vijayawada l wednesday l september 25, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city 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 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 ■ $2.9 billion Parliament dissolved, election on Nov 14 ■ Vijitha Herath and Laxman Nipunarachchi will also serve as caretaker ministers. Later, Dissanayake signed a gazette notification ordering dissolution of parliament and holding snap polls on November 14 Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund said it is ready to discuss its ongoing bailout programme with the Dissanayake-led government 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 Yat h i r 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where a resolution was passed in 2020 to allot 14 sites to his mother on compensatory basis; but the resolution was withdrawn citing its illegality And yet the 14 sites had .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 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 srinagar ma budgam pulwa poonch shopian kulgam kishtwar reasi ramban rajouri udhampur jammu samba kathua le g en d 1st phase 2nd phase 3rd phase E x p r ess r ea d Nampally court summons Revanth in cash-for-vote hearing Y e s h i Se 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 Hyderabad: Expressing its displeasure over the absence of several key accused, the Nampally Metropolitan Criminal Court on Tuesday issued an order to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, directing him and other accused in the 2015 cash-for-vote case to be present in court on October 16. During the hearing on Tuesday, only one accused — Mathaiah Jerusalem — was present in court. The court adjourned the day’s proceedings & directed all accused to be present on October 16 | P5 KERALa police on Tuesday swung into action 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 obtained anticipatory bail from the Ernakulam district court 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. He was grilled by a team led by AIG G Poonkuzhali in Kochi and also subjected to a potency test. Meanwhile, actor Siddique is absconding and is reportedly set to move the Supreme Court to evade arrest. He is accused of raping an actress in 2016. E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad 3,502 Total polling stations In a fresh setback to the YSRC, Ryaga Krishnaiah has resigned from the Rajya Sabha membership. He submitted his resignation to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar and the same was accepted by the latter. Reliable sources told TNIE that Krishnaiah is unlikely to join any political party. He might be appointed as the Governor of a large State. He is the third YSRC MP to resign from the Rajya Sabha after Mopidevi Venkataranama a n d B e e d a M a s t a n R a o. Krishnaiah, who hails from Telangana, is the national president of the National BC Welfare Association. Though he was not associated with the YSRC, the then Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy offered the BC leader a Rajya Sabha seat. Krishnaiah was elected to the upper house of Parliament on June 22, 2022. He has nearly four years of term left. Speaking to reporters in Hyderabad, he said he sacrificed his Rajya Sabha membership for the BC movement. He said: “BC movement went to peak stage. I will travel with the parties, which give support for BC reservations.” He added BC organisations have taken up a movement, demanding increase in reservations in local body elections in Telangana for the past three months. “But, a few persons, organisations and parties are trying to undermine this movement,” he alleged. P4 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) M Mukesh Siddique The SIT searched his residence in Kochi and other places, including hotels. His mobile phones were switched off. “We have begun monitoring domestic terminals at the Kochi Airport. As per our information, 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) EXPRESS ILLUSTRATION A CLOSER LOOK 20 Chairpersons appointed Party-wise allocation TDP 16 JSP 3 BJP 1 Social equations Unidentified individuals allegedly set fire to a chariot at Sri Rama Temple in Hanakanahal village, Kanekal mandal in Anantapur District. The incident took place late on Tuesday night. On noticing the smoke, locals rushed to the spot and tried to douse the flames. However, by the time the blaze could be brought under control, more than half the chariot had been destroyed. Kalyandurgam Division DSP Ravibabu and his team reached the village on receiving the information and launched an investigation. The DSP inspected the scene and registered a criminal case. Four special teams have been formed to apprehend those responsible. Authorities said they have collected clues from the crime scene. Condemning the incident, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu ordered a comprehensive investigation and demanded the immediate arrest of the culprits. He held a meeting over the issue and instructed officials to provide regular updates on the case progress. On the Chief Minister’s orders, District Collector Dr Vinod Kumar V and SP P Jagadeesh inspected the temple car shed, where the incident took place. Kumar said a thorough inquiry has been taken up. Speaking to mediapersons, he said though the incident occurred between 12:35 am and 12:45 am, locals managed to extinguish the P4 fire quickly . Actor-MLA Mukesh arrested, freed in rape case E XPR E SS N E WS S E RVIC E @ Kochi Candidates in the fray Modi meets Zelenskyy in New York, offers India’s support for peace bid E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Anantapur The Exodus begins Krishnaiah likely to get Governor post Main contestants doda Temple chariot set afire in Anantapur village Residents in panic flee with their belongings in Beirut on Tuesday amid intense Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon | AP | p9 26 seats 25.78 lakh 239 ganderbal baramulla Three Jammu districts — Rajouri and Poonch and Reasi — and three central Kashmir districts of Srinagar, Ganderbal and Budgam go to polls on Wednesday | Report: P7 Siddaramaiah | Vinod Kumar T J&K kupwara anantnag Court says CM was behind the smoke screen for every benefit to his wife in MUDA scam resigns from rs to witness polls, 15 in Kashmir region and 11 in Jammu region Ka s h m i r ( P O K ) 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. J&K Phase II polls today n O cc u p i e d P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Siddu loses bout against Guv nod in Karnataka HC ta Pakis Law panel’s report on ‘one poll’ yet to be made public his mobile tower location was found near the airport premises,” said a source. Earlier, while dismissing Siddique’s anticipatory bail plea, 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 probing the crime, especially since his defence is a total denial of the incident, and his potency test is to be done, the judge said. SIX BC TWO SC ONE Minority ONE ST Focus on social justice & youth as CM fills 99 key nominated positions S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu appointed 99 persons to key nominated posts on Tuesday. Chairpersons were appointed for 20 corporations, including APSRTC (Andhra Pradesh State Road Transpor t Cor poration), Wakf Board, APIIC (Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corp o r at i o n ) , S A A P (Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh), TRICOR (Tribes Cooperative Finance Corporation Limited), and MARKFED. Vice-chairman for APSRTC was also announced. Of the total 20 people appointed as chairpersons of various corporations, as many as 16 are from the TDP , three from the Jana Sena Party and one from the BJP . While making the appointments, Naidu ensured social justice as six chairpersons and RTC vice-chairman are leaders from Backward Class- es (BCs), two are from Scheduled Castes (SCs) and one each is from Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Minorities. TDP leaders pointed out that besides ensuring social justice in allocation of nominated posts, the Chief Minister prioritised youngsters while appointing members. They observed that TDP leaders, who sacrificed their MP/MLA seats as part of the tripartite alliance, were given key posts. For mer Machilipatnam MP Konakalla Narayana Rao, who opted out of the race to accommodate the JSP , was appointed as RTC chairman. Manthena Rama Raju, who cleared the way for K Raghu Rama Krishna Raju to contest from Undi Assembly seat, was made the APIIC chairman. Similarly, Peela Govinda Satyanarayana was appointed as AP Urban Finance and Infrastructure Development Corporation chairP4 man.
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