thrissur l wednesday l December 07, 2022 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION WHY is Christian Michel James still in jail, asks sc The AgustaWestland chopper scam accused is kept in jail just because he is a foreign national, the Supreme Court said Complete deprivation of liberty, says court How long can he be kept in custody and does his not being an Indian justify “complete deprivation” of his liberty, asked a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha. James is a UK national and was extradited from Dubai in 2018. The bench noted that the co-accused govt officials have been granted bail for want of sanction for prosecution | P7 “The maximum sentence for the offence he is charged with is five years and James has been in custody for four years 10 months. Prior to extradition he was in custody for 120 days in Dubai,” said advocate Aljo K Joseph appearing for James, claiming his client has approached the UNHRC, which has held the detention as illegal A2,666 cr UNHRC found detention illegal: Counsel LOSS TO the EXCHEQUER DUE TO THE AgustaWestland DEAL, as per CBI 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 ‘Unsatisfied’, but Church calls off stir Government rejects demands by Vizhinjam protesters on disputed topics; seen as a major political win for Pinarayi In a major political victory for the ruling LDF, the Latin Church that spearheads the anti-seapor t a gitation in Vizhinjam called of f the 138-day-long stir on Tuesday though the state government did not yield to their demands in any of the disputed topics. The decision to end the protest was announced by Eugine Pereira, Vicar General of the Latin Church, after a closeddoor meeting with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. “The protest is being called off not because we are satisfied with the steps taken or promises made by the government... The protest has reached a certain stage... and we are calling it off,” a visibly dejected Pereira told reporters after the meeting. However, he hastened to add that it’s only a temporary truce. Ending the stalemate without compromising its stand has come as a major triumph for Pinarayi. The protestors met the CM after two rounds of talks - first with the chief secretary and later with the cabinet sub committee. At the meeting with the chief minister, the protesters stressed on the need to include a local community representative in the expert committee constituted by the to study possible coastal erosion due to port construction. The agitators also demanded that an additional amount of Rs 2,500 should be given from state exchequer, to meet the rent expenses of those who lost their house and property . However Pinarayi turned down both demands. Pointing out that an expert panel has already been formed, he assured the portestors that the committee will consult them too. On the extra rent amount, he said a government order has already been issued and hence their demand cannot be met. Pereira said they don’t want to accept the CSR funds from the Adani Group. And the agitators decided to go by the earlier rent amount of Rs 5,500. The CM guaranteed that a chief secretary level monitoring committee in which the port secretary is also a member, will monitor the rehabilitation process. The agitators can consult the committee any time. With the strike withdrawn, Adani Group has announced its decision to resume the construction work without delay, so as to to meet the deadline of December 2023. Seven demands by the protest council and assurances Rented accommodation for people living in camps A permanent rehabilitation programme for coastal people Govt: C2,450 crore Punargeham project is meant for rehabilitation. Project to be completed within 18 months. Protest council: Acceptable. Subsidy for kerosene used in fishing boats Govt: Kerosene subsidy of C25 per litre will continue. Will provide a one-time subsidy to shift to diesel. Subsidy for the diesel also offered. Government spent `252.68 crore on subsidies since 2016. Protest council: Acceptable Compensation for work hit due to adverse weather warnings Govt: Already providing aid for fishermen during adverse weather. Steps taken to ensure work under Ayyankali and Mahatma Gandhi job guarantee schemes Protest council: Acceptable magnanimous in victory S r eej i t h K S @ T’Puram Govt: Started distributing rent to 284 families. Rent for two months to be given as advance. Adani group will provide the extraC2,500 to increase the rent amount to C8,000 for each family. Protest council: Refused funds from Adani group Vizhinjam Protest Council members Fr Hyacinth M Nayakam, Latin Catholic Church Vicar-General Fr Eugene Periera and Patrick Michael return after attending the meeting with Chief Minister on Tuesday | Express Resolving issues at Muthalapozhi Govt: Appointed Central Water and Power Research Station, Pune, to study the issue. Further action based on report Protest council: Acceptable Solution to sea erosion issue Govt: Measures being implemented to protect the coast. Expert panel appointed to study the issue. A monitoring committee under chief secretary will study coastal protection measures Protest council: Acceptable Pinarayi Vijayan was seemingly calm and pleasant while welcoming the protestors for talks. “The government is always with the fisher community. We understand your feelings. Of the seven demands put forth by the agitators, some are unfortunately not acceptable. It’s a good thing that the protest committee has come forward for discussion,” he said. Jail till death for 2 in rape-murder of Latvian tourist E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ T’Puram Neymar celebrates his goal against South Korea in Doha on Monday | AP Samba to the four