THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l friday l august 30, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE city EDITION U.K. univ to open first foreign campus in India under NEP 2020 The University of Southampton was on Thursday granted approval by the University Grants Commission to set up a branch campus in India Campus expected to come up in Gurugram One of UK’s top research universities External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan handed over the Letter of Intent to the UK university at an event in Delhi. The new campus is likely to be located in Gurugram, within the Delhi NCR. It will offer a wide range of undergraduate and post-graduate degree courses starting in July 2025 ■ ■ The University of Southampton is one of the UK’s top research institutions with one-third of its research rated as ‘world-leading’ The National Education Policy 2020 calls for internationalisation of education in India by inviting leading foreign universities to set up branch campuses here and collaborate with local institutions 80th rank for university of southampton in the latest QS world university ranking 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 We are not interfering with the marriages solemnised by Islamic rituals under the Muslim Personal Law at all. Our only condition is that Islam prohibited marriages will not be registered In the pre-Independence Act, there was scope of misuse by both authorised licensee as well as by citizens for underage/ minor marriages and forcefully arranged marriages without the consent of the parties Himanta Biswa Sarma, chief minister Jogen Mohan, revenue minister Registration of Muslim marriages mandatory New bill passed in Assam House to deter teenage pregnancy: CM P r a s a n ta M a z u m d a r @ Guwahati Croc scare in flood-hit Vadodara A huge crocodile being rescued from a residential locality after flood water recede, in Vadodara on Thursday. “We have rescued 10 crocodiles in the last five days. Two have been released and eight are still with us. We will release them when the water level of the Vishwamitri river decreases,” an official said | PTI Rape case against Mukesh; Jayasurya, others in dock too when she reached there to apply for a membership of the The MeToo wave that has Association of Malayalam rocked Mollywood following Movie Artists (AMMA). Mukethe release of the Justice sh was claimed to be an officeHema Committee report took bearer of AMMA at the time. a decisive turn on Thursday At the sessions court, advoafter the police registered a cate Geo Paul, representing case against Mukesh for rape. Mukesh, submitted that the alThe CPM MLA and actor, how- leged incident took place in ever, soon secured interim re- 2010, and that the complainant lief from arrest. had sought financial In all, the police filed help from the actor. six cases in Kochi and He said no sexual one in Thiruvananharassment as althapuram on the day leged by the combased on the complaint plainant took place. of an actress who He also produced worked in Malayalam copies of the Whatand Tamil films. BesApp chats claiming sides Mukesh, actorthat the complainant Mukesh producer Maniyanpilla sought `1 lakh as fimeets CM Raju and actor Edavela nancial aid and sent Babu were charged Amid calls for her bank account dewith rape by the police his resignation tails. There were also in Kochi, while the as MLA, Mukesh chats claiming that Cantonment police contacted CM the victim had “apbooked actor Jayas- Pinarayi Vijayan preciated” Mukesh’s urya for the offence of to provide an “decency” and volunoutraging the modesty explanation teered to mediate in of a woman. regarding the the actor’s matrimoHours after the case sexual assault nial issues. was registered against allegations Paul said the womhim in Maradu police against him, an, a law graduate, station, Mukesh moved according to a did not lodge a coman anticipatory bail close aide. P4 plaint even 13 years plea in the Ernakulam after the alleged inciDistrict Principal Sessions dent. He submitted that MukeCourt, which directed the po- sh was ready to cooperate with lice not to initiate arrest pro- the probe and will appear becedure till September 3. fore the investigation officer. Mukesh has been booked The public prosecutor, meanunder IPC Section 376 (1) for while, sought time to file a rerape; Section 354 for outraging port. “Taking note of the situthe modesty of a woman; Sec- ation that there may not be tion 452 for house trespass chances to flee away from the with the intent to hurt or as- clutches of law, the Investigasault someone and Section 509 tion Officer (is) directed that for insulting a woman’s mod- petitioner shall not be arrested esty by using words, gestures, till September 3. Awaiting reor acts. The allegation is that port and further hearing will the complainant was sexually be on September 2,” read the harassed at a villa in Maradu court diary entry ● More on P4 . E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @Kochi Ranjith accused of ‘unnatural sexual