NAGAPATTINAM l friday l march 07, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION GST Council panel to explore possibility of cess in calamities GST Council has constituted a Group of Ministers to suggest policies for levying a special calamity cess in case of natural disasters in states examining feasibility of cess is next step alternate mechanism not ruled out The seven-member GoM, headed by UP Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna, will examine the constitutional and legal feasibility of levy of a special cess by states for revenue mobilisation in case of a natural calamity. Simultaneously, it would examine whether the special cess should be restricted to specific sectors or should be across the board ■ ■ The GoM would examine and identify the framework to be used to classify an event as a natural calamity/disaster for the purpose of levying special cess by states under the GST regime It is also expected to look into whether any alternate mechanism can be devised for helping states in case of a natural disaster 1% calamity cess on luxury goods was sought by andhra pradesh 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 Govt assails misuse of democratic freedom; UK claims its police acted swiftly, none held J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Taking strong exception to Khalistani supporters breaching the security of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in London, India on Thursday said it expects the UK to live up to its diplomatic obligations while deploring the “misuse of democratic freedoms”. “We have seen the footage of a breach of security during the visit of EAM to the UK. We condemn the provocative activities of this small group of separatists and extremists. We deplore their misuse of democratic freedoms. We expect the host government in such cases to fully live up to their diplomatic obligations,” the External Affairs Ministry said. Later, the UK strongly condemned the security breach, saying such attempts to “intimidate, threaten, or disrupt” public events are “completely unacceptable”. The incident occurred when a group of proKhalistan extremists tried to disrupt Jaishankar’s visit for a discussion at Chatham House in London. The breach took place as the minister was leaving the venue after the event. A video circulating online shows an individual aggressively charging toward Jaishankar’s convoy Taking advan. tage of the police officers’ brief hesitation, the protester tore the Tricolour while others in the group shouted slogans from a distance. Earlier, Jaishankar held Strongly condemn it: UK foreign office “We strongly condemn the incident that took place outside Chatham House” during the visit, a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said on Thursday talks with the UK’s Secretary of State for Home, Yvette Cooper, focusing on issues such as trafficking and extremism. Concerns over the activities of Khalistan separatists in the UK were reportedly part of the discussions, as India has repeatedly raised this matter with British authorities. The British authorities said the police acted swiftly to address the situation. A Met Police spokesperson said the protester was quickly intercepted by officers. He did not get close to the minister, who was able to leave without further incident. There were no arrests. ED sleuths at the residence of M C Shankar Anand, a government contractor and close aide of Minister Senthil Balaji, in Karur on Thursday | Express akkonam, S Jagathrakshakan. Sources further said the raids were conducted to recover incriminating material relating to a fresh money laundering case registered by ED against malpractices in sale of alcohol by the companies to Tasmac and the role played by middlemen in the same. Places linked to associates of Senthil Balaji, including former Tangedco financial controller Kasi, were also searched in Chennai, they added. In Karur, officials searched offices of M C Shankar Anand, a government contractor and close aide of Senthil Balaji. Meanwhile, two more ED 30,000+ taxpayers declare foreign assets worth `29,208 cr in spl drive d i pa k m o n d a l @ New Delhi A special drive to ‘nudge’ taxpayers to disclose their foreign assets and income has resulted in over 30,000 taxpayers declaring foreign assets worth `29,208 crore and additional foreign income of `1,090 crore, according to government sources. The campaign also made 6,734 taxpayers change their residential status from resident to nonresident. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) launched the compliance-cum-awareness campaign on 17 November 2024, urging taxpayers to declare their foreign assets and income in revised income tax returns (ITRs) for assessment year (AY) Common Reporting Standards helped India is an adopter of Common Reporting Standards (CRS), under which more than 125 nations agreed to share financial information of individuals 2024-25. As part of the campaign, SMS and emails were sent to 19,501 taxpayers with high foreign account balances or significant foreign income from interest or dividends above a specified threshold. The tax department also organised 30 outreach sessions, seminars and webinars across India, engaging over 8,500 participants directly . Government sources said approximately 62% of taxpayers approached by the department responded positively voluntar, ily revising their ITRs to declare foreign assets and income. The number of taxpayers disclosing foreign assets and income on