'Choosing a partner is a person's fundamental right'

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wednesday, july 11, 2018 Delhi

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OPPORTUNITIES A PAGE 2

DELHI METRO A 4 PAGES

Choice of a partner is a person’s fundamental right, andit can be a samesex partner,Justice D.Y. Chandrachudsaid on Tuesday.

The observation came onthe fi��rst day of hearing by aConstitution Bench of petitions challenging the constitutionality of Section 377 ofthe Indian Penal Code, a colonialera provision that criminalises private consensualsex between adults.

Violation of privacyJustice Chandrachud, who ispart of the fi��vejudge Benchled by Chief Justice of IndiaDipak Misra, was reacting toa submission by senior advocate Arvind Datar, for hotelier Keshav Suri, that theright to sexual orientationwas meaningless without theright to choose a partner.

Justice Chandrachuddrew his observations fromthe March 2018 judgment inthe Hadiya case, which heldthat neither the state norone’s parents could infl��uence an adult’s choice of

partner. That would be a violation of the fundamentalright to privacy.

Hadiya, a Hindu girl fromKerala, converted to Islamand chose to marry a Muslimman.

Diff��ering viewsChief Justice Misra said thetest was whether Section 377stood in conformity with Articles 21 (right to life), 19(right to liberty) and 14 (right

to equality) of theConstitution.

At one point, the judgesappeared to diff��er in theirapproach to the case. JusticeChandrachud said the courtshould not confi��ne itselfmerely to a declarationwhether Section 377 wasconstitutional or not. Itcould examine the widerconcept of “sexuality” to include cohabitation etc., hesaid.

But Chief Justice Misra observed that the Benchshould fi��rst decide the constitutionality of Section 377.“Let us get out of this maze.We cannot now give an advance ruling on questionslike inheritance to liveinpartners, whether they canmarry, etc. Those are individual issues we cannot prejudge,” he said.

‘Choosing a partner is aperson’s fundamental right’He or she can be from the same sex, says SC judge at hearing on Section 377 case

Krishnadas Rajagopal

NEW DELHI

CONTINUED ON A PAGE 10

Nineteenyearold Rangiladoesn’t need to danceanymore. The sloth bear,which was smuggled intoNepal in December 2017 foruse as a ‘dancing bear,’ isbeing sent back to India.

The Indian and Nepalesegovernments, Nepal’s JaneGoodall Institute, and theIndian nonprofi��t, WildlifeSOS, facilitated therepatriation. The sevenmonthlong processinvolved obtaining severalapprovals and documentsfrom both countries(including import permits),the organisations said.

Wildlife SOS alsolaunched a campaignrequesting Nepaleseauthorities to help the bear.Eventually, a Cabinet

decision by the governmentof Nepal approved thebear’s repatriation to India.It has, however, been anarduous journey for Rangila.

It was in December 2017that Wildlife SOS receivedinformation about twodancing bears on the IndoNepal border. But thetraffi��ckers swiftly moved

them into Nepal, whereIndian authorities do nothave jurisdiction.

Nepal’s enforcementoffi��cials detained twopeople, and the two bears,Rangila and 17yearoldSridevi, were temporarilyshifted to the KathmanduZoo. Sridevi, unfortunately,did not survive.

A 1,000km journeyAt present, two Wildlife SOSteams are engaged inescorting Rangila in ananimal ambulance on its1,000km journey from theKathmandu Zoo to the AgraBear Rescue Centre in UttarPradesh, where he will joinnearly 200 rescued slothbears.

This is a unique eff��ort tobring back a wild citizenhome, said Kartick

Satyanarayan, cofounder ofWildlife SOS. Once Rangilareaches the Wildlife SOSBear Rescue Centre, he willreceive specialisedveterinary care, said cofounder Geeta Seshamani.

“He will have a largeforested enclosure with apool, lots of trees to climb,and other bears to playwith,” she added.

“We are happy to help inthis repatriation mission,”said Chiranjibi PrasadPokheral, project managerat the Kathmandu Zoo,where both Rangila andSridevi were housed. Slothbears (Melursus ursinus),found only in the Indiansubcontinent, wereexploited as ‘dancing bears’in India until the practicewas banned in 1972. But it isnot illegal in Nepal.

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Nepal returns ‘dancing bear’ to India

aathira perinchery

KOCHI

Centre backs move to bring back animal smuggled across the border last year

Just bearing it: Rangila waits for the journey to Agra. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Rescuers freed the last fourof 12 Thai boys and theirfootball coach from deep inside a fl��ooded cave on Tuesday, successfully ending anextraordinarily perilous mission that has gripped theworld for more than twoweeks.

The ‘Wild Boars’ soccerteam, aged 1116, and their25yearold coach weretrapped on June 23 while exploring the cave complex inthe northern province ofChiang Rai when rain fl��ooded the tunnels. “We are notsure if this is a miracle, ascience, or what. All the thirteen Wild Boars are now outof the cave,” the Navy SEALunit, which led the rescue,said on its Facebook page,adding that all were safe.

British divers found the13, hungry and huddled indarkness on a muddy bankin a partly fl��ooded chamberseveral kilometres in theTham Luang cave complex,on Monday last week.

After pondering for daysover how to get them out, arescue operation was

launched on Sunday whenfour of the boys werebrought out, tethered to rescue divers. Another fourwere rescued on Mondayand the last four boys andthe coach were brought outon Tuesday, as spontaneousapplause broke out and ambulances and helicopterspassed.

Celebrations were tingedwith sadness over the deathof a former Thai Navy diveron Friday while on a resupply mission in the cave. “Iwant to tell the coach,‘thank you so much for help

ing the boys survive thislong’,” said one Chiang Raiwoman, wearing a traditional dress, tears brimming inher eyes.

The last fi��ve were broughtout of the cave on stretchers,one by one over the courseof the day, and taken by helicopter to hospital. Threemembers of the SEAL unitand an Army doctor, whohas stayed with the boyssince they were found, werethe last people due to comeout of the cave, the unit said.

All members of Thai teamrescued from fl��ooded cave Last four boys and football coach brought out safely

Reuters

CHIANG RAI

Mission accomplished: Rescue workers taking away theirequipment at the end of their mission. * REUTERS

‘INCREDIBLY STRONG’ A PAGE 12

After the fi��ght: People looking at houses damaged in a gunfi��ght between security forces and militants at Kundalan in Shopiandistrict of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. Two militants were killed in the encounter. * NISSAR AHMAD (REPORT ON PAGE 10)

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Collateral damage

India and South Korea onTuesday vowed to morethan double trade in thenext decade, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi heldtalks with the visiting President Moon Jaein.

The two sides signed 11MoUs and agreements, including a statement on expanding the 2010 Comprehensive EconomicPartnership Agreement,and a joint vision statement that committed tomore military exchangesand enhancing defenceprojects together. Praisingeach other for their roles inkeeping their respective regions “peaceful,” Mr. Modiand Mr. Moon also committed to strengthening the“special strategic partnership” in the region.

Delhi, Seoulpledge todouble trade

Suhasini Haidar

New Delhi

‘A STAKEHOLDER’ A PAGE 11

Pilots and fl��ight attendantswill now have to work longer hours after the aviationregulatory body, the DirectorateGeneral of Civil Aviation (DGCA), amended itsrules to allow airlines to extend duty timings of thecrew during a medicalemergency, a natural calamity, technical malfunction and unfavourableweather conditions.

Mandatory timingsThe DGCA has laid down

fl��ight duty time limitation(FDTL) and rest timings forpilots and fl��ight attendants,which have to be followed

mandatorily by all airlinesto prevent fatiguerelatedsafety issues.

While the rules allowedairlines exemptions underexceptional circumstances,they did not defi��ne whatthose situations would be.

The aviation regulatorybody has now spelt out thecircumstances duringwhich airlines will be allowed to extend shift timings of their crew to “avoidinconvenience to passengers.”

Pilots may have to work longer hoursAviation regulatory body DGCA amends rules on fl��ight duty

JAGRITI CHANDRA

NEW DELHI

All airlines must follow the rules to avoid fatiguerelated safety issues.


REPORTS ON PAGE 15

School ‘locks up’ 16 girlsfor not paying feesNEW DELHI

Sixteen nursery girl students

were allegedly locked up for

fi��ve hours in the basement of

a private school in central

Delhi by the administration

on Monday over delay in

payment of fee. The students

were rescued by their parents

later in the day.DELHI METRO A PAGE 1 DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

NEARBY

The Madurai Bench of theMadras High Court on Tuesday directed the CBSE topublish within two weeks arevised list of candidateswho have qualifi��ed in theNEET this year after awarding four marks for each ofthe 49 erroneously translated questions in the Tamilversion of question paper.

A Division Bench of Justices C.T. Selvam and A.M.Basheer Ahamed passed theorder on a public interest litigation petition fi��led by CPI(M) Rajya Sabha memberT.K. Rangarajan, who contended that the erroneouslytranslated questions put aspirants who took the NEETin Tamil at a disadvantage.

Extra marksfor Tamilcandidatesin NEET

B. Tilak Chandar

Madurai


downloaded from : www.visionias.net downloaded from : https://t.me/Material_For_Exam


CM

YKM ND-NDE

NOIDA/DELHI THE HINDU

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When senior publicrelations executiveKritiga left her job

of two years, drawn by bet-ter prospects in another or-ganisation, she went througha 45-minute-long exit inter-view process with the HR De-partment.

From the time she submit-ted her resignation, they hadmultiple conversations withher, hoping to persuade herto reconsider her decision. Afew days before the formalexit interview, the Chief Ex-ecutive Officer talked to her.

“I gave honest reasons forleaving the organisation, butI thought the HR team wasjustifying each of its de-cisions,” says Kritiga, whocited poor monetary benefitsand better opportunitieselsewhere for her decision toleave.

If done well, an exit inter-view (EI) — it could be a face-to-face conversation, a ques-tionnaire or a combinationof both — can help a com-pany learn and evolve. How-ever, very often, EIs fall flatand don’t produce useful in-formation or help in retain-ing employees, because theprocess is flawed.

Many progressive com-panies are either improvisingtheir in-house exit interviewprocess or outsourcing it to athird party with the object-ive of ensuring greaterobjectivity.

EI outsourced

Acengage, a Bengaluru-based company that works

vices company, leaving em-ployees are also asked to ratevarious programmes per-taining to learning and devel-opment and employee en-gagement during the EI.

Retention rate

Regardless of the methodsemployed, the effectivenessof an EI programme shouldbe measured by the positivechange it generates. At AllsecTechnologies, a BPO, entry-level attrition, especially inthe first 180 days, was a bigchallenge for the organisa-tion. Lessons drawn from itsexit interviews have helpedthe organisation reduce attri-

tion rate by 15% over the lasttwo-and-a half years.

Allsec phased out the tra-ditional method of filling aquestionnaire and intro-duced a conversation-basedmodel which required the in-terviewer to take down theanswers. More recently, it in-troduced telephonic exit in-terviews that can be giveneven after the employee hasleft the organisation.

“Getting feedback from70% to 75% of employeeswho are quitting is big suc-cess for us, as it will help uswork on them,” says R. Vaith-iyanathan, senior vice-pres-

ident (operations and HR)Allsec Technologies.

For the last couple ofyears, it has an “engagementgroup” that works closelywith employees.

“Our mentoring pro-grammes for employees dur-ing the first six months hashelped remove inhibitionsyoungsters had about work-ing in a BPO,” says Vaithiy-anathan, adding that lateralopportunities and continu-ous engagement pro-grammes have also helped.

Disgruntled employees

Suresh Sambandam, founderand CEO of OrangeScape, aSaaS company based inChennai, feels companiesshould not allow employeesto come to the exit-interviewstage. Such disgruntled em-ployees must be identifiedearly on for meaningful re-tention conversations.

“We generally identifypeople who are unhappy orare likely to leave, so wespend more time with themto see how they can beplaced in a new role,” saysSambandam who makessure he has an interactionwith every employee whohas put in his papers.

“Our attrition rate is low.”

How to make exitinterviews count

ILLUSTRATION: SREEJITH RAVIKUMAR

Liffy Thomas

<> We help companies

understand why

employees leave and

what they can do to

check attrition

with close to 60 companies,says the trend of companiesseeking help from an ex-ternal agency is on a rise. ForEIs, they hire behaviouralpsychologists who will inter-act with outgoing employeesover the telephone.

“There are companiesthat want our services on amonth-on-month basis andothers, on a periodic basis.Based on our post-exit sur-vey, we help companies un-derstand why employeesleave and what they can doto check attrition,” says KrishHanumanthu., co-founder,Acengage. He says confiden-tiality is maintained and theyalso validate action taken bycompanies.

At Opteamix, an IT ser-

Honest feedback from departing employees can help companies weed out fl��aws in the system

Organisations acrossthe globe are facingone of the worst tal-

ent shortages since 2006.According to a report byManpower Group, with theaverage pegged at 45%,global talent shortage is at a12-year high.

Japan (89%), Romania(81%), Taiwan (78%), HongKong (76%), Indian (56%)and Singapore (56%) areamong countries facinggreatest difficulty in hiringrequired talent.

China (13%), Ireland(18%), UK (19%), Netherlands(24%), Spain (24%), Norway(25%), France (29%), SouthAfrica (32%) and Switzerland(33%) are countries with theleast difficulty in hiring tal-ent. Skilled-trade positionsare the hardest to fill glob-ally, says the study.

Lack of applicants is oneof the main reasons for or-ganisations being unable tohire the right talent. Findingcandidates with the right

blend of technical skill andhuman strength is achallenge.

The report ends with the“build, buy, borrow orbridge” advice to organisa-

tions to ensure the work-force has skills that are in de-mand in the the digital age.

For the survey, ManpowerGroup covered 39,195 em-ployers across 43 countries.

Demand for skilled workers is on the rise. PHOTO: AFP

Talent shortage at an alltime high, says study

Amazon DevelopmentCentre (India) is con-ducting the Amazon

Customer Excellence (ACE)Challenge, an inter-collegi-ate case study competitionthat is open to teams fromtop business schools inAsia.

As part of the challenge,B-School students have to

innovate, strategise and re-commend solutions for a di-verse set of complex workchallenges.

The Amazon CustomerExcellence (ACE) Challenge2018 will be conducted intwo stages. From time-crunched problem-solvingand live case simulations inthe first phase to face-off

between teams in the fi-nale. According to a pressrelease, winners from thepast editions of ACE havegone on to joining Amazonas full-time employees. Stu-dents from designated busi-ness schools can registerthemselves on (https://amazonacechallenge.com/register).

Have a solution for a workplace challenge? E

ven as there is fear thatautomation will takeaway jobs, robotics is

creating new job opportunit-ies for skilled resources.Here’s a study indicatingthat robotic technology isgoing to be the future ofjobs.

Job site Indeed has seen a186% increase in the numberof job seekers looking forjob opportunities in India,between May 2015 and May2018. According to a press

release, job posting duringthe same period grew by191%.

Maharashtra is leading thepack in India for those seek-ing job opportunities in therobotics sector, followed byKarnataka and Telangana.

Among the sectors leadingthe robotics boom are thesurgery and construction in-dustry. The surgical roboticsmarket is estimated to growat a rate of 20% between2017 and 2025, as compared

to the global rate of12%, said a release.

In a press release,Sashi Kumar, managingdirector, Indeed, said,“Sectors like construc-tion, manufacturing andhealthcare are boostingthe demand for roboticstalent, and there isenormous scope for theapplication of techno-logy across an evenwider array of indus-tries.”

A boom in robotics

A participant at a robotics workshop. PHOTO .V.SUBRAHMANYAM

RBS India, the innovationand operation hub ofThe Royal Bank of Scot-

land, has set up an industryforum titled ‘Disability Smart’to mainstream the disabilityinclusion agenda in organisa-tions. Companies with an in-clusion agenda and thosekeen on sharing best prac-tices can be a part of theforum.

According to a press re-lease, the forum will promotediscussions about how organ-isations and persons with dis-

abilities can work together tocreate an environment thatengages, enables and em-powers persons with disabilit-ies, and establish an inclusiveculture in companies.

In a press release, PankajPhatarphod, managing dir-ector and country head of ser-vices, RBS India said, “Overthe last few years, RBS hassupported the developmentof disability-friendly productsand services and contributedto the development of disabil-ity and inclusion learning.

This forum provides a uniqueplatform to discuss how moreorganisations can becomedisability smart.”

The forum’s participantprofile, comprising leadersfrom GIC’s (Global In-houseCaptive), experts from thefield and persons with disabil-ities, discussed how organisa-tions can drive accessibility,employability and develop-ment of persons with disabil-ity, added the release.

For details, [email protected]

Towards an inclusive culture RBS India launches a forum to unite companies andpersons with disabilities



CMYK

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THE HINDU NOIDA/DELHI

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Published by N. Ravi at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860, Anna Salai, Chennai-600002 and Printed by S. Ramanujam at HT Media Ltd. Plot No. 8, Udyog Vihar, Greater Noida Distt. Gautam Budh Nagar, U.P. 201306, on behalf of THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD., Chennai-600002. Editor: Mukund Padmanabhan (Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act).

Regd. DL(ND)-11/6110/2006-07-08 ● RNI No. TNENG/2012/49940 ● ISSN 0971 - 751X ● Vol. 8 ● No. 164

DELHI Timings

Wednesday, July 11

RISE 05:32 SET 19:22

RISE 03:32 SET 17:33

Thursday, July 12

RISE 05:32 SET 19:22

RISE 04:29 SET 18:38

Friday, July 13

RISE 05:32 SET 19:22

RISE 04:29 SET 18:38

Monsoon reactivatesover Himachal Pradesh SHIMLA

After taking a brief hiatus,

monsoon has reactivated in

several parts of Himachal

Pradesh with capital Shimla

witnessing heavy rain (60.2

mm) since midnight, the Met

Department said on Tuesday.PTI

IN BRIEF

HC revokes governmentorder on fee hike NAINITAL

In a relief to the students of

Ayurvedic colleges in the

State, the Uttarakhand High

Court has revoked a State

government order effecting a

substantial hike in their fees.PTI

Leader of the Opposition inHaryana Abhay Singh Chautala on Tuesday said that theMinimum Support Price declared by the Union Government for the kharif cropswas insuffi��cient and merejuggling of the fi��gures to artifi��cially reach the fi��gure of50% profi��t over cost of production.

He was addressing the Indian National Lok Dal andthe Bahujan Samaj Partyworkers at a meeting as partof “Jail Bharo Andolan”.

The agitation has beenlaunched by the INLDBSPalliance demanding the com

pletion of the SutlejYamunaLink canal as directed by theSupreme Court and the nowabandoned DadupurNalvi

canal and Mewat’s legitimateshare of water from Agracanal.

Addressing the gathering,

Mr. Chautala said the MSPwas less than what was promised and the BJP had beenmaking noise to cover up itsfailure to implement the recommendations of Sthewaminathan CommissionReport.

He also accused the BJPgovernment of betraying theinterests of Haryana on theSYL canal issue. He said thatit was unfortunate that theBJP was now inventing newexcuses to avoid carrying outits constitutional duty.

Mr. Chautala also criticised the decadelong Congress rule during which theparty turned a ‘blind eye’ tothe needs of the State.

Kharif MSP is insuffi��cient, says Chautala ‘Juggling of data to artifi��cially reach fi��gure of 50% profi��t over cost of production’

Abhay Singh Chautala at a rally organised by the INLD andBSP in Gurugram on Tuesday. * MANOJ KUMAR

Staff Reporter

GURUGRAM

The wife of gangster MunnaBajrangi on Tuesday demanded a CBI probe into themurder of her husband inside the Baghpat jail.

Accusing the Uttar Pradesh government and offi��cials of being part of the murder ‘conspiracy’, SeemaSingh said her husband wasforcibly taken out of Jhansijail, where he was lodgedand had recently survived anattempt at poisoning, and taken to Baghpat in a ‘plannedmanner’.

She alleged that formerBSP MP from Jaunpur Dhananjay Singh, himself a tainted politician, led the conspiracy along with others.

“The government and administration have supported

them because there was noreason to take him to Baghpat. He was forcibly taken toBaghpat because it wasplanned that he would be taken there and murdered,”Ms. Singh told a Hindi newschannel.

She also dismissed reportsthat her husband was shotdead with his own weapon,arguing that it would nothave been possible for himto carry a weapon while being shifted from one jail toanother under high security.

Ms. Singh had at a pressconference on June 29fl��agged a threat to Bajrangi’slife.

She had requested ChiefMinister Yogi Adityanath tostep up her husband’ssecurity.

“After I fl��agged the threat

of encounter, they changedtactics and did it (murder) inside the jail,” said Ms. Singh.

Prem Prakash Singh aliasMunna Bajrangi, a notoriousgangster from Jaunpur, wason Monday shot dead insidethe Baghpat jail by a fellowinmate and mobster, SunilRathi.

After the murder, Rathithrew the weapon into adrain. The police recovered

the pistol a 7.62 bore lateon Monday evening after anextensive search. Ten usedcartridges, 22 live bullets andtwo magazines were also recovered, said ADG (Law andOrder) Anand Kumar.

No lapseThe State government has initiated a judicial probe. OnMs. Singh’s allegations, U.P.DGP O.P. Singh said that herstatement would be scrutinised and probed. “It will bemade a part of the investigation and appropriate actionwill be taken,” he said.

There was no lapse in thepolice security given to Bajrangi, he added.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav criticised theYogi Adityanath government, saying the murder was

an example of the missinglaw and order in the State.

“There is an atmosphereof terror in the State. Criminals are so emboldened thatthey are committing murders even inside jails...TheState never witnessed aphase of such chaos and misrule,” he tweeted.

Cremated amid securityMeanwhile, Bajrangi was cremated at Varanasi’s Manikarnika Ghat on Tuesday amidtight security in the presenceof a large number of his sympathisers.

His teenage son SamirSingh lit the pyre as the Statepolice, Provincial ArmedConstabulary and Local Intelligence Unit jawans ensured there was no law andorder situation.

Bajrangi’s wife seeks CBI probe into murder Alleges U.P. government, offi��cials ‘conspired’ to shift him to Baghpat jail in a ‘planned manner’

Omar Rashid

LUCKNOW

Munna Bajrangi's wife SeemaSingh. * FILE PHOTO

With the Chandigarh administration making helmetmandatory for all womendriving twowheelers or riding pillion, the ShiromaniAkali Dal has taken exception to the decision, sayingthat the step was not in consonance with Sikh religionand culture.

To deliberate on the decision, a meeting of all womenShiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC)members has been convened on July 12 at the SGPChead offi��ce in Amritsar, saidBibi Jagir Kaur, president ofthe Istri Akali Dal, in a statement here.

“The decision is not inconsonance with Sikh reli

gion and culture, and hencewe have decided to discussthe issue in its entirety,” shesaid. Ms. Kaur added thatwomen intellectuals have also been invited to participate in the meeting and givetheir views on the matter.

“Depending on the viewsexpressed at the meeting,we would plan our next lineof action, which could include a protest, if required,”she added.

The Chandigarh administration had on Friday last issued a notifi��cation makinguse of helmet mandatory forall women, including Sikhs,while driving twowheelersor riding pillion. The notifi��cation exempts Sikh womenwearing a turban from wearing a helmet.

Akalis take exception tohelmets for Sikh womenSGPC to discuss issue on July 12

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

CHANDIGARH

One of the two tubes of theJawahar Tunnel on theJammuSrinagar NationalHighway was closed onTuesday after it developedcracks, offi��cials said.

According to a BorderRoads Organisation offi��cer,restoration work has started and the tube would reopen by Wednesday. “Seeping caused loose rocks tofall through an unlinedarea within the tunnel,causing some cracks,prompting closure to undertake the necessaryrepairs.”

JawaharTunnel tubeclosed

Press Trust of India

Banihal/Jammu

An Assistant SubInspectorposted at Fatehgarh Churianpolice station near here wassuspended for “misconduct”after he touched the feet ofPunjab Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa at his Qadian residence, the policesaid on Tuesday.

ASI Palwinder Singh, whowas in police uniform, entered the Minister’s residence on Monday andtouched his feet seekingsome favour from him, theysaid.

Mr. Bajwa was furious ov

er the incident and immediately called up IGBorderS.P.S. Parmar, asking him tosuspend the ASI.

ASI Palwinder receivedthe suspension order on hismobile phone and was sentto the Police Lines with immediate eff��ect.

Meanwhile, SSP Opinderjit Singh Grumman, confi��rming Palwinder’s suspension,said such incidents bring disrepute to the police force. Itwas misconduct on the partof the ASI, he said.

Mr. Bajwa said he has messages posted outside his residences not to touch his feet.

ASI suspended fortouching Minister’s feet ‘Such incidents bring disrepute to the force’


Batala

The police have recoveredthe mutilated body of a localRJD leader from neighbouring Nalanda district on Monday evening, the police saidon Tuesday. Nawada townpolice station SHO AnjaniKumar said that the deceased, identifi��ed as KailashPaswan, was abducted on

July 6 and later killed bysome unidentifi��ed persons.

The police found Paswan’s body with severedhead from under a bridgeon the Paimar river in Nalanda district on Mondayevening, the SHO said. Paswan, who was Nawada district RJD general secretary,had left his house but neverreturned, he said.

RJD leader’s mutilatedbody found in NalandaHe was abducted on July 6: police


Nawada



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YSR Congress forsimultaneous electionsVIJAYAWADA

The YSR Congress Party has

expressed support to

simultaneous elections to the

Lok Sabha and the

Assemblies while acknowled

ging that there are several

challenges. Party Rajya Sabha

member V. Vijaya Sai Reddy in

a letter to the Law

Commission suggested that

amendments might have to

be made to the Constitution

to minimise the ‘adverse

impact’.

