chennai l Wednesday l September 25, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l vellore EDITION Harini Amarasuriya sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister The 54-year-old sociology lecturer was sworn in by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who appointed his cabinet of four, including himself Dissanayake keeps key finance portfolio Parliament dissolved, snap polls ahead Amarasuriya, who was first elected to parliament four years ago, is known for her activism on gender equality and minority rights issues. She is the third female PM in the country’s history and has been assigned the portfolios of education, labour, health, industries, investment, science & technology, and justice. Dissanayake has kept the key finance portfolio to himself | P9 ■ ■ Vijitha Herath and Laxman Nipunarachchi were also sworn in as cabinet ministers. Later in the day, Dissanayake signed the special gazette notification ordering the dissolution of parliament Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund said it is ready to discuss its ongoing bailout programme with the Dissanayake-led government $2.9 billion IMF’s bailout package for Sri Lanka, of which $770 million has been released 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 Court says CM was behind the smoke screen for every benefit to his wife in MUDA scam Yat h ir a j u @ Bengaluru In a body blow to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday upheld the approval given by Governor Thawarchand Gehlot to conduct an investigation against him in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case. The court upheld the Governor’s approval under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act on August 16 to investig ate the alle g ations against the CM. Justice M Nagaprasanna dismissed the petition filed by the CM saying it lacked merit. The case pertains to allotment of 14 sites worth `56 crore to the CM’s wife Parvathy BM in the upscale Viajayanagar 3rd stage in Mysuru in exchange for the land relinquished at Kesare village, which was outside Mysuru city limits. The court noted that Siddaramaiah’s son and MLA Dr S Yathindra, had participated in a meeting where a resolution was passed in 2020 to allot 14 sites to his mother on compensatory basis; but the resolution was withdrawn citing its illegality And yet the 14 sites had . remained with her. “What happens to the 14 sites which were granted to CM’s wife on the basis of illegal resolution is a matter of investigation to unearth how and why the rule was bent in favour of CM’s wife? If this does not re- bandipora Three Jammu districts that faced a string of terror attacks in the past three years, are ready of the battle of the ballot. A look J&K kupwara quire investigation, the court fails to understand what other case can merit investigation, as the beneficiary is the wife of the CM and the benefit is by leaps and bounds, a windfall,” the court said. The bench said Siddaramaiah was “behind the smoke screen” for every benefit that has flown to his wife” in terms of the sites allotted to her. “The Gubernatorial order nowhere suffers from want of application of mind. It is not a case of not even a semblance of application of mind, by the governor, but abundance of application of mind,” the court said. In the opinion of the court, “The CM, a leader of the proletariat, the bourgeois and of any citizen, should not fight shy of any investigation.” The court observed that prima facie the CM’s family had obtained undue advantage because the compensatory sites were allotted in an upscale area for the land acquired in a downmarket area. “This is enough circumstance for undue influence,” that judge said. Voters eligible to cast their ballot; 13,12,730 of them male and 12,65,316 female ganderbal baramulla srinagar ma budgam pulwa poonch shopian kulgam kishtwar reasi rajouri ramban udhampur Three Jammu jammu districts — Rajouri and Poonch and Reasi — and samba three central Kashmir districts of Srinagar, Ganderbal and Budgam go to polls on Wednesday | Report: P8 Siddaramiah | Vinod Kumar T 25.78 lakh 239 anantnag The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday searched multiple locations across Tamil Nadu as part of its probe into an “anti-election campaign promoted by the Hizb-ut-Tahrir, a pan-Islamist organisation seeking to establish Islamic rule in India”. NIA teams conducted extensive searches at the houses of 11 suspects in Chennai, Tambaram and Kanniyakumari, and seized various incriminating materials, including digital devices, unaccounted cash, and literature allegedly belonging to Hizb-ut-Tahrir, the central agency said in a statement. The case registered by NIA relates to causing and creating disaffection through various social media handles and campaigning against exercising electoral franchise/voting deemed un-Islamic/haram by the organisation. The Hizb-ut-Tahrir is a fundamentalist organisation engaged in instigating its followers to overthrow the lawfully established democratic government, the agency added. Hameed Hussain, a key conspirator in the case, had allegedly collaborated with five other accused persons to hold secret meetings for promoting the anti-India ideology of Hizbut-Tahrir. Probes in the case so far have revealed that the accused, along with several others, had carried out campaigns throughout TN to establish Khilafah/Islamic rule in India, among other such divisive activities, the agency