MADURAI l thursday l october 24, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l LATE CITY EDITION BYJu’s in trouble as sc junks nclat order on insolvency proceedings The Supreme Court also annulled the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal’s approval of Byju’s `158.9 crore dues settlement with the BCCI bcci asked to deposit settlement amount tRIBUNAL DID NOT FOLLOW DUE PROCEDURE A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra directed the cricket board to deposit the settlement amount of `158.9 crore with the committee of creditors. Now, Byju Raveendran and his brother Riju Raveendran stand to lose control over Think and Learn Pvt Ltd or Byju’s—a company engaged in providing online educational services ■ ■ ■ The SC held that the NCLAT violated the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code procedures and cleared the settlement in a wrongful manner The SC said insolvency withdrawal plea can only be submitted through the Interim Resolution Professional and not by the parties themselves The SC order came in an appeal filed by US creditor firm Glas Trust | P12 Glas Trust Represents u.s. lenders from whom Byju’s had borrowed $1.2 billion 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 Pannun case Facilitate mutual aspirations: Xi Meaningful accountability sought by US on conspiracy Both sides must facilitate each other’s development aspirations, Xi said. They must strengthen communication and properly manage differences and disagreements, he added Friction points part of the pact The recent patrolling and disengagement agreement will cover the remaining friction points at Depsang and Demchok, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said Y esh i S e l i @ New Delhi The US has said it would not be fully satisfied until there is “meaningful accountability” resulting from India’s investigations into the foiled murderfor-hire plot against Khalistani radical Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil. “We continue to expect and want to see accountability based on the results of that investigation, and certainly the United States won’t be fully satisfied until there is meaningful accountability resulting from that investigation,” State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Wednesday . He said this in the context of the US visit of an Indian enquiry committee on the case for talks last week. Of the two main players in the alleged plot, Nikhil Gupta is in a US jail as Prague extradited him months after his arrest. The US recently named former RAW field officer Vikash Yadav as Gupta’s handler and the alleged mastermind in the conspiracy Yadav no longer . works for RAW . In an unrelated case of extortion and kidnapping, Yadav was arrested by the Delhi Police in December last year and lodged in Tihar Jail for over four months till he managed to get regular bail. Patel said that there was “valuable engagement with India’s inquiry committee last week”. Information, he said, was also exchanged between “our two governments to further our respective investigations.” Patel noted the US understands that the Indian inquiry committee will continue its investigation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with President Xi Jinping Modi, Xi talks lay BRICS for normalisation road Special Representatives to oversee peace and tranquility on border Y esh i S e l i @ New Delhi Taking off from the recent agreement on patrolling and disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday initiated steps to normalise bilateral relations by issuing directions to revive various dialogue mechanisms. The talks happened on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan for about 50 minutes, almost five years after a bloody faceoff at Galwan in eastern Ladakh in 2020. “India-China relations are important for the people of our countries, and for regional and global peace and stability Mu. tual trust, mutual respect and mutual sensitivity will guide bilateral relations,” said Modi. Welcoming the agreement for complete disengagement and resolution of issues that arose in 2020 along the LAC, Modi underscored the importance of properly handling differences and disputes and not allowing them to disturb peace and tranquility . “The two leaders agreed that the Special Representatives on the India-China boundary question will meet at an early date to oversee the management of peace and tranquility in border areas and to explore a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question. The relevant dialogue mechanisms at the level of Foreign Ministers and other officials will also be utilised to stabilise and rebuild bilateral relations,” according to the foreign office. The two leaders affirmed that stable, predictable, and amicable bilateral relations between India and China, as two neighbours and the two largest nations on earth, will have a positive impact on regional and