IN BRIEF

Abducted newborntraced in three hours ADILABAD

A sixdayold boy was stolen

from the maternity ward of

the RIMS hospital here on

Tuesday but was traced and

the culprits arrested within

three hours. The mother,

Dirbasi Mamatha, thanked

Adilabad Superintendent of

Police Vishnu S. Warrier when

he visited her.

Kin of girl who was washedaway to get compensation BENGALURU

The family of Ashika, a Class

IX girl who got washed away

in a rivulet while crossing a

footbridge in Shivamogga

district on Monday, would be

given compensation from the

Teachers’ Fund and the Chief

Minister’s Relief Fund,

Karnataka Chief Minister H.D.

Kumaraswamy said in the

Assembly on Tuesday.

Mock drills to facetropical cyclones mootedHYDERABAD

Secretary in the Ministry of

Earth Sciences Madhavan Nair

Rajeevan on Tuesday

suggested mock drills for

people living in vulnerable

coastal areas to prepare for

tropical cyclones similar to

the exercises being practised

by the Indian Ocean Rim

countries for tsunamis.

The Kayamkulam policehave registered a case ofrape against Father Binu George, currently serving aspriest of an Orthodoxchurch at Ranni, on a complaint fi��led by a 39yearoldhomemaker.

According to the complaint, the woman was allegedly raped by the priest in2014 during his vicarship ata church at Koypallikaranma. The woman said thatshe had informed theChurch authorities about theincident but no action hadbeen initiated against the accused. Although the priestwas transferred to Rannisubsequently, he continued

to harass her by spreadingscandalous allegations. Soshe decided to fi��le a caseagainst him, the police said.

According to the complaint, Father Binu Georgeraped her at his offi��ce aftersummoning her there to set

tle a family dispute.Kayamkulam Circle In

spector K. Sadan said theprobe had been handed overto a team led by the DistrictCrime Records Bureau Deputy Superintendent of Police.

Orthodox priest accused of rapeStaff Reporter

Alappuzha

A treasure trove of privatepapers, books, paintings andscribblings of poetess andstateswoman Sarojini Naiduwas discovered after a massive hunt ended in the Mahankali Grain Market attached to the famous UjjainiMahankali temple inSecunderabad.

Now, books and documents fi��lling about eight almirahs have been moved tothe Marri Chenna Reddy Human Resource DevelopmentInstitute (MCRHRDI) forsafekeeping and cataloguing. They will soon be available for researchers and his

torians. Though SarojiniNaidu hailed from Hyderabad, most of her personalpapers and collections weredonated to the Nehru Memorial Museum in New Delhi byher daughter Padmaja Naidu

while some are with the National Archives of India.

The hint

A hint about these lost documents fi��rst came when former Foreign Minister JaswantSingh was writing the biography of the founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah.Then again while formerjournalist and author SheelaReddy was writing a bookabout the Jinnahs, she begansearching for the documentsand located them in the upper fl��oor room of a busygrain market.

“It was 7.20 p.m. on August 2, 2017, and it had already become dark when the

custodian of the marketopened the door. Withoutany light, I could not seeanything. The next day Ireached there at 6 a.m. andthe treasure in the almirahsblew my mind away,” saidRaghavendra Singh, DirectorGeneral of the NationalArchives of India who washelped in tracing the papersby Ms. Sheela Reddy.

Among the collectionwere a few autographed portraits of Sarojini Naidu. “Seethis. This one has beendrawn by the brother of W.B.Yeats ( John Butler Yeats),”says Mr. Singh, showing animage clicked with his cellphone.

A literary trove found in a grain marketSarojini Naidu’s unseen private collection will soon be available for research

Sarojini Naidu

Serish Nanisetti

HYDERABAD

The Archdiocese of Delhihas rejected the claims bythe family of a Kerala nunthat she had informedArchbishop Anil Coutoabout her alleged abuse bya bishop of the Diocese ofJalandhar.

“I do not know anything

about it, and theArchbishop also does notknow anything,” said SusaiSebastian, VicarGeneral ofthe Archdiocese of Delhi.

According to mediareports, the family said thenun had informed DelhiArchbishop Anil Coutoabout the alleged abuse inKerala in May this year.

Archdiocese rejects claim PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEW DELHI

The husbandandwife administrators of the hugelypopular “wining and dining” Facebook (FB) group,who fell afoul of the law recently, are now facing a criminal investigation intotheir sources of income.

The Excise Departmenthas frozen the bank accounts of Ajith Kumar andVineetha on the suspicionthat they profi��ted from organising liquor parties andpromoting specifi��c liquorbrands through their group“Glassile Nurayum and Platile CurriyumGNPC.”

The forum’s name translates roughly as “foamingglass and curry on theplate.”

18 lakh members

It boasts 18 lakh members inIndia and abroad, mostlyKeralites. The group came

into existence in May last asa food blog, with posts onpartying, toddy shop dishes, cocktails and favouritedrinking holes.

Last week, the FB collective found itself on thewrong side of the law, withthe Excise Departmentbooking the coordinators oncharges of promoting underage drinking and publicconsumption of liquor.

Circle Inspector T. AnilKumar, the principal investigator in the case, said the accused had used the group toraise funds by organising liquor parties with free welcome drinks.

He said the accused hadillegally used the FB groupas a platform to promotespecifi��c liquor brands andsubliminally encouragedrinking in society by making alcohol consumption appear fashionable and socially acceptable.

Accounts of FB groupadministrators frozenCharged with promoting liquor brands

Special Correspondent

Thiruvananthapuram

Andhra Pradesh has anabundance of human resource and cooperation fromSingapore would help itachieve its objectives and vision, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has said.

Mr. Naidu, on a visit to Singapore, was interacting withthe nation’s Finance MinisterHeng Swee Keat on Tuesday.His government had set a target for developing and promoting business leadershipin the State, Mr. Naidu said.Singapore fi��rms can bepartners in businesses inA.P. He requested Mr. HengSwee Keat to urge Singaporefi��rms to extend fi��nancial assistance at the lowest interest rate.

Mr. Naidu said he was impressed with the skill and effi��ciency he observed in everysector in Singapore. WhileSingapore had great fi��nancial

resources, A.P. had skilledmanpower. A.P. was ready toassociate with Singapore inskills development, he said.

Interest in A.P.

Singapore’s fi��rst Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and Mr.Naidu, the Singapore Finance Minister said, had set

huge targets for themselvesand toiled hard to achievethem. Their dedication andhard work had proved to beblessings to their motherlands. “I will do my best toensure that Singapore banksand fi��nancial institutions off��er attractive fi��nancial assistance to A.P.,” he said.

Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu and Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana were amongthose present at the meeting.

Mr. Naidu is in Singaporefor the World Cities Summit.Technology giants haveevinced interest in setting uptheir units in A.P..

‘Singapore, A.P. can work together’We have abundant skilled manpower, Chandrababu Naidu tells the nation’s Finance Minister

Staff reporter

VIJAYAWADA

A.P. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu interacting with Singapore offi��cials on Tuesday.

Andhra Pradesh hastopped the third edition ofthe government’s ‘Ease ofDoing Business’ index forStates with a fi��nal score of98.42%. This is the secondtime in a row that AndhraPradesh achieved the fi��rstrank.

A.P., which was given second rank in 2015, outperformed other States andUnion territories by maintaining its leadership position through implementation of 99.73% reforms.

Interestingly, Telanganaand Jharkhand trailed behind A.P. though theyscored 100% in reform evidence score.

A.P. tops in‘Ease of DoingBusiness’ Staff Reporter

VIJAYAWADA


Telegram Group Link: https://t.me/iascglEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE



NATION

Woman raped by NGOofficial in KolkataKOLKATA

A woman was allegedly raped

by an official of an

international NGO inside its

premises in Bowbazar here,

the police said. The victim

also accused a woman

employee of being involved in

the crime. The accused has

been arrested and the woman

detained for questioning. PTI

Two killed, six injured inBihar road accidentSAMASTIPUR

Two persons — Ramlal

Choudhary (62) and Mamta

Devi (35) — were killed and

six others injured when an

MUV in which they were

travelling rammed a

stationary truck in Samastipur

district, the police said. The

incident occurred on NH28

on Monday night. PTI

A retired Army man fromKerala feared dead for over adecade was reunited with hisfamily members after beingfound in a ragged state onthe streets of Madhya Pradesh’s Mandla district lastweek.

The 40yearold man,who appeared to be mentally unstable, was identifi��ed after some locals got suspicious about his activities andalerted the police on July 3.

Arms knowledge“He was shouting that hehad knowledge about armsand ammunition, includingtheir technical details. Thisalarmed the residents asmovements of Maoists areoften reported in Mandla,"said a police offi��cer.

Soon, a team from Tilgampolice station reached thespot and detained the “suspect”. At the police station,the man once again muttered “I know all about armsand ammunition” in brokenHindi mixed with some Ma

layalam words. This madethe police decide to take thehelp of a person from Kerala.

They approached SisterMercy of Motinala churchand she volunteered to helpthe police trace the whereabouts of the man. As luckwould have it, the vagabondtalking to invisible otherswas identifi��ed as Santosh Kumar, an Army man from Signal Corps, last posted in Sikkim in 2006.

“In 2007, Santosh's left

eye was injured and he reportedly became mentallyill. He opted for retirementand decided to go back to hishome State. However, instead of reaching KuraweinPurple House in Alappuzhadistrict of Kerala, Santoshreached Mandla after wandering the country by trainfor the last 11 years,” RakeshKumar Singh, Superintendent of Police, Mandla, saidover the phone.

Once Mr. Santosh's identi

ty was established, the Tilgam police made arrangements to tidy up the manwho had slept rough for overa decade.

New lookIn new clothes and shoes hisphotos were clicked and exchanged with the Kerala police, which in turn got intouch with Mr. Santosh's family members who had evenconducted his last rites.

On July 7, the youngerbrothers of Mr. Santoshreached Mandla and wereelated to see him alive.

The exArmy man recognised his brothers but wasunable to remember how hereached Mandla, Mr. RakeshSingh said, adding that theyleft for Kerala the same day.

Asked if Mr. Santosh remembered his village, Satheesh Kumar, his youngerbrother, said: “Despite returning to the village after 14years, Santosh easily recognised our ancestral house.He recognised every familymember who came in frontof him.”

‘Dead’ ex-Army man reunitedwith family after 11 long years 40yearold from Kerala found wandering in M.P. district; rescued by local police

Anup Dutta

Bhopal

Before and after: Santosh Kumar in a ragged state found bythe police; (right) the exArmy man (in the middle) reunitedwith his younger brothers on July 7. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The Calcutta High Court hasdirected the West Bengal government to set up an antihuman traffi��cking unit headed by a specially trained offi��cer, preferably a woman, inevery district of the State.

Any FIR registered underthe sections of Immoral Traffi��cking (Prevention) Act,1956, and sections 370, 372,373 of the Indian Penal Codeor under the provisions ofthe POCSO Act, involving

commercial sexual exploitation of women, should be investigated by the antihuman traffi��cking unit, theHigh Court said in its order.

Alarming numbersThe police station where theFIR is registered will handover such cases to the unit in24 hours, stated the orderdelivered last week by a Division Bench of Justices RaviKrishan Kapur and JoymalyaBagchi. The direction assumes signifi��cance as Bengal

has recorded the maximumcases of traffi��cking in thecountry. According to thelatest NCRB data, Bengal in2016 recorded 3,579 cases ofhuman traffi��cking (44%)among 8,132 cases recordedin the country.

The Bench gave the orderwhile cancelling the anticipatory bail granted to Sangita Sahu, owner of a hotel inJoka area, by a lower court.Her hotel was raided in September 2017 and 30 peoplewere arrested.

Units to be preferably headed by women offi��cers, orders courtShiv Sahay Singh

Kolkata

Set up antitraffi��cking units: HC to W.B.

A youth was arrested onMonday for posing as a StateMinister and making threatening calls to a police offi��cer in Kandhamal district ofOdisha.

According to policesources, Rajesh Kumar Dasof Jagannathpur had beenthreatening ChandamaniSingh, inspector inchargeof Sarangada police station,for over a month. The accused, who drives vehicles

for a construction fi��rm, hadalso sent threatening videomessages.

He was posing as State Minister Bikram Keshari Arukhduring the calls, said thesources. Mr. Singh lodged acomplaint at Phulbani police station. The police managed to identify the culpritby tracking down his mobilenumber. He was nabbedfrom Phulbani on Monday.Investigation is still on to ascertain the motive behindthe calls, the sources added.

Youth held for posing asMinister, threatening copStaff Reporter

Berhampur

The impasse at JadavpurUniversity ended late onTuesday evening after thevarsity decided to revokeits earlier decision of doingaway with admission testsin six humanities streams.

The decision by the university’s executive councilcomes in the wake of massive protests by JU students. After the universityretracted from the earlierpractice of holding admission tests for six humanities streams on July 4,about 20 students sat on ahunger strike.

Over the past two days,two of the protesting students had to be hospitalised. With the situation onthe campus deteriorating,the university called anemergency meeting anddecided to go ahead withthe admission tests for English, Bengali, comparativeliterature, history, politicalscience and philosophydisciplines.

Now the admissions willbe on the basis of 50%weightage to test scoresand 50% to marks obtainedin Class XII examination.

JadavpurUniversityimpasse ends Special Correspondent

Kolkata

Deputy SP Harmanpreetmay be demotedCHANDIGARH

Indian women’s T20 captain

and vicecaptain of women’s

national cricket team

Harmanpreet Kaur, who was

appointed as DySP in March

this year, may be demoted to

the rank of constable after

her graduation degree was

found to be “fake” by the

Punjab police. “Harmanpreet’s

qualification can now be

treated as Class XII. So she

can be given the post of

constable which matches her

educational qualification,”

said a senior official. PTI

IN BRIEFWeather WatchRainfall, temperature & air quality in select metros yesterday

Temperature Data: IMD, Pollution Data: CPCB, Map: INSAT/IMD (Taken at 18.00 Hrs)

Forecast for Wednesday: Heavy to very heavy rain is likely at afew/isolated places over Konkan & Goa, west Madhya Pradesh,south Gujarat, Saurashtra, Uttarakhand, east Rajasthan, eastMadhya Pradesh, south interior Karnataka, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, central Maharashtra, Vidarbha, coastal Karnataka and Kerala

city rain max min city rain max min

Agartala................. —.... 33.6.... 25.4 Kozhikode ...........36.2.... 30.2.... 24.0

Ahmedabad..........3.8.... 33.4.... 25.8 Kurnool ...............19.9.... 32.1.... 23.7

Aizwal ....................1.... 29.8.... 13.0 Lucknow.................. —.... 38.8.... 29.5

Allahabad ...............1.... 40.2.... 23.0 Madurai................... —.... 35.6.... 26.7

Bengaluru ............2.1.... 27.0.... 20.6 Mangaluru...........13.6.... 29.9.... 24.5

Bhopal...............22.8.... 30.4.... 23.9 Mumbai.............184.3.... 26.7.... 22.4

Bhubaneswar .......2.9.... 34.4.... 27.0 Mysuru..................9.2.... 26.0.... 19.8

Chandigarh ............ —.... 36.0.... 29.3 New Delhi ............... —.... 39.1.... 29.2

Chennai ...............0.1.... 35.1.... 26.4 Patna ...................... —.... 34.2.... 28.3

Coimbatore..........0.3.... 30.6.... 23.0 Port Blair ..............0.8.... 29.8.... 26.2

Dehradun.............0.4.... 34.0.... 26.0 Puducherry...............1.... 35.9.... 25.8

Gangtok.............13.2.... 21.8.... 18.2 Pune .....................4.8.... 26.1.... 22.1

Goa ...................16.3.... 29.5.... 24.5 Raipur ..................... —.... 30.0.... 24.7

Guwahati ............... —.... 34.6.... 26.2 Ranchi...................0.4.... 31.0.... 24.2

Hubballi................. —.... 24.0.... 21.0 Shillong................... —.... 26.6.... 18.9

Hyderabad ..............3.... 30.2.... 22.3 Shimla.................60.2.... 22.6.... 17.1

Imphal.................0.2.... 31.5.... 22.2 Srinagar .................. —.... 32.6.... 19.3

Jaipur .................... —.... 40.8.... 30.6 Trivandrum .........15.7.... 28.2.... 22.8

Kochi....................82.... 27.2.... 22.8 Tiruchi .................... —.... 35.9.... 27.4

Kohima................4.2.... 26.2.... 18.4 Vijayawada ..........14.2.... 31.3.... 24.9

Kolkata..............13.2.... 31.2.... 27.6 Visakhapatnam ......... —.... 31.0.... 27.0

(Rainfall data in mm; temperature in Celsius)

Pollutants in the air you are breathing Yesterday

CITIES SO2 NO2 CO PM2.5 PM10 CODE

In observation made at4.00 p.m., Rohtak,Haryana recorded anoverall air quality index(AQI) score of 320indicating an unhealthylevel of pollution. Incontrast, Jalandharrecorded a healthy AQIscore of 34

Ahmedabad ...... 39 .72 102 ..119 .....— ....*

Bengaluru......... 13 .31 .95 ....44 ...94 ....*

Chennai ............ ..5 .18 .32 ..113 .....— ....*

Delhi ................ ..7 .91 .82 ..125 .179 ....*

Hyderabad ........ ..3 .70 .19 ....25 ...41 ....*

Kolkata............. ..2 .43 .20 ....31 ...38 ....*

Lucknow........... 18 .49 .30 ....90 .....— ....*

Mumbai ............ ..— ..— .59 ..... — .....— ....—

Pune................. 37 .14 .60 ....40 ...35 ....*

Vishakhapatnam 28 .48 .27 ....50 ...82 ....*

Air Quality Code: * Poor * Moderate * Good (Readings indicate average AQI)

SO2: Sulphur Dioxide. Short-term exposure can harm the respiratory system,

making breathing difficult. It can affect visibility by reacting with other air

particles to form haze and stain culturally important objects such as statues

and monuments.

NO2: Nitrogen Dioxide. Aggravates respiratory illness, causes haze to form by

reacting with other air particles, causes acid rain, pollutes coastal waters.

CO: Carbon monoxide. High concentration in air reduces oxygen supply to

critical organs like the heart and brain. At very high levels, it can cause

dizziness, confusion, unconsciousness and even death.

PM2.5 & PM10: Particulate matter pollution can cause irritation of the eyes,

nose and throat, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath, reduced

lung function, irregular heartbeat, asthma attacks, heart attacks and

premature death in people with heart or lung disease

Two decamp with over₹��16 lakh from ATMJAIPUR

Two unidentified persons

decamped with ₹��16.51 lakh on

Tuesday by breaking open an

SBI ATM with a gas cutter in

Rajasthan’s Sriganganagar

district, the police said. Teams

have been set up to nab the

duo and efforts are on to

identify them through CCTV

footage, the police said. PTI





CMYK

M ND-NDE

NATION

Maneka seeks changes in I-T Act NEW DELHI

Women and Child

Development Minister

Maneka Gandhi has asked

Finance Minister Piyush Goyal

to suitably amend the

Income-tax Act so that assets

gifted to wives and

daughters-in-law were not

taxed. She has asked for the

amendment of Section 64 of

the legislation. PTI

IN BRIEF

Odisha to go plastic-freefrom October 2BHUBANESWAR

In a bid to beat plastic

pollution, the Odisha

government on Tuesday

ordered a ban on the use of

plastic bags, polythene and

single-use plastic in the State

starting from Gandhi Jayanti

in October. The ban will come

into force in major urban

centres and in the entire

State in phases over the next

two years.

Nigerian woman nabbedfor carrying drugsKOLKATA

A Nigerian woman, David

Blessing, 30, was arrested on

Tuesday by the Narcotics

Control Bureau (NCB) from

the city airport after she was

found in possession of drugs

and admitted to carry some in

her uterus, an agency officer

said. After about 20 blots of

LSD and 12 gm of cocaine was

seized, she revealed that

more contraband was

concealed inside her body. PTI

Minor girl gang-rapedtwice; five arrestedCHHINDWARA

A 14-year-old girl was

allegedly gang-raped twice in

a span of 24 hours here,

police said on Tuesday. The

girl left her house on the

evening of July 6, and when

she did not return, a

complaint was lodged at the

Kundipura police station the

next day. Five men have been

arrested in the case. PTI

Around 450 passengers ofthe Vadodara Expressstranded in fl��oods near Nalasopara station since 3.40a.m. were rescued by the National Disaster ResponseForce (NDRF) and the Railway Protection Force onTuesday. As the city receivedcontinuous rainfall overnight, the section betweenVirar and Nalasopara gotfl��ooded for the second dayrunning.

Western Railway had tosuspend all services betweenVasai and Virar. As a consequence several trains coming into the city were stranded at various places north ofVirar.

The Vadodara Expresswith over 1,000 passengershad left Vadodara the previous night. It was scheduledto reach Mumbai Central at4.45 a.m. but due to severewaterlogging it could notproceed.

“The train was maroonedonly 400 meters from Nalasopara. Our initial hope wasthat the water level would reduce a little and we would beable to pull it into the sta

tion,” a senior railway offi��cialsaid, “However, the level ofwater continued to risethrough the day.” The waterlevel in the morning wasaround 400 mm but it continued to rise. At 4.30 p.m. thewater level on the fast track,on which the train wasstranded, had risen to 605mm.

Social media

Commuters on the train saidthat repeated calls for helpwent unheeded until someone wrote a post about theirplight on social media.

Fiza Jafreen had boardedthe train in Surat along withher brothers. She said thatmany passengers climbeddown and walked on thetracks. But this was not possible for everyone.

“There were several women, children and senior citizens in our coach and onthis train.

However, we received nohelp from the authorities until 11 a.m. when they gave usfood and water,” she said.Local railway offi��cials saiddistribution of food and water took time as the RPF staff��had to wade through water

on the tracks and distributeit by hand.

Ms. Jafreen and her brothers left the train around 1p.m. when they felt thatthere was no end in sight.“The water was chest deep,and it would be impossiblefor children There were stillfamilies stuck, especiallythose with young children,”she said. Western Railway(WR) called the NDRF

around 1.30 p.m. to rescuethose stranded. It also arranged 11 buses to ferry thepassengers from the stationto Naigaon, where they hadarranged food.

Mumbai received 184 mmrainfall until Tuesday morning, the highest 24hr Julyrainfall in four years. TheIMD has predicted similarweather conditions for theentire week.

NDRF rescues 450 train passengers Vadodara Express was stranded nearNalasopara station from 3.40 a.m.

Staff Reporter

Mumbai

Awaiting relief: An inundated textile shop after heavy rainlashed Mumbai on Tuesday. * VIVEK BENDRE

Slow progress: A train wading through water-logged railway tracks after heavy rainfall in Nalasopara station in suburban Mumbai on Tuesday. * PTI

Three playwrights — AnnieZaidi, Swetanshu Bora andSneh Sapru — have beenshortlisted for their workssubmitted for The HinduPlaywright Award 2018.The award, instituted in2008, carries a prize of ₹�� 2lakh for the best original,unpublished and unperformed play script inEnglish.

The three plays, Untit-led 1 (Annie Zaidi), Guilt(Swetanshu Bora) and Hel-lo Farmaish (Sneh Sapru),were chosen by a panel ofthree independent judgesfrom a list of 68 playssubmitted.

The judges had initiallycreated a longlist of eightplays and from these threewere selected. The otherfi��ve are The Lottery byNayantara Nayar and Tanvi Patel, The Joker and TheThief by Alistair Bennis,Shaayari 2.0 by ManjimaChatterjee, Four MagicalWords by Parag Motwaniand When I Grow Up (Iwant to be) by Sumit Ray.

In Untitled 1, Ms. Zaidiexplores a time when freedom of creative expression is under constant surveillance in an India of thefuture. A journalist whosebody of work includes fi��ction and graphic storytelling, the MumbaibasedMs. Zaidi says: “The play isreally about the idea of being monitored and controlled, constantly.” Herwork includes Gulab, a novella, an illustrated collection of poems titled Crushand a 42minute documentary fi��lm, In Her

Words: The Journey of In-dian Women, that tracesthe lives and struggles ofwomen as refl��ectedthrough their literature.

Hello Farmaish is a satire, which Ms. Sapru describes as a “drama withbold streaks of magic realism.” The Mumbaibasedcopywriter, screenwriterand playwright’s work ison people in a hamletwho, on hearing of IndianAmerican astronaut Kalpana Chawla’s journey into space, set off�� on adventures of their own. Ms.Sapru’s fi��rst play script,Elephant in the Room, wasnominated for the BestOriginal Script at the META Awards 2017.

Bengalurubased Swetanshu Bora’s Guilt isabout rediscovering relationships, post tragedy. Anactor and playwright, Mr.Bora performs and writesin Hindi and English. Hewas shortlisted for TheHindu MetroPlus Playwright Award in 2011 andwon the Toto Funds theArts Award for Writing in2013.

The winner of The Hin-du Playwright Award willbe announced on August9, 2018 on the eve of theopening of the 14th editionof The Hindu Theatre Festin Chennai on August 10.

Three in shortlistfor The Hindu

Playwright AwardWinner will be announced on Aug. 9


Chennai

Food Safety and StandardsAuthority of India (FSSAI) onTuesday unveiled ‘The EatRight Movement’, built ontwo broad pillars of ‘EatHealthy’ and ‘Eat Safe’. The

programme aims to engageand enable citizens to improve their health and wellbeing by making the rightfood choices.