harassment’ P o o j a N a i r @Kozhikode Adding to the woes of the Malayalam film industry, rattled after several women came out with allegations of sexual exploitation and harassment by some of its key figures, a young man has come out with charges of “unnatural sexual harassment” against director Ranjith. T he 33-year-old from Kozhikode has submitted before the special police team investigating the sexual exploitation and harassment in Mollywood that Ranjith had subjected him to unnatural sexual abuse at a hotel in Bengaluru in 2012. The complaint comes close on the heels of a non-bailable case registered against Ranjith after a Bengali actor accused him of sexual misconduct. The youth said he first met the filmmaker in 2012 during the shoot of Bavuttiyude Namathil in Kozhikode. At the time, he was pursuing a diploma course. Ranjith took interest in him on the set and invited him to his hotel room, where they discussed potential acting opportunities. The youth claimed Ranjith complimented his eyes, gave him a contact number on a tissue paper, and encouraged him to ● More on P4 reach out. The Assam assembly on Thursday passed the Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriages and Divorces Bill, 2024, which makes it mandatory to register marriages with the government. Since the legal age of marriage of 18 years for girls and 21 years for boys cannot be contravened, it will act as a strict deterrent against teenage pregnancy and improve overall growth of girls, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The bill replaces the Britishera law, The Assam Moslem Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935. “Today is a historic day in our effort to fight the social evil of child marriage. The #AssamLegislativeAssembly has passed the Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriages and Divorces Bill, 2024,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma posted on X. “I thank all the legislators who pledged their support to this Bill and Govt’s vision of preventing child marriage. This Bill is above party politics and is a means to give our girls Kazi cut out New law to help check polygamy, enforce maintenance rights All earlier registrations of marriages conducted by Kazis will remain valid, said Himanta Biswa Sarma 1 Only new marriages will come under the purview of the legislation where registration has to be done with govt 2 a life of dignity Sarma said. ,” Earlier in the day he told the , Assembly that the government’s aim was not only to abolish child marriages but also to replace the Kazi (religious official) system. He said all marriages would be registered as per an order of the Supreme Court. It emerged during the discussions in the Assembly that Assam has 90 Kazis, most of them government teachers. On August 22, revenue and disaster management minister Jogen Mohan had stated in the statement of Object and Reasons that The Assam Moslem Marriages and Divorces Registration Act was adopted by the British India government for the then Province of Assam for With Each passing day Arti, ficial Intelligence (AI) is making its presence felt in different sectors and education is no exception. Embracing AI with open arms, the Rajagiri St Chavara CMI Public School in Manappuram, Poochakkal, near Cherthala, has installed an AI-powered robot named ‘Iris’ in the school’s office to clear the doubts of students as well as teachers. Principal Fr Jaison Parapilly Students of Rajagiri St Chavara CMI Public School, Poochakkal surrounding Iris and asking questions | Express @ New Delhi THE Supreme Cour t on Thursday slammed Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for his inappropriate comments over the granting of bail to BRS leader K Kavitha and AAP leader Manish Sisodia in cases linked to the Delhi excise policy scam. During a media interaction, Reddy had wondered how Kavitha got bail in just five months, when Delhi deputy CM Sisodia got it only after spending 15 months in jail, while Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is yet to get relief. He hinted at a ‘deal’ between the BJP and BRS for securing bail for Kavitha. T h e s t at e ments did not go down well with the apex court, which expressed its strong displeasure. “Is this a kind of statement which should be made by a CM? A constitutional functionary is speaking in this manner! Why should they drag the court in political rivalry? Do we pass orders after consulting political parties? We are not bothered by politicians or if anybody criticises our orders,” a three-judge bench headed by Justice B R Gavai said. The bench said it is the duty of political parties to show respect to institutions. S u l a g n a S e n g u p ta @ Kolkata Three purported audio recordings of phone calls allegedly made by RG Kar Medical College on August 9 to the parents of the rape-murder victim surfaced on Thursday indicat, ing the institution’s muddled approach and insensitivity while breaking the horrific news to the relatives. In the first call, the hospital authorities simply said their