KANNUR l thursday l November 14, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Musk, Ramaswamy to lead U.S. Department of govt Efficiency President-elect Donald Trump said on Tuesday Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Trump calls it the new manhattan project duo gets july 2026 deadline to finish work Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy will advise his incoming administration on ways to slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies to improve efficiency. Trump called it possibly the ‘The Manhattan Project’ of our times, referring to the World War 2-era US project to build the atomic bomb | P9 ■ ■ Despite the name, DOGE is not a government agency and will work from outside the government. Also, it is a temporary organisation. Trump has given the two time till July 4, 2026 to finish their work In other appointments, Trump has picked ex-Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to head the Central Intelligence Agency 1st ramaswamy is the first Indian-american to join trump 2.0 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 brakes on bulldozer justice Lays down strict guidelines for demolishing property; says executive can’t act as judiciary S U C H ITR A K A LYA N M O H A N TY @ New Delhi Authorities can’t demolish people’s homes in an arbitrary manner simply because the property owners are accused of crimes, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday. Invoking its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, the court passed a slew of panIndia directions to stop the practice of ‘bulldozer justice’. A bench of justices Bhushan R Gavai and K V Viswanathan made it clear demolitions cannot be done without due notice and without giving time for the affected persons to appeal against the proposed action in an appropriate forum. The order of the bench came with a caveat that it will not be applicable on unauthorised What the court said Executive can’t decide an accused is guilty and punish him by demolishing his property No demolition without prior 15-day notice The notice shall be served by registered post and fixed on the building’s outer portion Demolition action should be videographed and report sent to the district collector structures in public places. Pronouncing the verdict after hearing a batch of petitions against what is known as bulldozer justice, the bench said that the executive cannot overstep its constitutional remit. “The executive cannot become a judge, decide that an accused is guilty and punish him by demolishing his properties as such an act would be transgressing its limits,” it said. Quoting the famous lines of popular Hindi poet Pradeep, the court said, it is the dream of every person to have his/her own home. “A house is an embodiment of the collective hopes of a family or individuals’ stability and security,” it said, suggesting that the authorities must be cognizant of the consequences of their arbitrary actions. In its verdict, the court laid down strict guidelines to be followed for demolition. It warned that in case of violations, the officers concerned will be responsible for restitution of property at personal cost, in addition to damages. During the hearing, the court made it amply clear that citizens’ voices cannot be throttled by a threat of destroying their properties, adding the state resorting to bulldozer justice is simply unacceptable under the rule of law. It said the law must be just and fair and should protect the human rights and dignity of all members of the society . An earlier bench headed by then Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud had also noted that the state must follow due process of law before taking action to remove illegal encroachments or unlawfully constructed structures. E P Jayarajan in news for wrong reasons on yet another polling day captain, 5 others banned for age fraud As many as six Hyderabad players including the one selected to captain the state team in the BCCI’s Vinoo Mankad Trophy (Men’s U19) were banned for age fudging. It is learnt that a few parents mailed the Indian cricket board after the Hyderabad Cricket Association picked up the squad (15 plus 5 standbys) for the event. Police investigated the case and found allegations true | P11 Abusive social media posts: 39 held in Andhra Phan i n d r a Pa pa s an i @ Vijayawada In what appears to be a step to keep social media platforms free of abusive language, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led NDA government has launched a major crackdown on those posting such content against political leaders, their family members and individuals. Speaking to TNIE, a senior official from AP Crime Investigation Department (APCID) said 67 notices under Section 35(3) of BNSS have been served to various people for posting abusive, defamatory promoting , enmity between groups and castes, obscene morphed photos of various political leaders. In all, 39 people have been arrested and around 100 cases booked, CID officials said. However, the opposition YSRCP alleged that more than 650 notices were served to its party activists, 147 cases filed and 49 people arrested over social media posts in a week. CID officials urged the public to lodge complaints if they were subjected to slander and abuse on social media. Expressing serious concer n over the g rowing malicious propaganda and personal abuse, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had several times in the past warned YSRCP leaders and its social media team not t o c ro s s t h e line. E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kannur After the row over his alleged meeting with BJP leader Prakash Javadekar surfaced on the 2024 Lok Sabha election day in the state, CPM central committee member E P Jayarajan has found himself, and the party in