kochi l Sunday l november 10, 2024 l `12.00 l PAGES 26 l late city edition Suicide bombing in Balochistan leaves at least 27 dead, 62 hurt A suicide bomber detonated himself at a railway platform in Quetta, killing at least 27 people, included 14 members of the security forces baloch liberation army owns up attack toll to go up as many reported critical The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), one of the area’s main separatist groups, claimed responsibility for the attack. The attack “was carried out on a Pakistani army unit at Quetta railway station... after completing a course at the Infantry School,” the BLA said in a statement. Railway officials said the blast happened near the ticket booth when trains depart ■ ■ A local doctor treating the victims said that the toll is expected to rise as several individuals wounded are in a critical condition TV footage showed the steel structure of the platform’s roof blown apart and a destroyed tea stall. Most of the victims were taken to a state-owned hospital and some to a military one 1,534 PEOPLE KILLED IN THE FIRST THREE QUARTERS OF 2024 IN pAKISTAN 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 Waqf Bill steamroller may face Naidu block JPC vetting the bill scheduled to submit its report soon P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Amid mounting pressure from its Muslim leaders, key ally Telugu Desam Party may ask the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre to postpone the submission of the final report of the Joint Parliament Committee (JPC) on the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 to Parliament, according to sources. The panel led by BJP MP Jagadambika Pal is scheduled to table the final report on the Waqf Bill in the first week of the winter session of Parliament, which begins on November 25. With 16 MPs, the TDP, led by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is a key partner of the NDA government, and its support is crucial for passing the bill in Parliament. If Naidu opposes the bill, the Centre may buy time to table it, said sources. The JPC is in the final phase of consultations with stakeholders and visits to various states. “The government may not go BSY in Covid scam trouble K i ra n Ba l a n n a n ava r / D eva ra j B H i r e h a l l i ahead with the bill if Naidu opposes it. In that case, it will simply say that the report is yet to be finalised,” said a leader aware of the developments. TDP’s Muslim leaders have urged Naidu not to support the amendments. With Muslims accounting for 10-12% of Andhra Pradesh’s population, the TDP doesn’t want to antagonise the community, which played a crucial role in its stunning victory in the recent assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Muslim groups have been opposing several amendments, including the appointment of non-Muslims as members of the Central Waqf Council and state Waqf Boards. Senior TDP leader Nawab Jan said last week that Naidu will not let any bill that harms Muslims be implemented. At the ‘Samvidhan Bachao Sammelan’ organised by Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind in Delhi, the TDP leader claimed that Naidu was instrumental in sending the Waqf Bill to the JPC. First test for AP CM’s secular credentials The Waqf Bill is perceived to be the first test for Naidu’s secular credentials ever since he joined the NDA government. He does not want to antogonise Muslims, who account for 10-12% of Andhra’s population and contributed to the TDP’s win in the polls ‘Progressive shift’ Breaking barriers: Women hold 48% of Kerala’s judicial positions P RA M D A S @ Kochi Gone are the days when the judiciary was a male bastion that women found hard to break into. And, KerDistrict and sessions judges: 68 ala is leading the charge, with the Civil judges (senior division): 52 gender spread in the state’s district judiciary reflecting the change. Civil judges (junior division): 140 The number of women serving as judicial officers, including magistrates and session judges, in the division) at Kerala Judicial Acadestate’s district judiciary is rising. my 26 (72%) were women. Former , The reply to an RTI application Chief Justice of India D Y filed by TNIE reveals that out Chandrachud had highlightof the 539 serving district juSunday ed the development in a redicial officers, 260, or just Special cent speech. over 48%, are women as on Women excelled in the September 12, 2024. Kerala Judicial Service ExOf the 36 officers who recentamination, 2023, with 75 candily completed their one-year induc- dates securing a spot in the rank tion training for civil judges (junior list. Fifty candidates have been ap- WITH THIS ISSUE ‘We don’t accept LDF, UDF resolution against Waqf Amendment Bill’ P4 3 lakh Indians may be hit as Canada axes student scheme @ Sandur/Bengaluru H a r p r e e t B a j w a @ Chandigarh Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said his government will act on the report of the Justice John Michael D’cunha Commission, which was formed to probe the alleged corruption during the Covid-19 pandemic under the BJP rule. The panel recommended the prosecution of the then CM Yediyurappa and the then health minister B Sriramulu under Sections 7 and 11 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. About 1,500 pages of documents have been submitted, and a cabinet sub-committee is examining them, Health Minister Dinesh Gundurao said. “As per the report, Yediyurappa and Sriramulu were involved in the alleged irregularities in the purchase of PPE kits,” he said. It may not be connected with the IndiaCanada diplomatic chill, but Ottawa has just announced the termination of its popular visa scheme for post-secondary students, called the Student Direct Stream (SDS). The announcement is a big blow for prospective students from India. For context, more than three lakh students from India last year joined Canadian institutions mainly under the SDS stream. Most of them were from Punjab. Students already in Canada waiting for enrolment under SDS are now in deep trouble. SDS was popular because it simplified and expedited processing of study permit from select countries. What would normally take an estimated eight weeks was processed within 20 days. Launched in 2018 for post-secondary students, the SDS window was open for Women officers in district judiciary in Kerala Checks on by border security agency Immigration lawyer Shamsher Singh Sandhu said the Canadian Border Security Agency is checking the status of people (student and visitor visa) who are in Canada at their work and public places. Those found to be illegal immigrants would be deported over 10 nations, including India, Brazil, China and Pakistan. That window was shut on Friday so as to give all international students equal and fair access, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada claimed in a statement. Shamsher Singh Sandhu, a leading immigration lawyer, said, “SDS nixing will adversely impact Indians. Students already in Canada for admission under SDS face a bleak future as their chances to get permanent residence are almost nil.” EXPRESS READ IAS officers’ spat comes out in open T’Puram: A squabble between two IAS officers has come out into the open with N Prasanth, special secretary in the agriculture department, criticising his senior A Jayathilak, additional chief secretary (finance), in a Facebook post. In response to a comment on his FB post, Prasanth even termed Jayathilak “insane”. P7 Complaint filed against Suresh Gopi Kalpetta: Congress has filed a complaint against Union minister Suresh Gopi over his remarks on Waqf. In the complaint, KPCC media panelist V R Anup said the BJP’s leader’s speech has hurt religious sentiments. P7 Govt moots annual Olympic-model meet Kochi: The Kerala State School Sports Meet has turned out to be a historic success and the state government is considering holding the olympic-model event every year, Minister V Sivankutty has said. P2 pointed from the latest Kerala Judicial Services Examination rank list as civil judge (junior division) trainees. There are currently 36 female candidates among the 50 trainees undergoing the one-year pre-induction training at the judicial academy Appointment of civil judge of. ficers in the judicial service will take place only after the completion of training, the RTI reply from the Kerala High Court said. The picture is different when it comes to the Kerala High Court. Among the 45 judges, only four are women. Experts said the trend points to a progressive shift, highlighting the expanding role of women as key contributors to the judiciary’s fu● More on P7 ture.  Do We Need the UN? PLUS 12 PAGES