hubballi l tuesday l december 02, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l city EDITION SC refuses to extend Waqf property registration deadline The Supreme court on Monday refused to extend the deadline for the registration of all waqf properties under the Waqf Amendment Act 2025 Petitioners can Approach waqf tribunal Court refuses to examine portal issues A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and A G Masih observed that individuals seeking to register properties under Section 3B of the Waqf Act may approach the waqf tribunal for an extension in accordance with the law. Section 3B of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 mandates the compulsory registration of Waqf properties on the UMEED portal ■ ■ Kapil Sibal told the court 10 lakh mutawallis will have to go the tribunal. The court told him tribunal will decide on case to case basis When Sibal highlighted issues with the UMEED portal, through which users upload property details, the bench told him he can “approach the tribunal and say this is the reason” for missing the deadline Dec 6 the last date to upload property details on umeed portal 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 HC stops state from increasing internal quota for SC/STs Recruitments that have begun can continue; Petitioners say Act violates SC’s 50% limit E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Bengaluru The Karnataka High Court on Monday restrained the state government from implementing the increase in reservation under the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments or posts in the services under the State) Act, 2022. A division bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Poonacha passed the interim order after hearing a batch of petitions, including a public interest litigation filed by Mahendra Kumar Mitra, challenging the provisions of the Act. The court said that no further notifications for recruitment or appointments on the basis of increased reservation should be issued till the peti- tions are disposed of. Recruitments that have already begun may be continued, but appointments should be subject to the final outcome of the present petitions, the court said. “All appointment or promotion letters would expressly indicate that the appointment and the promotion is subject to the outcome of the present petitions and the candidates would not claim any equities in the event the increased reservation is struck down,” the court said. It also clarified that Monday’s order is confined only to modifying the earlier order dated November 19 passed by this court and would not affect the operation of any other specific interim order or final order granted by the court or the tribunal. The petitioners contended that as per Section 4 of the Act, the reservation for SCs has been increased from 15% to 17% and for STs from 3% to 7%. The reservation for backward classes continues to remain at 32%. With the implementation of the Act, the reservation for reserved categories exceeds 50%. This is contrary to the law laid down by the Supreme Court in the case, Indra Sawhney and others versus Union of India. The petitioners also submitted that the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes have not been consulted on the reserva- going after cyber crime Parliament winter session: Day 1 For some time now, Parliament has been used as a warm-up arena for polls or as an outlet for frustration after defeat. It is a place for delivery, not drama - Narendra Modi state-owned app mandated on your phone PM is saying, ‘enjoy the weather’. What weather should the people of Delhi enjoy? At least take a peek outside... 2.2 mn Delhi kids are suffering lung damage - Priyanka Gandhi SIR rumble rocks Lok Sabha J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi The Winter Session of Parliament opened on a discordant note on Monday, with the Lok Sabha repeatedly disrupted and eventually adjourned for the day after Opposition MPs pressed for an immediate debate on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, even as the government proceeded with planned legislative business. As the House met at 11 am, Opposition members rose, raising slogans on the SIR issue. Speaker Om Birla appealed for order, reminding MPs that the House “is not for slogans” and that “there is ample space outside to do that.” The Lok Sabha functioned for only 18 minutes before the first adjournment. Despite the commotion, the government introduced three key bills — the Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025, the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Health Security se National Security Cess services hit Anganwadi, mid-day meal workers go on indefinite stir E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Bengaluru With lakhs of Anganwadi helpers and workers, mid-day meal workers and ASHA workers going on an indefinite strike across Karnataka from Monday (December 1, 2025), Anganwadi centres and mid-day meal services were impacted as they placed their demands before the central government. For instance Anganwadi centres near the Malleswaram Police Station and Benson Town were closed as workers and helpers gathered at Freedom Park in Bengaluru to protest. Similarly, agitations were organised in Mandya, Hubballi, Tumakur u and other districts. S Varalakshmi, president, Karnataka Centre of Indian Trade Unions, said, “It was a conscious decision to go on this strike. I agree that Anganwadis centres, mid-day meal and health services have been impacted, especially in rural areas. But these workers too are paying a price as they will not be paid for the number of days they are on strike.” P6 Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan’s first day as Rajya Sabha Chairperson | PTI Kharge mentions Dhankar, draws protests Sparks flew in the Rajya Sabha after Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge recalled the “unexpected and sudden exit” of former V-P Dhankhar, saying that the House did not even get time to bid him farewell. The remark made in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, triggered a volley of protests | P9 Bill, 2025. But protests continued, with Opposition MPs storming the Well and demanding a debate on SIR underway across 12 states and Union Territories, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Puducherry Assam, which goes to . polls in 2026, is conducting a separate revision. In the Rajya Sabha, Opposition parties staged a walkout later in the evening. TMC’s Derek O’Brien accused the government of “stonewalling” attempts to take up the matter. Responding, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju insisted the government was open to discussion but opposed being bound by deadlines set by the Opposition. “Please give (us) some time. Don’t presume that the government is not A r s h a d K h a n @ New Delhi ready to discuss… Please don’t put conditions on timeline.” JD(U)’s Sanjay Kumar Jha, BJP MP Biplab Kumar Deb, and Union minister Chirag Paswan, accused the Opposition of disrupting Parliament for political gain. Earlier, at a strategy meeting chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, INDIA bloc parties resolved to continue pressing for a debate. Although the TMC skipped the meeting, its leaders said they would join the protests. The Opposition has called a joint demonstration at 10.30 am on Tuesday at Parliament’s Makar Dwar. Amid the uproar, the Lok Sabha also passed the Manipur GST Amendment Bill, replacing an Ordinance issued on October 7 to implement GST 2.0 reforms in the state under President’s Rule. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the amendment ensures the state’s GST Act aligns with decisions taken at the 56th GST Council, which rationalised rates on nearly 375 items. THE Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued a new direction effective November 28, mandating all mobile phone manufacturers and importers to pre-install state-owned fraud reporting app — Sanchar Saathi — on devices used in India. The implementation must be completed within 90 days and a compliance report filed in 120 days. The move, according to the ministry is aimed at “protecting , citizens from purchasing non-genuine handsets, facilitating easy reporting of suspected telecom misuse and enhancing the effectiveness of the Sanchar Saathi initiative.” Smartphone maker Apple, which had previously pilloried the development of the anti-spam mobile app, along with Samsung, Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi will be affected by the new order. Under the new rules, the Sanchar Saathi Sanchar Saathi app must be prominently visible and acA government portal and cessible to users during app to protect mobile users their first device setup, with from fraud and misuse no restrictions on its funcIt lets you check all mobile tionalities. For phones alnumbers registered in your ready manufactured, manuname, block lost/stolen facturers and importers are phones and required to push the app report spam/fraud through software updates. calls (Chakshu) Users won’t have the option The app, launched in Jan to delete the app. 2025, is free and works The Sanchar Saathi initiawith OTP login tive, developed by DoT, combats cyber fraud and telecom security threats by allowing users to verify handset genuineness using the IMEI number. The Central government claimed that the app also helps report suspected fraud, lost or stolen devices, track mobile connections in one’s name, and provides trusted contacts for financial institutions. Government figures show the Sanchar Saathi app, launched in January has helped recover more than 7 lakh lost , phones, including 50,000 in October alone. However, privacy advocates criticised the push, with some calling it “dictatorial”. “Sanchar Saathi is a lost phone tracker, but if it gets embedded with no possibility of removal, it becomes a government tracker on your device…” said Nikhil Pahwa, digital rights activist and founder of MediaNama. Now, generate Digital e-Stamp on your own, anytime & anywhere E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru The state government has introduced Digital e-Stamp (DeS), which allows citizens to generate it on their own, without depending on any agent or intermediary. The service is available 24×7, and people can access it from anywhere in the world. First of its kind in the country the system is expect, ed to strengthen efficiency, transparency, and security in document stamping. Physical stamp papers were discontinued after the Telgi scam that exposed a large-scale fraud involving counterfeit and reused stamp papers. Later, the Stock Holding Corporation of India Ltd was appointed to issue e-stamp papers across the state, but that too had certain disadvantages as photocopiers could duplicate estamp certificates. Unscrupulous elements would purchase stamp papers for one purpose and use it for another, allowing them to evade or pay lesser stamp duty, causing a loss to the government, said Revenue Minister Krishna Byre tion as required under Article 338 (9) and 338-A (9) of the Constitution. The court per mitted appointments that have already begun by modifying an interim order of November 19 after Advocate-General Shashikiran Shetty submitted that prior to the stay order on November 19, notifications had been issued for recruitment, and