Star attraction

Kicked off�� in the city by Na

tional Awardwinning actorRajkummar Rao, the eventsaw the food industry, public health professionals, civil society and consumer organisations, and infl��uencersand celebrities coming together to pledge concrete

steps to create ‘The EatRight Movement’ in thecountry.

FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal said the movement cangrow organically as a selfperpetuating movement, coowned and coled by various

partners using the broad framework and resources puttogether by professionalsand experts in the fi��eld offood and nutrition.

Stating that its aim was tocut down salt/sugar and oilconsumption by 30% in

three years Mr. Aggarwalsaid that 15 major food manufactures have alreadyjoined the programme.

The FSSAI, he said, “islooking at robust food labelling and cleaning up theclaims space.”

The Food Safety and Standards Authority’s programme aims at engaging citizens to make correct diet choicesStaff Reporter

NEW DELHI

‘Eat Right Movement’ off�� to a healthy start

Starting November, the Indian Railways will start aspecial train, ‘Shri Ramayana Express’, which willcover important destinations related to the epic in a16day journey.

The train will be fl��aggedoff�� on November 14 fromDelhi’s Safdarjung railwaystation, an offi��cial statement said.

The tour will be spreadacross India as well as SriLanka. It will be priced at₹��15,120 per person, whichwill cover all meals, accommodation, wash andchange facilities in dharmashalas, all transfers,sightseeing arrangementsand a dedicated tour manager. After leaving Delhi,the train will make its fi��rststop in Ayodhya followedby Hanuman Garhi Ramkotand Kanak Bhawan temple.It will then cover the important destinations of Ramayana circuit such asNandigram, Sitamarhi, Janakpur, Varanasi, Prayag,Shringverpur, Chitrakoot,Nasik, Hampi andRameswaram.

RamayanaExpress fromNovember 14Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI

A Division Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesdaypaved the way for resumption of the admission process in the Indian Institutesof Technology (IITs). Itstayed a July 5 order passedby a single judge directingIITKanpur to redraw therank list for the JEE Advanced 2018.

Passing an interim orderon a writ appeal preferredby IITKanpur, Justices Huluvadi G. Ramesh and M.Dhandapani said the singlejudge’s direction appearedto be “totally unwarranted,”especially when the writ petitioner had already secureda mechanical engineeringseat in IITKanpur.

The single judge, allowing a writ petition fi��led by L.Lakshmi Sree, 17, of Chennaihad ordered that preferencebe accorded in the rank listto candidates who hadstrictly complied with theinstruction to give all numerical answers up to thesecond decimal place andhad used two decimal plac

es even for questions whichcould have simply been answered with an integer.

Assailing the decision, senior counsel Vijay Narayan,representing the appellant,said the conduct of IIT JEEwas a mammoth exercisewith about 10 lakh studentsparticipating in the main examination and about 1.55lakh taking up the JEE Advanced. Of them, about 1.52lakh candidates were selected for allocation of seats invarious institutes.

“Now, how do I give preference in the rank list? I willhave to rework on 1.52 lakhanswer sheets and it willtake another six months,”Mr. Narayan contended.

He recalled that IITKanpur had issued a clarifi��cation on May 21, a day afterthe examinations, statingthat if answers to certainquestions were in integers,then the candidates whohad answered it without decimal notations would alsobe awarded full marks. Itwas this clarifi��cation whichhad been challenged by thewrit petitioner.

Madras HC clears wayfor admissions to IITs Bench stays order of single judge

Mohamed Imranullah S.

CHENNAI

Eighty nine passengersonboard an Air IndiaExpress fl��ight fromVijaywada, had amicraculous escape onTuesday afternoon, afterthe aircraft overshot therunway while landing inheavy rains at the Mumbaiairport.

The aircraft, a Boeing737 operating as fl��ightIX213 from Vijayawada toMumbai landed onsecondary Runway 14 asthe main runway was shutfor periodic maintenance.

The aircraft landed at2.51 p.m. but missed itsexit at Rapid Exitway Echo1 and came to a halt at thedeep end of the runway ona paved stopway.

The airline informedthat the aircraft hadtouched down correctlyand used maximum braking. But due to the slipperyconditions caused by heavy rain, the aircraft couldstop only at the stopway,the airline said.

89 Air Indiafl��yers have a lucky escape

Special correspondent

MUMBAI

Kolkata school under thescanner in abuse caseKOLKATA

The State Child Right’s

Commission, West Bengal,

visited a school in south

Kolkata, after a parent last

week lodged a police

complaint that his two-year-

old son had been sexually

abused. The Commission’s

chairperson, Ananya

Chatterjee Chakraborti, said

she suspected that the school

authorities were trying to

tamper with evidence.

Observing that courts weredutybound to listen to thesilent cries of victims ofchild sexual abuse, the Madras High Court on Tuesday confi��rmed the deathsentence imposed by a trialcourt on 23yearold S. Daswant for sexually assaulting and murdering a sevenyearold girl at an apartment in Mugalivakkamnear here on February 5,2017.

An allwomen DivisionBench of Justices S. Vimalaand S. Ramathilagam, constituted by Chief Justice Indira Banerjee especially forhearing cases related tocrimes against women andchildren, dismissed an appeal preferred by the convict and upheld the capitalpunishment imposed onhim by a mahila court inChengalpattu on February19.

Authoring the judgment, Ms. Justice Vimalasaid the Constitution envisages a happy and healthychildhood, free from abuseand exploitation.

HC confi��rmsdeath for girl’srape, murder

Mohamed Imranullah S.

CHENNAI

A case has been lodgedagainst a former vicechancellor of Assam Universityfor an article in a Kolkatabased Bengali newspaperon the updating of the National Register of Citizens(NRC).

In his article, TapodhirBhattacharya had said in thename of the NRC the Stateadministration was trying toexecute the “agenda of Assamese hegemony” and hadcreated an “existential crisis” for Bengalispeakingand nonAssamese residents of Assam.

Case against exAssam varsity VC

Staff Reporter

Kolkata





CMYK

M ND-NDE

EDITORIAL

Priya Pillai

The withdrawal of the U.S.from the Human RightsCouncil (HRC) of the United

Nations in June this year sentshock waves through the international community, foreignpolicythinktanks and human rights nongovernmental organisations. However, some feel this was the rightdecision and are now advocatingwithdrawal by other countries;this includes those in India.

The antecedents and functioning of the much vilifi��ed HRC areworth examining. The main criticism against it is that it is made upof states not known for their human rights records; that many arein fact egregious violators of human rights. Current members include Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, Pakistan, and the UnitedKingdom — a few of the 47 stateselected by the General Assembly,based on geographic quotas. Sowhy is the HRC still important despite this crisis? There is much dis

information and confusion as tothe origins of the HRC and its role,so setting the record straight is important.

Integral to rights systemThe HRC was established in 2006,as part of the UN’s reform process,replacing the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. Councilmembers are elected by the General Assembly with threeyearterms, with a maximum of twoconsecutive terms. It was to serveas a forum for all states to examineand ‘peer review’ the record onhuman rights. The ‘Universal Periodic Review’ process, where allstates are scrutinised, is currentlyin its third cycle (20172021). Nostate is exempt from this process,including Security Council members. Politics is unavoidable, withstates using the opportunity tohighlight the records of otherstates. However, an overly simplistic reading of the HRC paints thisas purely partisan theatre, whichis not the entire picture.

What gets lost in all the rhetoricregarding the HRC is the actualtrack record — the overt manner inwhich a human rights agenda andthe evolution of human rightsnorms are facilitated — and alsoless tangible gains from having

such a body composed of statesand actually engaging with them.Resolutions adopted have highlighted egregious violations despite eff��orts to the contrary bysome members of the HRC. Thesituation in Syria, Yemen, Myanmar, and North Korea are but afew. Subject areas that have beenthe source of much controversyhave been addressed at the HRC,including LGBTIQ rights and discrimination on the basis of religion.

The HRC is also a forum to monitor international obligations of astate based on international lawthat states themselves have undertaken. Engagement on their trackrecord, in defence of rights is critical. This forum for advocacy andscrutiny, with its pitfalls, is an important component of the UNrights system.

Multiple strandsAnother aspect overseen by theHRC is the appointment of specialrapporteurs — independent mandate holders — on issues includinginternal displacement, torture, racial discrimination, as well ascountry specifi��c mandates. In addition, there are distinct international commissions of inquiry andfactfi��nding missions into particu

lar violations. It is also worthpointing out that the role of the Offi��ce of the United Nations HighCommissioner for Human Rights(OHCHR) is often confused withthe HRC. It is a separate institutionwhich presents reports independent of the HRC, the recent reporton Kashmir being an example. Theconfl��ation of the HRC and theOHCHR is incorrect and confusestheir separate mandate and functions. Hence, there are multiplestrands in the monitoring functions of human rights by UN institutions, one of which is the HRC.In the promotion of human rights,all these play a critical role.

Coming back to the U.S., the factor that precipitated its withdrawal is the alleged targeting of Israel by the HRC. However, thebackground to this is also one of

impatience and a failure to stay thecourse on an important multilateral process — that of HRC reform.Discussions and reform proposalsare already in the works, with engagement by states and humanrights organisations indicating aconsensus building approach. However, while ostensibly committing to reform, the impatience ofthe current U.S. administrationand its disdain for multilateralismhas resulted in the impetuous decision to withdraw. By ceding arole at the HRC, a state reduces itsability to infl��uence the agenda,and if it is so inclined, a genuineengagement in the monitoring ofhuman rights. Invoking sovereignty as the basis to disengage is specious at best and malafi��de atworst.

Ultimately, we are all the poorerfor such actions. Not just states butalso individuals who are in need ofa more robust defence of theirrights stand to lose much. It isworth instead contemplating theneed to reduce rhetoric and, rather, increase substantive engagement with issues concerning therights of individuals.

Priya Pillai is an international lawyer,

with expertise in human rights and

humanitarian issues

Rhetoric and realityBy ceding a role at the HRC, a state foregoes a chance at genuine engagement in human rights monitoring

GE

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more letters online:

www.hindu.com/opinion/letters/

corrections & clarifications:

A headline (Nation page of July 7, 2018 edition) and the accompanying graphic titled “On a war footing” erroneously said that800 IAS offi��cers had been deployed to implement fl��agship government schemes. It should have read: “Govt. deploys 800 centralgovernment offi��cers for village outreach.”

It is the policy of The Hindu to correct signifi��cant errors as soon as possible. Please specify

the edition (place of publication), date and page. The Readers’ Editor’s office can be

contacted by Telephone: +91-44-28418297/28576300 (11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to

Friday); Fax: +91-44-28552963; Email:[email protected]; Mail: Readers’

Editor, The Hindu, Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860 Anna Salai, Chennai 600 002, India.

All communication must carry the full postal address and telephone number. No personal

visits. The Terms of Reference for the Readers’ Editor are on www.thehindu.com

Whatever their outcome,Pakistan’s general election scheduled for July 25

is unlikely to change four fundamental realities. First, Pakistan’smilitaryled establishment willcontinue to wield eff��ective power,drawing strength from allegationsof incompetence and corruptionagainst civilian politicians. Second, civilian politicians will continue to justify their incompetenceand corruption by invoking thespectre of military intervention inpolitics. Third, jihadis and otherreligious extremists will continueto benefi��t from the unwillingnessof the military and the judiciary totarget them as well as the temptation of politicians to benefi��t fromtheir support. Fourth and fi��nally,Pakistan’s international isolationand economic problems, stemming from its ideological directionand mainstreaming of extremismwill not end.

The conviction of former PrimeMinister Nawaz Sharif by an accountability court last Friday hasset the stage for him to portrayhimself as the latest martyr for democracy. He has argued, as othershave done before him, that he isbeing punished not for corruptionbut for standing up to Pakistan’sinvisible government — the militaryintelligence combine that hasdominated the country eff��ectivelysince 1958.

His supporters are willing to ignore the fact that Mr. Sharif ’s ownpolitical career was launched bythe Pakistan Army and the InterServices Intelligence (ISI), and thelikelihood that allegations of unusual expansion of the Sharif fortune since the family’s advent in

politics are true.

Spotlight on the judiciaryThe conduct of Pakistan’s judiciary in the matter has been far fromjudicious. The Chief Justice of Pakistan, Saqib Nisar, views himselfless as an adjudicator in accordance with the law and more as asuper policy maker. He has expressed interest in everything —from water scarcity to running ofmental hospitals and prisons. Hehas taken to touring various government facilities and has evencreated a fund for the construction of dams. The fund will receivepublic contributions because theChief Justice knows the exchequerdoes not have enough money tobuild the dams he wants built.

None of these actions is part of aChief Justice’s job description,even after recognising that somejudges are more activist than others. Justice Nisar has made his political biases well known and thecase against Mr. Sharif proceededin reverse order. Instead of beginning in a trial court where evidence of his wrongdoing was established beyond reasonable doubt,he was fi��rst disqualifi��ed by the Supreme Court and then put on trial.

But perceptions and commonknowledge of political corruptioncannot be a substitute for following legal principles. Elsewhere inthe civilised world, the Pakistanipractice of accusing someone ofcriminal conduct fi��rst in the highest court and then demanding thatthey prove their innocence wouldbe deemed grossly unjust. The factthat this happens only in politicalcases further strengthens the viewthat politics, not corruption, is atthe heart of such ‘prosecutions’.

Moreover, the Supreme Courtinvited representatives of the Military Intelligence and the ISI tohelp investigate the money trailfor Mr. Sharif ’s alleged propertiesin London. This highly unusualprocedure itself casts doubt on thereal motives behind the former

Prime Minister’s trial. The militaryled prosecutions of politicians, even when their malfeasance is well known, helps thepoliticians in building their casethat their political conduct is thesource of their troubles.

Pakistan is, therefore, unable tohold the politically powerful accountable through its politicisedjudiciary. The cynical view of Pakistani politics would be that threedecades ago the deep state advanced Mr. Sharif ’s political careerwhile portraying Benazir Bhutto’sspouse, Asif Zardari, as corrupt;now Imran Khan is the ‘chosenone’ while Mr. Sharif ’s alleged corruption is being targeted.

Problem with this ‘narrative’The military, which now refers toitself as ‘the institution’, hashelped build a simplifi��ed narrativeto justify its constant interventionin political matters as well as to explain Pakistan’s myriad problems.According to this narrative, civilian politicians are incompetentand corrupt, which is the only reason the military needs to periodically intervene to set things right.There is no explanation for howpoliticians would ever learn theart of governance if they are to beconstantly corrected by unelectedgenerals and judges.

Another part of ‘the narrative’ isthe notion that Pakistan’s dysfunction and periodic economic crisesare the result of the massive corruption by civilians. Imran Khanand his supporters have been advancing that simplifi��ed narrative.

Their message fi��nds resonancewith those who want to believethat once kickbacks on large projects and their corrupt practicesare eliminated, Pakistan would somehow become the land of milkand honey.

There is, of course, no justifi��cation or excuse for corruption butPakistan has been illserved withthe ‘corruption is the only problem’ oversimplifi��cation. Since atleast 1990, it has become an excuse to gloss over more signifi��cantpolicy issues that hold Pakistanback. Corruption has been exposed in many countries, fromIceland to China but none of themis as dysfunctional as Pakistan.

Limiting national discourse to adiscussion of corruption makes itimpossible for Pakistanis to discuss how jihadi ideology and religious extremism are leading to Pakistan’s isolation. Similarly,Pakistan’s slow growth in exports,for example, is hardly a functionof corruption. It refl��ects low productivity and inadequate value addition which are consequences ofpoor human capital developmentand failure to attract investment,among other factors.

Pakistan is the sixth largestcountry in the world in terms ofpopulation, has the sixth largestarmy in the world, and possessesone of the largest nuclear arsenals.Yet, it has the highest infant mortality rate; more than onethird ofits children between the age of 5and 15 are out of school. The country’s GDP on a nominal basis ranks40 out of nearly 200 countrieswhile its GDP per capita stands at158 out of 216 countries and territories, according to World Bankdata.

None of these facts, however,has found any mention in the election campaign of any Pakistanipolitical party. Although Mr. Sharif ’s Pakistan Muslim League(PMLN) and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)have at least cared to publish de

tailed manifestos, Imran Khan’sPakistan TehreekeInsaf (PTI) published its manifesto on Monday,July 9, less than 20 days before theelection. The party feels it onlyneeds Mr. Khan’s charisma andthe outrage against corruption orenemies of Pakistan to claim voters’ loyalty.

Economic woesThe anticorruption enthusiasmhas sometimes added to Pakistan’seconomic woes. Pakistan is currently burdened with compensation payments running into billions that must be made to foreigncompanies whose contracts werecancelled as part of investigationsinto corruption of offi��cials involved in awarding those contracts. But fi��ghting corruption is auseful slogan if the deep statewants to avoid fi��ghting all jihadisand does not wish to acknowledgethe fl��aws of its national narrative.

It is ironic that Mr. Sharif facesjail ahead of an election that opinion polls indicate his party wouldwin, if voting was free and fair,even as a long list of internationally designated terrorists is free toseek votes. That contradiction is atthe heart of why the outcome ofthe elections is unlikely to changeany of the fundamentals of the Pakistan crisis. If the PMLN overcomes all odds and still managesto win, the corruption cases willcontinue to cast their shadow. Ifsomeone like Imran Khan winswith the help of invisible hands,he would start his term under adiff��erent cloud.

Pakistan will, unfortunately, notemerge stronger after an electionwhose winner lacks credibility andwhose loser is likely to initiate confrontation with the winner right after polling day.

Husain Haqqani, Director for South and

Central Asia at the Hudson Institute,

Washington DC, was Pakistan’s

Ambassador to the U.S. from 2008-11. His

latest book is ‘Reimagining Pakistan’

Deep state, deeper problemsPakistan has been illserved with the ‘corruption is the only problem’ oversimplifi��cation, as elections beckon

Husain Haqqani

RE

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Emulate this

The Supreme Court ofIndia’s willingness to go liveon camera so thatproceedings can be viewedand heard by the public is alandmark decision (“SCsays that it is ready to golive, Centre moots a TVchannel”, July 10). TheChief Justice of India’sobservation that besidesenabling litigants to followproceedings in their cases itwould also help themassess their lawyers’performance, needs to beunderscored. Thetransparency proposed tobe thus introduced in theproceedings of theSupreme Court is equallyrelevant to the Rajya Sabhaand the Lok Sabha fromwhere telecasts have beenselective. Completecoverage of the proceedingsof both Houses will enableus to view the performanceof their representatives. K.R. Krishna Iyer,

Palakkad, Kerala

‘13? Brilliant’

I would like to share myinexplicable feeling ofeuphoria after thesuccessful mission torescue all the 12 boys andtheir coach trapped in adeep cave in Thailand cave.It is ‘mission unparalleled’and a victory for science,courage, sacrifi��ce,humanism and prayers.There is no doubt that thatthe world will be rejoicingover a defi��ning moment inworld history. May this bethe beginning of thetriumph of true humanvalues.Divakar Pai,

Kodungallur, Thrissur, Kerala

■ Governments and thepeople who were involved inthis stupendous rescue eff��ortdeserve our accolades. Everyhelp must be extended to theboys and their coach torecover from the trauma thatthey must have experienced. C.G. Rishikesh,

Chennai

■ It is amazing that India didnot send any team to join inthe eff��orts to rescue thetrapped boys and their coach—an incident literally in itsbackyard — even as the U.S.,the U.K., Japan, Australia,China and even tiny Laos,Myanmar and Vietnampitched in. I say this as aretired commodore in theIndian Navy. The prowess ofIndia’s Marine Commandos,or MARCOS, is second tonone. There does not seemto have been even astatement from thegovernment — I could bewrong though — expressingsolidarity with the Thaipeople. I think this was a goldenopportunity for us to havewalked the talk on our “ActEast” policy but we seem tohave missed the bus. TheMinistry of External Aff��airsshould have taken the lead.The true greatness of anation lies in these seeminglysmall acts of expressingconcern and solidarity

without expecting anythingin return. I think we dissipateall our energies in debatingcommunal relations and thesocalled nationalantinational debates.Somewhere along the waywe seem to have lost basicdecency and a respect forhuman values..K.S. Subramanian,

Kochi, Kerala

Debate in Parliament

I happened to watch (onsome of the leading westernTV channels) broadcasts of adebate on Brexit in theBritish Parliament. TheMembers of Parliament werequite knowledgeable aboutBrexit and dignifi��ed in theway they raised theirquestions, opposed PrimeMinister Theresa May and, inturn, the way in which sheanswered their queries. It setme thinking about the way inwhich our parliamentaryconduct is. Perhaps it woulddo us a world of good if theSpeaker of the Lok Sabha

grandfather from Chittoor,Andhra Pradesh to my fatherwho was working in the HighRanges in Tamil Naduinforming him of my birth.His clear handwriting andwellcrafted lines within thespace available is still awonder for me. Today’s digital era has nodoubt has many options andhas made it easier to get intouch with family andfriends at the click of abutton, but it still can neverreplace the unique world ofthe written word.B. Gurumurthy,

Madurai

and the respective StateAssemblies get hold ofrecordings of this debate andplayed it to our MPs andMLAs. It may be wishfulthinking, but it couldimprove the quality ofbehaviour and debate.Mathew Gainneos,

Thiruvananthapuram

The written word

The era of communicationthrough postcard and inlandletters is evergreen in thememories of senior citizenslike me (“Post cards stillaround, but nothing to writehome about”, July 8). I stillhave a postcard writtendecades ago by my maternal

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters emailed to [email protected] must carry the full postal address and the full name or the name with initials.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is no stranger

to controversy and rebellion. After the Cabinet

met at her country residence, Chequers, she has

found herself, yet again, in the middle of a political

upheaval, which could either see her hand streng

thened or send her packing from Downing Street. The

controversy: while the Cabinet had agreed on a strategy

on the kind of Brexit deal it would pursue with the Eu

ropean Union, some of Ms. May’s hardliner Brexit col

leagues were unhappy. Brexit Secretary David Davis

and his deputy, Steve Baker, resigned, followed by Fo

reign Secretary Boris Johnson. The Chequers strategy is

not a fi��nal deal but will form the basis of negotiations

with the EU. In pursuing a soft Brexit and insisting that

the time for intraparty bickering was over, Ms. May has

mitigated some of the economic damage from Brexit.

The policy calls for a U.K.EU free trade area in goods

and agriproducts based on a “common rulebook”,

with the U.K. harmonising its tariff��s with the EU in these

sectors. The government said it would seek fl��exibility

with regard to trade in services — Britain’s most vital ex

port — and a deal on fi��nancial services based on “mu

tual benefi��ts of integrated markets” and fi��nancial stabil

ity. This lower level of alignment with EU rules means

reduced access to EU markets for the sectors. The Cabi

net agreement proposes a “joint institutional frame

work” to interpret agreements between the U.K. and

EU, with U.K. courts implementing the framework in

the U.K., and EU courts in the EU. The agreement pro

poses that U.K.EU disputes will be settled by joint com

mittees or independent binding arbitration for dispute

settlement. Perhaps most controversially, the docu

ment says the U.K. would apply EU case law where the

common rulebook was concerned. Mr. Johnson, a Brex

iter who nursed prime ministerial ambitions, said this

would reduce Britain to the status of a colony, having to

comply with rules it did not have a say in formulating.

It is unclear what the spate of resignations means for

Ms. May’s tenure as Prime Minister. While the Cabinet

proposal has been criticised by highprofi��le Tories for

not having legs, several Brexiters, including Environ

ment Secretary Michael Gove and International Trade

Secretary Liam Fox, remain in Ms. May’s Cabinet. On

Monday, following Mr. Johnson’s resignation, Ms. May

met with Tory backbenchers and appeared to receive

their enthusiastic support. As things stand, a vote of no

confi��dence appears unlikely. But there could also be a

fallout from President Donald Trump’s visit to the U.K.

this week. Positive news on the future of bilateral trade

would give her a boost, but Mr. Trump has suggested he

may speak with Mr. Johnson while in the U.K. For the

moment, Ms. May’s position looks safe. But all this

could change dramatically if more resignations follow.

Game at ChequersA bunch of key resignations have upped

the stakes on the British PM’s Brexit plan

It is perhaps no surprise that political parties are

deeply divided over the idea of holding simultane

ous elections for the Lok Sabha and the State Assem

blies. During consultations initiated by the Law Com

mission of India, nine parties opposed it, arguing that it

went against the constitutional fabric and that it would

be impractical. Four parties backed the concept. The

BJP has sought time for a detailed response, though it is

Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has been advocat

ing the idea. The Congress has now spoken out against

the proposal. In principle, there are obvious advantag

es to the ‘one nation, one election’ idea — election ex

penditure will be drastically cut and ruling dispensa

tions will be able to focus on legislation and governance

rather than having to be in campaign mode forever. Ho

wever, as many of the naysayers have pointed out, the

idea is fraught with practical diffi��culties. Also, some

parties fear that a simultaneous poll, particularly in this

era where news is easily and widely disseminated, will

privilege national issues over regional ones even if, ar

guably, the reverse may happen too. The issue is that

synchronisation would involve curtailment or exten

sion of the tenure of a House — the legal propriety of

which is questionable.

