chennai l thursday l july 03, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 20 l late city EDITION Bangladesh court hands six-month jail term to EX-PM sHEIKH Hasina First sentence since her exile in Aug 2024 It marks the first time that 77-year-old Hasina has been sentenced in any case since she fled to India following a student-led uprising in August last year. The sentence, delivered in her absence, will come into effect from the day of her arrest or surrender before the court, chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam told reporters after the verdict was handed down The International Crimes Tribunal, where Hasina is facing trial on charges of crimes against humanity, on Wednesday sentenced her in a contempt case Verdict based on leaked audio clip protester Abu Sayeed, whose killing in Rangpur University escalated to a nationwide violent protest that eventually ousted her ■ The verdict came over a leaked audio clip in which Hasina is allegedy heard telling a party leader that she has “licence to kill” people | P9 ■ Hasina’s trial was opened on Monday over the murder of student Aug 8, 2024 When Muhammad Yunus-led interim govt was sworn in, in Bangladesh 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 Fund diversion SBI flags loan acct of RCom as fraud, tags Anil Ambani B E N N K OCH U V E E D A N @ Mumbai The country’s largest bank, State Bank of India, has classified the loan account of beleaguered Reliance Communications (RCom), under bankruptcy since June 2019, as a ‘fraud’ account, and reported the name of its erstwhile promoter and director Anil Ambani to the Reserve Bank of India. According to SBI, RCom used `12,692.31 crore, 41% of the total loan, to pay connected parties through a web of interg ro u p t r a n s a c t i o n s. T h e company owed `31,580 crore to banks, SBI said in its letter. In an exchange filing on Wednesday, RCom confirmed receipt of the letter from SBI, dated June 23. The firm asserted its right to seek remedial and legal measures, arguing that the bank did not properly hear its case as required by the Anil Ambani Supreme Court and did not follow RBI norms on classifying a loan account as fraud. In a March 28, 2023 order, the SC directed banks to provide borrowers with a personal hearing before classifying their loan accounts as fraudulent, citing the principles of natural justice. The court noted that terming a loan account as fraud has severe implications for borrowers, including curbs on future borrowing. RBI incorporate this ruling in its guidelines. “We have taken cognizance of the responses to our showcause notice and... concluded that sufficient reasons have not been provided by the respondent to explain the non-adherence to the agreed terms and conditions of the loan documents,” the SBI letter read. Institution of Dalai will go on China fumes as incumbent the Gaden Phodrang Trust alone will recognise his reincarnation Ha r p r ee t B a j w a & Jayan t h Ja c o b @ Chandigarh/New Delhi Rijiju, two CMs to attend B’day event In a landmark announcement just days ahead of his 90th birthday, the 14th Dalai Lama on Wednesday formally announced that the centuries-old institution of the Dalai Lama will continue after his death, ending years of speculation over the future of Tibetan Buddhism’s highest spiritual seat. The decision, however, drew sharp criticism from China, which insists it holds authority over any future reincarnation. “I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue,” the exiled Tibetan leader declared in a statement posted on social media and his official website. He emphasised that only his personal institution, the Gaden Phodrang Trust, has the authority to identify and recognise his reincarnation, warning that no outside entity, including governments, has any right to interfere in the sacred process. “I hereby reiterate that the Gaden Phodrang Trust has sole authority to recognise the future reincarnation; no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter.” The Chinese government Union minister Kiren Rijiju, CMs Pema Khandu and Prem Singh Tamang and Karnataka minister Gangadharaia are expected to attend the 90th birthday celebrations of the Dalai Lama on July 6 at Dharamshala The Gaden Phodrang Trust has the sole authority to recognise the future reincarnation. No one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter — Dalai Lama condemned the announcement, reiterating its long-standing claim to control the selection of Tibetan spiritual leaders, a stance that triggered international criticism for politicising religion. “The reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, the Panchen Lama, and other great Buddhist figures must be chosen by drawing lots from a golden urn and approved by the central government,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in Beijing. She cited a Qing dynasty-era method to justify Beijing’s authority over reincarnations. Mao said China permits reli- New torture clip puts TN cops in spot, 5 transferred Govt job for victim’s brother CCTV footage of Ramesh being thrashed at Devadanapatti police station | express Trump backs proposal to slap 500% tariffs In a development that could reshape US foreign trade policy, Trump has backed a Senate bill proposing 500% tariffs on Russia’s trade partners like India and China that import Russian oil gious freedom but within limits defined by the state. “The survival and development of any religion lies in adapting to the country’s social environment and cultural traditions,” she said, defending China’s efforts to align religious practices with its governance model. Beijing views the Dalai Lama as a separatist and continues to reject his spiritual and political influence, especially in regions like Tibet and parts of the Himalayan belt where devotion to him is deep-rooted. In contrast to China’s rebuke, the Dalai Lama’s reaffirmation was welcomed by Tibetan E x p r ess N e w s S e