TIRUNELVELI l friday l july 18, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l CITY EDITION AAIB says too early to reach any definitive conclusion on crash The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said it was too early to draw any conclusion from its preliminary report into the AI 171 crash on June 12 comes in wake of wsj report on crash no room for premature conclusions AAIB’s rejoinder came after The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, quoting people familiar with US officials’ early assessment of evidence uncovered in the crash investigation, reported that “a black box recording of dialogue between the flight’s two pilots indicates it was the captain who turned off switches that controlled fuel flowing to the plane’s two engines” ■ ■ Requesting all sections to refrain from drawing conclusions based on unfounded facts, AAIB said the investigation is still not complete and the final report will come out with root causes and recommendations After the release of its preliminary report on July 12, this is the first official comment from the AAIB amidst global concerns on the probe 260 people died in the Air India Dreamliner crash in ahmedabad 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 Nimisha case Govt in touch with friendly nations for help: MEA J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi THE Indian government is making urgent efforts to avert the execution of Nimisha Priya, the Indian nurse sentenced to death in Yemen, to allow her family more time to reach a “mutually agreeable solution” with the victim’s relatives, the External Affairs Ministry said on Thursday . Priya, a resident of Kerala, was convicted in the 2017 killing of a Yemeni man and is currently imprisoned in Sana’a, which is under Houthi rebel control. Her execution, initially scheduled for July 16, was postponed following interventions by Indian officials, members of the Indian diaspora in Yemen, and a prominent cleric. “This is a very sensitive matter and the Government of India has been offering all possible assistance. We have providNimisha Priya ed legal assistance, and also appointed a lawyer to assist the family We have also arranged . for consular visits by her family and we are in touch with lo, cal authorities ... and some friendly governments... as also family members to resolve this issue,” he said. He did not name the friendly countries. Jaiswal declined to comment on the role of Sunni cleric Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musaliyar, in deferring the execution. “As far as the role of the entity that you mentioned, I have no information to share on this account.” India pushback Govt blames RCB, organisers for mess against NATO’s sanctions threat Ex p r ess N e ws S e rv i c e @ Bengaluru MEA calls out NATO’s ‘double standards’, says country’s energy security is top priority J AYA NTH J A CO B a n d R A K ESH K UM A R @ New Delhi INDIA on Thursday strongly pushed back against NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s warning that countries continuing to trade with Russia could face ‘very hard’ secondary sanctions, cautioning against ‘double standards’ in global energy policies. “We have seen reports on the subject and are closely following the developments,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in response to Rutte’s comments. “Let me reiterate that securing energy needs of our people is understandably an overriding priority for us. In this endeavor, we are guided by what is on offer in the markets, and by the prevailing global circumstances. We would particularly caution against any double standards on the matter,” Jaiswal said. The sharp response came after Rutte, during his visit to Washington on Wednesday, echoed US President Donald Trump’s recent announcement of potential 100% tariffs on Russian exports, to be enforced in 50 days unless Moscow agrees to a deal on Ukraine. Rutte directly named India, China, and Brazil, warning that continued business with Russia could “slam back” on them in a “massive way.” “If you live in Beijing or Delhi… you might want to take a look into this, because this might hit No pressure, India has enough suppliers: Puri Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said India will procure oil from other countries, should there be a problem sourcing it from Russia. “I don’t feel any pressure in my mind. India has diversified the sources of supply,” he said The Karnataka government has blamed the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), its event management partner DNA Networks Pvt Ltd and Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) for the stampede that claimed 11 lives on June 4. This was revealed in a status report submitted by the government to the Karnataka High Court. “The RCB Management, in association with its event management partner… and the KSCA, unilaterally decided to hold the victory celebration without prior consultation with the police and without obtaining the necessary permissions Express News Service @ New Delhi you very hard,” he said. India is one of the largest importers of Russian crude oil, which is sold at a price cap of $60 per barrel, much below global market rates. As of July, Russian crude accounts for 40% of India’s oil imports. Meanwhile, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday said India is not concerned about sanctions on Russian