global peace and prosperity . Closer India-China ties will also contribute to a multi-polar Asia and a multi-polar world. The leaders underlined the need to develop bilateral relations from a strategic and longterm perspective, enhance strate gic communication and explore cooperation to address developmental challenges. Later, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said both Modi and Xi stressed that India and China can have a “peaceful, stable and beneficial bilateral relationship” with maturity and wisdom, and by showing mutual respect for each other’s sensitivities. He said peace in the border will create space for returning towards normalisation of bilateral relations. ED raids ex-minister in laundering probe linked to bribery case E X P R E S S N E W S S E R VIC E @ Chennai/Thanjavur The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday searched several locations linked to former AIADMK minister and sitting MLA from Orathanadu, R Vaithilingam, in a money laundering probe. Apart from at least six locations in Chennai and three in Thanjavur, the agency also searched the premises of a private firm in Bengaluru and collected documents from the CMDA office in Egmore, sources said. ED has launched the probe based on two corruption cases filed by the Tamil Nadu government’s anti-corruption agency , DVAC, last month. DVAC had alleged that private firm Shriram Properties had routed `27.9 crore in bribe to a shell company run by Vaithilingam’s sons for planning permission given to the firm for construction of 1,453 residential and IT Supporters of R Vaithilingam in front of his house at Telungankudi | Express buildings on a 57.94 acre plot in Chennai. Vaithilingam was TN housing minister from 20112016 in the AIADMK regime. Vaithilingam, a supporter of former CM O Panneerselvam, was expelled from the AIADMK in 2022. Places linked to Shriram Group were also searched on Wednesday. The DVAC had alleged that Vaithilingam had amassed assets 1,058% disproportionate to his known sources of income.  P7 Assets worth `12 cr AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday filed the nomination for her maiden electoral battle from Wayanad, Kerala. Her mother and Cong ress Parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, brother Rahul Gandhi, and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge accompanied her to the collectorate. The bypoll in Wayanad, scheduled on November 13, was necessitated after Rahul Gandhi vacated the seat to retain Rae Bareli. Before filing the papers on In the elction affidavit, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra declared assets worth `11.9 cr, including her `5.63 cr house in Shimla. Her husband Robert Vadra’s assets worth `65.5 cr were also mentioned Wednesday Priyanka , held a massive roadshow. Addressing a huge gathering of supporters, she said she has 35 years of experience in the political arena, though she is fighting election for the first time. “I campaigned for my father when I was 17 years old in the 1989 elections. I had cam- paigned for many leaders including my mother and brother. This is for the first time I am asking to vote for myself,” she said. Priyanka will take on CPI veteran Sathyan Mokeri and BJP’s Navya Haridas. In his address, Rahul Gandhi said there will be two representatives for Wayanad in the Lok Sabha if Priyanka is elected. “I will be the unofficial representative and Priyanka the official face,” he said. Rahul represented Wayanad from 2019 to 2024. After filing the nomination, Rahul and Priyanka went to Puthumala and offered floral tributes at the graves of those killed in the landslide. E x p ress Ne w s S er v i c e @ Chennai Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday reiterated that the DMK alliance is based on ideology and there may be “debates and discussion among the members of the bloc but not rift”. Speaking at a DMK functionary family’s wedding, Stalin said the DMK-led alliance was not formed to achieve political power but it is based on ideological cohesion and commit- ment to the welfare of the people of the state. Taking a swipe at AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami, who had predicted that the DMK alliance would break, the CM said the opposition leader who has been sidelined by the aiadmk not dreaming about alliances: eps Salem: Rejecting the CM’s charge, EPS said AIADMK is not dreaming about alliances. AIADMK is strong and even national parties want to align with us. With people’s support, AIADMK is ready to face the 2026 poll, EPS said | P6 S u c h i tra K a lya n M o ha n ty @ New Delhi Priyanka Gandhi, accompanied by Rahul Gandhi, during the roadshow before filing the nomination, at Kalpetta | E Gokul PMO on the learning curve to harness AI @ New Delhi AI for notes and efficiency! That’s what seems to have struck a chord with the government as it strives to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a