thrissur l Sunday l February 18, 2024 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l city edition New York judge fines donald Trump, his organisation $355 Mn interest of $100 Mn added to overall bill Trump’s businesses run by his sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr were ordered to pay $4 million each and a former CFO was asked to pay $1 million for inflating wealth on financial statements. Trump will have to pay interest from when he received benefits from his frauds, which could add another $100 million to his bills. His lawyers have said they will appeal A New York judge ordered former US president and his companies to cough up $355 mn in penalties for duping banks with inflated claims New york banks cannot lend to trump ■ ■ Trump and his sons barred from holding directorship in any New York corporation. So, he will have to step down from his own companies, but can appoint anyone to lead them as he continues to be the owner Trump banned from taking loans from New York banks, which is seen as a major blow given that so many lenders are from the Big Apple $88.3 MN Trump has to pay in a separate defamation & Sexual assault case 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 Live-in relationship to be out of central UCC draft W i l d a n i ma l a t t a c k s Law Commission official says it doesn’t fall within code’s purview Preet h a N a i r @ New Delhi In a significant departure from the Uttarakhand model, the proposed central law on the Uniform Civil Code is unlikely to go into the question of live-in relationships as it doesn’t fall within the UCC’s purview, highly placed sources in the law ministry said. The Uttarakhand code proposed mandatory registration of live-in relationships and stringent punishment for violators, spurring public debate on privacy and personal liberty . Sources said that senior members of the Law Commission are not in favour of bringing in live-in relationships under the ambit of the UCC bill. The 22nd Law Commission of India is tasked with drafting a nationwide UCC, a long-time poll promise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Members of the commission believe that the Uttarakhand code legalised live-in relations Protesters block a jeep of the forest department in Pulpally town in Wayanad on Saturday | Express Anger boils over as protests spill on to streets in Pulpally E x p re s s N e w s Ser v i c e @ Pulpally Hundreds of people cutting across party affiliations took to the streets in Pulpally on Saturday to protest the death of V P Paul, a forest department watcher, in a wild elephant attack on Friday. They demanded a permanent solution to the continuing human-wildlife conflicts in the district. Pulpally town witnessed angry scenes when an irate mob threw stones at the police. Tension further escalated when the crowd waylaid a jeep of the forest department and damaged it. They brought the carcass of a cow killed by a tiger at Moodankolli and placed it on the bonnet of the jeep. The protesters also placed a wreath on the jeep, and resisted attempts by the police to move the vehicle from the spot. MLAs I C Balakrishnan and T Siddique, who were present at the protest site, too Ministerial-level meet on Tuesday Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan led a high-level meeting of officials in Thiruvananthapuram to take stock of the situation in Wayanad. It has been decided to hold a joint meeting at the Wayanad collectorate on Tuesday under the aegis of ministers of revenue, forest and local self-government departments. P2 Displeasure over handling of body Family members of V P Paul have expressed displeasure over the manner in which his body was handled at Pulpally town. They resented keeping the body for hours for protest along with carcass of a cow. faced the ire of protesters, with water bottles and chairs being thrown at them. The protests that started from the Pulpally bus stand in the morning reached its zenith when Paul’s body was brought to the town at 10am after inquest and postmortem procedures at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital. Police resorted to lathi charge to control the mob that included women and children. Some policemen were injured in the scuffle. Around 400 police personnel were deployed to maintain law and order issues during the protests. It is learnt that the police will register cases against those who attacked the officials and damaged the vehicles. The protesters raised demands that `50 lakh be given to Paul’s family as compensation, permanent jobs for his wife and that the government undertake the further education of his daughter and write off his debts. Meanwhile, Pulpally deputy range forest officer P R Shaji suffered a cardiac arrest and was shifted to the Wayanad Government Medical College in Mananthavady . ● More on P2 10 loads of soil stolen from new NIA complex, two booked Opening a new war front against the LDF government and SFI, Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Saturday alleged that there were activists of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) among the 12 persons detained for waving