HYDERABAD l wednesday l march 26, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE CITY EDITION U.S. embarrassed as secret plan to attack Yemen leaked to media A journalist was accidentally included in a group chat where top US officials were discussing upcoming strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels ‘Highly damaging’ situation barely avoided Why was signal, a commercial app, used? The plan was leaked to The Atlantic magazine’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, who was inadvertently added to a Signal app chat with top officials like VP J D Vance, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. The leak could have been highly damaging if the enemy somehow accessed to the plan ■ ■ Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X on Tuesday that “no ‘war plans’ were discussed” and “no classified material was sent” But top Democrats condemned the breach, saying it was illegal and calling for an investigation to find out why officials were using a commercially available app for sensitive discussions | P9 2 days before the actual airstrike was when Goldberg was added 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 Reassignment of portfolios on cards? Frosty ties Intent, ability in India to interfere with polls: Canada J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi India has the ‘intent and capability’ to interfere in Canadian communities and democratic processes, a media report said quoting Vanessa Lloyd, the deputy director of operations at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. Lloyd claimed that China, Russia and Pakistan, too, could interfere in the federal election campaign. She was addressing a media briefing on Monday on efforts to protect the integrity of the general election, voting for which takes place on April 28. Lloyd added that “hostile state actors” were increasingly leveraging AI to meddle in the polls announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday . Under a federal protocol int ro d u c e d i n 2019, the news channel CTV News said, a panel of bureaucrats had the power to warn the public if it decided one or more incidents threaten Canada’s ability to hold a free and fair vote. Most threat actors ‘likely have adapted their tradecraft to conceal foreign interference activity, making it even more challenging to detect’, Lloyd mentioned, adding that it was ‘highly likely’ China would use social media to promote narratives favourable to its interests and target Chinese ethnic, cultural and religious communities in Canada using “clandestine and deceptive” means. The Ministry of External Affairs has so far not responded to these charges. But in January the nation rejected “insinu, ations” levelled by a Canadian commission report of interference in the 2022 election of Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative Party leader. B K AR T H E E K @ Hyderabad Himachal Pradesh HC Chief Justice G S Sandhawalia, a member of the panel set up by the SC, arrives at Justice Yashwant Varma’s residence, in New Delhi on Tuesday | pti SC panel begins ‘currency stash’ probe, visits site Committee inspects Justice Varma’s house where burnt cash was allegedly discovered allegations of corruption following the discovery of cash at his home following a fire incithe Supreme Court-appointed dent on the night of March 14. committee on Tuesday began Justice Varma, who has since its probe into the discovery of been de-rostered by the Delhi cash from the residence of Del- High Court, has denied the alhi High Court judge Yashwant legations against him terming Varma, even as the Allahabad the whole affair a conspiracy . High Court Bar Association The SC Collegium on Monstarted an indefinite strike in day confirmed that it had recprotest against the proposed ommended Justice Varma’s transfer of the tainted judge to transfer to the Allahabad HC, the Allahabad HC. triggering fiery proT he probe panel tests from the bar assomembers—Justice ciation, which urged Sheel Nagu, Chief Jus- There have been the Central gover ntice of the High Court ment not to clear the attempts to of Punjab and Harya- cover up... Until a Collegium’s decision. na; Justice G S SandhaBar association chief resolution is walia, Chief Justice of Anil Tiwari said the reached, we won’t resume the High Cour t of protest is not against Himachal Pradesh; and work, no matter any court but against consequences Anu Sivaraman, Judge those who betrayed the of the High Court of judicial system. Allahabad HC Karnataka—reached Meanwhile, Rajya Bar Association Justice Varma’s official Sabha Chairman Jagresidence at 30, Tughlak Cres- deep Dhankhar on Tuesday cent, in Delhi at 1 pm. They held a meeting of floor leaders spent around 45 minutes there to discuss judicial accountabiland examined the room where ity in the wake of the developthe stash of cash was allegedly ments. The meeting came a day found, sources said. after Dhankhar interacted with It was not immediately Leader of the House J P Nadda known whether Justice Varma and Leader of Opposition Malwas at his residence when the likarjun Kharge, and referred inquiry panel visited. to the mechanism for judicial The panel’s findings will be appointments after the passage crucial in deciding the fate of of the NJAC Act in 2014, which Justice Varma, who is facing the SC later struck down. P8 S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y & N a m i ta B a j pa i @ New Delhi / Lucknow The coming days are likely