hubballi l saturday l may 03, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION now, Repairability index for smartphones in the offing Smartphone and tablet manufacturers will soon have to rate their products on a repairability index to help consumers make informed choices ‘tech ensures products have short lives’ five-point rating scale being considered A government panel on Friday submitted a report recommending introduction of the index. “Companies are not manufacturing devices for life. They are actually forcing consumers to buy another product as they have planned for their obsolescence. Technology has made sure products have short lifespans,” said Nidhi Khare, Consumer Affairs Secretary ■ ■ The panel has recommended a five-point rating scale that should be prominently displayed at points of sale, on packaging, and websites The rating will be based on parameters including repairability of key components like display, batteries, camera, and speakers; ease of disassembly; availability of spare parts; and software update policies 20,000 complaints received on faulty repair ecosystems 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 NIA sees Pak Army hand in Pahalgam terror attack Preliminary report points to role of LeT, ISI, and Pak Army: Sources MU K E SH RAN J AN @ New Delhi Vizhinjam Seaport commissioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and others during the inauguration of the Vizhinjam International Seaport, in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday | Pti | P5 Herald case: Rahul, Sonia receive court notices S h ek h a r S i n g h @ New Delhi A Delhi court on Friday issued notice to Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in the National Herald money laundering case, stating that the accused have the right to be heard before cognizance is taken and that this right is crucial for ensuring a fair trial. Notices were also sent to senior Congress leader Sam Pitrod a , Su man Dubey, S unil Bhandari and firms Young Indian and Dotex Merchandise Pvt Ltd. Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Court said,” “Right to be heard at any stage breathes life into fair trial,” posting the matter on May 8. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the ED, said he supported issuing notice in line with Section 223, as clarified in the Tarsem Lal judgment. The judge noted that the complaint was at the stage of notice consideration. He explained that the question was whether Section 223 required notice to be issued to the accused before cognisance. The court held that it did, and the provision was not inconsistent with PMLA. The National Herald case revolves around a `90 crore loan extended by the Congress party to Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), which owns National Herald newspaper. This loan was transferred to Young Indian for a mere `50 lakh. The Enforcement Directorate alleged that this deal led to wrongful acquisition of assets worth over `2,000 crore. Accou n ta b i l i t y pus h CWC meet calls for fitting reply to Pak terror groups P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi URGING the Centre to act with firmness in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and penalise Pakistan, a resolution passed by the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Friday said this is an opportune time to demonstrate the nation’s collective will to teach the neighbouring country a lesson for its export of terror. In another resolution, the party asked the government to announce a “clear timeline” for every stage of the caste census. The meeting chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also pressed for time-bound accountability into “serious lapses” in security and intelligence in one of the most heavily-guarded regions of the country . “The masterminds and perpetrators of this cowardly attack must face full consequences for their actions. The Congress urges the Government of India to act with Consult all parties on caste survey: Congress New Delhi: The Congress on Friday said that the caste census process must be transparent and inclusive at every step. “All political parties must be taken into full confidence. Parliament must immediately have a debate on this crucial matter.” firmness, strategic clarity and international coordination to isolate and penalise Pakistan for its continued export of terror into our territory the resolution ,” said. The meeting was attended by former Congress presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. In the second resolution on caste census, the party said it believed that the model followed by Telangana provided an effective and inclusive framework the government of India must emulate. The resolution also sought removal of the 50% ceiling on reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Parliamentary party chair Sonia Gandhi and LoP Rahul Gandhi at the meeting in New Delhi on Friday | praveen negi THE April 22 Pahalgam attack was perpetrated by the Lashkare-Taiba (LeT), Pakistan’s InterServices Intelligence (ISI), and the Pak Army, according to a preliminary report prepared by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Sources said the report mentions the conspiracy behind the brutal attack, in which 26 people were killed, was executed by the LeT with the active support from the ISI and the Pak Army . T h e p re l i m i n a r y probe found the involvement of around 20 identified active Kashmir Valley over ground workers (OGWs) in providing logistics support to the terrorists. OGW is a term used by security agencies to refer to people who provide logistics support to militants and assist them in their surreptitious movement. According to NIA sources, the identified OGWs are currently being intensely interrogated. During interrogation, it was revealed that both the main attackers were in touch with their Pakistani-based handlers and they received specific instructions on the timing, logistics, and execution. NIA sleuths will also question two key OGWs— Nisar Ahmad alias Haji and Mushtaq Hussain—who are currently lodged in Kot Bhalwal Jail in Jammu to ferret out information from them. “The duo are known associates of LeT and were earlier arrested for their role in aiding terrorists involved in the 2023 attack on Army convoys in Bhata Dhurian and Totagali,” a source said. According to the NIA report, two prime suspects identified as Hashmi Musa (alias Suleman) and Ali Bhai (alias Talha Bhai) are Pakistani nationals. The NIA sleuths also performed a 3D mapping of the attack site and extracted dump data from mobile towers around the valley sources said. , “Satellite phone activity in the region spiked in the days leading up to the attack. At least three satellite phones were operational in and around Baisaran and signals from two have been traced and analysed,” said an official. A three-year terminally ill child in Indore became the youngest to ‘embrace death’ through the Jain practice of Santhara. She passed away on March 21 minutes after the ceremony ended. Santhara or Sallekhana is a voluntary practice of fast unto death, which is undertaken when the end is imminent. But since patient Viyana Jain