an awkward situation , on another polling day. The controversy that emerged on Wednesday centres around an autobiography attributed to Jayarajan, which reportedly contains pointed criticism of the second Pinarayi Vijayan government and the LDF candidate for the upcoming Palakkad by-election, P Sarin. DC Books announced the book, titled ‘Kattan Chayayum Parippu Vadayum - Oru Communistinte Jeevitham’, on its social media handle at 9pm on Tuesday, on the eve of the byelections in Chelakkara and Wayanad. Tagging EP in the post, the publisher said the book “reveals many unpleasant truths”. However, after Jayarajan publicly disavowed the book, DC Books issued another post on Wednesday morning delaying the release -- citing “technical issues”. It added that the book’s content would be clarified upon publi- G77, China agree on new NCQG draft text as basis for finance negotiations S V Krishna Chaitanya EXPRESS IN BAKU T he first iteration of the draft New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG) released on Wednesday, found most of the G77 countries and China agreeing to use it as the basis for negotiations to achieve an ambitious climate finance goal. It’s a 34-page draft as against the nine-page pre-COP draft that was rejected by developing countries saying it does not represent their stance. While some observers called the new draft also “non-workable” as it simply put all the options in black and white, others saw some positives in it. The draft acknowledges that in line with the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities, the NCQG is the sole obligation of developed countries to provide and mobilise climate finance to developing countries and must accurately reflect the establishment of operational features in line with the needs and priorities of developing countries. However, it throws up six options on the quantum of NCQG with a lot of brackets. “It was decides to set an new collective quantified goal on climate finance [of USD X][from a floor of USD 100 billion][of at least USD 1 trillion][of USD 1.1 trillion][of at least USD 1.3 trillion][of USD 2 trillion] per year [in grant-equivalent terms] [from 2025 to 2029][from 2025 to 2030][from 2025 to 2035][from 2026 to 2035][by 2030] provided and mobilised by developed country Parties.” Continued on: P9  Who wants what Arab Group: Wants minimum $441bn delivered from 2025 US: “Entirely fair” new donors (China, Saudi) start delivering cash Pakistan: Grants should make up 70% of the target Turkey: Multi-layered approach an option but requires detail G77+China: Target must focus on funds going from developed to developing nations Alliance Of Small Island States: Overall goal $1 trillion-plus, small islands need specific support Japan: Target cannot be delivered just by developed countries UK: Goal could have ‘inner’ layer in billions and ‘outer’ layer in trillions Africa : $1.3 trillion target required by 2030 with overall $6.5 trillion goal EU: New goal can only be hit if all major polluters step up cation. DC also untagged EP from the initial post. Despite the postponement, a PDF version of the purported book was circulated widely on social media, with excerpts put out and discussed by various media. The book criticises the LDF government’s ‘Nava Kerala Sadas’, deeming it unnecessary, and takes aim at Sarin and P V Anvar, the former LDFbacked MLA from Nilambur. Referring to Sarin, the book says, “Just the day before, Dr P Sarin was expected to be the UDF candidate. When he was denied a ticket, he swiftly switched to the LDF. There are times when exploiting a breach in the enemy camp pays off, but such a strategy can fail just as many times. P V Anwar’s being ● More on P4 a case in point.”  EXPRESS READ Police unlikely to book IAS officer T’Puram: The police are unlikely to book suspended IAS officer K Gopalakrishnan following a complaint over creation of a WhatsApp group exclusively for Hindu bureaucrats, for want of evidence. P4 Ekm court summons Baba Ramdev T’Puram: The Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Kakkanad, Ernakulam, has directed Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna of Divya Pharmacy to be in court in cases filed over illegal drug promotions. P5 Poor voter turnout marks Wayanad, Chelakkara bypolls poll attendance Wayanad 64.72% Turnout on Wednesday 72.51% Landslide victims returning in a KSRTC ‘election’ bus, after casting votes in the Wayanad bypoll on Wednesday | E Gokul E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kalpetta/Thrissur The high-decibel campaign featuring national political stalwarts failed to buoy up voters in the high-profile Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, where Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is seeking mandate, that went to a byelection along with Chelakkara assembly constituency in the state on Wednesday. Poll percentage dropped by nearly 8% in Wayanad with only 64.72% voters turning up this time. The figure was 72.92% in the 2024 general election. Chelakkara recorded a voter turnout of 72.51% this time, compared to 77.40% in 2021. The polling passed off peacefully in both constituencies. Polling for the Palakkad bypoll is scheduled for November 20. Normally, by-elections witness heavy polling in the state as leaders and workers of all major fronts across the state zero in on a handful of constituencies that go to polls, and leave no stone unturned to ensure that all their votes are cast. But defying the tradition and expectations, voters coldshouldered the calls by parties this time. The fall in voter turnout in Turnout on Wednesday 72.92% 80.37% April 2024 2019 Chelakkara 77.4% 79.21% 2021 2016 Wayanad has perplexed political leaders as well as poll pundits. That too when Priyanka, in a departure from the practice of her brother Rahul Gandhi