to see key changes in the Congress government in Telangana — the state Cabinet will not just be expanded, there will be a reshuffle of key portfolios. According to sources, portfolios of key ministers are likely to be changed. Sources hastened to stress that the change of portfolios should not be seen as an act of discipline but as a strategic move to ensure a more balanced distribution of power within the Cabinet. They pointed out that some ministers currently hold multiple crucial portfolios, which demand considerable attention. The Congress high command, in response to this, is believed to have decided to decentralise the responsibilities among various ministers, aiming to create a more balanced governance structure and to E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad The state government is reportedly considering ordering an inquiry into the expenditure made by the digital media wing during the BRS regime, especially in the run-up to the 2023 Assembly elections. According to sources aware of the matter, the government has taken note of the information that the digital media wing spent a whopping `13.85 crore in just eight months in 2023, much higher than the average of around `50 lakh per year. In reply to a reported RTI query the Special Chief Secre, tary of the ITE&C department said that the digital media wing spent a total of `18.45 crore between August 1, 2016, and December 3, 2023. The reported  They say it’s a strategic move to ensure a more balanced distribution of power in the Cabinet are not relegated to holding insignificant portfolios. “It may be acceptable to assign lower-profile portfolios to first-time MLAs, but the party cannot afford to marginalise senior leaders. There is also a need to decentralise power as it cannot be concentrated in one region,” the leader said. It may be mentioned here that the Congress high command had summoned top lead- Spending pattern gives rise to suspicion Those aware of the matter said that the sharp spike in expenditure has raised doubts over whether the funds were diverted to the BRS election campaign. This is why the government was contemplaing a Vigilance inquiry, they said reply says that from 2017–18 to 2020–21, the digital media wing spent, on average, around `50 lakh per year. However, this spending spiked sharply in 2021–22, reaching `94.93 lakh, and jumped to `1.5 crore in 2022–23. From April 1, 2023, to December 3, 2023, the expenditure of In a related development, new names are cropping up for Cabinet berths. Sources said that Beerla Ilaiah, a first-time MLA from the erstwhile Nalgonda district who is from the BC community, is now being considered as the party does not want to give a ministerial post only to the Reddy community in its stronghold, Nalgonda. the digital media wing reached a staggering `13.85 crore. Those aware of the matter said that the sharp spike in expenditure has raised doubts over whether the funds were diverted to the BRS election campaign. This was why the government was contemplating a Vigilance inquiry . Meanwhile, sources disclosed that the then Telangana Digital Media director, Konatham Dileep Kumar, made official visits to the US five times, Davos three times, and the UK twice between May 2015 and May 2023. However, the ITE&C department said that the digital media wing did not bear the expenses for these visits. It said that the expenditure may have been covered by other wings of the ITE&C department. S u d h i r S u r yawa n s h i @ Mumbai Lawyer’s murder: Work boycotted in courts Festive atmosphere The Old City of Hyderabad, particularly the vicinity of Charminar, bustles with activity on Tuesday as Eid-ul-Fitr nears | Vinay Madapu Will meet revenue targets despite tax relief: FM ures announced in the Budget—with 35 amendments. “The Finance Bill provides unprecedented tax relief to honour taxpayers. We have recognised their contribution,” Sitharaman said. In the FY26 Budget, the government increased the threshold for income tax rebate to `12 lakh per from `7 lakh earlier. For salaried taxpayers, this threshold jumped to `12.75 lakh per year after taking into account `75,000 standard deduction. The government also tweaked the tax slabs to benefit a large section of taxpayers. New income tax bill in monsoon session Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said that the new Income Tax Bill, which has been referred to a standing committee of Parliament, would most likely be taken up for discussion in the monsoon session of Parliament The changes would lead to loss of tax revenue of `1 lakh crore. However, the government has increased the personal income tax collection target for FY26 by 14.14%. “The projected tax collections for FY26 are based on solid data,” Sitharaman said. With the passage of the Finance Bill 2025, the Lok Sabha completed its part of the Budgetary approval process. The Budget process for FY26 will be complete after the Rajya Sabha also approves it. ers from the state, including Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy Deputy Chief Minister Mal, lu Bhatti Vikramarka, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy and TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud, along with AICC Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan to the AICC headquarters on Monday and scrutinised the list of aspirants for the six vacant Cabinet berths. BC MLA from Nalgonda in race for berth Kamra Defies Summons, refuses to apologise Hanamkonda: Ankesarapu