KALABURAGI  WEDNESDAY  DECEMBER 7, 2022  `9.00  PAGES 12  CITY EDITION WHY IS CHRISTIAN MICHEL JAMES STILL IN JAIL, ASKS SC COMPLETE DEPRIVATION OF LIBERTY, SAYS COURT The AgustaWestland chopper scam accused is kept in jail just because he is a foreign national, the Supreme Court said UNHRC FOUND DETENTION ILLEGAL: COUNSEL 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 `2,666 cr 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 Inflation, quota to dominate Parl session PREETHA NAIR & RAJESH KUMAR T H A K U R @ New Delhi Police take Kannada activists into preventive custody at Hirebagewadi toll plaza on NH-48 near Belagavi on Tuesday | EXPRESS Border row heats up, vehicles on both sides stoned THE winter session of Parliament that begins on Wednesday can be expected to be stormy as the Opposition is gearing up to put the government on the mat over pressing issues like inflation, unemployment, the ChinaIndia border dispute and the economically weaker section (EWS) quota. At an all-party meet on Tuesday Opposition parties urged the , government to ensure wider discussions over burning issues facing the nation. They also demanded a wider discussion over the alleged misuse of central investi- gative agencies like the CBI and the ED against the Opposition parties. Leaders from more than 30 parties participated in the meeting. The demand for the women’s reservation bill will be back in focus as several Opposition parties that had blocked it earlier now want it introduced and passed in this session itself. The matter was raised by the BJD and drew supported from the Opposition. 23 DAYS, 17 SITTINGS The session will have 17 sittings over 23 days and will be held in the existing Parliament House. The Budget session is expected in the new Parliament building HC okays termination of 33-wk pregnancy Leaders take potshots at each other, NCP chief Pawar issues threat to K’taka CM, govt EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Belagavi/Bengaluru/Mumbai THE Karnataka-Maharashtra border dispute worsened on Tuesday with pro-Kannada and Marathi activists targeting vehicles from each others’ states on either side of the interstate border, even as leaders from both the states took potshots and blamed each other over the situation. Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, while describing the situation as “worrisome” and that the time had come “to take a stand”, told reporters in Mumbai, “Maharashtra has taken a stand of observing patience and it is still ready to do that. But even that has a limit. In 24 hours, if the attacks on vehicles are not stopped then this patience will take a different path and the responsibility will be completely on the Karnataka chief minister and the Kar nataka government.” 3 youth critical as SUV runs over them twice EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Mysuru IN a case of road rage, an SUV driver attempted to kill three youth by running over his vehicle on them twice for questioning him why he did not put the indicator on before taking a turn. The victims who sustained serious injuries are battling for their lives at a hospital. After a verbal duel between Darshan and the three youth, Darshan started his car and ran over all the three. As the three were still lying on the road, Darshan drove the vehicle in reverse and ran over them again. The Saraswathipuram police have arrested the SUV driver Darshan, who is in his 20s, on Tuesday on charg, es of attempt to murder (IPC section 307), voluntarily causing hurt (IPC 324) and intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace (IPC 504). The three youth are Rahul, Prajwal and Anand, who are also in their 20s. Rahul, an MTech graduate received severe injuries on his P5 head and ribs. PRESS INTAKE Vishwanath meets Kharge, Siddu, hints at return | P4 Datta Jayanti celebrations begin on peaceful note | P5 Will have light-touch rules on OTT: Vaishnaw | P7 The tension heightened at the interstate border on a day when two Maharashtra ministers, Chandrakant Patil and Shambhuraj Desai, were supposed to visit Belagavi and hold discussions with pro-Marathi groups. Pro-Kannada organisations, in a show of strength, staged demonstrations in Belagavi against the proposed visit of the ministerial delegation from the neighbouring state. However, the Maharashtra ministers cancelled their visit against which Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had threatened legal action if they did come to Belagavi. The situation turned tense after a video went viral showing activists of pro-Kannada outfit, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), pelting stones at vehicles entering Karnataka with Maharashtra registration numbers at the toll gate at Hirebagewadi P4 near Belagavi on NH-48. ALSO SEE EDIT PAGE | P6 As for the legislative agenda, the government is planning to introduce 16 new bills. The Congress intends to oppose three of them — the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2021, MultiState Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022, and Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2022. It wants them sent to standing committees for vetting. While the Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill seeks to increase accountability and reform the poll process in multi-state cooperative societies, the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill aims to remove ambiguities, promote plantation in non-forest areas, and conserve forests. ‘MOTHER’S CHOICE ULTIMATE’ Neymar celebrates his FIRST-HALF EXHIBITION goal against South Korea The five-time champions, who in Doha on Monday | AP had scored only thrice coming into SAMBA TO THE FOUR Brazil enthralled with a performance of the highest magnitude as they beat South Korea 4-1. A look... 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 EXTRA TIME The match between Morocco and Spain in the round of 16 of the World Cup in Doha has gone to extra time P11 with the score levelled at 0-0 The court said the right of a woman to terminate her pregnancy has been a matter of debate. This right gives the woman the ultimate choice on whether she wants to give birth. JA I S O N W I L S O 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 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. The court also observed that the medical board, in the present case, has not been able to predict or give a categorical opinion as to the degree of handicap or as to the quality of life of the child after birth, with certainty . In the mind of the court, such unpredictability and risks ought to weigh in favour of the woman seeking termination of pregnancy .