hyderabad l Monday l April 14, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION trump fully fit to don role of commander-in-chief: docs underwent colonoscopy, eye surgery In July 2024, according to the report, Trump had a colonoscopy that found a benign polyp and a condition called diverticulosis. It’s a common condition in which the walls of the intestine weaken with age. It can lead to inflammation, though most people with it never experience any problems. Trump also had cataract surgery Test reports of Donald Trump said he has dropped 20 pounds since his last physical test in 2020. He now weighs 224 pounds ■ 62 faces risk of elevated blood pressure ■ Trump’s cholesterol levels have improved over time, helped by the medications rosuvastatin and ezetimibe, the report said His blood pressure was 128 over 74. That is considered elevated, and people in that situation are likely to develop high blood pressure unless steps are taken to control the condition beats per minute is the heart rate of donald trump as per reports 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 NIA seeks voice Dharani out, Bhu Bharati in; CM vows transparency samples of 26/11 co-conspirator B K a r t h e e k @ Hyderabad The state government is set to launch the Telangana Bhu Bharati (Record of Rights in Land) Act, 2024, on Monday evening, to mark the 134th birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will inaugurate the Bhu Bharati portal — an integrated online revenue records management system — replacing the existing Dharani portal on Monday evening. On Sunday, the chief minis- Probe team also plans to take Tahawwur Rana to Kochi to confront ‘mystery witness’ MU K ESH RAN J AN @ New Delhi IN a bid to corroborate call recordings in possession of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the probe team is looking to collect voice samples of Tahawwur Rana, the extradited co-conspirator of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. The agency is also preparing to take him to different places across India, including Kochi, which he had visited multiple times before and after the terror attack on November 26 that year, sources said. Before taking his voice samples, investigators would need Rana’s consent. If he refuses, the NIA team can approach the special court. Once the court’s permission is obtained, experts from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory will be roped in to collect the voice samples, they added. The voice samples could then be used for matching with Rana’s call records to figure out if he was on the phone giving instructions to the 10 terrorists who attacked Mumbai from November 26 to 28. According to sources, a ‘mystery witness’, who is in NIA custody, belongs to Kochi and investigators plan to take Rana to the southern city to confront him. The ‘mystery witness’ had helped Rana and David Coleman Headley, another accused in the case, in arranging logis- ter held a high-level meeting for the second consecutive day to oversee the launch preparations. He directed officials to make the portal user-friendly and accessible to the common man, with a vision to maintain it for the next 100 years. He also emphasised the need for robust cybersecurity measures, including firewalls to protect the portal against potential cyberattacks. He added that the portal’s maintenance would be entrusted to a credible organisation. Bhu Bharati will initially be TG to be 1st state to bring in SC sub-categorisation The state government is set to implement SC subcategorisation starting April 14. It is expected to issue a GO to implement the policy | P4 introduced in three mandals. The portal will offer services including registrations, mutations, appeals and revisions, ROR corrections, conversion to non-agricultural land, and more. It will also provide information on e-challan, encumbrance details, prohibited lands, land rights, land market value and re gistered document details. In a statement, the chief minister said: “As promised by the people’s government, a new Record of Rights (ROR) Act has been created to provide quality services through the Bhu Bharati portal, replacing Dharani — the root of many issues. Farmers can now access services like registrations and mutations, and I’m happy to say Bhu Bharati will offer a lasting solution to long-standing land problems.” As the government phases out the Dharani portal, it has expedited proposals to initiate a “forensic audit” of land records. Highly placed sources confirmed that a Central government agency will be tasked with conducting the audit. Although Dharani was originally introduced to streamline land transactions and enhance transparency, it faced widespread criticism due to operational issues.  