big way in its functioning. Officials from various wings of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Tuesday participated in a dedicated session on AI so as to enhance productivity, decision-making and public delivery systems. The session sought to address the use of AI in official work, such as file management and notetaking in offices, since the cutting-edge tech is seen as a means to scale up productivity at humongous speed. In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s emphasis on the use of tech as a tool for efficiency and productivity, Union Minister of State at the PMO, Jitendra Singh, advised the officers to try and optimise AI in government operations. During the session at South Block, Singh highlighted the role AI could play in transforming governance, streamlining operations, and improving decision-making across various gover nment departments. The session was attended by officials at all levels — from section officers to the principal secretary to the Prime Minister — focusing on different AI modules people has been alleging that the DMK regime’s influence is on the wane. “Since Palaniswami is jealous about the DMK government’s achievements and its rising popularity, he is making such accusations. He is also claiming that the DMK alliance will break soon. I so far thought that he was dreaming, but now he has become an astrologer,” the DMK president said, adding that the AIADMK chief has been extremely frustrated. Stalin said the former CM, who does not have the ability to develop his own party is , making predictions about the ruling party  . P7 States have right to tax industrial alcohol, rules SC Enhancing efficiency RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR Tiruchy: Income tax officials conducted searches at MIT Institution, an educational group, in Tiruchy. R Elangovan, AIADMK Salem Rural district secretary and supporter of EPS, is said to be one of the founders of the group | P6 Debate in DMK bloc, not rift: Stalin Priyanka files nomination for poll debut, kicks off campaign EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Kalpetta I-T search at institutes linked to AIADMK secy in decision-making. The attendees included P K Mishra, Principal Secretary to the PM, as well as Amit Khare and Tarun Kapoor, advisors to the PM. The session was part of Mission Karmayogi, a capacitybuilding initiative to empower government employees. A demonstration aimed at breaking ‘hierarchical barriers’ within the PMO, showed how officials could learn advanced concepts. The session covered how AI could revolutionise sectors like healthcare, agriculture, and public delivery services. DIG, 2 officers suspended in Vellore prisoner torture case R A J A L A K S H M I S A M PAT H @ Vellore Three prison officials, including the DIG of Prisons, Vellore Range, R Rajalakshmi, being investigated in the alleged harassment and torture of a prisoner in Vellore Central Prison, have been suspended by the Director General of Police (Prisons). The order to suspend the DIG, former additional superintendent of Vellore prison A Abdul Rahman and jailer Arul Kumar was issued late on Tuesday . The order said DIG R Ra- jalakshmi was placed under suspension to ensure a fair investigation into the case filed by the CB-CID. The suspension order came a day after Justices S M Subramaniam and V Sivagnanam of the Madras HC, while hearing the alleged torture case on Monday, questioned as to why the government is not taking action against senior officials for serious misconduct when action is being taken against lower-level employees even for minor offences.  P7 Opening a major revenue source for state governments, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that the regulatory power over the production, manufacture, and supply of industrial alcohol lies with states and not the Centre. In a 8:1 majority ruling, a nine-judge Constitution bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud held that industrial alcohol comes within the definition of ‘intoxicating alcohol’ under Entry 8 of the State List, so the state governments can regulate and tax it. The majority bench comprised CJI Chandrachud and Justices Hrishikesh Roy Abhay , S Oka, J B Pardiwala, Manoj Misra, Ujjal Bhuyan, Satish Chandra Sharma, and Augustine George Masih. However, Justice B V Nagarathna dissented and held that states did not have the legislative competence to regulate industrial alcohol. The latest verdict overturns a 1990 seven-judge bench judgment which held that the Centre had the regulatory power over industrial alcohol. Several state governments including Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Kerala had challenged the seven-judge bench judgment The matter was referred to the nine-judge bench in 2010. During hearings, states argued the power to tax industrial alcohol is vital in the post-GST era and to monitor public health.