was just three, she couldn’t have taken the decision voluntarily It was . her parents Varsha and Piyush Jain, both techies, who took the call following advice from Jain guru Rajesh Muni Maharaj. Significantly, Santhara was declared illegal by the Rajasthan High Court in August 2015. The court made it punishable under Section 306 of the IPC (abetment of suicide). The order had triggered massive protests by the Jains, who argued that while suicide was a sin, Santhara was a religious practice for self-purification. A month later, the Supreme Court suspended the Rajasthan High Court’s order. Viyana was diagnosed with brain tumour in December last year and underwent surgery in NIA found the terrorists entered Kashmir weeks before the attack and were helped by a network of OGWs, who gave them all the logistics support including shelter, navigation, and reconnaissance Recce at 4 places, including Baisaran NIA said the terrorists reached Pahalgam around April 15 and did reccee at Baisaran Valley, Aru Valley, Betaab Valley, and an amusement park. They chose Baisaran due to thin security Shehbaz seeks help from Muslim nations Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif on Friday urged Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Kuwait, to impress upon India to de-escalate and defuse tensions, reports said Min offers to resign, Speaker rejects letter E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i ce @ Belagavi Textiles and Sugar Minister Shivanand Patil on Friday submitted his resignation as MLA, accepting Vijayapura MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal’s challenge to contest against him. He submitted his resignation letter to Assembly Speaker UT Khader. Khader, however, rejected his conditional resignation that his letter should be accepted only if Yatnal resigns as Vijayapura MLA to contest against him in the event of a byelection. Khader stated that it is not possible to accept Shivananda Patil’s resignation this manner. Three days ago, Yatnal, a bitter political rival of Patil and Hungund MLA Vijayanand Kashappanavar, reportedly challenged them to quit as MLAs and contest against him. Yatnal had alleged that Patil’s real surname was ‘Hachdadh’, but he got it changed to Patil for the sake of votes. “If Patil has guts, he should resign as Basavanabagewadi MLA. I too will resign as MLA and let him contest the election to the Assembly from Basavanabagewadi,’’ Yatnal had said.  CONTINUED ON P4 DK bandh against VHP activist’s murder near total D i v ya C u t i n h o @ Mangaluru Dakshina Kannada observed a near total bandh on Friday in response to a call given by VHP to condemn its activist Suhas Shetty’s murder, which is alleged to be to avenge lynching of Ashraf from Kerala during a cricket match in the city on April 27. Tension prevails in Coastal Karnataka after Shetty’s murder. On Friday, one stabbing, one each assault and attempt to assault incidents were reported in the region. Hindutva activists protested in Kadaba by burning tyres on the road. They demanded that VHP members take the body of Suhas Shetty to his hometown in Bantwal in a massive procession | EXpress express read Centre calls irrigation meet of 4 south states Hyderabad: Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil will convene a meeting of the irrigation ministers of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on May 7 to discuss the publication of the award of the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal 2 (Brijesh Kumar Tribunal). 3 Indians sentenced to death in Indonesia New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday directed the Indian Consulate in Indonesia to ensure three Indian nationals sentenced to death in Indonesia for natcotics-related offences be given adequate legal aid to pursue remedies. The trio were sentenced to death on April 25. Girl, 3, youngest to ‘take’ Santhara fast unto death A n u r a a g S i n g h @ Bhopal Terrorists entered Kashmir Weeks ago Yatnal’s challenge Mumbai in January . “After surgery her condition improved, but a couple of months later, it started deteriorating following relapse of the brain tumour. We took her to our Jain guru on March 21. He told us her end was near and recommended Santhara,” said Varsha over phone. Varsha claimed that the guru holds a PhD in Santhara and had helped 107 individuals undergo Santhara. “We agreed with a heavy heart. Within 10 minutes after the Santhara ritual chanting of mantras, Viyana breathed last,” she recalled. “I keep visiting orphanages. She loved feeding cows and pigeons, we’re continuing it. It’s my dream to undertake a major tree plantation in her memory in future,” Varsha said. those who had murdered Shetty be arrested at the earliest. The CCTV footage of assailants hacking Shetty to death and another unconfirmed footage of some people attacking a man have gone viral. Public transport came to a halt in Dakshina Kannada after a few KSRTC and private buses were damaged by protesters in the morning. Shops and other business establishments and cinemas were shut, while most banks functioned as usual. After the postmortem, Shetty’s body was taken to Karinja in Bantwal taluk by an ambulance that was followed by many BJP workers and Hindutva activists. Hundreds of BJP workers paid their last respects to Shetty . Several BJP and Hindutva leaders leaders, including state unit president BY Vijayendra, Union minister Shobha Karandlaje, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka, MLC CT Ravi, and MLA Basavaraj Patil Yatnal, Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat, and VHP organising general secretary Milind Paranade, also paid last respects to Shetty . Vijayendra announced an ex gratia of Rs 25 lakh to Shetty’s kin from his party  . P4 SSLC pass percentage up by 9; 22 score 625/625 E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i ce @ Bengaluru Twenty-two students have scored 625/625 in this year’s SSLC Exam 1 compared to last year’s one. Results of the exam were declared on Friday . In all, 75% of students secured first class. The overall pass percentage, including freshers and repeaters, rose to 62.34, marking an approximate 9% jump from last year’s 53%, School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa said. Continuing the trend, girls outperformed boys with a pass percentage of 74. In all, 8.42 lakh students appeared for the exam. Of them, 7.90 lakh were regular fresh candidates. The state recorded a pass percentage of 66.14 of regular fresh students. “Over 7.90 lakh regular fresh students appeared for the exam, with 66.14% or about 5.23 lakh clearing it. The number of high scorers rose significantly --10.53% of students scored between 90 and 100% -- nearly double of last year’s 5.58%,” Bangarappa said. In 2024, 8.9 lakh students registered for the SSLC exam and the overall pass percentage was 53.40. However, after awarding 20% grace marks, the final percentage touched 73. “Unlike last year, no grace marks were awarded this year. However, the department continued the common practice of passing borderline students. In all, 13,000 students, who fell short by one or two marks, were promoted,” Bangarappa said. P5