tirupati l tuesday l october 28, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION CJI Gavai recommends Justice Surya Kant as successor Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, who is retiring on November 23, has recommended Justice Surya Kant as successor justice kant to have 14-month tenure Was part of article 370 verdict Justice Surya Kant, the second senior-most judge of the Supreme Court after Justice Gavai, will become the 53rd CJI. He will have a tenure of 14 months before retiring on February 9, 2027. The retirement age for Supreme Court judges is 65 years. Kant was elevated to the Supreme Court in 2019 and has been part of several landmark verdicts ■ ■ He was on the bench that upheld the Central government’s decision to abrogate the special status of Jammu and Kashmir Kant headed the bench that asked the Election Commission to disclose the details of 65 lakh names excluded from the draft electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar Nov 24 when Justice kant is due to take charge as the chief justice of India 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 SIR of electoral rolls in 9 states, 3 UTs from Nov 4 Poll-bound oppn-ruled states TN, Kerala, Bengal under its ambit M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi plainspeak West doesn’t practise what it preaches: Jaishankar J AYA N T H J A CO B @ New Delhi EXTERNAL Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday took a swipe at the Western nations, accusing them of selectively applying global principles and distorting the international energy market through restrictive practices. Speaking at the East Asia Summit in Malaysia, Jaishankar said the world is going through “complicated times” marked by shifting global alignments, competition over technology, resources and supply chains. “Energy trade is increasingly constricted, with resulting market distortions. Principles are applied s e l e c t ive l y and what is preached is Foreign minister not necessarS Jaishankar ily practiced,” he said, in remarks seen as directed at Western-led sanctions regimes and certain protectionist policies. The comments came hours after he met US Secretary of Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the summit. His public remarks underscored New Delhi’s willingness to call out perceived Western hypocrisy while asserting an independent foreign policy stance. Jaishankar argued that the global order must evolve to reflect a more multipolar reality “Multipolarity is not . just here to stay but to grow,” he said. On terrorism, he said: “The world must display zero tolerance; there is no room for ambivalence.” The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday announced Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in nine states and three Union Territories in two phases — door-to-door enumeration forms distribution and collection — from November 4 to December 4. The final voters’ list would be published on February 7. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said the draft rolls would be published on December 9; claims and objections can be filed from December 9 to January 8; and hearing and verifications from December 9 to January 31. The nine states are Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal and the UTs are Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep and Puducherry Tamil Nadu, . Pondy Kerala and West Bengal , will go to the polls in 2026. As for Assam, where polls are due in 2026, the revision of rolls will be announced separately, as a separate provision of the Citizenship Act was applicable to the state. “Under the Citizenship Act, Required indicative documents for the revision of draft electoral roll Any identity cards, pension payment order issued to regular employee/pensioner of any Central government/State govt/PSU @ Vijayawada The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Monday ordered a CID probe into the controversial settlement of a theft case involving `72,000 ($ 900) stolen from the Parakamani of Sri Lord Venkateswara Swamy Temple at Tirumala. Justice Gannamaneni Ramakrishna Prasad issued inter- Andhra coast on edge as Montha gains steam S G U R U SRI K A N T H @ Vijayawada Birth certificate issued by competent authority Matriculation/ Education certificate issued by recognised Boards/Univs Passport Permanent resident certificate issued by State authority OBC/ST/SC or any caste certificate National Register of Citizens (wherever it exists) Forest Rights Certificate Family register prepared by state/ local authorities Any identity cards/ certificate/ documents issued by Indian govt/ banks/local authorities/PSU Any land/ house allotment certificate by govt Aadhaar as an option proof of identity, but not as a proof of date of birth or citizenship there are separate provisions for citizenship in Assam. Under the supervision of the Supreme Court, the exercise of checking citizenship is about to be completed. The June 24 SIR order was for the entire country. Under such circumstances, this would not have applied to Assam,” Kumar said. He ruled out any confrontation with the Bengal govern- ment, where the ruling TMC has expressed reservations about the SIR. As for Kerala’s local bodies elections, due in November-December, Kumar said, “The notification for the same was yet to be issued. The state governments are bound by Constitution to provide personnel for the preparation of electoral rolls and conduct of polls.” Cyclone Montha is intensifying in the Bay of Bengal and closing in on the Andhra Pradesh coastline, prompting emergency preparations across vulnerable districts. As of Monday evening, the system was moving at a speed of 15 kmph and was centred approximately 450 km from Visakhapatnam and 500 km from Kakinada. Landfall is expected near Kakinada on the evening or night of October 28, with the system forecast to strengthen into a severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday morning. Authorities have activated control rooms, deployed disaster response teams, and initiated evacuations as the cyclone begins to impact coastal areas with heavy rain and strong winds. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, and adjoining P4 south Odisha coasts. Prasant Madugula stray dogs case SC summons Almost all chief secys S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi security for cafe Monica Wright and Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner were given a police escort on their way to a cafe in Mumbai. Wright shared the pic on her Insta handle. Security was beefed up in Mumbai too after the ‘stalking and molestation’ incident in Indore. ShREYAS in icu after injury India vice-captain had a fall while diving to take a catch in the third ODI. He suffered a spleen laceration P11 AP HC orders CID to probe settlement of $900 theft case at Tirumala Parakamani E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e threat looms im directions to the CID to investigate the roles of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Board, its officials, the investigating officer, and the complainant. The court also asked the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to examine the assets of the accused, CV Ravikumar, and his family to determine whether they were acquired with money stolen from the Parakamani. Further, the court directed both the CID and ACB chiefs to submit detailed investigation reports through the Registrar (Judicial) before the next hearing on December 2. The case dates back to April 29, 2023, when Ravikumar, a clerk at Tirumala mutt, was caught red-handed stealing $900 from the Parakamani hall by AVSO Satish Kumar, who later lodged a complaint. P4 The Supreme Court on Monday directed the chief secretaries of almost all states and Union Territories to appear before it on November 3 to explain why no compliance affidavits have been filed yet in the stray dogs case. “Your officers don’t read newspapers? They don’t read social media? They want a formal notice to be issued to them?” three-judge bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria said. It said all chief secretaries, except those of Telangana and West Bengal, should be present before it on November 3, otherwise “we will hold the court in auditorium”. The court had, on August 22, reversed an earlier order directing authorities to move all stray dogs to shelters and said they can be released to the same area from where they were captured after proper sterilisation and immunisation, except those infected with rabies or exhibiting aggressive behaviour. It barred the feeding of the dogs in public places. The August 22 order expanded the scope of the stray dogs case beyond the Delhi NCR and directed that all states and Union Territories be made parties in the matter, and instructed them to file compliance affidavits. ‘Incidents keep on happening’ The bench remarked that “continuous incidents” of stray dog attacks are happening, which is hurting India’s image. “Your country is being shown as down in foreign countries,” the bench said SC allows Centre to reassess, settle AGR dues of Vi E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi IN a major relief for Vodafone Idea (Vi), the Supreme Court on Monday allowed the government to reassess the demand for adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues raised against the telecom operator. AGR is the income figure used to calculate the licence fees and spectrum charges that telcos must pay . While passing the order, a bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran observed that the decision on any relief to the telco is a policy matter and the court need not interfere. The matter pertains to a plea by Vi against the Department of Telecommunications’ demand for an additional `9,450 crore towards AGR. Vi, the country’s third-largest telco, also sought a waiver of interest and penalties. Welcoming the order, Vi said: “We look forward to working closely with the Department of Telecommunications to resolve this matter in the interests of our nearly 200 million subscribers.” During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, informed the court that the government now holds 49% equity in Vodafone Idea. He said the Centre was willing to examine the issues to ensure consumer interests are safeguarded. At present, Vi owes the government around `76,000 crore in AGR dues with annual payments of `18,000 crore until 2031. It also owes `1.19 lakh crore in deferred spectrum payment to the government. express read 787 pregnant women shifted to hospitals In a precautionary move ahead of Cyclone Montha, 787 pregnant women, Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav said. Evacuations include 240 in Krishna and 171 in Eluru. Medical camps are active in 551 shelters I P3 CM orders hourly weather bulletins Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed officials to ensure zero casualties as Cyclone Montha nears the AP coast. He ordered hourly weather bulletins, uninterrupted communication, and mass evacuation in 2,707 villages I P4 Naidu moots bullet train link to Amaravati Airport E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Amaravati is set to become a major hub in Andhra Pradesh’s rail and logistics network, with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu proposing a bullet train connection to the upcoming international airport in the capital region. During a high-level review meeting held at the Secretariat on Monday the Chief Minister , emphasised the need to inte- grate Amaravati into the proposed high-speed elevated railway cor ridors connecting Hyderabad to Bengaluru and Chennai. He also directed that the Chennai–Bengaluru corridor include Tirupati to enhance regional connectivity . Naidu reviewed the progress of railway projects worth `33,630 crore currently underway across the State. These include major lines such as Nadikudi–Srikalahasti, Guntur–Guntakal, Gunadala–Mustabad bypass, Renigunta, and Rayadurg–Tumakuru. He instructed officials to immediately release `27 crore for further works on the Nadikudi–Srikalahasti route and suggested launching train services on the Kotipalli–Narsapur route, including the Kakinada– Kotipalli–Amalapuram section. The Chief Minister approved the Railway department’s request for the allocation of land for new coaching terminals in Amaravati and Gannavaram. He was informed that expansion works are also underway in Vijayawada and Guntur. P4