Continued on P4 zero levy tics. It is learnt that at least two officers of the NIA Kochi unit are part of the team of 12 investigators questioning Rana. Investigators are also examining if Rana was connected to Dawood Ibrahim or his criminal network based in Dubai. Rana is being questioned not just for his role in the Mumbai attacks, but also to see if he was involved in planning similar terror attacks in other cities, sources said. Keeping this in mind and to retrace events that took place 17 years ago to unravel the conspiracy, the sources said, the NIA probe team may take Rana to several other locations across the country . Besides informing the NIA team about his origins in Pakistan, family, education, immigration to Canada with his wife and opening a travel agency in Chicago, Rana largely remained uncooperative, sources said, adding that he has so far claimed his inability to recall the chain of events but confirmed his presence in Mumbai one week before the attack. Trump tariff fiat gives Indian electronics 20% advantage over China R a k e s h K u m a r @ New Delhi russian missiles kill 30 in ukraine Firefighters try to put out the blaze following Russia’s missile attack that killed at least 30 civilians in Sumy, Ukraine | AP | P9 AIADMK’s induction gives NDA comfortable majority in the RS RA J ESH K UMAR THA K UR @ New Delhi Owaisi announces protest against Waqf Bill on April 19 E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Hyderabad AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi announced that the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) would organise a protest meeting against the Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025 on April 19 from 7 pm to 10 pm at Darussalam in Hyderabad. Speaking to the media on Sunday Owaisi said the protest would , be presided over by AIMPLB president Khalid Saifullah Rahmani. Several Muslim organisations from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, along with members of the Muslim Personal Law Board from both states, are expected to attend the meeting. “The speakers will explain how the Waqf Amendment Act undermines Waqf properties and institutions,” Owaisi said, adding that the organisers were also in touch with the Waqf Committee. “If permitted, the committee members would also attend the meeting,” he said.  Continued on P5 With the AIADMK joining the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) a few days ago, the ruling alliance now has a comfortable majority in the Rajya Sabha. “The addition of four AIADMK MPs has solidified the NDA’s support in the Upper House. Our aim is to get the One Nation, One Election (ONOE) and other important bills passed in the House as soon as possible,” said a senior Rajya Sabha member of the BJP, requesting anonymity . While the Rajya Sabha has a total of 245 seats, nine of them are vacant and are expected to be filled through nominations in the coming days. “In ef fect, the working strength of the Rajya Sabha now is 236, and the simple majority stands at 119. That was where the NDA stood before it stitched up an alliance with the AIADMK. The AIADMK has four members in the Upper House — C V Shanmugam, M Thambidurai, N Chandrasegharan and R Dharma. Its induction raised the NDA’s count to 123.” Add to that the support of seven other MPs — six nominated and one Independent. That takes the effective strength to 130. T h e n t h e re i s A n d h r a Pradesh, where one Rajya Sabha seat is vacant. It was earlier held by the YSR Congress. With the party routed in the assembly elections, the seat is likely to go to the ruling TDP, which is a key NDA ally . Four seats remain vacant for nominated MPs, which the BJP may want to pocket. Four other seats are vacant from J&K. The BJP hopes to take at least one of them whenever polls are held, given its strength of 29 MLAs in the 90-member J&K assembly . If things pan out as expected by the BJP, the NDA’s strength could reach around 140. It would be the first time since 2014 that the NDA would have a clear majority in both Houses of Parliament. “If that happens, the NDA would easily be able to get important bills like the ONOE passed in the Rajya Sabha comfortably,” remarked noted political analyst Dr R K Verma. INDIA’s exports of iPhones and other electronics items — such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets — to the United States will be 20% cheaper compared to those from China, according to the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA). While the US has exempted reciprocal tariffs on electronic imports from most countries, Chinese electronics — particularly iPhones and related devices — continue to face a 20% tariff. India and Vietnam — two major iPhone manufacturing hubs — now benefit from zero tariffs on exports of iPhones, smartphones, laptops, and tablets to the US. The US had said reciprocal tariff on Indian electronics exported to the US was set at 26%, while China faced a 145% tariff and Vietnam 46%. A week later, the US postponed the imposition of these tariffs for 90 days, excluding China. On Friday the US , Customs and Border Protection published a notice `1,705 cr aid for PMAY-U houses in Telangana stating that electronic items — including smartphones, computer monitors, and other gadgets — would be excluded from the reciprocal tariffs announced by the Trump administration. This included the removal of the 26% tariff on Indian products and the 145% tariff on Chinese goods. According to Counterpoint Research, Apple accounted for more than half of smartphone sales in the US last year. As a result, Apple may accelerate its plans to shift and expand its manufacturing operations in India. The tariff exemption brings relief to India. India’s mobile phone exports hit an all-time high of `2,00,000 crore in FY 2024–25, a spike of 55% over the `1,29,000 crore recorded in FY 2023–24. India’s total mobile phone production is estimated to have reached `5,25,000 crore in financial year 2024-25, up from `4,22,000 crore in last fiscal year. Currently, t h re e m a j o r iPhone manufacturers operate in India: Foxconn (67% share), Pegatron (17%), and Tata Electronics (16%). The