Saraiah alias Sudhir alias Sudhakar alias Murali, a member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, carrying a reward of `25 lakh on his head, was among three Naxalites killed in an encounter with security forces in Dantewada of Chhattisgarh | P2 THE government could ‘realistically’ achieve personal income tax collection targets despite offering huge tax relief, Finance Minister Nir mala Sitharaman said on Tuesday while responding to the debate on Budget in the Lok Sabha. The House passed the Finance Bill 2025— the piece of legislation that gives legal backing to the tax proposals and other fiscal meas-  Party seniors stress that change of portfolios should not be seen as an act of discipline Free Speech Fury Naxal from TG killed in Chhattisgarh encounter E x p r e ss n e ws s e r v i c e @ New Delhi Streamlining governance Govt may probe staggering spike in digital media spending in 2023 e x p r e ss r e a d Hyderabad: Lawyers from the Telangana High Court, Nampally Criminal Courts and other courts boycotted duties and staged a demonstration on Monday in protest against the brutal murder of advocate Errabapu Esrayal in Santoshnagar on Monday | P4 avoid the concentration of power in the hands of a few. Currently, several ministers in the Revanth Reddy Cabinet oversee multiple portfolios. For example, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka is responsible for Finance, Planning and Energy, while N Uttam Kumar Reddy manages Irrigation and CAD as well as Food and Civil Supplies. Similarly, Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy handles three portfolios — Revenue, Housing and Information & Public Relations. Danasari Anasuya (Seethakka) is tasked with overseeing Panchayat Raj and Rural Development, as well as Rural Water Supply and Women & Child Welfare, while Jupally Krishna Rao manages Prohibition & Excise, To u r i s m , C u l t u r e a n d Archaeology . A senior leader, speaking to TNIE, stressed the importance of ensuring that senior MLAs The Mumbai Police on Monday summoned stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra for questioning the next day over a case registered against him for lampooning Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde during a recent performance in Mumbai. However, Kamra refused to appear immediately, citing death threats and concerns for his safety He reportedly request. ed a week’s time to comply Kamra also took . to social media and said he had no reason to apologise since he had only repeated what deputy chief minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar had already said. The police, investigating whether Kamra was compensated to mock Shinde, have registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and are examining his phone and call records. The controversy erupted after Kamra’s performance, in which he parodied the song Bholi Si Surat to call Shinde a gaddar (traitor), referencing his 2022 rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray. Following the video’s release, Shiv Sena workers vandalised a comedy club and demanded its closure. Eleven workers were arrested and later granted bail. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) also demolished part of the club. Kamra defended the comedy club, saying a venue is not responsible for a comedian’s words. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut defended Kunal Kamra saying he had not said anything new. “...Kamra has spoken and repeated the truth and fact only,” Raut said. I do not fear the mob. I wouldn’t go under my bed waiting for the controversy to die down Kunal Kamra Kamra trolls BMC Addressing trolls, Kunal Kamra left a voicemail featuring his song, Hum Honge Kangaal (we shall be bankrupt) and mocked BMC by saying that his next show be held at place which needs to be razed tragic end Engineer’s body retrieved from tunnel E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad One more body was retrieved on Tuesday from the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel, part of which had collapsed on February 22, bringing the total number of casualties to two. The deceased, identified as Manoj Kumar (40), was an engineer at JP Associates Limited, the contractor for SLBC tunnel works. A native of Uttar Pradesh, his body was sent to his village, Bangarmau, in Unnao district. He is survived by his wife, Swarna Latha, son Adarsh and daughter Sailaja. Nagarkurnool District Collector B Santhosh said the state g o ve r n m e n t announced ex gratia of `25 lakh to the family of the deceased. Officials said the body was found 50 meManoj Kumar tres from the conveyor belt. Sniffer dogs and ground-penetrating radar identified sites D1 and D2 as key locations for digging, but the body was recovered elsewhere. It may be recalled that the body of tunnel boring machine worker Gurpreet Singh was retrieved from the tunnel on March 9. Meanwhile, rescue operations to trace the remaining six workers continued on Tuesday , the 32nd day . Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday reviewed the situation and directed officials to obtain permission from the Union government for minor blasts inside the tunnel to dislodge the silt and mud hampering the rescue efforts. SAMSUNG SLAPPED WITH $601 MN TAX CLAIM The government has ordered Samsung and its executives to pay $601 million in back taxes and penalities for evading tariffs on imported telecom equipment. It is one of the biggest tax demands in recent years | P10