The key proposal is that Assemblies be bunched into

two categories based on whether their terms end close

to the 2019 or the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Elections

could be held for one group in 2019, and for another in

2024 so that subsequent elections could be synchro

nised. Or, polls could be held for one group along with

the 2019 election, and for the rest 30 months later, so

that there is a round of elections every two and a half

years. An attempt at solving the problem of regimes fall

ing due to lack of majority is the proposal for a ‘con

structive vote of noconfi��dence’. This means that when

passing a motion expressing lack of trust in a regime, le

gislators must necessarily propose an alternative. If a

midterm election has to be held, the term of such a

House would only be for the remainder of its tenure.

These two recommendations may partially address the

question raised by the DMK on whether all Assemblies

would be dissolved too if the Lok Sabha has to be pre

maturely dissolved. However, it is unclear if it will be

palatable for all parties to invest their time and resourc

es in an election that would win them only a curtailed

term. Allowing a onetime waiver of the antidefection

law to enable the House to elect a leader in the event of

a hung House is another proposal. However, these re

forms can be adopted even without simultaneous elec

tions. Also, there are many pressing reforms needed in

the electoral space including curbing the use of black

money to fund elections and tackling the staggered

manner in which elections are held in many States.

Poll positionThere are meaningful electoral reforms

beyond simultaneous elections



CMYK

M ND-NDE

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DATA POINT

The Union Government has decided to bring forward a Bill inthe forthcoming session of Parliament for amending the InterState River Disputes Act of 1956 so as to provide for a tribunalof three persons who are, or have been Judges of the SupremeCourt or of a High Court. The InterState River Disputes Act of1956 provides for the constitution of a tribunal consisting ofone person from among those who are or have been judges ofthe Supreme Court or of a High Court, nominated by the ChiefJustice of India. There has been a growing feeling that such animportant issue should be determined not by a oneman tribunal, but by a group of at least three persons.

FIFTY YEARS AGO JULY 11, 1968

River disputes tribunal

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FROM ARCHIVES

In a letter to the ‘Times’ [of London] Professor H.E. Armstrongsays that indigo dyers of the United Kingdom have had an opportunity of testing natural indigo and are agreed that thoughit cannot be used for light shades as the impurities lessen thebrilliancy of tone, it is even superior to the synthetic materialfor heavy shades. A considerable quantity of paste is now being off��ered to dyers at the price of the synthetic product of thesame indigo in contents. The recovery of the Indian indigo industry will probably depend far more on agricultural developments than on mere improvements in manufacture.

A HUNDRED YEARS AGO JULY 11, 1918

Future of Indigo.

MarshalliantrinityEconomics

This refers to the three reasons why fi��rms belongingto the same industry tendto locate themselves closeto each other. One is thatthey try to operate in a region where they can havesuffi��cient access to a richpool of labour. The secondis that a cluster of companies in a particular location off��ers suppliers thechance to specialise andachieve economies ofscale. The third reason isthat new ideas or knowledge spread across fi��rmsthat are located in thesame region. The conceptis named after British economist Alfred Marshallwho elaborated it in hisbook Principles of Economics.

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CONCEPTUAL

Inside Tamil Nadu’s fi��rst

police museum

http://bit.ly/PolMuseum

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MORE ON THE WEB 3

Since 1970, more than two millionpeople have been killed by naturaldisasters in the ‘Ring of Fire’ regionaround the Pacifi��c Ocean, at an average of 43,000 a year, as per the United Nations (UN). In 2004, the IndianOcean tsunami struck 14 countries,and killed more than 18,000 peoplein India.

There is a way to dramatically cutdown on the number of people impacted by such disasters, and that isby using data. If we are to save lives

and prevent damage to economies, it is critical to identifythe most vulnerable populations. Data on these communities can be used to pursue ‘riskinformed development’. Forinstance, road infrastructure can be built by calculating theintensity of fl��oods and determining the types of materialsneeded to construct durable roads. India recently embarkedon an initiative to establish a comprehensive disaster database system. Now, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), working with partners, has established National Disaster Loss and Damage databases in 16 countries.

Data also help identify the gaps and makes recommendations on where to allocate resources to mitigate risks fromdisasters. For example, fl��oodresistant roads can only beconstructed if governments consider and review data aboutfl��ood risks. With such information, they can allocate appropriate funds for better road construction.

Institution to study risksTo further advance resilience in the region, in 2015, theUNDP partnered with the Tohoku University and Fujitsu tocreate a Global Centre for Disaster Statistics (GCDS).

The aim is to gather and crunch ‘big data’ to meet the ambitious targets of the Sendai Framework to reduce the risksfrom disasters. Fujitsu’s cloudbased ecosystem captures data from a variety of sources, including unstructured sourceslike social media, highresolution satellite imagery anddrones. Specialised technical institutions like the TohokuUniversity can crunch and analyse these data sets to provideinsights for policymakers about the impacts of disasters.This includes helping to monitor recovery, focussing on early warning, and assessing resilience.

Big data also provides a deeper understanding about howan economy is interconnected: how devastation of a ricecrop by a disaster can trigger a chain impact across severalindustries and services, such as transportation, ricetrading,packaging and retail. With such valuable information, governments can anticipate disasters and reduce risks throughpreventive measures such as early warning systems, safetydrills, and resilient infrastructure. Of course, the data thatmatters the most is the number of lives saved.

The writer is Assistant SecretaryGeneral of the UN and Director,Regional Bureau for Asia and Pacifi��c at the UNDP

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SINGLE FILE

Data that can save livesData can help reduce the number ofpeople impacted by natural disasters Haoliang Xu

Congressional staff��ers andexperts on India. Someevents are by invitationand some are open to all.

Some events act as awindow to a particular facet of India — for instance,Israeli scholar Ornit Shani’s talk on her book HowIndia Became Democraticor Kamal Verma’s eventon Understanding MulkRaj Anand. IndianAmerican author Sandhya Menon read from her bestseller When Dimple MetRishi, about two IndianAmerican teenagerswhose parents are tryingto fi��x their marriage. So,one can imagine the rangeof issues and topics thatthese events cover.

In a place that has ‘no

Tools of diplomacy aremany, and one that IndianAmbassador to the U.S.Navtej Sarna is fond of using appears to be books.An author and bibliophilehimself, Mr. Sarna has organised a series of bookdiscussions at the IndianEmbassy and his offi��cialresidence in recentmonths.

The discussions are onbooks on India, or by Indian or IndianAmericanauthors, and occasionallyend with participants receiving a copy of the booksigned by the author.

Book discussions areplenty in the Americancapital and each day,there are several to choosefrom, but those at the Indian Embassy also serveas propaganda for Indiansoft power. The gatheringsusually comprise a handful of White House andState Department offi��cials, American journalists, Indian Americans,

free lunch’ as it operational motto, no book eventcomes with a free book toparticipants. In fact, somebooksigning events sellthe books at a premium.However, Mr. Sarna’s generosity with booksstands out in itself, not tospeak of the topics.

A recent talk by AmishTripathi provided a fascinating, pluralistic interpretation of Hindu mythology. His ease ofnarration and clarityprobably explained hispopularity and that eventwas one of the liveliestones. People drove forseveral hours from othercities to listen to him. Mostof the attendees were thorough with the charactersand plots of his novels andMr. Tripathi explained hisplans for several morebooks. The talk left me determined to read all hisworks, a task made easierby the author himself,who has sent me the entire collection.

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NOTEBOOK

Diplomacy through books

On attending book discussions at the Indian Embassy

Varghese K. George

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Britain’s immigration system has come under scrutiny amidcontroversy over its treatment of Commonwealth immigrantswho came during the postSecond World War period, in whathas come to be dubbed the ‘Windrush scandal’. The revelations have renewed a longstanding public debate on the appropriateness of the hostile environment approach thatPrime Minister Theresa May pledged while she was the HomeSecretary. A parliamentary committee report this year calledthe approach “callous” and called for “root and branch reform”. Sajid Javid, the current Home Secretary, has pledgedreform. However, amid concerns over the government’s recentdecision not to extend a relaxation of documentation requirements to Indian students, there are doubts over the extent towhich things would change. Satbir Singh, who heads JointCouncil for the Welfare of Immigrants ( JCWI), an advocacygroup, speaks about what drives Britain’s immigration policies and what campaigners are doing to bring about change.

What is the trajectory of

immigrationrelated politics

in the U.K.? Has it got

noticeably worse under the

Conservatives?

■ It has got noticeably worseover the last couple of decades. If we go back to thelate 1990s or early 2000s,this was the point at which itbecame acceptable to useimmigrants as a scapegoatfor pretty much every policyfailure. There was, however,a marked change in 2010 —that is when we had a government that was willing tothrow evidence completelyaside. With the Windrushscandal, we’ve seen some ofwhat happened in the Cabinet and it’s clear that fromthe minute they came to offi��ce, the Conservatives werekeen to make life as diffi��cultas possible for immigrants.

It’s an important point

because its not just about

one individual, Theresa

May...

■ Absolutely. We had Britainchafi��ng under the weight ofausterity because cuts werereally signifi��cant and the effects were starting to bite —living standards were fallingdramatically; wages werefalling in real terms or stagnating; and services werestruggling. The easiest way

out of all of these was toblame immigrants. Therewas this nonsensical targetthat the government set — of1,00,000 or fewer immigrants per year. There wasno expert who said that thiswas a sensible target — unions didn’t say it, industrydidn’t say it. This numbercame out of thin air.

This appears particularly

shortsighted...

■ These policies are makingit exponentially more diffi��cult for people to enter thecountry and stay here. Thesewere politically expedientpolicy measures and theirconsequences were notthought through and that iswhy we have this completemisalignment.

The Conservative line isthat: we are the sensible pairof hands for the economyand the industry should trustus but we are also the partyof the illogical but nonetheless alluring idea of ‘FortressBritain’. Part of the identitystruggle the Conservativesare having now is aboutthese two competing sections and Brexit illuminatesthese divisions completely.

The Indian diaspora was fed

a particular narrative by

some campaigning for

Brexit suggesting that if it

voted to leave the European

Union (EU), it would give

space to allow more nonEU

migration...

■ It was very upsetting forme as a member of the SouthAsian diaspora in the U.K. tosee this narrative, and [tosee] them [the Brexit campaigners] pitting diff��erentgroups against each otherand saying that the reason ithad become diffi��cult for Indians was migration fromCentral and Eastern Europein the last decade. It workedinitially. You had a high turnout in some areas havingSouth Asian communities infavour of Brexit. However, later the opposite happened.There is no inclination on thepart of the government tomake it easier.

Is there a conversation

within the Indian diaspora

to be had about its attitudes

towards immigration?

■ We, the diaspora, have insome ways perpetuated themyth about good and bad migrants. We as a community inthe past two decades havebeen surprisingly supportiveof restrictive immigrationpolicies and that’s becausealmost every member of thediaspora who is upper middle class has this story about“How I came here with fi��vepounds in my pocket… wepulled ourselves up by ourown bootstraps.”

It has to be rememberedthat there was the entrepreneurial spirit but we were also supported by services, social housing, health andeducation. We have to acceptthat we are all in this together and people who come todo what we disparagingly refer to as ‘lowskilled work’ arein the same situation that ourparents were in about 50years ago.

To what extent is this debate

about race?

■ Race has always played asignifi��cant role in our conversation about immigration.That said, it’s not fair to suggest that antiimmigrationsentiment or concerns aboutimmigration here are alwaysintertwined with race because there are other factorssuch as economic anxietiesthat enter the picture.

But race is coming to thefore once again with the conversation about people arriving by boats from North Africa; and the conversations wehave about who Britain willenter into these free tradeagreements with fi��rst. As ifthese are fruits for us to goand pick when we want it.

There are nations like Australia, New Zealand and Canada — the settler colonies —that will have the fi��rst priority; it’s hard to deny the racialelement that exists particularly when you consider thevolume of trade between theU.K. and New Zealand visàvis the volume of trade between the U.K. and India.

What is your assessment of

the decision to exclude

Indian students, while

easing up the criteria for

Chinese students? Is this a

hangover of colonial times?

■ It has to do with a lack of vision in their [the authorities’] own concept of whatthis ‘global Britain’ means.It’s a confl��ict between sensible economic trade policiesand regressive immigrationpolicies and policies towardsminorities who don’t necessarily fi��t into that narrative.It’s like the left hand notknowing what the right handis doing.

The colonial legacy perhaps also plays some part butfrom a slightly diff��erent perspective. There is this assumption that even if we

make it exponentially harderfor people to come here,even if we treat people verybadly, Indians will alwayschoose to come; the assumption is that the demand isperfectly inelastic. But that’snot the case any more. Wejust have to look at the precipitous drop in the number ofstudents coming here.

It’s over 50 years since

Enoch Powell’s infamous

‘Rivers of Blood’ speech.

What lessons can be learnt

from the past?

■ The lesson to be learnt isthat we need to know the difference between when we’vemoved on and when it seemswe’ve moved on. You hadthis 15/20year period of relatively robust economicgrowth with a rise in livingstandards but the grey spotsin the economy [still] existedwhere opportunities weren’twell dispersed.

The evidence tells us thatimmigration is not to blame

for problems in public services — the queues in hospitalsaren’t shorter in placeswhere there are fewer immigrants but we’ve left thoseareas completely unattendedand those are the parts of thecountry that got scooped upby nativist forces. We didn’thave a proper conversationabout immigration. Wedidn’t properly explain thebenefi��ts of migration to thewhole country because itwas assumed that the wholecountry was on board. It wasalso assumed that therewould continue to be a rolefor evidence in our publicconversations. Across the Atlantic and here, we are seeing [that] you can just makestuff�� up and get away with itfor a reasonably long time.

Given the lack of a factual

basis, how do you turn

around the conversation on

immigration?

■ We can’t have a topdownapproach: it can’t just beabout the digital and nationalmedia. We need to be betterat facetoface conversations.We have to be much better atpushing back against the toxic rhetoric from leading voices on the political right.

Is it right to draw a

distinction between legal

and illegal migration?

■ Through the distinction,you are vilifying a very vulnerable population. Almosteveryone here who is without documentation camehere legally. We are an island: people arrived here legally. The biggest driver ofundocumented status is animmigration system which isso complicated that even theHome Offi��ce makes a mistakea lot of the time.

There has been a lot of focus

on the U.S. family

separations — which you’ve

travelled to the U.S. to

document. What is the

experience of families here

in the U.K.?

■ Separating families is a policy here, including throughthe really severe restrictionson family reunions becauseof which at least 50,000 children have been separatedfrom a parent. They are British children in the U.K. [separated] because one parentdoesn’t have a right to comehere. And that’s because wehave this unreasonable highincome requirement that excludes 41% of the work forcein the U.K. This is furthercomplicated by a labyrinthine application processwhich sees the Home Offi��cemake as many mistakes asthe applicants do.

There is a complete neglect of the rights of the childand families under the European Convention on HumanRights. We also have thespectre of immigration enforcement offi��cials bursting intopeople’s homes and detaining parents in front of theirchildren. You are traumatising children for administrative convenience and because the system you’vecreated doesn’t allow themto exercise their rights.

Will things change under

Sajid Javid?

■ Some of the noises we arehearing are positive butthese are lowhanging fruits.What remains to be seen iswhether he’s serious aboutfi��xing the system. However,[former Home Secretary]Amber Rudd’s departure signalled for the fi��rst time thatthere is a political consequence of all of this. It wasearlier assumed by both major parties that you can turnon people born elsewhere —whatever the logic or evidence, the rule of law or theinternational obligations say— and there will be no political consequences.

THE WEDNESDAY INTERVIEW | SATBIR SINGH

‘U.K. failed to have a proper conversation on immigration’Indianorigin campaigner for migrant rights Satbir Singh says off��fi��cials failed to explain the benefi��ts of migration to British people, leading to the rise of nativist forces

Vidya Ram

<> The Indian diaspora,

in some ways, has

perpetuated the

myth about good

and bad migrants

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NEWS

FROM PAGE ONE

To this, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, for renownedchoreographer Navtej SinghJohar, said “our lives arepassing by... how many of uscan come on individual issues later on?”

Mr. Rohatgi noted thatthe 172nd Law CommissionReport had recommendeddeletion of Section 377. Butnothing had been done allthese years.

He said the governmentdid not support Section 377.This was “clear as daylight”from the fact that it did notappeal in the SupremeCourt against the historicDelhi High Court judgmentof 2010 which had protected the LGBT communityfrom Section 377. In fact, itwas the Centre which fi��ledthe review petition againstthe apex court judgment ofDecember 2013.

‘Innate, inborn’Mr. Rohatgi submitted thatbeing gay or lesbian was nota matter of choice. “It is innate, inborn. Actually, it hassomething to do with thegenes.”

He said Section 377 described such sexual acts asagainst the order of nature.“But this [being LGBT] is also an order of nature... because it is nature which gavethem this,” he said. “Everything changes with thepassage of time... Laws

made 50 years ago can become invalid over time,” Mr.Rohatgi submitted.

He said Section 377 fallsunder the section of “unnatural off��ences” in the IPC.“What is unnatural? It canbe between a man and manand also between a man anda woman. Sex even betweena man and woman, but notin the conventional way, also becomes unnatural under Section 377,” he said.

Justice Nariman said Mr.Rohatgi should focus on thepoint that the “order of nature” was only a relativeconcept and whether LGBTitself was an order of nature.

Justice Malhotra, the woman judge on the Bench,observed that homosexuality was not confi��ned to humans, but extended even tothe animal kingdom.

Mr. Datar said Section 377criminalises a section of people for being a sexualminority.

The Constitution Bench,also comprising Justices R.F.Nariman, A.M. Khanwilkarand Indu Malhotra, is revisiting the December 2013 verdict of the Supreme Court inthe Suresh Koushal case,which had upheld Section377. It had dismissed theLGBT community as a negligible part of the population, while virtually denyingthem the right of choice andsexual orientation.

‘Choice of partner isfundamental right’

“Some of the exceptionalcircumstances, which maybe occasionally encountered during operation offl��ight, are medical emergency, natural calamity, national requirement for relief &rescue operations (missionoriented), equipment malfunction, weatherrelateddisruptions, runway closure, passenger and aircraftrecovery, etc,” reads a circular from the DGCA datedJune 26.

The annexure to the circular also includes “ATC delays” as a valid ground forairlines to extend timings oftheir crew.

On April 18, the DelhiHigh Court had barred theDGCA from granting airlinesany exemption from FDTLafter a plea by petitionerYeshwant Shenoy. However,the DGCA sought a reviewwhich was upheld by the

court, which said that theregulatory body is empowered to exempt airlinesfrom FDTL rules “by specialorder or general order”.

Mr. Shenoy said he wouldfi��le a contempt petitionagainst the DGCA as the body was meddling withtechnicalities.

“The regulator has included every possible kindof delay in this latest circular instead of holding airlines accountable, which iswrong. If there is an act ofGod, an evacuation to bedone, a war situation... allthose are valid grounds butif there is a snag in the aircraft and the airline has notbeen able to repair, whyshould it be excused,” askedCaptain Shakti Lumba, anindependent aviation specialist, who has worked withAlliance Air as its ExecutiveDirector.

Pilots may have towork longer hours

Tech4all, a nongovernmental organisation, had made acomprehensive study of thequestion paper and pointedout the errors in the Tamilversion. Observing that Tamil medium students mustbe suitably compensated toprovide a level playing fi��eld,the Bench said: “As a necessary corollary, the list ofqualifi��ed candidates shall bekept in abeyance as wouldthe counselling sessions.”

However, the judges saidit was left to the authoritiesconcerned to proceed withcounselling for eligibleMBBS candidates.

Responding to the courtruling, Tamil Nadu HealthSecretary J. Radhakrishnansaid it was for the CBSE totake a call on recounsellingfor the current batch of students who had been admitted. Asked if the CBSE hadapproached the State fortranslators, the School Education Secretary replied inthe negative.

The court refused to accept the CBSE’s argumentthat teachers in respectiveregional languages withknowledge of relevant technical terms would havethought just as the studentswould (while framing thequestions). The courttermed the contention as apresumption.

“The diffi��culty of a student taking the examinationof such importance in un

derstanding rightly a wrongquestion, however mild theerror be, is to be appreciated, placing ourselves in hisshoes and not in the shoesof those having the leisureof easy chair refl��ection,” thejudges said. The court alsoquestioned the practice ofpublishing answer keys, asking how a national levelboard could be uncertainabout the answers.

On a related issue, theBench questioned why private students were not eligible to apply for the NEET.“Tens of thousands of children, having to support amother, siblings, ailing parents and elders, sometimesa deserving father, eke out aliving and yet pursue theirstudies simply because theywant to be educated,” theBench pointed out.

“They want to lift themselves out of the squalortheir lives are in. Why aresuch students being deprived? Is it because they donot put in ‘n’ number offi��xed hours of study or is itbecause science subjects require practical trainingwhich they are not exposedto?” the judges asked. Thecourt asked if it is not theknowledge gained as refl��ected by performance in theexamination that matters.“Should not governmentand education bodies provide for practical training,”the Bench asked.

Extra marks for Tamilcandidates in NEET

Faced with mounting criticism over the grant of ‘institute of eminence’ status tothe proposed Jio Universityof Reliance Foundation, theMinistry of Human ResourceDevelopment (MHRD) onTuesday said an eminent panel had recommended thenames and there was a needto trust its judgment.

“The Empowered ExpertCommittee (EEC) in theirwisdom and after exercisingdue diligence, after speakingto them, after reading theirproposals, after looking attheir vision statements andtheir ability to mobilise land,buildings and core teamfound only one institution tobe eligible. We are respectingtheir judgment,” said Secretary, Higher Education, R.Subrahmanyam. “This committee consists of very reputed persons, people with impeccable integrity, with a lotof public service. They are alleminent personalities. That

being so, we are convincedthat they have done a verythorough job.”

The EEC is headed byformer Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami,and has University of Houston System chancellor RenuKhator, Harvard BusinessSchool professor TarunKhanna and R. Pritam Singhof MDI Gurgaon as its members.

The proposed universityis required to start academicoperations within threeyears, and has, according tothe MHRD, already purchased 800 acres at Karjatnear Navi Mumbai.

This clarifi��cation comes in

the wake of widespread criticism on social media, withJNU professor Ayesha Kidwaieven suggesting, tongueincheek, that it was a case ofabsence of use of spellcheck,since “the state or fact of being about to happen” meantimminence, not eminence.

Three categoriesMr. Subrahmanyam saidthere were three categoriesunder which institutionscould apply: the public institutions, the already existingprivate institutions and thegreenfi��eld institutions,meaning private institutionsthat were found very promising at proposal stage without

being already existent. Hesaid 29 already existing private institutions had appliedand 11 applications came inthe greenfi��eld category,where Airtel, Vedanta andKrea, associated with formerRBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, were among Jio’s competitors. While Manipal Academy of Higher Educationand BITS Pilani were selected in the private institutionscategory, the proposed JioInstitute alone was selectedin the greenfi��eld category.

IISc Bengaluru, IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi were selected in the category of public institutions.

The MHRD has also saidthat letters of intent wouldbe issued to institutions inthe greenfi��eld category andthey were required to startacademic operations withinthree years for the IoE statusto become operational. Iftheir progress was not satisfactory, the committee couldalso recommend cancellation of the status.

Ministry defends eminence tag to Jio varsity It comes under greenfi��eld institution category, says Higher Education Secretary

Vikas Pathak

NEW DELHI

Condemning the government’s decision to accord‘Institution of Eminence’status to the Reliance Foundation’s Jio Institute, theLeft parties called it ‘brazencronyism’.

The CPI(M) Polit Bureau,in a statement, said the entire exercise and the considerations had remained largely outside the publicdomain. “It takes great perseverance and creativity toearn that tag of eminence. Itis bewildering that the JioInstitute, which is nonexistent and notional, has beengiven that status solely on a‘drawing board’ projection,”the Polit Bureau statementsaid.

It cannot be construed asanything but “brazen cronyism,” said the CPI(M). “Itwill have a debilitating eff��ect

on the entire sphere of higher education underliningthe obsession of the government to promote privatisation and undermining publicly funded highereducation,” the party said.

Congress’ stance Asked to comment on thecontroversy regarding JioUniversity, Congress spokesperson Abhishek ManuSinghvi refused to directlyname ‘any institution, individual or company’ but articulated the stand of theparty.

“Any institution which isseeking such status must establish its credentials by various acknowledged and established tests. What arethose tests? Adequate infrastructure, outstanding faculty, credible research output,a place of prestige in theacademia,” Mr. Singhvi said.

Decision is brazencronyism: Left partiesSpecial Correspondent

New Delhi

Ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajanhas written to all Lok SabhaMPs stating that “divergenceof opinion and dissent”should be within establishednorms and protecting thedignity of Parliament is a“collective responsibility.”

Ms. Mahajan’s letter tomembers asking for cooperation for smooth functioningof Parliament comes after awashout of the last session(Budget session) over issuessuch as the Opposition’s insistence on bringing a NoConfi��dence Motion and anadjournment motion on thebanking scams.

The monsoon session be

gins on July 18 and the government is keen to pushthrough key legislation likegranting Constitutional status to the OBC panel, the triple talaq and the transgender Bills.

Sources say BJP chief AmitShah, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal and senior leader

Bhupendra Yadav met withArun Jaitley, who is theLeader of the Rajya Sabha,to discuss government business for the monsoon session. Expressing concern over frequent disruptions, Ms.Mahajan said the 16th LokSabha has entered into its fi��nal year.

“Time is limited but thereare several items of work stillunfi��nished. We know thattime will be available mainlyduring the monsoon andwinter session for discussionand transacting legislativebusiness,” she said in herletter.

She also questioned thepractice of Opposition parties citing precedents of disruptions by other parties tojustify disruptions.

