KOZHIKODE l friday l august 23, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION SC tells Haryana, punjab to persuade farmers to vacate shambhu border The Supreme Court on Thursday told the states to persuade agitators to remove their tractors and trollies from the interstate border Panel being set up to solve their issues: Court states urged to engage with agitators The court told the Haryana and Punjab governments to inform the agitating farmers that a multi-member panel was being constituted for the redressal of their grievances “for all times”. The Supreme Court said the panel may have the power and authority to make recommendations to the state and, if need be, the Union governments on steps to resolve farmers’ grievances ■ The court was hearing Haryana’s plea against a high court order asking it to remove barricades erected at the Shambhu border near Ambala ■ The bench asked the representatives of both Punjab and Haryana to continue engaging with the farmers and directed them to apprise the court about the outcome of such meetings on the next date of hearing September 2 when the court will take up the matter for further hearing 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 Can govt ignore Hema committee SC says justice & med can’t stop, findings, wonders High Court Directs state govt to submit an unredacted version of the panel report in a sealed cover E x p r e s s New s Se r v i c e @Kochi Observing that if the state government did not take any action based on the findings of the Justice Hema committee, all exercises to constitute the panel would become futile, the Kerala High Court on Thursday directed the government to submit an unredacted version of the panel’s report in a sealed cover. “The state gover nment, as of now, is not in a position to proceed further for the simple reason that none have come forward with a complaint. But at the same time, the report discloses sexual exploitation and harassment of women,” observed a division bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice A Muhamed Mustaque and Justice S Manu. “If any cognizable offences are disclosed to the committee, whether criminal action is necessary or not will have to be decided by the court,” the bench said. The court was hearing a petition filed by Navas A alias Paichira Navas of Thiruvananthapuram seeking a directive to the state government to initiate criminal proceedings against those accused of sexual exploitation and harassment in the report. The court admitted the PIL. The court said “serious” issues had been highlighted in the report. “The report indicates sexual harassment and sexual exploitation against women in cinema industry. The committee in the entire report kept the anonymity of the persons who deposed before it, to maintain their privacy and to allow the women to speak without fear. The government could not ignore the report,” it said. The parties deposed before the committee were a vulnerable section who did not wish to disclose about the harassment in public. The parties want to maintain anonymity and do not want to come forward to raise a complaint. The very purpose of constituting the committee was to note that serious complaints are pointing out that women are silenced by men in the industry, the court said. “How to protect these victims of sexual exploitation and what action can be taken against the perpetrators of the crime, is something that the court is required to address,” the bench said. The court added that it awaits the government’s stand on this aspect and directed it to file a statement. Advocate General K Gopalakrishna Kurup submitted that the persons who wanted to prosecute the perpetrators could approach the police or courts. Persons deposed before the committee had not, so far, approached the government seeking to initiate criminal action against the perpetrators of such crimes. He also submitted that the committee was constituted to study the problems faced by the women working in the film industry. And it was not a judicial commission. The court suo motu impleaded the Kerala Women’s Commission as respondent in the case. The report indicates sexual harassment and sexual exploitation against women in cinema industry... The government could not ignore the report Kerala High Court ‘Film conclave to be held in Nov’ T’Puram: Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian said that the film conclave, announced earlier, will be held in Kochi on November 23, 24 and 25. He said the government can move forward only as per the law. P4 WCC slams cyber attacks on artists The WCC has come out against the cyber attack against a founding member and senior artists. “We strongly condemn the cyber attacks and belittling comments about senior women artists, including a founding member of WCC, who’s still a member. P4 Post-Wayanad landslides IMD warnings lead to ‘evacuation’ dilemma U n n i k r i s h n a n S @T’Puram After lack of specific warning about the devastating Wayanad landslides became a topic of wide-spread discussion, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has started handing over detailed impact forecast, along with its routine weather alerts, to the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA). However, the detailed warnings on calamities, including landslides, have put the disaster management agency in an unenviable position, particularly when it comes to evacuating people from high-risk areas. The IMD started issuing the warnings, detailing the potential impacts from heavy to very heavy rainfall, including risks of landslides, flash floods and general flooding, necessitating the evacuation of residents from vulnerable to safer locations, from July 30. Earlier, the IMD used to issue only the table listing the weather alerts -- categorised as green, yellow, orange, and red -- for