kochi l tuesday l november 03, 2026 l `10.00 l PAGES 18 l LATE city EDITION bombay hc raps Imran khan for taking part in anti-cec protest The court said an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card holder cannot criticise the government as such persons are not on a par with Indian citizens Demands actor’s unconditional apology extends suspension of leave india notice A division bench of Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna directed actor-director Imran Khan to furnish an unconditional apology for participating in protests demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. Khan had approached the High Court challenging a notice that directed him to leave India by October 28 ■ ■ “If you want to protest, then go to the USA and participate in protests there, and you can even go and cast your vote, but protesting anything here won’t be tolerated,” the bench told Khan | P10 The HC extended operation of its earlier order suspending the Leave India Notice issued to Khan until he is given a chance to respond OCT 13 IS WHEN BJP leader Kirit Somaiya FILED A COMPLAINT AGAINST KHAN 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 diwali let-up Green crackers allowed in NCR only on Nov 7, 8 SC warns police officials of contempt action if its orders are not complied with S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi HOLDING that a complete ban on firecrackers is not only facilitating illegal sale but also preventing people from purchasing legitimate green crackers, the Supreme Court on Monday allowed bursting of green firecrackers in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) from 6 am to 7 am and from 8 to 10 pm on November 7 and 8. Diwali falls on November 8 this year. A bench of justices M M Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale said the complete ban on firecrackers across Delhi-NCR will come back into force from November 9. “No firecrackers shall be burst within a 300-metre radius of hospitals, nursing homes, primary and district health centres, old-age homes and notified silence zones. These areas, along with educational institutions, will be declared No-Cracker Zones and appropriately marked and publicised,” the court said. The bench clarified that only green fireThis court is short crackers certified by NEERI and PESO of adequate data to decide whether will be allowed in Delhi-NCR on the peror not a complete mitted days and time slot. Observing that ban would be the bursting firecrackers would certainly best solution to cause pollution, the bench said the right solve the problem of an individual to engage in a particular of pollution caused practice, which may have a religious colby firecrackers our, is only a qualified one and cannot go Supreme Court beyond the constitutional restrictions. “Though imposition of a blanket ban seems to be the ideal solution, we are of the opinion that this court, at this point in time, is short of adequate data to decide whether or not a complete ban would be the best solution to solve the problem of environmental pollution, caused by bursting firecrackers,” the bench said in its October 29 order which was published on Monday . On the safety aspect, the court said boxes containing green crackers must be completely sealed to ensure that they are not mixed with any unauthorised or conventional firecrackers, and that there shall be no manufacture or sale of firecrackers joined in series (‘ladis’) and garlands. The court directed the Delhi Police, Uttar Pradesh Police, Haryana Police and district administrations in NCR to ensure strict compliance. It warned officials of contempt action if its directions are not complied with. Power purchase tiff led to Rajamanickam’s ouster? Manoj V iswanathan @Kochi The abrupt removal of M G Rajamanickam as KSEB chairman at a time when Keralam is grappling with power crisis has raised questions whether differences over a controversial power purchase proposal played a role in the decision. While sources in the UDF attribute his removal to the decision to purchase power from Himachal Pradesh at a steep rate of `14.50 per unit without prior government approval, a note accessed by TNIE suggests that the differences may have centred on a competing proposal to procure power from a private generator without tender. The note, which had been under consideration by the government and KSEB, makes a case for continuing the Himachal Pradesh arrangement rather than entering into a round-theclock power purchase agreem e n t w i t h t h e p r iv a t e supplier. In September, amid mounting protests over unscheduled power cuts, sources said Rajamanickam had negotiated an arrangement with the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB) to procure electricity at `14.50 per unit during peak hours. Keralam began receiving power under the arrangement on October 1, helping it tide over the shortage. Month HP power Cost GNA RTC Cost (MU) (I12.50/unit) power (MU) (I8.645/unit) Nov ’26 264.7 I330.88 cr 360 K311.22 cr Dec ’26 185.3 I231.63 cr 372 K321.59 cr Jan ’27 141.2 I176.50 cr 372 K321.59 cr At I14.50/unit, total cost of HPSEB power for the given months would come to L1,281.95 cr GNA: General Network Access Feb ’27 119.8 I149.75 cr 336 K290.47 cr Mar ’27 173.1 I216.38 cr 372 K321.59 cr RTC: Round the clock Total 884.1 I1,105.14 cr 1,812 K1,566 cr MU: Mn units Subsequent negotiations reportedly brought the rate down to `12.50 per unit. Meanwhile, a private power generator approached the government with an offer to sup- ply 500 MW round the clock at `8.645 per unit through General Network Access (GNA), a framework facilitating interstate