‘Protecting dignity of House a collective responsibility’


NEW DELHI

Sumitra Mahajan

Let dissent be within norms,Speaker tells LS members

Congress President RahulGandhi on Tuesday supported an online petition againstUnion Minister Jayant Sinhathat seeks the withdrawal ofhis Harvard alumni statusafter he was seen garlandingeight men convicted oflynching a Muslim meattrader in Jharkhand.

The petition was startedby a Master of Public Policystudent at Harvard University, where Mr. Sinha completed his MBA.

Online supportTagging the online petition,Mr. Gandhi tweeted, “If thesight of a highly educatedMP and central minister,Jayant Sinha, garlandingand honouring criminals

convicted of lynching an innocent man, fi��lls you withdisgust, click on the link andsupport this petition.”

Mr. Sinha courted controversy last week after photographs of him garlandingthe convicts at his residencein Hazaribagh ( Jharkhand)surfaced in the publicdomain.

On Monday, the Congressdemanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi sack thejunior Civil Aviation Minister immediately, else itwould seem that the PrimeMinister approved of Mr Sinha’s act.

Mr Sinha, however, defended himself on Twitterand claimed that “he unequivocally condemns allacts of violence and rejectedany type of vigilantism”.

Rahul signs petitionagainst Jayant SinhaCalls for Union Minister’s resignation


NEW DELHI

Dismissing the idea of simultaneous elections tothe Lok Sabha and StateAssemblies, the Congresson Tuesday called it a“Constitutional perversity”and claimed that it wentagainst the very core of Indian democracy.

But the Biju Janata Dal(BJD) and YSR Congress,the two parties that metthe Law Commission onthe last day of its consultations on simultaneouspolls, extended their support to the idea.

Though the Congressstayed away from the LawCommission deliberations,senior party spokespersonAbhishek Manu Singhviheld a press conference onthe subject. “It goes againstthe grain of the Constitution, its basic structure andhits at the core of democracy,” Mr. Singhvi told reporters.

Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strongpitch for One Nation, OneElection, the Law Commission prepared an internalworking paper that recommended holding the LokSabha and Assembly pollssimultaneously in twophases beginning 2019.

“We support the ideaand Naveen Patnaik is theoriginator of the idea. In2004, he cut short the tenure of the Assembly byone whole year to haveelections along with thoseof the Lok Sabha,” BJD MPPinaki Misra told TheHindu.

Political parties supporting the move argue that itwould save costs. But Mr.Singhvi said: “There is anRTI that says that the totalexpenditure of holding allthe elections is ₹��4,500crore, while another RTIrevealed that the expenditure on publicity of the Modi government in the pastfour years is ₹��4,600.”

Simultaneouspolls will hitdemocracy,says CongressSpecial Correspondent

New Delhi Two JaisheMuhammad( JeM) militants were killedby a joint patrol of the Army,police and the CRPF at Kundalan village amid widespread street protests insouth Kashmir’s Shopian onTuesday. Two soldiers wereinjured.

A Srinagarbased policespokesman said the militantswere holed up in a residential building since Tuesdaymorning. “They were identifi��ed as Sameer AhmadSheikh, a local, and Babarfrom Pakistan. They were affi��liated to the proscribed terror outfi��t JeM,” said thespokesman.

A large number of youthconverged on the encountersite during the exchange offi��re in a bid to help thetrapped militants to escape.They clashed with the security forces at many places in

the district. A civilian, Tamsheel Ahmad Khan of Vehilvillage, died of fi��rearm injuries at a Srinagar hospital.Security forces used tear

smoke shells, pellet shotgunsand opened fi��re to controlsthe mobs.

Chief Medical Offi��cer, Shopian, Dr. Abdul Rasheed told

The Hindu that 123 injuredcivilians were brought to themedical facilities at Shopian,Harman and Vehil areas.“We mostly treated pellet in

juries, mainly in the eyes. Sixhad bullet injuries,” Dr.Rasheed said.

Dies of shockMuhammad Ishaq Naikoo,father of Zeenat Naikoo, diedof cardiac arrest when hewas mistakenly informedthat his son was among thosetrapped in the building surrounded by the joint patrol.

In a separate incident, aClass 11 student, Ubaid Manzoor Lone, injured at Nadihal area of Baramulla in Border Security Forces’ fi��ring onstonethrowing youth onJune 25, succumbed to injuries at a hospital here.

Separatists’ Joint Resistance Leadership ( JRL),comprising Syed Ali Geelani,Mirwaiz Umar Farooq andYasin Malik, has called for ashutdown on Wednesdayagainst the “use of unbridledforce on unarmed civilians inShopian.”

2 JeM militants shot dead in Kashmir Youth gather at encounter site to help militants escape; civilian dies as clashes break out

Broken homes: A villager looking at the damage suff��ered by a building during a gunfi��ghtbetween militants and security forces at Kundalan village in Shopian district. * AFP


Srinagar

Shah Faesal, who toppedthe UPSC exams in 2009,has been served with a notice for his tweet over growing rapes in the country.

The Centre’s Departmentof Personnel and Training(DoPT) underlined his tweetand termed the contents as“prima facie in contravention of the extant provisionof the All India Service (Conduct Rules) 1968, All IndiaServices (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969.”

Mr. Faesal’s tweet referred to by the DoPT reads:“Patriarchy + Population +Illiteracy + Alcohol + Porn +

Technology + Anarchy = Rapistan.” He posted it onApril 22 in reference to frequent cases of rapes andsexual harassment reportedby the media in the country.Mr. Faesal is on study leavein Harvard University.

On Tuesday, he postedthe notice on Twitter saying,“Love letter from my bossfor my sarcastic tweetagainst rapeculture inSouth Asia. The Irony hereis that service rules with acolonial spirit are invoked ina democratic India to stifl��ethe freedom of conscience.I’m sharing this to underscore the need for a rulechange.”

IAS offi��cer gets noticeover rape culture tweet Peerzada Ashiq

Srinagar

Seat sharing talks with the Janata Dal (U) will fi��gure highon the agenda during BJPchief Amit Shah’s visit to Patna on Thursday. Bihar ChiefMinister Nitish Kumar isscheduled to join Mr. Shahfor both breakfast and dinner during the visit.

Top sources in the BJPhave confi��rmed that whileMr. Shah will be largely busywith organisational meetings, two oneonone meetings have been scheduledwith Mr. Kumar.

“Adhyakshaji (BJP presi

dent Amit Shah) will be having breakfast with the ChiefMinister (Nitish Kumar) atthe State guest house wherehe will be staying. He willhave dinner with Nitish Kumar at the latter’s residence,” said a source.

State BJP president Nityanand Rai confi��rmed the twomeetings.

“Seat sharing talks are on

the anvil, and a formula thatwill be good for all stakeholders will be worked out,” added the source. No other details were shared as partymen and allies like the LokJanshakti Party (LJP) andRashtriya Lok Samata Party(RLSP) are holding theirpeace.

“We won 22 seats in 2014on our own; some of themwere seats where JD(U) usedto win as part of the NDA.Therefore, the seat adjustment is not just about absolute numbers but particularseats and this will have implications for some sitting BJPMPs too,” added the source.

Meanwhile, a political observer in Bihar told The Hin-du, “I don’t see any electoraldividend for the BJP to takeJD(U) along with it in LokSabha poll…for the BJP, atriangular contest will always benefi��t as both RJD andJD(U) would cut each other’sbackward caste vote whilethe BJP’s vote bank will be intact in the name of PM Narendra Modi”.

“Though, it will be a diff��erent ball game if JD(U) compromises with 910 seatswith the BJP promising it alion share in the State Assembly poll in 2020,” saidpolitical analyst Ajay Kumar.

Shah, Nitish to discuss seat sharingBreakfast and dinner meetings organised to work out formula in Bihar

Nistula Hebbar

Amarnath Tewary

NEW DELHI/PATNA

Nitish Kumar and Amit Shah



CMYK




NEWS

Praising South Korean President Moon Jaein for his rolein talks with North Korea,Prime Minister NarendraModi said India is also a stakeholder and benefi��ciary ofthe Korean peninsula peaceprocess.

The two leaders addressed a press after offi��cialtalks on Tuesday during President Moon’s fourday statevisit to India, where the twosides signed 11 MoUs andagreements between them.

Proliferation fears“During our talks, I told President Moon that proliferation linkages between NorthEast Asia and South Asia is amatter of concern to India,”Mr. Modi said, in a veiled reference to China and Pakistan, who had helped buildPyongyang’s nuclear programme.

“Therefore, India is also astakeholder in the peaceprocess. We will do our bit toensure peace,” Mr. Modiadded.

Briefi��ng Mr. Modi on thetalks between him and NorthKorean leader Kim JongUnas well as the denuclearisation talks with the U.S., Mr.Moon reportedly said therewill be “bumps and bruises”along the way, but he was“confi��dent of the outcome,”Indian Ambassador to SouthKorea Vikram Doraiswamitold journalists after themeeting.

Boosting tradeChief on the bilateral agendawas improving business andinvestment ties, said offi��cials, including taking bilateral trade, that slumped between 20142016 to more thandouble its current levels of$20 billion to $50 billion by2030. India has been worried about its trade defi��citwith South Korea that stoodat $12 billion last year, whileKorean businessmen have

complained about problemsin the “ease of doing business”.

In addition to the agreements on upgrading theireconomic partnership CEPA,trade remedies, railway safety research, cyber strategy,and cultural exchanges, India and South Korea signed ajoint vision statement onstrategic ties in the region.

“RoK and India will enhance military exchanges,training and experiencesharing, and research anddevelopment including innovative technologies for mutual benefi��t. We also agreedto encourage our defence industries to intensify cooperation in this regard,” the vision statement read, in areference to discussions onencouraging Korean defencemanufacturers to “Make inIndia”, one of whom, Hanhwa Techwin, has partneredwith Larsen and Toubro toproduce K9 Vajra artilleryguns for the Indian Army at afactory near Pune.

The bilateral vision document also committed tobuilding a “peaceful, stable,secure, free, open, inclusiveand rulesbased region,” incorporating President Moonslogan of “3Ps: People, Prosperity and Peace”.

‘India a stakeholder in Korean peace’ Modi praises Moon’s eff��orts; Delhi, Seoul sign agreements on trade, research and railway technology

Suhasini Haidar

NEW DELHI

India and South Koreasigned a joint statementagreeing to discuss an ‘earlyharvest’ package for theComprehensive EconomicPartnership Agreement (CEPA) aimed at identifying keyareas for enhanced tradebetween the two countries.

“Resolving to work towards promoting mutualprosperity, we agreed to expand bilateral trade, including through the early conclusion of ongoing negotiationsto upgrade the ROKIndiaComprehensive EconomicPartnership Agreement (CEPA),” the joint statement issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and SouthKorean President Moon Jaein said.

“In this regard, we welcomed the fi��nalisation of theelements of an Early HarvestPackage that would lead towards an upgraded CEPA.”

The two countries alsoagreed to try to increasetheir bilateral trade to $50

billion by 2030, up from current levels of $20 billion.

According to the Ministryof Commerce, the signing ofthe early harvest packagewas in keeping with the ongoing discussions with SouthKorea, and was one of manyobjectives the two countrieswanted to achieve.

Three deliverables“In the last meeting held in2017, three deliverables wereidentifi��ed: early harvestpackage of CEPA, forming

futures strategy group tojointly harness fourth generation technology and innovative products and a traderemedies MOU,” the Commerce Ministry said in astatement. “All three deliverables have been realizedtoday.”

“An early harvest agreement of the CEPA which hasthree chapters: goods, services, and investments (wasagreed to),” Vikram Doraiswami, Indian Ambassador toSouth Korea said.

TCA Sharad Raghavan

NEW DELHI

India, Korea agree onframework to improve trade

Dangal moment: South Korean First Lady Kim Jungsookinteracting with Geeta Phogat, Haryana wrestler on whomthe fi��lm Dangal is based, in New Delhi on Tuesday. * PTI

Iran will end “special privileges” to India if Delhi triedto replace Iranian crudewith supplies from SaudiArabia, Russia, and the United States, said a senior Iranian diplomat here on Tuesday.

Speaking at an event inParliament annexe, Massoud Rezvanian Rahaghisaid Iran has tried to help India whenever possible instrategic issues like energyand connectivity, but argued that India’s investmentpromises in the port of Chabahar have not beendelivered.

“In the previous round ofU.S. sanctions between 2012and 2015, Iran did its best toensure security of oil supplyto India...However, if Indiawere to replace Iran withcountries like Saudi Arabia,Russia, Iraq, U.S. and othersfor 10% of its oil demandthen it may have to revert todollardenominated imports, which mean higherCAD and deprivation of allother privileges Iran has offered to India,” said Mr.Rahaghi.

The response comes daysafter India was asked by theU.S. administration of President Donald Trump to drastically cut down crude supply from Iran.

India has not spelt outhow it would address theconcerns of the U.S. government. The Ministry of External Aff��airs has maintainedthat Delhi would consult “allstakeholders” in ensuringenergy security.

The offi��cial said Iran remains an open market forIndian requirements like petroleum, urea and LNG andIran understands India’senergy requirement.

Mr. Rahaghi spoke at anevent organised by the AllIndia Minorities Front,about the impact of U.S.withdrawal from the Irannuclear deal, also known asJoint Comprehensive Plan ofAction ( JCPOA) and arguedthat unilateralism by theU.S. was imposing a heavycost on the world. He cautioned that a confl��ict in theGulf region would “driveup” the price of crude oiland impact growing powerslike India and China.

Mr. Rahaghi also said thatIran comes as a “blessing”to India in Delhi’s quest toaccess the markets of theemerging economies in theCentral Asian region buthinted that Tehran is not satisfi��ed with India’s investment levels in the port ofChabahar.

“...It’s unfortunate thatIndian investment promisesfor expansion of Chabaharport and its connectivityprojects have not been accomplished so far, and it isexpected that India take immediately necessary measures in this regard if itscooperation and engagement in Chabahar port isreally of strategic nature,”said the diplomat. Iran reserves the right to act in response to U.S. measures.“Iran and Syria are winningagainst terrorism and someof these forces are now coming to Afghanistan,” he said,asking regional powers toremain vigilant of spillovereff��ects from the wars in theWest Asian region.

Asks Delhi not to stop Iranian crude

Kallol Bhattacherjee

NEW DELHI

Iran will endspecial privilegesto India: diplomat

<> Iran has tried to

help India in

strategic issues like

energy and

connectivity

Massoud Rezvanian Rahaghi

Senior Iranian diplomat

Rajasthan has emerged as thefi��rst State to sign a memorandum of understanding with Microsoft to provide digital training to 9,500 students ofgovernment colleges. It will also train 500 faculty members.

Rajasthansigns MoUwith Microsoft Staff Reporter

JAIPUR

‘Ratan Tata to sharedais with RSS chief’ MUMBAI

The RSS said on Tuesday that

industrialist Ratan Tata will

share the stage with its chief,

Mohan Bhagwat, at an event

to be held here next month.

Last month, former President

Pranab Mukherjee had

attended a function of the

RSS in Nagpur, an event

which had become a matter

of much debate. “Tata and

Bhagwat will attend an event

in Mumbai on August 24,

organised by the Nana Palkar

Smriti Samiti,” a Sangh

functionary said. PTI

IN BRIEF

RS members can use all22 scheduled languages NEW DELHI

Rajya Sabha members can

speak in any of the 22

scheduled languages from

the monsoon session of

Parliament beginning on July

18, with the Secretariat

arranging simultaneous

interpretation for five more

languages: Dogri, Kashmiri,

Konkani, Santhali and Sindhi.

Of the 22 languages, the RS

already has interpretation for

Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati,

Hindi, Urdu, Kannada,

Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya,

Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu.

Delhi HC dismisses pleato deregister CPI(M) NEW DELHI

The Delhi High Court on

Tuesday dismissed a petition

seeking deregistration of the

Communist Party of India

(Marxist), after it was told

that the petitioner had

suppressed his political

affiliation. The order came

after the CPI(M) counsel

contended that the

petitioner, Jojo Jose, was

affiliated to the BJP and was

using the case for gaining

political mileage. The

petitioner, in his plea, had

sought quashing of the EC’s

September 1989 order

granting registration to the

CPI(M).

A Delhi court on Tuesday extended the protection fromarrest granted to former Union Minister P. Chidambaram and his son, Karti Chidambaram, in theAircelMaxis money laundering case till August 7.

On May 30, Mr. Chidambaram moved the court,seeking protection from arrest in the case, saying allevidence in the matter appeared to be documentaryin nature, which is already inthe possession of the incumbent government and nothing was to be recovered fromhim. The court had grantedinterim protection from arrest till Tuesday to Mr. Kartiin two cases fi��led by the CBI

and ED in 2011 and 2012 respectively in the AircelMaxismatter arising out of the 2Gspectrum cases. The matterpertains to grant of Foreign

Investment PromotionBoard clearance to fi��rm M/SGlobal CommunicationHolding Services Ltd for investment in Aircel.


New Delhi

A fi��le picture of former Union Minister P. Chidambaram, right,and his son, Karti Chidambaram.

Delhi court extends protection toChidambaram, Karti from arrest

India must go the Japanese way if itwishes to prevent cyber attacks onthe country’s massive IT infrastructure, says Avast Antivirus chief technical offi��cer and executive vicepresident Ondrej Vlcek.

“Japan brought in a stringent regulatory mechanism last year to putits IT infrastructure under a protective shield. India can also follow thatexample considering the growinginternet penetration in the country,” Mr. Vleck told The Hindu onthe sidelines of RISE 2018, Asia’s largest technology conference whichgot underway here on Tuesday.

He said that over 60% of the personal computers in India were vulnerable to cyber crimes. As many as18% of routers, 17% phones, 14%printers, 25% network associatedstorages, 4% security cameras and2% media boxes too were vulnerable to threats in India. In comparison, only 9% of personal computers, 3% phones, 25% of routers,16% of printers and 23% of security

cameras in Japan were underthreat.

The situation was not rosy inHong Kong either, where about 45%of personal computers were vulnerable to cyber attacks. The percentage for China, the U.S. and Singapore were 39%, 38% and 33%respectively, he said.

“Already most countries are taking precautionary steps speciallywhen it comes to hardware devices.But governmentenabled regulations can prevent cyber crimes withthe growth of Internet of Things(IoT),” he said.

“Your smart home is only as secure as its weakest link. Personal data leakage and ransomware attackslead to IoT botnets and physical security threats,” he said.

Incidentally, Artifi��cial Intelligence (AI) will play a key role in IoTsafety. In future, AI will identifymalicious and legitimate behaviour,Mr. Vleck said.

(The writer is currently inHong Kong attending

RISE 2018 tech summit).

60% of Indian computersare vulnerable: Avast CTOSays India must go the Japanese way

Biju Govind

HONG KONG

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday said ithas “nothing to hide” in theISRO spy scandal case,which saw the wrongfulconfi��nement of former senior scientist Nambi Narayanan. The CBI, which tookover the probe from theState Police and fi��led a closure report in 1996, said theSupreme Court could evenlaunch a courtmonitoredprobe into the agency’s conduct in the case.

“We are not running awayfrom anything. Our handsare clean,” Additional Solicitor General Vikramjit Bannerjee, for the CBI, submitted before a Bench led byChief Justice of India Dipak

Misra. Mr. Narayanan alsovoiced support for the agency. His lawyer submittedorally before the Bench that“it is only because of the fairprobe done by the CBI thatthe petitioner is before us.The Kerala police and the IBwere torturing and extracting statements from him.”

Plea against offi��cialsWith this, the Bench reserved for judgment a pleamade by Mr. Narayanan toprosecute senior police offi��cials who investigated theISRO spy scandal. The courtwill also consider the question of compensation to bepaid to the scientist and others . The CBI objected to thecourt’s observation that theagency should also pay a

compensation. “Whyshould compensation bepaid by us... petitioner himself is saying there is no allegation against us,” Mr. Bannerjee submitted.

Earlier, the State of Keralahad fi��led an affi��davit sayingit was willing to unconditionally abide by whatever

the apex court orders. Thecourt said it would adopt animpartial stand in the issue.

In his petition, Mr. Narayanan, who was discharged in the case, had arraigned as parties formerKerala ADGP Siby Mathews,the State government offi��cers K.K. Joshwa and S. Vijayan, both of whom had retired in senior positions inthe police.

The former ISRO scientist, who is in his seventies,had approached the apexcourt after a Division Benchof the State High Court refused his plea.

Challenging the legalityof the order of the HighCourt Division Bench, Mr.Narayanan said that the order was “bad in law”.

Our hands clean in ISRO spy case: CBIScientist backs probe agency’s remarks before SC in wrongful confi��nement case

Nambi Narayanan

Krishnadas Rajagopal

NEW DELHI

To tackle the issue of fake information being spread using its platform, instant messaging applicationWhatsApp on Tuesday published advertisments in various newspapers giving out‘easy tips’ that can help users decide if “somethingsent to you on WhatsApp istrue.”

“This morning we arestarting an education campaign in India on how tospot fake news and rumours.Our fi��rst step is placing newspaper advertisementsacross the country in English, Hindi, and several other languages. We will buildon these eff��orts going forward,” a WhatsApp spokesperson said in an emailedresponse.

WhatsApp said to dealwith fake news technology

companies, the governmentand the community groups,all need to work together.

The Facebookowned application, in the advertisement, said that this week itwill roll out a new featurethat will let users see whichmessages have been forwarded. “Double check thefacts when you are not surewho wrote the original mes

sage,” it said.While stating that stories

that seem hard to believe areoften untrue, the messagingapplication asked users tocheck elsewhere to see ifthey are really true. “It is easier to believe photos and videos, but even these can beedited to mislead you. Sometimes the photo is real, butthe story around it is not. Solook online to see where thephoto came from.”

Asking users to bethoughtful of what theyshare, WhatsApp said, “Ifyou read something thatmakes you angry or afraidask whether it was shared tomake you feel that way. Andif the answer is yes, thinktwice before sharing itagain.” It said fake news often goes viral, and asked users to not pay attention tothe number of times they receive the message.

WhatsApp gives tips onspotting fake newsStarts awareness campaign with advertisements in papers


New Delhi

WhatsApp asks users todouble check the facts thatthey receive. * FILE PHOTO



CMYK

WORLDEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE



Widow of Chinese Nobellaureate arrives in BerlinBERLIN

Liu Xia, the widow of

dissident Chinese Nobel

laureate Liu Xiaobo, who was

under de facto house arrest in

China, arrived in Germany on

Tuesday. She arrived here

three days before her

husband’s fi��rst death

anniversary. AFP

ELSEWHERE

President Donald Trumpnominated Brett Kavanaugh,an infl��uential conservativewho was a White House aideto former President GeorgeW. Bush, for the SupremeCourt of the United States(SCOTUS) on Monday. Mr.Kavanaugh faces a tough battle for confi��rmation by theU.S. Senate, where the Republicans have a narrow a majority. If confi��rmed, Mr. Kavanaugh, 53, would replacelongserving conservativeJustice Anthony Kennedy,who announced his retirement on June 27 at age 81.

Appointed by Mr. Bush,Mr. Kavanaugh has been ajudge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit since 2006,where he has burnished hisconservative credentials.

The ninemember Supreme Court leans conservative already with a 54 division. But retiring justice Mr.Kennedy has often sidedwith liberal causes. IndianAmerican judge Amul Thapar was on the shortlist butdid not make the fi��nal cut.

Mr. Kavanaugh’s confi��r

mation then was alsofraught, as Democrats resisted him. He was nominated in2003, and the confi��rmationprocess took three years.The Democrats and progressive groups have already announced their opposition tohis nomination.

“Judge Brett Kavanaughrepresents a direct and fundamental threat to [the] promise of equality and so I willoppose his nomination tothe Supreme Court,” said Senator Kamala Harris of California, a member of the Judi

ciary Committee.“Specifi��cally, as a replacement for Justice AnthonyKennedy, his nominationpresents an existential threatto the health care of hundreds of millions of Americans,” she said. Justice Kennedy had voted in support ofObamacare while Mr. Kavanaugh has shown disapproval of the programme, atleast partially.

Judicial appointments isan issue that unites establishment Republicans and thesupporters of Mr. Trump

who challenge them on other matters. This is the secondnomination that Mr. Trumpmakes to the SCOTUS, andhe has said he hopes to leavean imprint on the U.S judicialsystem for several decades tocome.

Appointed for lifeNeil Gorsuch, nominated byMr. Trump last year, is only51 now. Mr. Gorsuch and Mr.Kavanaugh, if confi��rmed,could be on the bench forthree decades. SCOTUS justices are appointed for life.

While Mr. Trump has challenged the Republican orthodoxy on foreign and economy policy, his attempts tosteer the course of the U.S.judiciary has been in linewith it.

All his judicial appointments have been drawnfrom a community of conservative legal fraternity nurtured by Republican groups.Growing up and working inWashington DC, Mr. Kavanaugh has been part of theestablishment that is targetof Mr. Trump’s ire on mostquestions.

Mr. Kavanaugh underscored his Catholic upbringing — he was an altarboy —and his love for basketballand family, at a primetimeevent at the White Housewhere Mr. Trump announced the nomination.“My judicial philosophy isstraightforward: a judgemust be independent andmust interpret the law, notmake the law. A judge mustinterpret statutes as written.And a judge must interpretthe Constitution as written,informed by history, and tradition and precedent,” Mr.Kavanaugh said.

