HYDERABAD l tuesday l december 23, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late cITY EDITION S.C. pulls up U’khand govt over forest land grab by pvt entities A vacation bench initiated a suo motu case on Monday observing that the state remained a mute spectator while forest land was being grabbed 2,866 acres of forest land under lens Govt’s approach shocking: CJI-led bench The case concerns 2,866 acres of forest land, a part of which was leased to Pashu Lok Seva Samiti. The society subsequently allotted land parcels to its members. A dispute later arose, and it went into liquidation in 1984, surrendering 594 acres to government. But, some individuals, including the petitioner, claimed to have taken possession of the land in 2001 ■ ■ “What is shocking to us is that the State of Uttarakhand and authorities are sitting like mute spectators when forest land is being grabbed in front of their eyes,” the bench led by CJI Surya Kant said It directed all construction be halted at once and that vacant land, excluding residential houses, be taken into possession by the state 1950 when The land in question was alloted to Pashu Lok Seva Samiti 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 US expands online review of H-1B, H4 applicants express news service @ New Delhi THE United States has extended online presence reviews to all H-1B and H-4 visa applicants worldwide, a move aimed at curbing work visa programme abuse but causing disruptions. “Beginning December 15, the Department of State expanded online presence reviews to ALL air freshener City to get 1 more urban forest park at Sahebnagar Express News Service @ Hyderabad The 102 acres of forest land in Sahebnagar Kalan village, recently cleared by the Supreme Court after decades of litigation, will be developed into an urban park on the lines of KBR National Park, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force Dr C Suvarna said on Monday . Describing the conclusion of the Sahebnagar Kalan case as a relief achieved by sustained and coordinated efforts over several years, Dr Suvarna stated that the land will be fenced and developed as an urban forest. She said the state government had pursued several long-running legal battles to protect forest land, including disputes involving n e a rl y 3 0 0 acres in Shamshabad and around 100 acres in parts of Rangareddy district. In many cases, she said, claimants had approached cour ts using forged, fabricated or manipulated documents. On Monday officials involved in pur, suing the case were felicitated at the KBR Park. The dispute centred on the Gurramguda Reserve Forest Block, which has a documented legal history spanning more than five decades. The forest block, spread over 465 acres, was notified under Section 4 of the Forest Act in 1971, covering lands in Sy. No. 201 of Sahebnagar (Poramboke), Sy. No. 93 of Turkayamjal (Kancha) and Sy No. 140/1 of Nadergul vil. lage.  continued on P5 inside HYDRAA reclaims govt land worth `2.5K cr I P3 Crime in Rachakonda up 15% in 2025 I P3 H-1B and H-4 applicants as part of standard visa screening,” the US Embassy in New Delhi said Monday. “This vetting is being conducted globally for ALL applicants of ALL nationalities… while still permitting VISA companies to hire the best of the best temporary foreign workers.” H-4 visas cover spouses and unmarried children under 21 of H-1B holders. The State De- This vetting is being conducted globally for ALL applicants of ALL nationalities… while still permitting companies to hire the best of the best temporary foreign workers —US Embassy in New Delhi partment warned of delays, encouraging applicants to “apply as early as they can”. The expanded vetting has already disrupted travel plans for Indian H-1B holders who returned home to renew visas. Dozens of visa interviews scheduled between December 15-26 were abruptly cancelled or postponed, with many rescheduled for as late as March, The Washington Post reported. The State Department said delays followed expanded social media screening “to ensure that no applicants… pose a threat to U.S. national security or public safety .” Immigration lawyers de- scribed the impact as severe. “This is the biggest mess we have seen. I’m not sure there is a plan,” Indian immigration lawyer Veena Vijay Ananth told The Washington Post. Emily Neumann, a partner at Houston-based Reddy Neumann Brown PC, said she had “at least 100 clients stranded in India”. Indians, who comprise 71% of H-1B visa holders according to April 2025 data, are disproportionately affected. Explicit death threats to journos Press freedom has emerged as another flashpoint. Editors warned that threats against journalists have escalated after attacks on media offices last week. “Journalists are receiving explicit death threats,” The Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam said at a protest organised in Dhaka by the Editors’ Council on Monday Bangladesh’s Editors’ Council protests the mob attack on Prothom Alo and The Daily Star in Dhaka, on Monday | AFP B’desh halts visa to Indians Motaleb Sikdar, leader of the National Citizen Party, shot at, further stoking pre-poll tension J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi The Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi on Monday