Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV nagapattinam l thursday l april 03, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION KSDL goES global, to launch ultra-luxury soap for `3,000 The soap, to be sold for `3,000, is crafted from premium natural sandalwood oil and will be sold exclusively at airports and for export on demand 24th Maharaja of Mysore who commissioned KSDL Sustainable Packaging with Butter Paper Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL), which manufactures the iconic Mysore Sandal Soap, is going to brand the soap under its exquisite collection, ‘Kala Loka - Treasure of Karnataka’ and has designed an exclusive package. KSDL will replace its plastic packaging material with ‘butter paper’and use only electric vehicles on its premises ■ 331 More Products to Lure Global Buyers ■ Dr Prashanth PKM, KSDL’s managing director, said the luxury soap is part of the company’s international expansion strategy. A new manufacturing plant will be set up in Vijayapura KSDL revamps Mysore Sandal Soap packaging, signs Tamannaah Bhatia as ambassador, and plans to produce perfumes and cosmetics dealers have been onboarded to establish outlets nationwide 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 n  on-Muslims in Waqf council and boards only for admin work, won’t run religious affairs Shah raps UPA amendment in 2013 that gave 123 properties in Delhi to the Waqf in just 25 days S  hah criticises Oppn for intimidating minorities and spreading needless confusion on bill  Gogoi alleges that the bill is a bid to attack the basic structure of the Constitution Sharp debate on Waqf Bill Application of Limitation Act The bill seeks to repeal Section 107 of the 1995 Act, which had rendered the Limitation Act, 1963, inapplicable to waqf properties. The Limitation Act imposes a ban on legal proceedings after a prescribed period. Section 107 has exempted waqf boards from the 12-year limitation period for reclaiming encroached properties Appointment of non-Muslims Amendment to Waqf Act proposes the inclusion of non-Muslims to the Central Waqf Council, State Waqf Boards, and waqf tribunal. It allows the govt to nominate three MPs — two from LS and one from RS — to the Central Waqf Council without mandating that they be Muslims. It also allows the appointment of a nonMuslim CEO and mandates that state govts appoint at least two non-Muslim members to Waqf Boards P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi A debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Lok Sabha on Wednesday saw fierce exchanges amid the Opposition’s charge that the legislation was unconstitutional and aimed at political polarisation. The debate which began at 12 noon, was yet to conclude at the time of going to print. After tabling the bill in Lok Sabha, Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiran Rijiju said the government had no intention of interfering in their religious matters of Muslims, adding it was solely driven by the aim of transparent administration of Waqf properties. Dismissing allegations that the proposed legislation was an interference in the constitutionally guaranteed freedom in religious affairs, he said it deals only with properties. He also accused the UPA government of handing over 123 properties in Delhi to the Waqf Board just before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. “The government is not going to interfere in any religious institution. The changes made in the waqf law by the UPA government gave it an overriding effect over other statutes, hence the new amendments were required,” Rijiju said amid noisy Opposition protests. This bill is not about Hindu versus Muslim, this is law versus lawlessness Consider providing flexibility to states to decide composi-tion of Waqf boards - Anurag Thakur, BJP - KP Tenneti, TDP 19-yr-old who mugged lorry drivers shot dead by police B a g a l a v a n Pe r i e r B @ Cuddalore A 19-year-old history-sheeter from Puducherry, who was part of an alleged gang that attacked three people with machetes and mugged them earlier in the day, was shot dead by police near Cuddalore on Wednesday Vijay . alias Muttai Vijay was shot dead in self-defence after he attacked the police team when they tried to apprehend him, police said. This is the third such encounter in TN in recent days. According to police, on We d n e s d ay morning, Kalimuthu (45), a farmer from M Pudhur, was on his way to his farmland when a gang of six men on three Vijay (19) bikes intercepted him on the Villupuram-Nagapattinam NH. The gang attacked him with a machete, robbed him of his mobile phone and `100, and fled. Passers-by rushed Kalimuthu to Cuddalore Government Hospital, where he received treatment. Based on his complaint, a case was registered at Thirupathiripuliyur police station. In a separate incident at Periyapattu, lorry driver A Prabu (43) of Sirkazhi was assaulted while resting in his parked lorry The gang mugged him of . `3,000 and his mobile.  