BELAGAVI l tuesday l september 16, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l LATE city EDITION three ministers inducted by nepal’s new PM Karki sworn in Nepal’s interim PM unveiled her first ministers on Monday, as the nation seeks to restore order after deadly clashes ousted PM KP Sharma Oli Nepal’s new ministers (from left) Kulman Ghising, Om Prakash Aryal and Rameshwor Khanal after being sworn in on Monday in Kathmandu | PTI seasoned advocate is new home minister parliamentary polls in six months Om Prakash Aryal, an advocate known for cases tackling corruption and human rights, takes the critical home minister post, as well as law, justice and parliamentary affairs. Kulman Ghising, former director of Electricity Authority, has energy, infrastructure, transport and urban development, while Rameshwor Khanal, was handed the finance minister post ■ ■ The Cabinet, mandated to hold parliamentary polls within six months, now has four members, including Prime Minister Sushila Karki, who will oversee the remaining ministerial portfolios President Ramchandra Paudel administered the oath of office to the new ministers at a ceremony at the President’s Office, Sheetal Niwas 10.5% is the most recent unemployment rate of nepal, as per an estimate 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 US team arrives for trade talks today PUS H PITA D E Y @ New Delhi US chief negotiator and Assistant Trade Representative for south and central Asia Brendan Lynch arrived in Delhi on Monday night to revive the trade talks that were stalled after the Trump administration waged a tariff war on Indian goods ostensibly to penalise India over its trade ties with Russia. Lynch and his team of negotiators will hold formal talks with Indian officials on the India-US bilateral trade agreement on Tuesday, confirmed pole star vaults to the sky Armand Duplantis created history by breaking his world record in pole vault again at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Monday. This is the 14th time the Swede has broken the world mark | AP Guv returns amendment bill on lakes E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Bengaluru IN a setback to the state government, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has returned the Karnataka Tank Conservation and Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2025, objecting to the government’s proposal to reduce the buffer zone around lakes from the existing 30 metre to between 3 and 24 metre, depending on the lake’s size. The governor has directed the government to re-submit the file along with proper clarification. He has stated in his note that as per experts’ opinion, the present lake buffer zone of 30 metre itself is insufficient and the requirement is nearly 300 metre to achieve a balance in the ecosystem. The state government has not consulted any expert committee or public on the implications of the amendment, he pointed out. According to the governor’s note, the state government has proposed to amend Section 12 of the KTCDA Act to introThawaarchand duce area wise Gehlot buffer zones for water bodies and permit construction of certain public utility activities such as roads, bridges, electrical lines, water supply lines, underground drainage lines, jack well or pump houses or sewage treatment plants, intermediate sewage pumping stations, wet wells, aqueducts and allied works with prior approval of the authority . “The Governor’s office has received objections. As per experts’ opinion, the existing buffer zone of 30 metre itself is insufficient. If anything to do, the buffer zone should be increased and not decreased,” the Governor noted. The Governor’s note says it is in violation of the Constitution and settled law. He stated that it is harmful to every citizen, and affects the citizens’ right to water security and a healthy environment. dereliction of duty? Officer surrenders unspent crores, thwarts move to suspend her D e v a r a j B H i r eh a l l i @Bengaluru IS financial probity a crime for this government? The Karnataka State Women’s Development Corporation’s move to suspend its former managing director Pushpalatha H for alleged dereliction of duty in surrendering Rs 101 cr accumulated in the corporation’s kitty over the years to the State Finance Department has backfired. With the Finance Department finding no dereliction of duty the Department of the Personnel and Administrative , Reforms (DPAR) has scuttled the government’s move to suspend Pushpalatha H, a KAS officer, now serving as chief manager with Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC). Two other officers who were suspended, G Indiramma and Puspalatha KS, have secured a stay from the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT). For a government which has been losing sheen over various corruption charges, including resignation of minister B Nagendra in the alleged Rs 187 crore scam in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki ST Development Corporation Limited (KMVSTDL) and resignation of Bhovi Development Corporation chairman S Ravikumar over bribery allegations, this is an another blow. Sources say that the suspension drama was initiated at the instruction of Minister of Women and Child Development Lakshmi Hebbalkar. On August 1, disciplinary action was initiated by the Women and Child Welfare Department against G Indiramma, former chief