suspended all visa and consular services for Indians, as political violence and protests continued to roil the country less than two months ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for February 12. Its Assistant High Commission in Agartala had suspended visa services on Sunday after protests by the Tipra Motha Party and others outside the mission. Visa services run by a private operator on Bangladesh’s behalf in Siliguri, West Bengal, were also halted following protests. No timeline was given for the resumption of services, amid heightened diplomatic and security sensitivities. litical activist was attacked on The suspension comes two Monday Motaleb Sikdar, Khul. days after a group of around 20- na divisional chief of the Na25 protesters demonstrated out- tional Citizen Party (NCP), was side the Bangladesh mission in shot in the head in Khulna and Delhi, condemning the killing is undergoing treatment in hosof Dipu Chandra Das, a pital. The attack has ingarment worker in Mytensified fears of tarmensingh, and demandgeted violence and ing protection for mipolitical unrest. norities in Bangladesh. Hadi, 32, was the External Affairs Minfounder of Inqilab istry spokesperson RanMoncho, a platfor m dhir Jaiswal had on Sunthat emerged from last day said that “there was Motaleb Sikdar year’s mass protests no attempt to breach the against then PM Sheikh fence or create a security situ- Hasina, which culminated in ation at any time,” adding the her ouster. He had announced police dispersed the group plans to contest the February within minutes. 12 elections and was campaignDays after the killing of ing in Dhaka when he was shot prominent youth leader Sharif earlier this month. Osman Bin Hadi, another poHis death triggered wide- spread protests across Bangladesh, with supporters alleging that the assailants fled to India and demanding their arrest. Police, however, said there is no clarity on the suspects’ whereabouts. Inqilab Moncho issued an ultimatum, threatening to launch a movement to oust the interim administration if justice is not delivered in Hadi’s murder. “The deadline has passed without any visible steps from the authorities,” said Abdullah Al Jaber, a leader of the platform. Bangladesh’s interim leadership convened a high-level meeting to review law and order. Meanwhile, Indian student bodies urged New Delhi to ensure the safety of Indian nationals in Bangladesh. talking points Assembly to discuss Krishna, Godavari waters from Dec 29 M a n da Rav i n d e r R e d dy @ Hyderabad The state government has decided to convene the Telangana Legislature from December 29 to take up issues related to Krishna and Godavari waters. Though Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had earlier planned to hold the session from January 2, he advanced the dates after consultations with ministers. On Monday Revanth held an , informal meeting with ministers at the Integrated Command Control Centre, which lasted for over three hours. Various administrative and political issues were discussed. According to sources, the chief minister said the Assembly session would focus on water sharing and irrigation projects. He alleged that former ch i e f m i n i s t e r K C h a n drasekhar Rao was making false claims on water-related matters and said there was a need to place before the House the decisions taken by the previous government that, in his view, had affected Telangana’s interests. Revanth asked ministers to rebut the allegations made by KCR on the Krishna water issue and to explain to the public what he described as injustice to Telangana in the sharing of Krishna and Goda- IN one of the fastest trade negotiations in recent times, India and New Zealand on Monday concluded a free trade agreement (FTA) in just nine months, offering duty-free access for Indian goods to the island nation’s markets. India has sealed seven free trade pacts since 2014. The FTA with New Zealand is the third in the year so far. India has been looking to explore new markets ever since US President Trump imposed 50% tariff on goods. India’s talks with the US for a bilateral trade pact remain inconclusive. On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a tele- phone conversation with New Zealand PM Christopher Luxon after which the two leaders jointly announced the conclusion of what they described as the “historic, ambitious and mutually beneficial” pact. Earlier, New Zealand imposed peak tariffs of up to 10% on key Indian exports such as textiles and apparel, leather, ceramics, carpets, automobiles and auto components. Now, 100% of India’s current exports will get tariff-free access to the New Zealand market. In return, India has offered market access in about 70% of tariff lines, covering 95% of the bilateral trade value, while keeping 29.97% of tariff lines under an exclusion list covering sensitive sectors such as dairy and agriculture. “With zero-duty market access for Indian products, Indian exporters will become more competitive and enjoy a levelplaying field in New Zealand,” the commerce ministry said. With 100% duty-free access, India’s labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, footwear, marine products, gems and jewellery, handicrafts, engineering goods, and automobiles could see a sharp rise