TIRUCHY l thursday l july 03, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Bangladesh court hands six-month jail term to EX-PM sHEIKH Hasina The International Crimes Tribunal, where Hasina is facing trial on charges of crimes against humanity, on Monday sentenced her in a contempt case First sentence since her exile in Aug 2024 Verdict based on leaked audio clip It marks the first time that 77-year-old Hasina has been sentenced in any case since she fled to India following a student-led uprising in August last year. The sentence, delivered in her absence, will come into effect from the day of her arrest or surrender before the court, chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam told reporters after the verdict was handed down protester Abu Sayeed, whose killing in Rangpur University escalated to a nationwide violent protest that eventually ousted her ■ The verdict came over a leaked audio clip in which Hasina is allegedy heard telling a party leader that she has “licence to kill” people ■ Hasina’s trial was opened on Monday over the murder of student Aug 8, 2024 When Muhammad Yunus-led interim govt was sworn in, in Bangladesh 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 Institution of Dalai Lama will go on China fumes as incumbent says the Gaden Phodrang Trust alone has the authority to recognise his reincarnation Ha r p r ee t B a j wa & Jayan t h Ja c o b @ Chandigarh/New Delhi In a landmark announcement just days ahead of his 90th birthday, the 14th Dalai Lama on Wednesday formally announced that the centuries-old institution of the Dalai Lama will continue after his death, ending years of speculation over the future of Tibetan Buddhism’s highest spiritual seat. The decision, however, drew sharp criticism from China, which insists it holds authority over any future reincarnation. “I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue,” the exiled Tibetan leader declared in a statement posted on social media and his official website. He emphasised that only his personal institution, the Gaden Phodrang Trust, has the authority to identify and recognise his reincarnation, warning that no outside entity, including governments, has any right to interfere in the sacred process. “I hereby reiterate that the Gaden Phodrang Trust has sole authority to recognise the future reincarnation; no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter.” The Chinese government Rijiju, two CMs to attend B’day event Union minister Kiren Rijiju, CMs Pema Khandu and Prem Singh Tamang and Karnataka minister Gangadharaia are expected to attend the 90th birthday celebrations of the Dalai Lama on July 6 at Dharamshala The Gaden Phodrang Trust has the sole authority to recognise the future reincarnation. No one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter Gere arrives, U.S. may send diplomat Hollywood veteran Richard Gere, is already in McLeodganj along with his son, Homer James Jigme Gere. The US is likely to be represented by Bethany Poulos Morrison, Dy Assistant Secretary in the State Department condemned the announcement, reiterating its long-standing claim to control the selection of Tibetan spiritual leaders, a stance that triggered international criticism for politicising religion. “The reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, the Panchen Lama, and other great Buddhist figures must be chosen by drawing lots from a golden urn and approved by the central government,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in Beijing. She cited — Dalai Lama Screengrab of the 14th Dalai Lama announcing the institution will continue | PTI a Qing dynasty-era method to justify Beijing’s authority over reincarnations. Mao said China permits religious freedom but within limits defined by the state. “The survival and development of any religion lies in adapting to the country’s social environment and cultural traditions,” she said, defending China’s efforts to align religious practices with its governance model. Beijing views the Dalai Lama as a separatist and continues to E x p r ess N ews S e r v i c e @ New Delhi The foreign ministers of the Quad countries, India, the United States, Japan, and Australia, strongly condemned the April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen. In a joint statement issued after their meeting in Washington, the ministers called for the “perpetrators, organisers, and financiers of this reprehensible act to be brought to justice without any delay .” While the statement urged all UN member states to cooperate under international law with efforts to investigate and prosecute those responsible, it notably stopped short of naming Pakistan, which India holds responsible for cross-border terrorism, including the Pahalgam attack. From India’s perspective, the explicit mention of the Pahalgam attack is significant. “We unequivocally condemn all acts of terrorism and violent extremism in all their B E N N K OCH U V E E D A N @ Mumbai S i d d h a r t h P r ab h aka r @ Chennai CCTV footage of Ramesh being thrashed at Devadanapatti police station | express New torture clip from Theni puts TN police in spot, 5 transferred E x p r ess N ews S e r v i c e @ Madurai Amid public outrage over