daughter was ‘a little ill’ and asked them to come immediately Two minutes later, anoth. er call came saying she was very sick. In the third call, again after two minutes, the caller claimed their daughter had committed suicide. The victim’s family members said the hospital authorities deliberately mislead them, though they knew their daughter had been raped and murdered. The victim’s father said when they went into the hospital, they saw their daughter’s body wrapped in a green bedsheet. But media images Women participate in a protest rally in Kolkata on Thursday | PTI There has been a deliberate attempt to suppress facts. We want the CBI to investigate why the Kolkata Police misled us — Victim’s father later showed the body in a blue bedsheet. What prompted the hospital to change the bedsheet, he wondered. “There has been a deliberate attempt to suppress facts. We want the CBI to investigate why the Kolkata Police misled us,” he said and demanded a thor- ough investigation into the events leading to her murder. On August 10, authorities arrested Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer frequently seen at RG Kar, whose presence was captured on CCTV near the seminar hall where the body was first seen. A Bluetooth device found at the scene further implicated Roy According to CBI . sources, Roy confessed to the crime during interrogation. Meanwhile, the Kolkata Police arrested a woman, Renuka Singh (38), whose alleged stoning left police sergeant Debasish Chakraborty badly injured in an eye during the Nabanna Abhiyan rally a couple of days ago. express read Students flock to this ‘intelligent robot’ to clear doubts said `2.5 lakh was spent to develop the Intelligent Robotic Interactive System aka Iris, a humanoid AI teacher-robot. It was constructed using the ChatGPT AI tech platform to primarily help students and teachers with academics. “It is a ground-breaking innovation that transforms the way our students learn and our teachers teach. In an everevolving world, education must adapt to meet the needs of future. Iris is designed to bridge the gap between traditional Muslim religious and social arrangements. He said under it, the registration of marriages and divorces is not mandatory and the machinery of registration is informal. “There remains a scope of registering marriages of intended person below 21 years (in case of male) and 18 years (in case of female) and hardly any monitoring (is) made for (the) implementation of this Act throughout the state, which attracts and invites huge amount of litigation in the criminal/ civil court,” Mohan said. “There is a scope of misuse by both authorised licensee as well as by citizens for underage/minor marriages and forcefully arranged marriages without consent,” he stated. S UCHITRA K ALYAN M OHANTY Purported audio of RG Kar calls add to ire AI, AI Iris Teacher! B IJU E PAUL @ Alappuzha The Kazi system for registering Muslim marriages will end. Assam has 90 Kazis, most of them govt teachers 3 SC slams T’gana CM’s remarks on Kavitha bail teaching methods and the innovative possibilities of tomorrow. Whether simplifying complex subjects or nurturing creativity Iris brings a new di, mension to learning at Rajagiri School,” Fr Jaison said. “Iris engages our students with real-time answers to their questions, fostering an environment where curiosity thrives. It brings an AI-powered interactive library into our classrooms, holding knowledge about the entire universe. It can adapt its teaching methods to suit individual needs, ensuring no student is left behind. Iris is equipped to handle a wide range of subjects, making it a versatile tool for our classrooms. The robot encourages our students to explore their creative sides. It is available at the click of a button, ready to assist our teachers and students whenever they need. Iris is not just a teacher but a companion for learning across various fields, making it a valuable asset beyond our classrooms,” ● More on P5 Fr Jaison said. Relief for DKS as K’taka HC dismisses CBI plea Bengaluru: The Karnataka HC on Thursday held as “non-maintainable” a petition filed by the CBI challenging the Congress government’s decision to withdraw consent to it for investigating a disproportionate assets case against Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar. A division bench also dismissed the plea challenging the state government’s order referring the J74.93-crore DA case to the Lokayukta. P5 KSRTC seeks unit heads’ ideas for G9 cr daily biz Kochi: The cash-strapped KSRTC has issued strict instructions to all unit heads to come out with ‘feasible’ proposals to achieve a collective daily collection of J9 crore, a 33% rise from the current operational earnings of J6-7 crore. The KSRTC has also requested the Local Self Government Department (LSGD) to entrust it with the repair and maintenance of heavy vehicles of all LSGD institutions. P5 16 pages, including 4 pages of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Express
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