Chennai l friday l october 18, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 38 l late city EDITION Arrest warrant issued against Sheikh Hasina and 45 others Question of extradition open The tribunal directed the authorities to produce Hasina and others before it by November 18. Hasina is currently believed to be staying in an undisclosed location in India. The warrant could technically open up the possibility of Bangladesh seeking her extradition from India. The interim government in Dhaka has indicated this remains an option | P9 Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal on Thursday issued arrest warrants against them for alleged crimes against humanity sixty complaints against her at tribunal ■ ■ More than 60 complaints of enforced disappearance and murder have been filed at the tribunal against Hasina. In all, she faces 200 cases The 45 others against whom warrants were issued include senior Awami League leaders. The tribunal’s chief prosecutor Advocate Tajul Islam said Interpol’s assistance would be sought to bring them back 1,000+ people killed in during protest against Hasina’s government 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 SC upholds the validity of Sec 6A of Citizenship Act shrinkflation Aavin plans to get in the black with `25 ‘Green Magic Plus’ milk 4:1 verdict holds provision as valid law; Justice Pardiwala dissents @ New Delhi Aavin is attempting a stealthy price hike with its proposal to launch a new milk variant ‘Green Magic Plus’ at `25 per 450 ml (`50 per 900 ml). The new variant has the exact nutritional content as its standardised variant Green Magic, with vitamins A and B fortified on a trial basis. The Green Magic, which also has 4.5% fat and 9% SNF, is sold at `44 a litre and contributes to around five lakh litres of the 14.5 lakh litres of milk distributed in Chennai daily . The move aims to minimise losses caused by selling milk at highly subsidised rates. Aavin incurs a loss of `4-`5 a litre on Green Magic. In contrast, private brands sell standardised milk at `54-`58 per litre. In a recent communication, a senior official from Aavin’s marketing department requested the Tiruchy District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union to manufacture 20,000 litres of the new variant at the Padalur dairy in Perambalur district. While Aavin officials maintain that the proposal has not been implemented yet, the move appears to be another strategy to increase prices by reducing quantity. Last year, Aavin introduced ‘Delite’, which has 3.5% fat but costs `44 per litre. Aavin managing director S Vineeth could not be reached for comments. Terming it a “back door price increase,” TN Milk Dealers Labourers Welfare Association president S A Ponnusamy said, “Aavin is following the practices of private firms. Since 2023, they’ve restricted the supply of Green Magic and are forcing us to sell Delite at `44 a litre.” P7 W ITH THIS ISSUE CHENNAI’S BEST WEEKEND GUIDE Contentious provision S U C HITRA KALYAN MOHANTY B ANBU S ELVAN @ Chennai 38 PAGES, INCLUDING 24 OF INDULGE (TABLOID) India’s Virat Kohli walks back; (Top) Injured Rishabh Pant goes off the field on Thursday | vinod kumar t Black Capped in Bengaluru s w a r o o p s w a m i n at h a n @ Bengaluru ROHIT Sharma called right at the toss but that was the only thing the hosts got right in a madcap first four hours of play on Thursday Tactical blunders and questionable calls were . the theme of the hosts’ first innings when play belatedly got underway in the first Test versus New Zealand. After the first day was washed out, more rain was forecast for Thursday It was dark, artificial light was turned on at . 9.15 AM and also slightly chilly; some of How they fell the fans were wearing sweaters. So, when 1-9, Rohit; 2-9, Sharma called tails, the decision to bat Kohli; 3-10, Sarfaraz; first was open to question. 4-31, Jaiswal; 5-33, The Black Caps sensed an early opporRahul; 6-34, Jadeja; tunity and eschewed the option of playing 7-34, Ashwin; 8-39, Pant; 9-40, Bumrah; the extra spinner. The three pacers ac10-46, Kuldeep counted for all 10 wickets between themselves as they moved the ball through the air while finding seam movement and bounce off the deck (on X, former Indian team analyst, Himanish Ganjoo, made the point). While the visitors were spot on, India ended up with lots of tactical blunders. Opting to bat, playing three spinners, promoting Virat Kohli to No. 3, asking Sarfaraz Khan to bat No. 4, refusing to send KL Rahul up the order... the mistakes kept piling up. The hosts were all out for 46 in 31.2 overs, the lowest ever by any side in Asia. This was also India’s lowest score in India for 37 years. It may not be over but the hosts need a couple of miracles to even stay in contention. THE Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955, which grants Indian citizenship to immigrants from Bangladesh who entered Assam before the cutoff date of March 25, 1971. “Parliament had the legislative competence to enact it,” the five-judge Constitution bench, led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, ruled in a 4:1 majority verdict. While the CJI and Justices Surya Kant, M M Sundresh, and Manoj Misra upheld the constitutional validity of Section 6A, Justice J B Pardiwala dissented and quashed Section 6A prospectively . The majority verdict held that Section 6A was enacted to balance the humanitarian