black flags against him at Nilamel in Kollam district on January 27. “SFI is not alone in organising protests against me. It is a joint venture of SFI and PFI. I have received report that of the 12 persons detained at Nilamel, seven are known PFI volunteers. The government is asking the banned or- Nath in Delhi amid buzz on joining BJP The public relies on law enforcement to protect them from wrongdoers, but what if one such agency is the victim? The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which keeps a watch on terrorists, has been at the receiving end of thieves at its upcoming office complex in Kalamassery Kochi. , Based on a complaint filed by the counter-intelligenec agency, Kalamassery police registered a case against two persons for stealing 10 loads of soil from the compound, near HMT. It was on January 31 that the soil, which was unloaded to create a garden at the new office, was found missing. Following an inquiry NIA officers , found that a contractor was involved. “Around 5.30am, the contractor removed 10 loads of soil from the NIA office compound. Although there was a security guard in place, he did not report it to NIA officers. The truck used for transporting the soil was also identified by NIA staff, who reported it to local police. We are trying to reclaim the soil that was taken out of the NIA office premises,” a police officer with Kalamassery station said. Based on the complaint of an NIA officer, Kalamassery police registered a case of theft on February 9 and two persons, Akhil and Sunil, were arraigned as accused. ● More on P2 E x p re s s N e w s Ser v i c e @ T’Puram National narrative The BJP plans to push a national UCC narrative in the general elections. Recently, Union minister Amit Shah said that a secular country cannot have religion-based civil codes. “The enforcement of the UCC in Uttarakhand is for social change,” he said through compulsory registration, which is counter-productive, said sources. “The institution of marriage is sacrosanct and live-in relationships cannot replace it. The UCC is about common family law for all religious communities on matters such as marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance and succession. Co-habitation doesn’t come under the purview of the UCC. But the Uttarakhand UCC ganisation to join the protest and create issues. The government assures them that they will be protected. They are trying to provoke me. But, I am not going to oblige,” the governor told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram. Khan said he is revealing these facts as it was his duty to share them with the people of Kerala. The governor also criticised Higher Education Minister R Bindu chairing the Kerala University senate meeting. “The minister does not have the right to preside over the meeting since I have authorised the VC to convene the senate. She has no authority to go to that meeting,” ● More on P5 he said. Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath and his first-time MP son Nakul Nath suddenly flew to New Delhi on Saturday afternoon, further fuelling speculation about the Congress veteran ending his decades-long association with the party and joining the BJP. However, senior MP Congress leaders, including Digvijaya Singh and state party chief Jitu Patwari, d u bb e d t h e speculation as baseless. Nath has not confir med the s p e c u l at i o n and told journalists in Delhi, “Why are you so excited? You’ll be the first ones to know if anything like what you are saying (joining BJP) happens.” Sources said the rift between Nath and the party high command, including Rahul Gandhi and those close to him, has widened since the party’s 2023 assembly poll defeat. Though Nath was in constant touch with Sonia Gandhi and was expecting a Rajya Sabha ticket, the Congress chose state party treasurer and wealthy Yadav politician Ashok Singh as its candidate. has given it a status of marriage now,” said the top official. The official pointed out that live-in relationships are currently referenced under the 2005 Domestic Violence Act, as domestic relationships. The law also has provisions for maintenance now. “In the Uttarakhand UCC, a child born from such a registered live-in relationship will be treated as legitimate,” the official said. While some of the BJP-ruled states like Assam and Gujarat are already mulling their own UCC bills by using the Uttarakhand model, the official said it will give rise to constitutional complexities. “Though states can enact some of the personal laws, the central law prevails in some cases,” he said. The Uttarakhand code mandates that persons in live-ins inform the concerned registrar within a month of the relationship, else they could face a jail term of up to three months, a fine of up to `10,000, or both. R A J E SH K U M A R T HA K U R @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoists BJP’s flag during the BJP National Council meeting in New Delhi | PTI Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday sought to add sentimental value to the party’s target of winning 370 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. “Winning 