Centre approved an aid of `1,705.21 crore for the construction of 1,13,681 houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban (PMAY-U) | P4 Man’s death in mishap during traffic check triggers tension 7 months on, Law Commission may get C h i t h a lu r i R eva n t h A 34-year-old man died in Hyderabad on Sunday after he fell from his two-wheeler during a traffic police check and was run over by a TGSRTC bus from the Medak depot. Joshi Babu, the deceased, was a carpenter by profession. He is survived by his wife and two young children, aged four and five. Balanagar police have registered a case against Gopal, a traffic constable. According to the complaint filed by his brother, Naga Phanindra, Babu was on his way to Panjagutta on his bike when traffic police stopped him near the IDPL Township main gate. Police claimed that Babu attempted to flee, collided with another bike and fell. However, Babu’s brother alleged that the constable may have been under the influence of liquor. “When we questioned higher officials, they simply said they would As it happened  A traffic constable stops a man on Splendor bike for a routine check @ Hyderabad  Subsequently, the biker falls on the busy road and is run over by an RTC bus in Balanagar  Police claim the biker tried to flee, collided with another bike and fell on the road in the process Locals protest in Balanagar on Sunday Traffic challans in Cyberabad Year 2023 2024 Spot challans 6,01,396 6,85,545 E-challans 15,74,997 20,41,388 Total penalty `1,04,27,69,730 imposed `1,11,81,71,245 v In 2024, a total 7,181 driving licences sent for suspension in RTA cases look into it,” he said. Protests erupted in the area as locals, commuters and relatives of the deceased gathered, accusing the police of negligence. Police used canes to disperse the crowd, resulting in chaos and a massive traffic jam stretching several kilometres. Many locals blamed the po-  Brother alleges an intoxicated traffic constable tried to pull the deceased biker using collar  Protests erupt as locals accuse police of negligence  Cops resort to caning to disperse crowd, clear traffic jams  Case registered against constable  Cyberabad Commissionerate topped traffic challans in 2024, collecting `111 crore in fines lice for their aggressive enforcement. “They are just doing monthly collections in the name of challans,” a friend of the deceased lamented. Locals told TNIE that the spot where Babu was stopped is not usually a traffic checkpoint. While police said that Babu initially slowed down but then accelerated, hit another vehicle, and fell before being run over by the bus, some eyewitnesses alleged that a traffic constable grabbed his collar, causing him to lose balance and fall into the path of the bus. Speaking to the media, another friend of the deceased said he was travelling from Shapur to Balanagar. “A cop stopped his vehicle and grabbed him by the collar. Babu then lost his balance and fell,” he alleged. “If this had happened to a celebrity, there would have been an immediate outcry. But a common man dies, and no one cares. An eyewitness saw it all and told us what happened,” a person told reporters. “A common man was killed by a cop. If it had been the other way around, the person would have been taken into custody immediately. If someone tries to flee, the police can always catch them elsewhere. But now, who is responsible for this death?” asked another local. new head in retd SC judge Maheshwari P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi After remaining headless for over seven months, the 23rd Law Commission may get a new chief this week. According to highly placed sources, former Supreme Court judge Justice (retd) Dinesh Maheshwari is likely to head the law panel. Along with Justice Maheshwari, two more members will take charge. One of them could be Prof D P Verma, former member of 22nd Law Commission, sources said. A formal notification announcing Justice Maheshwari’s appointment is expected in a couple of days, sources said. The 23rd law panel was set up on September 2 last year for a period of three years. Though there is a provision to appoint serving Supreme Court and high court judges as its chairperson and members, usually Dinesh Maheshwari retired top court judges and exchief justices of high courts get to hold that high office. According to its terms of reference, the commission is also tasked to examine whether a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) can be introduced in the country . Justice Maheshwari retired from the Supreme Court in May 2023. He took oath as a judge of the Rajasthan High Court in September 2004 and was transferred to the Allahabad High Court in 2014. Justice Maheshwari was promoted as the chief justice of the Meghalaya High Court in February 2016. Two years later, he was transferred to the Karnataka High Court as chief justice. In 2019, he was elevated to the Supreme Court. According to law ministry sources, the new panel will be mandated with the completion of the draft UCC among other terms of reference. Sources said that the 22nd Law Commission hadn’t finalise its report on the UCC. The law panel was headless after Justice Rituraj Awasthi resigned as its chairperson in March this year after he was appointed as a judicial member of the Lokpal. Implementation of a central UCC was one of the main poll planks of the BJP during its campaign in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.