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 ■ ■ 152 tadepalligudem l saturday l march 29, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION dead & counting as 7.7 quake flattens myanmar, Thailand a g en c i e s @ Bangkok A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand on Friday, destroying scores of buildings, a bridge and a dam. At least 144 people were killed in Myanmar, where photos and video from two hard-hit cities showed extensive damage. At least eight died in the Thai capital, where a high-rise under construction collapsed. The 7.7 magnitude quake, with an epicentre near Mandalay Myanmar’s second largest , city struck at midday and was , followed by a strong 6.4 magnitude aftershock. The full extent of deaths, injury and de- struction was not immediately clear — particularly in Myanmar, one of the world’s poorest countries. It is embroiled in a civil war and information is tightly controlled. The head of Myanmar’s military gover nment said in the televised s p e e c h o n F r i d ay evening that at least 144 people were killed and 730 others were injured. Photos from Naypyidaw showed multiple buildings used to house civil servants destroyed, and rescue crew pulling victims from beneath the rubble. Myanmar has declared a state of emergency . Near Bangkok’s popular Chatuchak market, a 33-storey building under construction, with a crane on top, crumpled into a cloud of dust, with onlookers screaming and running in a video posted on social media. The sound of sirens echoed throughout central Bangkok and vehicles filled the streets, leaving some of the city’s already congested All of a sudden the whole building began to move. A lot of screaming, a lot of panic, people running the wrong way down the escalators , total chaos — Fraser Morton, tourist from Scotland in Bangkok Judiciary steps up to safeguard free speech SC junks FIR against HC grants interim Imran Pratapgarhi bail to Kunal Kamra S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi R SIVAKUMAR @ Chennai THE Supreme Court on Friday quashed the FIR and criminal proceedings initiated by Gujarat police against Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi over a poem in a video clip uploaded by him on social media. The 46-second video clip showed the Rajya Sabha MP being showered with flower petals as he walks, with the poem playing in the background. The FIR alleged the poem contained provocative lyrics that pitted communities against one another aside from hurting religious sentiments. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan said the poem had nothing to do with religion, caste, community, or any particular group, adding that the police must first understand the meaning of written or spoken words before lodging FIR in such cases. “The poem’s words do not bring about or promote disImran Pratapgarhi harmony or feelings of hatred or ill-will. It only seeks to challenge the injustice made by the ruler. It is impossible to say that the words used by the appellant disturb or are likely to disturb public tranquillity the bench said. ,” The court observed that different forms of art including poetry, drama, music, satire make human life more meaningful and people should be granted the freedom to express through such art forms. “The Constitution says reasonable restriction can be imposed on the freedom of right to speech and expression, but the reasonable restriction should not be unreasonable and fanciful to trample the rights of citizens,” the SC added. The bench had reserved the verdict on Pratapgarhi’s appeal on March 3. THE Madras High Court on Friday granted interim anticipatory bail till April 7 to comedian Kunal Kamra in a case registered against him by Khar police in Mumbai over his jokes on Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde. “The petitioner has satisfied this court as to why he is unable to approach the courts in Maharashtra immediately for protection,” Justice Sunder Mohan said in his order. In his petition, Kamra said he has been a resident of Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district since 2021 and that he fears arrest and physical harm if he travels to Maharashtra in response to the summons by Khar police. While granting interim protection, the HC directed Kamra to execute a bail bond before the judicial magistrate. Justice Mohan also issued notice to Khar police and posted the matKunal Kamra ter to April 7. The comedian was booked by the Khar police on a complaint by Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel for his alleged defamatory remarks against the deputy CM in his comedy show. Kamra was booked for offences under Sections 353(1)(b), 353(2) (public mischief), and 356(2) (defamation). The contentious stand-up gig was performed at the Habitat Comedy Club in Khar, Mumbai. The caustic comments in the show triggered a strong backlash with Shinde’s supporters vandalising the venue. Kamra’s counsel V Suresh said his client received around 500 phone calls threatening to harm him. Besides, several persons issued open threats that they will “teach him a lesson in Shiv Sena’s style”. 51 mandals to be declared as drought-hit E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada A decision in principle has been taken to declare 51 mandals in the State as drought-hit, and orders to this effect will be issued within two or three days, said Special Chief Secretary (Revenue) RP Sisodia. Chairing the Drought Committee meeting held at the office of APSDMA in hybrid mode on Friday, Sisodia said the committee had meticulously examined the proposals submitted by the District Collectors and the relevant departments, and finalised its report to submit it to the government for approval. The prevailing conditions in the mandals were assessed strictly as per the Drought Management Manual, ensuring a structured and data-driven approach. The government is committed to addressing drought-related challenges, and the committee meeting is crucial in evaluating the severity of the situation across various disP4 tricts, Sisodia said.  1,500 earthquakes have hit myanmar since 1950 till the present day streets gridlocked. The elevated rapid transit system and subway shut down. While the area where the quake struck is prone to earthquakes, they are usually not so big and it is rare for them to be felt in the Thai capital, which sits on a river delta and is at moderate risk for quakes. The US Geological Survey and Germany’s centre for geosciences said it was a shallow earthquake that causes more damage. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post on X, said, “Concerned by the situation in Myanmar and Thailand. India stands ready to offer all P9 possible assistance.” why are shallow quakes lethal? A videograb of onlookers near the 33-storey high-rise in Bangkok that collapsed on Friday after the earthquake | AP Bench says CJI can order FIR after inquiry ‘Allahabad HC turned into dumping ground’ Allahabad High Court Bar Association president Anil Tiwari said they will boycott Justice Varma’s swearing-in. “I don’t know what compelled the government to issue this transfer notification. We have called an emergency meeting tonight to decide our next course of action. Allahabad High Court has been turned into a dumping ground.” Cash row: 1991 SC order back in focus The SC rejecting a plea for FIR against Justice Varma has brought into focus its 1991 verdict virtually granting immunity to judges. A five-judge Constitution bench in the K Veeraswami case directed no criminal case should be registered against a judge unless the Chief Justice of India was consulted in the matter. s u c h i t r a k a lya n m o h a n t y @ New Delhi CALLING it “premature”, the Supreme Court on Friday rejected a PIL seeking Delhi Police to register an FIR against Delhi High Court’s Justice Yashwant Varma over the alleged discovery of burnt wads of cash from his official residence on March 14. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan said an in-house inquiry was in progress and there would be several options open to the Chief Justice of India after the probe’s conclusion. The bench, therefore, refused to examine the plea of advocate Mathews J Nedumpara and three others. “We have seen the prayers. After the in-house inquiry is over, several options are open. If the report indicates something is wrong, the chief justice (of India) can direct the express read Naidu’s concern over falling fertility rates in South India Chennai: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu on Friday expressed his concern about the falling fertility rates in South India. “Earlier population of India was a problem, but now it’s a big advantage. South India has a problem with fertility rate. Tamil Nadu has 1.5 to 1.6 (children per woman), AP 1.5 whereas Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are saving India by adding more population,” he said E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu examines a technology project at All India Research Scholars Summit-2025 at IIT Madras on Friday | Express He reflected on India’s economic journey, recalling the pre-liberalisation mixed economy, and impact of 1992 economic reforms. He mentioned how deregulation in the telecom sector, based on his recommendation, helped drive digital transformation. He recounted his meeting with Bill Gates in the 1990s, which led to Microsoft’s establishment in Hyderabad, and highlighted the role of Telugu leaders like Satya Nadella in global technology . Naidu spoke about India’s digital revolution, citing Aadhaar and UPI as examples of successful innovations. By December 2024, India had achieved 1,673 crore UPI transactions with an annual value exceeding $2.4 trillion. He projected India’s rapid economic growth from the world’s fifth largest economy in 2021 to potentially reaching first or second place P4 by 2047.  Allahabad Bar Association protests transfer No FIR for now against Justice Varma, says SC Naidu announces AP’s ambitious plan to set up Quantum Valley in Amaravati Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has announced Andhra Pradesh’s ambitious plans, including setting up Quantum Valley in Amaravati with the help of IIT Madras. Speaking at the All India Research Scholars Summit (AIRSS) 2025 at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras on Friday Naidu recalled his fore, sight in establishing Hyderabad’s Hitech City in 1995, and emphasised the importance of AI, urging students to develop practical use cases. Andhra Pradesh is collaborating with IIT Madras, IBM, TCS, and the Government of India to advance Deep Technology, he revealed. Exuding confidence that India’s future belongs to young scholars and entrepreneurs, Naidu acknowledged the role of IIT Madras in knowledge dissemination, and praised its contribution to startups like Agnikul Cosmos and Mindgrove Technologies, which have placed India at the forefront of space and semiconductor innovation. The earthquake that hit Myanmar and Thailand on Friday was shallow, as per the US Geological Survey. Shallow earthquakes are more dangerous than deeper ones due to their greater energy release closer to the Earth’s surface, causing stronger impact that leads to ground shaking and increased damage to structures and casualties. Seismic waves from deeper quakes lose part of their energy by the time they reach the surface. AP’s IT policy has proved to be a gamechanger in promoting rapid growth Chandrababu Naidu, CM Yashwant Varma register of the FIR or refer the matter to the Parliament after examining the report,” the court said. Petitioners Mathews J Nedumpara, Hemali Suresh Kurne, Rajesh Vishnu Adrekar and Mansha Nimesh Mehta had submitted that their plea pertained to a larger public interest and sought a direction from the court for registration of an FIR. A fire at Justice Varma’s official residence on March 14 led to the alleged discovery of wads of burnt cash in an outhouse of the judge’s residence. Justice Varma was not in New Delhi at the time of the fire, and has denied all charges. Subsequently, CJI Sanjiv Khanna formed a three-member in-house panel, consisting of Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana, Justice G S Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh, and Anu Sivaraman, Judge of the High Court of Karnataka. The panel has been mandated with an inquiry into the allegations against Justice Varma, the second senior-most Judge of the HC of Delhi. In a related development, the Union government Friday notified the transfer of Justice Varma to his parent Allahabad High Court. The Law Ministry issued a notification announcing the transfer of the judge. Strongly opposing the transfer, its Bar Association president on Friday called it the “darkest day for India’s judiciary .”