tirupati l saturday l january 11, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l anantapur EDITION Laurene powell Jobs to observe kalpavas at kumbh The American entrepreneur and widow of Steve Jobs is set to observe an ancient spiritual practice of austerity at Maha Kumbh Understanding the Spiritual Practice Maha kumbh: A Spiritual Gathering Kalpvas is a month-long period of austerity, meditation and selfpurification, deeply rooted in the Sanatan tradition. Practitioners, known as Kalpvasis, renounce comforts, live in temporary tents, and engage in daily worship, including holy dips, spiritual discourses and devotional music. The practice is meant for inner purification and spiritual growth ■ ■ The Maha Kumbh, organised every 12 years, is a religious gathering of Sanatan devotees attracting millions from around the world Laurene is liekly to stay at the camp of Swami Kailashananda (pic), the Mahamandaleshwar of Niranjani Akhara. She will be there till the third Amrit Snan (royal bath) on Mauni Amavasya on January 29 JAN 13 WHEN THE MAHA KUMBH MELA KICKSTARTS IN PRAYAGRAJ IN UP 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 India cagey about Starlink licence after Manipur breach Govt may not give any exemption to Elon Musk firm or treat it as a special case R A K E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi Devotees who were injured in the stampede in Tirupati were offered special Srivari darshan on the day of Vaikunta Ekadasi | Express TTD chairman says sorry for stampede E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Tirumala Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Chairman BR Naidu issued an unconditional apology on Friday for the stampede in Tirupati that resulted in six deaths and left dozens injured.  This development followed his earlier statement in which he remarked that while offering an apology might be appropriate, it would not bring the deceased back.   His comments sparked significant backlash, with some accusing him of responding to Deputy Chief Minister K Pawan Kalyan’s directive, instructing senior TTD officials to apologise to the families of the deceased and the injured. Addressing a gathering at the Pithapuram Assembly constituency during the Sankranti celebrations in Kakinada district, Pawan said, “TTD Trust Board Chairman BR Naidu, Executive Officer J Shyamala Rao, and other officials should say sorry to the victims of the stampede and the people of the State for their failure in tack- ling the large congregation of devotees. You (Naidu and Shyamala Rao) have no option but to say sorry by holding a press conference.” Clarifying on his remarks, BR Naidu said his comments were not aimed at Pawan Kalyan. He emphasised that he had already expressed condolences and apologised to the families of the deceased as soon as he was informed of the incident. IN a setback to Elon Musk’s satellite communication company Starlink, India may not allow it to operate in the country due to security concerns. The government will do a thorough risk analysis and look at all aspects before considering the firm’s application for a licence, a senior Department of Telecommunications (DoT) told this newspaper. The government’s decision comes in the wake of discovery of Starlink satellite antennas and routers from Manipur and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the DoT official said, adding: “Incidents like these have prompted the government to scrutinise Starlink’s licence application.” before obtaining the licence to operate in the country Follow. ing this, the DoT asked it to refund the pre-orders. Fresh problems for Starlink emerged in December 2024, when the company’s routers and antennas were discovered in ethnic strife-torn Manipur. Additionally, police in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands found that drug smugglers were using Starlink Mini—a portable satellite communication device with an integrated WiFi router—to communicate. Although Musk claimed that Starlink had “turned off ” its services in India, security agencies suspsect the devices were used in sensitive areas like Manipur, providing internet access to militant groups. Hence the government’s rethink on Starlink. S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y Gauri Lankesh murder accused out on bail A Bengaluru court granted bail to Sharad Bhausaheb Kalaskar, citing delay in trial. With this, all the 17 accused persons facing trial in the case are now out on bail @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Friday dismissed two public interest litigations (PILs) against the 2023 Nari Shakti Vandan Act, popularly known as the Women’s Reservation Act, which reserves one-third seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The petition filed by the National Federation of Indian Women, the women’s wing of the Communist Party of India, challenged the constitutional validity of the clause that stipulates delimitation of constituencies as a prerequisite to implementing the Nari Shakti Vandan Act. The SC said NFIW can approach the high court if it wants to challenge the constitutionality . The other plea by Congress leader Jaya Thakur said the Constitution amendment for the women’s reservation law can’t be withheld indefinitely for the Census and delimitation. ‘no truth in jagan’s claim of cops’ diversion’ E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Anantapur Range DIG Dr Shemushi Bajpai on Friday refuted YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s allegations that police personnel assigned to Vaikunta Ekadasi duties were diverted for Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s visit to Kuppam. Calling the allegations baseless, she clarified that separate police forces had been deployed to ensure security both in Kuppam and during the Vaikunta