coimbatore l wednesday l december 7, 2022 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late 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 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 | P9 “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 press Intake Coimbatore corporation starts clearing TWAD board dues as revenue improves | P3 2.5 lakh ineligible Antyodaya Anna Yojana ration cards in TN | P4 121 multipurpose shelters and 5,093 relief camps set up across TN as the state braces for a very, very heavy rain | P4 Suriya Shiva, suspended for six months from BJP for filthy language, quits the party | P4 Belagavi tense as border dispute spirals The border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra over claims for the border district of Belagavi intensified on Tuesday, as vehicles from both sides came under attack Inflation, quota & jobs to dominate Parliament session raised by the BJD and drew supported from the Opposition. As for the legislative agenda, the The winter session of Parliament government is planning to introthat begins on Wednesday can be duce 16 new bills. The Congress inexpected to be stormy as tends to oppose three of the Opposition is gearing them — the Biological Diup to put the government versity (Amendment) Bill, on the mat over pressing is2021, Multi-State Cooperasues like inflation, unemtive Societies (Amendment) ployment, the China-India Bill, 2022, and Forest (Conborder dispute and the ecoservation) Amendment nomically weaker section 23 days, 17 Bill, 2022. It wants them (EWS) quota. sittings sent to standing commitAt an all-party meet on tees for vetting. The session Tuesday, Opposition parWhile the Cooperative will have 17 ties urged the government Societies (Amendment) Bill to ensure wider discus- sittings over 23 seeks to increase accountdays and will sions over burning issues ability and reform the elecfacing the nation. They also be held in the toral process in multi-state existing demanded a wider discuscooperative societies, the Parliament sion over the alleged misForest (Conservation) House. The use of central investigative Amendment Bill aims to reagencies like the CBI and Budget session move ambiguities, promote the ED against the Opposi- is expected in plantation in non-forest arthe new tion parties. Leaders from eas, and conserve forests. Parliament more than 30 parties par“Several suggestions building ticipated in the meeting. have been received. The The demand for the womgovernment is ready for en’s reservation bill will be back in discussions on all issues adhering focus as several Opposition parties to the rules of the House and as per that had blocked it earlier now the advice of the Chair,” Parliawant it introduced and passed in mentary Affairs Minister Pralhad this session itself. The matter was Joshi later told the media. Preetha Nair & Rajesh Kumar T h a k u r @ New Delhi HC orders revamp of ‘archaic’ doctors registration law in TN R SI VA K UMAR @ Chennai TNMC poll postponed The HC also directed TN to update TNMC poll process by ‘incorporating electronic or online voting’ system HC allows termination of 33-week pregnancy Ja i s on W i l s on @ New Delhi THE Delhi High Court on Tuesday allowed a married woman to medically terminate her 33week-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- Trinamool’s Gokhale arrested for spreading fake news on Modi D i l i p S i n g h K s h at r i ya @ Ahmedabad 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 Extra Time The match between Morocco and Spain in the round of 16 of the World Cup in Doha has gone to extra time with the score levelled at 0-0  P13 Trinamool Congress spokesperson Saket Gokhale was on Tuesday arrested by the Gujarat Police for tweeting an alleged fake news on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Morbi following a tragic bridge collapse there. “Gokhale was arrested in Jaipur, Rajasthan, during the early hours on Tuesday by the Gujarat Police and brought to Ahmedabad,” based on a complaint filed by a citizen, the police infor med. An Ahmedabad court later remanded him in police custody for two days. Before entering the court, Gokhale told the media, “it was very sad that he was arrested for a tweet on the PM’s visit.” As many as 136 people had died in the bridge collapse on October 30. Gokhale tweeted an allegedly clipping in a Gujarati daily citing an RTI reply on the cost of that Modi’s visit to Morbi. But government officials denied putting out any information under RTI, and the newspaper denied publishing it, Assistant Commissioner of Police Jitendra Yadav said. West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee stood by Gokhale saying he made no mistake and condemned what she called the BJP government’s vindictive attitude. Gokhale has been booked under IPC sections 469 (forgery), 471 (using forged document), 501 (defamation), and 505(b) (public mischief). storm in a teacup TN tea stall raises toast to women’s liberty K r i t h i k a S r i n i v a s a n @ Villupuram Public spaces, including teashops, in Tamil Nadu, have customarily been exclusive spaces for men’s merriment and leisure in line with the society’s gender disparities. But a small shop in Villupuram, run exclusively by women and frequented mostly by women for banter over a hot cuppa, is brewing a revolution of its own. S Anuradha (42), who has been running the shop for the past four months on Hospital Road in Villupuram with ‘tea masters’ A Satya (33) and S Deepa (34), has broken the stereotypical idea of a ‘tea kadai’ of cigarette smoke and geezers with clean space and womenfolk from all walks of life. “I’ve always wanted to start a business of my own — with the help of Anuradha (in red outfit) with cook Satya and tea maker Deepa | Express my husband of course. But when I thought about it, I realised that we don’t have small teashops for women to frequent, like the expensive cafes of their affluent counterparts in cities, to sit, chitchat and sip a cup,” Anuradha said. In a significant ruling with far reaching consequences for medical professionals in Tamil Nadu, the Madras high court on Tuesday ordered a “complete revamp” of the Madras Medical Registration Act, 1914, and postponed the polls for Tamil Nadu Medical Council (TNMC) by three months. Justice R Subramanian, passing interim orders on petitions filed by doctors, including P Balakrishnan, president of Democratic Tamil Nadu Govt Doctors Association (DTNGDA), raised questions over senate members of University of Madras, University of Andhra Pradesh and Visakapatnam medical college being allowed to be elected to the TNMC, and directed authorities to update the poll process by “incorporating electronic or online voting” system in consultation with stakeholders.  The idea turned into a reality when Anuradha chanced upon Deepa, who has been a tea-maker for the past 16 years, and hired her for the new shop. Deepa’s journey started as a cleaner at a teashop 16 years ago. A ‘tea master’at the shop taught her the technique to stir up the right brew. “I have worked in six tea shops — all owned and run by men. This is my first job in an all-women shop,” Deepa says with palpable pride. Commenting on her experience as a ‘tea master’, Deepa said, “It is not an extremely vulnerable job but it can also get tough. You never know what kind of customers will land at your doorstep. In a women’s tea stall, I feel safe because my boss is also a woman. I also feel less anxious as most of the customers too are women.” 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 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 so- cial 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 .