manager, administrative officer Puspalatha K S and Pushpalatha H. CONTINUED ON P4 US TikTok deal done, Trump-Xi talks on Friday US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that Washington has reached a ‘framework’ deal with China on the ownership of TikTok’s American operations. US President Donald Trump will speak with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday to finalise the deal, he added | P11 @ Bengaluru “We are not persuaded to accept arguments that an invitation to a person of a different faith violates constitutional or legal right,” the High Court of Karnataka said on Monday while dismissing three public interest litigations (PILs) against the state government’s invitation to writer Banu Mushtaq, winner of 2025 Booker Prize, to inaugurate Mysuru Dasara festivities on September 22. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Joshi passed the order after hearing the arguments of petitioners Pratap Simha, former BJP MP Girish , Kumar T and Sowmya R from Bengaluru, and HS Gaurav also from Bengaluru. Simha’s counsel argued that Dasara is predominantly a Hindu fest iva l a n d c e r t a i n protocols have to be followed while inviting a person to inaugurate it. Banu, who has no faith in the Hindu religion, has been invited, that too ignoring her alleged anti- disclosed, the visit makes it clear that both sides want the talks to resume at the earliest. Negotiations were put on hold after US President Donald Trump announced higher tariffs on several Indian goods and India termed the move a ‘unilateral’ decision. The resumption of talks SC stays a few provisions of Waqf Amendment Act Abolition of ‘waqf by user’ prima facie not arbitrary: Interim order SUC H ITRA K ALYA N MO H A N TY @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay the operation of the Waqf Amendment Act, 2025, in its interim orderbut stayed the implementation of certain parts of the law to ‘balance the equities’ and ‘protect the interests of parties’, including the criteria of fiveyear practice of Islam for dedicating property towards waqf. “Section 3 of the Amended Waqf Act (AWA), which says, ‘any person showing or demonstrating that he is professing Islam for at least five years’ shall stand stayed” until rules are framed on how to determine whether a person has been practicing Islam for at least five years, a bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih ruled. However, it is nondescriminatory the court said. , The bench stayed a provision on the District Collector adjudicating on the rights of individual citizens, saying it would violate the principle of separation of powers. Till a tribunal adjudicates on the matter, no Karnataka HC junks 3 pils against Banu inaugurating Dasara festivities E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e Rajesh Agarwal, India’s chief negotiator and a special secretary commerce ministry , . This will be the first in-person discussion between the representatives of the two countries after the US levied a 50% tariff on several Indian goods. While the exact agenda of the meeting has not been Hindu and anti-Kannada statements at a literary event in 2023. Also, she has been invited without consulting the representatives of the royal family of Mysuru, he said. The counsel argued that Banu’s remarks state that she has no faith in worshipping a Hindu goddess. How could the state government invite such a person to inaugurate Mysuru Dasara, which commences after offering pooja to the goddess as per Hindu rituals? If she withdraws her remarks and apologises to the people of the state, then the petitioners would not object, he said. P5 What ’s in, what ’s out SC says law can be stayed only in the rarest of rare cases Says number of non-Muslims in central waqf councils cannot exceed 4 out of 22 third party rights can be created against any parties, the court said. As for appointing nonMuslims to manage waqf properties, it allowed the Centre to nominate not more than three of them into the 11-member Central Waqf Council constituted under Section 14 of the AWA, and four non-Muslims out of 22 under Section 9 of AWA. The court refused to stay an amendment allowing the appointment of a non-Muslim as a CEO for the board, but suggested that every effort should be made to appoint a Muslim to the post. Refusing to stay the provision abolishing the concept of Provision on five-year practice of Islam for dedicating property as waqf stayed for want of rules, but it is not arbitrary or discriminatory Provision barring declaration of tribal lands as waqf properties upheld Deletion of ‘waqf by user’ provision prima facie not arbitrary ‘waqf by user’, the court said, the requirement of registration came in from the Waqf Act of 1923. If waqfs were not registered since 102 years, they cannot raise their grievance now, the court said. “If the legislature, on noticing misuse of the waqf properties, finds that after the enactment of the impugned Act all such applications should be accompanied by a copy of the waqf deed, the same cannot be said to be arbitrary the court observed. ,” If ‘waqf by user’ is abused to encroach government properties, the legislature can take steps to delete it. It approved the provision to abolish ‘waqf by user’ prospectively . express read Maoist with `1cr bounty among 3 gunned down Row as Centre denies nod for Sikh jatha to Pak Jharkhand: Three