five days. As per the new approach, an ‘orange alert’ calls for preparations just like in the case of ‘red alert’. Despite concerns about IMD’s “cautious” IMD Alerts White: No Rain Green: No warning (no action) Yellow: Watch Heavy rainfall Orange: Alert (Be prepared) Heavy rainfall to Very Heavy rainfall Red: Warning (Take action) Heavy to very heavy with Extremely heavy rainfall approach, the department defends its methods. “We began impact-based forecasting two years ago. Even with the best forecasts, accuracy is only about 70%. We strive for improvement, but over-forecasting can happen. We cannot take a risk. It is up to local authorities to act based on local conditions and infrastructure once a heavy rainfall forecast is issued,” said D Sivananda Pai, senior scientist and ADGM of ● More on P4 IMD. Delhi Police busts terror module, arrests 14 from 3 states Su c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi U J W A L J A L A L I @ New Delhi The CBI in a status report on its probe into the rape and murder of a trainee doctor on August 9 at the RG Kar Medical and College Hospital in Kolkata, told the Supreme Court on Thursday that the crime scene was altered and tampered with. Initially the Kolkata police told the parents that it was suicide, but later they said she was murdered. Taking the CBI report on record, a threejudge bench led by the Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud appealed to the protesting doctors to return to work, saying justice and medicine cannot afford to be stopped. “We earnestly appeal to all doctors. We are here to ensure their safety and protection. Please trust us, that is why we have not left the matter to the (Calcutta) High Court,” the bench said. It also directed a Sealdah court to pass its order on the CBI’s application for a lie detector test on accused Sanjoy Roy by Friday . The court directed the states not to take any coercive steps and adverse action against the protesting doctors. “How can public health infrastructure function if doctors don’t return to work?” the court wondered. It asked the health ministry to convene a meeting with the Chief Secretaries of states and Directors General of Police to ensure the safety of the doctors willing to return to work. The meeting should be completed within a week and states shall take remedial measures within two weeks, the court said. While directing states not to disrupt peaceful protests, it said, “the order should not be misconstrued to mean that the authorities are precluded from exercising their regulatory powers in accordance with law.” The bench, however, categorically said peaceful protests should not be disrupted. Justice J B Pardiwala, a member of the bench, expressed concern at the manner in which the police handled the case. The postmortem was conducted on August 9 between 6.10pm and 7.10pm though the case of unnatural death was registered at 11.30pm and the FIR recorded at 11.45 pm. “The entire procedure followed by the police is something I have not come across in my 30 years of career,” he remarked. THE Special Cell of Delhi Police, in coordination with its counterparts in Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, busted an Al-Qaeda-inspired terror module and detained 14 people, including six who were undergoing training in handling weapons. Al-Qaeda is a banned terrorist organisation listed in the first schedule of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). It is proscribed under Section 35 of the UAPA. A senior police officer said the module, as per the current state of operations, was being led by one Dr Ishtiyaq based in Ranchi, Jharkhand. “It was aspiring to declare Khilafat and execute serious terrorist activities within the country the of,” ficer said, adding the members of the module had received “indoctrination” and weapons training at various locations. Police have also recovered arms, ammunition, and objectionable literature. The six individuals who were being trained in weapon handling were nabbed from Bhiwadi in Rajasthan. Eight more persons were detained from Jharkhand and UP for questioning. Multiple teams of the anti-terror unit are interrogating the suspects at various locations. “As the interrogation is going on, more arrests are anticipated,” said an official. Last year, a Delhi court had convicted four operatives of AlQaida in Indian Subcontinent for conspiracy to commit terror acts across the country and recruiting members for the terror group. What is the reason the FIR is lodged almost 14 hours after the discovery of the body? The most important thing is that the principal of the college should have come straightaway to the college and directed the filing of the FIR. Who was he in touch with? What was the purpose? SC bench to WB counsel consider all suggestions National Task Force formed by the SC will take note of the suggestions of all stakeholders while formulating a national protocol for the safety of healthcare professionals portaL to pool ideas The bench directed the govt to open a portal for stakeholders to submit their suggestions for the task force Waqf bill: No ‘satisfactory replies’ to sharp questions from JPC members Impact forecast Probable impacts due to the heavy to very heavy/ extremely heavy rainfall detail possibilities of poor visibility, uprooting of trees, damage to structures, flash floods, water logging/ flooding, landslides, lightning etc urges end to stir Al-Qaeda P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi ties Polished Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk ahead of their summit meeting in Warsaw on Thursday | P7 1 2 3 Strategic partnership Defence production action plan announced India and Poland upgraded ties to the level of a “strategic partnership” and inked a social security pact to promote the mobility of skilled workers