MANGALURU  WEDNESDAY  APRIL 30, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 14  CITY EDITION INDIA PUT ON ‘PRIORITY WATCH LIST’ FOR IP RIGHTS VIOLATIONS The US, after the move, said New Delhi remains a major economy for protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights ‘MANY LONG-STANDING CONCERNS REMAIN’ U.S. KEEN TO ENGAGE WITH INDIA ON IPR The US Trade Representative’s (USTR) 2025 Special 301 report, an annual review of the global state of IPR protection and enforcement, said that over the past year, India has remained inconsistent in its progress on intellectual property protection and enforcement. It said there is a lack of progress on many long-standing IP concerns I I The report comes in the backdrop of India-US negotiating a bilateral trade agreement to boost two-way commerce to $500 billion by 2030, and said patents are of particular concern The report said US intends to continue to engage with India on IP matters, including through intellectual property working groups 25 COUNTRIES INCLUDING CHINA, RUSSIA ON THE LIST APART FROM INDIA CHENNAI I MADURAI I VIJAYAWADA I BENGALURU I KOCHI I HYDERABAD I VISAKHAPATNAM I COIMBATORE I KOZHIKODE I THIRUVANANTHAPURAM I BELAGAVI I BHUBANESWAR I SHIVAMOGGA I MANGALURU I TIRUPATI I TIRUCHY I TIRUNELVELI I SAMBALPUR I HUBBALLI I DHARMAPURI I KOTTAYAM I KANNUR I VILLUPURAM I KOLLAM I TADEPALLIGUDEM I NAGAPATTINAM I THRISSUR I KALABURAGI Kharge, Rahul seek special Parl session New Delhi: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, requesting him to convene a special session of the Parliament to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack and demonstrate a collective resolve to take on the conspirators | P9 Zipline operator picked up by NIA Srinagar: Zipline operator Muzamil Ahmed Kumhar, who was heard chanting ‘Allahu Akbar’ as terrorists fired on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam meadow on April 22, has been picked up for questioning by the NIA. His father said Muzamil had visited his home in Anantnag yesterday and was picked up by policemen in the evening | P9 India brands Pak a rogue state at UN New Delhi: India has branded Pakistan a rogue state at the UN, citing Pakistani Defence Minister Khwaja Asif’s “open confession” to funding and supporting terror groups. “This open confession exposes Pakistan as a rogue state fuelling global terrorism and destabilising the region,” said Yojna Patel, Deputy Permanent Representative to UN | P9 FULL FREEDOM TO FORCES PM says they have operational freedom to decide mode, targets and timing of their action against terror outfits and their ecosystem R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday gave the security forces full operational freedom to to decide the mode, targets and timing of their decisive action against the terror outfits responsible for the Pahalgam brutality against tourists and also smash their ecosystem. The directive came at a marathon meeting at his residence with defence minister Rajnath Singh, the chiefs of the armed forces and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Modi expressed complete confidence in the professional abilities of the armed forces. Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan was part of the meeting. Sources said the PM, after listening to inputs from the top officers, underscored the national resolve to deal a crushing blow to terrorism. Parallelly Union home secre, tary Govind Mohan held a highlevel meeting with chiefs of Central Armed Police Forces and two other central security agencies. Among those who attended the meeting were the Directors General of Border Security Force Daljit Singh Justice Gavai appointed next CJI Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai was on Tuesday appointed the next Chief Justice of India.He takes charge on May 14 Justice Gavai, the 52nd CJI, was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court in 2019. He will have a tenure of over six months He was part of a five-judge Constitution bench which in December 2023 upheld the Centre’s decision to abrogate Article 370 in J&K Another bench he was part of annulled electoral bonds scheme He was also part of a five-judge bench which approved the Centre’s 2016 decision to demonetise `1,000 and `500 denomination notes Justice Gavai was part of a Constitution bench, which by a 6:1 majority held that states are empowered to make subclassifications within the Scheduled Castes Nothing wrong in using Pegasus for security: SC S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi THE government possessing spyware for security purposes is not wrong, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday Allega. tions of it being used against private individuals can be looked at, it added. “What’s wrong if a country is using spyware? To have spyware is not wrong… against whom you are using it is the question. You can’t sacrifice the security of the nation,” a bench of justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh said. The bench said a technical committee’s report on the issue can’t be made public as it touches upon the country’s security and sovereignty However, affected . individuals can be informed, it added. SC’s remarks came while hearing petitions seeking a de- tailed probe into allegations against the government over the use of Israeli software Pegasus to snoop on activists, journalists, and others. The petitioners argued that targeted surveillance using military-grade spyware is a violation of the right to privacy Solicitor . General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, said, “Terrorists can’t claim privacy rights.” To this, the bench said private civil individuals, who have the right to privacy will be protect, ed under the Constitution. During the hearing, advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for one of the petitioners, said he wanted to place on record a judgment of a US District Court that mentioned India as one of the affected countries. The bench allowed this and fixed the matter for further hearing to July 30. Prime Minister Narendra Modi with NSA Ajit Doval, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and chiefs of the Armed Forces, at a high-level meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday | PTI Chaudhary, National Security Guard Brighu Srinivasan and Assam Rifles Lt Gen Vikas Lakhera, sources said, adding that Additional