kottayam l monday l december 01, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION virat marks another milestone with sensational ton in ranchi senior pros step up as india take 1-0 lead Opener Rohit Sharma hit a fifty before Virat Kohli went on to hit a 120ball 135 that took India to 349/8 with the help of late fireworks from Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul. South Africa came close to chasing it but Kuldeep Yadav (4/68) and Harshit Rana (3/65) delivered as bowlers kept calm to secure a 17-run win for India | P11 The No 3 batter made a statement, alongside Rohit Sharma who scored a fifty, with a remarkable hundred against South Africa... At 37, Kohli shows he is still the best ■ From straight drive to upper cuts to flicks to lofts down the ground, the 37-year-old was in his zone as he put behind the struggles of recent months to show why he is still the best in business ■ With 11 fours and 7 sixes, Kohli played one of the most sublime innings of his already storeyed ODI career 52 It was Kohli’s 52nd ODI century 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 Poll panel extends SIR schedule by one week dep o si t o r s in l i m b o Karuvannur bank Submission of forms to conclude on December 11; draft electoral rolls to be out on Dec 16; final list on Feb 14, 2026 ‘stalls’ ED move to SIR may heat up Winter return attached assets Session starting today P R EETHA N AI R @ New Delhi AMID complaints of inadequate time for voter-list verification, the Election Commission of India on Sunday extended the entire schedule of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls by one week across nine states and three Union Territories. In an official statement, the ECI announced that the submission of enumeration forms, originally scheduled to conclude on December 4, will now continue until December 11. The draft electoral rolls will now be published on December 16 instead of December 9, and the final voters’ list on February 14, 2026, against the earlier deadline of February 7. The SIR is being rolled out in Goa, Puducherry, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep. The Election Commission has come under scrutiny after reports of deaths and alleged suicides involving Booth Level Officers (BLOs) from multiple states, with Opposition parties linking the incidents to mounting work pressure during the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls. According to reports, several BLOs, tasked with door-to-door verification, form collection and polling-station rationalisation, were working long hours to meet tight deadlines. The R a j e s h R a v i @ Kochi agreed to cooperate to ensure smooth functioning of the THE stage is set for a stormy House and urged the Rajya Sabstart to Parliament’s Winter ha chairman to allow a discusSession on Monday, with the sion on the SIR exercise on Opposition demanding a full Monday, the first day of the discussion on the Special Inten- Winter Session of Parliament, sive Revision of electoral rolls, said a source. “Opposition parties conveyed while the ruling party is pushing for a discussion on 150 years that they want Parliament to run smoothly They also sought . of Vande Mataram. a short discussion on During the Business the urgent need for furAdvisory Committee ther electoral reforms (BAC) meeting of the at 2 pm on Monday. If Rajya Sabha on SunThe opposition the discussion is not day, the government parties feel if no declined to clarify discussion is held held, the government whether any debate on SIR, this means must be held responsible for disrupting Parwould take place on the government liament, they said,” the the broader topic of does not want Parliament to source said. electoral reforms, defunction A senior opposition spite re peated dem a n d s f r o m t h e Pramod Tiwari, deputy leader said they also suggested titles, inOpposition. leader of Oppn in RS cluding “urgent need Earlier, at an all-parfor further electoral rety meeting, the Opposition parties put up a united forms” or “urgent need to furfront demanding discussions ther strengthen integrity and on SIR, labour codes and na- transparency of electoral proctional security Parliamentary ess” for the discussion. “How. Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju ever, the Parliamentary minishad stated that the decision on ter said they will get back,” he a discussion on the SIR would added. While the government is pushing for a discussion on be taken at the BAC meeting. At the BAC meeting chaired Vande Mataram, Opposition by Vice President and Rajya said they would not cooperate Sabha Chair man C P Rad- unless there is a debate on SIR hakrishnan, opposition leaders or electoral reforms. P R EETHA N AI R @ New Delhi Booth Level Officers assist a voter in filling out the enumeration form for the Special Intensive Revision, in Bikaner, Rajasthan | PTI families and colleagues have alleged that the stress and workload may have contributed to the deaths, prompting widespread outrage and demands for accountability . The sharpest attack came from the Trinamool Congress, which accused the Election Commission of having “blood on their hands,” arguing that 100% digitisation in Lakshadweep Lakshadweep and Goa completed distribution of enumeration forms. The former also registered 100% digitisation of forms. Form distribution status in Rajasthan, Bengal, MP, Puducherry, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Andaman & Nicobar, and UP is over 99%, while it is over 98% in Kerala and TN, the EC said the SIR timeline was “unrealistic” and had placed an unprecedented burden on field-level officials. A 10-member TMC delegation on Friday met with the EC and alleged that around 40 SIR-related deaths had occurred in West Bengal so far, accusing the poll panel chief of having “blood on his hands”. However, the EC has dismissed the charges. Other Opposition parties including Congress, DMK, CPI(M) and Samajwadi Party also questioned whether the EC had adequately assessed on-ground constraints before imposing the revised schedule. The Congress said the EC realised that the SIR cannot be completed in such a short time. Congress leader Pramod Tiwari told reporters that the Election Commission should shed ego and hold the exercise as per the schedule of 2003 when the last such exercise was held. Govt to bring bill to slap 70% cess on tobacco Mamkootathil case Rahul Easwar held, 4 others booked for maligning survivor D i pa k M o nd a l @ New Delhi The Union government is set to replace the Compensation Cess with a new levy of 70% or higher on tobacco and tobaccorelated products. