KOZHIKODE l wednesday l june 26, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l city EDITION Assange out of London prison after plea bargain with the U.S. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was on Monday freed from a London prison where he spent five years fighting extradition to the US U.S. court to take up the plea deal today Sentence to match term already served Assange, 52, has agreed to plead guilty to one criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified US national defence documents, according to filings in the US District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, where the hearing will be held on Wednesday. Under the plea, he won’t face further prison time and can return home to Australia ■ The court in Northern Mariana Islands — a US commonwealth in the Pacific midway between Australia and Japan — was chosen because of Assange’s unwillingness to go to mainland US and also because of the territory’s proximity to his native country Australia, a court filing said on Tuesday ■ Assange is due to be sentenced to 62 months of time already served in prison April 2019 When Assange was lodged in the high security Belmarsh prison in London 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 Rahul named Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi On the eve of the election to the post of Lok Sabha Speaker, the Congress on Tuesday named Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha. The announcement came after a late evening meeting of floor leaders of the Opposition parties. Congress general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal told the media, “CPP chairperson Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter to pro-tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab, informing the decision of appointment of Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha”. Other office bearers will be decided later, he added. Rahul was sworn in as a member of the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. He has been an MP for five terms and now represents Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli in the Lower House. E a rl y t h i s month, the Congress Working Committee had unanimously passed a resolution requesting Rahul to take up the post of the LoP in the 18th Lok Sabha. The party did not have the requisite seats to claim the post in 2014 and 2019. To claim the post, a party needs at least 10% of the membership of the Lok Sabha. While the Congress had 52 seats in 2019, in 2014, it had 44. However, the party registered a spectacular show by increasing its tally to 100 in the 2024 elections. The LoP post requires the MP to regularly interact with the prime minister. He/she will be a member of crucial committees, including Joint Parliamentary Committees. The LoP will also be a member of the committees that choose the CVC, the Central Information Commission, the CBI and the NHRC heads, etc. PFI wanted to establish Islamic rule in India by 2047: NIA P RA M D AS @Kochi Banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) had been on a mission to establish Islamic rule in India by 2047, the National Investigation Agency has said. The NIA said the 2022 murder of RSS leader Sreenivasan in Palakkad was part of PFI’s scheme – “India 2047”. “The accused committed a terrorist act of the murder of Sreenivasan on April 16, 2022, as a part of a larger conspiracy hatched by PFI and its office bearers and cadre to enact their India 2047 agenda of establishing Islamic rule in India,” the NIA said in the report submitted to the Kerala High Court while opposing the bail pleas of PFI/SDPI workers accused in the RSS leader’s murder. The NIA has recovered a voice clip talking about the mission from the phone of Muhammed Mubarak, the 15th accused in the murder case. The NIA said the arraigned persons, including second accused Ashraf S alias Karamana Ashraf Moulavi who was the national in-charge of the Kerala Bank demoted; `25L cap on select loans E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @T’Puram In a major setback for Kerala Bank, the RBI downgraded it to ‘C’ category and imposed curbs on loan disbursal, following a report by NABARD, the assigned controlling authority . As per the new classification, Kerala Bank branches cannot issue personal loans above `25 lakh. The RBI also recommended step-by-step recovery of loans provided to customers. Following the RBI action, the bank has written to its branches on loan disbursal. The letter also says branches that issued loans above `25 lakh should recover the amount step by step. It’s reliably learnt that the RBI directive has dealt a severe blow to Kerala Bank as a majority of its beneficiaries are those who availed personal loans. The NABARD ranked Kerala Bank after considering its capital requirement and non-performing assets (NPAs). The bank faced the setback as it made political appointments in its governing body re, sulting in a lack of professionals on board. As per the NABARD report, Kerala Bank’s NPAs exceeded 11%, against the cut off of 7%. Making matters worse, several government agencies too defaulted on payment of dues, resulting in huge losses to Kerala ● More on P6 Bank. The NIA said the accused knowingly took part in the conspiracy to commit the terrorist act of murdering any prominent leader of the Hindu community or its organisation to create terror in the minds of the community and the public, which resulted in the murder of Sreenivasan. The