KOZHIKODE l friday l September 06, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Sebi staffers protest demanding chairperson Buch’s resignation A large number of employees protested outside the Securities Exchange Board of India’s headquarters in Mumbai on Thursday Regulator’s press release sparks anger Over 200 employees took part in protest The protesters demanded the resignation of Sebi chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch. They are also wanted the capital markets regulator to withdraw a press release issued on Wednesday refuting allegations of toxic work culture at its offices. Last month, some 500 Sebi employees signed a joint letter to the finance ministry highlighting the alleged harassment faced by them ■ ■ The protesting employees, numbering over 200 as per one estimate, assembled in front of Sebi headquarters in the morning and stood there for about 90 minutes. None of them spoke to the media In the press release, Sebi claimed that some “external elements” were misleading and instigating its employees to further its interests 1st Madhabi puri Buch is the first female chaiperson of SEBI 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 Putin proposes Mukesh, Edavela Babu granted anticipatory bail India mediation on Ukraine war E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Kochi China and Brazil, too, could be go-betweens; botched ’22 deal could be the starting point Y e s h i Se l i @ New Delhi Are we ready to negotiate with them? We have never refused to do so, but not on the basis of some ephemeral demands, but on the basis of those documents that were agreed and actually initialled in Istanbul —Vladimir Putin Meet today on fresh aid to Ukraine Pentagon will on Friday host a meeting in Germany of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, comprising over 50 nations that have funded and armed Ukraine to discuss fresh aid for the war Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said that he trusted partners like India to resolve the ongoing war with Ukraine. “India, China, Brazil are countries we have trust and confidence in and they will provide us a helping hand in resolving the conflict with Ukraine,’’ President Putin said while fielding questions during a discussion at Russia’s Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. Putin was in conversation with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng. He said he was in touch with these countries and and they had confidence in one another. Putin said the basis of the talks could be an aborted deal reached between the two sides in Istanbul in 2022. Its terms were never made public. “We managed to reach an agreement, that is the whole point. The signature of the head of the Ukrainian delegation who initialled this document testifies to this, which means that the Ukrainian side was generally satisfied with the agreements reached,” Putin said. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Ukraine on August 23, he had urged President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to sit across the table with President Putin to resolve the matter, adding India was ready to play an active role to restore peace in the region. Days later, he briefed Putin on the outcome of his dialogue with Zelenskyy . Separately, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, referring to the “highly constructive, even friendly relations” between Modi and Putin, said the Indian PM can “lead the line on getting first-hand information from the participants in this conflict”, as he “freely communicates with Putin, Zelenskyy and the US.” He, however, said there are “no specific plans” on Modi mediating on the issue. Ukraine had earlier said it wouldn’t directly engage with Russia but was looking at a coalition of intermediaries to end the war. In a major relief to actors Mukesh and Edavela Babu, an Ernakulam court on Thursday granted them anticipatory bail in the rape cases registered on the complaints of an actress who worked in Malayalam and Tamil films. It was around 8.15 pm that Ernakulam Principal Sessions Judge Honey M Varghese announced the verdict at the chamber, granting the accused pre-arrest bail. The order was delayed after the special investigation team (SIT) informed the court about a fresh case registered against lawyer V S have been allowed. In the case of Mukesh, the court observed that since he is a member of the legislative assembly, there is no chance of him fleeing the clutches of law. The court asked the accused execute a bail bond of `1 lakhswith t wo s o l ve n t sureties for the like amount. The actors have been asked to cooperate with the investigation and appear before the investigation team whenever summoned. As per the bail conditions, Vineeth comes up with alibi for Nivin Kochi: Two days after a sexual assault case was registered against actor Nivin Pauly, director and actor Vineeth Sreenivasan came out defending the actor, stating that Nivin was with him in Kochi on the dates mentioned in the FIR. “Nivin and I were together in the shooting set of ‘Varshangalkku Sesham’ on the 14th and 15th of December last year,” Vineeth told the media on Thursday. P4 the investigating officer can proceed with the collection of evidence by taking the accused along with him. They shall not in any way try to intimidate or influence the witnesses or try to tamper evidence. The accused shall not be detained unnecessarily. The accused should not leave Kerala during the course of investigation without the permission of the jurisdictional magistrate, the court stated. The bail conditions will be executed on Friday Earlier, the . prosecution strongly objected the anticipatory bail petitions of Mukesh, Babu and Chan● More on P4 drashekar.  