The New Indian Express Wishes its readers a Happy Ugadi Our offices and press will remain closed today and there will be no issue of the paper on Wednesday vijayawada l tuesday l april 09, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l late city EDITION Combined m-cap of BSE-listed companies hits `400 lakh crore The market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms reached all-time closing high of `400.86 lakh crore on Monday amid a record rally in equities records 300% growth in a decade The combined market cap of BSE-listed companies zoomed 300% since March 2014 when it first crossed the `100 crore milestone. The `200 lakh crore mark was first touched in February 2021 and `300 lakh crore in July 2023—a mere nine months ago. During Monday’s trade, the 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 0.67% to settle at 74,742.50—up 3.4% year-to-date | P12 266 Investors betting on q4 growth hopes ■ The unprecedented bull run in Indian equities comes amid rising retail participation as shown by sharp surge in the number of demat account holders from 36 million in 2019 to 151 million in 2023 ■ “Investors are betting big on Indian stocks on expectations of a strong growth momentum,” Prashanth Tapse of Mehta Equities said stocks hit their 52-week high on the bombay stock exchange on Monday 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 Court rejects interim bail to Kavitha in excise scam Says prima facie material shows her involvement in alleged offence SUCHITRA K A LYA N M OHA N TY @ New Delhi celestial diamond ring The Moon almost covers the Sun during a total solar eclipse, as seen from Mazatlan, Mexico, on Monday | AP Saudi push for Kashmir talks between India, Pak Ye s h i Sel i @ New Delhi The issue of Kashmir figured in the talks visiting Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had with his Saudi Arabian counterpart Prince Mohammad bin Salman in Makkah. “The two leaders stressed the importance of dialogue between India and Pakistan to resolve the outstanding issues between the two nations, especially for the Jammu and Kashmir dispute to ensure peace and stability in the region,’’ their joint statement released on Monday read after the bilateral talks a day earlier. The two leaders also discussed the situation in Gaza and supported the peace process in accordance with the resolutions of UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly and the Arab Peace Initiative “for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital”. New Delhi’s long-held position is that Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and there is no ques- tion of any third party role. Diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan remain downgraded ever since 2019 after Article 370 that gave J&K special powers was read down. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished his newly elected Pakistani counterpart after the latter assumed power. Though things haven’t improved on the ground yet, the business community in Pakistan is pressing for resumption of cross-border trade with India. But New Delhi has always maintained that ties with Islamabad can improve only if it stop its terror factory . Recently Pakistan de, nounced defence minister Rajnath Singh’s comment in a televised interview where he said India would track down and liquidate terrorists and even if they manage to cross the border. These comments came after Pakistan cited a Guardian report alleging that India had killed 20 people in Pakistan since 2020 as part of a broader plan to target terrorists residing in foreign soil. Bibi says date fixed to invade Rafah Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday escalated his pledge to invade southern Gaza’s, saying, ‘There is a date’. He said Rafah operation is essential for Israel’s victory over Hamas Delhi High court’s bail order The Supreme Court was hearing a plea against an order of bail granted to a Nigerian national by the Delhi High Court in a case registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. The order required him to share his location with the investigators while on bail has given an affidavit and has suggested that as far as working of the Google pin is concerned, it’s appropriate if the information is sought from U J WA L J A L A L I @ New Delhi THE Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday questioned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s personal assistant Bibhav Kumar and Aam Aadmi Party legislator Durgesh Pathak in connection with the money laundering probe in Delhi excise policy case, evoking a sharp reaction from AAP that the BJP wants to stop it from campaigning in the Lok Sabha polls. Sources said Kumar was questioned to seek some clarifications on some documents in the excise probe, while Pathak was called in connection with the party’s 2021-22 poll campaign for the Goa assembly polls. Pathak was the AAP’s in-charge for Goa elections. According to the ED, `45 