kannur l Sunday l july 06, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l city edition On the eve of his 90th birthday, Dalai Lama says he’s not done yet The Dalai Lama on Saturday put to rest rumours surrounding the announcement of his successor, saying he hopes to live for another 30-40 years 15,000 Rijiju to attend birthday celebrations Speaking at a prayer ceremony ahead of his 90th birth anniversary on Sunday at the main Dalai Lama temple in McLeodganj, Tenzin Gyatso said that he has “clear signs and indications” that the blessings of the Avalokiteshvara are with him. The Dalai Lama’s birth anniversary celebrations on Sunday will be attended by cabinet minister Kiren Rijiju | P8 The Dalai Lama at a prayer ceremony in McLeod Ganj on Saturday | PTI people expected to join the birthday celebrations on sunday 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 ADR knocks SC’s door over Twenty years on, Bihar spl poll roll revision Thackeray cousins Calls ECI order impractical, flags possible disenfranchising of lakhs Fight goes to top court S U C HITRA K A LYAN MOHANT Y @ New Delhi WITH THIS ISSUE Desi Cool The Age of Authenticity and Cultural Nationalism is here PLUS 12 P AGES Amid mounting concerns, the Association For Democratic Reforms (ADR) on Saturday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. It claimed that the Election Commission of India (ECI)’s exercise was violative of Articles 14, 19, 21, 325, 326 of the Constitution, provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. “The SIR order, if not set aside, can arbitrarily and without due process disenfranchise lakhs of voters from electing their representatives, thereby disrupting free and fair elections and democracy in the country the petition said. ,” It pointed out that the documentation requirements, lack of due process as well as the unreasonably short timeline for the electoral roll revision would result in removal of names of lakhs of genuine voters from the poll rolls. The petition charged that the Spl Summary Revision already over between Oct 29, 2024 and Jan 6, 2025. Why fresh iteration with new parameters? 1 Exclusion of Aadhaar or ration cards as id proof makes the poor vulnerable to exclusion from poll roll, says ADR 2 The petition claims that the ECI shifted the onus of being on the voters’ list from the state to the citizens ECI shifted the onus of being on the voters’ list from the state to citizens. It excluded identification documents such as Aadhaar or ration cards, which makes marginalised communities and the poor more vulnerable to exclusion from voting. “The Declaration as required under the SIR process is violative of Article 326 in so far as it requires a voter to provide documents to prove his/her citizenship and also citizenships of his/her mother or father, failing which his/her name would not be added to the draft electoral roll and can be deleted from the same,” the ADR said. It termed the ECI’s order as unreasonable and the timeline 3 Over 3 crore people could be excluded from voting due to the the requirements as mentioned in the SIR order 4 Petition says ECI fiat lacks recorded reasons supported by evidence or transparent methodology impractical to conduct SIR in Bihar where elections are due in November 2025. There are many who may be able to procure the documents but the short timeline mentioned in directive may preclude them from being able to supply the same within the time period, the ADR said. “Bihar is a state with high poverty and migration rates where many lack access to documents like birth certificates or parental records. As per estimates over 3 crore voters and more particularly from marginalised communities could be excluded from voting due to the stringent requirements as mentioned in the SIR order.” On Neeraj’s big night, Chopra wins S w a r o o p S w a m i n at h a n @ Bengaluru IN sport, there are no satisfaction guarantees. This truism, though, has had several exceptions. From an Indian context, the one modern athlete who has come closest to shattering this maxim has been Neeraj Chopra. The 27-year-old guarantees wins or podium places. Since June 2021, 24 meets ago, he has only known two sporting pincodes. First or second. Whatever the magnitude of the competition — Olympic Games, World Championships, top-tier invitations or low-key season openers — the Indian has risen to the occasion. Shortly after 7.30 pm on a cool but windy evening at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, Chopra, already a two-time Olympic medallist, added another line to an already glittering CV As soon as . Sahil Silwal hurtled down the runway to mark the beginning of the NC Classic, the javelin ace entered into the history books for the sheer scale and ambition of conceptualising, ideating and organising a world-class athletics event in India. And Chopra’s role in this shouldn’t be understated — Saturday ushered in the birth of Chopra the administrator. It was all about