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will introduce the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha on Monday to replace the existing GST Compensation Cess currently imposed on these products. Under the new Bill, tobacco and related products will attract a 70% cess over and above 40% GST, while cigarettes will face a specific cess ranging from `2,700 to `11,000 per thousand sticks, depending on length. The move is aimed at safeguarding tax revenues once the Compensation Cess is phased out. According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons, the Compensation Cess on tobacco and related products will be discontinued after all interest payments and loan liabilities under the cess account are fully settled. E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @T’Puram tragic The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation buses that collided on the TirupatturKaraikudi Main Road in Sivaganga on Sunday evening. Eleven people, including nine women, were killed and 54 others were injured in the accident | Express EXPRESS READ Land row: Munambam stir halted temporarily Himachal makes paper leak non-bailable offence Kochi: The Munambam Land Protection Council declared a temporary break in the agitation as one of their demands — restoration of revenue rights — has been met, albeit temporarily, following an HC order. However, a group affiliated to the BJP raised slogans against the withdrawal of the agitation, terming the move a betrayal of trust. P5 Chandigarh: Himachal Pradesh has become the first state to make paper leak and organized cheating a non-bailable and cognizable offence, with threeyear jail term and fine upto Rs 10 lakh for individuals and Rs 1 crore for agencies conducting exams. The HP Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2025 has received assent. P8 The cyber police have arrested activist Rahul Easwar and booked four others, including Congress leader Sandeep Varier, for allegedly unleashing cyber attacks against the woman who had filed a complaint against MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, accusing him of rape and forced termination of pregnancy . Rahul Easwar was detained on Sunday afternoon and his arrest was recorded later in the evening after sustained interrogation. He has been booked under BNS sections 72 and 79 and Rahul Easwar IT Act sections 43 and 46 — for insulting the modesty of woman and revealing identity of survivor. He will be produced before the court on Monday . The cyber cops swung into action and registered cases against the five accused after a massive cyber attack was reported against the complainant. The three others who were booked are Mahila Congress leader Renjitha Pulickan, Deepa Joseph, and Deepa Mathew. The police action came following the survivor’s complaint, alleging that her personal details were being circulated on social ● More on P5 media.  Tech-led police reforms key for Viksit Bharat: PM e j a z k a i s e r @ Raipur PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged the police forces to change the way they work and are perceived by the public, stressing the need for greater professionalism, empathy, and quicker response time. Speaking on the last day of the 60th All India Conference of Director Generals and Inspector Generals of Police in Raipur, Modi pushed for innovative policing strate gies backed by technology . The three-day event at the Indian Institute of Management focused on ‘Viksit Bharat: Security Dimensions’ and brought together Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the last day of the DGP/IGP conference in Raipur on different aspects of India’s security infrastructure | X top police officers from across the country Modi highlighted the ben. efits of linking data through the National Intelligence Grid with artificial intelligence to turn information into actionable intelli- gence that can help fight crime more effectively . The call from the PM to radically transform police infrastructure came on a day when 37 cadres of CPI (Maoist) relinquished their ideology and surrendered in Dantewada, about 400 km south of Raipur. Twenty-seven among them carried a cumulative bounty of `65 lakh, the Dantewada police said. Discussions ranged widely— from planning policing reforms up to 2047 to tackling terrorism, ensuring women’s safety through tech, bringing back Indian fugitives abroad, and improving forensic investigations. Modi also spoke about raising public awareness about new criminal laws that have replaced old colonial-era rules and the importance of monitoring banned groups while developing areas liberated from Left Wing Extremism. press Intake Sweet surrender at Sabarimala | P2 In Kerala’s political sphere, Nairs hold sway | P4 Resolution continues to remain a mirage for the hapless depositors of the scamhit Karuvannur Service Cooperative Bank in Thrissur. Even as the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing the financial fraud, readies itself to return confiscated assets, bank officials are allegedly unwilling to accept possession — a reluctance that has left depositors stuck in an endless wait for their own money . In its submission before the Special Court for PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) cases, the ED stated that the bank is the primary aggrieved party in the alleged money-laundering offence, and that eligible customers are legally entitled to have their deposits restored once the attached properties are transferred to the bank. According to ED sources who spoke to TNIE, investigators have already identified proceeds of crime — including cash, movable assets, and immovable properties — which were subsequently attached. Four provisional attachment orders were issued under Section 5 of PMLA, covering assets worth `128.82 crore. The agency stated that it is prepared to hand over the attached properties to the bank, enabling it to release fixed deposits to rightful claimants. The assets include properties mortgaged ED-bank faceoff The ED chargesheet states the total proceeds of Karuvannur bank scam is I344 crore, with the principal amount being I180 crore. The central agency has offered to return assets worth I128.82 crore. However, Karuvannur bank claims the offered assets have pending cases and appeals Bank says it can compensate depositors if “all the attached assets” are restituted to the institution itself, which could directly contribute to repayment. The ED pointed out that under the Prevention of Money-Laundering (Restoration of Confiscated Property) Rules, 2016, the bank has the option to approach the court and seek formal restoration or release of these assets. “ Yet, no substantial step has been taken so far,” it said. Speaking to TNIE, counsel for the ED said the bank’s “unwillingness” to take charge of assets ready for restitution has become a major hurdle in the resolution process. He noted that a similar restoration was executed in the case pertaining to the financial crime at Kandla Service Cooperative bank — an investigation that began later, but was settled without friction. ● More on P5