I have always accepted that I am responsible for my team and realise WADA’s strict rules are an important protection for the sport I love —Jannik Sinner tirupati l sunday l february 16, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l late city EDITION Sinner, WADA reach agreement: World No. 1 gets 3-month ban Winner of three Majors, the Italian, who twice tested positive for banned substance, will be suspended effective immediately. World body withdraws CAS case Sinner did not intend to cheat: WADA The Italian, who twice tested positive for clostebol last year, had been exonerated by an independent panel in August. But the World AntiDoping Agency (WADA), unhappy with the verdict, had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). WADA has now withdrawn that case after reaching an agreement in line with Anti-Doping Code. ■ In a statement, WADA held that the Italian, who won the Australian Open, ‘did not intend to cheat, and that his exposure to clostebol did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit’. ■ They, however, held that he’s responsible for the actions of his entourage. Sinner had tested positive last March. Feb 9-May 4 Sinner’s ban period, the French Open begins May 25 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 Punjab chief minister objects to Amritsar being chosen arrival point US sends back 119 Indians in military aircraft J AYA N TH J ACO B & HARPR E E T B A J WA @ New Delhi / Chandigarh express read Special teams to probe case against Vamsi Vijayawada: NTR District Commissioner of Police SV Rajashekhar Babu on Saturday constituted two special teams to probe the case against former Gannavaram MLA and senior YSRCP leader Vallabhaneni Vamsi Mohan. The special teams will collect crucial information such as call data records, and CCTV footage from the court complex and residences of the accused in the case | P4 4 hospitalised after Delhi station stampede New Delhi: Four women fainted and were hospitalised due to suffocation at New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday evening, after a massive crowd of Maha Kumbh devotees gathered on platforms 13 and 14 around 10 pm after two trains to Prayagraj were cancelled, causing overcrowding. Fire tenders and ambulances were rushed to the scene. THE US on Saturday sent back 119 illegal Indian immigrants on a military aircraft—the second such deportation since Donald Trump took office as President—triggering a fresh political controversy with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann protesting the choice of Amritsar as the arrival point. While Mann alleged the BJPled government at the Centre deliberately chose Amritsar as the landing site to ‘defame Punjab’, sources told this newspaper that the arrival airport is decided after taking in view the deportees’ convenience for returning home. The sources pointed out that many of those deported are from the border areas of Punjab. Saturday’s flight had 67 people from Punjab and 33 from Haryana. They have been detained along the USMexico border. Amritsar has been a primary arrival point for deportees for some time, including in October last year when a group of illegal immigrants were sent back from the US through a chartered flight. However, the Trump administration’s use of a military plane to deport immigrants has sparked protests in India, with concerns raised over deportees arriving in handcuffs. India is understood to have raised the issue of inhuman treatment of its citizens with the US, but the US has once again chosen to send them back on a military aircraft. After arriving at the airport ‘Why not land in Delhi’ Accusing the Centre of trying to defame his state, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann asked why it’s always Punjab and not Delhi to land the deportation plane. A third plane carrying 157 deportees is also expected on Sunday to receive the deportees on Saturday night, Mann said: “Do not make our holy city Amritsar a deport centre.” Expressing concerns over how the Indian citizens would be treated onboard, Mann said the Centre should have sent a plane to bring them home. Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told Parliament that restraints are part of the Standard Operating Procedures of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement while deporting illegals. However, legal experts say the use of shackles hurt the deportees’ dignity and violates the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), 1976 and the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, 1984. Punjab police make first arrest, nab travel agent H a r p r ee t B a j w a @ Chandigarh PUNJAB police made its first arrest of a travel agent involved in illegal immigration practices, following the deportation of 104 Indians from the US on February 5. Anil Batra, one of four accused, was arrested for sending a US deportee to the US via the “Dunki route.” Talking to this newspaper, inspector Abhey Singh Chauhan said that based on a complaint of Gurwinder Singh of Bhadson, Patiala, a case was registered on February 8 against t r ave l a g e n t A n i l B at r a and three others who had sent Singh to US via the ‘Dunki route’. Batra allegedly took `45 lakh from Singh to facilitate his travel to the US. Singh was first sent to Dubai, then to Suriname, and eventually made his way to the US via Central America, with the help of traffickers and smugglers. The arrest comes after a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to probe complaints of fraudulent travel agents involved in deceptive immigration practices. The SIT has registered 10 FIRs against travel agents who allegedly deceived victims with false promises of f acilitating ille g al entry into the US. Police have frozen Batra’s bank account, which had a balance of `6.35 lakh. Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav has urged the general public to come forward with any information that could assist in apprehending travel agents who facilitate illegal entry into the US, and advised citizens to only approach registered agents for immigration services. CM urges public to dedicate one day a month to cleanliness E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Nellore Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has pledged to transform Andhra Pradesh into a cleaner and greener State and urged citizens to dedicate one day each month to cleanliness. Speaking at the inauguration of a Material Recovery Facility Centre in Kandukur, he emphasised the importance of waste management, environmental sustainability and governance , reforms. As part of the Swachh Andhra - Swachh Divas initiative, Naidu visited Dubagunta village in the Kandukur constituency to assess sanitation efforts. During his visit, the Chief CM N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy CM K Pawan Kalyan during an event organised by NTR Trust in Vijayawada on Saturday. Their camaraderie was on full display at a time when rumours regarding a rift between the two leaders have been rampant | Express Minister inspected a soak pit at the residence of Bhimani Harikrishna and