hyderabad l tuesday l october 28, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 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 SC allows govt to reassess Vi’s dues eXPRESS n EWS s ERV I CE @ New Delhi J AYANTH J A C O B @ New Delhi EAM, Rubio discuss trade, bilateral issues Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the ASEAN and East Asia Summits, and discussed a host of issues, including the ongoing bilateral trade talks | P7 `1.95 lakh crore in total liabilities, including AGR AGR is the income figure to calculate the licence fees and spectrum charges that telcos must pay the government. At present, VI owes the government around `76,000 cr in AGR dues, plus `1.19 lakh cr in deferred spectrum payment ‘Matter within policy domain no need for SC to interfere’ The SC bench observed that reviewing AGR is within the Union’s policy domain, and the court has no reason to stop govt from taking an appropriate decision given the peculiar facts of the case SIR of electoral rolls in 9 states, 3 UTs from Nov 4 Poll-bound oppn-ruled states TN, Kerala, Bengal under its ambit MU K ESH RAN J AN @ 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. Jubilee Hills bypoll Congress, brs chase community votes I r e d dy S r i n i vas R e d dy @ Hyderabad The upcoming byelection for Jubilee Hills has intensified into a high-voltage electoral battle. Major political parties are meticulously crafting their strategies around caste and community-based vote banks. With approximately 3.9 lakh voters in the segment, the ruling Congress and the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) are treating the contest as a prestigious bellwether for their prospects in future local body and municipal elections. An analysis of the constituency’s demographic mosaic reveals a complex electoral landscape. The Muslim community with a significant 1.31 , lakh voters, is seen as an important bloc, with both the Congress and BRS aggressively vying for its support. The constituency is a microcosm of the state’s diverse social fabric. Key voter groups include 38,721 Yadavs, 27,104 Kammas, 23,232 SC (Ma- diga), and 23,254 Mudiraj voters. Other substantial communities are the Gouds (19,630), Christians (approx. 21,000), Reddys (15,488), Munnuru Kapus (11,616), and SC (Mala) voters (11,600). The electorate also includes smaller but significant numbers of Brahmins, ST (Lambadas), Marwaris, Padmashalis, Vysyas, and other OBC and general category voters. In response to this demographic structure, the political parties have adopted a granular approach. They have deployed senior leaders and appointed community-specific incharges to micro-manage outreach and secure votes for their candidates. The ruling Congress has launched its strategy under the guidance of ministers, including Thummala Nageswar Rao, Vivek Venkataswamy, and in-charge minister Ponnam Prabhakar. They are being assisted by Rajya Sabha MP Anil Kumar Yadava and former MP Mohammed Azharuddin on the ground.  continued on P4 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, there are separate provisions for citizenship in Assam. Under the supervision of the Supreme Court, the exercise of 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 Matriculation/ Education certificate issued by recognised Boards/Univs Forest Rights Certificate Any identity cards/ certificate/ documents issued by Indian govt/ banks/local authorities/PSU 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. Ruling out any confrontation with the West Bengal government, where the ruling Trinamool Congress has expressed reservations about the SIR exercise in the state, Kumar said, “There is no hurdle between the Election Commission and the State government. The Commission is doing its consti- P11 Ministers Uttam and Thummala hold a review to coordinate emergency measures as Montha is likely to trigger unseasonal rains and resultant flooding in parts of the state | P2, P5 c ri m e & p unis h m e nt Father dead, mother in jail — four children left adrift U M a h e s h @ Hanamkonda For four children in Dharmasagar mandal, life came to a halt on the night of October 16. Their father lay dead, strangled with a chunni. Their mother, now behind bars, stands accused of killing him. The children, all below 15 years of age, wait in silence, unsure what the word “home” means any more. According to police, Rajarapu Ashok, a daily wage labourer from Peddapendiyal village, was killed by his wife, Yadav Lakshmi, allegedly in a fit of rage following a heated argument, which investigators believe turned violent. Ashok was reportedly addicted to alcohol and often accused his wife of infidelity. On that October night, Lakshmi allegedly used her chunni to strangle him, while their children slept in the adjacent room. The Dhar masagar police have registered a case and are investigating. Since the day after the murder, the four children, Chaitanya (12), Charanya (11), Nani (9) and Vishal (7), have been under the care of the Hanamkonda Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). All were students of the government school in their village, with their days filled with lessons, games and small quarrels. That life is gone. Their mother is lodged in the Narsampet sub-jail in Warangal district. None of the relatives have come forward to take them in. Their paternal grandfather, Rajarapu Venkataiah, who lives in a small hut with his bedridden wife Yellamma, says he is too old and too poor to raise them. “My grandchildren have not even seen their future yet,” Venkataiah told TNIE, his voice breaking. “I wanted them to study and stand on their own, but I cannot support them. I only ask that the government take care of their education and safety If they go back . to live with their mother, I fear what will become of them.” Lakshmi’s