r v i c e @ Madurai Amid public outrage over the custodial death of temple security guard B Ajithkumar (27) at Thirupuvanam in Sivaganga district in which five policemen have been arrested for murder, CCTV footage of a man being thrashed by policemen at Devadanapatti police station in Theni district has sparked concerns regarding police highhandedness across the state. After the video of C Ramesh (34), an auto driver of Devadanapatti, being thrashed by po- licemen in a nuisance case went viral, the Theni district police ordered an inquiry and transferred five policemen, including inspector K Abdulla, to the Armed Reserve (AR) police unit on Wednesday . According to sources, the Devadanapatti policemen thrashed Ramesh on January 14 after he was brought to the police station for creating public nuisance near Arisikadai bus stop in Devadanapatti town. Based on a complaint from the local residents, a team picked up Ramesh and brought him to the station.  P7 As part of rehabilitation measure, TN government on Wednesday offered B Naveenkumar, brother of custodial death victim Ajithkumar, job of senior factory assistant at state-run dairy Aavin plant in Karaikudi. A housing plot of three cents has also been allotted to the family | P4 INSIDE DGP: Disband unauthorised special police teams | P4 pilot project Door delivery of rations to aged, disabled begins B A N B U S E LV A N @ Chennai The Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Department on Wednesday commenced the pilot project for home-delivery of essential commodities —rice, sugar, wheat, palmolein oil, and toor dal — under the Public Distribution System (PDS) for senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PwDs) in Chennai and nine other districts. A minimum of 10 fair price shops across two taluks in each district have been selected for t h e p i l o t s t u dy o f t h i s initiative. Apart from Chennai, the other nine districts included in the first phase of the project Rice being distributed to an elderly man on his doorstep at Velachery in Chennai on Wednesday | Martin Louis are Tirunelveli, Sivaganga, Dindigul, Ranipet, Erode, Dharmapuri, Nagapattinam, the Nilgiris, and Cuddalore. On June 17, TNIE was the first to report on the govern- ment’s decision to roll out the project across the state. According to official sources from the cooperation and food department, the door-to-door delivery project aims to cover cardholding families where the members are either below 18 years of age or 70 years and above. Cardholding families where all the members fall in the disabled category will also be covered under the scheme, sources said. As part of the initiative, 10 ration shops in the southern zone of Chennai have been selected to serve around 650 ration cardholders.  P7 ADDRESS HURDLES The pilot study will address challenges, including transporting goods from ration shops to homes, houses to be covered per day and functionality of biometric scanners TNIE report published on June 17 groups and Buddhist communities across Asia. The spiritual leader revealed that his decision following 14 years of consistent appeals from religious leaders, civil organisations, and Tibetan communities inside and outside Tibet. “Leaders of Tibet’s spiritual traditions, members of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile, participants in a Special General Body Meeting, members of the Central Tibetan Administration, NGOs, Buddhists from the Himalayan region, Mongolia, Buddhists of the Russian Federation, and Buddhists in Asia including mainland China, have written to me… earnestly requesting that the institution of the Dalai Lama continue,” he said. Importantly the Dalai Lama , noted that Tibetans inside China — despite state surveillance — had conveyed their support through informal channels. The Dalai Lama had first broached the question of his succession in 1969, stating that the future of his lineage should be decided by the Tibetan people. In 2011, he promised to revisit the issue around his 90th birthday With this week’s state. ment, that moment has come — and brought clarity . P10 Quad raps Pahalgam terrorist attack, but does not name Pak E x p r ess N e w s S e r v i c e @ New Delhi The foreign ministers of the Quad countries, India, the United States, Japan, and Australia, strongly condemned the April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen. In a joint statement issued after their meeting in Washington, the ministers called for the “perpetrators, organisers, and financiers of this reprehensible act to be brought to justice without any delay .” While the statement urged all UN member states to cooperate under international law with efforts to investigate and prosecute those responsible, it notably stopped short of naming Pakistan, which India holds responsible for cross-border terrorism, including the Pahalgam attack. From India’s perspective, the explicit mention of the Pahalgam attack is significant. “We unequivocally condemn all acts of terrorism and violent extremism in all their Mineral supply chains The Quad Critical Minerals Initiative aims to strengthen economic security by collaborating on securing and diversifying critical mineral supply chains forms, including cross-border terrorism,” the statement read. Cross-border terror for India denotes the terrorism directed against it from Pakistan. Beyond terrorism, the joint statement highlighted concerns over security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region. While avoiding direct reference to China, the ministers condemned the “dangerous and provocative actions” in the South and East China Seas. The ministers also announced the launch of the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative, plans for the first Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network field training exercise, and the Quad Ports of the Future Partnership, which is slated to be inaugurated in Mumbai later this year.