kochi l saturday l april 05, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION Supreme Court rejects Petition to seize Electoral Bond Funds Supreme Court has rejected a review of its fiat rejecting petitions for confiscating money received by parties under electoral bond scheme no roving inquiry into electoral bonds No alternative mechanism yet, says govt A bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra dismissed the review plea filed by Khem Singh Bhati against the court’s decision of August 2, 2024, when the Supreme Court had rejected several pleas, including one filed by Bhati, for a court-monitored probe into electoral bonds and observed it couldn’t order a roving inquiry ■ ■ A five-judge Constitution bench led by former CJI D Y Chandrachud on February 15 last year scrapped the electoral bonds scheme of anonymous political funding introduced by the BJP government The govt on Friday said there is no proposal under consideration to have an alternative mechanism to the electoral bond scheme A16,518 cr amount that the plea sought to be confiscated from political parties 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 Congress MP, AIMIM president file petitions Rajya Sabha approves legislation 128-95 Fight against the Waqf bill goes to Supreme Court mentary Committee (JPC) that scrutinised the bill. Hours after the Waqf (AmendWhile the Lok Sabha cleared ment) Bill 2025 received Parlia- the bill 288-232; in the Rajya ment’s approval, the Congress Sabha it was 128-95. Both Housand the All India Majlis-e-Itte- es witnessed 12-hour marathon hadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) debates. The bill will now go to moved the Supreme Court on the President for assent before Friday challenging its validity , , becoming law. arguing that it violates constiEarlier in the day AICC gen, tutional provisions. eral secretary Jairam The development Ramesh said his parAIMPLB came a day after ty will soon challenge knocks Tamil Nadu Chief the constitutionality prez door Minister M K Stalin of the Waqf (Amendannounced in the ment) Bill, 2024, in The All India state assembly that the Supreme Court. Muslim the Dravida MunneChallenging the Personal Law tra Kazhagam (DMK) bill in the top court, Board sought will move the SC to AIMIM president an urgent challenge the bill. Asaduddin Owaisi in appointment In his plea, Conhis plea argued that with President gress MP Mohamit removes various Droupadi mad Jawed held that protections that were Murmu to the bill imposes arbipreviously accorded express their trary restrictions on to waqfs as well as to concern before waqf properties and Hindu, Jain, and her assent to their management, Sikh religious and the Waqf Bill undermining the recharitable endowligious autonomy of ments. “This diminthe Muslim community The pe- ishing of the protection given . tition claimed that the pro- to Waqfs while retaining them p o s e d law disc r im inates for religious and charitable enagainst Muslims by imposing dowments of other religions restrictions that are not present constitutes hostile discriminain the governance of other reli- tion against Muslims and is gious endowments. violative of Articles 14 and 15 Jawed, a Lok Sabha MP from of the Constitution, which proBihar’s Kishanganj, was also a hibit discrimination on the member of the Joint Parlia- grounds of religion.” E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Kochi P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi end to rumours Annamalai: Not in race for TN BJP prez post E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Coimbatore In a move to end speculation about his position, Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai on Friday declared that he is not in the race to be the next BJP state president’s post. Speaking to reporters at the Coimbatore airport on Friday, Annamalai said he would continue to work for the party as a cadre and that there is no compromise against corruption. On reports that the AIADMK leadership was in favour of easing him out of office of state unit president to forge an alliance with the BJP for the 2026 assembly elections in the state, Annamalai K Annamalai said he was not inclined to make any comment. “As far as I am concerned, the BJP should do well for all times to come. We will talk at the time of election of new president,” he said, and added that it could happen soon. Asked why he was not in the race for the president post, Annamalai said the state unit president is unanimously elected and there is no contest or competition for the top post in the BJP unlike in other parties. On a question whether he would get any role as a central minister or not, Annamalai said he would not leave the land of Tamil Nadu. 16 pages, including 4 pages of KOCHI Express BJP promises to support Munambam residents Cops detain a man protesting against the Waqf bill in Ahmedabad on Friday | PTI Protesters hit the streets demanding its withdrawal D i l i p S i n g h K s h at r i ya @ Ahmedabad Protests erupted in parts of the country hours after Parliament passed the controversial Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the wee hours of Friday . In Ahmedabad, protesters poured into the streets, denouncing the bill saying it is an assault on minority rights and religious autonomy They held . placards that read “Withdraw Waqf Bill” and “Reject UCC” and sported black armbands. Police intervened and detained at least 50 protesters. Protests were also reported in pockets of Delhi, West Bengal, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Manipur and Jharkhand. Heavy police presence is sensitive localities of UP ensured the state was peaceful. In Delhi, students of the Jamia Millia Islamia staged a protest in front of the university. They condemned the bill as “unconstitutional and communal” and criticised the university administration for attempting to suppress dissent. In Kolkata, hundreds of Muslims took to the streets to express their opposition to the contentious legislation, with several minority organisations joining the agitation. There were reports of protests in parts of Imphal Valley . They raised concerns about the autonomy and administration of Waqf properties. A day after the passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Parliament, the BJP on Friday said it would stand with the people of Munambam until their revenue rights are reestablished. BJP leaders led by state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar visited Munambam and joined residents in their celebrations over the passing of the bill by the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. In Thrissur, Union Minister Suresh Gopi went to the St Mary’s Forane Church in Koratti fulfilling “the promise he made to the people of Munambam” that he would visit the church once the bill was passed. Chandrasekhar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been following a policy of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’ since 2014 and the Union government has not shown any discrimination towards any community on the basis of caste or religion. “The Waqf (Amendment) Bill passed by Parliament is a milestone in Indian history The non-violent protest of the . residents of Munambam village reached New Delhi and facilitated the passage of a historic bill. I am sure the bill will help restore the land rights of the residents of Munambam,” he said. Interacting with media after visiting the protesting residents, Chandrasekhar said the passage of the bill marks a decisive moment in Kerala pol● More on P4 itics.  