kochi l tuesday l july 22, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l late city EDITION BOMBAY High COURT acquits all accused in 7/11 blasts The HC acquitted 12 accused in 2006 train blast case as it set aside MCOCA court’s order awarding death sentence to 5 and life term to 7 accused ‘evidence not properly collected’ ATS to challenge order in apex court In the order, a bench of Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak cited several reasons for overturning the 2015 verdict. The bench noted that the evidence was not properly collected and presented. The first arrest was made on July 20, 2006 followed by continuous arrests. However, the test identification parade was not done for four months, it noted. ■ ■ On July 11, 2006, seven bombs ripped through Mumbai’s local trains killing 189 persons and maiming 820 innocent travellers. Maharashtra’s Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), which investigated the blast case, said the agency would challenge the Bombay High Court’s order in the Supreme Court. 189 people were killed in BLASTS in MUMBAI’s local trains in 2006 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 COMRADE OF CENTURY voice of people’s causes LIFE & TIMES OF COMMUNIST ICON THE FINAL JOURNEY October 20, 1923: Born in Paravur to Venthalathara Sankaran and Akkamma The mortal remains of V S Achuthanandan will be taken from his residence to the Durbar Hall at the Secretariat at 9am on Tuesday for the public to pay homage March 1940: Joined the Communist Party at the age of 17 1946: Took part in PunnapraVayalar protest preparations; arrested by police while underground 1959: Became a member of the Communist Party National Council A tireless anti-corruption crusader, VS was the last of the old-school Marxists 1964: Walked out of the National Council, co-founded the CPM A founding leader of CPM, he took up people’s issues & took on party at times 1980–1991: Elected as CPM state secretary for three terms V S Achuthanandan 1923 — 2025 1986: Inducted into the CPM politburo 1992: Became Leader of the Opposition 2006 –2011: Served as Chief Minister of Kerala In the afternoon, the body will be taken to his home, Velikkakathu, at Punnapra in Alappuzha, where the public will have the opportunity to pay their respects On Wednesday, the body will be kept at the CPM district committee office in the morning The funeral will take place in the afternoon at the Valiya Chudukadu crematorium in Alappuzha During his long public life, V S Achuthanandan worked for the welfare of people, especially the marginalised, and contributed to the development of Kerala. I extend my deep condolences to his family and followers Droupadi Murmu, President Saddened by the passing of former Kerala CM Shri VS Achuthanandan Ji. He devoted many years of his life to public service and Kerala’s progress. I recall our interactions when we both served as Chief Ministers of our respective states. My thoughts are with his family and supporters in this sad hour Narendra Modi, Prime Minsiter THREE-DAY MOURNING IN STATE In honour of the late leader, the state government has declared a holiday for all government offices, educational institutions (including professional colleges), state public sector undertakings, statutory bodies, autonomous institutions and all entities under the Negotiable Instruments Act on Tuesday. The state will observe three days of mourning starting July 22. During the period, the national flag will be flown at half-mast across all government buildings in the state. A towering figure in Indian politics and a stalwart of the Communist movement... V S Achuthanandan’s demise marks the end of an era in India’s Leftist political history.His contributions to public life and the left movement will always be remembered with deep respect Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Governor A N I L S @ T’Puram E nd of 1990s. The E K Nayanar-led Left government was in power in Kerala. It was around the time Pinarayi Vijayan was set for his first tenure as CPM state secretary . A section of leaders were eyeing a new political combine - to get the Indian Union Muslim League into the LDF fold, with an eye on cementing a long-term rule for the Left front in the state. Informal talks were held at varying levels between senior leaders. Several possibilities were discussed. But one question kept bothering them - who would tell VS? The veteran was LDF convener then, and the most powerful leader who virtually called the shots both within the party and the front. IUML leader Kutty Ahammed Kutty who shared a warm rapport with VS was handed the task. Kutty conveyed the idea to VS but not before prefacing it with a request that VS should not be in a hurry to nip the proposal in the bud. VS heard him through, and without batting an eyelid, pronounced his judgement that is now part of state political lore: “Kutty, it is not yet time for the Congress to die in Kerala!” A deeply insightful statement especially relevant in the current political scenario. Ignoring short-term political gains, the far-sighted Marxist batted for a line that till date underscores how both the Left and the Congress remain relevant in their fight against the saffron front in Kerala’s political landscape. To VS, it was simple logic. A UDF minus the IUML would naturally weaken the Congress. And in no time, Hindut- va forces would rush in to occupy the vacant political space. Though a leader without much formal education, VS always stood out from his peers for his innate political acumen. Ve l i k k a k a t h S a n k a r a n Achuthanandan, who passed away on Monday, remains an unparallelled Communist, the biggest crowd puller in recent times, last of the old-school Marxists and one of the greatest mass leaders Kerala has ever seen. The 101-year-old, who was incapacitated following a stroke in 2019, was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in the capital following a cardiac arrest on June 23. A founding leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), VS began his political career as a trade unionist and was later seen at the forefront of land struggles. The Communist movement in Ker- ala, since its inception in 1939, evolved with VS, who left an indelible imprint on its political evolution as well as its sociocultural fabric. He was one among the the 32 leaders who walked out of the historic CPI national council meet in 1964 to form the CPI(M). In many ways, the influence wielded by VS in the CPM has its roots in the quirkiness of modern-day factionalism in the party Despite challenging . the official stance many times and keeping the party on tenterhooks, be it his decision to visit the family of slain RMP leader T P Chandrasekharan on a polling day taking up the , SNC-Lavalin case against Pinarayi or walking out of the 2015 Alappuzha state conference after being termed as a ‘comrade with an anti-party mindset’, he always remained a favourite of many party loy● More on P7 alists.  