THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l friday l October 30, 2026 l `10.00 l PAGES 18 l LATE city 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 Himachal set to cut supply state staring at more power cuts from Nov 1 Participants at the luncheon reception hosted by MEA Secy (West) Sibi George | MEA Pak envoy joins SCO’s luncheon before Nov meet M a n o j V i s w a n at h a n @ Kochi 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 Govt to probe if Nipah deaths were linked to expired meds E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ T’Puram The state government has decided to investigate whether the death of six Nipah patients between 2023 and 2025 were due to the administration of expired medicine. Health Minister K Muraleedharan on Thursday informed the assembly that the government will constitute a medical board to conduct a detailed investigation to check if the use of expired batches of Remdesivir had contributed to the deaths. The board will also inquire whether other patients who received the drug had experienced any adverse effects. Answering to a submission raised by Mathew Kuzhalnadan, the minister said: “The decision was taken after records at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital raised suspicion that expired vials of Remdesivir were administered to Nipah patients in 2023, 2024 and 2025.” Remdesivir is a drug used to treat diseases such as Nipah ● More on P4 and Covid 19.  18 pages, including 4 pages of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Express Keralam looks set to experience another bout of power load-shedding — the third since the UDF government assumed office. The delay at the government level to approve a short-term power-purchase agreement with Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board has contributed to the fresh predicament. According to top officials with the KSEB, the state could face peak-hour shortage of up to 900 MW from November 1, forcing the utility to impose multiple curbs between 6 pm and midnight to bridge the widening gap between demand and supply . This comes after two rounds of power outages in July and September. Despite intermittent rain, peak-hour consumption has been hovering around 4,900 4,900 MW MW for the past two weeks. consumption This is likely to cross 5,500 MW if the state experiences Peak-hour a dry spell. However, the consumption has maximum capacity available been hovering with the state will be 4,200 around 4,900 MW MW from November 1. for the past two Though the KSEB submitted weeks despite the state receiving a proposal for purchase of 2,225 MW power, the Electric- intermittent rain. ity Regulatory Commission This is likely to cleared only 1,000 MW, that cross 5,500 MW if state experiences a too at `6.90 to `10 per unit. The biggest setback has dry spell. been the inability of the government in taking a call on purchase of power from Himachal Pradesh. The northern state’s board had offered 900 MW to 1,200 MW of power during peak hour at `14.50 per unit. The state started receiving this power from October 1, which helped the KSEB end the last round of power cuts. However, the file seeking approval to continue the purchase of power from Himachal for the period from November 1 to May 15 had been pending with the govern● More on P4 ment for the past 22 days.  Bid to alter system via violence? Can’t get govt employment 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 ide- ology 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 revised guidelines seek to distinguish between political beliefs and involvement in violent activities, signalling a tougher approach towards applicants linked to organisations advocating violence. The move comes amid the backdrop of a growing confrontation between the BJP-led state government and the Opposition over electoral issues. DM to hear appeals The order said candidates would be given a chance to present their case even if the police submits an adverse report against them. The DM will hear the candidate before forwarding the report E x p r e s s Re a d NIA takes over probe into arson near Kochi synagogue Kochi: The NIA has taken over the probe into the arson attack on the premises of Kadavumbhagam Synagogue in Kochi. The agency will probe whether the incident had international terror links or was part of an organised plot. The Kochi police had earlier invoked UAPA against Ebin Paul, who allegedly set fire to the premises. Cheranalloor accident: Judge gets HC relief from arrest Kochi: The High Court has restrained police from arresting the additional district judge whose minor son was involved in an accident at Cheranalloor that killed a 55-year-old street food vendor. The HC directed the judge to appear before the investigating officer whenever required and cooperate with the probe. P4 With ex-Speaker at helm, INDIA bloc to ‘impeach’ Gyanesh today P r ee 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, K C 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.