crude, as there are enough supplies in the market. Speaking at the Urja Varta 2025 event organised by the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, Puri said, “I’m not worried at all. If something happens, we’ll deal with it. India has diversified its sources of supply — we’ve gone from buying oil from about 27 countries to around 40 now.” The Delhi High Court on Thursday quashed 16 FIRs lodged against 70 people who were booked for sheltering foreign participants of a Tablighi Jamaat congregation in March 2020, during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. Justice Neena Bansal Krishna, in her verdict, simply said, “Chargesheets quashed,” while disposing of the batch of petitions filed by the accused. The 70 petitioners, represented by advocate Ashima Mandla, had approached the court seeking to end the criminal proceedings pending against them for allegedly hosting foreigners in violation of pandemic-related prohibitory orders. The Delhi Police, which had earlier opposed the plea, had Express News Service @ Coimbatore Include Aadhaar for poll roll revision: DMK to ECI JUMBO FEAST People feed elephants to mark the beginning of Malayalam month ‘Karkidakam’ at Sree Vadakkumnathan Temple, in Thrissur | pti Form SIT to probe Madurai property tax scam: HC The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday directed the Inspector General of Police (South Zone) and Madurai City Police Commissioner to constitute a special investigation team headed by a senior IPS officer with proven integrity to probe into the property tax scam in Madurai Corporation. A bench of justices SM Subramaniam and AD Maria Clete gave the direction while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition filed by an AIADMK councilor T Ravi (ward 83) argued that the accused sheltered foreign nationals who had attended the Markaz event at Nizamuddin, breaching lockdown orders and health protocols imposed by the government. Several of these foreign nationals have already been acquitted, discharged, or accepted guilt to leave the country . The petitioners maintained that there was no evidence, either in the FIRs or in the chargesheets, linking them to the spread of Covid-19. Their presence alongside foreigners inside mosques or homes, they argued, could not be construed as participation in any religious congregation or violation of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. “This is a classic case of exaggerated allegations unsupported by material proof,” Mandla had submitted before the court, pointing out that the FIRs merely accused the petitioners of being present with foreign nationals, with no mention of them organising or attending gatherings. They were booked under various sections, including 188 (disobedience of public servant’s order) and 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection) of the IPC. The police had also cited multiple inspections between March 26–31, 2020, claiming to have found foreign nationals lodged in local mosques even after the nationwide lockdown was declared on March 24. 3 tribals killed, 19 injured as truck topples in Aliyar CHENNAI: Former TN BJP chief K Annamalai on Thursday said that while he had no role in the party’s alliance talks with the AIADMK, it is his duty to defend Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s stand that a coalition government will be formed in TN after the 2026 Assembly poll. He said Shah had reiterated this thrice, including in an interview to TNIE | P4 @ Madurai scribed format required under the Licensing and Controlling of Assemblies and Processions (Bangalore City) Order, 2009. The report said the KSCA submitted a letter of intimation to the Cubbon Park police station on June 3 before the IPL final. However, that was merely in the nature of an intimation, and not s p ee d in g Annamalai backs Shah over coalition govt EXPRESS NEWS SERV I CE File photo 5 years on, 70 get clean chit in Tablighi Jamaat Covid-19 case ex p ress rea d Chennai: Citing the apex court’s observations in the Bihar special summary revision of electoral rolls, a delegation of DMK MPs on Thursday urged the ECI to accept Aadhaar and ration cards as valid documents to establish a voter’s place and date of birth. Inclusion of those would make the process more effective, MPs said | P4 or license for such celebration,” said the report. The report said that star RCB player Virat Kohli’s video on RCB’s social media pages led to the huge turnout as well. The state had submitted its response to the HC in a sealed cover on June 12 and the court had asked it to furnish a copy to KSCA, RCB and DNA. The report listing out the sequence of events said that RCB had posted several messages on its official social media handles, inviting the public to participate in the Victory Parade, despite no permission being granted. The report noted that RCB/DNA/KSCA had failed to seek appropriate permissions as per the pre- seeking CBI investigation. According to Ravi, the mayor and zonal chairpersons, in connivance with the corporation officials, had committed a huge scam in property tax collection and the same was brought to the notice of the corporation commissioner by AIADMK councillors during the council meetings. Subsequently, the commissioner had appointed an inquiry committee and based on its report, he had lodged a complaint with city police commissioner. The gist of the