KOZHIKODE l thursday l july 11, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l city EDITION Modi in Austria in first bilateral visit by an Indian PM in 41 years Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday met Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer and discussed ways to expand bilateral cooperation Strategic direction for India-austria ties India and Austria have decided to give a strategic direction to our relationship, Modi said after his “fruitful” talks with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer. A blueprint for cooperation has been prepared for the coming decade, Modi said. The two leaders also discussed the Ukraine war, and Modi reaffirmed India’s view that this is not the time for war ■ 1983 Modi invites businesses to make in India ■ Modi invited the business community in Vienna to invest in India, highlighting his government’s production-linked incentive scheme and the “fast-unfolding opportunities” in the country Infrastructure, renewable energy, and artificial intelligence are among the areas in which the two countries agreed to “combine strengths” When Indira gandhi visited Austria. Modi’s visit is the 1st by an Indian PM since then 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 ISRO spy conspiracy fabricated by cops, IB officials: CBI E x p ress N e w s S ervi c e Sec 125 on maintenance applies to Muslim women too, rules SC Supreme Court’s two-judge bench, in concurring verdict, says CrPC Section is religion neutral @T’Puram Paving the way for a fresh course of action in the sensational ISRO espionage case, the CBI team that probed the conspiracy angle has said the law was abused to detain Maldivian national Mariyam Rasheeda and others. In its chargesheet filed before the Judicial Magistrate court two weeks ago, the CBI said the espionage angle was fabricated to sustain the initial wrongs committed by state police and Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials, and the accused conspired to foist a fabricated case on former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan. The damning document said top cops S Vijayan (first accused), Sibi Mathews (second accused), K K Joshua (third accused), and former IB deputy director R B Sreekumar (fourth accused) and IB officer PS Jayaprakash (fifth accused) played an active role in the conspiracy to fabricate documents that led to illegal arrests and subsequent torture. The CBI termed Vijayan, then an inspector with the state special banch, of playing an active role in implicating innocent people in false cases and accused him of molesting Mariyam in her hotel room. It said Vijayan seized Mariyam’s travel documents, rendering her unable to return before her visa expired. And when she could not return, she was S u c hi t ra K a lyan M ohan t y @ New Delhi I wanted to expose the culprits who had fabricated the case. It took about 24 years for that to happen. I’ve lost interest in the case. If required, I can be a witness. It’s a big thing that the case stretched on for 30 years. Now I am old and even if the accused are punished, I am not interested — Nambi Narayanan booked for overstaying, the chargesheet said. The CBI also said Vijayan’s claim that he had sought legal opinion from then prosecutor Habib Pillai before registering the espionage case was disproved after Pillai denied giving any such opinion. On the direction of then Crimes DIG Sibi Mathews, four people - D Sashikumaran, K Chandersekhar, Nambi Naryanan and S K Sharma - were arrested without evidence. Their interrogation and torture were done at the behest of Sibi, the chargesheet said. Joshua fabricated case records and did not recover any incriminating documents from the accused persons’ houses. Sreekumar, then IB deputy director, is accused of facilitating unauthorised questioning of Mariyam and torturing the accused. ● More on P4 In a significant verdict, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that all divorced women irrespective of religion, were entitled to seek maintenance from their spouse under Section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). Section 125 deals with maintenance for the wife, children and parents. A bench of justices B V Nagarathna and Augustine George Masih, pronounced the verdict after rejecting an appeal filed by Mohd Abdul Samad. He had ordered by a family court in Telangana to pay a monthly maintenance of `20,000 to his exwife. The Telangana high court later decreased the quantum of maintenance to `10,000. Samad had divorced her File Pic Society often tends to forget its heroes. Vijayan was just 20 years old when one of the country’s deadliest train accidents occurred in Kollam district in 1988. More than 105 lives were lost and over 200 people sustained injuries when nine coaches of the Thiruvananthapurambound Island Express derailed and plunged into the Ashtamudi lake. Vijayan, a resident of the nearby Mangad village, was among the first responders. He managed to save over 40 drowning people. While trying to save a child, a bogie fell into the river, severely injuring him. Vijayan, however, managed to rescue the child, but he spent 22 days in the Kollam district hospital. While undergoing treatment, Madhavrao Scindia, the then Union railway minister, visited him and praised his heroism. Like many other rescuers One of the overturned coaches of the Thiruvananthapurambound Island Express (left) Vijayan that day Vijayan was promised , a job and compensation by the Centre. More than three decades on, however, he and his 48-year-old wife Yamuna live in a tiny rented shelter home. His injuries left him partially deaf. Over time, Vijayan has also grappled with age-related ailments. His wife now works as a Financial empowerment of women Both ‘financial security’ and ‘security of residence’ of women have to be protected and enhanced, Justice Nagarathna said. That would truly empower the homemakers who are the backbone of the family. It is within the family that values of life are learnt. It is these moral and ethical values that are inherited by generations. But, for that to happen, women in the family have to be respected and empowered, she said. through triple talaq, which was outlawed by the Supreme Court in 2017 and criminalised by the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act 2019. The court rejected Samad’s contention that the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act 1986 overrides the secular Section 125 CrPC. The 1986 law was introduced under the watch of the then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi to sof- ten the impact of the landmark Supreme Court verdict in the Shah Bano case in 1985, which said Muslim women were entitled to maintenance. Both justices Nagarathna and Masih wrote separate but concurring verdicts. Justice Nagarathna said the 1986 Act is not a substitute for Section 125, nor has it supplanted it. Both can operate simultaneously at the option of a divorced Muslim woman. Excluding the ap- plication of Section 125 for a divorced Muslim woman would be in violation of Article 15(1) of the Constitution, which states that the state shall not discriminate on the ground of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth, etc., she said. “There cannot be disparity in receiving maintenance on the basis of the law under which a woman is married or divorced. The same cannot be a basis for discriminating a divorced woman entitled to maintenance as per the conditions stipulated under Section 125 of the CrPC or any personal or other law such as the 1986 Act,” Justice Nagarathna said. Justice Masih said rights of maintenance under Section 125 and the 1986 Act “parallelly exist in their distinct domains and jurisprudence”. Gazaorders Stage set for KV students to learn city Israel evacuation The Israeli military has advised all residents of Gaza City to evacuate south to the central Gaza Strip, amid intensified operations in the north. Leaflets dropped by aircraft instructed “everyone in Gaza City” to leave and described it as a ‘dangerous combat zone’ | P11 Despite saving scores, 56-year-old man lives with scars of his bravery R ah u l R @ Kollam housemaid to support the family . “That fateful day is still fresh in my memories. The screams still echo in my ears. Being young I didn’t think twice about rushing to the spot along with other people. When Madhavrao Scindia met me in the hospital, he in an emotional tone asked me if I needed anything. I was too naive then to ask for any help. That was perhaps the biggest mistake of my life,” says Vijayan, now 56. “I don’t have a job or a house. We live in a rented shelter home. Until last year, one of the parents of the child I saved sent us `3,000 every month. That amount was a huge relief. For years, my family survived on that aid,” he adds. Each year, Vijayan is honoured by political parties on the eve of the anniversary of the tragedy Yet, without finan. cial support the family is struggling to make ends ● More on P4 meet.  Malayalam formally, get certificate S O V I V I D YA D H A R A N @T’Puram Students of Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) in Kerala, for whom Malayalam is not a subject of study, can soon learn the language and also get a PSC-recognised certificate for it. The Malayalam Mission under the Cultural Affairs department has come up with ‘KV Malayalam’, which gives students an opportunity to enrol in certified courses in Malayalam while undergoing re gular schooling. “Malayalam will be taught using the curriculum and textbooks approved by the SCERT. Under the leadership of our academic council, training will be provided to teachers deputed by KVs. A handbook and an approach paper have been prepared for the purpose,” said Malayalam Mission director Murukan Kattakada. At present, KVs in Kerala teach Malayalam but in an informal manner and mainly to provide students basic literacy . Representational pic Courses on offer ‘Kanikkonna’ certificate course (2 years) ‘Sooryakanthi’ diploma course (2 years) ‘Aambal’ higher diploma course (3 years) ‘Neelakurinji’ senior higher diploma course (3 years) Of the nearly 55,000 students enrolled in 41 KVs across the state and Lakshadweep, 70-80% are Malayalis. Teaching the language in a formal manner has been the long-pending demand of parents,” said Santhosh Kumar N, deputy commissioner, KV Sangathan Regional Office, Ernakulam. The official said roll-out of the Mission’s courses will help students attain proficiency in Malayalam in a formal manner and utilise it for entry into government service in Kerala. The project, to be first launched in KV-Pallippuram in Thiruvananthapuram, will be rolled out in KVs across the state soon. The General Education department has recognised the ‘Neelakurinji’ course as a Class X equivalency course for newly-inducted government employees in state service. ‘Neelakurinji’ has been recognised by the Public Services Commission (PSC) as the language proficiency course for declaring probation. The Malayalam Mission promotes learning of Malayalam and familiarisation of Kerala culture mainly among children of Non-Resident Keralites undergoing formal education in other languages. A b d u l N a z er M A @ Kochi Birthdays in their family, wedding anniversaries or a family function, Kochi city police personnel will be able to attend all such events and enjoy them to the fullest. For, the city police, in an exemplary move, have decided to sanction leave liberally on such occasions to its officers, in a move aimed at ensuring