the custodial death of temple security guard B Ajithkumar (27) at Thirupuvanam in Sivaganga district in which five policemen have been arrested for murder, CCTV footage of a man being thrashed by policemen at Devadanapatti police station in Theni district has sparked concerns regarding police highhandedness across the state. After the video of C Ramesh (34), an auto driver of Devadanapatti, being thrashed by policemen in a nuisance case went viral, the Theni district police ordered an inquiry and transferred five policemen, including inspector K Abdulla, to the Armed Reserve (AR) po- INSIDE The country’s largest bank, State Bank of India, has classified the loan account of beleaguered Reliance Communications (RCom), under bankruptcy since June 2019, as a ‘fraud’ account, and reported the name of its erstwhile promoter and director Anil Ambani to the Reserve Bank of India. According to SBI, RCom used `12,692.31 crore, 41% of the total loan, to pay connected parties through a web of interg ro u p t r a n s a c t i o n s. T h e company owed `31,580 crore to banks, SBI said in its letter. In an exchange filing on Govt job for victim’s bro Disband unauthorised police teams: DGP | P4 RCom said it will seek legal, remedial measures, arguing that SBI did not properly hear its side of the story as required by the Supreme Court and did not follow RBI norms on classifying a loan account as fraud Wednesday, RCom confirmed receipt of the letter from SBI, dated June 23. The firm asserted its right to seek remedial and legal measures, arguing that the bank did not properly hear its case as required by the Supreme Court and did not follow RBI norms on classifying a loan account as fraud. In a March 28, 2023 order, the SC directed banks to provide borrowers with a personal hearing before classifying their loan accounts as fraudulent, citing the principles of natural justice. The court noted that classifying a loan account as fraud has severe implications for borrowers, including potential crimi- Don for 500% tariffs on Russia’s partners As part of rehabilitation measure, TN government on Wednesday offered Naveenkumar, brother of custodial death victim Ajithkumar, job of factory assistant at dairy firm Aavin | P4 lice unit on Wednesday . According to sources, the Devadanapatti policemen thrashed Ramesh on January 14 after he was brought to the police station for creating public nuisance near Arisikadai bus stop in Devadanapatti town. Based on a complaint from the local residents, a team picked up Ramesh and brought him to the station.  P5 Move flouted directions of Supreme Court, RBI: rcom J AYA N TH J A CO B @ New Delhi gill bill Shubman Gill scores a century against England in the second Test at Edgbaston on Wednesday | AFP | P11 IN a development that could possibly reshape US foreign trade policy and geopolitical alliances, President Donald Trump has backed a Senate bill proposing a sweeping 500% tariff on countries keeping economic ties with Russia. The legislation, known as the Sanctioning Russia Act, aims to economically isolate Moscow by penalising third-party nations, including India and China, which continue to import vast quantities of Russian oil. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who introduced the bill earlier this year, confirmed Trump’s support during an interview on ABC News. “If you’re buying prodDonald Trump ucts from Russia and you’re not helping Ukraine, then there’s a 500 percent tariff on your products coming into the United States,” Graham said. “India and China buy 70% of Putin’s oil. They keep his war machine going.” If enacted into law, the proposed tariffs would directly hit India and China, the largest buyers of Russian crude. food for thought TN begins pilot drive to deliver rations at doorsteps of elderly and disabled B A N B U S E LV A N @ Chennai The Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Department on Wednesday commenced the pilot project for home-delivery of essential commodities —rice, sugar, wheat, palmolein oil, and toor dal — under the Public Distribution System (PDS) for senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PwDs) in Chennai Mineral supply chains The Quad Critical Minerals Initiative aims to strengthen economic security by collaborating on securing and diversifying critical mineral supply chains forms, including cross-border terrorism,” the statement read. Cross-border terror for India denotes the terrorism directed against it from Pakistan. Beyond terrorism, the joint statement highlighted concerns over security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region. While avoiding direct reference to China, the ministers condemned the “dangerous and provocative actions” in the South and East China Seas. The ministers also announced the launch of the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative, plans for the first Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network field training exercise, and the Quad Ports of the Future Partnership, which is slated to be inaugurated in Mumbai later this year. SBI flags Anil Ambani-led RCom loan as fraud ID theft leads cops to gang that ships SIM cards to Cambodia A complaint filed a year ago by an alert 21-year-old woman