kochi l wednesday l may 27, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION Banks told to help set up robust system Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan held detailed discussions with senior officials of SBI, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank and Indian Bank Real-time monitoring to fix glitches fast The meeting was held in the backdrop of concerns over the recent payment and technical issues faced by students during the CBSE post-result and re-evaluation processes. During the interaction, Pradhan asked the banks to assist the CBSE to establish a robust, reliable and student-friendly digital payment ecosystem, particularly for post-examination services Pradhan discusses CBSE payment gateway overhaul with psu banks ■ ■ The banks were asked to work closely with CBSE to strengthen the payment gateway infrastructure through advanced technical safeguards, real-time monitoring, and faster grievance redressal Pradhan urged officials to accord the highest priority to this initiative to ensure that students do not face technical glitches in future Experts From iit-Madras and IIT-Kanpur have begun testing CBSE portal for glitches 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 Siddu agrees to quit Siddaramaiah seeks governor’s appointment at 2 pm on Thursday, calls CLP meeting the following day; no clarity yet on successor though Deputy CM Shivakumar is the frontrunner Chief Minister V D Satheesan gifts a kathakali memento to PM Narendra Modi during their meeting in New Delhi Modi responds positively to Satheesan’s Kerala pitch E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ T’Puram In his first meeting with the Prime Minister and the Union finance minister after assuming office, Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Tuesday sought the Centre’s support in implementing the Kerala’s key development projects. Both Narendra Modi and Nir mala Sitharaman responded positively Satheesan told reporters , after the meetings in New Delhi. Satheesan said he briefed Modi and Sitharaman on the state’s key challenges and priorities. The government will next submit detailed proposals to the respective ministries. The government will also pursue all funds legitimately due from the Centre, he said. On open market borrowing, the chief minister said he infor med the PM and the FM that Kerala’s ceiling stands at 3.5% of GSDP of which 0.5% is tied with power sector reforms. The liabilities arising from the borrowings by KIIFB and the Kerala Social Security Pension Limited further shrink the state’s already limited fiscal space, he said. Satheesan appealed for an additional borrowing space of `5,880 crore to offset the borrowing undertaken by the state for land acquisition for National Highway development. He said the white paper on the state’s finances will be released in the first week of June, following which detailed information will be shared with the Centre. The government will also step up efforts to secure pending funds from various Union ministries. It will examine whether delays were caused by non-submission of utilisation certificates or audited accounts, and clear all such backlogs before the state budget is presented, ● More on P4 he said.  If not DKS: Who’s in race P r ee t h a N a i r , B a l a C h a u h a n , N a u s h a d B i j a p u r & De v a r a j B H i r e h a l l i @ New Delhi/Bengaluru Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah late on Tuesday night agreed to step down, confirmed sources privy to the marathon meetings held earlier in the day in New Delhi. Although Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar is the front-runner for the CM’s post, no decision has been taken on who would succeed him nor on when Siddaramaiah would tender his resignation as chief minister. But sources said Siddaramaiah has sought time to meet Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot at Lok Bhavan on May 28 at 2 pm, and called for the Congress Legislature Party the following day . AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal and AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, are scheduled to arrive in Bengaluru on Wednesday . Sources informed this newspaper that senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asked Siddaramaiah to step down to resolve the prolonged tussle between him and Shivakumar. They said the CM agreed after a late evening huddle with MLAs supporting him. Shivakumar had been insisting that the high command hand over the CM’s post to him, based “The Congress high command could go in for a complete makeover of the party in the state and appoint a young, dynamic leader with a clean image to lead the party in the 2028 assembly elections,” sources said Byre Gowda: Chart topper Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah (C) and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar (L) with AICC general secretary K C Venugopal after a meeting with the high command in Delhi | Parveen Negi The name of Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda is on the top, besides Minister for Large & Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development MB Patil. Both have a clean image and are known for their good work on an agreement of sharing twoand-a-half years that he is said to have struck with Siddaramaiah after the party came to power in the 2023 Assembly polls. The half-way mark arrived in November last year, but Siddaramaiah refused to yield. Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were summoned to Delhi on Monday where Rahul is said to , have told the CM that the party wanted the transition to take place smoothly. However, Siddaramaiah sought time to respond to the high command’s suggestion that he move to the Rajya Sabha to play a “larger role” at the national level, according to sources. After marathon meetings — from 11.35 am to 6 pm — a visibly Venugopal and Surjewala. Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were consulted separately at the party headquarters. Following the discussions, Rahul and Venugopal are said to have briefed senior leader Sonia Gandhi on the meetings, before having a closed-door meeting with Siddaramaiah where he offered the latter a larger role at the national level, while asking him to step down as CM. For the record, Venugopal dismissed all talk on change in leadership as mere speculation. Asked if there was any discussion on leadership change, Siddaramaiah, too, said “No”. On a possible cabinet reshuffle, the CM said, “It did not come up for discussion.” upset Siddaramaiah huddled with his coterie of cabinet colleagues at Karnataka Energy Minister K J George’s New Delhi residence and conveyed the message of the high command to them. He agreed to step down after this meeting, sources said. No wonder, Shivakumar and his supporters looked upbeat. Siddaramaiah was carrying a letter of support by 100 party MLAs (Congress has 134 of 224 seats in the assembly) to convince the high command about his support. Sources said he will hold a meeting with all these MLAs at George’s Bengaluru residence on Wednesday . The day saw a series of meetings attended by Rahul, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Quad sharpens Indo-Pacific focus, unveils new initiatives J AYA N TH J ACO B @ New Delhi Secretary of State Marco Rubio with foreign minister S Jaishankar | ap Critical mineral pact India and the US signed a framework agreement on critical minerals and rare earths, to reduce dependence on Chinadominated global supply chains. Separately, Quad partners India, US, Japan, and Australia announced plans to mobilise up to $20bn to strengthen critical mineral supply chains THE Quad grouping sharpened its strategic focus on the IndoPacific on Tuesday as the foreign ministers of India, the US, Japan and Australia unveiled a set of initiatives aimed at strengthening regional energy resilience, maritime security, critical mineral supply chains and port infrastructure. The Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, held amid rising geopolitical competition and growing concerns over economic and energy vulnerabilities, signalled a broader push to institutionalise cooperation in major sectors while ensuring the bloc doesn’t get the label of a security alliance. At the heart of the announcements was the launch of the Quad Initiative on Indo-Pacific Energy Security, a framework to deepen cooperation in ener- gy technology policy coordina, tion, and emergency response. A joint statement said the initiative would seek to “recognize and leverage the unique resources and capabilities of each country’s energy sector”. External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar described the discussions as “substantive and productive,” stressing the strategic importance of maritime collaboration among the four democracies. “Because we are four maritime democracies located at different ends of the Indo-Pacific, the exchange of perspectives was an exercise of considerable value,” Jaishankar said after the meeting. The broad package of initiatives reflects the Quad’s evolving role into a platform for strategic economic coordination, resilience-building and infrastructure development across the Indo-Pacific. high-level panel Unnatural demographic change under the lens MUK E SH RA N J A N @ New Delhi The government on Tuesday constituted a high-level committee to study how illegal infiltration and other factors lead to unnatural demographic changes across the country . Chaired by Justice (Retd) Prakash Prabhakar Nawlekar, the panel’s members include Census Commissioner Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, former IAS officer Durga Shankar Mishra, retired IPS officer Balaji Shrivastava and educationist Shamika Ravi. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, illegal infiltration and other reasons leading to unnatural demographic change is a very big challenge. The new panel is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s an- nouncement on August 15, 2025 to constitute a high-powered demography mission, he said. Describing the issue as one that goes beyond population data, Shah said demographic change has direct implications for sovereignty, law and order, social structure and the preservation of tribal communities. He said the initiative reflects a proactive effort to protect the country’s integrity and social fabric through “well-informed and decisive action”. The committee has been tasked with submitting its report within a year. It will consult all stakeholders and propose comprehensive policy measures to address emerging concerns. Terms of reference Comprehensively deliberate upon the challenges arising from demographic changes, including illegal immigration Study possible causes, such as cross-border activities, economic opportunities, and other socioenvironmental factors Identify underlying factors like illegal immigration, abnormal settlement patterns and orchestrated migration Analyse structural population changes at the level of religious or social communities, particularly where