proper life-work balance. The city police’s decision to chart a new course comes amid concerns regarding high work pressure and rise in stress-induced suicides in the Kerala Police. The new leave policy with ‘five unquestionable off days’ per year will let officers claim a leave for special occasions without any objections. Kochi city police commissioner S Syamsundar instructed the welcome changes and allowed officers in the city limits to take leave on special days, including their or their family members’ birthdays, wedding anniversaries, family functions, and so on. Those who could not avail even their entitled 15 casual off days can claim all their leaves, said a police source. “I issued the directive in February after assuming office as the city police commissioner. However, it received wider appreciation recently following my speech during the inauguration of the police association’s a n n i v e r s a r y, ” said Syamsundar. @Kochi In 2009, Che Guevara Boys, an NGO formed by youths from the locality installed a bust of , the Marxist revolutionary, at the Chakkaraparambu division of the Kochi corporation. Over the years, the bust gained prominence as an iconic landmark. However, for Chakkarap a r a m bu re s i d e n t K A Asharaf, the bust was an eyesore. He was displeased with M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi Terrorists who attacked a bus carrying pilgrims in Jammu’s Reasi on June 9 received instructions from their handlers based in Pakistan, a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) found. Sources said as per the evidence collected so far, before executing the attack, the remote handlers were contacted and permission taken. The investigators found that a Rajouri-based overground worker (OGW) Hakam Khan alias Hakin Din, who has been arrested in connection with the case, had sheltered the Pakistani terrorists for nearly a week before the day the bus was attacked. Khan also helped them in reaching the attack spot, sources added. “The arrested OGW played the role of a guide to take the terrorists to the spot where the incident took place and helped them identify the curve on the road, where vehicles used to slow down. Even the exit plan was finalised,” a source aware of the probe details said. The terrorists navigated the thick forests of Rajouri, Poonch, and Kathua using a mobile application, Alpine West, which gave them realtime information about culverts, dense forests and other obstructions, sources said. The probe agency suspects the role of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba’s Sajjid Jutt in executing the attack. There is a reward of `10 lakh for providing information leading to his arrest in connection with another case. Two other Pakistani terrorists Sajid Ali and Abu Qatal are also suspected to have been involved in the attack, sources said. Terrorists opened fire at a bus carrying pilgrims from Shiv Khori to Katra on the evening of June 9 in the Pouni area of Reasi. The driver of the bus lost control, causing it to fall into a gorge. Nine people, including a minor, were killed in the attack. the fact that it was placed right in front of his house. For years now, Asharaf has been campaigning for the bust’s removal, claiming it was erected on the land he owned and that it obstructed pedestrian and vehicular traffic. A few months ago, his complaint was submitted to the corporation. In response, standing committee chairmen P R Ranish (development) and Sanilmon J (town planning), and divi- The move was proposed considering the officers’ welfare, he said, adding, “As a force that works much more than eight hours, most officers can’t even attend a special event in their family. If you consider festive days like Onam, Vishu, Eid, and Christmas, most of them are for special duties.” M V Nishad, an officer with the Ernakulam Central police station, said the implementation of a new leave policy comes is a relief for officers from the high work pressure environ● More on P4 ment.  e x p r e ss r e a d Years-old dispute over Che Guevara bust reaches corp council A I S H W A R YA P R A B H A K A R A N Terrorists took instructions from handlers in Pak: NIA Leaves for spl occasions aim to keep cops stress-free Decision tomorrow Che Guevara’s bust installed in Chakkaraparambu division | Gladys Rajan Reasi attack sion councillor K B Harshal inspected the site with the superintending engineer concerned. “It was found the bust does not obstruct pedestrian or vehicular traffic. It is situated between two KSEB posts and, at first glance, the obstructions claimed by the complainant were not evident. Also, there are no authoritative documents or copies available to prove the land is owned by the complainant,” said Ranish. On the corporation secretary’s directive, the report has been submitted before the council, which will take a call in its meeting on Friday . Jos P X, a member of Che Guevara Boys, said the group was formed by people having different political affiliations. “Despite Che Guevara being a prominent figure for the Leftist party, we admire him for his fight against imperialism and socio-economic inequali● More on P4 ty he said. ,” Govt to clear pension arrears in instalments T’Puram: In a major decision post the Lok Sabha poll debacle, the state government has announced that social security pension arrears to the tune of I4,250 crore will be distributed in a time-bound manner, as instalments in the current and next fiscal. In a statement under Rule 300 made before the assembly, CM Pinarayi Vijayan said two instalments of arrears will be distributed during 2024-25 while the remaining dues will be given as three instalments during the 2025-26 fiscal. As of now, five instalments of social security/welfare pensions are pending | P4