Trump picks conservative for courtBrett Kavanaugh, a former aide to President George W. Bush, faces a tough battle for confi��rmation

Varghese K. George

Washington

Top pick: U.S. President Donald Trump greeting Supreme Court nominee judge BrettKavanaugh and his family in Washington on Monday. * REUTERS

A suicide attack in Afghanistan on Tuesday killed atleast 12 people and ignited anearby petrol station, offi��cials said, with witnessesdescribing screaming victims “swallowed” by fl��amesin the latest deadly violenceto hit the country.

The bomber was targeting Afghan security forceswhen he blew himself up inthe eastern city of Jalalabad,offi��cials said.

Ten civilians were amongthe dead and at least fi��ve people were wounded in theblast, the provincial Gover

nor’s spokesman AttaullahKhogyani said.

Some of the victims werebrought to hospital with severe burns, health directorNajibullah Kamawal said.

The Islamic State groupclaimed the attack via itsAmaq propaganda agency —the latest carried out by theextremists in restive Nangarhar province, which borders Pakistan. Tuesday’s attack comes a day after U.S.Secretary of State MikePompeo expressed “hope”for peace talks between theAfghan government and theTaliban, during an unannounced visit to Kabul.

12 killed in Afghansuicide bombing Islamic State claims responsibility

Agence France-Presse

Jalalabad

Charred remains: Afghan security forces inspecting the siteof the suicide attack in Jalalabad city on Tuesday. * REUTERS

A foreign diver involved inthe mission to save 12 boysand their football coach froma fl��ooded Thai cave hashailed the children as “incredibly strong”, and described their treacherous escape journey asunprecedented.

“It is not in any way normal for kids to go cave divingat age 11,” Ivan Karadzic, whoruns a diving business inThailand, told the BBC in aninterview that was publishedonline on Tuesday.

Zero visibility “They are diving in something considered (an) extremely hazardous environment inzero visibility, the only lightthat is in there is the torch

light we bring our self.”The boys, aged from 11 to

16, and their 25yearoldcoach, ventured into theTham Luang cave in northern Thailand on June 23 afterfootball practice and becametrapped when heavy rainsfl��ooded the cave.

Mr. Karadzic, who the BBCreported was stationed neara diffi��cult stretch of the caveabout halfway along the escape route to replace oxygentanks and help guide peoplethrough, said the rescueworkers had feared theworst.

“We were obviously veryafraid of any kind of panicfrom the divers,” he said, adding he was in awe of theboys' ability to stay calm.

“I cannot understand howcool these small kids are, youknow? Thinking about howthey've been kept in a smallcave for two weeks, they haven't seen their mums. Incredibly strong kids. Unbelievable almost.”

Offi��cials did not commenton the rescue mission as ittook place, so details of thefi��nal day of the rescue andthe condition of the last fi��veto be brought out were notimmediately known.

The eight boys broughtout on Sunday and Mondaywere in good health overalland some asked for chocolate bread for breakfast, offi��

cials said earlier.Two of the boys had sus

pected lung infections butthe four boys from the fi��rstgroup rescued were all walking around in hospital.

Volunteers from as faraway as Australia and theU.S. helped with the eff��ort torescue the boys.

‘Beautiful moment’“On behalf of the UnitedStates, congratulations to theThai Navy SEALs and all onthe successful rescue of the12 boys and their coach fromthe treacherous cave in Thailand,” U.S. President DonaldTrump said on Twitter.“Such a beautiful moment all freed, great job!” Authorities did not reveal the identity of the boys as they werebrought out, one by one.

All the children were ‘incredibly strong’ Foreign diver involved in the rescue mission says he was in awe of their ability to stay calm

Joy unbound: Volunteers celebrating in Chiang Rai after theboys were rescued from the cave on Tuesday. * KYODO/ REUTERS


Mae Sai

Israel’s President on Tuesday raised alarm over a proposed law seen as openingthe door to the establishment of Jewishonly communities in the country.

Reuven Rivlin’s comments marked a rare intervention in politics by thecountry’s President, whoserole is mainly symbolic.

He voiced his concerns inan open letter, pointing to aclause in proposed legislation defi��ning Israel as the“national home of the Jewishpeople”.

The socalled nationstatelaw, which the governmenthopes to have approved by

the end of the month, couldbecome part of the country’s basic laws which serveas a de facto Constitution.

The clause Mr. Rivlin criticised would allow the stateto “authorise a communitycomposed of people having

the same faith and nationality to maintain the exclusivecharacter of thatcommunity.”

That was seen as allowingtowns to exclude Arab citizens, who account for some17.5% of Israel’s population,or even other Jewishcommunities.

Mr. Rivlin said that the legislation “could harm theJewish people worldwideand in Israel, and could evenbe used as a weapon by ourenemies.”

He said the Bill could allow the establishment oftowns that would, for example, exclude Jews of MiddleEastern origin, ultraOrthodox Jews or homosexuals.

Rivlin slams Bill endorsingJewish-only communities Israel President says it could be used as weapon by enemies


Jerusalem

Reuven Rivlin

The Pakistani governmenton Tuesday put the namesof ousted Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif and hisdaughter Maryam Nawazon the exit control list toprevent them from fl��yingabroad after their return tothe country on Friday.

The move came days after the accountability courtin Islamabad convicted Mr.Sharif and Ms. Maryam inthe Avenfi��eld propertiescorruption case and sentenced them to 10 and seven years jail respectively.

The fatherdaughter duoare currently in London tolook after Mr. Sharif ’s wife,Begum Kulsoom Nawaz,who is suff��ering fromthroat cancer.

Maryam,Sharif on exitcontrol list


Lahore

In defi��ance: Men lying on the ground after being arrested for looting a store selling engine oil,during a protest in PortauPrince, Haiti, on Monday. The protests were triggered byPresident Jovenel Moise’s decision to reduce fuel subsidies. * AP

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

Wide-spread protests

British Prime Minister Theresa May chaired a meetingof her newlook Cabinet onTuesday as she clings topower following the resignation of her Foreign and Brexit Ministers in protest at herstrategy for leaving the EU.

Ms. May has faced a backlash over the plan from Brexit hardliners in her Conservative Party, who say it givestoo many concessions to theEU, but she has supportfrom moderates and therehas been no formal challenge to her leadership.

Former Foreign MinisterBoris Johnson, who wrote inhis resignation letter that theBrexit “dream is dying” and

that Britain was headed forthe “status of colony” underMs. May’s leadership, is seenas a potential challenger.

Mr. Johnson’s dramatic resignation on Monday justhours after Brexit MinisterDavid Davis quit late on Sunday sent reverberationsthrough Westminster — and

beyond. Mr. Johnson wasquickly replaced by 51yearold former Health MinisterJeremy Hunt, who unlike Mr.Johnson supported stayingin the EU in the 2016referendum.

Rumours have swirled over possible further resignations but experts said Ms.May appeared to haveweathered the crisis fornow.

U.S. President DonaldTrump, asked about the unfolding drama ahead of hisvisit to U.K. later this week,and said it appeared “in somewhat turmoil”.

“Boris Johnson is a friendof mine,” he said. “Maybe I’llspeak to him when I get overthere.”

May clings to power amidBrexit resignation turmoil Agence France-Presse

London

Theresa May

Appreciate your allies,EU’s Tusk tells TrumpBRUSSELS

European Union President

Donald Tusk, speaking at a

signing ceremony for a new

EUNATO cooperation deal,

delivered a blunt message to

U.S. President Donald Trump

on Tuesday, telling him to

“appreciate your allies”. AFP

One person was killed andabout 20 were injuredwhen a vintage planecrashed on Tuesday after ittook off�� on a test fl��ight froma small airport in the SouthAfrican capital Pretoria,emergency services said.

The Convair340 planebuilt in 1954 was due tosoon be fl��own to the Aviodrome air museum in theNetherlands from here.The plane came down onrough ground about 5 kmeast of the airport, hitting asmall factory building, injuring two people inside.

One dead inSouth Africaplane crash


Pretoria

14 killed in south Syriasuicide car bomb attackBEIRUT

A suicide car bombing on

Tuesday killed 14 newly

reconciled fighters from

progovernment and rebel

ranks in an attack on a south

Syrian village. The attack was

claimed by the Islamic State

group. AFP



CMYK




BUSINESS

NIFTY 50

PRICE CHANGE

Adani Ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370.45. . . . . . . . . 3.50

Asian Paints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1370.45. . . . . . . . . 7.35

Axis Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532.55. . . . . . . . . 7.30

Bajaj Auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3093.95. . . . . . . 75.80

Bajaj Finserv. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6199.80. . . . . . . 75.10

Bajaj Finance . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 2366.35. . . . . . . 18.30

Bharti Airtel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367.80. . . . . . . . . 5.70

BPCL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375.25. . . . . . . . -1.05

Cipla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 632.05. . . . . . . . . 9.15

Coal India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278.45. . . . . . . . . 7.30

Dr Reddys Lab . . . . . . . .. . . . 2321.85. . . . . . . . -8.20

Eicher Motors. . . . . . . . .. 28289.00. . . . . 656.50

GAIL (India). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363.95. . . . . . . 16.55

Grasim Ind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 990.65. . . . . . . . . 6.60

HCL Tech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 979.55. . . . . . . 18.00

HDFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1942.55. . . . . . . 37.65

HDFC Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2146.40. . . . . . . 20.75

Hero MotoCorp . . . . . .. . . . 3583.50. . . . . . -28.00

Hindalco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229.05. . . . . . . . . 7.00

HPCL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268.30. . . . . . . . -4.45

Hind Unilever . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1687.00. . . . . . . . -4.90

Indiabulls HFL . . . . . . . .. . . . 1143.65. . . . . . -11.95

ICICI Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273.40. . . . . . . . . 2.20

IndusInd Bank . . . . . . . .. . . . 1935.10. . . . . . -23.20

Bharti Infratel . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 305.30. . . . . . . . . 3.45

Infosys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1301.40. . . . . . . . . 2.55

Indian OilCorp . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 155.25. . . . . . . . -2.05

ITC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277.05. . . . . . . . . 2.65

Kotak Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1372.15. . . . . . -12.95

L&T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1284.60. . . . . . . . -3.40

Lupin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 902.85. . . . . . . . -8.65

M&M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 930.55. . . . . . . . -2.20

Maurti Suzuki . . . . . . . . .. . . . 9531.00. . . . . 156.10

NTPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153.90. . . . . . . . . 2.65

ONGC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157.95. . . . . . . . . 0.55

PowerGrid Corp . . . . .. . . . . . 184.05. . . . . . . . -0.45

Reliance Ind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1025.70. . . . . . . 28.60

State Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263.75. . . . . . . . . 2.20

Sun Pharma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563.95. . . . . . . . -4.85

Tata Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275.45. . . . . . . . . 1.95

Tata Steel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568.65. . . . . . . 13.05

TCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1875.10. . . . . . . . -7.90

Tech Mahindra . . . . . . .. . . . . . 650.75. . . . . . . . . 6.90

Titan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 832.85. . . . . . . 11.05

UltraTech Cement. .. . . . 3959.80. . . . . . . 60.55

UPL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 637.10. . . . . . . 13.30

Vedanta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226.05. . . . . . . . -0.55

Wipro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270.60. . . . . . . . . 5.65

YES Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371.40. . . . . . . . . 8.10

Zee Entertainment . . . . . . 538.40. . . . . . . . -2.20

EXCHANGE RATES

Indicative direct rates in rupees a unitexcept yen at 4 p.m. on July 10

CURRENCY TT BUY TT SELL

US Dollar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 68.63. . . . . . . 68.95

Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 80.34. . . . . . . 80.72

British Pound. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 90.93. . . . . . . 91.37

Japanese Yen (100) . .. . 61.68. . . . . . . 61.97

Chinese Yuan . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 10.34. . . . . . . 10.39

Swiss Franc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 69.02. . . . . . . 69.34

Singapore Dollar . . . . . . .. . 50.55. . . . . . . 50.79

Canadian Dollar. . . . . . . . .. . 52.26. . . . . . . 52.51

Malaysian Ringitt . . . . . .. . 17.06. . . . . . . 17.16

Source:Indian Bank

BULLION RATES CHENNAI

July 10 rates in rupees with previousrates in parentheses

Retail Silver (1g) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42.7. . . . . . . . . . (43)

22 ct gold (1 g) . .. . . . . . . . . . . . 2915. . . . . . (2927)

market watch

10-07-2018 % CHANGE

Sensex dddddddddddddddddddddddd36239 ddddddddddddddd0.85

US Dollardddddddddddddddddddd 68.62 ddddddddddddddd0.14

Gold ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd31380 ddddddddddddd-0.85

Brent oil ddddddddddddddddddddd 78.68 ddddddddddddddd0.78

Tata Consultancy Services(TCS), India’s biggest software services exporter, posted a betterthanexpected23% jump in fi��rstquarter netprofi��t to ₹��7,340 crore. buoyed by robust growth at thebanking, fi��nancial servicesand insurance (BFSI) anddigital verticals.

Revenue grew almost 16%to ₹��34,261 crore as the rupeedepreciated about 5%against the U.S. dollar.

“We are starting the newfi��scal year on a strong note,with the growth engine fi��ringon all cylinders,” CEO andMD, Rajesh Gopinathan said.“Our banking vertical recovered very nicely this quarter, while other industry verticals maintained theirmomentum. With a good setof wins during the quarter, arobust deal pipeline and ac

celerating digital demand,we are positioned well forthe future.”

Accelerating ratesThe fi��rm’s revenue growthaccelerated in the BFSI(4.1%), Retail & CPG (12.7%)and Energy & Utilities(30.9%) verticals, the company said in a statement.

“Customers across verticals and markets are em

bracing our Business 4.0thoughtleadership framework and accelerating theirdigital transformation journeys,” Mr. Gopinathan said.

Among geographies,North America bouncedback, growing more than 7%,while the U.K. (18.7%), Continental Europe (18.6%), andAsiaPacifi��c (10.8%) led thegrowth, TCS said in astatement.

The operating marginstood at 25%, the softwareservices company said, adding that the fi��rm’s digital revenue stood at 25%, rising44.8% from a year earlier.Employee strength at theend of Q1 crossed the 4lakhmark.

TCS fell 0.56% on the BSEto close at ₹��1,877, prior to theannouncement of results.

Sanjoy Sen, doctoral research scholar, Aston Business School, U.K. said, theincrease in profi��tability “refl��ects how a seemingly slower but steadier approach togrowth often helps in winning the race.

“This is where TCS standsout from its peers — in size,being signifi��cantly largerthan the others but also in itseff��orts to accelerate revenues not just in one industrysegment but across all,” Mr.Sen added.

TCS net rises 23%, BFSI buoysWith good set of wins, growth engine fi��ring on all cylinders, says MD Gopinathan


MUMBAI

Sound footing: TCS has a good deal pipeline and sees digitalaccelerating, says CEO Rajesh Gopinathan. * SHASHI ASHIWAL

Indian benchmark equity indices rose for the third consecutive trading session onTuesday to close at a fi��vemonthhigh as investor sentiment received a boostamid a fi��rm global trend andexpectations of strong earnings numbers.

The Sensex gained304.90 points, or 0.85%, toclose at 36,239.62 as 21 of the30 constituents ended in thegreen. The gainers pack wasled by Reliance Industries,Yes Bank, Coal India, BajajAuto, Tata Steel and Wipro,all gaining in the range of24% each. Incidentally, thelast three trading sessionssaw the Sensex gaining morethan 650 points.

Meanwhile, the broaderNifty rose 94.35 points, or0.87%, to close at 10,947.25.The index is now only 183points away from an alltime

high of 11,130 it touched early this year in January.

The overall marketbreadth was also strong withnearly 1,700 stocks gainingground on the BSE as against962 declines. Both, BSE Midcap and BSE Smallcap indexgained more than 1% eachon Tuesday.

Corporate earningsMarket participants are ofthe view that the sentimentsare bullish on expectationsof a revival in corporateearnings that have remained

sluggish in the last few quarters. “... the overall picture islooking brighter, even as macros have deteriorated amida volatile global trade environment,” said the latestearnings preview report byMotilal Oswal FinancialServices.

“The confi��dence on earnings recovery is higher todaythan any time in the recentpast. The story continues tobe a case of improving micros and challenging macros(crude oil price infl��ation,currency, rising bondyields),” the report added.

IndusInd Bank, which announced its results on Tuesday, reported a rise of 24% innet profi��t for the quarterended June 30. A rise in advances and core interest income led to the bank registering a profi��t of ₹��1,036crore, as against ₹��837 crorein the corresponding periodlast year.

Indices at 5month highs; RIL, Yes Bank among top gainers


Mumbai

Stocks rally for third session

Domestic passenger vehiclesales registered a growth of38% in June — the fastestpace of monthly growth inalmost 10 years — helped bya lower base last year andstrong demand for utilityvehicles.

Passenger vehicle salesrose to more than 2.73 lakhunits in June compared withmore than 1.99 lakh units ayear earlier, as per data released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). Prior to this,the fastest pace of monthlygrowth was 50% in December 2009 for the segment.

Domestic car sales rose34.21% to more than 1.83lakh units, while sales of util

ity vehicles grew 47.11% to73,654 units and those ofvans stood at 16,220 units,rising close to 36%, data released on Tuesday showed.

“Last year, during thistime, we had the GST comingin. Consumers postponedtheir purchase in anticipa

tion of a drop in prices afterits implementation. This, inturn, led to a drop in salesduring the MayJune periodlast year. So, the growth thisyear is coming on a low baseof last year," SIAM directorgeneral Vishnu Mathur said.

Total twowheeler sales in

June rose 22.28% to morethan 18.67 lakh units, whilemotorcycle sales rose 24.32%to nearly 12 lakh units, salesof scooters grew 20.96% toabout 6.02 lakh units.

CV sales rise 41.7%As per SIAM data, commercial vehicles sales rose 41.7%to 80,624 units last month,with medium and heavycommercial vehicles growing at 43.34% and light commercial vehicles seeing agrowth of 40.76%.

During the fi��rst quarter(AprilJune) of 201819, passenger vehicle sales rose19.91% to more than 8.73lakh units, commercial vehicles grew 51.55% to over 2.30lakh units and twowheelerssaw an almost 16% rise to

56.77 lakh units. Passengervehicle exports, however,declined 7.37%.

SIAM deputy director general Sugato Sen said thattightening of interest rates,increase in commodity prices and abrupt policy changescontinued to be a challengefor the sector this year.

However, he added thatpassenger vehicles are expected to grow, backed bynew model introductions,improving consumption andstrong rural sentiment.

“Twowheeler sales areexpected to benefi��t fromnormal monsoons, and anincrease in MSP, while enhanced government spending on infrastructure shouldhelp the commercial vehiclesegment,” he added.

India’s June passenger vehicle sales surge 38% Strong demand now and low base last year contributed to healthy growth, says SIAM’s Mathur


NEW DELHI

Ticket to ride: In the AprilJune quarter, passenger vehiclesales rose 19.9% to more than 8.73 lakh units. * REUTERS

Axis Bank has submittednames of three candidates,in the order of preference,for the post of MD and CEOto RBI for approval.

In April, the bank’s current MD and CEO ShikhaSharma decided to stepdown on December 31.

“In terms of extant RBInorms and the SuccessionPlanning Process of theBank, the Board of Directorsof the Bank at its meetingheld on 9th July 2018, hasrecommended the names ofthree candidates, in order ofpreference, for the approvalof the RBI,” the bank informed the exchanges.

Some of the names doingthe rounds are P.S. Jayakumar, MD and CEO of Bank ofBaroda, Pramit Jhaveri,CEO, Citi India, StandardChartered India CEO ZarinDaruwalla and former Citibank executive Shirish Apte.

Axis Bank shortliststhree for MD and CEOSubmits names to RBI for approval


Mumbai

P.S. Jayakumar

JSW Steel is looking to acquire smaller steel plants inIndia and overseas that produce specialised products, atop executive said on Tuesday, as it tweaks its acquisition strategy after missingout on some recent deals.

JSW Steel, India’s biggeststeelmaker in terms of domestic capacity, failed to outbid rival Tata Steel in Marchfor bankrupt steelmakerBhushan Steel. The company also lost out to U.K.basedsteel manufacturer LibertyHouse for Bhushan Powerfollowing a bankruptcy resolution process for both companies in April.

Earlier this year, JSW wasbeaten out by ArcelorMittal

SA , the world’s largest steelmaker, for Italian steel majorIlva SpA.

‘1mn tonne capacity’After the recent setbacks,JSW Steel is now looking tofocus on buying more niche,lower capacity plants whichdo not require huge investments to turn around, saidSeshagiri Rao, joint MD and

the group fi��nancial head ofJSW Steel. “In the nextround, our strategic thinkingis to now focus on specialproduct units that generallyhave a capacity of about amillion tonnes,” said Mr.Rao, referring to an upcoming round of auctions underthe new bankruptcy law, inwhich a second wave of steelassets will be up for grabs.

India’s steel demand hasbeen growing at over 8% forthe last few months, led byhigher motorcycle and automobile sales and governmentsponsored infrastructure projects. Mr. Rao saidJSW Steel is scouting for opportunities in the specialised steel segment that arededicated to meeting specific customer demands.

To focus on ‘special product units’ after missing a few deals

Reuters

Mumbai

JSW Steel eyes smaller steelplants in tweaked strategy

Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Offi��cer Elon Musk on Tuesdaylanded a deal with Chineseauthorities to build a new auto plant in Shanghai, its fi��rstfactory outside the UnitedStates, that would doublethe size of the electric carmaker’s globalmanufacturing.

The deal was announcedas Tesla raised prices onU.S.made vehicles it sells inChina to off��set the cost ofnew tariff��s imposed by theChinese government in retaliation for U.S. President Donald Trump’s heavier dutieson Chinese goods.

Mr. Musk was in Shanghaion Tuesday, and the Shanghai government said in astatement it welcomed Tesla’s move to invest not onlyin a new factory in the city, acentre of the Chinese autoindustry, but in research and

development as well. Chinahas long pushed to capturemore of the talent and capital invested by global automakers in advanced electricvehicle technology.

Tesla plans to produce thefi��rst cars about two years after construction begins onits Shanghai factory, ramping up to as many as 5 lakhvehicles a year about two tothree years later, the compa

ny said. That would makeTesla’s Shanghai plant largeby auto industry standards,where most factories aretooled to build 2 lakh to 3lakh vehicles a year, androughly equivalent to theplanned annual productionat Tesla’s plant in Fremont,California.

Tesla shares rose 1.5% inU.S. trading, even as someanalysts questioned where

the moneylosing companywill get the capital requiredto build and staff�� such a largeplant.

‘Cashfl��ow positive’Mr. Musk has said Tesla willbe cashfl��ow positive thisyear. Analysts have predicted it will raise capital to funda list of new projects, including an electric semi truck, apickup truck, a compactSUV and new battery andvehicle production facilitiesthat Mr. Musk has proposedfor China and Europe.

“I am sure that Teslaneeds fresh money at the latest next year,” said FrankSchwope, an analyst withNORD/LB.

The Shanghai governmentsuggested it could help withsome of the capital costs.“The Shanghai municipal government will fully supportthe construction of the Teslafactory,” its statement said.

Tesla goes big with Shanghai plant EV maker targets production of 5 lakh cars at fi��rm’s fi��rst factory outside the U.S.

Dragon‘s breath: Tesla raised prices on U.S.made vehicles inChina to off��set the cost of China’s new retaliatory tariff��s. * AP

Reuters

SHANGHAI

Gold exchangetradedfunds continued to losesteam with investors pulling out almost ₹��150 crorefrom the instrument in theAprilJune quarter, in favour of equities.

Assets under management fell 12% to ₹��4,567crore in June. “Gold ETFs[have seen] outfl��ows [over]the last fi��ve years. Afterthe... rise in prices since2005, [they] made newhighs in 201112 and thencorrected sharply. Sincethen, they have traded in arange of $1,100$1,400/oz,”Morningstar InvestmentAdviser India, director,Kaustubh Belapurkar said.

“Equity markets havemoved up sharply since2014, switching investor focus towards equities.”

Gold ETFssee outfl��owsof ₹��150 crore


new Delhi



BUSINESSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE



IN BRIEF

Jaguar Land RoverIndia H1 sales rise 66%MUMBAI

Jaguar Land Rover India has

announced a 66% increase

in sales for the fi��rst six

months of 2018. The Tata

Motors unit sold 2,579

units in the period. Rohit

Suri, president and MD,

Jaguar Land Rover India

Ltd., said, “In 2018, JLR

India has seen tremendous

growth on the back of new

launches like the Range

Rover Velar, Evoque

Convertible, Model Year

2018 Range Rover and

Range Rover Sport.” ��

Gas licence: IGL bids for13 cities, RIL abstainsNEW DELHI

The RelianceBP joint

venture on Tuesday came

close to bidding for licences

to retail gas in 15 cities but

did not place a fi��rm bid,

while Indraprastha Gas Ltd.

put in bids for 13 cities,

sources said. Bidding for

the biggest citygas

distribution licensing

round, off��ering 86 permits

for selling CNG and piped

cooking gas in 22 States

and union territories,

closed on Tuesday. Essel

Infraprojects Ltd. has put in

a total of seven bids. PTI

Toyota recalls Innova,Fortuner for fuel partsNEW DELHI

Toyota Kirloskar Motor is

recalling 2,628 units of its

Innova Crysta and Fortuner

SUV to replace faulty fuel

hose routing. The recall

covers petrolpowered

Innova Crysta and Fortuner

units, made between July

18, 2016 and March 22,

2018, for inspection of fuel

hose routing and

correction, if required. PTI

German sports car and luxury SUV maker Porsche hasunveiled its most powerful911, the GT2 RS in India at anexshowroom price of ₹��3.83crore. The onroad price ofthis sports car is above ₹��5crore, making it one of thecostliest sports cars in thecountry.