in exports. @ Hyderabad refuses interim relief T G N a i d u @ Hyderabad The Telangana High Court on Monday declined to grant interim relief to petitioners challenging the delimitation and merger of GHMC wards. Around 80 writ petitions questioning various aspects of the ward delimitation exercise were moved by way of a lunch motion. The petitioners relied on an earlier single judge order directing the state to place ward-wise population data and maps in the public domain within 24 hours and permitting additional objections within two days. That order was later modified by a bench, which confined liberty to approach the court only to the concerned petitioners. Advocate General A Sudarshan Reddy raised a preliminary objection on maintainability, citing Article 243ZG of the Constitution, which bars judicial interference in electoral matters, including ward delimitation. Entertaining the petitions at this stage, he argued, would be constitutionally impermissible.  continued on P4 In a little-known Kerala shrine rests the relics of the real-life ‘Santa’ As the Yuletide spirit fills the air, posters, cutouts, and dolls of Santa Claus appear everywhere, heralding the season of love and sharing. However, not many may know that Santa, the most popular symbol of Christmas, is inspired by and modelled after St Nicholas, a fourth-century bishop from Myra in ancient Tur- key who was known for his gen, erosity and secret gift-giving. Some may even find it hard to believe that the real-life Santa has a Kerala connection. For more than a century, Pampakuda, a sleepy village located 35 km away from Ernakulam, has been home to a relic of St Nicholas. Barring residents, not many are aware that the modest wayside shrine at Pampakuda in front of St John’s Ephesus Orthodox Church is home to six priceless relics, one of which is a fragment of the remains of St Nicholas. “St Geevarghese Mar Gregorios, aka Parumala Thirumeni, brought the relics to Pampakuda after visiting the Holy Land in 1895. He wished to gift them to his tutor, Konat Geevarghese Malpan. Upon learning that his beloved guru had passed away while he was overseas, St Gre- gorios gifted the relics to Fr. Konat Mathen, who was the Malpan (teacher) at the time. My grandfather, Konat Mathen Malpan, was instrumental in enshrining the relics near the wayside cross. Later, a The shrine housing the relic of St Nicholas at Pampakuda; (inset) the reliquary containing the relic | Express vari waters. Revanth also expressed satisfaction over the results of the Panchayat elections and appreciated ministers for their efforts, which helped the Congress secure a majority of seats. He asked them to maintain the same approach in the upcoming ZPTC, MPTC and GHMC elections, and said the party should aim to win all Zilla Parishad chairperson posts across the state. Sources said the chief minister also advised a few ministers to improve their performance and asked all ministers to hold meetings with newly elected sarpanches in their respective districts. Express News Service century-old connection R e n j i t h L e e n @ Kochi The House would likely sit for one day on December 29, take a break and re-convene on January 2. A decision on ZPTC and MPTC elections was deferred to a later date TGHRC seeks report on custodial death of Dalit youth New Zealand joins growing FTA list GHMC delimitation: HC DIPA K M O NDA L @ New Delhi House break proper shrine was built, and the reliquaries were enshrined there,” said the priest whose family had several illustrious Syriac scholars. Fr Konat explained that the relics were gifted to St Gregorios by the Metropolitan of Jerusalem. Today, the bulk of the relics of St Nicholas rests in Bari in Italy, though fragments of his bones are kept in churches throughout Europe. The Telangana Human Rights Commission (TGHRC) on Monday directed the Home department to submit a detailed report on the death of Karla Rajesh, a Dalit youth from Suryapet, who was arrested by Chilkur police and died on November 16. Rajesh’s mother, Karla Lalitha, along with Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti (MRPS) president Manda Krishna Madiga submitted a complaint on December 22. The complaint alleged that Rajesh was illegally detained at Chilkur police station for six days, from November 4 to 9, subjected to thirddegree torture and falsely implicated in a case. It stated that Lalitha was not allowed to meet her son despite repeated requests. Rajesh was found with injuries and allegedly given a Hycort injection before being produced before a magistrate and remanded to judicial custody . In her complaint, Lalitha said she received a call from Huzurnagar sub-jail on November 10 stating that her son was unwell. When she visited the jail, she found him in a serious condition. He was shifted to the Suryapet district hospital on November 14 and later to Gandhi Hospital, Secunderabad, where he died on November 16. The complaint named the sub-inspector of Chilkur police station, the circle inspector of Kodad rural police station and constables from both stations, alleging custodial torture. It sought registration of an SC/ ST (Prevention of Atrocities) case, a re-postmortem, preservation of evidence, retrieval of call data and examination of CCTV footage.continued on P4