in Villupuram, who grew suspicious about her details being misused for illicit activities, has led to the CB-CID uncovering a gang that collected around 2,600 SIM cards from gullible people across Tamil Nadu and smuggled them to Cambodia for use in cyber scam compounds. A few weeks ago, the agency arrested two key accused in the case, Vignesh and Ranganathan, who had allegedly smuggled the SIM cards to Cambodia. Incidentally, the duo is also under the CB-CID’s scanner for sending individuals to work in the scam compounds in Laos and Cambodia, where they are used for cyber crimes, and collecting commission for it, sources said. CB-CID is the designated agency for investigating the cyber ‘slavery’ cases where many job-seekers from Tamil Nadu are lured to cyber scam compounds in Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. These job-seekers are then used for carrying out ‘digital arrest’, trading app, and other types of cyber scams on fellow Indians using SIM cards smuggled from India, investigators said. The case originated at Vikravandi in Villupuram district in June 2024.  reject his spiritual and political influence, especially in regions like Tibet and parts of the Himalayan belt where devotion to him is deep-rooted. In contrast to China’s rebuke, the Dalai Lama’s reaffirmation was welcomed by Tibetan groups and Buddhist communities across Asia. The spiritual leader revealed that his decision following 14 years of consistent appeals from religious leaders, civil organisations, and Tibetan communi- ties inside and outside Tibet. “Leaders of Tibet’s spiritual traditions, members of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile, participants in a Special General Body Meeting, members of the Central Tibetan Administration, NGOs, Buddhists from the Himalayan region, Mongolia, Buddhists of the Russian Federation, and Buddhists in Asia including mainland China, have written to me… earnestly requesting that the institution of the Dalai Lama continue,” he said. Importantly the Dalai Lama , noted that Tibetans inside China — despite state surveillance — had conveyed their support through informal channels. The Dalai Lama had first broached the question of his succession in 1969, stating that the future of his lineage should be decided by the Tibetan people. In 2011, he promised to revisit the issue around his 90th birthday With this week’s state. ment, that moment has come — and brought clarity . The Gaden Phodrang Trust will oversee the reincarnation search process, in consultation with the heads of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions and spiritual protectors linked to the Dalai Lama’s lineage. Quad raps Pahalgam terrorist attack, but does not name Pak and nine other districts. A minimum of 10 fair price shops across two taluks in each district have been selected for t h e p i l o t s t u dy o f t h i s initiative. TNIE report published on June 17 Apart from Chennai, the other nine districts included in the first phase of the project are T i r u n e l v e l i , S iv a g a n g a , Dindigul, Ranipet, Erode, Dharmapuri, Nagapattinam, the Nilgiris, and Cuddalore. On June 17, TNIE was the first to report on the government’s decision to roll out the project across the state. According to official sources from the cooperation and food department, the door-to-door delivery project aims to cover cardholding families where the members are either below 18 years of age or 70 years and above. Cardholding families where all the members fall in the disabled category will also be covered under the scheme, sources said.  An elderly man gets rice at his doorstep in Velachery on Wednesday | Martin Louis nal proceedings and restrictions on future borrowing. Following this, RBI issued revised guidelines to banks incorporating this ruling into its February 2016 guidelines. After SBI’s move, other banks with exposure to RCom are expected to follow suit. “We have taken cognizance of the responses to our showcause notice and... concluded that sufficient reasons have not been provided by the respondent to explain the non-adherence to the agreed terms and conditions of the loan documents,” SBI said in its June 25 letter, which RCom disclosed to exchanges on Wednesday . express read right to privacy Can’t tap phone to detect a crime: HC CHENNAI: The Madras HC has held that an individual’s phone cannot be tapped to detect the commission of a crime as it would violate fundamental right to privacy. It would be justified only under public emergency or in the interest of public safety, Justice Anand Venkatesh said | P2 generator fume Man, two sons die after inhaling CO Chennai: A 57-year-old man and his two minor sons died of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning at their house in Puzhal on Wednesday after inhaling fumes from a diesel generator kept in a closed room. Autopsy report found presence of CO in their blood, police said HR&CE dept work Genuine devotees hailing us, says CM CHENNAI: CM Stalin said divisive forces are unable to stomach the achievements of DMK’s work in the Hindu Religious and Endowment Department and carrying out a malicious propaganda. “But genuine devotees are hailing our spirituality,” the CM said | P4