NIA also seized documents that said Hindus are “Kuffrs”, and social media posts related to Islamic rule in India. It also recovered the ‘India 2047’ post forwarded to accused C T Sulaiman from his WhatsApp profile. First election of Speaker in over 5 decades today CBI’s turn to go after Kejriwal to keep him in jail Police had arraigned 51 people in the murder of RSS leader Sreenivasan, of whom 44 were arrested. One of the arrested persons died later. Seven are absconding. The NIA said another accused, Nejimon, shared provocative speeches, video clips, and posts threatening other communities on social media to cause enmity between religions. PFI’s education wing, also encouraged vulnerable youth to join the terrorist outfit ISIS/ Accused C T Sulaiman propagated the ideology of violent ‘Jihad’ and incited PFI cadre to perform terrorist acts against other communities as part “India 2047”, the NIA said. INSIDE RSS leader’s murder: NO bail to 9 PFI workers | P7 Daesh. The agency said the accused, all former state and districts leaders of the PFI, be- Trinamool yet to take call on supporting INDIA candidate Kodikunnil P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi With Parliament set to see an unprecedented election for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker on Wednesday, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), an ally of the INDIA bloc, is keeping the Opposition on the edge as the party is yet to reach a final decision on the matter. While the BJP-led NDA nominated third time MP Om Birla for the Speaker’s post for the second consecutive term, the Opposition forced an election by nominating the eight-time MP from Kerala, Kodikunnil Suresh, as its candidate after the talks between both sides failed to reach a consensus. At a late evening INDIA bloc meeting, TMC leaders said they will co-operate with the Opposition on the Speaker’s election. However, the final call will be taken on Wednesday . The meeting was attended by several top leaders of the INDIA bloc, including Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, TMC’s Derek O’Brien, Kalyan Banerjee, RSP’s N K Premachandran and CPM’s K Candidates for Speaker’s post Om Birla (BJP) and Kodikunnil Suresh (INDIA) Oppn demanded Dy Speaker post The last election for Speaker was in 1976. The INDIA bloc made a last-minute decision to go for the contest after senior BJP leaders refused to accept its precondition that the Opposition must be offered the post of Deputy Speaker in lieu of supporting Birla Radhakrishnan. A senior Opposition leader who attended the meeting told this paper, “Though other parties, including the Congress, have issued a whip to their MPs for the election, the TMC said that they will convey their decision tomorrow after more consultations. But they have assured that they will cooperate with the Opposition in EXPRESS READ T20 WC Afghans reach T’Puram bizman murdered in TN semi final Afghanistan beat B’desh to make it to the T20 WC semis for the first time, knocking Oz out. They will face South Africa in semi final 1 on Thursday. India will play England in semi final 2 the same day | P11 came part of a terrorist gang formed by the outfit, which recruited its cadre to terrorist gangs, and collected details of leaders of other religions and communities and members of organisations such as Arya Samajam. They also arranged and supervised arms training for the PFI cadre at its offices in Thiruvananthapuram Education and Service Trust and Periyar Valley Trust in Aluva on various occasions and planned to stock weapons and explosives to commit terrorist acts, the NIA said. 51 arraigned, 44 arrested Jab they met Freedom fighter Socio Vasu interacts with activist GROW Vasu after an award function organised by Thampan Thomas Foundation for Socialism and Labour Empowerment in Kozhikode on Tuesday. GROW Vasu received the best social activist award | E Gokul T’Puram: A businessman from Kaimanam in Thiruvananthapuram city was found dead with his throat slit in his car at Ottamaram in Kaliyikkavila, located in Kanyakumari on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, on Monday midnight, in what appears to be a robbery-murder. Investigators suspect his assailants were Keralites | P7 Mudslip in Munnar kills 42-yr-old woman Idukki: A woman was killed after a 20-ft high ridge collapsed onto her house at Laksham Colony in Munnar on Tuesday. Mala, 42, died in the mudslip that triggered in the evening. With the mudslip threat looming large in the area, revenue officials have shifted families from the colony to relief camps | P7 Hairy tale Long beards trending in prisons, wardens face ‘rights’ problem P RA M D AS @Kochi Jailors in Kerala have quite a hairy situation on their hands—literally! The number of inmates wishing to grow beards is increasing and these beards are reaching epic lengths, turning the prison into a veritable beard parade. While raising all sorts of questions about discipline and hygiene, it seems managing this beard mania is becoming tough for the wardens. While a prisoner has the right to grow a beard according to Rule 292(1) of the Kerala Prisons and Correctional Services (Management) Rules, a top officer in the rank of DIG said there is a growing trend of oth- er inmates following suit if one grows a beard. “If disallowed, they protest saying their fundamental rights have been violated. Then they approach the court and obtain an order. The convict prisoners in the Poojappura Central