vs Australia December 5 8.30 PM Japan vs Croatia 12.30 AM (Tue) To Be Decided ( Brazil) vs South Korea Bottom half December 4 December 6 8.30pm Morocco vs Spain 12.30 AM (Wed) 8.30 PM France vs Poland 12.30 AM (Mon) England vs Senegal Three As it stands  Brazil Swizerland Portugal vs To Be Decided ( Swizterland) Three Asian teams — South Korea, Japan and Australia — have qualified for the round of 16 stage this time Group G matches don’t finish before late night South Korea’s Hwang Hee-chan celebrates after scoring the winning goal against Portugal on Friday. South Korea move into R-16 with 2-1 victory | AP | P11 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 Govt does U-turn, says ok with central forces Tells HC that state’s request is not needed for deployment at Vizhinjam. Move to put pressure on Latin Church E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @Kochi In a new twist in the Vizhinjam issue, the state government on Friday informed the Kerala High Court that central forces had the authority to maintain security in the Vizhinjam port area, even if the state didn’t request it. This is a drastic change in the government’s stand over the deployment of central forces in the state and is being seen as it passing the buck of containing the Latin Churchbacked protests, which turned violent last week. Considering the state’s submission, Justice Anu Sivaraman directed Deputy Solicitor General S Manu to get instructions from the Centre and submit its response by Wednesday The de. ployment of central forces is CPM sees larger conspiracy T’Puram: Piecing together an array of recent political developments, CPM feels there’s a larger conspiracy at work behind the police station attack by Vizhinjam agitators. Communal forces played a role in inciting violence in Vizhinajm, CPM state secretary M V Govindan said | P4 seen as the government’s ploy to put pressure on the Church. Senior advocate S Sreekumar and advocate Roshan D Alexander, who represented Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Ltd and HOWE Engineering Projects had moved the court demanding the deployment of central Violence: Cops identify 500 people T’Puram: The special police team probing the attack on Vizhinjam police station by the anti-seaport activists affiliated with the Latin Catholic church has identified more than 500 people, including women. Their arrests will be effected in the coming days | P4 forces. Highlighting the recent violence that took place at Vizhinjam, the counsel said the incident proved the state police were helpless in maintaining law and order. When the court asked what action had been taken against the instigators, the government replied that cases had been registered and police were taking stringent action against the perpetrators. The petitioners’ counsel said instigators of the protest were still in the shed at the project site. They termed the police action an eyewash, alleging they had arrested only five persons out of thousands of protesters who violated the court’s order. They said as per the police affidavit, approximately 500 agitators led by Thiruvananthapuram Latin Archdiocese vicar-general Eugine H Pereira, besides Fr Lawrence Kulas, Fr George Patrick, Fr Phivovious, Fr Shain, Fr Ashmin John, Fr Sajas Ignatious, Fr Antony, Fr Ar John and Sherly trespassed into the port area with an intention to obstruct the implementation of court orders. The counsel said the agitators destroyed window panes of the seaport office, tubelights, paint and CCTV cameras amounting to `2.2 lakh. “Those accused persons are still in the shed and holding dharna,” submitted the counsel.  ● More on P4 C’garh house nod Apex court displeased with criticism to bill hiking tribal levelled by ex-collegium members reservation to 32% S h r u ti K akka r @ New Delhi ernment should have presented the data that formed the basis A special session of the Chhat- of the reservation,” he said. tisgarh Assembly on Friday The opposition also demanded unanimously passed an reser- to raise the SC quota to 16%. vation amendment bill that Last month, Governor Anutook the total quota in the state suiya Uike had written to to a whopping 76% with the Baghel assuring him of her tribal component at 32%. support on the contentious isCalled the Chhattisgarh Pub- sue of tribal quota. In 2012, the lic Service (Scheduled Castes, BJP regime led by then chief Scheduled Tribes and Other minister Raman Singh had Backward Classes Resraised the quotas to ervation) Amendment Minor flutter 58% for educational bill, it was passed after institutions and govA comment by e x t e n s i v e ernment jobs in the minister deliberations. state. But in SeptemShivkumar The amendment bill ber this year, the raised the ST quota to Dahariya led to a Chhattisgarh High faceoff with BJP Court struck it down 32% and ST to 13% and MLA Ajay that for OBCs to 27%. as unconstitutional. The new element was Chandrakar, who Consequently, the the 4% reservation to questioned how reservation for tribals the Assembly the Economically came down from 32% could enact an Weaker Section (EWS) to 20% while that for law related to in educational instituSCs went up from 13% tions and the state gov- reservation when to 16% while OBCs got a similar issue is 