Shirsat in a videograb; and the bag full of cash tirupati l saturday l july 12, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l anantapur EDITION Sena minister caught on cam with cash, says it’s only clothes Shiv Sena (Shinde) minister Sanjay Shirsat is in the dock once again after a video of him with a bag full of cash lying near his bed surfaced i-t lens on mighty spike in declared assets bought a hotel at below-market rate The video surfaced a day after reports emerged of Shirsat facing scrutiny from the Income Tax Department regarding a significant increase in his declared assets, which surged from `3.3 crore in 2019 to `35 crore in 2024. The Opposition parties in Maharashtra have sought the resignation of Shirsat, who branded the video as a preplanned conspiracy to frame him ■ ■ Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, who first shared the video, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and CM Devendra Fadnavis should take action against Shirsat Shirsat is also facing a probe into purchase of luxury hotel VITS at `65 crore against the market rate of `120 crore in Sambhaji Nagar `30 cr approximate value of the residence where shirsat lives 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 Tennis academy Dad blames barbs for murdering Radhika Population is not a burden, it’s our greatest asset: Naidu E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi The post-mortem report of a 25-year-old former state-level tennis player, who was allegedly shot dead by her father on Thursday, revealed that she was hit by four bullets from behind in Gurugram’s Sector 57.Deepak Yadav, the accused, was remanded in one-day police custody on Friday . The autopsy was conducted by a board of three doctors. They recovered four bullets from the body After the exami. nation, the body was handed over to the family members who cremated her at their village in Wazirabad. Radhika was living with her parents in Sushant Lok-II, Gurugram Sector-57. She was shot dead by her father using his licensed firearm, the police said. A case regarding the murder was registered at Sector-56 police station based on the complaint of the victim’s uncle (the brother of the accused) and Deepak was arrested. His revolver and five empty cartridges were recovered from the crime spot. Deepak confessed he shot Radhika because he was often mocked at for living off her income, police sources said. Police also issued a statement claiming the tennis academy Radhika ran was the bone of contention between the father and daughter. The accused, who police said was depressed for the last 15 days, also felt he was financially well off and had good rental income so there was no need for his daughter to run an academy . In his complaint, Radhika’s uncle Kuldeep Yadav said her mother Manju was present on the first floor when she was shot dead. Deepak, Manju, and Radhika lived on the first floor, while he lived on the ground floor along with his family . Intensive interrogation of the accused is underway and all the possible angles in the case are being investigated, police said. CM Chandrababu Naidu takes part in a World Population Day event | Express Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has emphasised the need for population management rather than control. Observing that population is an asset, but not a burden, he said its growth will come in handy to realise the goals of Viksit Bharat and Swarnandhra Vision 2047. Participating in the first Am- One Nation One Election Bill not unconstitutional but needs rework Ex-CJIs red flag sweeping powers of EC under ONOE PARV E Z S U LTA N @ New Delhi FORMER Chief Justices of India D Y Chandrachud and J S Khehar have flagged the sweeping powers that the One Nation One Election (ONOE) Bill seeks to confer on the Election Commission of India. According to sources, both ex-CJIs clarified that the bill for simultaneous elections does not violate the basic structure of the Constitution—as alleged by some Opposition parties—but suggested some tweaks in the language and provisions of the bill to check the unbridled powers of the Election Commission. On Friday, Chandrachud concluded his presentation before the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) headed by BJP MP P P Chaudhary which , was entrusted with the task to review the Bill. Justice Khehar had already given his views on the legal and constitutional aspects of the proposed legislation. “The former CJIs told the JPC that though the Bill does not violate the basic structure of the Constitution, some of the proposed provisions may not get past judicial scrutiny. They also suggested the ways to address these issues. Both jurists suggested that there should be an ‘oversight mechanism’ on the conduct of elections,” said sources. Former Chief Justices of India D Y Chandrachud and J S Khehar Experts seek clarity on bill’s grey areas Experts have flagged several grey areas in the bill. What will happen if the govt at the Centre falls? Wouldn’t the synchronised election cycle be disrupted in the event of a national emergency or premature dissolution of assemblies? Meanwhile, Opposition members including Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and DMK’s P Wilson raised queries about the constitutionality of dissolving assemblies midway to synchronise their polls with Lok Sabha elections. Making his point before the JPC, Wilson argued that the aim is to curtail election expenditures but the proposed