concerns with the need to protect the local population. Reading out the verdict, Chandrachud said that enactment of Section 6A was a political solution to a unique problem faced by Assam due to the huge influx of immigrants after creation of India on Thursday trashed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations before a commission of inquiry probing foreign interference, that the actions of Indian diplomats violated his country’s sovereignty . “What we heard today only confirms what we have been saying consistently all along. Canada has presented us no evidence whatsoever in support of the serious allegations that it has chosen to level against India and Indian diplomats. The responsibility for the damage that this cavalier behaviour has caused to India-Canada relations lies with Prime Minister Trudeau’s office,’’ said a state- Strong, Vibrant bilateral ties India-Canada bilateral ties are strong and vibrant. “We have a large Indian Diaspora in Canada. A large number of international students as well. This particular crisis has been precipitated by Trudeau government” alone for vote bank politics, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters ment issued by the Ministry of External Affairs. While Trudeau accused India of using organised ganglords like Lawrence Bishnoi to harm Canadians, New Delhi said it had shared with Ottawa information regarding members of the Bishnoi gang and others holed up there, seeking their arrest. “They have taken no action so far, which are our core concerns. And, there is a political motive behind it, which you know,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. As for the diplomatic chill, visa services have been impacted and only essential services are being attended to at present, which includes cases like medical emergencies. During his deposition, Trudeau admitted that when he first broached the matter of Khalistani radical Hardeep Chennai: Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday said AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami was trying to politicise the state government’s handling of the recent heavy rain in Chennai. “People are happy about the government’s works. Those who can’t digest the accolades from people criticise the government,” the CM said | P4 EPS objects to convention centre in Muttukadu Chennai: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami condemned the state government on the plan to establish Kalaignar International Convention Centre at a cost of `587 crore in Muttukadu. “About 16 acres is lying vacant at the Chennai Trade Centre (CTC) in Nandambakkam. What is the use of establishing this convention centre 40 kilometres away from the city,” he asked | P4 Under this, those who reached Assam after Jan 1, 1966 but before Mar 25, 1971 must register for citizenship 2 But they can’t vote for 10 years. Those who had come after March 25, 1971 are bound to be deported Bangladesh. The immigrants seriously threatened the state’s culture and demography, the court noted in its judgment. In this context, the apex court also stressed the need for strict implementation of the statutory provisions to trace the illegal immigrants in Assam and deport them. The apex court asked the Centre and the state government to implement directions in the Sarbananda Sonowal judgments to deal with illegal immigrants and made it clear that it would from now onwards monitor the identification and deportation process. “Those who have entered Assam from Bangladesh on or after March 3 Petitioners argued that Section 6A helped mass immigration, wanted 1951 as cut-off year to detect and deport 4 SC said the impact of influx of migrants is higher in Assam due to its small land size, and detection is tough 25, 1971 are all illegal immigrants, who must be identified, detected, and deported,” the majority judgment said. The verdict came on a batch of petitions filed by various parties, including Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha, a Guwahati-based civil society organisation, which had moved the apex court challenging Section 6A way back in 2012. Section 6A of the Citizenship Act was introduced to give effect to the Assam Accord, an agreement signed in 1985 between the Government of India and the leaders of the Assam movement, who wanted removal of foreigners who entered Assam from Bangladesh. Hyundai Motor India is planning to invest around `1,500 crore for revamping and modernising its existing facility at Irungattukottai in Kancheepuram district. The company has submitted a pre-feasibility report in this regard. Its 538-acre Irungattukottai facility can produce 8.5 lakh cars a year. As per the modernisation plan, the plant size is expected to increase from 5.4 lakh square metres to 7.21 lakh square metres. The expansion is expected to create around 150 additional jobs. The plant currently employs around 18,500 people. Hyundai Motor clarified that there would not be any additional land area required for the expansion plan. The construction activities are expected to commence after receipt of necessary approvals, the manufacturer said. Hyundai Motor India presently operates 1,366 sales points and 1,551 service points across the country. It retails hatchbacks, compact, premium and electric SUVs in India. It also ships its products to 88 countries across Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, Australia and Asia Pacific