tirupati l tuesday l march 25, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l anantapur EDITION SC sets up task force to address rising trend of student suicides The Supreme Court on Monday ordered a national task force to be formed under former SC judge S Ravindra Bhat to study rising student suicides Culture of neglect in India’s Edu institutes Students form 7.6% of suicides reported A bench of justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan said when academic environments fail to address mental health concerns effectively, they contribute to a culture of neglect. The court took note of reports of ragging, academic pressure, caste discrimination, sexual harassment, etc, that were driving students to suicide due to the absence of institutional support ■ ■ According to the 210th report of the Law Commission of India, suicide was identified as one of the most significant factors contributing to the premature and unnatural cessation of human life Student accounted for 7.6% of total suicides in India in 2022, with 1.2% attributable to career problems and 1.2% to exam failures 13,000 Student suicides reported in India in 2022 alone 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 demolition justice again CASH ROW SC Collegium recommends judge’s transfer SUCHITRA K ALYA N MOHA N TY & N AMITA B AJPAI @ New Delhi / Lucknow Shiv Sena workers vandalise Habitat Studio in Khar, where Kunal Kamra had performed; (right) a bulldozer takes down the home of an accused in the Nagpur riot case | PTI FIR against Kamra, lens on call data, bank account House of prime accused in Nagpur riots razed s u d h i r s u r ya w a n s h i @ Mumbai S u d h i r S u r ya w a n s h i @ Mumbai AN FIR has been filed against stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra for making defamatory remarks against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde during a comedy show. As part of the investigation, police will check Kamra’s phone call records and freeze his bank account, said Maharashtra minister of state (Home) Yogesh Kadam. This comes after Kamra courted controversy on Sunday night when he uploaded a video of a standup comic piece he had performed at the Habitat Studio at the Unicontinental Hotel in Mumbai’s Khar area. In the 45-minute video, Kamra used a parody in which he referred to Shinde as a “traitor”, sparking outrage from Shiv Sena workers. As per police, Kamra used a modified version of a Hindi song to mock Shinde over his 2022 rebellion against thenChief Minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray. Within an hour of the video being uploaded, scores of Shiv Sena workers ransacked the property . The Habitat Studio, where the show was filmed, was demolished by Mumbai’s civic body on Monday for ‘building violations’. A BMC official said THE two-storey residence of Fahim Khan, an alleged mastermind behind the communal violence in Nagpur on March 17, was demolished on Monday by civic authorities who alleged it had been constructed in violation of norms. Two days ago, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said the cost of properties damaged during the violence will be recovered from rioters and the failure to pay up would lead to seizure and selling the properties to recover losses. The operation, which involved bulldozers and a heavy police presence assisted by drones, also saw the removal of an illegally constructed balcony at the house of another accused, Yusuf Sheikh, in the Mahal area. Just hours after the demolition began, the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court intervened, issuing a stay on the demolitions and criticising the administration for its “highhandedness.” A division bench comprising Justices Nitin Sambre and Vrushali Joshi questioned why the property owners were not given an opportunity for a hearing before the demolition of the building. The bench indicated that if determined that express read Araku Coffee stall opened in Parliament Vijayawada: Araku Coffee, a GI-tagged organic coffee cultivated by 1.5 lakh tribal farmers in Andhra Pradesh’s Araku Valley, has earned a prestigious spot in Parliament as part of a nationwide campaign to promote the brand | P3 Ensure no water crisis in summer: CM to officials Vijayawada: Chairing a review meeting at the Secretariat on Monday, Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu directed the officials to ensure that no region in the State faces drinking water scarcity during the summer by taking proactive measures | P4 Kunal Kamra 12 sena workers granted bail Mumbai: A local court granted bail to 12 workers of the Shiv Sena for ransacking the venue in Mumbai where Kamra made the ‘traitor’ jibe. The workers were arrested on Monday morning the temporary shed and other structures comprising the studio created in the basement of the hotel have been razed. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis sought an apology from Kamra, stating that while the comic has the right to freedom of speech, he cannot insult leaders. “Kamra should read the Constitution ... where it is mentioned that you have freedom of speech, but it should not insult anyone. We demand an apology from Mr Kamra,” he said. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar distanced himself from the controversy, and said that there should be no pressure on the police during the investigation. Fahim Khan house was built illegally: official Nagpur: Civic body commissioner Harish Raut said they were acting on directives regarding the property illegally constructed on an expired lease from the Nagpur Improvement Trust the demolition was conducted unlawfully, the authorities might be liable for damages. Khan, a leader of the Minority Democratic Party (MDP), is currently in jail and facing charges of sedition in connection with the March 17 riots in Nagpur. The riots erupted after rumour about the burning of a ‘chadar’ featuring religious inscriptions during protests organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) demanding the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in central Maharashtra. According to civic officials, prior to the demolition, Khan had received a notice citing multiple violations, including the lack of an approved plan. The Supreme Court on Monday confir med the transfer of Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma, who is under scrutiny after a huge pile of cash was found at his official residence, to the Allahabad HC. “The Supreme Court Collegium in its meetings held on March 20 and 24 has recommended the repatriation of Justice Yashwant Varma, Judge, High Court of Delhi, to the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad,” read the Collegium’s resolution, uploaded on the SC website on Monday . The confirmation came amid stiff opposition from the Allahabad High Cour t Bar Association (HCBA), which said the high court is not a “dumping ground for corrupt and tainted judges”. The HCBA called for the impeachment of Justice Varma and announced an indefinite strike from Tuesday against the Collegium’s resolution. The proposed transfer of Justice Varma, who has now been stripped of all the judicial responsibilities, will become effective if and when the Centre accepts the Col- legium’s recommendation. The HCBA also demanded registration of an FIR and probe by the CBI and ED against the judge, who has denied all the allegations against him claiming the whole affair was a conspiracy to tarnish his image. The association said Justice Varma’s past judgments need to be reviewed to safeguard the integrity of the judiciary It . also called for an overhaul of the Collegium system saying the current practice of appointing judges lacks transparency . Meanwhile, a three-member probe panel set up by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna is looking into the allegations against Justice Varma. The probe panel comprises Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab & Haryana High Court; Justice Gur meet Singh Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court; and Justice Anu Sivaraman, Judge of the Karnataka High Court. While dousing a fire at Justice Varma’s Delhi residence on March 14, firefighters found a huge quantity of partially burnt currency notes. The judge was not at home when the incident took place. Unanswered questions Several crucial points are missing in the cash-at-judge’s-home story. Here’s a look: 1 Who ordered removal of debris from the scene on the morning of March 15. Where is this debris now? 2 According to reports, half-burnt sacks containing cash were seen. Then why wasn’t the scene sealed immediately? 3 Delhi HC CJ’s aide reported seeing debris on March 15 night. How is it possible if it was removed in the morning? 4 A video showing burnt currency notes has gone viral. Has the device on which it was recorded been recovered? PMO accepts CM’s invite, Modi to visit Amaravati after April 15 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada The Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) has intensified ground levelling work in Amaravati as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to relaunch the construction works of the State capital between April 15 and 20. Though the Prime Minister’s Office has accepted the invitation extended by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, the exact date of Modi’s visit to Amaravati is yet to be finalised. The APCRDA has taken up extensive groundwork for the PM’s visit, including levelling 250 acres of land, deploying 16 excavators, four heavy cranes and six trucks at the site. A major public meeting is being planned at west of the N-9 road behind the Secretariat Building Complex in Velagapudi, where Ugadi celebrations will be held on March 30 on a 40 acre site. After the end of the festivities, development works will commence in the same area for the PM’s programme. Modi, who initially laid the foundation stone for Capital Amaravati on October 22, 2015, is coming again to relaunch the construction works. The government has finalised tenders worth `37,702 crore. It plans to develop Amaravati as a world- APCRDA takes up arrangements for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit | Express class city at an estimated cost of `62,000 crore. The World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and HUDCO have sanctioned over `26,000 crore to sup- port capital development . Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister Ponguru Narayana has asserted that Amaravati will be a self-sustaining project. Modi is expected to launch multiple development projects worth `42,000 crore. The event marks the resumption of capital construction, which came to a halt due to the previous YSRCP government’s three-capital proposal. Amaravati farmers are hopeful that the PM’s visit will bring additional benefits to them. Narayana is overseeing arrangements, holding a series of review meets with officials to ensure the success of the PM’s visit. The government views this as a historic occasion that will accelerate Amaravati’s development, and reaffirm AP’s place on the national stage. Platform to support P4 programme on anvil E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has announced that a platform is being created to enable the wealthy to support the underprivileged under the Zero Poverty – P4 programme, which will be launched on Ugadi. Reviewing the final structure of the programme at an official meeting at the State Secretariat on Monday, the Chief Minister made it clear that participation in P4 is entirely voluntary, and no one should be forced to contribute to it. NRIs can also take part in this initiative, much like the Janmabhoomi programme implemented during his previous tenure, which received widespread public support. “The platform is open to anyone willing to offer support, and the government’s role is limited to connect donors with beneficiaries, and no additional financial aid will be provided by the State,” he said. Naidu stressed the need to inspire the affluent to come forward to support the poverty eradication programme. It should be ensured that the selection of beneficiaries, termed ‘Bangaru Kutumbam’ (Golden Family) is free from errors. The donors will be referred to as Margadarsi (Guide). Naidu also made it clear that the P4 programme is independent of the welfare schemes. For the launching event of P4 programme at Amaravati on Ugadi, at least one representative from each village, and one bus from every constituency will be arranged to bring participants. In the first phase, 20 lakh families will get the benefit, and the programme will continue until the State achieves the zero poverty rate, he added. 24% hike in salary on parliamentarians The Centre notified a 24% hike in the salaries of MPs with effect from April 1, 2023, on the basis of the Cost Inflation Index. Their monthly wages now stand at `1.24 lakh plus allowances and perks | P7 100-day action plan for SSC students likely to yield better results this year Govt gets a month to decide on Rahul citizenship row dual nationality? K K a lya n K r i s h n a K u m a r @ Vijayawada The 100-day action plan of the government for SSC students is expected to yield better results in the public examinations this academic year.   The plan will be implemented in the following academic years as well to improve the performance of students in the public examinations. The plan includes a structured day-wise schedule, question banks, model question papers, and pre-final and grand test. The plan’s objective is to boost students’ confidence, reduce examrelated anxiety and im, prove overall academic outcome. The State’s current assessment system has also been refined with four formative and two summative assessments conducted each year for stu- dents of class I to IX. For younger students of class I and II, assessment will be activity-based rather than traditional written test, with teachers evaluating performance through observation and grading instead of numerical score. For higher classes, greater emphasis will be laid on written expression under the formative assessment to better prepare students for the annual P4 examinations.  N a m i ta B a j pa i @ Lucknow The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Monday granted the Central government a month’s time to take a decision regarding the status of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘dual citizenship’. A PIL by BJP worker S Vignesh Shishir based in Karnataka sought cancellation of Rahul’s citizenship owing to his alleged concealment of his British citizenship. Deputy Solicitor General of India Surya Bhan Pandey rep, resenting the Centre, requested the division bench comprising Justice Attau Rehman Masoodi and Justice Ajai Kumar Srivastava for two months to make a decision on Rahul’s citizenship, but the bench directed that the matter be listed in the week commencing April 21 for the next hearing. Vignesh’s counsel told the court his client had presented a detailed representation-cum-complaint to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, asking for the cancellat i o n o f R a h u l ’s I n d i a n citizenship. The petitioner had sent emails to the UK government seeking details about Rahul’s citizenship records. He learnt that UK had already received a similar request from one VSS Sarma (respondent no. 14) in 2022. Vignesh then approached Sarma who agreed to share the confidential emails of the UK government which hinted at Rahul’s British nationality The . plea added that in the email, the UK government stated that it could not provide information about Rahul Gandhi unless it got a letter of authority from him (Rahul). The PIL alleged that the email of the UK government was an outright admission of Rahul’s British nationality .