14%. With Assembly ernment jobs. “The bill will be sub-judice in the elections due next Supreme Court soon sent to the Goveryear, the politics of nor Anusuiya Uike for tribal reservation assent. In districts where the gathered steam, forcing the strength of the EWS is higher, government to amend the law. the proposed quota for them The law came on a day when may proportionally rise up to the trail of the coal extortion 10% but at the state level it will probe roiling the state reached be 4%,” informed Chief Minis- Chief Minister Baghel’s office ter Bhupesh Baghel. with the Enforcement DirectoLeader of the Opposition rate arresting a senior bureauNarayan Chandel questioned crat posted there. Soumya why the report of the Quantifi- Chaurasia, deputy secretary in able Data Ayog was not tabled the CMO, was remanded in ED in the Assembly “The state gov- custody for four days. . E J A Z K A I SER @ Raipur E X P RE S S REA D ISRO case: SC directive to HC New Delhi: The SC on Friday asked the Kerala HC to consider afresh anticipatory bail pleas of four persons, including formeer Kerala police officers S Vijayan and Thampi S Durga Dutt, accused in the alleged conspiracy to frame scientist Nambi Narayan in the ISRO espionage case | P8 Under fire, Shafi returns to state T’Puram: After a series of complaints from his party colleagues, Youth Congress state president and Palakkad MLA Shafi Parambil who had taken a 12-day break to watch the World Cup football gala in Qatar, has finally returned to the hustle and bustle of state politics | P5 A Supreme Court bench on Friday took a swipe at a few former collegium members who have been vocal in their criticism of the system, observing it has now become a fashion for them to do so after retirement. Justice M R Shah, who is currently part of the collegium headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud said, “We don’t want to comment upon anything made by former members (of the collegium). Now it has become fashion to comment upon decisions made by earlier members.” The remarks were made by the bench while considering a plea by RTI activist Anjali Bharadwaj, who sought the agenda, minutes and resolution of a Supreme Court collegium meeting on December 12, 2018, under the RTI Act. The SC came under the RTI Act in late 2019. According to the autobiography of former CJI Ranjan Gogoi, Justice for the Judge, the collegium had agreed in its December 2018 meeting to recommend the names of Justice Pradeep Nandrajog, who was then the Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court, and Justice Rajendra Menon, the then Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, for elevation to the Supreme Court but the decision was kept in abeyance since the news of their elevation had leaked. Apart from CJI Gogoi, the other members of the then collegium were justices Madan B Lokur, A K Sikri, S A Bobde and N V Ramana. The resolution of the next collegium meeting on January 10, 2019, recorded that the decisions taken on December 12, 2018, were revisited and overturned “in the light of additional materials”. Two found guilty in rape, murder of Latvian woman Express News Service @T’Puram The Thiruvananthapuram Additional Sessions Court found two persons guilty in the rape and murder of a Latvian tourist in 2018. Judge K Sanil Kumar found Panathura residents Umesh, 28, and Udayakumar, 24, guilty of rape, murder, wrongful confinement, abduction, and sale of narcotic substances. The quantum of punishment will be announced on Monday . The 33-year-old tourist had arrived in Kerala for ayurveda treatment and went missing from Kovalam beach on March 14, 2018. Her putrefied body was recovered from a marsh near Panathura 38 days later. In the absence of eyewitnesses, the prosecution relied on circumstantial evidence to establish the duo’s guilt. As per the prosecution, Umesh and Udayakumar lured the woman by offering to take her to tourist destinations near Kovalam. In a bid to sexually abuse her, they gave her a ganja-filled beedi, following which she fell unconscious. They then took her to a remote place and raped her. When the woman woke up and tried to leave, the men pressed their elbows against her neck and choked her. “The entire case was built around 18 circumstantial evidence, all of which were accepted by the court. The prosecution grounded its arguement on the fact that the Five-month trial Feb 3, 2018: Latvian tourist comes to Kerala for ayurvedic treatment March 14, 2018: She goes missing from Kovalam beach May 18, 2018: Her decomposed body is recovered from a mangrove near Panathura June 1, 2022: Trial begins at T’Puram additional sessions court Dec 2, 2022: Court finds two persons guilty ‘Great day for my sister’ The victim’s sister, who viewed the court proceedings from Ireland, said her sister had got justice. “The people who did the crime deserve punishment,” she said. “We can now move on. Happiness is filling our hearts. This is a great day for us and my sister. Wherever she is now, she is watching and can be at peace knowing we have achieved this all together,” she said. foreigner could not reach the desolate place alone and that someone from the locality would have taken her there,” said special public prosecutor G Mohan Raj. The prosecution proved the rape charge by linking the injuries in the victim’s private parts as well as the accused’s lack of explanation for the injuries on their bodies. The woman’s innerwear was recovered based on the statement of the first accused. The victim’s sister, who had gifted the garment to her, identified it in court ● More on P4 during trial.  