power transmission. Sources said this led to dif- ferences over the most economical and practical option for meeting the state’s electricity requirements. Rajamanickam is learnt to have opposed replacing the Himachal Pradesh arrangement with the GNA proposal, arguing that the two offers could not be compared merely on the basis of the per-unit tariff. KSEB sources said Rajamanickam submitted a detailed note to the government explaining why purchasing electricity at a higher tariff during peak hours would be more economical than procuring comparatively cheaper power throughout the day ● More on P4 . KC man in contention as Cong IUML unhappy with its Keralam head; call this month sidelining within INDIA, A N N A J O S E @T’Puram In a surprise development, the Congress leadership is toying with the idea of having Revenue Minister A P Anil Kumar, part of the K C Venugopal camp in the party as the KPCC presi, dent, as it looks for greater control in running the Cong ress-led UDF government as well as strengthening Dalit representation in its ranks. Anil Kumar, a sixtime MLA and one of three KPCC working presidents, has emerged as the frontrunner amid growing differences between the party and the state government over Chief Minister V D Satheesan’s style of functioning. The move would also effectively be a checkmate for senior leader Kodikunnil Suresh, another Dalit leader whose name has been doing the rounds for the post. A final de- cision is likely only after Diwali (November 8). “Anil has the support of K C Venugopal. His appointment would address the question of Dalit representation and give the leadership greater control over the government’s functioning,” a source said. If selected, Anil will have to ste p down as minister. The shift in discussions occurred following the recent disagreements within the Congress over appointments to the Administrative Reforms Comm i s s i o n a n d t h e s t a t e ’s representative in Delhi. A Congress insider said the KPCC president post used to be as much powerful, if not more, than that of the chief minister in the party “Major policy ini. ‘Nobody will trust you’: SC rejects govt plea against Vedanta arbitration awards S L A L I T H A @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the Centre’s appeal against the enforcement of two foreign arbitral awards in favour of mining major Vedanta and Ravva Oil (Singapore), questioning the government’s resistance and warning that prolonged litigation will undermine global trust in India’s arbitration framework. “Nobody will trust you,” a bench of justices J B Pardiwala and Manmohan said while rejecting the Centre’s appeal against the Delhi High Court’s July 1 order allowing the enforcement of the 2004 and 2016 Kuala Lumpur awards involving claims of $99 million. S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi Criticising the Centre’s reluctance to accept the award, the bench asked: “What are these arguments? You are frustrating an arbitral award... at the stage of enforcement?” The bench said it found no error in the HC ruling, which had rejected the Centre’s objections to the awards. The dispute traces its origins to a 1994 production-sharing contract between the Union government and a consortium comprising ONGC, Videocon tiatives and political issues are discussed between the CM and KPCC president, and the latter communicates the decisions to the leadership and party workers. The KPCC president should have independent opinions and must not be subordinate to the CM,” he said. Sources said the leadership believes Anil’s elevation could help establish an organisational role in the government, while ensuring better coordination with the AICC. Sources said the appointment is likely to be finalised only after Diwali (November 8). The delay has been attributed to the AICC’s ‘Vote Chori’ protests in Delhi. “The AICC has prioritised the agitation. The state leadership has been informed that the new president will be announced in November itself,” said a par ty insider. Anil has the support of K C Venugopal. His appointment would address the question of Dalit representation and give the leadership greater control over the government’s functioning — A source Pilot rule: Char Dham chopper ops suspended THE ongoing face-off between chartered flight operators in Uttarakhand and the aviation regulator over the co-pilot rule resulted in cancellation of all 40 Char Dham trips scheduled for Monday upsetting the trav, el plans of 250 pilgrims. With no breakthrough emerging in the talks between the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the private operators on the new rule of two pilots per aircraft, the operators have decided to cancel chopper services for the rest of the season, which ends on November 7. A reputed operator, speaking on behalf of the 13 operators who run these trips, told TNIE: “The DGCA held a virtual meet with all of us on Monday. We reiterated what we had communicated to them earlier that it is not possible logistically or financially to operate every helicopter with two pilots. We made it clear that the operators’ view should have been sought before taking such a decision.” He said a collective decision has been taken by all operators to suspend all Char Dham trips. An average of 40 trips are operated per day with six passengers accommodated per aircraft. “We will be cancelling all the trips and reimbursing the fare to the passengers though we will incur huge losses,” the operator said. COst estimate Petroleum, Ravva Oil and Cairn Energy, whose interest passed to Cairn India and then to Vedanta for the development of Ravva oilfield in the