a voluntary basis has steadily grown from 60,000 in AY2021-22 to 231,452 taxpayers in AY 2024-25. “This year, due to extensive outreach and awareness efforts, voluntary disclosures witnessed a significant 45.17% growth compared to AY 202324,” said a source. “At the heart of this campaign lies the Trust First approach, which prioritises volu n t a r y c o m p l i a n c e ove r enforcement,” said a government source. dacoity, robbery down by 17% grievous attacks, murders see sharp drop in tamil nadu E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Chennai new year, old heat Vellore hit a blistering 38.1°C on Thursday, setting the stage for 2025’s summer season | dinesh s 26/11 accused Rana seeks US SC stay on extradition reports detailing instances of extrajudicial killings, custodial Weeks after US President torture and mistreatment of Donald Trump announced detainees. Mumbai terror attack accused On February 12, 2025, the day Tahawwur Rana’s extradition Prime Minister Narendra Modi to India, the convict made a arrived in Washington to meet last-ditch plea before the US Su- President Trump, the State Depreme Court seeking an partment notified Raemergency stay on the na’s counsel that the decision. He claimed he Secretary of State had faces a high risk of tordecided to authorise his ture and death if handsurrender to India. ed over to India. His defense claimed Rana also argued that that his identity as a his extradition would Muslim of Pakistani violate international origin, along with his and US legal protec- Tahawwur Rana past service in the Pakitions against torture. stani Army, would put His legal team claimed that him at a greater risk of misRana, now 64, is in deteriorat- treatment in India. ing health and unlikely to surRana is a known associate of vive long enough to stand trial David Coleman Headley a Paki, in India. They also claimed that stani-American terrorist who India’s criminal justice system played a crucial role in planhas a documented history of ning the November 26, 2008, athuman rights violations, refer- tacks in Mumbai, which killed encing US State Department 166 people, including civilians. S h e k h a r S i n g h @ New Delhi Video grab of the heckler The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday raided 25 locations linked to key associates of Electricity and Prohibition Minister Senthil Balaji, as well as offices of state-owned Tasmac, its head office in Chennai and offices of multiple distilleries that supply liquor to it, according to sources. The searches were conducted in Chennai, Karur and other locations in the state, sources said. The corporate offices of liquor companies SNJ, KALS, MGM and Accord in Chennai and their distilleries were searched by officials of the agency Sleuths also raided Tas. mac’s head office in Egmore, they added. Accord is owned by DMK Lok Sabha MP from Ar- 36 Bodily offences, including murder, attempt to murder, culpable homicide, hurt and grievous hurt, fell by 36%, from 49,286 cases in 2023 to 31,497 in 2024, according to an official release on Thursday from the office of the Director General of Police (DGP) Shankar Jiwal. The head of police force emphasised that bodily offences are a key parameter in assessing law and order. Murder cases, in particular, dropped by 6.82%, from 1,598 in 2023 to 1,489 in 2024. Riots cases also decreased by 5.82%, with 1,305 cases in 2023 and 1,229 in 2024. “The state has witnessed a significant reduction in bodily offences, particularly grave cases like murders and riots,” the statement said. The reduction has been attributed to initiatives like the nomination of DARE (Drive Against Rowdy Element) officers, focused action against 550 notorious rowdies, tracking of cases against rowdies nearing conviction, bail cancellations and Bodily preventive detentions.  P5 offence number of cases in state express read Chennai records hottest day of year with 37.7°C 7-day ultimatum for TN to decide on caste orgs Chennai: On March 6 (Thursday), the Meenambakkam weather station near Chennai airport recorded a temperature of 37.7°C, marking the hottest day of 2025 so far. According to weather blogger K Srikanth, it is also the highest temperature recorded on March 6 since the year 2000 | P5 Chennai: Madras HC on Thursday gave a 7-day ultimatum to the TN government for submitting its stand on whether caste organisations, with an avowed goal of furthering the interests of only a particular caste, can be registered under the Registration of Societies Act | P4 Cases in 2023 2024 % drop 6.82 5.82 1,305 1,229 UNION minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari on Thursday recommended registration of a police case against those responsible for faulty detailed project reports (DPRs) for road construction that result in deaths in road accidents. Gadkari said he had observed ‘thousands of mistakes’ in DPRs and blamed civil engineers for the spike in road accident rates and fatalities across India. “The most important culprits are civil engineers… I am directly taking the name because after 10 years of my experience, I am coming to this conclusion. The most important culprit is who makes the DPR. And there are thousands of mistakes… persons who are responsible, we should register an FIR against them and take them i n c u s t o dy, ” Nitin Gadkari said Gadkari. The minister was speaking at the Global Road Infratech Summit & Expo (The GRIS 2025) organised by International Road Federation (IRF) India Chapter in Delhi. Gadkari