Physics nobel for quantum tech KOCHI l wednesday l october 08, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE city EDITION John Clarke Michel H Devoret John M Martinis John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M Martinis won the Nobel Prize in physics on Tuesday for their outstanding research on the weird world of sub-atomic quantum tunnelling that advances the power of everyday digital communications and computing | P9 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 Original Sabarimala gold coverings sold as divine trophies? M a n o j V i s w a n at h a n @Kochi Were the original gold coverings of Sabarimala’s dwarapalaka idols, plated using the gold donated by industrialist Vijay Mallya, sold as “divine trophies” to the wealthy? The contradictions in the statements of Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) officials and the report its chief vigilance and security officer filed before the Kerala High Court certainly point to this possibility . The TDB vigilance officer’s report submitted before the HC on October 6 said a comparison of the photographs of the gold-clad- EXPRESS READ At least 15 killed in Himachal bus wreck Chandigarh: At least 15 people were killed while three others were rescued as a private bus they were travelling in was struck by a landslide in Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur on Tuesday. Around 35 passengers were in the bus. A rescue operation is on to trace missing passengers | P8 Forest watcher killed by tiger in Gavi Pathanamthitta: A forest watcher’s body, partially consumed by a tiger, was found from the Ponnampalamedu in the Sabarimala forest area on Tuesday morning. The deceased is Anil Kumar, 32, a forest watcher in the Periyar Tiger Reserve | P4 16 pages, including 4 pages of KOCHI Express Photo provided by Senthil Nathan, the amalgamation expert engaged by Vijaya Mallya, showing the gold-cladded dwarapalaka idols of Sabarimala temple in 1999 Wrong entry: TDB deputy commissioner suspended T’Puram: The TDB suspended deputy commissioner Murari Babu on Tuesday based on its vigilance wing’s report that he wrongly recorded the gold-plated copper plates handed over to Potti in 2019 as “copper plates” in the mahazar. The report also levelled allegations against now-retired TDB officials K S Baiju and Sudheesh. ded panels taken on July 19, 2019 just before they were removed and of the new coverings taken on September 11, 2019, shows “marked differences”. This validates the HC’s doubt that the copper plates entrusted by priest-turned-businessman Unnikrishnan Potti to Chennaibased Smart Creations could be totally different. It points at the possibility that the old panels were sold as trophies and that a different set of panels was provided for gold plating to Smart Creations. It is said people associated with Sabarimala temple cultivated the belief in wealthy devotees that keeping trophies from the temple will bring them prosperity Notably there is also . , a 39-day delay between Potti receiving the panels and them being handed over to Smart Creations – the panels were handed over to Potti on July 20, 2019, but were delivered to Smart Creations on August 29, 2019. Noting the reduction of 4.147 kg in the weight of the panels that were returned to Sabarimala on September 11, 2019, the HC had recently observed: “We had expressed doubt that the copper plates entrusted by Unnikrishnan Potti to Smart Creations may in , fact, have been another set alto● More on P4 gether.”  New Overseas Mobility Bill coming Seeks to build a modern framework for safe, legal and orderly overseas employment for Indians H a r p r e e t B a j w a @ Chandigarh The Union government is set to introduce the Overseas Mobility (Facilitation and Welfare) Bill, 2025 in Parliament, aiming to replace the outdated Emigration Act of 1983. A draft of the proposed legislation, currently circulated for stakeholder feedback, seeks to build a modern framework for safe, legal and orderly overseas employment for Indian citizens, amid growing concerns over irregular emigration and a spike in deportations, particularly from the US. It provides for the creation of an Overseas Mobility and Welfare Council, chaired by the Secretary , Ministry of External Affairs, with up to 10 nominated members, including senior officials from the Ministries of Skill Development tion, support emigrants, and set and Labour. The Council will up Mobility Resource Centres maintain a central registry of em- within and outside India. igrants, overseas placement agenThe bill mandates the developcies and foreign employers, con- ment of an Integrated Informaduct periodic global labour market tion System to streamline data studies, and develop policies to collection and improve policy support mig rant planning. It also enwelfare and ables the governpress reintegration. clusive ment to accredit A key provision overseas placement includes the apagencies, prescribe pointment of a Director General operational rules, and impose of Overseas Mobility (DGOM) penalties up to `20 lakh for violaand Regional Overseas Mobility tions. To curb human trafficking, Officers to oversee implementa- the Council will work to devise Jaishankar’s call for complete revamp “Times have changed, and our vistas have expanded,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said in March, stressing the need to promote legal migration and prohibit non-legal channels, citing national security concerns and exploitation risks tied to irregular migration international agreements, awareness campaigns, and legal pathways for safe migration. It will also manage welfare funds, promote mutual recognition of qualifications, and oversee universal insurance for Indian workers abroad. The move comes amid growing global demand for skilled Indian workers and follows months of inter-ministerial consultations. In March, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had called the 1983 Act “outdated”, highlighting that it was designed for a limited purpose no longer relevant in today’s globalised labour market. Once enacted, the bill will mark a significant shift in overseas labour mobility policy align, ing it with contemporary migration dynamics. SC seeks EC info on 3.66L exclusions in Bihar rolls S U C HIT R A K A LYAN M OHANT Y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Election Commission (EC) to provide details of 3.66 lakh voters who were part of the draft voter list but were excluded from the final roll prepared after Bihar’s voter roll revision, saying there is “confusion” over the matter. The bench asked EC to submit the list of excluded voters by Thursday Noting there were 65 . lakh deletions when the draft list was prepared but names were added in the final list, the court asked whether the add-ons are “deleted names or new names”. Senior counsel Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for EC, said most of the names added in the final list after the publication of the draft list on August 30 were of new voters and that no complaint or appeal has been filed till now. A bench of justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi passed the directions after some petitioners, including RJD, Congress and CPM leaders, said the EC has not given any notice or reasons to the deleted voters for their exclusion from the final list. “... There is confusion in the general democratic process,” Justice Bagchi said.