HYDERABAD l sunday l april 06, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l LATE CITY EDITION Justice Yashwant Varma takes oath of office away from public gaze Justice Varma, who was transferred to his parent Allahabad HC, was allegedly administered the oath of office on Saturday in a “clandestine” manner fallacious, unacceptable: BAR association The Allahabad High Court Bar Association, which had opposed the repatriation of the judge from Delhi HC, questioned why his oath was not notified to the Bar and alleged that this act has once again eroded the trust of people in the judicial system. “Legally, the oath administered to Justice Varma is fallacious and unacceptable,” said the Bar association ■ 3 Sworn in at Chief justice’s chamber ■ An in-house inquiry was ordered by the CJI after sacks of partially burnt currency notes were found in the New Delhi residence of Justice Varma following a fire incident last month, leading to his transfer According to sources, Justice Varma was sworn in by Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court Arun Bhansali in his chamber at 9.30 am member panel formed by supreme court to inquire ‘cash burn’ case 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 Kancha Gachibowli row: 123 more students booked C h i t h a l u r i R e v a n t h @ Hyderabad Gachibowli police have registered two separate cases against 123 students — both under Section 170 of the BNSS — from several colleges in the state for taking part in the protest against the proposal to auction 400 acres of land adjacent to the University of Hyderabad. Of these 123 students, at least two are from the UoH while the others are from Kakatiya University, JNTU and other campuses in the state. Students started staging protests soon after the auction proposal was made. Extending support to the protest, students from universities across the state — including JNTU, Osmania, Satavahana, Telangana, Nalgonda, Palamuru and BR Ambedkar — reached the UoH and protested. On March 30, the police registered a case against 54 students from UoH. On April 3, two cases were registered against the 123 students — mostly from ABVP — including seven law, four engineering and 13 PG students. One of the FIRs says that the students gathered near the Sarojini Naidu School of Arts without prior permission, and their presence and activities indicate a potential threat to public order. The other FIR says that the students gathered at Gate-II of UoH without permission, creating a potential threat to public order. 400 acres valued at `20,800 cr | p4 India, Lanka ink first-ever defence cooperation pact Security of both countries interlinked, co-dependent, says Modi J aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi INDIA and Sri Lanka on Saturday signed an ambitious defence cooperation pact, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi outlining a comprehensive roadmap for deeper bilateral ties and highlighting the interconnected security of both nations, a sentiment reciprocated by president Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The first defence agreement between the two countries serves as an umbrella framework to restructure existing defence cooperation, focusing on enhancing high-level visits, joint exercises, capacity build- Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a press meet in Colombo Saturday | PTI ing, exchanges in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), increasing naval port calls, and exploring defence industry cooperation. “We believe we have shared security interests. The security of both countries is intercon- nected and co-dependent,” Modi said after meeting Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The two countries have agreed to work together on the Colombo Security Conclave and Security Cooperation in the Indian Ocean, Modi said. Dissanayake assured Prime Minister Modi that Sri Lanka will not allow its territory to be used in any way that threatens India’s security interests and conveyed to him that Sri Lanka values India’s assistance. India also signed a trilateral MOU for developing Trincomalee as an energy hub along with the UAE. New rules for foreign univ degree recognition K a v i ta B a j e l i - D at t @ New Delhi With the aim of promoting internationalisation in Indian higher education, the University Grants Commission (UGC) on Saturday introduced a new set of regulations for the easy recognition and equivalence of foreign qualifications. UGC Chairman Prof M Jagadesh Kumar said, “Many students return with international qualifications to seamlessly integrate into India’s higher education system or workforce. Such students need a structured procedure to evaluate foreign credentials without unpredictable delays and procedural ambiguity .” Acknowledging this challenge, he said, the UGC has decided to establish a standardised equivalence framework by bringing in a new regulation. “This move is crucial given the National Education Policy 2020’s vision of transforming India into a global study destination. If Indian institutions are to attract international students, we must ensure fair recognition of degrees earned abroad,” he said. The rules are expected to benefit Indian students who study abroad and seek to continue their academic or professional journey in India. express read Nobody happy when Naxal is killed: Shah Panel meets to pick Lokayukta for TG Raipur: Union Home Minister Amit Shah made an appeal to Maoists to surrender and join the mainstream. “Nobody feels happy when a Naxalite is killed,” Shah said while reiterating the government’s commitment to eliminating left-wing extremism by March 2026 | P8 Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday met the selection panel to finalise the Lokayukta and heads of SHRC and RTI panels. Sources said the list of names has been sent to the Governor for approval. Leader of the Opposition KCR did not attend the meetings WITH THIS ISSUE The Revivalists PLUS 12 PAGES