KALABURAGI TUESDAY APRIL 16, 2024 `9.00 PAGES 14 CITY EDITION FBI OPENS CRIMINAL PROBE INTO U.S. BRIDGE COLLAPSE THAT KILLED 6 The criminal probe will target the crew of the container ship Dali that crashed into a major road bridge in Baltimore on March 26 FBI SUSPECTS CREW KNEW OF SHIP’S FAULTS BALTIMORE TO LAUNCH LEGAL ACTION FBI officials are presently conducting a court-authorised “law enforcement activity” aboard the ship which remains pinned beneath the wreckage. The agency will probe whether the crew knew the ship had serious systems problems and failed to report it. The ship lost power and rammed against a pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the bridge to collapse ■ ■ Baltimore mayor Brandon Scott announced a partnership with two law firms to launch legal action to hold “the wrongdoers responsible” and mitigate harm to city residents, his office said Eight construction workers were carrying out maintenance works on the bridge when the vessel struck. Six of them died 30,000 VEHICLES USED TO PLY OVER THE BRIDGE EACH DAY 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 No interim relief; EAM: Want to find ways of de-escalating West Asia crisis AK can sign two types of papers B A L A C H A U H A N @ Bengaluru SC issues notice to ED; Tihar DG says CM can sign only legal or property documents S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y A N D U J W A L J A L A L I @ New Delhi INCARCERATED Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday got no interim relief from the Supreme Court on his plea challenging his arrest in the Delhi excise policy scam. A twojudge bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna merely issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate to file its reply on the CM’s plea by April 24. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Kejriwal, told the court that the ED hadn’t named the CM in its chargesheet, adding the objective was disable him from campaigning in the Lok Sabha elections. But the bench refused to yield. Later, a city court extended Kejriwal’s judicial custody in Tihar jail till April 23. At Tihar, Director General (Prisons) Sanjay Baniwal said Kejriwal can only sign two types of documents while in judicial custody, and they can’t be political in nature. “He or any inmate in judicial custody can only sign two types of documents, which can’t be political in nature,” Baniwal told this newspaper over phone. The two types of documents can be either a legal paper or some property related document, he added. His remarks came after AAP leaders reiterated that CM will continue to run the government from jail, and from next week he will call two ministers to Tihar every week and review their work. Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann accused Tihar officials of giving Kejriwal a terrorist-like treatment. “Kejriwal is given terrorist-like treatment in jail... There was a glass wall between me and him when we met today Mann said. But Tihar officials rebutted it, ,” saying “There is no distinction between a hardcore or a normal criminal.” Can write to family, friends As per the jail manual, undertrial and civil prisoners shall be granted all reasonable facilities to interview or write letters only to their family members, friends and legal advisers. “Prisoners should also be allowed to correspond with the counsel handling their cases.” If it is found that the prisoner is corresponding with undesirable persons, such letters, both incoming and outgoing, shall be withheld,” the jail manual says EXTERNAL Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday that the situation (in West Asia) is “extremely sensitive”. He told reporters here that he has spoken to his counterparts in Israel and Iran to deescalate tensions in the region, which is extremely important for the global economy. “We also understand that they have concerns. For the rest of the world and definitely for India, we would like to find ways of de-escalating the situation there,” he said. “We have 90 lakh Indians living in this enormously sensitive region. A large part of our shipping passes through this region and also, our major oil supplies come from here,” he said. Regarding the release of 17 J I TE N DRA C H OUBE Y @ New Delhi What the data shows THERE is a high probability that India will get above-normal rains this monsoon, the Indian Meteorological Department said on Monday . It said seasonal rainfall will be on the higher side of above-normal, with over 106% precipitation in the long-period avera g e (LPA) of 87 cm. The weather office said favourable La Nina conditions, neutral Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)—which occurs due to differential warming of the western and eastern sides of the equatorial Indian Ocean—and lesser snow coverage over the northern hemisphere have Data from the 1951-2023 period shows India experienced above-normal rainfall in the monsoon season on all the nine occasions when La Nina followed an El Nino event, said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, the director general of IMD @ Bengaluru took note of the BJP model of government at the Centre and in the BJP-ruled states. “The Tamils who live across India went to their home and said this is happening in the state where we live. Naturally, people started comparing,” Modi said. He said the DMK used “to make fun of us calling Panipuri-wallah”. “But when the people of Tamil Nadu came and saw Kashi, they said this is not what they used to hear. There is a lot of progress. And because of that, anger