system would lead to numerous polls in the event of the fall of the government at the Centre. In such a scenario, the purpose of the Bill would be defeated, he pointed out. Several other MPs also pointed out the issue of mid-term elections, sources said. Justice Khehar suggested that Parliament or the Union Council of Ministers should have a say in taking the call on holding the election of an assembly as envisaged under Sec, tion 82A(5) of the Bill. The Section in its current form says, “If the Election Commission is of the opinion that the elections to any Legislative Assembly cannot be conducted along with the general election to the House of the People, it may make a recommendation to the President, to declare by an order, that the election to that Legislative Assembly may be conducted at a later date.” Referring to another Section of the proposed law, Justice Khehar said it should also specify what will happen in case of an Emergency . After the meeting, Chaudhary said each aspect will be discussed and recommendations made. “We want a transparent discussion to take place… Parliament gave us the Bill so that it can be corrected. It was not given to us to return in the present form. We are making efforts on how simultaneous elections should be conducted in the national interest,” he said. Chaudhary said the panel welcomes divergent views as it will help the panel make good recommendations. aravati Summit on World Population Day held behind the State Secretariat on Friday he , underscored the need to increase the fertility rate to avoid scarcity of human resources. He said a robust policy on population growth will be introduced soon. On the occasion, he launched a survey designed on the concept ‘Population management starts with every family. Your opinion is our policy guide’. Emphasising that India’s ability to compete with developed nations is largely dependent on its population, he said, “Once, population was seen as a major problem. Before 2004, as the CM, I incentivized family planning. We even brought a law disqualifying those with more than two children from contesting local body elections. But today, there’s a need to amend the law to allow those with more than two children to ‘Delimitation Commission Act is yet to come. Then why are they talking about it? It is because elections are coming in Tamil Nadu. It’s political We have a firm policy on running India using Indian languages. The fight is in the minds of those who still believe India should run on foreign languages’ Oppn manufacturing anxiety, says Shah E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi U nion Home Minister Amit Shah says the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which is under way in poll-bound Bihar, would be implemented in other states as well. “I think roll revision will be done across the country he remarked. ,” Speaking to this newspaper, Shah said the Opposition is manufacturing anxiety over the process to mask its lack of electoral winnability “If anyone has any . concerns over the process, they should approach the Election Commission, not with presumptions, but with examples of the outcomes of the process,” he said. Predicting a win for the BJP-led alliance not only in Bihar later this year, but also Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, among other states scheduled to vote for new assemblies beginpress Interview ning next year, Shah said this reflected the massive and ongoing popular endorsement of the 11-year-old Narendra Modi government. “The world looks up to India again. Under Modi ji, we have restored faith in India’s future. Today 140 crore believe India can be, come a fully developed nation by 2047. Every sector is filled with confidence about making India self-reliant,” Shah said. “Is there any area that has not seen improvement? Be it foodgrain production, advances in space, internal security , our global stature, reduction in corruption, our integrated approach to health?” In reply to a question, Shah predicted, “The AIADMK– BJP alliance will win by a landslide in the coming election in Tamil Nadu. The people are fed up with corruption, nepotism and the family feuds of the DMK.” On the Opposition’s apprehensions about the effect delimitation may have for the South Indian states, Shah asserted, “There is no need for anyone to feel anxious. I have said this categorically: There will be no injustice to the South.” contest the polls. A nation is not just about its land, towns or borders, it is about its people.” Explaining the significance of Population Day Naidu said, , “Today, 1.8 billion people globally are aged between 10 and 24. Earlier, countries with large population were looked down upon. Now, even developed nations are compelled to look to populous countries. Population is not a burden, it is our greatP4 est asset,” he observed. Girl mauled to death by stray dogs E XPR E SS N E WS S E RVIC E @ Kurnool A 4-year-old girl was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs at Kaipa village in Banaganapalle mandal of Nandyal district on Friday The girl was identified . as Madhupriya of SC Colony in the village. According to eyewitnesses, the girl came out in search of her mother who went to a nearby grocery shop when the stray dogs pounced on her. Despite efforts by locals to rescue her, she sustained severe injuries in the attack, and died. The girl’s death has raised serious concern among residents about the alarming rise in stray dog menace