the process had already begun. If it is interdicted, the state would suffer a shortage of manpower, he said. He also referred to the interim order of May 1, 2023, passed Gowda on Monday . He said as the state is moving towards complete digital registration, these vulnerabilities can be eliminated by adopting a fully digital stamping system. The latest digital e-stamping system has been given legal sanctity as the government has introduced the Kar nataka Stamp (Amendment) Act, 2025. The present e-stamp system will be stopped in a phased manner. The new system has many advantages. It is not only fully digital, but also fast and secure as all payments are made through approved digital methods that are available 24x7. P4 Rubaiya case The CBI on Monday arrested an absconder carrying a `10 lakh reward for the 1989 kidnapping of Union home minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed’s daughter Rubaiya. The arrested is alleged to be a close confidant of JKLF chief Yasin Malik | P10 ED stirs Kerala CM Pinarayi’s masala bond curry further E XPR E SS N E WS S E RVIC E @ T’Puram THE Enforcement Directorate has served a show cause notice to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vjayan, former finance minister T M Thomas Isaac, and the CM’s chief principal secretary K M Abraham over alleged infractions in the issue of masala bonds in 2019 by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB). The Kerala CM is the chairperson of KIIFB, established by the Kerala government to fund infrastructure projects. Isaac was the finance minister and vice-chairperson of KIIFB when it raised `2,150 crore through masala bonds. Abraham is the CEO of KIIFB. The notice alleged that masala bond proceeds worth `466 crore were used to purchase land in violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act. Rejecting the charges, Abraham said the deployment of masala bond proceeds was in compliance with FEMA and Re-dominated bond Rupee-denominated masala bonds are issued outside India. Indian entities take this route to raise funds from international investors in rupee while mitigating the risk of currency fluctuation RBI guidelines. “Only `66 crore, not `466 crore as alleged in the notice, was spent for land acquisition. The RBI has restricted the use of funds in real estate, not for land acquisition. KIIFB’s masala bond was issued in 2019, when the regulatory position was crystal clear: land acquisition for infrastruc- ture projects was permissible; investment in real estate business was not,” he said. He also accused the ED of “fabricating” documents. Isaac termed the show cause notice a ‘gimmick’ orchestrated by the BJP-led government. “Previously the ED sent notic, es and summons on the masala bonds ahead of the 2021 assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Now, another set of summons has been served ahead of the LSG and assembly polls,” he said.  P7 in a Petition for Special Leave to Appeal by the Supreme Court in Yogesh Kumar Thakur versus Guru Ghasidas Sahitya Avam Sanskriti Academy & Others. The Supreme Court had permitted the state to go ahead with the selection and make appointments and promotions. The apex court too had clarified that it would be subject to the result of the petitions. It had also directed that all appointment and promotion orders would specifically mention that they are subject to the final outcome of the proceedings, he told the court. SC orders pan-India CBI probe on digital arrest 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 asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct a detailed, unified panIndia probe into cases of digital ar rest, expressing concern over the rise in the number of such cases. “The CBI shall have a free hand to investigate the role of bankers under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act wherever they are found involved in the opening of mule accounts used in cybercrime cases,” said a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. The court also asked the Reserve Bank of India why it is not leveraging artificial intelligence to identify mule accounts used by cybercriminals and freeze them. The two-judge bench, also comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi, asked Opposition ruled states like Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Karnataka and Telangana that had withdrawn general consent to the CBI for investigations to grant the consent, so that a comprehensive probe can be undertaken. The court directed all telecom service providers to implement the directions of the Department of Telecommunications on the issuance of SIM cards. “In view of the negligent approach of telecom service providers in issuing multiple SIM cards in one name, we ask the Department to submit a proposal to address the misuse of SIM cards,” the order stated. express read DKS to host Siddu for breakfast today Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will visit Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar’s residence for breakfast on Tuesday, just days after the two broke bread in the wake of a raging power tussle in the Karnataka Congress government. Earlier, Siddaramaiah hosted breakfast Shivakumar on the advice of the high command | P4 Bengal SIR: Over 21L dead voters recorded till Dec 1 Kolkata: West Bengal recorded more than 21 lakh dead voters till Monday afternoon, according to sources in the ECI. In North 24 Parganas district, more than 2.75 lakh dead voters have been identified by the ECI during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Sources said more than 90 per cent digitalisation of enumeration forms have already been completed | P10