against the DMK has increased,” he said. Attacking the Congress, Modi said, “there are parties that have the mission: of the family, by the family and for the family”. Had party state president Annamalai gone to the DMK, he would have become a big name, Modi said. “But he did not go there and instead joined the BJP. The people there think if Annamalai has joined the BJP, it is because he believes in the party’s ideology. So it has become a source of attraction. Our party gives opportunity to every small and big worker who is capable,” Modi said. He said the Congress must also be questioned about its ally’s stance against Sanatana Dharma. “The Congress where Indira Gandhi used to wear a Rudraksha mala around her neck. The question should be asked to the Congress. What is your helplessness? Why are you sitting with the people who have so much hatred against Sanatana?,” he asked adding that the DMK must have been born out of hatred of Sanatana. EXPRESS READ Bengaluru: Lingayat swamijis have volunteered to fan out across Dharwad and campaign against the BJP, seeking votes for Dingaleshwar swamiji. Lingayats are traditionally BJP supporters, but this time all that could change | P4 brightened chances of a bountiful monsoon. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, IMD director general said La Nina conditions are likely to develop in the second half of the monsoon season. “El Nino conditions are prevailing at present. ENSOneutral conditions are expected in the first half of the monsoon season. Thereafter, EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE Modi says people’s anger against DMK to help BJP in Lok Sabha polls in TN Saffron army to campaign for seer muz, Jaishankar said he had spoken to his Iranian counterpart about it. He told him that models suggest, La Lina conditions may set in by AugustSeptember,” Mohapatra said in a press conference here. Parts of the northwest, east and northeast India are expected to receive below-normal rainfall, he added. T he nor mal monsoon range is between 96-104% of LPA. The range 104-110% of LPA is considered above normal and above 110% is excess rainfall. Similarly, ranging between 90-96% is considered below normal and less than 90% is deficient rainfall. El Nino refers to the warming of ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastcentral equatorial Pacific, while La Nina refers to the periodic cooling of ocean surface temperatures. Myanmar terror groups hold Hindus hostage Four wounded in Sydney church knife attack New Delhi: In what could turn out to be a repeat of the 2017 massacre of Hindus by Rohingya terror groups in Rakhine state of Myanmar, a group of Hindus and Buddhists are being held hostage in Buthiduang in the country’s Arakan state. Sydney: Four people are being treated for non-life threatening injuries after an apparent stabbing at a church service in Sydney on Monday. The incident comes just two days after a knife rampage in an eastern Sydney shopping mall killed six people. CVoter’s pre-poll survey has predicted 21 seats for BJP, two for its alliance partner Janata Dal Secular (JDS) and five for Congress in the Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka. While BJP leaders in the state rejoiced over this prediction, those from Congress rejected it. “This only proves that there is a Modi wave in the state. Our alliance with JDS has doubled our strength in Karnataka. Our expectation, however, is 28 of 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state,” Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R Ashoka told TNIE. Former AICC general secretary and MLC BK Hariprasad said, “We should be cautious about the pre-poll surveys because on many occasions, they tend to favour the agency that hires them.’’ KPCC working president and chief whip in the Legislative This only proves that there is a Modi wave in the state. Our alliance has doubled our strength in Karnataka R Ashoka, Opposition leader the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, in Sudan, etc., (Iran on Monday stated that it will permit Indian authorities to meet the 17 crew members following the conversation between Jaishankar and Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.) On the safety of Indian students abroad, with some of them reportedly dying under mysterious circumstances, he said such incidents are a big concern for the government and are being analysed by the Indian embassies. “To every Indian going out, you have Modi’s guarantee. Student welfare is particularly important for us,” he said and pointed out that all Indian embassies have been asked to keep a closer watch on students and brief them on personal safety . HC confirms life term for Asnotikar murder accused HEADY OPENER LEADS SRH ONSLAUGHT vs RCB Travis Head scored a 39ball century to take Sunrisers Hyderabad to the highest total in IPL (287/3) on Monday. They bettered their earlier best of 277. Chasing the mammoth score, RCB lost by 25 runs | P13 CVoter survey predicts 23 seats for BJP-JDS alliance, 5 for Cong in K’taka Narendra Modi A day after unveiling the BJP’s Lok Sabha election manifesto, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took aim at the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in an interview on Monday, saying Tamil voters’ resentment against the DMK will help the saffron camp in the upcoming elections. “Five generations of our party have been working in south India and the works are continuing. When the people of the state were disappointed with the Congress, they turned to regional parties. And now, the people are disappointed with these parties,” he told ANI in the interview. Amid this disappointment, Modi said the people of the state Indian crew members of a cargo vessel seized by the Iranian military near the Strait of Hor- Above normal rain this year When the people (of Tamil Nadu) were disappointed with the Congress, they moved to regional parties, now they are disappointed with these parties RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar interacts with the media in Bengaluru on Monday. Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka looks on | SHASHIDHAR BYRAPPA the crew members from India should be released. Jaishankar said there have been some follow up conversations between the Indian Embassy and the Iranian authorities. “I want our embassy people to actually go there and meet these people. That will be my first point of satisfaction. Secondly, I would absolutely press for the people to come back to India as quickly as we can (get them) and my colleague in Tehran was quite responsive,” he added. The minister quipped that ‘Modi ki guarantee’ is overriding (protection) and is “effective inside and outside the country for all Indians.” This, he said, was demonstrated on several occasions; in the rescue operations of Indians, who were stranded abroad during Council Saleem Ahmed said, “How can we believe this survey? If we go by the CVoter survey during the Assembly elections in the state in 2023, it gave BJP between 83 and 95 seats. But BJP bagged only 66 seats. In the same survey it gave Con, gress 110-112 seats. But Congress secured 135 seats. Last time, its prediction did not come true. This time also, it will fail. Congress will win 20 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka.’’ Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda refused to comment on this survey report. EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru THE High Court of Karnataka has confirmed the order sentencing Sanjay, one of the accused in the Vasant Asnotikar murder case, to life imprisonment. Asnotikar was Karwar Congress MLA when he was shot dead by two motorcyclists on February 19, 2000. A division bench of Justice HP Sandesh a n d Ju s t i c e Ramachandra D Huddar con- The accused has firmed the sen- failed to prove tence, dismisswith legal ing an appeal evidence that the judgment of filed by Sanjay , a resident of conviction and order on West Mumbai. sentence passed In his ap- by the trial court peal, Sanjay, suffers from accused No 6 illegality in the murder — High Court case, questioned the order of life imprisonment passed by the Karwar trial court in 2021. Asnotikar was shot dead around 8pm when he was overseeing the arrangements being made for the wedding reception of his daughter at a convention hall in Karwar. “The accused has utterly failed to prove before the court with legal evidence that the judgment of conviction and order on sentence passed by the trial court suffers from illegality,” the high court said while dismissing Sanjay’s appeal. Sharmila struggling in cousin vs cousin joust S N A G A R A J A R A O @ Kadapa KADAPA is witnessing a legacy joust between two cousins of a politically influential family — one of whom is a first-timer — and a triangular contest in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. Incumbent Y S Avinash Reddy belongs to the Y S Rajashekara Reddy family tree. He is the cousin of YSR’s son and Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, who floated his own YSR Congress. The Congress pitted Jagan’s sister Y S Sharmila Reddy against Avinash. Ever since 1989, when Rajasekhara Reddy won the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat, the contest here has only been about the YS family’s victory margin. This is the first time two members of the YS family are vying for the top honours. One of the backward districts in the Rayalaseema region, Kadapa witnessed a spurt in development after Rajasekhara Reddy became CM as he ensured a steady flow of funds for the family pocket borough. The only time the TDP won the seat was in 1984 when D Narayana Reddy wrested it at the height of the N T Ramarao wave. Like Sharmila, TDP’s candidate Chadipiralla Bhupesh Subbarami Reddy too, is a , first-timer. However, he hasn’t been suddenly parachuted into Kadapa like her. Subbarami Reddy has silently been preparing the ground for the past several months. The downside for Avinash Reddy is that he is an accused in the murder case of his uncle and former minister Y S Vivekananda Reddy But he has the solid . backing of Jagan. Avinash has stayed put in the constituency since the past several months to ensure there is no dent in his influence. His victory margin last time was over three lakh votes. Speaking to TNIE, Avinash said spent his MPLADS (Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme) allocation and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) funds generated from various corporates for the development in all assembly segments falling under his constituency. “I also took the initiative to get funds from the state government for implementing various projects in all segments,” he said. As for Sharmila, she does not have any base here, as she has been living in Hyderabad all along. Hoping to wrest the YSR legacy, she claims her father was a tall Congress leader, but Jagan left it and floated his own regional party . However, the argument doesn’t seem to be cutting ice with the people. CONTINUED ON: P5 ILLUSTRATION: MANDAR PARDIKAR
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