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 ■ ■ 152 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l saturday l march 29, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION dead & counting as 7.7 quake flattens myanmar, Thailand a g en c i e s @ Bangkok A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand on Friday, destroying scores of buildings, a bridge and a dam. At least 144 people were killed in Myanmar, where photos and video from two hard-hit cities showed extensive damage. At least eight died in the Thai capital, where a high-rise under construction collapsed. The 7.7 magnitude quake, with an epicentre near Mandalay Myanmar’s second largest , city struck at midday and was , followed by a strong 6.4 magnitude aftershock. The full extent of deaths, injury and de- struction was not immediately clear — particularly in Myanmar, one of the world’s poorest countries. It is embroiled in a civil war and information is tightly controlled. The head of Myanmar’s military gover nment said in the televised s p e e c h o n F r i d ay evening that at least 144 people were killed and 730 others were injured. Photos from Naypyidaw showed multiple buildings used to house civil servants destroyed, and rescue crew All of a sudden the whole building began to move. A lot of screaming, a lot of panic, people running the wrong way down the escalators , total chaos — Fraser Morton, tourist from Scotland in Bangkok Bench says CJI can order FIR after inquiry ‘Allahabad HC turned into dumping ground’ Allahabad High Court Bar Association president Anil Tiwari said they will boycott Justice Varma’s swearing-in. “I don’t know what compelled the government to issue this transfer notification. We have called an emergency meeting tonight with senior advocates to decide our next course of action. This is injustice, and Allahabad HC has been turned into a dumping ground.” Cash row: 1991 SC order back in focus The Supreme Court rejecting a plea for FIR against Justice Varma has brought into focus its 1991 verdict virtually granting immunity to judges. A five-judge Constitution bench in the K Veeraswami case directed no criminal case should be registered against a judge unless the CJI was consulted in the matter. @ New Delhi CALLING it “premature”, the Supreme Court on Friday rejected a PIL seeking Delhi Police to register an FIR against Delhi High Court’s Justice Yashwant Varma over the alleged discovery of burnt wads of cash from his official residence on March 14. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan said an in-house inquiry was in progress and there would be several options open to the Chief Justice of India after the probe’s conclusion. The bench, therefore, refused to examine the plea of advocate Mathews J Nedumpara and three others. “We have seen the prayers. After the in-house inquiry is over, several options are open. If the report indicates something is wrong, the chief justice (of India) can direct the register of the FIR or refer the Cost M6,282.32 cr Cost Cost 1 2 M22,919 cr Electronics component manufacturing scheme approved for making India Atmanirbhar in the electronics supply chain. Projected to attract investment of C59,350 crore, result in production of C4,56,500 crore worth of goods. Scheme promises to generate additional direct employment for 91,600 people. 3 CCEA approves inclusion of Kosi Mechi Intra-State Link Project in Bihar under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana. Cost includes C3,652.56 crore Central assistance. To be completed by 2029 Yashwant Varma matter to the Parliament after examining the report,” the court said. Petitioners Mathews J Nedumpara, Hemali Suresh Kurne, Rajesh Vishnu Adrekar and Mansha Nimesh Mehta had submitted that their plea pertained to a larger public interest and sought a direction from the court for registration of an FIR. A fire at Justice Varma’s official residence on March 14 led to the alleged discovery of wads of burnt cash in an outhouse of the judge’s residence. Justice Varma was not in New Delhi at the time of the fire, and has denied all charges. Subsequently, CJI Sanjiv Khanna formed a three-member in-house panel, consisting of Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana, Justice G S Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh, and Anu Sivaraman, Judge of the High Court of Karnataka. The panel has been mandated with an inquiry into the allegations against Justice Varma, the second senior-most Judge of the HC of Delhi. In a related development, the Centre on Friday notified the transfer of Justice Varma to his parent Allahabad HC. The Law Ministry issued a notification announcing the transfer of the judge. Opposing the transfer of Justice Varma to the Allahabad High Court, its Bar Association president on Friday called it the “darkest day for India’s judiciary”. EXPRESS