has been vocal about poor quality of DPRs. In the past too, he has blamed the reports for delay in projects and road accidents. Last year, NHAI created a DPR cell to ensure better construction standards, cost-effectiveness, and timely completion of national highway projects. Expressing concern over deaths of young citizens in road accidents, Gadkari said bureaucratic set-ups take years to improve or rectify faults in road design despite timely interventions by his ministry . “Because of small civil engineering mistakes, there are hundreds of deaths. I do not know why there is no sensitiveness… bureaucratic systems take years,” Gadkari said. The minister called upon industry members to develop strategies to enhance road safety “My first suggestion to you . as an international road federation is just take all records and give it to me. I will stamp it, and make it mandatory he said. ,” @ Chennai/Karur 1,598 1,489 pa r v e z s u lta n @ New Delhi E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e 31,497 Faulty road construction reports under ‘FIR’e Khalistani bid to ED raids Senthil Balaji’s associates, Tasmac heckle Jaishankar at London rapped 49,286 gadkari fiat Murder Riot teams searched the premises of Subramani, who runs Kongu Restaurant in Rayanur, and Sakthivel, proprietor of Sakthi Restaurant in Kothai Nagar, Karur. Both are said to be friends of the minister. Searches have been ongoing at all three locations since 9 am. Another team reached the house of Shankar Anand’s parents located in Mayanur, on the outskirts of the district. However, they could not conduct a search as nobody was home at the time, according to sources. Senthil Balaji is already facing trial in a ‘cash for jobs’ scam being investigated by the Greater Chennai Police and ED from his time as transport minister during the 2011-2015 AIADMK rule. He was arrested by ED in June 2023 and released only in September 2024. ‘axe cartoon’ HC to centre: Restore access to Vikatan site E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Chennai The Madras High Court on Thursday ordered the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) to temporarily unblock Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan’s website, which was blocked after it published a cartoon featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump recently with the rider , that the cartoon be removed from the site till the main petition is decided. Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy passed the interim orders when hearing the petitions filed by Ananda Vikatan Productions Private Limited, Ananda Vikatan Publishers Private Limited and its authorised person T Murugan. The petitions prayed for the quashing of a February 25, 2025 order of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to block the website from public access and restoring immediate access to the site. The cartoon was published on the magazine’s website on February 13 and depicting the PM in handcuffs alongside US President Donald Trump, an editorial comment on the centre’s alleged silence over the deportation of Indian immig rants from the US in handcuffs. “The petitioner shall remove the contentious cartoon from its website and send an e-mail to the respondent authorities (I&B Ministry). Upon receiving the email, the respondent shall lift the blocking of the website as soon as possible,” the judge said in the order. He adjourned the matter to March 21 for hearing of the main petitions. Senior counsel Vijay Narayan, representing the petitioners, submitted that neither the sovereignty of the country nor its relations with the US was affected by the publication of the cartoon.  P5 Hindu Marriage Act Curious case of Indore family court denying divorce to Jains A n u r a a g S i n g h @ Bhopal A series of petitions have been filed by the Jain community in the Madhya Pradesh High Court against an Indore family court’s orders denying them relief in matrimonial disputes/ matters under provisions of the Hindu Marriage Act. First Additional Principal Judge, Family Court-Indore Dhirendra Singh, refused re- lief to multiple Jain couples under Section 13-B of the Hindu Marriage Act, which deals with divorce by mutual consent. In one of the orders passed on a petition of a 35-year-old advocate and her 37-year-old senior software engineer husband, the judge said, “Followers of Jainism don’t have any right to get relief un- der the Hindu Marriage Act 1955, as they have rejected the basic Vedic beliefs of Hinduism and have established themselves as minorities after separating from Hindu religion since 2014.” The judge further said, “the followers of Jainism are at liberty to file pleas in accordance with the well established old religious and social traditions of their religion, under Section 7 of the Family Court Act to get their marital disputes resolved.” A division bench of the MP High Court in Indore, while looking into the controversy, appointed Indore-based senior advocate A K Sethi as amicus curiae to assist the court. The HC said as many as 28 petitions filed under Section 13-B of the Hindu Marriage Act have been dismissed by Judge Singh. “Jains have been getting their matrimonial disputes resolved under the Hindu Marriage Act for a long time, since they have no separate marriage law. Indore district has five family court benches, but only one of them has passed the order while hearing multiple petitions in a day last month,” said Pankaj Khandelwal, the counsel in one the cases.