Efforts pay off: Kerala ranked no. 1 in ‘ease of doing biz reforms’ E XPR E SS N E WS S E RVIC E @Kochi In a boost to its attempt to woo industries, Kerala has emerged the leader in the country in ‘Ease of Doing Business Reforms’ as per the ranking of the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industries released on Thursday . This is the first time that Kerala is ranked number one in creating an industry-friendly environment, officials said. Kerala topped in implementing seven citizen-centric reforms and two categories of business-centric reforms. Andhra Pradesh stood second after it topped in implementing five citizen-centric reforms and five business-centric reforms, while Gujarat was ranked third by implementing three citizen-centric reforms and two business- centric reforms. T he ranking was announced by Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal at ‘Udyog Samagam’, a conference of industries and commerce ministers of states, in Delhi. Goyal handed over the award to Kerala Industries Minister P Rajeeve, who was accompanied by the top officials of the industries department, including APM Mohammed Hanish, principal secretary . The two categories of business-centric reforms that Kerala topped are: Obtaining utility permits-business, and paying taxes. The seven citizen-centric reform areas where Kerala came first are: 1) online single window system 2) certificates (urban local bodies) 3) certificates —department of revenue 4) obtaining utility permits 5) public distribution system — department of food and civil supplies, 6) transport and 7) employment ● More on P5 exchange. Pecking order Youth Congress state vice-president Abin Varkey (left) is injured in police lathicharge during the outfit’s Secretariat march demanding the resignation of CM Pinarayi Vijayan in the wake of the allegations of MLA P V Anvar| B P Deepu Top achiever numbers 1 Kerala 9 7 Andaman & Nicobar  2 2 Andhra Pradesh  5 8 Haryana 12 Karnataka 1 2 13 Madhya Pradesh 3 Gujarat 3 1 9 Odisha 2 14 Maharashtra 1 4 Rajasthan 3 5 Tripura 3 10 Assam 1 15 Manipur  1 16 Puducherry 1 6 Uttar Pradesh 3 17 Punjab 1 11 Dadra & Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu  1 Trudeau govt reduced to a minority in Canada 16th Finance Commission: Kerala to host interstate meet Y e s h i Se l i @ New Delhi E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @T’Puram With more and more nonBJP ruled states crying foul over alleged anomalies in devolution of Central funds, the Kerala government is hosting a fiscal conclave in Thiruvanathapuram on September 12 to discuss the approach towards the 16th Finance Commission. Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telengana and Punjab have confirmed their participation in the conclave. “The commission has begun interactions with states. Kerala considers FC as an important avenue where the state can raise the demand for restructuring Centre-state fiscal relations. A united stand of the state governments on fiscal matters has become imperative and the meeting will help achieve this,” Finance Minister K N Balagopal told reporters on Thursday . Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the meeting, while Balagopal will preside over. Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister of Telangana Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Karnataka’s Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu, Kerala’s Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan and the finance secretaries of the five states ● More on P4 will also attend.  Chandrashekar, whose anticipatory bail petition is pending before the court in a rape case on a complaint filed by the same actress. The court heard the prosecution in the evening in the new case, and adjourned the anticipatory bail petition of Chandrashekar to Saturday for further hearing. Later, the judge called lawyers representing the accused to her chamber and announced that the anticipatory bail petitions of Mukesh and Babu KISS OF HARMONY Pope Francis (right) kisses the right hand of Nasaruddin Umar, grand imam of Istiqlal Mosque, after an inter-religious meeting in Jakarta on Thursday | AP | P9 With the left-wing New Democratic Party (NDP) led by Khalistani sympathiser Jagmeet Singh snapping ties with Canada’s ruling Liberal Party, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has been reduced to a minority . The simple majority mark in the House of Commons at present is 167 since there are four vacancies. Trudeau’s Liberals with 154 MPs are 13 short of a majority It was NDP with . 