complaint, as per Ravi’s petition, was that during 2022-2024, at the instiga- tion and knowledge of the mayor and zonal chairpersons of the corporation, officials had fraudulently mutated commercial tax properties into house tax by reducing built area, changing commercial into semi-commercial portion, removing additional rooms, etc from the tax server. Initially the officials increased the property tax and made the public suffer and then illegally reduced the taxes to enable interested persons to pay lesser tax to the civic body causing a total , loss of over `200 crore to the civic body Ravi alleged. , Though the commissioner had lodged the complaint as early as September 2024, police registered a case only in June 2025, he pointed out. He further alleged that the police have only arrested low-ranking officials and contract staff and left out the real culprits by acting hand-in-glove with the latter. Hearing the plea, the judges orally observed that a scam of such magnitude cannot be investigated by an inspector-rank officer. They suo motu impleaded the IG South Zone and issued the above direction. The case has been adjourned by a week.  More on P4 Three tribals, including a woman, were killed and 19 others sustained injuries after a mini truck they were travelling in overturned on the Valparai Ghat Road near Aliyar Dam at Pollachi in Coimbatore district on Thursday morning. The private vehicle was carrying 22 people of Malasar community from the Navamalaipathi tribal village in the Anaimalai Tiger Reserve for irrigation canal maintenance work at Kattampatti, Negamam in the plains. According to sources, the driver lost control of the truck, allegedly due to speeding and technical failure, and the vehicle toppled on the ghat road. The deceased have been identified as Rani (45), K Thilagaraj (40), and R Sanjaykumar (20). Three of family killed in car-lorry collision Ranipet: Three members of a family were killed after their car collided head-on with a lorry on the KancheepuramArakkonam Road in Ranipet around 11 am on Thursday | P4 The accident occurred around 8am as the vehicle, driven by Devabalan (45) of Navamalaipathi, was approaching the Chinnarpathi tribal hamlet. Upon alert, the Aliyar police rushed to the accident spot and shifted the victims to Pollachi Government Hospital. However, Rani, who suffered head injuries, died on the spot. Thilagaraj died on the way to Pollachi GH, and Sanjaykumar passed away at Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) after being transferred from Pollachi GH, sources said.  P7 a requisition for permission as required under the law. Despite this, RCB unilaterally proceeded on June 4, announcing a public ‘Victory Parade’ from Vidhana Soudha to Chinnaswamy Stadium via multiple social media posts starting at 7.01 am. The report further stated that, “ 8.55 am, RCB posted At a video clip featuring Virat Kohli on RCB’s official handle @ Rcbtweets on ‘X’, in which he stated that the team intended to celebrate this victory with the people of Bengaluru city…on June 4.” It also said the situation deteriorated further when the organizers responsible for gate management, failed to open the gates on time. Kamaraj row CM: Don’t give space to people who want to foment trouble E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Chennai Amid strong reactions from Tamil Nadu Congress leaders to DMK deputy general secretary Tiruchy N Siva’s comment about former CM and Congress stalwart K Kamaraj, DMK president and Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday appealed to party cadres to “avoid unnecessary debates” and not to give space to the intentions of evilminded people who want to foment trouble.. “Let’s avoid futile discussions. It is not right to have controversial discussions in public about such a great leader and a pure Tamilian. Any opinion should be shared in a way that protects the dignity of respected leaders,” Stalin said in a post on ‘X’. Speaking at a n eve n t o n July 16, Rajya Sabha MP Siva, while trying to K Kamaraj explain about the bonding between Kamaraj and DMK patriarch K Karunanidhi, said the for mer had a health problem that required CM MK Stalin him to be in airconditioned rooms and hence the then CM Karunanidhi arranged AC facility in all government guest houses across the state. He also said that Kamaraj, during his last days, held the hands of Karunanidhi and urged him to ‘protect democracy’. The remark was seen by many as an affront to the legacy of the Congress leader known for his impeccable integrity, simplicity and austere life. Several TNCC leaders, including president K Selvaperunthagai and MPs S Jothimani and Manickam Tagore, slammed Siva and demanded an apology from him. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, too, condemned the remarks.  P7 DMK partners dub EPS’s alliance call ‘deceit’ The mini-truck carrying 22 people of Malasar community overturned on the Valparai Ghat Road near Aliyar Dam in Pollachi on Thursday | EXPRESS Chennai: DMK alliance parties — CPI, CPM, and VCK — on Thursday rejected AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami’s call to join his alliance, accusing him of political double standards. “We can see through the web of deceit. AIADMK is trapped in the pit dug up by RSS. What Edappadi offers is not a ‘royal welcome’ but a bloodstained carpet. We will not walk that path,” the DMK allies said | P4