said. Investigations in the case (taken over by NIA from Chennai police in July this year) are under way it added. , kathua legend 1st phase 2nd phase 3rd phase Y es h i S e l i @ New Delhi BEFORE wrapping up his three-day visit to the US, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the third , such meeting between the two leaders in about three months. The meeting, held on the sidelines of the UN’s Summit of the Future, was requested by the Ukrainian side. Foreign secretary Vikram Misri said the back-to-back interaction between the two leaders shows India’s commitment to finding a way forward and contributing in any way possible to a resolution of the conflict. In the meeting, Modi conveyed India’s readiness to provide all support to facilitate a lasting and peaceful resolution of the Ukraine-Russia conflict. The PM also reiterated India’s Narendra Modi Volodymyr Zelenskyy “clear, consistent and constructive approach in favour of a peaceful resolution of the conflict through diplomacy and dialogue as well as engagement between all stakeholders”. Recalling his recent trip to Kyiv, Modi said: “We are committed to implementing the outcomes of my visit to Ukraine to strengthen bilateral relations. Reiterated India’s support for early resolution of the conflict in Ukraine and restoration of peace and stability .” Modi had travelled to Kyiv in In an effort to bring transparency and streamline liquor sales and billing, the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) will introduce a QR code-based billing system in seven outlets each in Arakkonam in Ranipet district and Ramanathapuram town in Ramanathapuram district on Wednesday . The initiative is being implemented on a pilot basis and these 14 outlets will now offer mandatory printed bills to customers. The corporation has also added QR codes to excise labels and onedimensional barcodes on cartons to create an efficient tracking system of liquor consignments. Under this system, the QR-code printed on the bottle will be scanned by the salesmen with a handheld device, generating a bill. A separate bill has to be generated for each bottle, sources said. A senior Tasmac official told TNIE, “We have launched this new system in two districts. Depending on the feedback we receive, we will redesign the system if necessary Within one or two months, . other Tasmac outlets too will be computerised. Tasmac currently operates 4,800 retail outlets across the state.” “The total cost of the computerisation project is `294 crore. This covers hardware, software and both capital (capex) and operational (opex) expenses for the next five years. Railtel Corporation of India has been selected as the system integrator for the project to ensure full computerisation of Tasmac’s operations,” he added. P5 Actor-MLA Mukesh held, freed in rape case; Siddique on the run E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Kochi KERALa police on Tuesday swung into action on complaints against film personalities in the wake of revelations in the Hema Committee report as it arrested actor and CPI(M) MLA M Mukesh in a rape case and issued a lookout notice against another actor, Siddique, after the Kerala High Court denied the latter anticipatory bail in a similar case. However, Mukesh was released shortly after his arrest was recorded by the Special Investigation Team as he had ob- tained anticipatory bail from the Ernakulam district court bail on September 5. He was questioned for about three hours in connection with a complaint filed by an actress, who accused him of sexually assaulting her under the pretext of offering film roles and membership in the film artists’ association AMMA in 2016. Mukesh was grilled by a team led by AIG G Poonkuzhali in Kochi. He was also subjected to a potency test. Meanwhile, actor Siddique is absconding and is reportedly set to move the Supreme Court M Mukesh Siddique to evade arrest. He is accused of raping an actress in 2016. The SIT searched his residence in Kochi and other places, including hotels. His mobile phones were found switched off. “We have begun monitor- 3,502 Total polling stations 31 Polling stations on the border Omar Abdullah (National Conference vice president), Tariq Hamid Karra (J&K Congress chief), Ravindra Raina (J&K BJP president), Altaf Bukhar (Apni Party president) Modi meets Zelenskyy in New York, offers India’s support for peace bid S G U R U VA N M I K A N ATHA N @ Chennai The Exodus begins Candidates in the fray Main contestants doda Tasmac to pilot QR-code billing system in 2 towns Residents in panic flee with their belongings in Beirut on Tuesday amid intense Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon | AP 26 seats to witness polls, 15 in Kashmir region and 11 in Jammu region Ka s h m i r ( P O K ) express news service @ Chennai Siddu loses bout against Guv nod in Karnataka HC n O cc u p i e d NIA searches houses of 11 suspects in TN J&K Phase II polls today ta Pakis Hizb-ut-Tahrir ing domestic terminals at the Kochi Airport. As per our information, his mobile tower location was found near the airport premises,” said a source close to the SIT. Earlier in the day, while dismissing Siddique’s anticipatory bail petition, Justice C S Dias of the Kerala High Court observed that overall scrutiny of the facts, and the nature, gravity and seriousness of the , accusations show prima facie his involvement in the crime. Hence, the petitioner’s custodial interrogation is inevitable for properly