P5 Union home minister Amit Shah makes an intervention in the debate on the controversial Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday | PTI Echoing Rijiju, Union home minister Amit Shah lashed out at the Opposition asserted that vote bank is being created by intimidating minorities and confusion is being spread in the country in the name of the Waqf bill. The non-Muslims in Waqf council and boards are meant purely for ensuring administration of properties in accordance with stated aims, he said. “The government does not want to interfere in the religious activities of Muslim brothers and the trusts associ- ated with their donations, i.e. Waqf Mutawali, Waqif, Waqf will all be Muslims, but it will definitely have to be seen whether the property of Waqf is being maintained properly or not,” he said. Taking aim at the Congress, Shah said if there had not been an amendment in the Waqf Act in 2013, there would have been no need to bring this legislation.”Elections were due in 2014 and in 2013, the extreme Waqf law was made overnight for the purpose of appeasement. As a result, 123 properties in Delhi’s Lutyens zone were hand- BJP wants the Muslims to feel that their rights are being attacked It is against minority rights, religious freedom and is unconstitutional - Akhilesh Yadav, SP Alliance with AIADMK a priority; Annamalai need not quit post tance for the Assembly polls. However, the leadership AS talks over an imminent does not want the alliance to change in leadership of the materialise at the cost of Tamil Nadu BJP gather mo- Annamalai’s position. mentum, TNIE has learnt On the contrary Annama, that the party’s nalai has reiterated to tional leadership the top brass his firm still prefers to conconviction that the tinue with K Analliance is not in the namalai at the helm national party’s best if he is willing to interests in Tamil work in an alliance Nadu, presenting a with the AIADMK micro-level, datafor the 2026 Assembacked analysis to K Annamalai bly elections. support his stance. “The ball is in AnHe has also indinamalai’s court,” a senior cated that he would rather leader said, adding that dur- not continue as state presiing his recent visit to Delhi, dent if the alliance is ineviit was made clear to him table—a stance he first dethat the AIADMK-BJP alli- clared at an internal party ance is of utmost impor- meeting in March 2023.  P5 P o n V a s a n t h BA @ Chennai ed over to the Waqf just 25 days before the elections,” he said. He said the charity commissioner can be a person of any religion and he will ensure that the Waqf board is run according to the charity law, it is not a religious work, but an administrative work. The job of the Waqf Board should be to catch and throw out those who sell Waqf properties, he said. Earlier, initiating the debate, Congress Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi alleged that the bill was an attempt to attack the basic structure of the Constitution, defame minorities, disenfranchise them and divide the society . The Congress leader also raised concerns over a controversial provision in the bill that states only a Muslim who has been practicing the faith for at least five years can make donations. Criticising the clause, he said it was disturbing that the government had taken it upon itself to issue “religious certificates” to individuals. “It is a sad situation when the government decides who qualifies as a practicing Muslim,” he remarked. “Will they apply the same rule to people of other religions? Why is this requirement being imposed only on Muslims? Why is the government interfering in religious matters?” We will go to court. We will not rest until this law is withdrawn - Md Adeeb, AIMPLB - A Raja, DMK S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi T h e S u p re m e C o u r t o n Wednesday slammed Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for stating that no byelections would be held if BRS MLAs switch to the Congress. A two-judge bench led by justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih criticised Reddy for “making mockery of the 10th Schedule” — which deals with provisions on disqualification due to defection — with his statement on the floor of the state assembly . The court’s reaction came during a hearing on a plea filed by BRS leaders K T Rama Rao and Padi Kaushik Reddy seek, ing timely action by the Speak- A Revanth Reddy er on disqualification proceedings against 10 MLAs who defected to the Congress. Reddy had made the statement on March 27, sparking controversy. The court observed that statements made by politicians in the Assembly have sanctity and can be used to interpret laws. It noted that something said in a public gathering, like the Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, In probably the rarest of rare ushering in of an ambassador by the host country Israel’s for, eign ministry hosted the world premiere of the movie The Diplomat on Tuesday to welcome India’s new envoy J P Singh. , The movie, starring John Abraham, is based on a real-life crisis involving Singh. Before the screening, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Wednesday unanimously adopted a resolution moved by Chief Minister M K Stalin, urging the Union government to initiate all possible steps to retrieve Katchatheevu Island from Sri Lanka by reviewing the pact signed between India and the island nation in 1974. “Retrieval of Katchatheevu can be the only permanent solution to safeguard the traditional fishing rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen and avert all the troubles faced by them from the Sri Lankan Navy the ,” resolution stated. The resolution comes just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka on April 4 (Friday) and