Director General of the Sashastra Seema Bal Anupama Nilekar Chandra was present. Later, the Union home secretary held a video conference with the chief secretaries of all the states and Union Territories and asked them to ensure that all Pakistani nationals whose visas were revoked leave the country within the stipulated deadline. After the meeting with the defence leadership, Modi also met with Union home minister Amit Shah, amid growing indications of a major crackdown on terrorism. By earlier an- nouncing that the security forces would go the ends of the earth to bring the perpetrators of the Pahalgam massacre to justice, adding that the terrorists would be subjected to punishment beyond their imagination, the PM set the bar very high for kinetic action. Sources suggest that the final contours of the government’s response may be decided during the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting, scheduled for Wednesday following a meeting of the Union Cabinet. The buzz is the government is preparing for a multi-pronged offensive against terror — diplomatically and, if required, militarily — including possible strikes on terror camps in the days ahead. Modi congratulates Carney, seeks reset in ties with Canada J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday congratulated Canadian PM Mark Carney on his Liberal Party’s stunning victory in the federal elections, expressing hope for a reset in India-Canada relations after years of strain under former PM Justin Trudeau’s leadership. Notably, Khalistan sympathiser Jagmeet Singh failed to retain his seat and resigned as leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) after the party’s disastrous showing with seat count plummeting from 24 to 7. Trudeau had depended on NDP for support to stay in power for four years. However, last September, the NDP parted ways with Singh accusing Trudeau of yielding to corporate interests. Congratulating Carney and the Liberal Party , Modi said: “I look forward to working with you to strengthen our partnership and unlock greater opportunities for our people. India and Canada are bound by shared democratic values, a steadfast commitment to the rule of law, and vibrant people-topeople ties.” Modi’s message indicates a hopeful turn in India-Canada relations, which have faced multiple diplomatic flashpoints under ex-PM Trudeau’s watch. Bilateral relations touched a low point after Trudeau’s public remarks following the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023 and his open platforming of pro-Khalistani elements, which India described as interference in its internal affairs. Carney’s victory may provide an opportunity to recalibrate the relationship and India hopes that the new government will take care of its security concerns. A former central banker, Carney has emphasised diplomacy, multilateralism, and unity— qualities New Delhi hopes will extend to dealing w i t h s e n s i t ive d i a s p o r a p o l i t i c s a n d P11 looking at ties with India. Mob lynches man during cricket match in M’luru V I N C E N T D ’ S O U Z A @ Mangaluru A man from Kerala was allegedly lynched by a mob of 30 men during a cricket match near Bhatra Kallurti temple at Kudupu in Mangaluru on Sunday The victim is Ashraf (40), . a resident of Pulpalli village, Sultan Bathery Wayanad. , Of the 30 accused, 15 have been arrested and 25 identified. The arrested are Sachin T, De- vadas, Manjunath, Saideep, Nitesh Kumar, Dheekshith Kumar, Sandeep, Vivian Alvares, Sridatta, Rahul, Pradeep Kumar, Manish Shetty, Dhanush, Dheekshith and Kishore Kumar. Though the incident took place at 3 pm, Mangaluru Rural police initially did not suspect any foul play as there were no visible injuries and registered a case of unnatural death. However, the autopsy revealed internal bleeding and shock resulting from multiple blows to the back and private parts, and lack of timely medical assistance. Mangaluru Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal said on Tuesday that during the cricket match near the temple ground, a fight broke out between the victim and Sachin, who is an autorickshaw driver. Ashraf’s family is on its way to P5 identify the body . During the cricket match near the temple ground, a fight broke out between the victim and one of the accused Anupam Agrawal, Mangaluru Police Commissioner Bhagwat makes rare visit to the PM’s residence R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi AFTER a day of marathon meetings, PM Narendra Modi received a rare guest at home — RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. He had been to the PM’s official residence on very few occasions since Modi took office in 2014. Coming after Modi chairing two high-level meetings on the country’s response to the Pahalgam carnage, it sparked speculation about the RSS’ stance on the possible action against Pakistan. Home Minister Amit Shah is also said to be present. A BJP source said Bhagwat may also have addressed other ongoing issues between the organisation and the government. He noted that the Pahalgam attack had disrupted the party’s organisational momentum, including electing a new BJP president. Recently, during a book launch, Bhagwat had emphasised that the king’s duty is to protect the people. He also remarked that while India adheres to the principle of non-violence, confronting perpetrators of violence is an inherent part of that principle. Without naming Pakistan, he stated that India does not provoke or harm its neighbours, but seeks to guide even the violent towards a path of non-violence. “All political parties and associations should rise above their differences and condemn this terror act,” the RSS had said. Registration fee for commercial vehicles to go up from May 1 A K N I S R E E K A R T H I K @ Bengaluru REGISTRATION fee for commercial vehicles priced within Rs 10 lakh and for those used in the construction sector will go up from May 1. The state government is implementing the Karnataka Motor Vehicle Taxation (Amendment) Act on May 1, despite opposition from commercial vehicle operators. The lifetime tax for cabs that cost less than Rs 10 lakh will be 5% of the cost of the vehicle. Till now, lifetime taxes were not imposed on commercial vehicles (taxis) that cost less than Rs 10 lakh at one go, but were instead collected quarterly at the rate of Rs 100 per seat for a CONTINUED ON P5 four-seater vehicle.