Sidhu Moose Wala murder mastermind detained in US NIA arrests Ludhiana court blast accused The National Investigation Agency on Friday arrested Harpreet Singh alias Happy Malaysia, the main conspirator behind the Ludhiana court bomb blast, shortly after he landed at Delhi from Kuala Lumpur | P8 H A R P REE T BA J WA & UJ WA L JA L A L I @ Chandigarh / New Delhi CANADA-based gangster Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar, the mastermind behind the brutal murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala in May this year, has been detained in Califor nia by US authorities. Confirming the news, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said Brar is currently under California police’s custody and he will be brought to India soon. According to sources, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has been tracking Sidhu Moose Wala Brar’s movements ever since the Interpol issued a red corner notice against him at the request of the Central Bureau of Investigation. Brar, a native of Sri Muktsar Sahib in Punjab, had gone to Canada in 2017 on a student visa. Sources said he moved to the US a few months ago. Brar is a member of the dreaded Lawrence Bishnoi gang. hand in hand Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Chief Justice of India Justice D Y Chandrachud at the 8th Dr LM Singhvi Memorial Lecture on ‘Universal Adult Franchise: Translating India’s Political Transformation Into A Social Transformation’, in New Delhi on Friday | Parveen Negi Sunni leader comes out against pledge UP court orders arrest of former to give equal property rights to women minister Swami Chinmayanand M P P r a s h ant h @Kozhikode Barely a week after his comments on ‘soccer mania’ kicked up a row, Sunni leader Nasar Faizi Koodathayi on Friday made another controversial statement in connection with a pledge administered to Kudumbashree volunteers that said female member should have equal rights over father’s property . Faizi, the general secretary of Samastha Kerala Jam-Iyyathul Qutba Committee and state secretary of Sunni Yujana Sangham, said the pledge amounted to violation of the fundamental rights of Muslims as the Constitution allows members of every religion to follow personal laws in marriage, divorce, right to property and funeral rituals. Faizi argued that the oath was against the Quran that says male can get double the female’s share. In a Facebook post, he said the Kerala government had envisaged various programmes for the gender campaign launched by Rural Development Ministry . “Many contents of the programme are commendable but there are elements that violate fundamental religious rights,” he wrote. The contentious portion is a part of the circular distributed to grama panchayats and Kudumbashree Missions in the state. The circular asks members to administer an oath at the meetings of the gender resources which includes the line: “We will provide equal rights to proper ty for both male and female.” Faizi said: “Islam allowed property rights for women at a time when they were not allowed any share. However, the stipulation (in Islam) that women have been allowed half of what men get from father’s property cannot be con● More on P4 strued as injustice.”  Islam allowed property rights for women at a time when they were not allowed any share. The stipulation that they are allowed half of what men get from father’s property cannot be construed as injustice — Nasar Faizi Koodathayi ed that the MP/MLA court does not have the power to extend a deadline fixed by the THE MP/MLA court of Shahjahanpur has apex court. directed the Uttar Pradesh police to arrest The case dates back to 2011 when one of former Union minister Swami Chinmay- the disciples of Chinmayanand lodged a anand and produce him before the rape case against him. Chinmaycourt in connection with an 11-yearanand was the Union minister of old rape case lodged against him by state for home in the Vajpayee one of his disciples. cabinet. Special judge Asma Sultana reAfter the BJP came to power in jected the request made by ChinUttar Pradesh, it started the procmayanand’s lawyer to allow his cliess for closing the case in 2018. ent time to appear before court However, the victim opposed the considering his old age and ill closure proceedings. As a result, health, citing a Supreme Court orthe court rejected the application Swami der that directed him to appear in Chinmayanand for closure and issued a bailable the Shahjahanpur court by Novemwarrant against the accused. ber 30. However, he did not surrender beEarlier, Chinmayanand had moved the fore the court by the deadline. Allahabad High Court and also the SuThe judge posted the matter on Decem- preme Court for withdrawal of the ber 9 and directed the police to produce the case. However, both the courts rejected his accused in court on that day The judge add- plea. . N A M I TA BA J PA I @ Lucknow