Krishna-Godavari basin. Following disagreement between the government and the companies over the interpretation of the contract in determining how ONGC’s historic costs should be accounted for, the matter was referred to arbitration in Kuala Lumpur. The bench asked why the matter continued for so long when the first award was in 2004 and final award in 2016. Additional Solicitor General Vikramjit Banerjee appeared for the Centre while Mukul Rohatgi and Akhil Sibal represented Vedanta and others. E X P RESS READ Pvt bus operators defer indefinite strike plan T’Puram: Private bus operators decided to defer their indefinite strike, scheduled on November 3, after Transport Minister C P John reportedly assured to look into their demands, especially wet leasing. The operators will hold talks with John again this week to finalise the proposals. to take it up with Cong L aksh m i Athira @Malappuram The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is growing increasingly disillusioned with the treatment meted out to the party within the INDIA bloc, alleging that the Congress has been systematically sidelining the party and denying its national leaders due space in key events and committees. The League leadership believes AICC general secretary K C Venugopal is behind the moves, and is preparing to convey its displeasure to the Congress high command. Resentment has been building over a series of incidents during the bloc’s protests in Delhi against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. According to party sources, the first major setback came when IUML MP E T Mohammed Basheer was dropped at the last minute from the delegation scheduled to submit a complaint against the CEC to President Droupadi Murmu. The party considers the denial of a speaking slot to its national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty at Sunday’s ‘Delhi Chalo’ rally at Ramlila Maidan an even ‘greater insult’, particularly when CPM general secretary M A Baby was given the opportunity The . exclusion of Muslim Youth League and Muslim Students Federation (MSF) from INDIA bloc’s student-youth coordination committee has further Teen found murdered, body stuffed in sack League’s complaints IUML MP E T Mohammed Basheer was dropped at the last minute from the delegation scheduled to submit a complaint against the CEC to President Droupadi Murmu. IUML national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty denied speaking slot at Sunday’s ‘Delhi Chalo’ rally at Ramlila Maidan. CPM general secretary M A Baby given the opportunity. MYL, MSF excluded from INDIA bloc’s student-youth coordination committee. deepened the League’s sense of marginalisation. A senior IUML leader said the party had little doubt about Venugopal’s role in the developments. “We are deeply insulted by the way the Congress high command is treating us. Our workers and leaders have been as active as those of the Congress in protests against the CEC. Despite that, we are facing unprecedented neglect. We are certain K C Venugopal is behind it, and we know why ,” the leader told TNIE. “Party president Sayyid Sadik Ali Shihab Thangal is out of station. Once he returns, there will be a meeting with the Congress high command, and the matter will be discussed,” the leader ● More on P4 said. Iran’s T’Puram: The body of a 17-yearold boy, who was missing, was found stuffed inside a sack dumped in a farmland in Thiruvananthapuram. The victim is M D Abhiram. Three persons, including a minor girl and a person on the goonda list, have been detained | P4 offer to reopen Strait, U.S. talks File photo 18 pages, including 4 pages of kochi Express Iran moots two-day plan to reopen Strait and resume nuclear talks with the US, shortening a process originally expected to take 7 days | P11 India’s first 100% solar village 141 homes, 282 kW, zero rupees in electricity bill in Chhatisgarh hamlet a 2 kW solar rooftop system, adding up to nearly 282 kW of clean energy capacity for its 889 residents. The villagers paid nothing. Central and state subsidies met the base cost, and corporate social responsibility funds covered the rest. E J A Z K A I S E R @ Raipur FOR as long as anyone in Khaira can remember, the monthly power bill sat on the kitchen shelf next to rice, medicines and grocery, competing for the same few rupees. This year, that bill lost its place. The tiny village in Chhattisgarh’s Rajnandgaon district is now India’s first to cover every household with rooftop solar under the ‘PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana’, officials said. All 141 homes now carry “Khaira’s families have transitioned from passive, grid-dependent consumers into selfreliant urjadatas (energ y producers). The shift represents not just lower utility metres, but an empowering psychological pivot where clean technology is no longer an ur- How Khaira flipped the electricity playbook Chhattisgarh hamlet Khaira is India’s first 100% solar village | Express Khaira’s solar leap was not won through top-down mandates, but community trust. The breakthrough was driven by local mobilisers — known as PM Surya Sakhis — including local champion Sangeeta Sahu, working in tandem with self-help groups ban luxury but an integral part , of everyday rural domestic life,” Rajnandgaon Collector Jitendra Yadav told TNIE. Sarpanch Bhupendra Yadav said rooftop solar has mostly reached city dwellers who can handle paperwork. Khaira, he said, put the most vulnerable households first. For those on fixed incomes, the change is personal. “I live alone and depend on my pension. Now I don’t have to worry about electricity bill,” said Shohgil Gond, a widow.