24 MPs that had propped up the Liberals since 2022, forcing Trudeau to bend over backwards to keep it happy by taking a soft line on Khalistanis, annoying New Delhi in the process and making the country a sanctuary for anti-India forces. This break-up has increased the chances of a snap federal election, which was scheduled in October 2025. Singh accused Trudeau of taking credit for their ideas. He said that they introduced the pharmacare framework and instilled the idea of a Palestine state with Trudeau. “We’ve torpedoed our reputation, sold off our ideas,’’ Singh lamented. According to the Indian diaspora, Trudeau’s popularity has dipped due to his position on temporary migrant workers — which has a big percentage of Indians. ‘The Canadian government is looking at send back 70,000 foreign workers who are caregivers, truck drivers, workers. There is an increasing level of uncertainty and a lot of bias. Trudeau must go,’’ an Indian expat living in Brampton told this newspaper on condition of anonymity He said most Asians . in Canada live in constant fear of deportation. Anvar effect: Govt suspends Sujith Das E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @T’Puram The state government suspended former Pathanamthitta SP S Sujith Das on Thursday almost five days after LDF , MLA P V Anvar raised serious allegations against him. Ever since his telephonic conversation with Anvar came out, the writing was on the wall for the 2015-batch IPS officer. Anvar lost no time in taking to the Facebook, p o s t i n g : “ Wi c k e t number one... A canker has been cast out.” Pushed on the back foot after the audio clip of the telephonic conversation became public, the home department stripped Das of the office of the Pathanamthitta district police chief on Monday and ordered him to appear before the state police chief. The officer reported before the state police chief and furnished an explanation on Wednesday . In the clip, the SP was heard pleading with the MLA to withdraw the complaint he had filed on felling of trees on the premises the Malappuram district police chief ’s camp house. The SP also made disparaging statements on ADGP (law and order) M R Ajith Kumar and political secretary to the chief minister P Sasi. Thiruvananthapuram Range DIG S Ajeetha Begum conducted an inquiry into the incident and filed a report with the state police chief indicting him of engaging in acts that defamed the police’s reputation. It was based on this report that the government t o o k t h e c u r re n t decision. It was based on this audio clip that Anvar made a slew of serious allegations against the ADGP, which stirred a hornet’s nest. The allegations cast aspersions on the functioning of the home department and a section of police officers, whom the MLA had accused of working against the interest of the state gover nment and the ● More on P4 CPM. I should not have touched Speaker’s chair: Jaleel Kozhikode: LDF MLA K T Jaleel has said that he shouldn’t have upturned the Assembly Speaker’s chair during the agitation against former finance minister K M Mani in 2015. “I should not have touched the chair. It was a mistake. After all we are human beings. It may have happened in an emotional moment,” he said in reply to a comment to his Facebook post on Teacher’s Day. We want to create many Singapores within India, says PM Modi Y e s h i Se l i @ New Delhi INDIA and Singapore on Thursday elevated their ties to a ‘comprehensive strategic partnership’ after the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Singapore PM Lawrence Wong. The two sides also signed four MoUs for cooperation in the semiconductor industry, digital technologies, skill development, and healthcare. Modi extended an invite to Wong to visit India, which he accepted. “Singapore isn’t just a partner country; Singapore is an inspiration for any developing country. We in India also want to create many Singapores within itself. I am happy to state that we will progress on this front together. Our ministerial roundtable is a path breaking mechanism for cooperation in skilling, digitalisation, mobility, semiconductor and cyber security said Modi, ,’’ who met his counterpart for the first time since the latter became Singapore PM in May . During the bilateral talks, both leaders reviewed the $60 bn COMMITMENT Singapore is India’s biggest investor, at $160 billion. During an interaction with Modi, CEOs of Singapore companies pledged to invest I5 lakh crore ($60 billion) over the next few years in India progress of India-Singapore relations and agreed that elevation of the relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership would give a boost to India’s Act East Policy . The two leaders reviewed existing cooperation in the fields of defence and security, maritime domain awareness, education, AI, fintech and science and technology . Modi also announced the setting up of an Invest India office in Singapore, which will be a handholding office for investors in Singapore in various areas identified in the six pillars. India and Singapore will be celebrating 60 years of bilateral relations in 2025. Modi also announced that India would open its first Thiruvalluvar Cultural Centre in Singapore. Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Singapore counterpart Lawrence Wong during their visit to AEM Holdings Ltd, in Singapore, on Thursday | PTI