BHUBANESWAR  SATURDAY  DECEMBER 14, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 14  JEYPORE EDITION CHAMPIONS TROPHY: HYBRID MODEL AGREED IN PRINCIPLE ICC likely to announce CT formula on Saturday after Pakistan and Indian cricket boards reportedly agree in principle to play at neutral venues DUBAI MOST-LIKELY VENUE FOR INDIA OTHER SEVEN TEAMS TO PLAY IN PAK It is understood that India could play in Dubai during the CT next year to be held from February 19 to March 9. Reports indicate that when India host 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup and 2026 men’s WC, Pakistan will not travel here and play their matches at a neutral venue (could be Colombo for men’s WC). If India reach final then it could be at a neutral venue ■ ■ ■ The CT features eight teams, divided into two groups and all countries, except India, have agreed to play in Pakistan The PCB had said that it was willing to accept the hybrid model only if the same arrangement will be made for all ICC events India have not travelled to Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup 8 NUMBER OF TEAMS TO PLAY IN THE CHAMPIONS TROPHY 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 Allu Arjun arrested, granted bail T G N A I D U @ Hyderabad ACTOR Allu Arjun was on Friday arrested in connection with the death of a woman at Hyderabad’s Sandhya Theatre during the premiere of his movie Pushpa-2 on December 4. Hours after the arrest, the Telangana High Court granted him interim bail for four weeks. As part of the bail conditions, Justice Juvvadi Sridevi directed Arjun to furnish a personal bond of `50,000 and to refrain from influencing witnesses. The actor was also instructed to file a fresh petition for regular bail in the trial court. The next hearing is scheduled for December 21, 2024. However, the actor was not released till reports last came in, as the jail authorities were yet to receive the bail order. A 35-year-old woman died and her eight-year-old son was critically injured when the crowd at the theatre rushed to have a glimpse of the actor at the premiere of the movie on December 4. The police, acting on the complaint by Revathi’s husband alleging negligence on the part of the event organizers and Arjun, arrested the actor from his Jubilee Hills residence on Friday afternoon. He was then taken to Gandhi Hospital for medical examination before being produced before the Nampally court, which sent him to 14 days remand. Last week, the actor had announced `25 lakh to the family of the deceased. Allu Arjun at the Gandhi Hosp. for checkup | PTI Rajnath, Priyanka trade barbs Switzerland RETALIATION CORONATION DAY D Gukesh receives the World Chess Championship trophy during a closing ceremony in Singapore on Friday | FIDE RG Kar ex-head, cop get bail in rape-murder case S U L A G N A S E N G U P TA @ Kolkata A Sealdah court on Friday granted bail to Sandip Ghosh, former principal of state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, and Abhijit Mondol, former officer in-charge of the Tala police station, in the horrific rape-murder case of a junior doctor four months ago. While Mondal was accused of delay in filing the FIR in the case, Ghosh was charged with tampering evidence. The court granted them bail as the CBI failed to submit its chargesheet within the mandatory 90 days. For its part, the CBI said its probe against the accused is ongoing. The shocked parents of the RG Kar hospital victim waiting for justice said the system is failing them. “We thought the CBI would speed up the probe. But now, with the accused being granted bail, it feels like the system is failing us,” said the mother of the murdered doctor. Massive protests had erupted across the country after the rape-murder of the doctor in the hospital on August 9. The police arrested Sanjay Roy a civic volunteer, a day , later. The CBI has filed its chargesheet against Roy . While Mondal is expected to walk out of prison, Ghosh will remain in jail in another case of alleged financial irregularities at R G Kar. Fiery debate in the House of the People to commemorate the 75th year of the Constitution P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi THE much-anticipated debate to commemorate the 75th year of the Constitution kicked off on Friday with the ruling BJPled NDA and Opposition INDIA bloc sparring over Constitutional values, its relevance and key political issues. Initiating the debate in the Lok Sabha, Union defence minister Rajnath Singh attacked the Congress saying a particular party always tried to ‘hijack and appropriate’ the framing of the Constitution. Rajnath said the Congress made 28 Constitutional amendments during Indira Gandhi’s tenure and 10 during Rajiv Gandhi’s rule. And the Manmohan Singh government made seven amendments. The BJP has never compromised the independence and autonomy of institutions and always adhered to the Constitution, Rajnath said. The Constitution talked about religious freedom and it had been specified that the state would not have a religion but be secular, he added. “Opposition leaders carry the Constitution in their pockets, they Rajnath Singh and Priyanka Gandhi participating in a debate in LS on Friday | PTI PRIME MINISTER EXPECTED TO