tirupati l friday l october 30, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l anantapur EDITION cji: Opposition from bar halted hiring retired judges for hcs ‘no cji can risk annoying the bar’ CJI Surya Kant on Thursday said efforts to battle pendency of cases by appointing former judges to high courts were blocked by Bar associations supreme court’s january 2025 exception ”Chief Justice Bobde, Justice Kaul and my bench, we virtually revived the practice of appointing ad hoc judges from among retired judges. We thought we would bring this practice into vogue. But opposition from Bar associations prevented the initiative from taking off... they started passing resolutions... no Chief Justice can risk annoying the Bar,” the CJI said ■ ■ Considering a huge backlog of criminal cases, the Supreme Court on January 30 last year had allowed high courts to appoint ad hoc judges, not exceeding 10 per cent of the court’s total strength Article 224A establishes a constitutional mechanism that allows retired high court judges to be temporarily reappointed as HC judges 18 lakh criminal cases are stuck in litigation in high courts 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 ran aground ICG rescues 20 crew from bulk carrier Participants at the luncheon reception hosted by MEA Secy (West) Sibi George | MEA Pak envoy joins SCO’s luncheon before Nov meet U s h a P e r i @ Visakhapatnam lisational Dialogue Forum in New Delhi from November 20 Pakistan’s Chargé d’Affaires to 22, with Prime Minister to India, Saad Ahmad Warra- Narendra Modi expected to inich, attended a luncheon recep- augurate the event. tion hosted by the Secretary Pakistan has yet to confirm (West) in the External Affairs its representation at the forum. Ministry, Sibi George, for resi- Pakistan’s Minister for National dent envoys of Shanghai Coop- Heritage and Culture, Aueration Organisation (SCO) rungzeb Khan Khichi, is among member states and those invited. If Khichi partner countries, as Purana Qila attends, it would mark India prepares to host the first visit by a Pakivenue the grouping’s first stani minister since The forum is Civilisational Dialogue then foreign minister expected to Forum next month. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari bring together MEA spokesperson attended the SCO forRandhir Jaiswal said representatives eign ministers’ meeting discussions focused on from more than in Goa in May 2023. strengthening cooper- 25 countries at The luncheon comes ation within the SCO Purana Qila, the amid continued diplo16th-century framework, particumatic strains between fort in Delhi larly cultural and civiNew Delhi and Islamalisational exchanges, bad. However, both and preparations for the up- countries remain engaged coming forum scheduled for through multilateral platforms November 20. such as the SCO. “The interaction underIn September last, India sent scored India’s commitment to its SCO National Coordinator, strengthening longstanding Alok Dimri, to Islamabad for a civilisational connections and meeting ahead of Pakistan’s people-to-people ties with the presidency of the grouping and SCO region,” Jaiswal said. its planned SCO leaders’ sumIndia will host the SCO Civi- mit in August 2027. J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi crackdown Bid to alter system? Can’t get job in UP n a m i ta b a j pa i @ Lucknow THE Uttar Pradesh government has tightened character verification norms for candidates selected through direct recruitment, stating that individuals associated with organisations seeking to alter the existing social or political system through violence would henceforth not be eligible for government jobs in the state. The order, issued by the appointments department, will apply to recruitments across departments, corporations, councils and local bodies. This comes amid a political row over recent calls for “regime change” during anti-CEC protests. The state government, however, clarified that political ideology alone cannot be grounds for denying employment. It said the mere registration of an FIR or a pending investigation would not automatically disqualify a candidate. Authorities have been asked to assess the circumstances of each case rather than rely solely on criminal complaints or ongoing probes. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) rescued 20 crew members of a bulk carrier that ran aground off Bendamurulanka in Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema district following Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Arnab, in a high-risk operation amid rough sea conditions. The Coast Guard deployed its ship Sujay and a helicopter to evacuate the crew members from M/V Sigma Pearl, which ran aground about 1.7 km from the nearest shoreline. The successful rescue ensured that 20 crew members were brought to safety with no loss of life , reported in the incident. In an official post, the ICG said, “In a challenging rescue operation at sea off Antarvedi in Andhra Pradesh, in the aftermath of Very Severe Cyclone Arnab, ICGS Sujay along with ICG Helicopter safely rescued all 20 crew members onboard aground vessel MV Sigma Pearl amidst rough seas. ICG’s preemptive measures, coastal monitoring, and DRT deployment along the Andhra coast ensured ZERO loss of life at sea.” The Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, which was transporting rock phosphate, reportedly lost power and dragged its anchor before drifting towards the coast. The vessel had experienced repeated failures of its auxiliary engines and generators during its stay at VisakhapatP4 nam Port, affecting cargo operations.  Central teams for State today to assess cyclone damage: CM Express News Service @ Kakinada Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday made an aerial survey in cyclone-affected areas of Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema district, inspected relief centres at Gachakayalapora village in Mummidivaram constituency and inter, acted with cyclone victims. Addressing the media, the Chief Minister explained cyclone relief and restoration measures being undertaken by the government. He announced that Central teams would visit the State on Friday to assess the cyclone damage. The preliminary estimates put the loss caused by Cyclone Arnab at `4,600 crore, and the figure My objective is to ensure that governance reaches every person, and that no one is left to suffer without aid Naidu, CM CM Naidu examines damaged crop in Ambedkar Konaseema district | express could increase after a detailed assessment, he said. Naidu said he spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and explained the damage caused by cyclone Arnab in Andhra Pradesh, besides submitting a preliminary damage report to P4 the Centre.  Loss put at `4,600 cr The preliminary estimates put the loss caused by Arnab at `4,600 crore, and the figure could increase after a detailed assessment E x p r e s s Re a d Competing weather systems bring Cyclone Arnab to a halt Visakhapatnam: For a few hours on October 28, Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Arnab remained almost motionless over the west-central Bay of Bengal. Its pause, according to a retired ocean scientist, may have been the result of competing weather systems interfering with the cyclone’s forward movement | P3 Farmers can now self-report crop loss for compensation Vijayawada: The State government has introduced a self-registration facility enabling farmers to report crop losses caused by Cyclone Arnab and heavy rains through the e-Panta website and APAIMS Farmer App. The Agriculture Department has directed officials to create awareness among farmers about the new facility | P4 With ex-Speaker at helm, INDIA bloc to ‘impeach’ Gyanesh today P r e e t h a N a i r @New Delhi THE INDIA bloc will hold a threehour “public impeachment” of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s official residence on Friday, with former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presiding over the proceedings. Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, will move the motion to impeach Kumar, while LoP in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will conclude the discussion before the ‘motion’ is passed by voting, sources said. The contours of the proceedings were finalised at a meet of INDIA bloc leaders at Kharge’s residence here on Thursday . At least 30 speakers, including representatives of 21 political par- Congress’ Jairam Ramesh, KC Venugopal, Meira Kumar, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, TMC’s Derek O’Brien, JMM’s Mahua Maji at the meet ties, are expected to participate in Friday’s proceedings. Sources said an invitation has been extended to the BJD, but the party is yet to confirm its participation. Civil society representatives and persons affected by the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls will share their ac- counts. The symbolic impeachment comes ahead of the Opposition’s November 1 rally here against alleged “vote theft” and the SIR. CPM MP John Brittas told TNIE the bloc decided on a “public impeachment” rather than a mock exercise, as it would give expression to people’s concerns over the poll process. “If the Prime Minister is keen to attend our programme, he is most welcome,” he added. Brittas said the programme would follow a structured discussion, with Meira Kumar as the presiding officer. Asked who would occupy the ‘treasury’ benches, Brittas said none wanted to as it could be interpreted as support for the CEC. TMC’s Derek O’Brien and SP’s Harendra Malik were among the leaders at Thursday’s meet.