READ rates for Kharif crops on phosphatic and potassic (P&K) fertilizers. Budgetary requirement for Kharif season 2024: 37,216.15 crore Cabinet approves release of 2% additional instalment of Dearness Allowance to Central government employees and Dearness Relief to Pensioners from Jan 1, 2025 5 ashwini vaishnaw HC bins pleas for vigilance probe against CM, daughter E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kochi The Kerala High Court on Friday dismissed two petitions seeking a vigilance investigation into the alleged illegal financial transactions between Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter T Veena, and three UDF leaders. The petitions were filed by Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan and the late Gireesh Babu of Kalamassery . “An unnecessary investigation or an enquiry into an of- fence under the Prevention of Corruption Act against a public servant based on suspicions may cause a blemish on his career or reputation. Being called to appear before a criminal court as an accused is a serious matter that affects one’s dignity self-respect, and image , in society,” said Justice K Babu. The complainants alleged that CMRL paid `1.72 crore to Exalogic Solution Pvt Ltd and Veena T, which was a bribe paid to Pinarayi Vijayan for doing favours and misusing his ● More on P4 official position. earthquakes have hit myanmar since 1950 till the present day why are shallow quakes lethal? A videograb of onlookers near the 33-storey high-rise in Bangkok that collapsed on Friday after the earthquake | AP Zero tolerance to corruption, says BJP state prez T’Puram: Making his intentions clear on charting a new course for the state BJP which has been crippled by a host of issues ranging from groupism to alleged hawala transactions, new state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has told the core committee members that he would have zero tolerance towards corruption and tainted personalities. In a marked change from the party’s conventional approach, he made it clear that defectors from other parties who joined the BJP would be given priority during candidate selection. P4 16 pages, including 4 pages of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Express SC junks FIR against HC grants interim Imran Pratapgarhi bail to Kunal Kamra S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi R SIVA K U M AR @ Chennai THE Supreme Court on Friday quashed the FIR and criminal proceedings initiated by Gujarat police against Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi over a poem in a video clip uploaded by him on social media. The 46-second video clip showed the Rajya Sabha MP being showered with flower petals as he walks, with the poem playing in the background. The FIR alleged the poem contained provocative lyrics that pitted communities against one another aside from hurting religious sentiments. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan said the poem had nothing to do with religion, caste, community, or any particular group, adding that the police must first understand the meaning of written or spoken words before lodging FIR in such cases. “The poem’s words do not bring about or promote disImran Pratapgarhi harmony or feelings of hatred or ill-will. It only seeks to challenge the injustice made by the ruler. It is impossible to say that the words used by the appellant disturb or are likely to disturb public tranquillity the bench said. ,” The court observed that different forms of art including poetry, drama, music, satire make human life more meaningful and people should be granted the freedom to express through such art forms. “The Constitution says reasonable restriction can be imposed on the freedom of right to speech and expression, but the reasonable restriction should not be unreasonable and fanciful to trample the rights of citizens,” the apex court added. THE Madras High Court on Friday granted interim anticipatory bail till April 7 to comedian Kunal Kamra in a case registered against him by Khar police in Mumbai over his jokes on Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde. “The petitioner has satisfied this court as to why he is unable to approach the courts in Maharashtra immediately for protection,” Justice Sunder Mohan said in his order. In his petition, Kamra said he has been a resident of Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district since 2021 and that he fears arrest and physical harm if he travels to Maharashtra in response to the summons by Khar police. While granting interim protection, the HC directed Kamra to execute a bail bond before the judicial magistrate. Justice Mohan also issued notice to Khar police and posted the matKunal Kamra ter to April 7. The comedian was booked by the Khar police on a complaint by Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel for his alleged defamatory remarks against the deputy CM in his comedy show. Kamra was booked for offences under Sections 353(1)(b), 353(2) (public mischief), and 356(2) (defamation). The contentious stand-up gig was performed at the Habitat Comedy Club in Khar, Mumbai. The caustic comments in the show triggered a strong backlash with Shinde’s supporters vandalising the venue. Kamra’s counsel V Suresh said his client received around 500 phone calls threatening to harm him. Manoj Joshi, A Jayathilak in race for 50th Chief Secy post E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ T’Puram With Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan set to retire next month, the state government has begun the process to identify the 50th chief secretary of the state. Manoj Joshi, a 1989-batch officer who is now on central deputation and state finance secretary A Jayathilak, a 1991-batch officer, are the top contenders for the post. The new chief secretary will assume office with effect from May 1 post Sarada’s retirement on April 30. Manoj, who is now the senior most IAS officer in the Kerala cadre, is currently serving as secretary in the rural development ministry. He has been on central deputation since 2020. If Manoj is chosen, he will get a two-year tenure as Manoj Joshi chief secretary as he is set to retire only in January 2027. On the other hand, Jayathilak is to retire in June 2026. Rumours about Manoj Joshi returning to the state strengthened after he reportedly met with CM Pinarayi Vijayan recently . If Jayathilak succeeds Sarada, it would be a rare occasion where a senior IAS officer currently serving in the state has been overlooked. Raju Narayana Swamy a 1991 batch officer , and first rank holder in the UPSC The earthquake that hit Myanmar and Thailand on Friday was shallow, as per the US Geological Survey. Shallow earthquakes are more dangerous than deeper ones due to their greater energy release closer to the Earth’s surface, causing stronger impact that leads to ground shaking and increased damage to structures and casualties. Seismic waves from deeper quakes lose part of their energy by the time they reach the surface. Judiciary steps up to safeguard free speech Allahabad Bar Association protests transfer s u c h i t r a k a lya n m o h a n t y Cabinet Polls in mind, Bihar gets 4 approves Based added Cabinet attention Nutrient(NBS) Subsidy Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approves construction of 4-lane greenfield and brownfield Patna-ArrahSasaram corridor in Bihar on hybrid annuity mode for road infra. streets gridlocked. The elevated rapid transit system and subway shut down. While the area where the quake struck is prone to earthquakes, they are usually not so big and it is rare for them to be felt in the Thai capital, which sits on a river delta and is at moderate risk for quakes. The US Geological Survey and Germany’s centre for geosciences said it was a shallow earthquake that causes more damage. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post on X, said, “Concerned by the situation in Myanmar and Thailand. India stands ready to offer all P9 possible assistance.” No FIR for now against Justice Varma, says SC Money matters M3,712.40 cr pulling victims from beneath the rubble. Myanmar has declared a state of emergency . Near Bangkok’s popular Chatuchak market, a 33-storey building under construction, with a crane on top, crumpled into a cloud of dust, with onlookers screaming and running in a video posted on social media. The sound of sirens echoed throughout central Bangkok and vehicles filled the streets, leaving some of the city’s already congested 1,500 6 addl chief secy rank officers Currently, there are six additional chief secretary rank officers in the state — Jayathilak, Bishwanath Sinha (1992 batch), K R Jyothilal, Puneet Kumar, Davendra Kumar Dhodawat and Rajan N Khobragde (all 1993 batch). Davendra Kumar is now ACS to the Governor, while others are part of the state govt. A Jayathilak is the senior most among them. exam, will not be considered for the top post as he is yet to be promoted as additional chief secretary Swamy, a . principal secretary has a longer ten, ure as he is set to retire only in May 2028. Sarada, a 1990 batch officer, took over as chief secretary following the retirement of batchmate and husband V Venu last AuA Jayathilak gust. Though Manoj is senior to both Venu and Sarada, he had earlier twice declined the opportunity to become the chief secretary “Ultimately, it is the . prerogative of government to choose its highest ranking executive. It’s not a matter of seniority alone. Earlier, on a couple of occasions, IAS officers were overlooked, but given some equivalent post. Only officers in the rank of additional chief secretary would be considered for the top post,” said a former chief secretary .