Brazil enthralled with a performance of the highest magnitude as they beat South Korea 4-1. A look... First-half exhibition The five-time champions, who had scored only thrice coming into the round of 16, were all full of style and verve in a magisterial first 45 minutes. Flicks, tricks and skills were on full display as they scored four in the first 36 minutes. It was not just the number of goals but the way they scored them that caught the eye To play Croatia IN QUARTERS Their last eight encounter against Croatia, 2018 finalists, could be a markedly different affair. Brazil, for starters, do have a weakness against elite European teams (each of their last four World Cup KO defeats have come against them) and Croatia will reduce the tempo, make the game ugly and take it from there Morocco beat Spain Morocco advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time, beating Spain 3-0 in a penalty shootout on Tuesday EXPRESS READ Palakkad champs in athletics meet T’Puram: Palakkad district retained the overall championship in the 64th State School Athletics Meet with a staggering 269 points and 32 gold medals. Palakkad has a lead of 120 points over the first runner-up Malappuram district which secured 149 points. northeastern State. P5 Parl winter session to begin today New Delhi: The winter session of Parliament that begins on Wednesday can be expected to be stormy as the Opposition is gearing up to put the Centre on the mat over pressing issues like inflation, unemployment, ChinaIndia border dispute and the economically weaker section quota. The Additional Sessions Court in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday sentenced two accused found guilty of rape and murder of a 33-year-old Latvian woman near Kovalam in 2018 to life imprisonment till death. The court also slapped a fine of `1.71 lakh each on the convicts -- Umesh, 31, and Udayakumar, 28, both natives of Panathura. `2 lakh of this should be given to the victim’s sister, it stated. Judge K Sanil Kumar had found the accused guilty of gangrape, murder, wrongful confinement, abduction, causing disappearance of evidence and use of narcotic substances. The court stated that for raping the woman resulting in her death, the convicts should serve life imprisonment till their natural death. The court said the accused raped the victim at a secluded place and then attempted to camouflage their acts by killing her. Special prosecutor G Mohan Raj hailed the verdict as exemplary and said it was better than capital punishment. Reacting emotionally after hearing the judgment, the convicts demanded that a lie detection test be conducted on them, which would prove their innocence. The court directed the Legal Service Authority to give an amount not less than `10 lakh to the victim’s family, under Victim Compensation Scheme. Delhi HC allows termination of 33-week pregnancy Ja i so n W i l so n @ New Delhi THE Delhi High Court on Tuesday allowed a married woman to medically terminate her 33-week-old cerebral abnormal foetus, recognising the mother’s choice as ultimate decision in such cases. In the 33-page order, Justice Prathiba M Singh noted there is considerable doubt and risk involved in the unborn child’s chances of leading a dignified and self-sustaining life. “The lingering question as to whether the child would be self-sustaining or not, tilts the court’s mind in favour of the plea of the petitioner,” the order said. The court said that it has clearly been able to gauge the mental trauma affecting the parents, their economic and social conditions, and also the fact that the petitioner is taking a cautious and Mother’s choice ultimate, says court The court said the right of a woman to terminate her pregnancy has been a matter of debate across the world. This right gives the woman the ultimate choice as to whether she wants to give birth to the child she has conceived. “India is among the countries which recognises this choice of a woman in its law,” the court said well-informed decision. “She has understood as to what termination of pregnancy entails at such an advanced stage. This court is convinced that, as a mother, she has weighed the same with the unpredictability and the risks involved, considering the condition of the foetus,” it said. Stop construction of Vizhinjam port Govt: Work shall not be stopped. An expert committee has been appointed to study the impact by communicating with coastal people. Necessary action will be taken based on the report. Protest council: The Janakeeya committe constituted by them will also study the issue. Pinarayi thanked Major Archbishop Baselios Cleemis of Syro Malankara Catholic Church for his intervention to resolve the deadlock. He also thanked Archbishop Thomas J Netto of Thiruvananthapuram Latin Archdiocese for arriving at a consensus. On Wednesday, High Court will consider the Vizhinjam case on deploying central forces. Mallika Sarabhai appointed Kalamandalam chancellor E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @T’Puram In a masterstroke, the state government on Tuesday appointed renowned classical dancer, actress, writer and social activist Mallika Sarabhai as the chancellor of the Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed to be University for Art and Culture. The government had recently amended the Memorandum of Association of Kalamandalam to facilitate the appointment of an “eminent person in the field of art and culture” to the post of chancellor. Earlier, the governor was the chancellor of the institution, which comes under the state culture department. The governor’s removal as chancellor of Kalamandalam came in the wake of the LDF government’s decision to appoint separate chancellors in each state university More on P4 .