SPEAK TODAY The eight-hour long fiery debate saw heated exchanges on Constitutional values in the Lok Sabha. On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to speak in the Lower House have done this for generations, but the BJP holds it to its forehead,” Rajnath said. Deliberating on the democratic journey of the country, he said the ideas of Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, Lala Lajpat Rai, Sardar Bhagat Singh and Veer Savarkar have strengthened the basis of the Constitution. This invited protests from the Opposition. Opening the debate for the Opposition, Congress MP Priy- anka Gandhi Vadra rebutted Rajnath’s criticisms. “Treasury bench members keep talking about the past and Nehru. Why don’t you talk about the present? Tell the country what you are doing. Is everything Nehru’s responsibility?” she asked in her first address in Parliament. Priyanka also hit out at the government over the Adani issue, which invited protests. “Farm laws have been changed for industrialists. Cold storages in Himachal Pradesh were given to Adani by the Centre. Ports, airports, factories, mines and public sector units are controlled by one person. The poor are getting poorer, while the rich are getting richer,” she alleged. Referring to Rajnath’s criticism of Emergency, Priyanka said, “Learn from what happened in 1975. Why don’t you go back to ballot paper?” Striking an emotional chord, Priyanka said she had met the rape victims in Unnao and the Sambhal violence victims. “They told me they will fight for justice till the end. They derive strength from the Constitution,” she said. “The prime minister is not bothered about Manipur or Sambhal. Maybe he hasn’t understood that this is the Constitution of India, not the Sangh’s,” she added. Responding to Rajnath’s barb on caste census, she said the Lok Sabha results forced the government to talk about Constitution. “They would have changed the Constitution, if the Lok Sabha results were in their favour. People want caste census,” she alleged. BRIDGE AND ROOF BRIBERY CASE: SENIOR Woman killed, body dumped IAS OFFICER’S DRIVER UNDER CBI SCANNER on Kathajodi bank in Cuttack EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bhubaneswar THE arrest of a group general manager of Bridge and Roof Company (India) Ltd, on alleged bribery charges by the CBI has taken a twist with the central probe agency reportedly summoning official driver of a senior IAS officer of the state. On December 7, CBI sleuths had caught Chanchal Mukherjee, group GM of the Bridge and Roof Company, a central PSU, near a hotel in Jayadev Vihar area of the city . In a notice to the driver, the CBI said it appeared that the officer’s driver was acquainted with the ‘facts and circumstances’ of the case. He was directed to appear before the The IO has urged the government to share the details of all the drivers allotted to the senior bureaucrat by the various departments Sources investigating officer (IO) at CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch in the state capital on Friday to answer certain questions, said sources. As part of the probe, the IO requested the state government to share the details like names, addresses and mobile phone numbers of all the drivers allotted to the senior bureaucrat by the various departments assigned to him. The IO also requested the government to ask drivers of the officer to cooperate in investi- gation of the case, sources said. Subsequently CBI collected , information about the said driver and summoned him as a witness under Section 179 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Mukherjee was allegedly taking a `10 lakh bribe from Santosh Moharana, director of a Bhubaneswar-based company M/s Penta A Studio Private Ltd and a middle-man identified as Debadutta Mohapatra, all of whom were apprehended from the spot. Sources said the trio was traveling in two different cars. What caught CBI’s attention is the presence of the driver of the official vehicle allotted to the senior officer. CBI Anti-Corruption-II in New Delhi had registered a case on December 7 and launched an investigation into the matter. Initial investigation revealed the private firm, Penta A, registered at Registrar of Companies in Cuttack, is into construction and civil engineering. CBI had received allegations against Mukherjee of engaging in corrupt and illegal activities by awarding work orders and clearing bills in lieu of bribes. Sources said Moharana reportedly met Mukherjee at Bridge and Roof ’s Bhubaneswar office on December 6 when the latter demanded `10 lakh from Moharana and promised him to adjust the amount during his future billings. allegedly receiving `10 lakh bribe. E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Cuttack A woman was allegedly murdered and abandoned on the banks of Kathajodi river near Paramhansa within Kandarpur police limits here. The body of the deceased, believed to be around 35-40 years in age, was spotted lying on the river bank by locals. She was wearing an yellow printed saree, brown bl o u s e a n d re d s l i p p e r s. There were deep cut injuries on her neck and face. The locals immediately informed the police following which a team from Kandarpur police station rushed to the spot and launched investigation along with forensics personnel and sniffer dog. Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Jagmohan Mee- Locals watch as police recover the body of the deceased | EXPRESS na said, prima facie it was a clear case of murder. “The deceased had deep injuries on her neck and face. A ‘chapad’ (chopper)was also found lying near the body,” Meena CONTINUED ON P7 said. withdraws MFN status for India D I PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi IN a retaliatory action, Switzerland has withdrawn the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status granted to India, which will result in higher tax implications for Indian companies operating in the central European country The Swiss action came after . India’s Supreme Court rejected automatic applicability of MFN clause under the bilateral tax treaty in a case related to Swiss firm Nestle. In its order dated December 11, the Swiss government said the Supreme Court’s ruling shows Switzerland’s interpretation of MFN clause under the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement is not shared by the Indian side. Therefore, it said it was waiving its unilateral application of MFN clause with effect from January 1, 2025. Accordingly, income accruing on or after January 1, 2025 may be taxed in Switzerland at higher rates. The applicable residual rates on dividend paid by Indian firms in Switzerland would now be 10% instead of the 5% under the MFN clause. The MFN clause provides for lowering of rate of taxation at source on dividends, interest, royalties, or fees for technical services similar to concessions given to other countries with similar tax treaties. “Switzerland’s decision marks a shift in bilateral treaty dynamics... This move underscores the growing emphasis on reciprocity and mutual agreement in the interpretation of treaty provisions,” said Sandeep Jhunjhunwala, M&A tax partner, Nangia Andersen. Amit Maheshwari, tax partner at AKM Global, said there is a concern that more countries may follow suit. “Switzerland is of the view that it is not receiving the same treatment India grants to other countries with more favourable tax treaties. The main reason is reciprocity, which ensures taxpayers in both countries are treated equally and fairly he said. ,” Not armed burglars, pregnant woman shot by husband from point blank range P R A S A N J E E T S A R K A R @ Rourkela THE 33-year-old pregnant woman of Sundargarh, alleged to have been murdered during a late night loot bid, was actually gunned down by her husband, Rourkela police said on Friday . Police cracked the disturbing case by ar resting victim, Shamyamayee Behera’s husband Deben Behera (35) and his brother-in-law Satya Narayan Behera, also an assistant subinspector of police. Shamyamayee was shot dead around 12.20 am in the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday at her in-laws’ house in Jhirdapali village under Tikayatpali police station in Bonai sub-division of Rourkela police district. Police said Deben had concocted the story that armed robbers killed her during a loot attempt. DIG (Western Range) Brijesh Kumar Rai said the husband, a panchayat extension officer (PEO), had an affair with an- other woman, which prompted him to murder his wife in cold blood and make it appear like an armed burglary . Discrepancies in statements, timelines, contradictory forensic evidence and concealing of facts led the police to form a special team of additional SP and SDPO rank officers to ascertain the events and veracity of statements of Deben, his family members and neigh- bours, Rai said. Investigation finally came to the conclusion that it was a premeditated murder and the DIG attributed the motive to Deben’s extra-marital love affair. According to victim’s father Pitambar Behera, a native of Chhendipada in Angul district, Shamyamayee was married to Deben on February 7 and during her death she was seven months preg- nant. In the 11 months of marriage, except for 10 initial days, she was not allowed to go to her parental home. Rourkela SP Nitesh Wadhwani said Deben was looking for an opportunity to execute his horrific plan to eliminate his wife. On Wednesday midnight, when she woke up to go to the washroom, Deben tiptoed and opened the entrance door and hid along the staircase. When she came out, the accused suddenly appeared before Shamyamayee and fired at her chest from point blank range with a country made single shot firearm. A country made pistol used in the crime and used ammunition case have been recovered and seized. “From the angle of the bulleting piercing through her chest, the forensic management study concluded the firing was done by some amateur and not professional shooter,” Wadhwani said. This led police to believe Deben might be behind the crime. The SP said the accused ASI posted at Uditnagar police station of the Rourkela had helped Deben concealing the weapon, erasing crucial evidences and extended post crime guidance. The duo has been arrested and would be produce before a court on Saturday . During the crime, Deben’s mother and his aunt were in their sleep and they were jolted out of their slumber by the gunshot and fake scream of Deben.