370 seats would be a tribute to party idealogue Dr Syama Prasad Mukharjee who made the ultimate sacrifice for the abrogation of Article 370 and preserving Bharat’s unity and integrity,” Modi said. He was addressing a gathering of his party’s national office-bearers prior to the commencement of their two-day national council meet here. The Centre had read down Article 370 that gave special status to J&K, in August 2019. Modi urged the office-bearers to in- EXPRE S S RE A D 10 die in mishap in TN fireworks unit FEUOK to boycott Malayalam films Virudhunagar: Ten people, including four women, were killed and six others suffered burns in an explosion at a firecracker unit near Vembakottai in Virudhunagar district in Tamil Nadu on Saturday afternoon. The incident occurred around 12.30pm at Ashok Sparklers Factory at Gundayirappu village when workers were involved in filling firecrackers with chemicals. Kochi: The Film Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala (FEUOK) on Saturday decided not to screen Malayalam movies to be released after February 22. However, the protest will not affect movies like ‘Bramayugam’ and ‘Premalu’ that are running successfully in theatres. K Viayakumar, president of FEUOK, said the move comes after producers demanded that movies be screened only in a given format. P2 Moulded by experience This Kollam hunger buster is a daily wage labourer R a h u l R @ Kollam Selfless service knows no social or financial bounds. Take the case of Jalaja, a daily wage labourer who, for the last three months, has been using solely her earnings to distribute food to the homeless and destitute near Palkulangara Devi temple in Kollam. It was her own experience with extreme poverty that inspired Jalaja to serve the less privileged. Yet the 56-year-old, Jalaja Amma to her loved ones, insists she is driven by a desire I was born into a poor family and faced extreme hardship during my younger days. That inspired me to serve the underprivileged — Jalaja Jalaja distributing food near Palkulangara Devi temple in Kollam | express to serve the helpless, and not publicity . Bor n in Oachira, Jalaja moved to Kallumthazham, in Kollam town, at the age of 17 following her marriage. However, after life took an unexpected turn when she was 27, WITH THIS ISSUE The New Worker PLUS 12 PAGES PM Modi drills 370 into party, gears it up for Lok Sabha polls a n u r a a g s i n g h @ Bhopal Guv: Protest against me joint venture of SFI, PFI T o b y Ant o n y @ Kochi JOLT to CONG press clusive Jalaja single-handedly raised her family of four children working as a labourer. “I wake up at 6am to prepare the meals. By 12.30pm, I am at the temple, where, by god’s grace, I serve meals to around 50 people. Some travel long distances just for the meals. It’s a stark reminder that there are those among us who can’t even afford a single day’s meal. I was born into a poor family and faced extreme hardship during my younger days. That inspired me to serve the underprivileged. I am not doing anything great, just serving my fellow brothers and sisters,’’ says Jalaja, in her husky voice. Despite offering rice meals for free, Jalaja ensures they include essential dishes such as sambhar, mango pickle, avial, and vegetable curry. She acknowledges facing resistance, with friends questioning her motives. However, she remains undeterred and does not hesitate to seek the help of relatives and friends to continue her mis● More on P5 sion. tensify the party’s LS poll campaign around its pro-poor work and the country’s development, informing the people as how his government removed Article 370, acted for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, brought the bills for ensuring reservation to women in LS and assembly polls and did a lot of welfare works in last 10 years. In a post on X, Modi said, “Addressed the @BJP4India National Office Bearers. Complimented every Party Karyakarta for their exceptional efforts to serve people. Discussed ways to deepen our Party’s grassroots level connect across all sections of society Over the last decade, . BJP has made a mark as a party of development and good governance.” Kejri appears virtually in Delhi court Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal arrives at the Vidhan Sabha in New Delhi | PTI J AISO N WILSO N @ New Delhi Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday appeared before a local court here through video conferencing on a plea filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) accusing him of skipping its summons in the excise policy scam. Kejriwal told Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Divya Malhotra that he wanted to appear in person but the budget session of the Assembly that commenced on February 15 demanded his presence there. “I wanted to appear but all of a sudden the floor test came... Our budget session will go on till March first week. You may list the case after that, I will appear in person,” Kejriwal orally stated in Hindi. Since the ED did not oppose his application, the court posted the matter for further hearing on March 16.
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