Want positive, constructive ties with B’desh: PM to Yunus Hasina issue j aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi IN his first meeting with Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus after tensions following Sheikh Hasina government’s exit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised India’s desire to build a positive, constructive ties with Bangladesh based on pragmatism and highlighted New Delhi’s people-centric approach to the relationship. During the 45 minutes meeting on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC summit in Thailand, Modi underscored India’s concerns on safety and security of minorities in Bangladesh, in- Yunus discussed extradition of ousted PM Hasina. “Bangladesh has made a formal request... Saying anything more will not be correct right now,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said cluding Hindus, and expressed an expectation that the Bangladeshi government would ensure their protection, particularly by investigating incidents of atrocities against them, while urging that rhetoric that vitiates the environment should be avoided. “Enunciating India’s peoplecentric approach to the relationship, Prime Minister high- lighted that cooperation between the two countries has brought tangible benefits to the people of both countries. He underlined India’s desire to forge a positive and constructive relationship with Bangladesh based on pragmatism,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said after the meeting. In the context of comments including Yunus’ statement about Bangladesh remaining the ‘guardian of the ocean’ for India’s north eastern states, Modi urged Yunus that “rhetoric that vitiates the environment is best avoided.” Modi also stressed on the need for a strict enforcement of the law and prevention of illegal border crossings. Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets Muhammad Yunus in Thailand | PTI India has got a China problem from US tariffs DIPA K MO N DAL @ New Delhi AS US President Donald Trump’s new tariff regime takes off, Indian businesses are facing a dragon-sized threat. India has a $100-billion trade deficit with China. With the US imposing a 54% tariff on Chinese imports, India could become a dumping ground for surplus Chinese goods. In 2024, China exported goods worth $440 billion and maintained a trade surplus of $295 billion with the US. With the additional tariff, Chinese goods will become uncompetitive in the US market. China’s usual back-channel exports through Vietnam and Bangladesh may not work this time, as they too have been tariffed. China’s top exports to the US are electrical China hits back with and electronics items, 34% tariff on US machinery toys, appar, el, etc. India imports Beijing: In a tit-for-tat response, electrical & electronics China on Friday slapped a 34% items, heavy machin- additional tariff on all imports ery, and iron & steel from the US, effective April 10. from China. Beijing also announced export According to the In- controls on certain rare earth dian Steel Association, metals, aiming to hit American as the US shuts its doors defence, computer, and to global steel, surplus smartphone industries | P9 steel from China— the world’s largest steel producer—could be redirected to India, leading to market distortions. Electronics, apparel and footwear sectors may also be hit similarly . “In 2024, Directorate General of Trade Remedies registered 43 anti-dumping cases against China. Chinese manufacturers may now escalate dumping,” said Debopam Chaudhuri, chief economist, Piramal Enterprises. “While we negotiate with the US, we must also guard against China’s reaction,” said Madhavi Puri, chief economist at Emkay Global Financial Services. MARKETS IN TURMOIL Incendiary comments made by Sheikh Hasina in India was raised during the meeting with Modi FTSE DAX CAC -4.95% -4.95% -4.26% S&P 500 -5.20% Nasdaq -5.08% Dow Jones-4.79% Nikkei -2.75% Hang Seng -1.52% BSE Sensex -1.22% (Early trade figures for U.S. markets) Shafiqul Alam, Yunus’ press secy t e c h s u pp o r t Stolen mobile phone giving you sleepless nights? CEIR can help S h a n A S @ T’Puram SPlash & crash A protester slips and falls as police use water cannons to disperse Yuva Morcha workers agitating in front of the Secretariat on Friday demanding CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s resignation in the wake of the SFIO chargesheet against his daughter | Vincent Pulickal Losing personal electronic devices, especially mobile phones, is something people dread. Apart from the financial setback, there is the fear of confidential data being compromised. But, not many are aware that the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR), a portal created by the department of telecommunication, is their best ally in tracking down and retrieving lost or stolen phones. Between September 2019 and March 2025, the portal received 45,647 requests from the state for blocking mobile phones. Of these, nearly 39,500 phones were successfully blocked. Traceability reports were generated in around 35,000 instances, which culminated in the tracking of 29,000 phones. And, as many as 6,222 phones were successfully retrieved. Many of the devices were recovered from local second-hand mobile shops, while some were re possessed from counterfeit markets in West Bengal, Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai, police sources said. A senior police officer said the phones are blocked using their IMEI number. Using state-of-the-art digital tools, the devices are tracked, and once the geographical location is identified, they are physically retrieved. The collective worth of the recovered phones could be more than `6 crore, the official told TNIE. However, it’s not always monetary loss that prompts users to register police complaints and report on the CEIR platfor m. Most fear the prospect of data stored in their phones being accessed by others, which could in turn ruin their personal and professional lives. “The fear of data theft leaves victims asserting greater pressure on cops to trace their devices. Though high-end mobile phones have features that allow users to delete data remotely , very few use them,” said an officer with cyber division, who is part of the team that engages in tracking stolen/missing ● More on P4 phones.