TIRUCHY l friday l november 14, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late city EDITION all eyes on Bihar as assembly poll vote counting today Elaborate security arrangements have been made for Friday’s counting of votes polled across 46 centres in 38 districts of Bihar all counting centres under drone watch Postal ballots first, followed by evm Bihar had registered a historic voter turnout of 67.13 per cent in the elections to the 243-member assembly in two phases on November 6 and November 11. Some 7.45 crore voters were eligible to decide the electoral fate of 2,616 candidates. DGP Vinay Kumar said all counting centres will be guarded by Central Armed Police Forces and will be aided by drones ■ ■ Counting of votes will commence at 8 am. Postal ballot counting will begin first, and will be followed by counting of EVMs from 8.30 am The fate of 2,616 candidates is locked in the EVMs. Among key contenders are Samrat Choudhary, Tejashwi Yadav, Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Lesi Singh, and Mangal Pandey 67.13% was the voter turnout—the highest since 1951— in two phases 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 SC bins TN’s pleas against Mekedatu dam proposal SUCHITRA K ALYAN MOHANTY @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Thurs‑ day refused to entertain two ap‑ plications filed by Tamil Nadu against Karnataka’s move to construct a new reservoir at Mekedatu across the inter-state river Cauvery calling them ‘premature’. While the first ap‑ plication challenged the per‑ mission granted by the Central Water Commission (CWC) to Karnataka for preparing a De‑ tailed Project Report (DPR), the second application was against the execution of the Mekedatu project, seeking a direction to the CWC to return the DPR submitted by Karnataka. The Karnataka government had submitted a DPR regard‑ ing the Mekedatu project to the CWC in 2018. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India B R Gavai, Jus‑ tice K Vinod Chandran and Jus‑ tice NV Anjaria on Thursday said the plan would be approved only after considering the ob‑ jections of Tamil Nadu as well as the opinion of expert bodies such as the Cauvery Water Reg‑ ulation Committee (CWRC) and the Cauvery Water Manage‑ forensic audit of records of Univ ordered, ED to trace money trail ment Authority (CWMA). “At this stage, the CWC order only permits the preparation of the DPR, that too after taking into consideration the objections of Tamil Nadu, and the expert opinion of the CWMA and CWRC,” the bench pointed out. “It is further to be noted that the CWC had further directed that the prior approval of the CWMA and CWRC would be a prerequisite for the considera‑ tion of the DPR. In that view, we find the present application is at a premature stage,” the bench said. The court also referred to its order passed in August 2023. “We reiterate what was ob‑ served in our order that we don’t possess expertise. This court time and again has reit‑ erated that this court should refrain from areas which are best reserved for experts,” the bench observed.  P7 UMAR had violent childhood; Jaish drew him before Pahalgam attack Heat on Al-Falah’s connections Umar body language shows Jaish training as a suicide bomber B a l a C h a u h a n @ Bengaluru Forensic officials inspect a red car in Faridabad, suspected to be linked to the Red Fort blast | PTI lected from the Red Fort blast site confirmed that Dr Umar Un Nabi was driving the car THE Centre on Thursday or‑ that exploded on Monday. dered a forensic audit of all Umar, who was known as an records of Al‑Falah University academically accomplished in Faridabad, which is under professional in his circle, alleg‑ scanner following a recent car edly turned radical over the blast near Delhi’s Red Fort that past two years, police said. killed 13 people. Investigators found that Parallelly, the Enforcement three of the accused — Dr Directorate and other financial Umar Un Nabi, Dr Muzammil investigation agencies were di‑ Ahmad Ganaie and Dr Shaheen rected to trace the money trail Shahid — allegedly used a of the Haryana-based institu‑ Switzerland-based encrypted tion, even as investigators link messaging app to plan and co‑ several of its alumni and staff ordinate their activities related to an alleged “white-collar” ter‑ to the terror conspiracy . ror network. The police said the suspects Further, the Association of had pooled more than `26 lakh Indian Universities suspended in cash, which was handed over Al‑Falah University’s to Dr Umar for operational membership after a sus‑ use. Using the pooled picious car, a Maruti money, the group al‑ Brezza, bearing a doc‑ legedly bought around Red tor’s logo was found 26 quintals of NPK fort on its Dhauj campus fertiliser in Guru‑ attack on Thursday The ve‑ . gram, Nuh, and near‑ hicle is said to be regis‑ by towns. The fertilis‑ tered in the name of registered er, mixed with chemicals, in the name of Dr Shaheen is commonly used to manufac‑ Shahid, who is allegedly part ture Improvised Explosive De‑ of the terror ring. vices (IEDs). Besides, the National Assess‑ Meanwhile, a medical college ment and Accreditation Coun‑ professor and a cardiology stu‑ cil (NAAC) issued a show-cause dent, both from J&K and Al notice to Al Falah for fraudu‑ Falah alumni, were detained in lent certification on its website. UP. Dr Farukh, an assistant In its show-cause notice, NAAC professor of obstetrics at said the university “is neither Hapur’s GS Medical College, , accredited nor applied for ac‑ was detained on Wednesday creditation by NAAC”. night. Mohammad Arif Mir Investigators from Delhi are (32), a first-year cardiology stu‑ in touch with police in Indore’s dent of GSVM Medical College Mhow town to dig deep into the in Kanpur and from J&K’s past of Al-Falah University’s Anantnag, was picked up on founder Jawad Ahmad Siddiq‑ Thursday as he was on the ATS ui. Police sources said Jawad’s radar following former GSVM brother was accused in cases of professor Dr Shaheen Sayeed’s investment fraud in in 2000. disclosure to police during her The DNA test of samples col‑ interrogation. express news service @ New Delhi Day’s developments NAAC has issued a show-cause notice to Al Falah University for displaying false certification on its website A severed hand was found on the roof of a shop near the Red Fort blast site on Thursday morning The UP ATS and NIA have arrested Dr Arif from Kanpur and Dr Farooq from Hapur, both Al‑Falah alumni J&K police have approached Interpol for a Red Corner Notice against Dr Muzaffar Rather, Dr Umar’s aide in the blast Dr Umar Un Nabi, who blew up a white Hyundai i20 car with him behind the wheel near Red Fort on November 10, was “probably recruited and later trained as a fidayeen (suicide bomber) by the Masood Azhar-led Jaish-e-Mohammed much before the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam,” said well placed sources on condition of ano‑ nymity Born on February 24, 1989, Umar com‑ . pleted his MD in Medicine at the Government Medical College (GMC), Srinagar, and later served as a senior resident at GMC, Anantnag before moving to Delhi. “He was psychologically assessed during his tenure at GMC, Anantnag. It was found that he had very strong and inflexible ideological beliefs and had the potential to take extreme steps to execute his radical designs,” said sources. “Umar hails from a deeply disturbed background; of vio‑ lence and abuse at home. In Jan‑ uary this year, he had reported‑ ly justified the concept of suicide bombing in closed cir‑ cles,” said sources. Recruitment in Jaish is a not easy Only those . with a pathological hatred to‑ wards India, who manage to clear tough assignments, are el‑ evated, the sources informed. “That Umar was trained to be a fidayeen was also evident in his body language as he drove from Masood Azhar (top) Badarpur to Red Fort. He looked and Umar Un Nabi calm and undisturbed — a typi‑ cal characteristic of a suicide bomber,” they added. As for Umar parking the i20 near the Red Fort for three hours, sources said, “He may have wait‑ ed final instructions (to blow up). For a terror attack in Delhi/NCR, the final green light has to come from the highest echelons of the Jaish.” The Red Fort blast also killed Umar. DNA sam‑ ples from the human remains in the car matched with that of his mother. Multiple agencies are investigating the manner in which the explosive laden car was detonated, said sources. On the arrest of Dr Shaheen Shahid from Luc‑ know, sources said Jaish’s recruitment of wom‑ en is “inter-alia in response to Operation Sin‑ door in which India deployed its women officers from the armed forces to brief the nation on the details of the four-day precision strike on the terror infrastructure across the border, includ‑ ing Jaish’s headquarters in Bahawalpur.” Min says state can still oppose project, opposition slams govt Chennai: Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan said the SC has allowed Tamil Nadu to convey its opposition to Mekedatu project to CWMA and CWC and that no decision can be taken without hearing the lower riparian state’s views. Meanwhile, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, BJP state chief Nainar Nagenthran and PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Thursday expressed anguish over the order. “The DMK government has failed to present strong arguments in the SC and safeguard Tamil Nadu’s rights,” EPS said | P4 Paddy farmers in TN in distress as centre yet to relax moisture norms B A n b u s e lv a n @ Chennai With less than a week left for the kuruvai harvest season to end, the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution is yet to an‑ nounce any relaxation to per‑ mit procurement of paddy with up to 22% moisture con‑ tent as requested by the state government, landing thou‑ sands of farmers in hot water. According to officials from the Agriculture and Food De‑ partments, kuruvai paddy was cultivated across 6.1 lakh acres, of which more than 5.5 lakh acres have already been harvested. “Around 44,000 acres of paddy remain to be file photo harvested as of Thursday and , this will be completed within four to five days,” an official told TNIE. The centre has deputed three teams to the state two weeks ago to assess the situa‑ tion caused due to unseasonal rainfall. The teams were de‑ puted after Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote a letter to the centre on October 19 to in‑ Setback for BSY K’taka HC refuses to lift POCSO case J AYANTH J ACO B @ New Delhi In a setback for former Karanakata chief minister and veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa, the Karnataka High Court on Thursday refused to quash the POCSO case registered against him for allegedly molesting a minor girl during a meeting at his residence on February 2, 2024. The HC upheld the order passed by the trial court on February 28 taking cognisance of the offences and issuing summons to Yediyurappa and three others. However, it asked the trial court not to insist on the presence of Yediyurap‑ pa during the trial, considering his age. Justice M I Arun passed the order, disposing B S Yediyurappa of two separate petitions filed by the former chief minister and three others, questioning the legality of the trial court’s order. The three other petition‑ ers were Aruna M, Rudresha Marulasiddaiah and Mariswamy G, who are accused No. 2 to 4. The single-judge bench also made it clear that the trial court should decide the case based on evidence during the course of the trial, without being influenced by the observations made by the high court in earlier orders. Bangladesh’s Interna‑ tional Crimes Tribunal will on Monday deliver its ver‑ dict in the case of crimes against humanity filed against ousted Prime Minis‑ ter Sheikh Hasina. Prosecutors have sought death penalty for Hasina, now in India, accusing her of ordering lethal force against student protesters in July last year. Former Bangladesh home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and ex-inspec‑ tor general of police Chowd‑ hury Abdullah Al-Mamun were also charged. Both Hasina and Kamal were tried in absentia. Al-Mamun later turned approver. According to a UN re‑ por t, 1,400 were killed in the Dhaka unrest, while government figures show Sheikh Hasina 800 deaths. Chief pros‑ ecutor Mohammad Tajul Is‑ lam alleged Hasina and her aides incited violence, or‑ dering police and armed Awami League supporters to use deadly weapons against the demonstrators. The charges include murder, torture, extermination, and other inhumane acts. The tribunal concluded its 28-day hearing on October 23. Judges will now deter‑ mine if Hasina and her coaccused orchestrated state violence against civilians. Meanwhile, tensions have soared across Bangladesh ahead of the verdict. The Awami League has called a nationwide shutdown, lead‑ ing to transport chaos and widespread school closures. express read Stage set for Munir’s appointment as CDS Speed up trials against MPs, MLAs: HC to courts Islamabad: Pakistan’s National Assembly on Thursday amended the Army law, paving the way for the appointment of Army chief Asim Munir as the country’s first Chief of Defence Forces. Chennai: Madras HC recently ordered speeding up of trial in criminal cases against MPs and MLAs. A bench headed by CJ Manindra Mohan Shrivastava told trial courts not to allow unnecessary adjournments | P2 TN to launch genomic testing lab for cancer care Chief Minister M K Stalin inspecting the mobile medical units along with Health Minister Ma Subramanian in Chennai on Thursday | express The Tamil Nadu government will establish a state-of-the-art laboratory for genomic testing to strengthen cancer treatment in government hospitals and enable targeted therapy for patients. According to government sources, this will be the first such facility to be set up by a state government anywhere in the country The genomic test‑ . ing lab will offer its services free of cost to beneficiaries under the Chief Minis‑ ter’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS) and at a nominal rate for peo‑ ple from economically weaker sections. Genomic testing, increasing‑ Verdict against Sheikh Hasina set for Monday EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru f i r s t - o f - it s - k i n d g o v t f a c i l it y S i n d u j a J a n e @ Chennai crease the cap on moisture content in paddy from 17% to 22 %. It can be recalled that in 2019-20 and 2020-21, the centre had granted permission to procure paddy with 19%-20% moisture content within a week of receiving the state government’s request. A section of officials and farmers told TNIE that the de‑ lay or denial in granting relax‑ ation in moisture content could have huge financial implica‑ tion not only for farmers, but also for the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNC‑ SC), which procures the paddy on behalf of the Food Corpora‑ tion of India through the cen‑ tral pooling scheme.  P7 ly used in private hospitals for personalised and targeted can‑ cer therapy, costs between `30,000 and `1 lakh. Speaking at a roundta‑ ble discussion on health‑ care organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Dr N Ezhilan, MLA and member of the state planning commission, who contributed to formulat‑ ing the project, said a site has been tentatively identified at TICEL Bio Park in Taramani for the facility The lab is likely . to function under a public-pri‑ vate partnership model. The roundtable focused on ‘building a resilient care eco‑ system and equitable access through sustainable financing in Tamil Nadu.’  P7