Pavan Shetty, director,Porsche India, said: “We areseeing an increasing demand for true sports cars inIndia, and with vehicles likethe 911 GT2 RS, we are confi��dent Porsche is well placedto meet that demand.”

“We are sold out for thisyear and the demand for 911

is much more than the supply. Despite this, more customers are coming in,” Mr.Shetty said.

He said most Porsche customers in India are collecting the 911 and several ofthem have two to three 911s.“This indicates that the

brand perception of Porschehas [become] enhanced. Weare a true sports carcompany.”

100kmph in 28 secondsThe 911 comes with a 3.8litre, 700 hp biturbo fl��at engine. The twoseater accelerates from zero to 100 km perhour in 2.8 seconds. Therearwheel drive coupé has atop speed of 340 kmph.

The fi��rst 911 GT2 was developed in 1995 and wasbased on the 911 Turbo ofthe time. Subsequent generations followed in 2000 and2007. In 2010, Porsche designed the fi��rst 911 GT2 RS asan even more powerful andnearmotorsport variant.

‘Model sold out for the year; customers are collecting 911s’


MUMBAI

Porsche unveils 911 GT2 RS,sports car priced over ₹��5 cr.

A sharp fall in the price ofblack pepper, coupled withlow production of the spice,has put farmers in Kerala,Tamil Nadu and Karnataka —the three major pepper producing States in the country— in a fi��x.

Black pepper pricescrashed from ₹��760 a kg in2017 to ₹��600 a kg and then to₹��500 a kg. The spot price ofpepper in Wayanad, a majorpepperproducing region inKerala, on Tuesday, was₹��300₹��310 as against ₹��500during the correspondingperiod last year, said M.C.Abdu of Ideal Spices, a pepper dealer in Wayanad.

“The infl��ux of importedpepper from Vietnam via SriLanka was the major reasonfor the fall in prices in the Indian market,” Mr. Abdu said.

The cheaper pepper fromVietnam continues to fl��oodthe market through Sri Lanka, aided by a lowdutystructure under South AsianFree Trade Area (SAFTA)pact and IndoSri Lanka Free

Trade Agreement (ISFTA).Under ISFTA, India could

import 2,500 tonnes of pepper a year from Sri Lankawithout duty, and above thequota, a duty of 8% would beimposed as per the SAFTA,

Mr. Abdu said. But directpepper imports from Vietnam attract a duty of 52% under the ASEAN tradeagreement.

According to data with theSpices Board, the total production of pepper in thecountry during the last fi��scalwas about 55,000 tonnes, including 20,000 tonnes fromKerala, 10,000 tonnes fromTamil Nadu, and the remaining from Karnataka.

Re-export to BrazilDomestic consumptioncomes to about 55,000tonnes a year. However morethan 35,000 tonnes of pepper were imported in 2017.

“Of this, 20,000 alonecame from Sri Lanka and thebalance from other countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Brazil for reexport,”said Kishor Shamji Kuruwa,

the Cochin chapter head ofthe Indian Pepper SpiceTraders and ProducersConsortium.

The Ministry of Commerce had fi��xed a minimumimport price (MIP) of ₹��500 akg of pepper in December2017 to curb the imports.When import continuedwith the aid of loopholes inthe order, the ministry further amended the restrictionsfor import a few months ago.But that too has failed to generate any positive results,Mr. Kishore said.

More than 6,000 tonnesof pepper were importedthis year for domestic andreexport purposes even after the amendment. Flooding of ‘smuggled’ pepper inIndian markets from Vietnam via Bangladesh, Myanmar and Nepal is the otherthreat to industry, he said.

Farmers hit by slump in pepper prices‘Cheaper imports from Vietnam, via Sri Lanka, benefi��ting from duty pacts; southern producers in a fi��x’

E. M. Manoj

KALPETTA

Poor impact: Minimum import price and import curbs have sofar failed to help, says IPSTPC’s Kishor Kuruwa. * KAMAL NARANG

Aujas Networks, a cybersecurity fi��rm whose customers include Japanese fi��nancial services groupMitsubishi UFJ and a domestic national identity programme, has opened a ‘Security Operations Centre’that will help detect and respond to complex threats inreal time.

The Bengalurubased facility would host a team ofcertifi��ed security professionals who would scanclients’ networks for suspicious behaviour roundtheclock. Threat data collectedfrom the external landscapewould be combined with information to identify risksand recommend rule changes to preempt futureattacks.

The Indian ComputerEmergency Response Team(CERTIn) reports that in2017 more than 53,000 cybersecurity incidents wereobserved: these includephishing, website intrusions, ransomware and denial of service attacks.

“The key question is doyou want your securityteams to play on the backfoot and wait for maliciousattacks or should they startplaying on the front foot andstop an attack before it happens,” Srinivas Rao, cofounder and CEO of Aujas,said on Tuesday. Citing anexample of a bank or an insurance services provider,Mr. Rao said a networkbreach could potentially endanger a customer’s assetsas well as personal data andbusiness reputation.

Aujas opens centre tohelp foil cyberattacks ‘Over 53,000 incidents noted in 2017’

Peerzada Abrar

BENGALURU

Google on Tuesday announced ‘Launchpad Accelerator India,’ a mentorship program that wouldaim to support Indianstartups that deploy artifi��cial intelligence and machine learning to build solutions for local needs.

The threemonth accelerator will provide a cohortof 810 Indian startupswith mentorship and access to the best of Google —its people, network andtechnologies. They will also get up to $1,00,000 ofGoogle Cloud credits. Theapplications for the fi��rstclass will be open until July31 and the fi��rst class willstart in September 2018.

Google tomentor localAI startups


BENGALURU

The tea industry aims to target schoolchildren to boostper capita consumption andis planning to do a surveybefore starting a campaign,Azam Monem, chairman, Indian Tea Association, said.

Addressing a press meetto share the industry’s concerns over a threeday strikenotice served by 28 trade unions in West Bengal, Mr. Monem said peak season workdisruptions would hurt theindustry at a time when itwas beset with oversupply,fl��at prices, high overheadcosts and low per capita consumption. The workers areagitating over the issue of

minimum wages. Mr. Monem said that 10

rounds of discussions havebeen held by the MinimumWages Advisory Committeeand interim wage increaseshad been implemented inWest Bengal taking the cashcomponent of daily wages to₹��159. West Bengal accountsfor 25% of India’s annual teaoutput.

Rains hit cropProduction stood at 78.5 million kg between January andMay, with rains reducing theJune crop by 9%. Minimumwages are also being discussed in Assam, Mr. Monem said.

As part of the strategy to

tackle oversupply by boosting domestic consumption(per capita 786 grams), acampaign to promote teaamong schoolchildren wasbeing fi��nalised. A recent TeaBoard survey showed teadrinking by children below12 years was negligible.

With a view to increaseexports (currently a little over 200 million kg), a delegation was set to travel to Iraqon July 23 to revive India’spresence in the 100 millionkg market, Mr. Monem said.“Till 2013, India exported 50million kg of high value orthodox and CTC teas annually to Iraq.”

He also indicated that exports to Iran were on track.

Industry aims to serve tea toschoolgoers to stir demand‘Delegation to visit Iraq this month to revive export market’


KOLKATA



CMYK

M ND-NDE

SPORTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE



England manager GarethSouthgate’s waistcoats havebecome such a hit at theWorld Cup that the Museumof London has announcedplans to acquire one for itsfashion collection.

Marks and Spencer, offi��cial tailors to the Englandteam, declared last Saturday #NationalWaistcoatDayin honour of Southgate andhis team.

The Sun newspaper hasurged fans to wear one on“Waistcoat Wednesday” forthe semifi��nal clash againstCroatia in Moscow.

Museum bosses said the

waistcoats were helping tobring the threepiece suitback into fashion.

“The Museum of Londonhave... announced theirplans to acquire one of Gareth Southgate's suits aspart of their permanent collection,” it said in astatement.

“Southgate’s, now iconic,waistcoats, have helpedbring the threepiece suitback into fashion — a trendthat was started in 1666 bynone other than King Charles II, who was spotted inLondon by (famous diarist)Samuel Pepys in what isnow known as the fi��rstwaistcoat.”

Southgate’s waistcoatsjust the right fi��t forLondon museum

Agence-France Presse

London

Gareth Southgate ... England’s new fashion guru? * REUTERS

Andrej Kramaric says histime in English football was“a great story” even thoughhe rarely played during abrief stint at Leicester City asCroatia gear up for its WorldCup semifi��nal againstEngland.

The 27yearold forward ishoping to start for ZlatkoDalic’s side in Moscow onWednesday.

He moved to Leicester inJanuary 2015 from Rijeka butleft a year later — midwaythrough the club’s remarkable run to the PremierLeague title — as he wasloaned to German sideHoff��enheim.

“My stay in England is agreat story for me. It was myfi��rst time outsideCroatia and everything was reallynew,” said Kramaric, who playedjust twice duringthe Foxes’ titlewinningcampaign.

“It turned out that I didn’tplay that much. It was diffi��cult for me to get into theteam because they wereplaying really great throughout the season so obviously

no coach would change awinning team,” he added.

“It was a great experiencethat I could talk about fordays,” he told reporters.“However, I do hope to talkabout Croatia and this World

Cup for years.”Kramaric, who

joined Hoff��enheim on a permanent deal in May2016, scored inCroatia’s 22 drawwith host Russia inthe quarterfi��nals

in Sochi on Saturday.Dalic’s side went on to win

on penalties — it has neverlost a game in which Kramaric has scored.

While he hopes to start,

he may not get to come upagainst his old club colleagueJamie Vardy.

Vardy has started onlyonce for England on its runto the last four, in its fi��nalgroup game against Belgium.

“Jamie Vardy is a greatguy. We were together during the magnifi��cent story atLeicester and I will remember that always,” saidKramaric.

He spoke glowingly of Gareth Southgate’s Englandside, even if he acknowledged that Croatia would beits toughest opponent yet.

“England was one of thefavourites for me for thetournament because theyhave a young and hungryteam with no big, international stars, so it won’t be easy for us.”

The Croatian squadtrained on Monday on apitch close to the LuzhnikiStadium, where Wednesday’s game will be played.

However, goalkeeper Danijel Subasic, rightbackSime Vrsaljko and centreback Dejan Lovren were allabsent from the part of thesession open to media.

Subasic and Vrsaljko bothpicked up injuries againstRussia.

Agence-France Presse

Moscow

Kramaric recalls ‘greatexperience’ in Premier League

Andrej Kramaric.* PHOTO: RYAN PIERSE/GETTY IMAGES

There was plenty of actionbut no goal in the fi��rst half ofthe World Cup semifi��nal between France and Belgiumhere on Tuesday.

Belgium coach RobertoMartinez, after a tacticalmasterpiece against Brazil,changed his formation againby including Mousa Dembele in a beefedup midfi��eldand Nacer Chadli playing asthe rightback in a 433 system without compromisingon the fl��uidity of his frontthree which created a lot oftrouble for Brazil in thequarterfi��nals.

The side continued playing its passing game whileFrance sat deep, wary of theBelgian pace that has destroyed many an opponent.

Happy to cede possession, the French relied on asmashandgrab job and Kylian Mbappe out ran themuch senior Vincent Kompany and Jan Vertonghen inthe 13th minute, but ThibautCourtois was alert enough torush out and thwart the bid.

Moments later, there wasa chance at the other endwith Kevin De Bruyne sending a pass to his captain inside the box but Eden Ha

zard’s eff��ort was slightlyoff��target. Toby Alderweireld forced a diving savefrom Hugo Lloris in the 22ndminute after the defendersfailed to clear a corner.

Giroud misfi��res againGiroud, still searching for hisfi��rst goal in Russia, tried tohead home a Benjamin Pavard cross into the box; theexecution, however, left a lotto be desired.

Mbappe soon presentedhis senior teammate achance to open the accountafter a lofted pass from Antoine Griezmann found theyoungster in space on the

right side of the Belgian box.His layover for Giroud wasbotched by the Chelseaplayer who failed to connectproperly.

France was then deniedby the outstretched hands ofCourtois in the 39th minuteafter Pavard surged into thebox to get to the end of anMbappe pass.

Towards the fi��nal stages ofthe fi��rst half, Romelu Lukaku, bottled down by RaphaelVarane and Samuel Umtiti,was fortunate as the latterbungled a clearance from ade Bruyne cross but the Belgian attacker was too surprised to react.

FranceBelgium semifi��nal an endtoend aff��air in fi��rst half

SPORTS BUREAU

ST. PETERSBURG

Keeping ’em out: France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris came up withsome acrobatic saves. * AFP

Chances galore, no goals





SPORT

SUDOKU

Solution to puzzle 12365 Solution to yesterday’s Sudoku

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

When the Lord comes as Vamana to Bali’s yagna, Bali is in aprivileged position to off��er gifts to the Lord, who is the giverof all benefi��ts. However, the noble Bali is blinded by prideand power at the moment when he off��ers Vamana whateverHe desires, thinking that he is the sole possessor of his attainments. The entire sequence of events in this avatar is alesson to all to cross this illusory sense of possessivenessthat deludes one and prevents him from perceiving thetruth that He alone is the Lord of all, pointed out Damal SriRamakrishnan and Srimati Perundevi in a discourse.

Vamana asks for earth to be measured by three steps ofHis feet. Bali’s ego rises and he reiterates that he is preparedto give Him much more, in fact anything that He wishes.Sukracharya guessing this guest of honour to be Vishnu,who has come on behalf of the celestial beings to defeat Bali,warns him not to go ahead with the off��er. But Bali believesthat if it is the Lord who asks of him, none could be more fortunate and off��ers all his possessions without the least hesitation.

The Bhagavata Purana describes the amazing form thatthe Lord assumes as He grows higher and higher to cosmicdimensions. His feet rest on Rasatala; the sky is His navel;the stars are high on His chest; Dharma is on His heartfl��anked on both sides by Rita and Satya. Spanning the entireearth with one foot, and the swarga loka and heavens withthe other, the Lord waits for Bali to off��er the third step aspromised.

The righteous Bali is undeterred and shedding his ego off��ers his entire self to the Lord who is the sole refuge of all beings. Every jivatma has to strive towards this act of total surrender to the Lord to get liberated.

FAITH

Total surrender3 Sometimes succeeds in

doubles (5)

5 Fool holds half-normal horse

(7)

6 Moor has to dispatch armour

(5,4)

7 Caught simpler owner (6)

8 Employs former brewster (6)

9 Roman man to trap a maiden

(6)

15 More eager to rank new shirt

on top (9)

17 Aversion to article by 'Dream

Girl' (8)

18 Behind closed doors Crete

assembly stopped scheming

(8)

20 Edge of bureau — This can be

used to secure locks (7)

21 Play 'Ghost' in bar near

Queen's Circle (6)

22 Perhaps Tell and bow to the

lady (6)

23 Surrounded by a central road

(6)

25 Roused by Pan's measure (5)

13 Coarsest granite is relaid (9)

14 Most of beach is near 10's

dock (7)

16 State has time for animal (4)

19 Cast of 'Adolf' is heterogenous

(4)

21 Remnant poise (7)

24 Reduction of religious

education by church without

resident minister (9)

25 Show a terrapin's wet (5)

26 Pilgrim ate at Jamia Islamia

initially (5)

27 Most heroic lot have one in

pain (9)

28 Modest about wearing (8)

29 Carelessly use any tense (6)

■ DOWN

1 Shine once more on European

(8)

2 Stinger from company in

Mumbai neighbourhood (8)

(set by Sunnet)

■ ACROSS

1 Wrongly steers and takes it

back to the origin (6)

4 Civil telegram followed a note

(8)

10 Wizards' staff and policeman

split tarts (9)

11 Alarm a web (5)

12 Runs and cuts off East inside

(5)

THE HINDU CROSSWORD 12366

Former skipper Sourav Ganguly has advised Virat Kohlito bat at the crucial No. 4 position to provide solidity tothe India’s batting lineup inthe threematch ODI seriesagainst England, startinghere on Thursday.

Since the tour of Sri Lankain JulyAugust 2017, Indiahave tried as many as six different batsmen — K.L. Rahul,Kedar Jadhav, Manish Pandya, Hardik Pandya, DineshKarthik and Ajinkya Rahane— at the position but Gangulyfeels Kohli is the best bet forthe crucial slot.

If you look at this T20I series, I think they haveformed the proper battinglineup. With Rahul at No. 3,and Virat Kohli batting atNo.4, I think the problem hasbeen sorted out.

“And I fi��rmly believe it isthe right thing to do in theODI format as well,” Ganguly

said after the UK launch ofhis book A Century is NotEnough on Monday night.

“I think that’s what Kohliis going to do (in the upcoming series) as well, the former skipper opined.

Ganguly was of the opinion that England lack fi��repower in its bowling lineup,which will give the visitorsan edge in the ODIs.

“England is a good side. Avery good batting unit but

ODI series,” he said.

He, however, cautionedKohli and Co. against takingEngland lightly in the longseries.

“Off�� late, the Indian teamhas been doing well in T20Is.I have enjoyed their performance in this England seriesas well.

“But they have to be mindful that it is only the start of along summer with ODIs andfi��ve Tests to follow,” Gangulysaid.

“They have set the tonefor the latter contests withthis win, but diff��erent formats will present diff��erentchallenges for them.

“They should also knowthat they are a good unit andthey can do well here.”

Asked about India’sstrengths ahead of whatshould be another keenlycontested series betweenboth the sides, Ganguly said,“at the moment, India is a very good and wellrounded limitedovers side.

bowling is the weaker part ofits game.

The way India won (easily)in Bristol when chasing 200(in a T20 game), it will fancyits chances against this English bowling lineup in the

Since the tour of Sri Lanka, India has tried as many as six diff��erent batsmen at the position


Nottingham

Right spot: Former skipper Sourav Ganguly feels Virat Kohli moving down the order will helpIndia in the ODIs. * AFP

Kohli should bat at No. 4 in ODIs, says Ganguly

INDIA IN ENGLAND

Real Madrid on Tuesday announced the transfer ofCristiano Ronaldo to Italy’sJuventus, with the Portuguese superstar saying thetime had come “for a newstage” in his life.

“Today Real Madridwants to give thanks to aplayer who has demonstrated he is the best in the worldand who marked one of themost brilliant periods in thehistory of our club andworld football,” the clubsaid in a statement.

It did not give any detailsas to the amount of thetransfer but Spanish mediareports have said it couldreach €105 million euros($120 million), with the 33yearold signing a fouryearcontract worth €30 millionper season. In a letter posted on Real Madrid’s website,the multiple Ballon d’Orwinner said his time in Madrid had been one of thehappiest in his life. “I only

have feelings of huge thanksfor this club, for the fansand for this city,” he said.

Ronaldo moves to Juventus Agence France-Presse

Madrid

Novak Djokovic won hisbattle to be promoted toCentre Court billing forWednesday’s quarterfi��nals, forcing eighttimechampion Roger Federeroff�� the sport’s most famous arena for the fi��rsttime in three years.

Threetime championDjokovic will open the

Centre Court programmeagainst Kei Nishikori followed by twotime winnerand World No. 1 Rafael Nadal facing Juan Martin delPotro.

Defending championFederer, who has playedall of his matches sincethe 2015 semifi��nals onCentre Court, will play onCourt One against KevinAnderson.

Djokovic relegatesFederer to Court 1Agence France-Presse

London

Women: Quarterfinals: 11-An-gelique Kerber (Ger) bt 14-DariaKasatkina (Rus) 6-3, 7-5; 25-Serena Williams (USA) bt CamilaGiorgi (Ita) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; 12-Jelena Ostapenko (Lat) btDominika Cibulkova (Svk) 7-5,6-4; 13-Julia Georges (Ger) bt20-Kiki Bertens (Ned) 3-6, 7-5,6-1.Men: Fourth round: 5-JuanMartin del Potro (Arg) bt GillesSimon (Fra) 7-6(1), 7-6 5), 5-7,7-6(5).Doubles: Quarterfinals: 7-MikeBryan & Jack Sock (USA) bt DivijSharan & Artem Sitak (Nzl) 7-6(4), 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-4.

THE RESULTS

Two young women announced themselves on theworld’s tennis stage, ironically with heartbreaking losses.

With only one WTA singlesvictory each to boast of, thetwo — Italy’s Camila Giorgiand Russia’s Daria Kasatkina— demonstrated that topquality tennis matchesneedn’t always be clashesbetween highlyrankedseeds.

It was 21yearold Kasatkina who took the court fi��rst,losing in straight sets to 11thseeded German Angelique

Kerberwith a scoreline (36,57) thatconcealedmore thanit revealedabout this

exceptional match. If Kerber triumphed, it

was largely because of a consistency that comes from experience. On the skill scale,the match, as a fawningCentre Court crowd fully recognised, was tilted verymuch in Kasatkina’s favour.

Staggering variety The very fi��rst game of thematch, which saw Kerberholding her serve with somediffi��culty after being a breakpoint down, showcased thestaggering variety in Kasatkina’s game.

She mixed up her groundstrokes, her pace, and playedsmart points, keeping herselfin rallies with long fl��oatinggroundstrokes when pushedto a corner.

But as a result of doublefaults and some rank errors,the Russian found herself 03

down before winning herfi��rst game with a fi��ne serve.She would go on to breakKerber to be level on serve at34, but the errors kept coming in the form of doublefaults and fl��uff��s from themidcourt, usually by overcooking returns that shouldhave been easily put away.

Like the girl in the nurseryrhyme, when she was goodKasatkina was very verygood; when she was bad, shewas horrid. But at the end ofthe match, it was not somuch the squandered pointsbut the unusual and exhilarating style of play thatstayed in the mind.

The drop shot, playedrarely and usually only whenit is certain to be a winner,was used as the goto strokein many tight rallies.

Short by tennis terms at 5ft 7 in, she showcased herability to hit high returns onthe backhand with one leghigh off�� the ground and theother grounded by nothingmore than the toe.

Only weaponKasatkina’s forehand is theonly really powerful weaponin her armoury, but therewas variety even here withthe use of an ungainly but effective sharp downwardchop to get a fl��oater back toKerber when she needed to.

Kerber took the fi��rst set63 and the second was muchcloser, with Kasatkina withinsniffi��ng distance of victory.But there were plenty of errors and the breaks of servewere almost inevitably followed by an inability to holdher own.

Having levelled 55 in thesecond set, Kerber was ableto break the Russian’s serve

once again by putting away apoorly executed drop shot.

Then, the German servedout what was the best gameof the match, winning aftermany deuces and one extraordinary 25shot rallywhich had Kasatkina sprawling on the ground before sherecovered to win a dramaticpoint on a line call.

Emphatic statement To Kerber’s credit, she heldher nerve, and played to herstrengths right through thecontest. At the end of theday, Kasatkina’s string ofwinners (33 against Kerber’s16) was not enough to compensate for her errors (31against Kerber’s 14). But shehas made an emphatic statement with this match; goingforward, she will be keenlywatched.

As for Italy’s Camila Giorgi, she raised visions of anupset by winning the fi��rst setagainst veteran Serena Williams. But she was unable tobreach the Williams serve inthe next two games, losing36, 63, 64 in a contestmarked by powerful groundstroke exchanges.

Right through the match,Giorgi, who plays an exuberant and fearless brand oftennis, matched Williams in

When asked about Serenabefore the match, Giorgiquipped that she doesn’t follow tennis — a remark thatsuggested that she wouldanything but get overawedby her opponent. She wasclearly not intimidated byWilliams or by the occasion,but neither this nor the surprising power and infectiousenergy she brought to thegame was enough on the day.

fi��repower, at times havingthe veteran scrambling tostay in rallies.

In the fi��rst set, Giorgigrasped the opportunity togo up 42 when Williamsmade some uncharacteristicerrors on her service gameand then consolidated thebreak to lead 52.

Williams came backstrongly to win the nextgame at love, but Giorgi responded well by serving outto win the fi��rst set 63.

A stung Williams steppedup her game a notch in thenext two sets, but the diff��erence between the twoplayers was not so muchabout groundstrokes butserves. In the next two sets,the Williams serve was impregnable, whereas Giorgi’sfaltered twice, enough forWilliams to seal it 63, 64.

While Williams won 79%of her service points, the corresponding fi��gure for Giorgiwas 64%. There was little tochoose when it came to winners, with Williams making24 and Giorgi 20.

Kerber makes her experience count against KasatkinaSerena raises her game a notch after going down in the fi��rst set to come up trumps in three

Mukund Padmanabhan

London

Percentage game: Angelique Kerber played to her strengths in getting past Daria Kasatkina.* REUTERS

Colombian ace FernandoGaviria edged a breathtaking bunch sprint to win thefourth stage of the Tour deFrance on Tuesday, his second stage success.

The Quick Step ridertimed his sprint to perfection to overtake AndreGreipel and hold off�� a fastfi��nishing Peter Sagan.

Gaviria wins again


Sarzeau (France)

Shamarh Brooks led fromthe front with an unbeatencentury as West IndiesAreached 301 for nineagainst IndiaA on theopening day of the second‘Test’ here on Tuesday. The scores: West Indies 301for nine (John Campbell 41,Shamarh Brooks 121 n.o., Mo-hammed Siraj three for 67,Shabhaz Nadeem three for42).

