kozhikode l saturday l January 11, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l city 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 18-yr-old reveals more than 60 people abused her sexually over 5 yrs E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e Five persons arrested @ Pathanamthitta In a shocking revelation, an 18-year-old girl has said she was sexually abused by more than 60 people over the past five years, since she was 13, in Pathanamthitta. She revealed the ordeal to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) members who in turn informed the police. According to the police, the initial investigation indicated that there are more than 60 accused, as stated by the girl. The Elavumthitta police have so far arrested five accused in the case — Subin, 24, S Sandeep, 30, V K Vineeth,30, K Anandu, 21, and Sreeni alias S Sudhi Sreeni, 24, all residents of Chenneerkara in Pathanamthitta. The girl has identified 40 others who abused her from the photos on the mobile phones of the arrested persons. Police said when the girl was 13, Subin, a neighbour and the son of her father’s friend, lured Elavumthitta police have so far arrested five accused in the case The girl has identified 40 others who abused her from the photos on the phones of the arrested. the girl by showing her obscene visuals on his mobile phone. He also took the girl’s nude pictures on his phone. When the girl was 16, Subin took her to a secluded place in their locality and assaulted her sexually He . also recorded videos of the act on his phone. This was followed by regular sexual abuse, the police said. The police probe revealed that the visuals were shared among Subin’s friends, who also abused her sexually. The girl, who could not concentrate on her studies after the repeated abuse, revealed the matter first before a women empowerment collective during a coun● More on P6 selling session.  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 RAK E SH KUMAR @ New Delhi 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.” The Musk-owned firm has been seeking certain exemptions to enter the Indian market, citing technical limita- tions. 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 Group-backed OneWeb and the Jio-SES joint venture Jio Satellite Communications to provide satellite communication services in the country Musk’s Star. l i n k a n d A m a z o n’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 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. In response, the Indian government initiated a probe into the matter. Reports said the government is piqued over Starlink’s refusal to provide information about the original buyers of these devices, citing data privacy issues. The Home ministry asked to DoT to take ‘appropriate steps’ in view of the developments. SC junks pleas seeking speedy implementation of women’s quota SUCHITRA KA LYA N MOHA N T Y @ New Delhi homage to legend Musician Ouseppachan, director Sathyan Anthikad and actor Jayaraj Warrier pay homage to singer P Jayachandran at the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi in Thrissur on Friday | A Sanesh Anvar to ‘associate’ with Trinamool E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kozhikode On getting clear indication that he will not be allowed entry in the UDF, P V Anvar, desperately seeking a political asylum after severing ties with the CPM, has finally decided to ‘associate’ with Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress. He met Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, MP in Kolkata on Friday , . Walking the tightrope to P V Anvar with Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee | X avoid potential disqualification, the Nilambur MLA has decided against formally join- ing the Trinamool Congress, opting to serve as its state coordinator, instead. Close associates in Malappuram said Anvar would explore legal options to gain greater clarity on whether the independent MLA joining a new party would attract disqualification from assembly . Other members of Democratic Movement Kerala, the organisation floated by Anvar, will take Trinamool memmber● More on P6 ship. 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. “We don’t find any merit in the batch of pleas filed before us. The same are rejected,” a bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and P B Varale said in its order. On November 3, 2023, the top court while hearing Thakur’s plea had said it would be “very difficult” for the court to strike down a part of the women’s reservation law which would come into effect after the census. The Constitution amendment bill to implement women’s reservation in legislature got parliamentary nod on September 21, 2023. Mistakes are inevitable, I’m human, not God, says PM R a je s h k u m a r t h a k u 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 cofounder Nikhil Kamath, the prime minister said that his designations and s i t u a t i o n s m ay h ave 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. When asked about his early approach to leadership, Modi said, “When I became CM, I said I will not do anything for myself. I will not do anything wrong out of bad intentions. I have made it a mantra of my life. Mistakes are inevitable. I must have made mistakes. I am a human too, not a god.” He also reiterated his commitment to reserving one-third of seats for women in legislative assemblies and the Lok Sabha in the near future. Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks to Zerodha’s Nikhil Kamath in a podcast | PTI hush money case Don gets felony sentence without any punishment Agen 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 EXPRESS READ HC adjourns Boby Chemmanur’s bail plea Kochi: Boby Chemmanur, accused in a sexual harassment case, will remain in jail as the Kerala High Court on Friday denied an urgent hearing on his bail plea and adjourned it to January 14. “There is nothing special for you. Every bail application listed here is usually posted for a response from the prosecutor. This will be treated like any other case. I will hear it on Tuesday,” the High court observed. P6 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 after the sentencing, 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.