to Rameswaram on April 6 (Sunday) to inaugurate the new Pamban Rail Bridge. The resolution urged Modi to use the Sri Lankan visit to engage with the gover nment there and secure the release of Indian fishermen lodged in prisons SCAM ED fileS petition before SPL Court Urges rejection of the Lokayukta police’s closure report on CM Siddaramaiah and family in MUDA scam, citing seven objections. ED’s PMLA probe found illegalities in site allotments and undue influence by CM’s associate Singh, a 2002 batch IFS officer, was posted in Pakistan when an Indian woman named Uzma Ahmad sought refuge at the Indian High Commission, saying she was abducted and forced to marry a Pakistani man. The film portrays how Singh faces a complex web of diplomacy, Pa k i s t a n i would be different from statements made on the floor of the legislative assembly which car, ry more weight. The court reminded Reddy of his previous statement on granting bail to BRS leader K Kavitha and Manish Sisodia was out of line. Appearing for the Speaker, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi said the assembly proceedings were not in question in the matter pending before the SC. The bench told Rohatgi to convey to the CM that there should be no “repeat action” and that the court is “not powerless” in issuing contempt notices. When Rohatgi said he was not appearing for the CM, the bench said he had appeared for him once in that case. express read Israel screens The Diplomat to welcome Indian envoy met Singh and wished him success in his new stint. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in his message, highlighted how the film serves as a reminder that diplomacy requires thinking beyond standard procedures, with each day presenting new challenges. S K U M AR E S AN @ Chennai Mockery of 10th Schedule, says SC on CM’s defection remark Rare honour J AYANTH J ACOB @ New Delhi Unanimous resolution passed in Assembly to retrieve Katchatheevu law, and pressures to secure Uzma’s return to India. Speaking at the film’s gala reception, Singh shared two key lessons from his experience: the importance of teamwork and the support of political leadership. Sushma Swaraj was the foreign minister then. Singh also recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clear directions during crisis meetings to ensure the safety of every Indian citizen. Bandh against e-pass near total in Nilgiris Nilgiris: Shops downed shutters and autos and tourist taxies were off road in Nilgiris on Wednesday in support of the bandh against the e-pass system for tourists introduced as per a HC order | P2 CPM calls for united fight against BJP, RSS Madurai: The CPM’s 24th Party Congress began with a call for a united, multi-faceted fight against the BJP-RSS combine to oppose its neo-fascist characteristics | P4 LS seats: CM seeks PM’s appointment Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday reiterated his request for an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to present a memorandum on the demand for ‘fair delimitation’ by an all-party team of MPs, who were part of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) on delimitation | P4 and boats seized by Sri Lanka as a goodwill measure. Though opposition parties AIADMK and BJP questioned the DMK’s renewed interest in the issue, they extended their full support to the resolution. This marks the fourth such resolution adopted by the Tamil Nadu Assembly follow, ing those moved by former CMs J Jayalalithaa (in 1991 and 2013) and O Panneerselvam (in 2014).  P5 AP cricket body nudges SRH to shift base to Vizag B S N M A L L E S WARA RAO @ Vijayawada tHe Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) has formally extended an invitation to Sunrise r s H yd e r ab a d ( S R H ) t o consider Visakhapatnam as their new home ground. ACA’s offer comes amid the dispute between SRH and the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) over complimentary tickets. SRH has accused the HCA management of harassing them for free tickets, and has threatened to move out of Hyderabad. Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has ordered a vigilance probe. Sources said the ACA has offered to host the remainder of SRH’s matches in Vizag. The cricket body has also proposed to host the team mid-tournament and give tax incentives. Sources said the ACA reached out to SRH brass led by Kavya Maran, offering support if they decide to leave Hyderabad. The Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Uppal is SRH’s current home ground. The ACA-VDCA International Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam serves as the secondary home ground for Delhi Capitals, owned by the GMR Group. This season, Vizag hosted two IPL matches—DC vs LSG and DC vs SRH—which drew sizable crowds. Recently, ACA renovated the Vizag stadium, enhancing basic amenities and luxury facilities. “Since the Uppal stadium has a seating capacity of 39,000, compared to Vizag stadium’s 28,000, IPL franchises may incur loss of around `3 crore per match. To mitigate this, we’ve offered a SGST tax benefit of up to `1 crore per match at Vizag,” said an ACA official. Vizag is set to host the third One-Day International match between India and South Africa on December 6, 2025. Sources said the city may also host the inaugural match of Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025.