investigating the crime, especially since his defence is a total denial of the incident and his potency test is to be conducted. Dismissing the petitioner’s contention that the complaint lacks credibility as the survivor had earlier made allegations against 14 men, the court observed that the submission is “unwarranted and reflects an uncharitable view of the survivor’s circumstances”. The court noted: “The attempt to blame a woman for speaking out may be a strategy to silence her, which is hostile to the supremacy of the law.” August to meet the Ukrainian leader, just weeks after he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. In June, Modi had held a bilateral meeting with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy . Zelenskyy thanked Modi for the peace efforts. “We are actively developing our relations and working to g ether to strengthen cooperation across various fields. The main focus of our conversation was on enhancing our interaction on international platforms, particularly at the UN and G20, as well as implementing the Peace Formula and preparing for the second Peace Summit. We had a substantive discussion on the available opportunities,” he wrote on X. Misri said the two leaders agreed to be in touch through visits and at other levels. (With inputs from agencies) Law panel’s report on ‘one poll’ yet to be made public P ree t h a N a ir @ New Delhi The government is yet to make public the 22nd Law Commission’s report on ‘One Nation, One Election’, which was submitted to the Union law ministry in March this year. According to law ministry sources, the 22nd Law Commission of India headed by Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi submitted the final report on simultaneous elections before he demitted office in March. Justice Awasthi quit the panel after he was appointed as a judicial member of anti-corruption body Lokpal. It assumes significance as the Union Cabinet recently approved the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal of a highlevel committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind. Though the Law Commission began its work in November 2022 — much earlier than the Kovind panel — its final report has not yet been published or made available in public domain. It was in September last year that the government set up the Kovind committee. According to sources, the law panel recommended synchronising the terms of state assemblies in “two phases” in the next five years so that the first simultaneous elections could be held in May-June 2029. The report suggested that in the two election cycles, the tenure of some of the states may have to be extended while some may have to be curtailed through Constitutional amendments. It also suggested adding a chapter to the Constitution on ‘one poll’, with “power of nonextant” to override other provisions in the Constitution dealing with terms of assemblies. express read Udhaya as DyCM? There will be change, says CM Security to army officer, fiancee after assault Chennai: Responding to a reporter’s query on whether his son and Youth Welfare Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin will be elevated as the Deputy CM of Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday stated, “There will be change. There won’t be any disappointment” | P4 Bhubaneswar: The Odisha govt on Tuesday provided security to the army officer and his fiancee, the victim of the alleged sexual assault in custody at the Bharatpur police station. Personal security officers will accompany them when they travel in the city caught between centre & TN Metro Phase-II faces delays as spending may be cut 40% C S h iv a k u m a r @ Chennai The tug-of-war between the centre and Tamil Nadu on the status of Phase-II of Chennai Metro Rail project seems to have cast a shadow on the project, with just `8,000 crore of the planned `12,000 crore likely be spent on the project during the current financial year. This would be a nearly 40% markdown on the projected spending this year. The `63,246 croreproject has been facing headwinds since last year due to financial issues and this year may not be different. The dispute may not only impact the project deadline, it may also affect the state’s borrowing capacity from external agencies. The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) till August has spent `2,900 crore of `12,000 crore earmarked for Phase-II of the project in the state budget for 2024-25, sources said. While Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman has cat- egorically stated that it’s a state sector project and the Tamil Nadu government is entirely responsible for the funding, the state has given its own reasons on why it wants the centre to release funds for the project. The state government, which has been entirely funding the Phase-II project so far, had reduced the actual funding from `10,000 crore to `9,000 crore last year, sources said. While there is an overall drop in project funding, the drawing of funds for other components, including repayment and interest on loans for Phase-I and Phase-I metro rail extension, too, may be affecting the actual share of money spent on the project infrastructure. Money is also being used to meet cash loss (operational revenue loss) from the budget allocation, sources said. The Phase-II of the project started facing trouble ever since the centre started calling it a state project. P5
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