they deviate from broader trends Recommend a streamlined and permanent operational mechanism for the legal, fair and time-bound identification, detention, and deportation of illegal immigrants residing in the country Recommend appropriate institutional mechanism to strengthen border management, population stabilisation and identification systems for the continuous monitoring of such trends express read Eldose Kunnappillil acquitted in rape case T’Puram: Congress leader and former Perumbavoor MLA Eldose Kunnappillil was acquitted by the Neyyattinkara Fast Track Court-I in a rape case after key witnesses, including the survivor, turned hostile during trial. The court also acquitted the second and third accused in the case. P4 Shuhaib case: HC stays bail cancellation Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday stayed the order passed by the Additional Sessions Court-III, Thalassery, cancelling the bail of 17 persons, including Akash Thillenkari, accused in the murder case of Youth Congress activist Shuhaib, and directed the issuance of a release order. P4 ‘Can’t dissolve Waqf Board before term ends’ Kozhikode: Amid demands from certain corners that Kerala State Waqf Board be dissolved, its chairman K S Hamsa asserted that no such dissolution is possible as there is a statutory tenure for the board. “Five years is the statutory term fixed for the present board. So, it is not an easy task for the government to dissolve it,” Hamsa told TNIE. P4 16 pages, including 4 pages of kochi Express assault on YC workers 5 cops suspended over 2023 ‘rescue act’ in alappuzha E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ T’Puram No political intent behind action: HM Close on the heels of the adverse report filed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), five police personnel who were part of the security detail of former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan have been suspended for allegedly assaulting two Youth Congress leaders during the Nava Kerala Sadas in Alappuzha in 2023. S Sandeep and Anil Kumar from Pinarayi’s personal security team, and Arun, Vipin and Shyju, who were on escort duty, were suspended by State Police Chief Ravada A Chandrasekhar on Tuesday . The interim report w a s p re p a re d by Crime Branch SP A P Shoukathali, who is heading the SIT for med after the U D F g ove r n m e n t came to power. The report, which reached state police chief ’s desk on Monday had mentioned that , the act of the personnel was ultra vires and warranted departmental action. The suspended cops will now be subjected to departmental inquiry as well. Back then, Pinarayi had justified the police act and said his personnel security officers had in fact done a ‘rescue act’. The UDF had highlighted the incidents of police atrocities as a cam- Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said the action against the five policemen was taken on the basis of the SIT report. He denied any political intent behind the action and said the law will take its own course. 77.97% pass plus-II exam; marginally higher than last year paign plank with its leaders making it clear that they would take the cops to task if elected to power. After assuming office, one of the first major announcements made by the UDF government was to order an investig ation into the Alappuzha incident by an SIT. The probe team, after perusing the documents and recording the statements of crime branch officers who had investigated the case, filed a report with the Alappuzha JFM Court, naming the five cops. As for former Law and Order ADGP M R Ajith Kumar, who had allegedly prompted the officer who investigated the case earlier to tweak the case diary the state govern, ment will decide the next course of action. Sources said the state police chief will be asked to conduct an inquiry against Ajith Kumar and submit a ● More on P4 report. Of the 3.72 lakh students who appeared for the exam, 2.9 lakh qualified for higher studies. The number of students who secured A+ in all subjects increased to 30,561 this year | P5 Release order signed, Rahim to reach home after 20 years E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Kozhikode Marking the end of a painful two-decade legal and emotional ordeal, Kozhikode native Abdul Rahim, who was jailed in Saudi Arabia, is set to reach home soon. Rahim’s official jail release order has been signed by authorities in Saudi Arabia, bringing immense relief for his family and well-wishers awaiting his return. The Abdul Rahim Legal Assistance Committee members in Riyadh and Kozhikode confirmed that all internal release procedures within the Kingdom are nearing completion. Only final immigration clearances and flight ticket procedures remain. Rahim, a resident of Ramanattukara, was sentenced to death following the accidental death of the 15-year-old paralysed boy An exemplary global . crowdfunding campaign spearheaded by the Malayali diaspora in Saudi Arabia raised 1.5 crore Saudi Riyals (over `34 crore) in blood money to commute his execution. However, he was still required to serve a 20-year jail term under Saudi Arabia’s laws. The jail term officially ended on May 19, but the final administrative release faced brief delays this week due to key prison officials being away on Haj duty . However, realising the urgency , authorities in the Gulf nation expedited the release process under special protocols. “All the issues there have been resolved. They completed jail release procedure on Tuesday,” said Naseer, Rahim’s ● More on P4 brother.