Ekadasi celebrations in Tirumala. Addressing concerns over the stampede in Tirupati, the DIG explained that initial findings suggest the tragedy was caused by an I’m human, not God: PM in debut podcast Ra j e s h kuma r thaku r @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi in his debut podcast described himself as a person for whom designation holds no significance in his dedication to serving the nation. In a candid tete-a-tete hosted by Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath, the prime minister said that his designations and situations may have changed but he still remains the same individual who once used to sit on the floor. Modi said he is always willing to abandon old ideas and adopt new ones if they align with his core ideology of “Nation First.” In a reply to a question if he had planned for the future beyond his tenure, focusing on training people he trusts for the next 20-30 years, Modi said, “I can see people with a lot of potential. When I was in Gujarat, I would say that I want to prepare a team for the next 20 years. I am doing it. My success lies in how I prepare my team who will be able to deftly handle things. This is my benchmark that I’ve set for myself.” Stressing the need for participation of youth in politics, he said that the country needs young leaders who are driven by a mission rather than ambition for top positions. PM Narendra Modi talks to Zerodha’s Nikhil Kamath in a podcast | PTI unexpected surge in the crowd, compounded by delayed decisionmaking by on-duty personnel. She said authorities are reviewing whether appropriate precautions were taken before opening the gates. CCTV footage and mobile phone videos are also being analysed. Highlighting that a thorough probe is underway to establish the facts and take appropriate action, she emphasised that over 1,500 police officers were deployed to ensure safety of devotees at the token distribution centres. Additionally a total of 2,424 offic, ers were assigned to maintain law and order during the Vaikunta Ekadasi fete at Tirumala. Don gets felony sentence without any punishment A g en c i e s The government is taking the suspected use of Starlink devices in Manipur very seriously and is carefully considering all aspects before granting licence to the Elon Musk company DoT official SC junks pleas seeking speedy implementation of women’s quota Free education for children of deceased Meanwhile, TTD held an emergency board meeting at Annamaiah Bhavan in Tirumala on Friday The board members ex. pressed their condolences for the six devotees who died in the stampede in Tirupati on January 8. They also decided to provide free education to the children of the deceased at TTD-run educational institutions. In a subsequent press conference, TTD Chairman BR Naidu announced that, following instructions from Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, the board had decided to grant `25 lakh as ex-gratia to the families P5 of the deceased.  The Musk-owned firm has been seeking certain exemptions to enter the Indian market, citing technical limitations. Sources said the Centre was earlier open to easing some conditions for Starlink as a special case, but it is now treading very cautiously . Till date, the government has granted licences to Bharti Groupbacked OneWeb and the Jio-SES joint venture Jio Satellite Communications to provide satellite communication services in the country Musk’s Starlink and Ama. zon’s Project Kuiper have also applied for licences but neither has been approved by the government. In 2021, Starlink courted controversy when it accepted preorders from Indian consumers hush money case We don’t find any merit in the pleas filed before us. It will be very difficult for the court to strike down a part of women’s reservation law which will come into effect after the census Supreme Court US President-elect Donald Trump was on Friday sentenced in the hush money case without any punishment. It will make him the first person with a felony conviction to serve as president. In a post online, Trump called the trial a “despicable charade” and said he will file an appeal. Trump’s sentence was his first-ever so far. Manhattan Judge Juan M Merchan awarded him an unconditional discharge on all 34 counts, doing legal gymnastics since he is president-elect. He was charged with 34 felonies and convicted by a jury on every count in May last year, yet he got full discharge. Trump was found guilty of fudging his business’ records to conceal a $130,000 payoff to porn actor Stormy Daniels. She was paid in 2016 not to tell the public about her sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier. Trump, however, rejected the claim. And the allegations didn’t have an impact on voters, who elected him to a second term. Judge Merchan could have sentenced the 78-year-old accused to up to four years in prison. Instead, he chose a sentence that sidestepped thorny constitutional issues by effectively ending the case. Merchan said when facing any defendant, he had to consider any aggravating factors before imposing a sentence. But the legal protection that Trump will have as president is a factor that overrides all others. “Despite the extraordinary breadth of those legal protections, one power they do not provide is that they do not erase a jury verdict,” Merchan observed. Briefly addressing the court virtually Trump , said, “It’s been a political witch hunt. It was done to damage my reputation so that I would lose the election, and obviously that didn’t work.” , The prosecution requested no prison, probation or fine as a sentence. Judge Merchan obliged. He called it an extraordinary case and a paradox with a lot of attention but ordinary court proceedings. Prosecutors, however, criticised Trump’s fierce attacks on the legal system.  P11