Maoists, including one carrying a Rs 1 crore bounty on his head, were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jharkhand’s Hazaribag district on Monday. Two security personnel were also injured in the encounter but are said to be out of danger | P8 Chandigarh: The Centre’s decision not to allow a Sikh jatha to Pakistan has triggered protests with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann saying cricket matches between with Pakistan were allowed but Sikhs are denied permission to access to their sacred shrines | P8 MBBS-BAMS proposed integrated course PUT OFF The proposed integrated medical course, combining MBBS and BAMS at JIPMER in Puducherry, has been put on hold following strong protests | P7 handshake gate Pakistan threatens to pull out of Asia Cup if match referee not removed F i r o z M i r z a @ Chennai A day after India refused to shake hands with Pakistan after recording a comprehensive win in the Asia Cup match, the issue snowballed into a major controversy . In a letter to the International Cricket Council, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) threatened to withdraw from the Asia Cup if their demand of immediate removal of match referee Andy Pycroft is not met. The letter was written soon after the match. Interestingly former , BCCI secretary Jay Shah is the ICC chair. “The ICC has been told specifically that if the match referee Pycroft will not be changed, Pakistan will not play any more Asia Andy Pycroft Cup match,” a PCB source told this daily Interestingly Pycroft . , was given the similar responsibility by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), which incidentally is headed by PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi, for the second match between Hong Kong and Sri Lanka on Monday . Besides, the PCB has also requested the comes days after Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi exchanged positive assessment about the trade ties. The visit by the US team was originally scheduled for August 25-29, but it was called off amid high tensions over the massive US tariffs. Trump slapped an additional 25% tariff on August 6 and it became effective from August 27, taking the total tariffs on Indian goods to 50%. The US remains India’s largest trading partner with bilateral trade crossing $130 billion last year. ICC not to send the 69-year-old Pycroft, who is a former Zimbabwe player, to Pakistan for the upcoming tour of South Africa. The Pakistan board made the demand through a separate letter sent to the ICC on Monday morning. SA are scheduled to play two Tests, three T20Is and as many ODIs in Pakistan with the series starting with the fiveday match on October 12. The PCB held the match referee responsible for the ‘no handshakes’ fiasco wherein India players refused to shake hands with their Pakistan counterparts after Sunday’s match and alleged that Pycroft violated the spirit of cricket and MCC Laws hence failed in discharging his duties. The PCB alleged Pycroft took Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha to one side be- fore the toss and instructed him that there will be no handshakes at the toss. Pakistan may play India again and the PCB source said they have not decided on the future course of action. “We are waiting for ICC’s response. If that is accepted then we will decide on the future respecting the spirit of the game,” said the source. Final hearing on October 7, SC verdict for pan-India SIR s u c h i t r a k a lya n m o h a n t y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Monday said it was presuming that the Election Commission, being a constitutional authority , was following the law during the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar and cautioned that the entire exercise would be set aside in case any illegality is found at any stage. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi fixed October 7 for hearing final arguments on the validity of SIR in Bihar, and refused to offer any “piecemeal opinion” on the exercise. The bench also emphasized that its “judgement in Bihar SIR will be applicable for pan-India SIR”. The court clarified that it can’t stop the poll panel from conducting a similar exercise for revision of electoral rolls across the country The bench, . however, allowed petitioners against the Bihar SIR exercise to also argue on the pan-India SIR on October 7. The publication of the final electoral roll on September 30 will not make any difference to the adjudication of the case, the bench said. “What difference will the final publication of the electoral roll make to us? If we are satisfied there is some illegality, we can set it aside,” the bench told the petitioners who have challenged the SIR exercise. The top court is currently hearing a batch of pleas — questioning the validity of SIR — filed by NGO ADR, People’s Union for Civil Liberties, activist Yogendra Yadav, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, RJD MP Manoj Jha, Congress leader K C Venugopal and Mujahid Alam. In another development in the same case, the court, while hearing a plea by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay refused to , modify its September 8 order directing the Election Commission to permit use of Aadhaar as the 12th document for proof of identity as part of SIR in Bihar. The bench said Aadhaar was made acceptable as an interim arrangement.