in the village. Having learnt about the stray dog attack, Nandivargam police officials visited the village. Secretariat staff also reached the spot, and assured the villagers that effective measures will be taken to combat stray dog menace. ajit doval CHALLENGES WESTERN MEDIA The Security Advisor said India smashed nine targets in Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. He dared foreign media to show “even one image” of damage to any Indian structure in war P7 4 Kakinada GGH lab staff suspended Oh Lord’s: Ladybird infestation & climate change over sexual harassment charges bodyline It is not always that a game of cricket has been stopped due to a swarm of ladybirds invading the pitch. On Thursday, the first day of third Test in Lord’s between India and England, players including that of hosts e n c o u n t e re d a p e c u l i a r phenomenon. A swarm of ladybirds flew over the ground, some even landed on the helmet of Ben Stokes. These are unusual and rare sights but are invariably tied to the usual suspect, climate change. Rising temperature and dry spell in England has already have had an impact on the playing conditions. The beetles are only adding to the woes. The game as of now doesn’t have a rule to stop because of insect attack. According to groundsmen, the rising temperature in England has led to swarms of these species of beetle to invade open areas including grounds. England batter Ollie Pope admitted this was the first time he had seen anything like this. “No, I haven’t (seen that before). It’s a first and the crowd got that. I (Top) Jasprit Bumrah tries to fend off ladybirds on the first day at Lord’s. He took five wickets on Friday. (Left) Joe Root celebrates ton against India | AFP didn’t even know why we stopped,” replied Pope when questioned about the interruption during media interaction at the end of day’s play . One of the ground staff said the menace will continue during the entire duration of the match as temperature is expected to only increase in the next few days. “It may touch 35 degrees (centigrade), which is unprecedented as the last time we witnessed this was during the first Covid wave in 2020. The insects though are harmless but can cause disruption if they come in a large number. We use spray to counter them but that will not be that effective if they swarm the venue,” said the staffer, who did not wish to be named. The extreme hot weather accompanied by dry patch also led to hosepipe ban in Yorkshire. The warm climate is responsible for the increase in the population of the ladybirds, who anyways are evolving to adapt to different weather patterns. The warmer temperatures mean the presence of aphids (garden pest), ladybirds primary source of food, that helps them to multiply exponentially . The recent incident at the Home of Cricket highlighted yet another reason how the sport is being challenged for its existence by external factors P11 like extreme weather. E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kakinada Four lab employees of Kakinada Gover nment General Hospital (GGH), affiliated to Rangaraya Medical College (RMC), have been suspended following allegations of sexual harassment by 50 BSc and Diploma in Medical Lab Technology students. The accused — V Kalyan Chakravarthy (Biochemistry lab attendant), B Jimmy Raju (Microbiology lab technician), S Gopala Krishna (Biochemistry lab technician), and KVVS Prasad Rao (Pathology lab technician) — had allegedly subjected the girl students to physical and inappropriate behaviour since the start of their course. RMC students, who undergo practical training at the GGH as part of their curriculum, initially hesitated to report the harassment due to fear of retaliation. On Tuesday, several students confided to faculty members, leading to a formal complaint to RMC Principal Dr Vishnu Vardhan on Wednesday Chief Minister N . Chandrababu Naidu, treating the allegations with utmost seriousness, directed District Collector Shan Mohan Sagili to conduct an immediate investigation into the matter, and suspend the accused. A committee was formed, which promptly examined the affected students, and gathered evidence. By Thursday night, the committee submitted a detailed report confirming the misconduct of all four employees. The report highlighted a pattern of harassment across the Microbiology Pa, thology and Biochemistry Departments, with some students reporting repeated incidents over months. Following the inquiry report, the four lab staff were suspended, and Kakinada One Town Police registered a case. Three of the accused — Jimmy Raju, Gopala Krishna and Prasad Rao — were arrested on Friday , while efforts continue to trace Chakravarthy who is said to be , the primary accused. The po- Express Illustration Fly slip F i r o z M i r z a @ London lice are conducting a thorough investig ation, including 3 accused arrested, another at large Kakinada police arrested three of the four accused in the sexual harassment case. V Kalyan Chakravarthy, who is said to be the prime accused, is at large collecting additional evidence, and statements from the victims. The incident sparked outrage, with Left party activists staging a protest at the GGH, demanding the dismissal of the accused, and stringent punishment. Protesters also revealed that Jimmy Raju had a prior history of misconduct, having allegedly misbehaved with a patient in the Gynaecology DeP4 partment.
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