who represented the seat earlier, spent several days in the constituency and addressed corner meetings even in remote areas of the hilly terrain. Laxity on the part of the voters over a predictable outcome in the clash between unequal rivals might have been the main reason for the sharp fall in voting percentage, poll experts feel. Added to this is the indifference triggered by the second election in a gap of less than six months. When Rahul contested from Wayanad for the first time in 2019, the poll percentage was 80.33, and his majority 4,31,770 votes. When he sought reelection in 2024, the voting percentage dropped to 72.92, and his margin to 3,64,422. The sharp fall in voting has cast a pall over the Congress camp, which was aiming to increase Priyanka’s victory margin to record levels. They take solace in the thought that the LDF and BJP votes did not poll owing to the hopeless situation their candidates were in ● More on P4 in Wayanad.  Brisk polling in Jharkhand as voters defy Maoist threat M U K E S H R A N J A N @ Ranchi DESPITE Maoist threats, the first phase of voting for 43 Assembly seats in Jharkhand concluded peacefully with 64.86% voting turnout till 5 pm. Registering its presence after a gap, the People’s Liberation Front of India, an offshoot of the CPI (Maoist), had put up posters near Ranchi and Khunti districts calling for a boycott of Assembly polls in Jharkhand. However, it did not have any effect on voters, police said. “ Vo t i n g , wh i ch c o m menced at 7 am, was held peacefully without any incidents of violence,” stated an official communiqué from the Election Commission of India. IG operations and Jharkhand Police spokesperson A V Homkar said that all the 15 districts in which the elections were held were Maoist-infested and it was a big challenge for the police to conduct peaceful polling. “But, the elections were held peacefully without even a single Maoist incident in all 43 Assembly seats. Out of the total 15, 334 polling booths during the first phase of polling, 2249 were identified as sensitive from a Naxal point of view for which huge deployment of forces were done to avoid any untoward situation,” said Homkar. Internal complaints panel reports mostly unilateral & biased, says HC E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Kochi Expressing deep concern over the “unilateral and biased” nature — often in favour of the institution — of a majority of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) reports that it reviewed, the High Court on Wednesday noted that credence of the reports was a matter subject to thorough checks and scrutiny to be believed and acted upon. The HC held that the reports or findings of the ICCs established under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Work- place (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013, will not hold decisive weight against a police report filed on a victim’s complaint of workplace sexual harassment. Justice A Badharudden said the reports require thorough scrutiny and cannot be deemed conclusive when complaints are also filed with police, resulting in investigation and a final report alleging the commission of the offences. The HC issued the order while dismissing a petition filed by a college principal to quash the proceedings related to sexual harassment charges. The prosecution said the principal made sexually coloured remarks and demanded sexual favour from a teacher. The principal’s counsel argued the ICC had found the allegations were false. The court made it clear that, when the aggrieved person directly files a complaint to the police, the latter will register the crime, conduct a probe and file a final report on the commission of the offences alleged; the ICC findings against the police report have no bearing on the prose● More on P4 cution case.  U A E l i s t i n g t o da y Pinnacle for Yusuff Ali as Lulu Retail enters ADX Raje s h A b r aham @Kochi On the morning of December 31, 1973, a boy from Nattika in Thrissur, barely 18, reached the shores of the UAE on a ship from Mumbai, with a dream to make a living and provide for his family back home. When the shares of Lulu Retail get listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) on Thursday, it will be the pinnacle of an extraordinary journey for Yusuff Ali M A, with the share sale making him the second-richest private individual in the UAE, according to Bloomberg. The highly anticipated listing of Lulu Retail follows a record-breaking $1.72 billion IPO – UAE’s largest this year – will propel Yusuff Ali’s net worth to $7.6 billion, a jump from $5.3 billion in 2023. “A record 82,000 retail investors subscribed for shares in the IPO, demonstrating the trust of the public on the Lulu brand, with more than 50,000 individuals registered in the 16 days between Lulu announcing its intention to float and the close of subscriptions,” a release said here. Lulu Retail’s IPO also marks the 100th listing on ADX, UAE’s largest exchange. Yusuff Ali began with a small trading centre in 1974 in Dubai. The company now operates more than 240 hypermarkets, express and mini-market stores across the six GCC countries, sourcing products from 85 countries. “The IPO has captured global attention. The landmark event will be marked by a formal bell-ringing ceremony at 10am on Thursday of, ficially declaring Lulu’s trading on the exchange and signalling a new chapter for both the company and the region’s retail markets. The allocation of shares has been successfully completed, and this listing also marks the 100th on ADX,” the statement said. The IPO listing comes a day before Yusuff Ali’s 69th birthday on November 15. The richest Keralite in the Forbes billionaires list, his 39th rank in Forbes Indian billionaires list is likely to get a boost once trading begins on ADX.