putting in place the building blocks towards securing a legacy off the field. Moving forward, the NC Classic could see multiple disciplines. At least that’s what he hopes. With chief minister Siddaramaiah and 1000s of others in attendance, the competition belatedly caught fire when the familiar frame of Chopra stood at the top of the runway for his third throw of the night. Batting a bit of a crosswind, he cut across seven of the eight lanes and past the timer before launching the spear into the Bengaluru night sky . A few seconds later, ‘86.18m’ had flashed on the screen. After two below par throws, the titular character had finally grazed the occasion. His occasion. It stayed that way for the rest of the night. ‘A satisfaction guarantee’. Elephants are known to be herbivores, but pachyderms in Kerala have begun consuming chicken! Yes, you heard it right. Elephants in the state have developed an appetite for cooked food like chicken curry egg ma, sala, chappathi, and Kerala parotta. And, the increasing trend of food waste from restaurants being dumped along forest fringes has ensured a steady supply . According to Raman of Allimooppan tribal settlement in Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, elephants have been flocking to forest fringes in search of food An elephant herd spotted at the Vettilapara oil palm plantation near Athirappilly in Thrissur district waste. This open dumping not only poses a health risk to the elephants but also increases the chance of human-wildlife conflict in the area. “It’s not just elephants, all wild animals have an appetite su d h i r su r ya w a n s h i @ Mumbai M U K E S H RAN J AN @ New Delhi SHIV Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said he and his cousin, MNS chief Raj Thackeray, have joined forces in the interest of ‘Marathi pride’ while sharing a political stage with him after nearly 20 years. Uddhav sounded bullish when he said he and Raj will capture power in the Mumbai civic body elections and Maharashtra together. “We have come together to stay together,” he asserted. At the public rally titled ‘ waj Marathicha’ to celebrate A the rollback of two government resolutions on introducing Hindi as a third language from Class 1 in state schools, Uddhav said, “We won’t let the government impose Hindi on us.” MNS leader Amit Thackeray, Raj’s son, was seen sharing a hug with Uddhav’s son Aaditya on the stage. Uddhav alleged that the people who are in power in Maharashtra, are “slaves of two Gujaratis. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde are in power, not to serve the interest of Maharashtra and Marathi manoos, but of their bosses in Delhi. We will never tolerate Hindi in Maharashtra. We will fight to safeguard our culture and language.” On the rollback of the threelanguage formula in Maharashtra, both brothers said the BJP-led government had no other option. “The government US authorities have arrested fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi’s younger brother, Nehal Modi, following extradition requests from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), officials said on Saturday . Nehal, who is the subject of a Red Notice issued by the Interpol, was taken into custody on Friday US officials told In, dian authorities. The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for July 17, during which Nehal Modi, a Belgian national, may seek bail — a move expected to be contested by U S p ro s e c u tors, officials Nehal Modi said. The arrest stems from a joint extradition plea submitted by the ED and the CBI. The proceedings, led by US federal prosecutors, are based on two charges — one count of money laundering and one count of criminal conspiracy under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 201 (disappearance of evidence) of IPC. Nehal (46) is an accused in the `13,000 crore Punjab National Bank fraud. He was arrested a day after he walked out of a US prison after serving a nearly three-year sentence in a cheating case following India’s request. At L26.8L, Sanju most expensive KCL player T’Puram: Sanju Samson has become the most expensive player in the Kerala Cricket League after Kochi Blue Tigers bought the India batter for I26.8 lakh in the season two auction held in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday. The auction saw a total of 91 players selected from a pool of 168. P2 Thrissur to host Kerala School Arts Fest Neeraj Chopra won NC classic with a 86.18m throw A two-time Olympic medallist, Neeraj Chopra lets out a roar after his winning throw at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru, on Saturday | vinod kumar T Wild jumbos feast on chicken, parotta as food waste drives change in appetite M a n o j V i s w a n at h a n @ Kochi bury the hatchet Nirav Modi’s brother held in US on charges of laundering E X P R E S S R E AD 86.18 for salty food. We have been conducting a campaign to discourage people from dumping food waste in areas bordering the forests. Instances of wild animals such as elephants, monkeys, deer and wild pigs scavenging on food waste are becoming increasingly common in Kerala. The taste of salt in packaged chips attracts wild animals. In eating the chips the animals also ingest pieces of plastic, which ends up blocking their digestive tracts and resulting in death,” said forest officer Raju K Francis, who travelled across the state visiting tribal hamlets to study human● More on P5 wildlife conflict.  