parents, who lived in Pallagutta village of Chilpur Passport Permanent resident certificate issued by State authority OBC/ST/SC or any caste certificate National Register of Citizens (wherever it exists) Family register prepared by state/ local authorities Any land/ house allotment certificate by govt Aadhaar can be used as proof of identity, but not as proof of date of birth or citizenship India vice-captain had a fall while diving to take a catch in the third ODI. He suffered a spleen laceration IMD issues an orange alert for several districts of Telangana on October 28 and 29 as cyclone Montha is expected to make landfall near Kakinada in AP on Tuesday stray dogs case SC summons chief secs of almost all states, UTs SU C H I TRA K A LYAN MOHANTY Birth certificate issued by competent authority Shyras in icu after injury effect 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 selectively and what is preached is not necessarily practiced,” he said, in remarks seen as directed at Wester n-led sanctions regimes and certain protectionist policies. T he comments came just 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 “Change has a life of . its own. The world will inevitably respond to new circumstances… Multipolarity is not just here to stay but to grow,” he said and rooted for “serious global conversations” on competitiveness, technology, and market access. On terrorism, he said: “The world must display zero tolerance; there is no room for ambivalence. Our right of defence against terrorism can never be compromised.” 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 informed the court that the government now holds 49% equity in Vodafone Idea, and that 20 crore consumers depend on its services. He said under the new circumstances, the Centre was willing to examine the issues to ensure consumer interests are safeguarded. montha West distorting global energy markets: Govt IN a major relief for Vodafone Idea (Vi), the Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Centre to reassess the demand for adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues raised against the telco. While passing the order, a bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran observing that the decision on any relief to the telecom operator is a policy matter and the court need not interfere. The matter pertains to a plea by Vi against the Department of Telecommunications’ de- mand for an additional `9,450 crore towards AGR dues. Vi, the country’s third-largest telco, also sought a waiver of interest and penalties, arguing that several components of the dues remain disputed. “Taking into consideration the status of the case now—the government has infused substantial equity into the company and that it will have a direct bearing on 20 crore customers—we see no issue in the Union reconsidering the issue and taking appropriate steps,” the CJI said. Welcoming the SC order, Vi mandal in Jangaon district, have passed away. Her uncle, who raised her after her parents’ death, also died a few years ago. Thirteen years ago, she had married Ashok. There are now no close relatives left on her side. When TNIE visited the Hanamkonda ICDS office, officials said the children had been placed in care homes — the boys and the girls were placed in separate care homes — to ensure their schooling continued without interruption.  continued on P2 tutional duty by carrying out the SIR under Article 326 of the Constitution and the State government will discharge its constitutional duties.” As for Kerala’s local bodies elections, due in November-December, Kumar said, “The notification for the same was yet to be issued and the state governments are bound by Constitution to provide the necessary personnel to the Election Commission of India for the preparation of electoral rolls and conduct of polls.” @ New Delhi 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?” a three-judge bench of justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria said. They directed all chief secretaries, except those of Telangana and Bengal to 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 said that all states and Union Territories be made parties in the matter, and instructed them to file compliance affidavits. Nalgonda couple sells infant girl for `3 lakh A SESHA C HARYU L U @ Nalgonda The alleged sale of a 10-day-old girl to a childless couple in Eluru, Andhra Pradesh, came to light on Monday, triggering public outrage. A tribal couple from Ellapuram thanda in Tirumalagiri Sagar mandal, who have been residing in the BTS area of Nalgonda for several years, allegedly sold the infant to the Andhra couple for `3 lakh on Saturday through a middleman identified as Kondaiah from Guntur. The husband works as an auto driver and also helps a mutton shop owner on Sundays to support his family . The woman gave birth to her third daughter 10 days ago, and the couple, already struggling financially allegedly decided to , sell the newborn. A video that went viral on social media showed the couple’s two elder daughters crying inconsolably and pleading with their mother not to give away their baby sister. District Child Protection Of- ficer N Ganesh said the baby’s father denied selling the child, claiming instead that they had only given her in “adoption” to their childless relatives, citing their inability to raise her as the reason. Based on a complaint from the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) officials, the Nalgonda One Town police registered a case under Sections 143 and 143(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 81 of the Juvenile Justice Act, and have initiated an investigation. The infant’s father is currently in police custody Police . and ICDS officials have left for Eluru to bring the baby girl back to Nalgonda.