Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV hyderabad l thursday l april 03, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late 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 288 232 24th Maharaja of Mysore who commissioned KSDL Sustainable Packaging with Butter Paper More Products to Lure Global Buyers 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 ■ ■ 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 331 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 AyES Noes n  on-Muslims in Waqf council and boards only for administration work, won’t run religious affairs 2  013 amendment during UPA rule to give 123 properties in Delhi to Waqf in 25 days necessitated change: Shah Waqf Bill sails in Lok Sabha 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 The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the contentious Waqf Bill (Amendment) 2024 with a slender majority of 288 against 232 votes. While the NDA led by BJP secured 288 votes, the Opposition got 232 while one member abstained from voting. The voting was necessitated after the Opposition members sought division of votes in the passage of the bill. In all, 520 members were present in the House during the voting. The debate that began at 12 noon on Wednesday concluded at 12.15 am. It was followed by voting. Though the NDA has 293 MPs in the Lok Sabha, it secured only 288 during voting. The BJP was bolstered by a show of support from its key allies like the TDP, JD(U), Shiv Sena and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), while the INDIA bloc put up a united show in opposing the bill. The debate on the bill reflected the sharp divide between the government and the Opposition. While the BJP has 240 MPs, JD(U) has 12 and TDP 16. Both NDA and Opposition parties had issued whips to their members to be present in Parliament for next three days. Concluding the debate, Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju dismissed the Opposi- Minorities in India are safe because the majority in India is fully secular Consider providing flexibility to states to decide composition of Waqf boards - Kiren Rijiju, BJP - KP Tenneti, TDP sickening act Boy tortured for 4 hours for chocolate theft E N S @ Hyderabad A 14-year-old boy was allegedly held captive and tortured for over four hours by five owners of a grocery store on suspicion of stealing a chocolate. Aruri Shiva is a Class IX student in a government residential school and is a native of Peddavoora mandal in Nalgonda. Ibrahimpatnam police registered a case against Mujahid, Basheer, Chintu, Sameer and Rakesh, all owners of “Mega DMart”, for torturing the boy . The police said that on Tuesday afternoon, Shiva left school and went to the store nearby He . was suspected by the store staff of stealing a chocolate. The owners then took him to a godown and allegedly used a hockey stick to thrash him. At 6 pm, when the school staff learnt about the incident, they rushed to the store and found Shiva there with injuries on his body. The school staff then lodged a complaint with the police. express read 2-year-old dies in AP of Human Avian Influenza Vijayawada: A two-year-old child from Palnadu district succumbed to H5N1 (Human Avian Influenza), the first confirmed case in AP. The child was admitted on March 4 and passed away on March 16 | P5 tion’s allegations that the bill is unconstitutional and minorities are not safe in the country . While tabling the bill for passage, Rijiju said the government had no intention of interfering in the religious matters of Muslims and was solely driven by the aim of transparent administration of Waqf properties. The bill seeks to improve the administration of Waqf properties, introduce technology-driven management, address complexities and ensure transparency he said. , Earlier, Union home minister Amit Shah lashed out at the Op- position and 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 the stated aims, he said. “The government does not want to interfere in the religious activities of Muslim brothers and the trusts associated 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. 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 He 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. The House also saw a major showdown between the Opposition and treasury benches after AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi tore a copy of the bill in protest. He accused the government of targeting the country’s largest minority, calling the proposed amendments an attack on their right. “This bill is an attack on Muslims. The Modi government has started a war on my freedom. My mosques, my dargahs, my madrasas are on target. This government is not revealing the truth. This bill violates Article 14 — equal protection. Limitations will be imposed. By doing so, the encroacher will become the owner,” he said. BJP wants the Muslims to feel that their rights are being attacked This Bill is an attack on Muslims. The Modi govt has started a war on my freedom, my mosques It’s an attempt to attack the basic structure of the Constitution - Asaduddin Owaisi, MIM - Gaurav Gogoi, Cong P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Union home minister Amit Shah makes an intervention in the debate on the controversial Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday | PTI - Akhilesh Yadav, SP Centre seeks report on Kancha Gachibowli land E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e Ground realities @ Hyderabad The Centre has stepped into the dispute over the proposed auction of 400 acres of land in Kancha Gachibowli by calling the clearing of the land “illegal”. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has sought a detailed account of the state’s actions, demanding both a factual report and an action-taken report. The move follows representations from Union Minister G Kishan Reddy Minister of State , for Home Bandi Sanjay and several MPs who raised concerns over the ecologically sensitive zone near the University of Hyderabad. On Wednesday, a letter from S Sundar, Assistant Inspector General of Forests (MoEF&CC), was publicly released. Ad-  Protests continued on Wednesday with teachers and students taking part  As the protest intensified, police resorted to lathi-charge  Some students said that they sustained injuries due to ‘police excesses’ 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 harass- The Telangana High Court on Wednesday directed a halt to all excavation activities on the 400 acres adjacent to the UoH till Thursday, when it will continue hearing two PILs | p4  Minister Jupally Krishna Rao asserted it cannot be treated as forest land ‘just because there are some trees’ Screengrab of police using lathis to disperse University of Hyderabad students protesting against the proposal to auction the 400 acres adjacent to the varsity on Wednesdaty dressed to the Additional Secretary (Forests) of Telangana, the letter alleged illegal felling and vegetation removal in Kancha Gachibowli. It accused the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC) of unauthorised environmental damage while preparing AP cricket body nudges SRH to shift base to Vizag B S N M A L L E SWA R A R A O @ Vijayawada HC halts activities ing 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.  Continued on P5 the land for auction and urged immediate corrective action. The MoEF&CC also directed the Assistant Secretary (Forests), Telangana, to take legal action under the Indian Forest Act, Wildlife Protection Act, and Van Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan Adhiniyam, as ap- plicable. Additionally, it mandated a “factual report” and warned against violating court or tribunal orders. The area, adjacent to the University of Hyderabad, is home to wildlife, including the Indian peafowl, other protected species, and unique rock formations. SC: CM’s defection take ‘mocked’ 10th Schedule S u c h i t r a K alyan M o h an t y @ New Delhi The S u p re m e C o u r t o n Wednesday slammed Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for stating that no by-elections would be held if BRS MLAs switch to the Congress. A two-judge bench led by justices BR Gavai and Augustine Georg e Masih criticised Revanth for “making a mockery of the 10th Schedule” — which deals with provisions on disqualification due to defection — with his statement on the floor of the Assembly . The court’s reaction came during a hearing on a plea filed by BRS leaders KT Rama Rao and Padi Kaushik Reddy seek, ing timely action by the Speaker on disqualification proceedings against 10 MLAs who defected to the Congress. Revanth had made the statement on March 27, stoking a controversy. The court ob- served 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, would be different from statements made on the floor of the Assembly, which carry more weight. The court recalled that Revanth’s 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. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Ponnam Prabhakar and Mahesh Kumar Goud take part in the Maha Dharna, at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday Now or never, says Revanth as BCs take fight to Delhi E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Stating that he, along with Backward Classes (BC) rights groups, was following the message of the epic Mahabharata — that one must visit Hastinapur (present-day Delhi) for dialogue — Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday said that he had come to Delhi to urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to approve an increase in BC reservations in education, employment and politics to 42%. He also called upon marginalised communities (BCs) to “declare war” against the BJP by organising a massive public gathering of 10 lakh people, stating that the demand for 42% reservations was “now or never.” “We have come, just as it was advised in the Mahabharata. Heed our aspirations and permit us to implement 42% reservations for BCs in Telangana. We will felicitate you, setting aside political differences and holding a public meeting with 10 lakh people to endorse the Bills,” the chief minister said. Revanth was addressing the BC Maha Dharna, at Jantar Mantar, organised by several BC rights g roups from Telangana. The event drew support from various political parties, including DMK MP Kanimozhi, Nationalist Cong ress Party leader Supriya Sule, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud, CPI secretary K Narayana and several MPs and MLAs. In March, the state Assembly passed two key Bills — The Telangana BCs (Reservation of Seats in Rural and Urban Local Bodies) Bill, 2025 and The Telangana BCs, SCs and STs (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and Appointments in State Services) Bill, 2025.  Continued on P4 Seven arrested for raping woman, urinating on her E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Urkonda police have arrested seven persons on charges of raping a 27-year-old woman behind a temple, urinating on her, torturing her and robbing her relative of `6,000 in Nagarkurnool district on Saturday How. ever, the incident came to light only after the survivor mustered the courage and lodged a complaint on Monday . The police identified the accused as Marpakula Anjaneyulu (25), Sadique Baba (28), Vaguldas Mani alias Manikanta (21), Karthik (20), Matta Mahesh Goud (28), Harish Goud (23) and Matta Anjaneyulu (24). Nagarkurnool SP Vaibhav Gaikwad told reporters on Wednesday that the accused threatened the woman and raped her one after another. “It was a serious and heinous gangrape,” the SP said, adding that the police picked up the accused within a day of the complaint being lodged. He revealed that one of the accused, Mahesh Goud, is an outsourcing employee of the temple. On March 29, the survivor came to the Sri Anjaneya Swamy temple in Urkonda along with her parents and children. After darshan, she slept on the premises of the temple. Around 11 pm, she went to the open field behind the temple to answer nature’s call when the accused pounced on her. The SP disclosed that when Karthik gave her a water bottle, she threw it away Infuriated, he . urinated on her. Mahesh Goud also thrashed a relative of the victim and robbed him of `6,000 while Matta Anjaneyulu took photographs of both the survivor and her relative to threaten t h e m n o t t o reve a l t h e atrocities. The accused were booked under BNS Sections 70 (gang rape), 351 (criminal intimidation) and 310 (dacoity) and other relevant sections of the law.