region. Killed in Gaza, confirms Israel Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, chief architect of last year’s October 7 massacre of Israelis that sparked the war, shot dead by Israeli forces in Gaza | P11 Singh Nijjar’s murder with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, he had no evidence to prove the allegations of an Indian hand, only intelligence inputs. In a related development, the US State Department confirmed that India has removed from its employ an officer accused in the botched murderfor-hire plot to eliminate the proscribed Sikhs for Justice head Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil. “Indians have an inquiry committee that is looking into these issues... I can’t speak of the case in Canada and I wouldn’t speak for the Canadians one way or another,’’ said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller. e x p r e ss r e a d AIADMK politicising govt’s handling of rain: CM 1 E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Chennai Sinwar Canada yet to act on Bishnoi gang info Y e s h i S e l i @ New Delhi Sec 6A was brought in to deal with those covered under the 1985 Assam Accord, signed by then Rajiv Gandhi govt & aasu Hyundai set to pump `1,500 cr into TN plant BJP makes a Maha Valmiki Jayanti point RAJE S H KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi When the BJP postponed the swearing-in ceremony of the Nayab Singh Saini government in Haryana’s Panchkula to Thursday, October 17, it had more than the availability of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the event in mind. For, the day coincides with Valmiki Jayanti. The apparent message was to poll-bound Maharashtra and Jharkhand that the party is identified with Dalit and OBC voters, who have a significant presence in both states. Saini visited a Valmiki temple in Panchkula before taking his oath of office and secrecy . Earlier, the swearing-in ceremony was to take place on Tuesday October 15. , The event drew thousands people from across the country , including chief ministers of 13 NDA-ruled states, 16 deputy CMs and ministers in the Central and state governments. After the grand event, Modi chaired a meeting of NDA chief ministers and their deputies in Chandigarh. “We had extensive discussions on aspects of good governance and ways to improve people’s lives. Our alliance is committed to furthering national progress and empowering the poor and downtrodden,” Modi posted on X. This was the first such conclave of NDA CMs in years. The get-together is part of the BJP’s post-poll narrative to showcase NDA unity and resolve to collectively work for development. A BJP leader said the sequence of events pointed to a well-choreographed plan to focus on the marginalised communities in line with Modi’s vision of Sab ka saath, sab ka vikas. The BJP surprised pollsters by retaining power in Haryana for the third successive term. Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and others after the swearing-in ceremony of the new Haryana ministers on Thursday | PTI Fourteen ministers take oath of office As many as 14 ministers took their oath of office, including Nayab Singh Saini as chief minister. To maintain the caste balance, two ministers each were picked to represent the OBC, Brahmin, SC, Jat, and Yadav communities. Besides, one minister each represents the Punjabi, Rajput, Gujar and Vaishya communities in the new ministry | P10 NDA allies happy at big victory “We are very happy. This is the confidence people are having in PM Modi. That’s why it is a big victory. Mood of the nation is very clear,” TDP leader and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said. LJP leader and Union minister Chirag Paswan called the Haryana outcome unexpected and a historic victory in itself taken for ‘grant’ed New scholarship scam targets parents of TN school students S u b a s h i n i V i j aya k u m a r @ Chennai Parents of a Class 12 student at a gover nment school in Tirunelveli recently received a call that seemed too good to be true. The caller, who had all the details about the student including her father’s name, school, and address, claimed that she has received a scholarship of `28,500. He then proceeded to ask for the phone number linked to her father’s UPI ID to deposit the amount. The student’s father grew suspicious and said that he would first check with the school before sharing any details, and the call eventually turned out to be a scam. Unfortunately not all parents , are as vigilant. Across the state, several families have fallen victim to similar scams, losing amounts ranging from `5,000 to `25,000. Fraudsters, pretending to be government officials, have been targeting parents, especially those of students in Classes 10 and 12, under the guise of scholarships. To counter this, the school education The school education department is implementing various activities, including Aadhaar-linking, and the scamsters are using those to deceive the parents —Senior official, school education department department has directed Chief Educational Officers (CEOs) across the state to ensure that schools promote awareness about these scams among parents to make sure that they do not fall prey and always doublecheck such claims. The circular was issued after the state wrote to the school education department about the rising instances of such scams, especially in Tirunelveli district. P7