HYDERABAD  SUNDAY  JANUARY 19, 2025  `12.00  PAGES 24  LATE CITY EDITION ROHIT & CO TURN TO EXPERIENCE FOR CHAMPIONS TROPHY 2025 Mohammed Shami returns amid concern over Jasprit Bumrah’s participation as India gear up for ODIs vs England and CT in February SPINNERS AND ALL-ROUNDERS IN FOCUS ARSHDEEP PICKED AHEAD OF SIRAJ The selection committee has picked four spinners in Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja with India playing all their games in Dubai. The three spin-bowling all-rounders along with Hardik Pandya, who can exploit the conditions with his cutters, will be in focus as India look to win their first 50-over ICC title since 2013 ■ ■ With uncertainity over Bumrah’s injury, India have gone for Arshdeep instead of Siraj in what is his best format Calling it unfortunate, Rohit Sharma said that Singh’s ability to bowl in the back end was cruical considering Bumrah’s situation. India play three ODIs against England and CT in Dubai next month | P11 2013 THE LAST TIME INDIA WON 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 Rape-murder accused in RG Kar case guilty: court Quantum of sentence on Monday; victim’s family seek further probe S U L A G N A S E N G U P TA @ Kolkata HUNTINGS HORIZON S GE PLUS 12 PA A Sealdah court on Saturday held 33-year-old former civic volunteer Sanjoy Roy guilty in the August 9, 2024 horrific rapemurder of a 31-year-old doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, under three sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The quantum of sentence will be pronounced on Monday . In a chilling reminder to the 2012 Nirbhaya case in Delhi, the gruesome rape-murder of the post-graduate trainee doctor shook the nation’s consciousness, with massive and sustained protests erupting across West Bengal and the country The state almost came . to standstill with people from all walks of life joining the protests against the ghastly crime and the administration’s alleged apathy and inaction. Roy who was produced in the , packed courtroom amid tight security, was found guilty under Sections 64 (rape), 66 (punishment for causing death), and 103(1) (murder) of the BNS. Section 103(1) carries a possi- SHUTTLER COMPLAINS OF SMOG, BIRD-DROPPINGS A N M O L G U R U N G @ New Delhi POLLUTION and lack of hygiene — two most infamous reared their heads during India Open badminton here on Saturday The elite inter. national badminton (BWF Super 750-level) event came under criticism for ‘birddropping’ on courts and ‘dirt’. There have been instances when international cricket matches were affected due to pollution but the concern here is the conditions inside the indoor hall. Denmark shuttler Mia Blichfeldt, World No 23, termed the conditions at the KD Jadav Stadium to be ‘unhealthy and unacceptable’. She lost 12-21, 21-16, 21-8 against China’s Wang Zhi Yi in the 2nd round and during a postmatch interaction revealed about falling sick to BWF. “Finally home after a long and stressful week in India. It’s been 2 years in a row now that I get sick during the India Open. It’s really hard to accept that many weeks of work and preparing gets wasted because of bad conditions,” Blichfeldt posted on her official Instagram handle. “It’s not fair to anyone that we have to train and play in smog, birds shitting on the courts and dirt everywhere. These conditions are too unhealthy and unacceptable. @bwf...” The Badminton Association of India said that they are exploring alternate venues for next edition. SIXTY HOURS ON Saif attack suspect held in Chhattisgarh rly station E J A Z K A I S E R @ Raipur THE Railway Protection Force (RPF) detained a suspect in connection with the knife attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan. The accused, identified as Aakash Kannojia, 32, a resident of Mumbai, was apprehended after he got down from the Jnaneshwari Express at Durg station on Saturday . Acting on key inputs, the RPF had shared the suspect’s image and mobile number with neighbouring states and RPF teams. A team of RPF personnel at Durg station detained Kannojia from the general compartment. The suspect is believed to have activated his mobile phone at Dongargarh station, about an hour before the train reached Rajnandgaon. The suspect, who was travelling without a ticket, told RPF cops that he was headed to Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh. However, sources said that Kannojia was actually on his way to visit his maternal grandmother in Janjgir-Champa, about 120 km from Raipur. Mumbai Police are expected to arrive in Durg late on Saturday to probe Kannojia’s involvement in the attack on the actor. EXPRESS READ Centre offers talks with Dallewal Chandigarh: The ongoing protest by farmers on the Punjab border took a new turn with the Centre proposing talks and Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who is on a fast unto death, accepting their request to at least take medical aid | P8 File picture of accused Sanjoy Roy Accused could get death penalty or life Maximum sentence for the accused is death penalty or imprisonment for life as he has been convicted under Section 103(1). Punishment under Section 64 is at least 10 years and can go up to life ble punishment of death or life imprisonment. The in-camera trial ended on January 9. In the court, Roy reiterated that he was being framed while his lawyers tried to calm him