PNB fraud case T’Puram: Thrissur will host the Kerala School Arts Festival 202526 and Thiruvananthapuram will be the venue of the Kerala School Sports Meet. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Saturday which was attended by representatives of teachers’ associations. MNS chief Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray | PTI Congress takes a dig, says ‘joint effort’ After Uddhav and Raj Thackeray hosted a joint rally claiming credit for the government’s climbdown on the “imposition” of Hindi, the Congress reminded them that the move was opposed by various parties rolled back the decision on the three-language formula due to the strong unity shown by Marathi people. This decision was a precursor to the plan of separating Mumbai from Maharashtra,” the MNS chief said, with Uddhav seated next. Raj, in a lighter vein, credited Fadnavis with bringing him and Uddhav together, a feat even Balasaheb Thackeray could not accomplish. “Your power is in the legislature, ours on the streets,” Raj said to thunderous applause. 425 on Nipah contact list in three districts E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i ce @ T’Puram In the wake of Nipah resgurgence, the health department has strengthened surveillance in the state. A total of 425 people are in the contact list of persons confirmed with Nipah virus in the state. On Saturday , Health Minister Veena George convened a highlevel meeting to take stock of the situation. Meanwhile, the condition of the 39-yearold Nipah patient from Palakkad continues to be critical. Currently, there are 228 contact cases in Malappuram, 110 in Palakkad and 87 in Kozhikode districts. The minister has instructed increased surveillance of fever cases in the affected areas. In Malappuram, 12 persons with Nipah symptoms are under treatment, with five admitted to ICU. One person from the contact list in the district tested negative. Of the total people in the contact list, 61 from Palakkad and all 87 from Kozhikode are health workers. Meanwhile, two children from Kizhakkumpuram in Palakkad have been admitted to the Manjeri Government Medical College Hospital with symptoms similar to those of Nipah infection. Both children are currently in stable condition and under close medical observation. According to officials, the route maps of the patients from Malappuram and Palakkad have been released. Also, measures have been implemented to identify the source of the outbreak. A f te r ‘ j a w a n ’ f i z z Cheers! Kerala to produce its own brandy S h ya m P V @ Palakkad The Kerala government is all set to foray into an uncharted territory For the first time, the . state will produce its own brandy building on the roaring suc, cess of its popular rum brand ‘Jawan’. The brandy will be produced on the sprawling campus of the state-run Malabar Distilleries Limited in Menonpara, Palakkad, and is set to be rolled out by February 2026. “Construction work on the Indian-Made Fo re i g n L i q u o r (IMFL) manufacturing unit at Malabar Distilleries Ltd — where the brandy will be made — will begin at 11.30am on July 7. The ground-breaking ceremony will be inaugurated by Excise Minister M B Rajesh in the presence of Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty,” Harshita Attaluri, chairperson and managing director of Bevco, told TNIE. The fully automatic unit will be equipped with three-line production capacity, and authorities have set a target of 13,500 cases of liquor daily Initially . , at least 40 workers will production & sale of jawan rum Year Cases Sales (K) 2021-22 12,20,675 56.32 Cr 2022-23 20,14,560 93.67 Cr 2023-24 24,57,328 113.24 Cr 2024-25 24,75,783 115.03 Cr be employed on-site on a single shift. At the unit, extra neutral alcohol will be added with certain chemicals, blended and bottled. The brandy will be brown in colour — not the now trendy white one. From blending and bottling to capping and final packaging, the entire process will be fully automated. The daily manufacturing quantity will be much higher compared to the Jawan Deluxe XXX Rum. Currently, 6,000 to 8,000 cases of rum are made daily at Travancore Sugars and Chemicals Limited plant at Pulikeezhu in Pathanamthitta — that too, completely manually . “The state’s unique alcohol culture plays a key role in the new venture. Rum may rule south Kerala, but in the north, brandy is king. This consumer insight is the driving force behind the strategic location and product decision,” sources ● More on P5 said.