Durgesh Pathak crore from criminal activities were utilised in the electoral campaign of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for Goa. “These persons and activities related to the election campaign were overall managed by Vijay Nair (former AAP communications chief arrested in this case) and Durgesh Pathak, AAP MLA”, the ED had said. Earlier, in its chargesheets, the ED alleged that at least 36 accused, including former deputy CM Manish Sisodia and Bibhav Kumar, had destroyed, used or changed 170 phones to conceal evidence of ‘kickbacks’ worth thousands of crores in the alleged scam. According to the ED, Bibhav’s mobile phone IMEI number had been changed four times between September 2021 and July 2022. “The family of Nallapureddy is held in high esteem by the YSR family I don’t have any differ. ences with Prasanna Kumar Reddy. Prashanthi Reddy had contacted me for support in the elections. She has been trying to sow differences among the members of the Nallapureddy family .” Vijayasai Reddy claimed that Prashanthi expressed disregard for the people’s welfare, suggesting a focus on business interests in the event of defeat. Stating that Prasanna is accessible and committed to public service, Vijayasai Reddy requested supP4 port for the Kovur MLA. E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Nellore The YSRC on Monday alleged that Kovur TDP contender Vemireddy Prashanthi Reddy tried to strike a deal with a YSRC leader to sow seeds of discord within the Nallapureddy family . YSRC Nellore MP candidate V Vijayasai Reddy released an audio conversation in which Prasanthi Reddy was purportedly speaking to Nallapureddy Rajendranath Reddy, brother of Kovur MLA N Prasanna Kumar Reddy not to cooperate for , the victory of his brother. Rajendranath Reddy said, Supreme Court seeks explanation from Google on location sharing The Supreme Court on Monday asked Google to explain how the pin location-sharing feature works on its Maps application so that it can decide whether asking an accused to share his pin location with the investigators as a pre-condition for granting bail would violate his right to privacy . “We need to examine if an accused (on the orders of the court) has to provide the investigators with detailed information about their whereabouts, then will it be likely to infringe the individual’s right to privacy or not,” a two-judge bench of the top court, headed by Justice Abhay S Oka and comprising Justice Ujjal Bhuyan asked. On the Union government’s advice, the Supreme Court had on February 23 asked Google India to file a detailed affidavit explaining the technical aspects of pin-location feature on Google Maps. “The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology AAP cries foul as ED grills MLA, Kejri aide Prashanthi audio sends ripples in Nellore right to privacy S u c h i t r a M o h a n t y @ New Delhi IN a setback to BRS leader K Kavitha, a Delhi court on Monday denied her interim bail in the Delhi excise policy case. Rejecting the bail plea, special Judge Kaveri Baweja said the material presented by the Enforcement Directorate prima facie shows the Telangana politician is actively involved in the alleged money laundering offence, destruction of evidence, and attempting to influence witnesses in the case. Kavitha, the daughter of former Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao, had sought interim bail saying her 16-year-old son has exams and needs her ‘moral and emotional support’. The judge said there was no apparent reason why close relatives can’t provide moral support to the child, rejecting the argument that they can’t be a substitute for the mother to address the exam-related anxiety of the ward. “The material placed before this court in the course of arguments prima facie points towards her active involvement in K Kavitha commission of the alleged offences as also towards her deliberate act of causing destruction of evidence,” the judge said. The court also noted that Kavitha, 46, can by no standards be considered a ‘vulnerable’ woman who could be made a scapegoat for committing the alleged offences, adding there is no compelling reason to grant her interim relief at this stage. Kavitha was arrested by the ED on March 15 and remanded in the probe agency’s custody till March 23, which was subsequently extended. Since March 26, she has been in judicial custody According to the ED, she is part of . the ‘South Group’ lobby, which allegedly paid `100 crore as kickbacks to AAP leaders in return for a big share of Delhi liquor licences. Google India Pvt Ltd,” the court said. However, during Monday’s hearing, a counsel for Google India said since the product was developed by US-based Google LLC, it would be the appropriate entity to explain how the pin-location feature works. The court took notice of the submission and issued a notice to Google LLC. The top court had earlier remarked that requiring the accused to share their Google pin location with