Donald Tusk expressed Poland’s eagerness to be a key partner in India’s aim to boost domestic defence production and modernise its armed forces 5-year action plan announced for strategic partnership in defence, trade, agri-tech, energy, green technology, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals and mining Amid fierce attack from Muslim bodies, the first meeting of the Joint Committee of Parliament (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill saw dissenting voices from various Opposition members as well as NDA allies on the proposed law. Though the Telugu Desam Party, a key ally of the NDA supported the bill in the Lok Sabha, it called for wider consultations during the JPC meeting, said sources. Early this week, TDP Parliamentary party leader and JPC member Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu told this paper that the party has begun consultations with all communities, including Muslims about their concerns. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board claimed that TDP’s Chandrababu Naidu and JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar have assured Muslim bodies that their parties would oppose the Waqf Bill. It also said it will launch a nationwide movement if the bill is not withdrawn. Another BJP ally, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), said that the Muslim community’s concerns should be addressed and pitched for more consultations. Speaking to this paper, some of the MPs said that the ministry failed to give ‘satisfactory replies’ to the queries raised in the meeting. Though not part of the INDIA bloc, YSR Congress’ V Vijaysai Reddy also raised objections to several clauses of the bill, according to sources. Several opposition members questioned the proposed amendments such as empowering district collectors in deciding on the ownership of a disputed land, and to induct non-Muslim members on Waqf boards. Committee Chairperson Jagdambika Pal described the meeting, which went on for over six hours with a lunch break, as ‘fruitful’. He asserted that voices of different stakeholders would be heard. “We will discuss all 44 amendments and bring a comprehensive bill by the next session,” he said. Cong, NC finalise seat-sharing for J&K polls 3 elephants found dead in Pooyamkutty forest F AYA Z W ANI @ Srinagar E x p r e s s New s Se r v i c e @ Kochi the Congress and National Conference (NC) on Thursday finalised their seat-sharing agreement for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls. The announcement came after the meeting of top Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi with NC’s Farooq and Omar Abdullah. “The Congress leadership deliberated with the Abdullahs on forging a pre-poll alliance for the Assembly polls. Both parties discussed the issue in detail and decided that forging alliance is a must to keep divisive forces away,” a Congress The carcasses of three female wild elephants were found under mysterious circumstances in Pindimedu area of Pooyamkutty forest under Malayattoor division on Thursday. All the three elephants are in the age group of 15 to 20 years. The carcasses were found at different places located around 6km from the forest boundary . According to Malayattoor DFO Kurra Srinivas, there was no sign of human role behind the incident. However, Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) R Adalarasan has formed an eight-member expert commit- Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge at a press meet in Srinagar on Thursday | Zahoor Punjabi leader told this paper. While the exact number of seats allocated to both parties was not revealed, sources said the Congress will fight from most of the 43 seats in Jammu while NC will focus on the Valley . The three-phase elections to the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly will be held on September 18, September 25 and October 1. The results will be declared on October 4. Of the 90 seats, 47 are in Kashmir and 43 in Jammu. Kharge and Rahul arrived in Srinagar on Wednesday. On Thursday they visited the Gup, kar residence of Farooq to meet him and his son Omar. tee which has been tasked to conduct an ‘in-depth analysis of the criminal angle, if any, and forensic diagnosis’ to confirm the cause of death. “Only a detailed investigation by an expert team can confirm the cause of the deaths. We have included a pathologist and a forest intelligence ACF in the team. The panel has been asked to conduct a detailed study and submit the report immediately,” said Chief Wildlife Warden Pramod G Krishnan. The panel includes DFO Kurra Srinivas, animal husbandry department assistant director Dr Arun Zachariah, Forest team inspecting one of the elephant carcasses found in Pindimedu area of Pooyamkutty forest near Kothamangalam on Thursday assistant forest veterinary officers Dr Binoy C Babu and Dr Anuraj, KFRI scientist Dr P Balakrishnan, Mannuthy veterinary College pathologist Dr B Dhanush Krishna, Deputy conservator M A Anaz and ACF Nibin Kiran. One of the elephants was found with its leg trapped between two rocks. The carcass was found leaning forward and its lungs were congested. The postmortem examination of two elephants were completed on Thursday but the team could not confirm the cause of death. “It could be due to infighting or some disease. But there was no external wounds on the carcasses which were more than one week old. Only a detailed study by experts can confirm the reason,” said Flying Squad DFO Manu Sathyan. ● More on P4
Express Network Private Limited publishes thirty three E-paper editions of The New Indian Express newspaper , thirty two E-paper editions of Dinamani, one E-paper edition of The Morning Standard, one E-paper edition of Malayalam Vaarika magazine and one E-paper edition of the Indulge - The Morning Standard, Kolkatta.