CPM leaders, including general secretary M A Baby and state secretary M V Govindan, salute V S Achuthanandan at AKG Centre on Monday | B P Deepu Comrade VS was a symbol of a glorious legacy of protest struggles, extraordinary determination, and an uncompromising commitment to principles. His century-spanning life, spent standing firmly with the people and taking up their causes, is inseparably woven into the modern history of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister insiDe Achuthanandan’s Munnar Mission One of the most defining chapters of V S Achuthanandan’s tenure as CM was the bold Munnar Mission a drive to reclaim illegally occupied land in the ecologically vulnerable Munnar region. At 83, VS led a crackdown on encroachments ordering demolitions and taking on land mafias and resort lobbies. The Mission that lasted 29 days took down 92 buildings and reclaimed around 16,000 acres of government land. P4 Defeat that shaped a mass leader In the political history of Kerala, the defeat of V S Achuthanandan in the 1996 assembly election is written in black letters. Once considered a CM candidate of the CPM, VS’ unexpected loss in the Mararikulam constituency became a turning point, not just in his career, but also in his personal life. VS was defeated by Congress candidate P J Francis, a result that sent shockwaves through Kerala’s political circles. P5 1st communist CM to trek Sabarimala Any recollection of VS would be incomplete without a mention of his trek to Sabarimala in 2007. On December 30, 2007, 85-yearold VS, the then chief minister, undertook the arduous 5-km climb from Pampa to Sannidhanam, becoming the first communist CM to reach the Sabarimala shrine on foot. P6 18 pages, including 4 pages of kochi Express Dhankhar springs surprise, quits as V-P 16-hr discussion in LS on Op Sindoor next week R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi In an unexpected development that sparked intense speculation, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar put in his papers on Monday evening, citing medical advice. His resignation stirred the already turbulent political waters, particularly because there was no hint of it right through the day. He continued to perform his parliamentary duties as Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and had fixed a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee on Tuesday at 1 pm. Dhankhar, 74, had assumed office in August 2022 and his tenure was till August 2027. Citing the necessity to ad- 3rd V-P to put in his papers Dhankhar became the third V-P after V V Giri and R Venkataraman to resign before completing their tenure. Both Giri and Venkataraman had resigned so as to contest the presidential election h e re t o m e d i c a l a dv i c e, Dhankhar submitted his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu. The timing of the resignation — on the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament — was odd. The opposition found it inexplicable, saying there was far more to his resignation than meets the eye. It also led to speculation on his possible successor. As per Article 68 of the Constitution, an election to fill the V-P vacancy occurring due to his death, resignation or removal, or otherwise will be held as soon as possible. Till the time of filing this report, the President had not accepted the resignation. In his letter, Dhankhar wrote: “To prioritise health care and abide by medical advice, I hereby resign as the Vice-President of India, effective immediately , in accordance with Article 67(a) of the Constitution.” P reetha N a i r @ New Delhi Even as the first day of the Monsoon session of Parliament witnessed ruckus and adjournments, the government agreed to hold a 16-hour discussion on the recent Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha next week. The decision was taken at the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee. Though the Opposition initially objected to the timing of the debate, the Congress said that it will abide by the proposal of the government. While the government’s floor managers pointed out that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be abroad from June 23-26, the Opposition insisted that the discussion should start immediately followed by the PM’s reply Later in the evening, at a . meeting of floor leaders, the Congress decided that it will wait until Modi’s return for the discussions on the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor to take place. “We will ask the government to hold the discussions as soon as the PM returns from the trip,” said a leader who attended the meeting. The leader told this paper that the party will hold a meeting with the floor leaders of INDIA bloc leaders on Tuesday and will take a final call. At the BAC meeting, Opposition members protested that the government’s agenda for the week did not mention their demand on Operation Sindoor. Some Opposition members also called for a debate on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. Earlier, both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day amid noisy protests by the Opposition, which demanded a discussion on Operation Sindoor and other issues. The LS saw four adjournments. Defence minister Rajnath Singh assured the opposition MPs that the government is ready to have a long discussion on all issues the Speaker agrees to. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju appealed to the Opposition to place their demand during the BAC meeting. “The government is ready to reply to all the issues that the Speaker agrees to at BAC meeting. But to raise slogans and not let the House function on the first day of the Monsoon session is unacceptable,” Rijiju said. The Rajya Sabha, too, saw continuous disruptions despite Chair man Jagdee p Dhankhar’s request to the Opposition to allow the House to function. “The government is ready for a discussion. I will meet the leaders and settle for a discussion,” said Dhankhar.