KOCHI l thursday l october 24, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 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 K158.9 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 C158.9 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 | P10 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 family by side, Priyanka files papers E x p ress N e w s S er v i c e @Kalpetta Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi hugging each other ahead of her speech at the public gathering at Gudalai in Wayanad on Wednesday | E Gokul Pannun case Meaningful accountability sought by US on conspiracy 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 murder-for-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 there was “valuable engagement with India’s inquiry committee last week”. It was a day for emotions — love, integrity and family bonding— and not raw politics for Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, who addressed a gathering at Gudalai in Wayanad on Wednesday before she filed her nomination papers for the November 13 Lok Sabha bypoll. Barring an oblique reference to the ‘divisive politics’ of the BJP government, the speeches of the Gandhi siblings were packed with feelings intended to strike an emotional chord with the voters. Rahul recalled that his sister was a pillar of strength for Sonia Gandhi after the death of Rajiv Gandhi. “When my father died, it was my sister who looked after my mother. She was only 17 years old when my father died and I am confident my sister will sacrifice anything for the family Why I am . telling this is because Priyanka considers the people of Wayanad as her family,” Rahul said. He also 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. Sonia and Rahul Gandhi at the gathering in Wayanad on Wednesday | E Gokul Priyanka, who is making her electoral debut in the bypoll, said her first campaign was for her father in the 1989 elections when she was just 17 years old. “It has been 35 years. I have campaigned for my mother, brother and for many colleagues. This is the first time I am asking (votes) for myself,” she said. Lashing out at the criminal politics pursued by those in power, she said the foundations of Indian society is built on emotions like empathy, non-violence and love propagated by different religions. “These are the values that I campaigned for my father when I was 17, in the 1989 elections. It has been 35 years. I have campaigned for my mother, brother and many colleagues. This is the first time I am asking (votes) for myself — Priyanka Gandhi 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. Facilitate mutual aspirations: Xi 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 Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with President Xi Jinping Enhancing efficiency PMO on the learning curve to harness AI RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi AI for notes and efficiency! That is prime goal as the government 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 speed up the decision, making process, and perk up 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 . In line with Prime Min- ister Narendra Modi’s emphasis on the use of tech for efficiency Union , Minister of State at the PMO, Jitendra Singh, advised the officers to optimise AI deployment in government operations. Singh said AI could play a role in transforming governance, streamlining operations, and improving decision-making we are fighting for today. These are the values that moved my brother to take out a yatra for more than eight thousand kilometres,” she said. Almost all senior Congress leaders, including AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, her mother Sonia, Rahul, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, and Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, were in the district to witness Priyanka’s official entry into electoral politics. Priyanka filed three sets of nomination papers before District Collector D R Meghasree, the returning officer. She reached the collectorate after an impressive road show from Kalpetta bus stand to Gudalai. Thousands of UDF workers greeted her on either side of the road. Rahul, IUML state president Panakkad Syed Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal, national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, KPCC president K Sudhakaran and other leaders travelled in the vehicle for ● More on P4 around 1km.  across various verticles. The session was attended by officials at all levels — from section officers to the principal secretary to the Prime Minister. 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 capacity-building initiative to empower government staff. EXPRESS READ Orthodox Church unhappy with govt Kottayam: Taking a strong stance against the state government in the ongoing Malankara Church dispute, the Orthodox Church has come down heavily against its decision to escalate the case to the SC. P5 Industrial alcohol: SC rules in states’ favour New Delhi: Opening a major revenue source for state governments, the SC has ruled that the regulatory power over the production, manufacture, and supply of industrial alcohol lies with states and not the Centre. P7 Cyclone Dana: 14 Odisha dists at risk Bhubaneswar: As Cyclone ‘Dana’ barrels toward Odisha coast, the government is racing against time to execute an evacuation plan aimed at relocating around 10 lakh people in 14 districts to safety. P5 16 pages, including 4 pages of KOCHI Express Priyanka declares E11.9cr worth of personal assets Kalpetta: AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra declared personal assets of J11.9 crore in the nomination papers she filed on Wednesday. Her husband Robert Vadra has assets worth J65.5 crore. Priyanka’s total movable assets amount to J4,24,78,689. Her total immovable assets are valued at J7,74,12,598. She has three criminal cases pending against her. P4 CM breaks silence, vows to protect honest officials wake of opposition parties criticising him for his continuing silence on the matter.  In his first public statement reTerming Naveen Babu’s ‘unlating to the death of Kannur timely’ death as ‘extremely sadAdditional District Magistrate dening’, the chief minister said Naveen Babu, Chief Minister steps will be taken to ensure Pinarayi Vijayan said govern- that no officer meets with such ment officials who disa tragedy He reminded . charge their duties in a that love towards fellow transparent, honest and human beings and soefficient manner will be cial commitment should protected. be the hallmark of govHe was inaugurating ernment servants.  the 51st annual conferThe chief minister ence of the Kerala Secsaid government offiretariat Employees Ascials should take decisociation in sions on matters under Thiruvananthapuram their jurisdiction in a Proper on Wednesday   .  time-bound manner. environment for “Nobody will be alThe proper environsmooth lowed to question the ment for smooth funcfunctioning of self-esteem of such oftioning of government government ficials,” he said, with- servants will be servants will be enensured out naming CPM leadsured, he added. er and former Kannur At a meeting of the Pinarayi Vijayan, CM district panchayat ruling LDF alliance president P P Divya parties on Monday the , whose disparaging public re- chief minister had reportedly marks against Naveen Babu al- promised a free and fair legedly drove him to suicide on probe into the officer’s death October 15. Pinarayi’s public and had hinted at more action statements on the ADM’s death against Divya after the police assume significance in the file a report. E x p ress N e w s S er v i c e @T’Puram ‘Burdening students’: NSS invites flak over Wayanad fundraising S OVI VI D YA D H A R A N @T’Puram A fundraising initiative by the higher secondary cell of the National Service Scheme (NSS) to build houses in landslide-hit areas of Wayanad has evoked widespread complaints of imposing a burden on student volunteers. Of the 150 houses to be constructed by various NSS cells in Kerala for those rendered homeless following the Wayanad landslides, the higher secondary cell intends to construct 25. According to a recent circular issued by the Director of General Education, a target of `25,000 on an average has been set for each NSS unit. The higher secondary cell is the largest NSS cell in Kerala with 1,500 units and over 1.4 lakh volunteers. The circular mentions the means by which NSS volunteers can raise funds include conducting various challenges and fests in schools. The mon- ey can be raised through exhibition and sale of volunteers’ creative works and products. It also says if “resource mobilisation” is carried out from sponsors or the public, presence of the NSS programme officer, principal or the teacher assigned should be ensured. An NSS programme officer of a school in Alappuzha said the ambitious target set for each NSS unit cannot be achieved through the means mentioned in the circular. “If we try to raise funds from outside the school, we are faced with indifference and lack of interest from the public as many other agencies have already approached them for the same purpose,” he said. Some higher secondary schools having NSS units have reportedly opted for the easy route, by directing the volunteers to contribute from their own pockets. This trend is more prevalent in NSS units working in self-financing mode. A parent said most of the student volunteers agree to the unreasonable demand from schools keeping in mind the grace marks awarded to them for NSS activities. “Already, students are reeling under the special fund collection for the upcoming sports, arts and science fests. The new directive to raise funds for NSS activities would place extra burden on students, most of whom are from economically weak families,” pointed out S Manoj of Aided Higher Secondary Teachers’ ● More on P4 Association.