down. When he was being taken out of the court, he claimed that a “certain IPS” knew everything. In his 160-page judgment, the judge said, “You (Roy) sexually assaulted the doctor. You throttled her and covered her face and she ultimately died owing to the attack. On the basis of these allegations, charges were framed against you under Sections 64, 66 and 103(1) of BNS. On the basis of the statements of the witnesses and the documents produced in this matter, your guilt has been proved.” After the order, the father of the deceased doctor said, “The trust we had placed in you, you have honoured it completely.” However, her mother said justice had not been fully served. The junior doctors, who led the protests, called for further probe into the larger conspiracy and said their agitation would continue. Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Suvendu Adhikari said likewise. “We welcome the judgment. But we would have been happier if the former principal of R G Kar hospital, Sandip Ghosh, and former Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal were also punished today he said. ,” METRO RAIL-II Chief Minister Revanth Reddy along with IT Minister D Sridhar Babu meets Grace Fu Hai Yien, Singapore Minister for Sustainability and Environment, on Saturday Centre will give funds matching state’s budget allocation: Kishan EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad Singapore keen on Musi, Future City projects EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad SINGAPORE Minister for Sustainability and Environment and in-charge Minister for Trade, Grace Fu Hai Yein has expressed interest in helping Telangana achieve the goals of “Telangana Rising”. She is keen on the state’s potential in projects like the Net Zero Future City and Musi Riverfront Development Project. On Saturday, a delegation l e d by C h i e f M i n i s t e r A Revanth Reddy held wide ranging discussions with the Singapore minister to explore partnership opportunities in Telangana in several areas. The delegation, including IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu and officials, showcased Telangana’s unique investment prospects in urban planning and infrastructure, water management, skill development, sports, semiconductors, manufacturing, envir o n m e n t a n d sustainability sciences and technology . Minister Fu assured the chief minister that Singapore would consider his invitation for collaboration. Both parties agreed to constitute specialised teams to identify joint projects, facilitate knowledge transfer from Singapore to Telangana, and expedite progress on key initiatives to create tangible impact on the ground. 1,200 Israel-Hamas truce kicks in today Ceasefire will start at 6.30 am GMT (12 pm IST) on Sunday Among the 33 Israeli captives being freed in the first phase, 9 ill and wounded will be freed first in exchange of 110 Palestinian prisoners with life sentences Hamas has agreed to free KILLED IN ISRAEL AFTER HAMAS’ OCTOBER ’23 RAID three female hostages on Day 1 of the deal, four on Day 7, and the remaining 26 over the following five weeks After the last hostage release in stage one, on day 42, Israeli forces will begin their withdrawal and complete it in no later than day 50 | P9 46K Israeli troops return from Gaza Strip on Saturday | AP Greenko MD quizzed in E-Prix case E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Hyderabad ANIL Kumar Chalamalasetty, Managing Director of Greenko, the promoter of Ace Nxt Gen Pvt Ltd, appeared before the Anti-Corruption Bureau officials on Saturday in connection with the Formula-E race case. The ACB officials questioned him for around two and half hours and recorded his statement. The Ace Nxt Gen Private Ltd was the sponsor for the Formula E race Season 9 in February 2023. The ACB officials reportedly questioned him over the sponsorship a g re e m e n t fo r fo u r e d i t i o n s (9,10,11,12) and why the firm backed out after Season 9. They reportedly posed questions related to the ACB searches conducted at the Greenko CONTINUED ON P4 offices recently . PALESTINIANS KILLED BY ISRAEL SINCE OCTOB ER ’23 UNION Coal and Mines Minister and BJP state president G Kishan Reddy on Saturday said the Centre would extend financial assistance for the second phase of Metro Rail project if the state comes up with a matching budget. The minister said that Chief Secretary A Santhi Kumari had urged him for his intervention for the release of Centre’s support for the project. He asserted that the Centre would provide assistance matching the state’s budgetary allocation. He, however, said that the Centre will not release funds if the state government takes loans to pursue the project. “Central government has certain norms, and they will be strictly adhered to. If the Centre obliges states’ request without following norms, the country will go bankrupt,” he said at an informal media interaction at the BJP office here. He said that he would invite the chief secretary for a discussion on the state’s financial requirement for the second phase of Metro Rail very soon. He found fault with the state government for not completing land acquisition for centrally sponsored infrastr ucture projects like RRR and Amberpet flyover. He also said that the Centre will provide financial assistance for the Musi Rejuvenation Project within the framework. CONTINUED ON P4