Prison, central jails in Viyyur, Thavanoor and Kannur, the high security prison in Viyyur, and the open jails in the state are mainly seeking permission for growA growing number of prisoners, especially those involved in NIA cases, are deliberately growing beards citing religious beliefs. The trend is problematic in maintaining discipline and hygiene — A prisons dept official Illustration: Sourav Roy ing beard,” the officer said. Pointing out the trend of lengthening beards, another senior jailor from Thrissur noted that the length of facial hair can often transform a man’s appearance. “There are no laws that apply to the length of the beard, and that puts us in a fix. Some inmates are now growing beards that are long and often scruffy he added. ,” A senior department official said they allow exceptions for religious reasons, such as Sabarimala pilgrimage season or Ramadan month. “However, a growing number of prisoners, espe- cially those involved in NIA cases, are deliberately growing beards on the pretext of religious beliefs. This trend is problematic in maintaining jail discipline and hygiene,” the senior official said. Strict action in accordance with the law is needed to address the issue, the official added, noting that there is currently no exclusive register on the number of prisoners growing beards. Instead of keeping normal beards, inmates are intentionally maintaining long ones, causing problems for others, officials pointed out. “The hair may fall into the food of other inmates, triggering clashes and security issues inside the prison,” cited anoth● More on P6 er officer. the Speaker election,” he said. Earlier, TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee complained that the Congress unilaterally decided to put up K Suresh as the INDIA bloc’s candidate for the post without consultation. A brief interaction involving Congress leader K C Venugopal and DMK’s T R Baalu and Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah and J P Nadda, at Singh’s office in Parliament to evolve a consensus ended in acrimony as both sides stuck to their positions. Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, “Union minister Rajnath last evening said that he will call back our president Mallikarjun Kharge on our demand on the Deputy Speaker post. However, Rajnath ji has not returned the call. PM Modi says that there should be constructive cooperation and then our leader is being insulted. So their intention is clear,” he said. Later, Venugopal accused the government of not following the “convention” of an opposition candidate for the Deputy Speaker’s position. E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday questioned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the now-scrapped liquor policy and recorded his statement from Tihar jail, a day before his bail plea was to come up in the Supreme Court, sources said. According to reports, the CBI will produce Kejriwal in trial court on Tuesday and seek custodial interrogation. This means, the Aam Aadmi Party leader may not be freed even if the SC gives him relief in the money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise scam being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). AAP leader Sanjay Singh alleged that the BJP has hatched a conspiracy with CBI officers to frame Kejriwal in a ‘fake case’. Earlier in the day the Delhi HC stayed a tri, al court order granting bail to Kejriwal in the money laundering case. In-principle approval to create temporary Plus-I batches in Malappuram E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @T’Puram The government on Tuesday granted ‘in-principle approval’ to sanction new Plus-I batches in Malappuram on temporary basis following widespread complaints of seat shortage from the district. General Education Minister V Sivankutty who on Tuesday , chaired a meeting of student organisations that are up in arms against the dearth in seats, said the government will set up a two-member committee to examine the shortage in Malappuram. The panel will decide which places in the district require additional Plus-I batches. Malappuram is short 7,478 Plus-I seats. “The higher secondary joint director (academic) and joint re gional director (Malappuram) are members of the panel. They will submit a report by July 5. Based on it, further admission procedures will be carried out,” Sivankutty told reporters. He said supplementary allotment of Plus-I seats will begin on July 2. Students can submit applications from July 2-4. A taluk-level assessment in Malappuram showed that while the science stream had 4,431 MSF activists during a protest march to the assembly on Tuesday demanding more Plus-I batches | Vincent Pulickal Panel unnecessary: IUML Malappuram: The IUML district unit termed the government’s two-member panel unnecessary, and said the Karthikeyan panel report should be utilised to address seat shortage issue | P6 seats in excess, humanities and commerce streams were short 3,816 and 3,405 seats, respectively Sivankutty said. He said the , government has agreed to student outfits’ demand that Plus-I admission of State Council for Open and Lifelong Education -Kerala be held after supplementary allotment. Sivankutty admitted to there being a shortage of 1,757 seats in Palakkad and 250 in Kasaragod. “The issue will be addressed after supplementary allotment,” he said, indicating that temporary batches will not be created in the districts.
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