investigators prima facie violates the right to privacy of the accused. It had also observed that when an accused has been enlarged on bail by courts with the conditions set by them, it might be improper to know and track his or her whereabouts, as it could hamper their right to privacy The concern of the . court appears to be rooted in the 2017 top court constitution bench judgment which had unanimously declared that the right to privacy was a fundamental right. YSRC leaders V Vijayasai Reddy and Prasanna Kumar Reddy speaking to mediapersons in Nellore city on Monday | Express backlash Burning of documents at CID office kicks up a row E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada The burning of a large number of papers and documents near the CID’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) office in Kunchanapalli village sparked a political furore Monday with the TDP leaders alleging that the CID put the documents and important articles of evidence on fire intentionally . There were reports that the SIT, which is probing several cases involving TDP leaders and collected sensitive data during their questioning, had set afire to documents and important evidence. TDP leaders including Nara Lokesh and others accused the CID officials and suspected a conspiracy behind the bur ning of the documents. Lokesh criticised that some All India Service (AIS) officers in the state have given up their profession and transformed themselves into JPS (Jagan Police Service). He also alleged that important documents and fake evidence pertaining to important cases filed against TDP leaders were bur nt on the premises of SIT office under the direction of CID officer K Raghurami Reddy . “Raghurami Reddy collected personal information without permission. Knowing that days are numbered for the YSRC party, the documents were burnt to cover their tracks. This is the first time in the history of the country that some IPS officers, who are supposed to uphold law, have committed such a crime,” Lokesh posted in X. Responding to the reports and accusations, CID officials issued a press release rebutting the reports and allegations levP4 elled against them. WITH THIS ISSUE Ugadi Panchangam additional 4 PAGES Annaiah Chiru lends a helping hand to Tammudu E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Film actor Chiranjeevi donated `5 crore to his brother and Jana Sena Party (JSP) president Pawan Kalyan when the latter called on him in Hyderabad on Monday . Chiranjeevi gave the cheque as a donation to Jana Sena’s party fund. The JSP chief was scheduled to resume his campaign on Monday in Andhra Pradesh, but did not as he was suffering from fever. Chiranjeevi gave his blessings to his youngest brother and handed over the donation to be used for election purposes. His brother Naga Babu was around when Chiranjeevi gave the donation. Chiranjeevi was on sets for Vishwambhara in Muchintal near Hyderabad when Pawan Kalyan called on JSP president Pawan Kalyan called on his brother Chiranjeevi in Hyderabad | Express him. When the three brothers met at one place, an emotional scene unfolded, with Pawan Kalyan touching the feet of his eldest brother and seeking his blessings. “Jana Sena Ku Vijayosthu, Vijayee Bhava’, said Chiranjeevi, wishing victory for his brother in his endeavours. Chiranjeevi’s donation to the JSP comes as a shot in the arm for the party The gesture is per. ceived to have sent a message that Chiranjeevi, who has considerable clout and respect among the Kapu community is , with his brother’s party though , not directly involved. Besides boosting the image of JSP among Kapus, the development might also help improve the poll prospects of Pawan, who is contesting from the Pithapuram Assembly constituency and facing criticism from Kapu leaders like Mudragada Padmanabham. Chiranjeevi floated his political outfit Praja Rajyam in 2008 and contested the 2009 elections. However, he later merged his party with Congress, and later became a Rajya Sabha member and Union Minister for Tourism. However, after 2014, the megastar became inactive in politics. express read Trump no to abortion ban New York: Former President Donald Trump said he believes that abortion limits should be left to the states, in a video released on Monday declining to endorse a national ban after months of mixed messages | P11 Ferry accident leaves 97 dead Maputo: Rescuers searched off the northern coast of Mozambique on Monday after a makeshift ferry boat carrying people fleeing a cholera outbreak capsized, killing at least 97. The converted fishing boat, with about 130 people on board, ran into trouble on Sunday Boeing engine cover falls off Los Angeles: A Southwest Airlines flight returned to Denver after an engine cowling fell off during takeoff on Sunday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said, the latest in a spate of safety incidents involving Boeing planes
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