inquired about its maintenance. He also visit- plan chalked out for hassle-free registrations B a n d h a v i Ann a m @ Guntur The State government has decided to implement a Dynamic Queue Management System in all sub-registrar offices across the State. The initiative aims to reduce congestion, improve efficiency, and provide a seamless experience for citizens availing registration services. Orders for its implementation have already been issued, and the system is expected to be operational from the first week of April. The primary objective of this system is to address the issue of overcrowding in registration offices, which often witness heavy footfall, especially on auspicious days when a large number of people visit for property and marriage registrations. With the new system in place, citizens will have the flexibility to book their appointment slots in advance, allowing them to plan their visits efficiently and avoid long waiting times at registration offices. The new system will function through an online data entry and appointment booking mechanism. Citizens can complete data entry and document preparation through the Registration and Stamps Department’s web portal or mobile app. After submitting details, an application ID is generated, which serves as a reference for paying duties online and booking a slot at the registration office.  P4 EAM calls out West’s double standards on democracy E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi EXTERNAL Affairs Minister S Jaishankar rejected the western viewpoint that democracy is in crisis globally and pilloried the West’s doublespeak on the issue. “I reject the idea that democracy is in crisis worldwide. In India, we are voting well, living well, and remain optimistic about the future of our democracy, which has indeed delivered,” Jaishankar said at a panel discussion in Munich. He pointed at the ink mark on his index finger, symbolising his recent vote. He flayed the West for its double standards on democracy ac, cusing it of treating democracy as an exclusive “Western char- acteristic”, while actively supporting “non-democratic forces” in the Global South — a practice that still continues. The minister said countries of the Global South are more likely to relateto the fact that the “Indian experience is more transposable to their societies than perhaps to those of others.” Apart from Jaishankar, the panel comprised Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, US Senator Elissa Slotkin and Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowsk, who were discussing “Live to Vote Another Day: Fortifying Democratic Resilience,” at the Munich Security Conference. A query was put to the minister if countries in the Global South still aspire to have a democratic system and if its people are attracted to it, Jaishankar said: “Look, to an extent, all big countries are unique to an extent. But, we would certainly hope, I mean to the extent, we think of democracy as a universal aspiration, ideally a reality .” WITH THIS ISSUE Hacked & Helpless PLUS 12 PAGES left in the lurch Customers of the New India Cooperative Bank gather outside a branch in Mumbai on Saturday after the RBI imposed restrictions on issuing loans and withdrawals due to liquidity concerns and governance issues | pti ed the home of Gorrepati Susheela to check whether wet and dry waste were being properly P4 segregated.  racket busted `1.06 crore counterfeit notes seized, five arrested E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Rajamahendravaram The East Godavari Police busted a gang involved in the printing and circulation of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN). Five individuals were arrested in connection with the case, and counterfeit currency with a face value of `1,06,58,000 was recovered from them. District Superintendent of Police D Narasimha Kishore shared the details of the case with mediapersons on Saturday. He stated that the police had seized counterfeit currency in denominations of `500, `200, and `100. The gang had set up operations in Guntur city to print the fake notes. The accused have been identified as Chitturi Haribabu (34), Seelam Kedareswara Paripurna Srinivas (35), and Cheekatla Yedukondalu (40), all from East Godavari district, along with Donepudi Madhu (27) and Karri Manikumar (40) from Guntur district. In addition to the counterfeit currency the police also recov, ered a car, five mobile phones, a computer and CPU, three printers, two laminators, a pen drive, a computer table, a scanner, and SBI-branded paper seals, along with other printing equipment from the gang’s possession. The issue came to light when Haribabu, one of the accused, visited a mechanic, Akula Pavan, on February 1 to have his car repaired. Chitturi Haribabu paid `2,000 in fake currency as an advance, promising to pay the remaining `8,000 after the repairs. On suspicion that the notes were counterfeit, Pavan filed a complaint at the Biccavolu police P4 station.  Bouquets and brickbats Tharoor’s praise for Kerala in TNIE column sparks Cong backlash E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ T’Puram/Malappuram/Kozhikode FINDING itself in an embarrassing situation after party MP Shashi Tharoor heaped praise on the Left-ruled Kerala, calling the state a model of economic innovation and sustainable growth, the Congress leadership launched an open attack on him. While several Congress lead- ers, including V D Satheesan, K C Venugopal, and Ramesh Chennithala, dismissed Tharoor’s arguments in his column in The New Indian Express that appeared on February 14, he, understandably, found support among the Left leadership. Even as his views sparked uproar, Tharoor stuck to his ground, saying the article was in Kerala’s interest. In his column, Tharoor said Kerala has emerged as a dynamic centre for startups. He termed Industries Minister P Rajeeve’s claim that a business can be opened in just two minutes as an “astonishing development”. Soon after the article appeared, Rajeeve shared it on social media, thanking Tharoor. Brushing aside Tharoor’s comments, Leader of Opposition Satheesan said the party will examine the circumstances under which such claims were made. When somebody in the government does something well, one should acknowledge and praise it. I’ve criticised and praised in fairness and on the basis of specific points —Shashi Tharoor Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan asked the party national leadership to respond to Tharoor’s comments. AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said Tharoor’s views did not conform to reality “Kerala’s industries sector . is in a bad state. Is there any development happening in the coir and fisheries sectors?” he asked. Ramesh Chennithala said Tharoor had a misunderstanding. “Kerala is not an investment-friendly state. Several enterprises were shut during the LDF’s tenure,” he said. It’s learnt that the party leadership may seek disciplinary action against Tharoor. Without mentioning Tharoor, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, “His statements were based on facts and numbers.”