Brooks onsong for WI-APRESS TRUST OF INDIA

TAUNTON

CMYK

M ND-NDE



CMYK




SPORT

When sports journalist SarahWaris called out a senior

cricket writer (for legal reasons wecannot name him) as a sexual predator last week, she received widesupport. She also raised uncomfortable questions about gender discrimination, safety of women, andsports journalism itself. We need tospeak of things seldom spokenabout.

Waris’s Facebook post said, “Meand a couple of other female sportswriters have been the victim of harassment over the last few weeks —from the same person.” She allegedthat the accused makes fake accounts of girls “to talk of the mostdisgusting things ever.” She concludes by saying, “harassment inthis fi��eld is no secret.”

The Board of Control for Cricketin India reacted quickly to take

away the person’s accreditation.And although Waris’ post didn’topen the fl��oodgates, the fact thathis former employers had sackedhim for such behaviour strengthened her case. It takes guts tocome forward as Waris did; her cryshould not go in vain.

Prominent women journalists Ispoke to said they had known thepredator was a “creep”, and had advised youngsters to avoid him.

Someone who had been on atour with him more than a decadeago said she had received such advice. So it is an old story. Most malejournalists I spoke to were unawareof this side of him. This is not surprising. It is diffi��cult to know whattype of a person your colleague iswhen the lights are out, so to speak.Perhaps that explains the guiltsome of us feel. We should haveknown.

Creeps exist in every profession.Often, it is not so much a characterfl��aw as temperament. Somethingabout the person puts us off�� but wetell ourselves to be understandingof diff��erences. So long as it doesn’tspill over into harassment, the person is tolerated. It wouldn’t be fairto assume the creepiness would at a

future date convert into somethingmore aggressive and predatory andtherefore punish him inanticipation.

But at some point, the creep becomes a monster. It happens whenhe gains power and is in a positionto aff��ect the careers of others. Sometimes with power comes irresponsibility. There cannot be a relationship between a boss and ajunior, or a professor and his student because of the skewed powerequation. Silence is often seen asthe better career option by women,especially the young and inexperienced. In an essay on sexism andcricket in Wisden Almanack, the English journalist Tanya Aldred says,“Men are excused because of theirpower, always their power.”

She writes of a woman who wasassaulted in a press box in Australia. “Privately I had a lot of support,” she quotes her as saying,“but publicly everyone carried onas if nothing had happened.”

We cannot, should not, carry onas if nothing has happened.

In a letter to Waris, senior journalist Manuja Veerappa admittedshe too had been harassed. “Eachtime my sense of right and ability to

was fortunate to have excellentmale mentors.”

With the spread of social media,and the competition for mediaslots, women today have becomemore vulnerable. They need institutional support. A Sports Journalists Association for Women is a fi��rststep. With organizational backing,many problems can be handledbetter.

Such a body can also be a checkagainst the rants of a womanscorned and identify false charges.This is the danger of social mediawhere false accusations abound,and careers can be destroyed.

The Association can also counselagainst sending intimate pictures tostrangers — which was one way theperson in question operated, encouraging young women to sendsuch pictures to a fake email address. Common sense, you mighthave thought, but apparently not.

It would be wrong to label Waris’s charge as the problem of journalists alone. It is a warning thateternal vigilance is the price of women’s safety. Secrecy and a code ofsilence are allies of predators.Speak up. Somewhere somebodyalways knows.

stand up for myself was overshadowed. Sometimes by the fear of jeopardizing my own career and onother occasions of ruining careersand lives of the culprits….I havebeen selfi��sh and masked it with theconvenient belief I was doing theprofession a favour by not scaringaway the girls…” It is a powerfulconfession, at once personal andspeaking for her gender.

Sports journalism is a maledominated profession but media boxesaround the country have theirshare of talented and dedicatedjournalists who happen to be women. When I started out in the early 1980s, there was only one, Bangalore’s Roopa Rao. As more giftedwomen came into the profession —Sharda Ugra, Kadambari Murali,Prajwal Hegde, Manuja Veerappa,Neeru Bhatia, Karunya Keshav anda host of television specialists —some of the initial patriarchal attitude dissipated, to be replaced bygenuine respect.

Still, many have stories of uncomfortable moments with theirmale colleagues. Ugra’s techniquein her early days was to “appear invisible”, and sit in the media boxwith earphones. But, she says, “I

Speak up: secrecy and silence are allies of the predator We cannot, should not, carry on as if nothing has happened

BETWEEN WICKETSsuresh menon

Cricket: TNPL, STAR Sports 1(SD & HD), 7 p.m.FIFA World Cup: Secondsemifinal: Croatia vs England, Sony Ten 2 & Ten 3 (SD& HD) & ESPN, 11.30 p.m. Wimbledon: SS Select 2 (SD& HD), 4 p.m. & SS Select 1HD, 5.30 p.m.Tour de France: DSport,5.30 p.m.

TV PICKS

Shehzad faces ban onfailed drug test LAHORE

Maverick Pakistan opener

Ahmed Shehzad failed a drug

test conducted during a

domestic tournament in

April, the country’s cricket

authorities confirmed on

Tuesday, and could face a ban

of up to four years. The

offence is the latest in a

litany of Pakistani players

charged with doping, and is a

severe blow to the 26year

old’s stuttering career. AFP

IN BRIEF

Elliott set to take controlof AC Milan: source ROME

American hedge fund, Elliott,

will take control of Italian

giant AC Milan this week

after the club’s Chinese

ownership missed a multi

million Euro debt repayment,

sources close to the matter

confirmed on Tuesday. AFP

Fernando Torres joins Sagan TosuTOKYO

Former Spain World Cup

winner Fernando Torres has

signed for Japan’s Sagan

Tosu, the JLeague club said

on Tuesday. The former

Liverpool, Chelsea and Spain

striker left Atletico Madrid

this summer after returning

to his boyhood club in 2015.

Details of the move were not

disclosed but the 34yearold

Torres has reportedly joined

the relegationthreatened

Japanese club on an 18

month contract.

Tushar Arothe has resignedas coach of India’s nationalwomen’s cricket team. AfterIndia’s fi��ne showing in theICC Women’s World Cup2017 in England, the BCCI offered Arothe a twoyear contract in November 2017. Hehad replaced Purnima Rau inApril 2017.

But serious diff��erences appears to have cropped upbetween him and the seniormembers of the Indian teamduring the Indian team’sfailed campaign in the AsiaCup in Kuala Lumpur lastmonth. Subsequently the

BCCI offi��cials Rahul Johri andSaba Karim and also the CoAVinod Rai and Diana Eduljimet Mithali Raj and Harman

preet Kaur. Arothe was alsogiven an opportunity to express his views.

A BCCI release on Tuesdaysaid: “The BCCI has acceptedcoach Tushar Arothe’s resignation. Arothe cited personal reasons behind his resignation and thanked the BCCIfor giving him an opportunity to work with the team.’’

It was at the instance ofthe same senior players thatthe BCCI appointed Arotheas coach. Under his coachingthe team reached the fi��nal ofthe World Cup fi��nal, won thethreematch ODI series andfi��vematch T20I series inSouth Africa.

Steps down as coach of Indian women’s cricket team


Mumbai

Tushar Arothe quits

Tushar Arothe. * FILE PHOTO: VIVEK BENDRE

IndiaA hockey teamholds South KoreaBENGALURU

IndiaA and the South Korean

men’s National hockey team

drew 11 in the first of five

practice matches at the SAI

here on Tuesday. Seo Inwoo

put South Korea ahead in the

31st minute before the home

side equalised through

Armaan Qureshi in the 48th.

Most of us are familiar withthe story of lucky loser Marco Trungelliti who drovefrom Barcelona to Paris, adistance of about 1000km toclaim a spot in the maindraw of the French Opentennis tournament.

It was a very interestingstory, especially for Indianfans, as Prajnesh Gunneswaran had opted to play a Challenger tournament and thusmissed the chance of making the main draw of theFrench Open as a ‘lucky loser’, opening the door forTrungelliti.

Shooter Mairaj AhmadKhan has ventured to do onebetter!

The delayed arrival of thegun permit, an issue that hasleft many shooters withouttheir guns prior to the Shotgun World Cup in Tucson(USA), meant the 42yearoldMairaj being in a situationwherein he had to drivefrom Tucson to Houston,about 1700km one way, toget his weapon.

Another skeet shooter,Sheeraz Sheikh, also had issues with his permit, andthus Mairaj had companyand a trusted friend to sharethe driving.

“I have got the permit, but

the gun is at Houston airport.

“Have to go there to get it.Tomorrow is the offi��cialtraining and there is no fl��ightnow. So, we are driving. It isonly 15 hours one way! Wewill reach by morning,” saidMairaj when contacted.

“Many shooters are struggling. The Korean and several others teams don’t havepermits,” said Mairaj.

There was a favourabletwist to the story, Mairaj andSheeraz were intimated onthe way about fl��ight ticketsfrom Phoenix and thusparked their car and boarded the fl��ight.

World Cup preparation hit by delayed arrival of permitKamesh Srinivasan

NEW DELHI

Mairaj chasing his gun

Injury ends season forWorld champion BarshimDOHA

World champion high jumper

Mutaz Barshim has been ruled

out for the rest of the season

because of an ankle injury,

the Qatar Athletics Federation

announced on Tuesday. The

QAF said Barshim damaged

ankle ligaments in Hungary

earlier this month. AFP

Karman Kaur Thandi overcame Zhanlan Wei of China64,, 57, 60 in the fi��rstround of the $25,000 ITFwomen’s tennis tournamenton Tuesday.Other results:

€43,000 Challenger, Bastad,Sweden: First round: Filip Horansky (Svk) bt Sumit Nagal62 retd.

$25,000 ITF tournament,Shenzhen, China: First round:TungLin Wu (Tpe) bt AryanGoveas 62, 61; Blake Ellis(Aus) bt Karunuday Singh 62,61.

$15,000 ITF tournament, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia:

First round: Ryota Tanuma(Jpn) bt Adil Kalyanpur 62,64.

Doubles (prequarterfi��nals):Chandril Sood & Lakshit Soodbt Muhammad Aiman Hamdan& Naufai Siddiq Kamaruzzaman(Mas) 63, 62.

$25,000 ITF women’s tournament, Nonthaburi, Thailand:First round: Ankita Raina bt Y.Pranjala 63, 67(5), 63.

$15,000 ITF women’s tournament, Hong Kong: First round:Ashmitha Easwaramurthi btChihiro Takayama (Jpn) 62,75; Sakura Hosogi (Jpn) bt Kanika Vaidya 64, 64.

$15,000 ITF women’s tournament, Solo, Indonesia: Firstround: Mahak Jain bt Mary AnnLiu (Aus) 60, 62; BhuvanaKalva bt Deria Nur Haliza (Ina)36, 60, 75; Saumya Vig btYuTing Hsieh (Tpe) 46, 76(6), 64; Zhuoma Ni Ma (Chn)bt Nithya Raj 62, 61; AyakaOkkuno (Jpn) bt Snehal Mane61, 64; Sai Samhitha bt Rishika Sunkara 61, 75.

Doubles (prequarterfi��nals):Sai Samhitha & Mahak Jain btJoleta Budiman & Deria NurHaliza (Ina) 57, 63, [104];Bhuvana Kalva & Sri VaishnaviPeddi Reddy bt Yuka Hosoki(Jpn) & Charmaine Shi Yi Seah(Sgp) 64, 76(0).

TENNIS

Karman advances SPORTS BUREAU

Tianjin

Seventeen countries haveconfi��rmed their participation so far but the upcoming2018 Asian Junior WrestlingChampionships remains uncertain pending clearancefor Pakistan and Afghanistan from the Home Ministry.

Wrestling Federation ofIndia (WFI) president BrijBhushan Sharan Singh onTuesday was categorical inhis criticism of the government's handling of the issuewith only a week left for theevent, scheduled to be heldfrom July 17 to 22 here.

“The teams want to arriveearly to practice. We toldthem to at least clear theother teams if Pakistan andAfghanistan are an issue. Iwill be meeting the HomeMinister tomorrow, andhopefully will be able to explain things and sort out thematter,” Singh said here. ByTuesday evening, the ministry had cleared all but thetwo teams for thecompetition.

Teams from Iran, Uzbe

kistan, Kazakhstan, Japan,Korea, North Korea, Mongolia and Tajikistan would beparticipating in the competition with approximately146 Freestyle, 117 GrecoRoman and 100 Women wrestlers vying for 10 gold andsilver medals each and 20bronze.

But, Singh wasn't happy.“This is not a bilateral event.Tournaments are allottedonly after the host can assure participation for all interested teams. Pakistan'sparticipation is not at ourmercy, it is their right to participate. Their participationis our responsibility. Wehave complained about thisearlier also and honestly,everyone including theteams, federations andUWW are fed up of this,” hesaid.

“The UWW can take action against us — maybeeven disaffi��liate WFI and notallow us participation in major events. The delay hurtsus also but people who areincharge of these clearances do not understand the seriousness of the issue,” hecomplained.

Clearance for Pakistan,Afghanistan pending

UTHRA GANESAN

NEW DELHI

ASIAN WRESTLING

Manav Thakkar reinforcedthe growing belief of beingthe next big thing in Indiantable tennis. The rising star,a member of the country’ssquad for the upcomingAsian Games, won the men’sand youth titles in the National ranking table tennischampionship here.

After beating Ronit Bhanjain the youth boys’ fi��nal, Manav ended the dream run ofa fi��ghting S. Snehit of Telangana 119, 118, 411, 711, 116,114 to defend the men’s singles title, worth ₹��70,000.Snehit received ₹��35,000.

Earlier, Manika Batracrossed the fi��rst major hurdle on the domestic circuitthis season when she savedthree matchpoints to stopKrittwika Sinha Roy in a sevenset women’s fi��nal.

After the players won alternate sets leading to an enthralling decider, the Commonwealth Gameschampion was down 910,1011, 1112 but fought backgamely to convert her second matchpoint for a 117,

811, 118, 511, 116, 811, 1412triumph. Manika collected₹��60,000 and Krittwika,₹��30,000. The youth girls’ title went to Akula Sreeja whohad to bring out her best tobeat a determined S. SelenaDeepthi in six close sets.

The results: Men (fi��nal): ManavThakkar (PSPB) bt S. Snehit(Tel) 119, 118, 411, 711, 116,114; Semifi��nals: Snehit bt Arjun Ghosh (WB) 611, 911, 116,

1113, 115, 116, 118; Thakkarbt Sanil Shetty (PSPB) 114, 1315, 119, 711, 116, 119.

Women (fi��nal): Manika Batra(PSPB) bt Krittwika Sinha Roy(WB) 117, 811, 118, 511, 116,811, 1412; Semifi��nals: Krittwika bt Archana Kamath (PSPB)116, 811, 511, 119, 117, 1412;Manika bt Madhurika Patkar(PSPB) 117, 119, 119, 811,119.

Youth, boys (fi��nal): ManavThakkar (PSPB) bt Ronit Bhanja

(WB) 117, 113, 113, 911, 116;Semifi��nals: Thakkar bt ArnibanGhosh (Rly) 411, 117, 110,117, 118; Bhanja bt Jeet Chandra (Har) 811, 1210, 116, 111,117, 117.

Girls (fi��nal): Akula Sreeja (RBI)bt S. Selena Deepthi (TN) 1315,115, 1210, 119, 911, 1210;Semfi��nals: Selena bt Shruti Amrute (MahA) 117, 118, 119,117; Sreeja bt Archana Kamath(PSPB) 411, 1311, 1311, 114,811, 116.

Double delight for Manav Manika Batra and Akula Sreeja clinch thrillers

Rakesh Rao

PANCHKULA

Ruling the roost: Manav Thakkar and Manika Batra, the winners. * AKHILESH KUMAR

Lakshya Sen and AkarshiKashyap will lead the Indian challenge in the Badminton Asia junior championships, to be played atJakarta from July 14 to 22.

The tournament will beplayed in mixed team format and individual championships. The mixed teamevent will be held from July14 to 17, while the individual competitions will starton July 18.The teams: Men, singles:Lakshya Sen, Amar Farogh,Kiran George; Doubles: Manjit Singh Khwairakpam, Dingku Singh, VishnuvardhanGoud, Sri Krishna Sai KumarPodile.

Boys: Edwin Joy, Orijit Chaliha, B. Sai Rohit, Akash Chandran.

Women, singles: AkarshiKashyap, S. Kavipriya; Doubles: Simran Singhi, RitikaThaker, K. Preethi, ShristhiJuppudi.

Girls: Nafeesah Sara Siraj,Medha Shashidharan, DiptiKuity.

Lakshya,Akarshi tolead Indianchallenge


NEW DELHI

P.V. Ramana, father of P.V.Sindhu, has criticised the

composition of the Indianbadminton team for the upcoming Asian Games andurged the Badminton Association of India (BAI) to reconvene the selection meeting.

“The National selectorshave committed a blunder.How could they pick two extra singles players and ignore the doubles pair ofAparna Balan and her partner (Sruti K.P.)?,” Ramanaasked.

Speaking to The Hindu,

Ramana, member of thebronzewinning volleyballteam in the 1986 AsianGames, hinted at a ‘confl��ictof interest’ specifi��c to the selection of chief coach P. GopiChand’s daughter P. Gayatriand Akarshi Kashyap.

Bright future“Gayatri and Akarshi have

a good future if given yearsof foreign exposure andtraining.

“At present, I see no reason to select them in theAsian Games team.

“ So far, players were selected on their world rankings.

“Now why select players

on the basis of two selectiontournaments?,” Ramanaqueried.

When contacted for areaction, Gopi Chand said, “Idon’t think I have to comment on this.”

No confl��ictMeanwhile, BAI presidentHimanta Biswa Sarma revealed that Gopi Chand hadobjected to naming hisdaughter Gayatri during theselection committee meeting.

“In fact, the other members of the panel overruledhis objection and picked her.

“Hence, there is no confl��ict of interest as far as Gopi

is concerned,” Sarma said.

He added: “The selectionof each and every player including Gayatri was donepurely on merit and basedon consistent performancesin selection tournaments.”

Selection staysSarma clarifi��ed that “there isno question of any rethinkon the Indian squad’s selection for the Asian Games.”

And referring to women’sdoubles combinations forthe Asiad, Sarma felt that theissue of a reserve pair wouldcome only if the regular duoof Ashwini Ponnappa and N.Sikki Reddy was injured.

Sindhu’s father questions Asiad selectionBAI chief Sarma insists squad picked on merit and based on performances

Rakesh Rao &

V.V. Subrahmanyam

NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh under23 batsman MadhavKaushik slammed a 121ball143 as TN Memorial Academy (TNMA) defeated TYCAby 22 runs in the thirdSports Sun cricket.

The scores: TNMA 294 for fi��vein 40 overs (Madhav Kaushik143, Shahim Hasan 64) bt TYCA272 in 40 overs (Rahul Yadav 87,Yogesh Nagar 46, Amit Yadavthree for 54).

BBA makes fi��nal

Manofthematch ArnavJamwal scored 41 andpicked up three wicketswhile Akshat Bisht scoredan unbeaten 53 as Bal Bhawan Academy downed Madhav Academy by six wicketsto enter the fi��nal of the Fynet Sports u12 cricket tour

nament. The scores: MadhavAcademy 145 in 28.3 overs(Kartik Rana 51, Arnav Jamwalthree for 23, Shahan Rawatthree for 24) lost to Bal BhawanAcademy 146 for four in 25.2overs (Akshat Bisht 53 n.o., Arnav Jamwal 41).

Good knock by Ankit

A matchwinning 70 not outby Ankit Pandey and threewickets apiece for Jatin Makkad and Rahul Bisht saw Ravi Kant Bhatt Academy beatTN Academy by two wicketsin the R7 u17 cricket.

The scores: TN Academy 175 in33.4 overs (Ishant Kumar 64,Ganesh Vashisht 53, Jatin Makkad three for 37, Rahul Bishtthree for 39) lost to RKB Academy 180 for eight in 34.5 overs(Ankit Pandey 70 n.o., AnandKumar three for 35).

Madhav cracks ton



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Clooney injured inscooter crash in ItalyROME

Actor George Clooney was

hospitalised and released in

Sardinia after being involved

in an accident while riding his

motorcycle, officials of John

Paul II hospital said. Local

daily La Nuova Sardegna

reported that Mr. Clooney’s

injuries were not serious and

that he was released on

Tuesday. The Ocean's Eleven

actor was headed to a film

set on Tuesday when his

motorbike was hit by a car,

the daily said. He is working

on a miniseries here and has a

home on the Italian

mainland, on Lake Como. AP

IN BRIEF

Israel plans unmannedmoon landing in 2019YEHUD

SpaceILm, an Israeli non-

profit group, plans to land an

unmanned spacecraft on the

moon in February in the first

landing of its kind since 2013.

The craft, which is shaped like

a round table with four

carbon fibre legs, is set to

blast off in December from

Florida’s Cape Canaveral

aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9

rocket. It aims to transmit

pictures and videos back to

earth over two days after it

lands on February 13. REUTERS

Giant dinosaurs lived on theearth much earlier than previously thought, accordingto a team of excavators in Argentina, who discovered theremains of a 200millionyear old species.

The species, baptised In-gentia prima, was aboutthree times the size of thelargest Triassic dinosaursfrom its era. It was discovered in the Balde de Leyesdig site in San Juan province,1,100 km west of the Argentine capital Buenos Aires.

The fi��nding was published in the Nature Ecolo-gy & Evolution journal onMonday. “As soon as wefound it, we realised it wassomething diff��erent. Wefound a shape, the fi��rst giantone among all the dinosaurs.That’s the surprise,” said Cecilia Apaldetti, a governmentand San Juan Universityresearcher.

Excavators found severalvertebrae from the neck andtail as well as fore and hindleg bones. The species “exhibits a growth strategy thatwas unknown until now andindicates that gigantism originated much earlier thanwas thought,” said Ms. Apaldetti, the study’s coauthor.

These were “herbivore dinosaurs, quadrupeds, easilyrecognisable by their verylong neck and tail, and from

the sauropod group,” she added. Before this discovery, itwas thought that gigantismdeveloped during the Jurassic period, around 180 million years ago.

Fellow coauthor RicardoMartinez believes the Ingenia prima is from “a LateTriassic period, possibly 205million years” ago. TheTriassic period extendedfrom around 250200 million years ago and the Jurassic from 200145 millionyears ago. According toscientists, Ingenia prima wasthe fi��rst dinosaur species to

reach gigantism.The dinosaur’s

bone fragments displayed cyclical and seasonal growth, with a diff��erentkind of tissue to other sauropods, which allowed it togrow very quickly. It’s believed that the species grewto eight to 10 meters talland weighed around 10tonnes, equal to two orthree African elephants.

Fossil of fi��rst ‘giant dinosaur’species found in Argentina It was about three times the size of the largest Triassic dinosaurs from its era


Buenos Aires

New fi��nding: An investigator working on the extraction of the remains of a giant dinosaur fromthe Balde de Leyes formation, Argentina; and right, a reconstruction of Ingentia prima. * AFP

An American touristbrought an unexploded Second World War shell tothe Vienna airport in herluggage, Austrian policesaid on Tuesday.

The 24yearold hadfound the bomb on Sundaywhile walking in the Dachstein mountains. She keptthe shell in her belongingsas a souvenir and declaredit to customs offi��cers whenshe came to the airport.

Tourist bringsWW2 shell toairport


Vienna

More than 80% of a denguefeverspreading mosquitohas been wiped out in anAustralian town during alandmark trial, scientists said

on Tuesday, off��ering hope forcombating the dangerouspest globally.

Researchers from Australia’s national science bodyCSIRO bred millions of nonbiting male Aedes aegypti

mosquitoes in laboratoryconditions at James Cook University ( JCU) in a projectfunded by Google’s parentcompany Alphabet.

The insects were infectedwith the Wolbachia bacteria,

which renders them sterile.They were then released intothe wild at trial sites aroundthe Queensland town of Innisfail where over threemonths they mated with females who laid eggs that did

not hatch, causing the population to plummet. The Aedesaegypti mosquito is one ofthe world’s most dangerouspests. It is responsible for infecting millions of peoplearound the world each year.

Novel trial wipes out 80% of harmful mosquitoesAgence France-Presse

Sydney

Older than the Himalayasand well known for its richand unique fl��ora and fauna,the Western Ghats has fi��gured in Lonely Planet’s topfi��ve “2018 Best in Asia” list, acollection of 10 of the bestdestinations to visit in thecontinent for the year.

One of the Hottest Biodiversity Hotspots and UNESCO World Heritage site, theWestern Ghats has camefourth in the list of the Lonely Planet, considered a Bibleby travellers worldwide.Neelakurinji (Strobilantheskunthiana), which has started blooming after 12 years inthe famed hill station ofMunnar has found mentionin report.

“India’s steamy southernhighlands have never garnered the same column inches as the hill stations andHimalayan heights of NorthIndia, but the Western Ghatsoff��er an atmospheric mirrorto Shimla and Darjeeling,with added jungle appeal.

Traversing Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa andMaharashtra, these ruggedhills are UNESCO listed asone of the top spots for biodiversity in the world, protecting everything from wildelephants and tigers to theneelakurinji fl��ower, whichblooms only once every 12years and will be paintingthe hills in purple liveryfrom August to October2018. Visit now and you’llfi��nd coff��ee, tea and spiceplantations, charmingly dated colonial outposts, thundering waterfalls, and even asteampowered mountain

railway,” says the magazinein its report.

Western Ghats supportsthe life of 7,402 species offl��owering plants, 1,814 species of nonfl��owering plants,139 mammal species, 508bird species, 179 amphibianspecies, 6000 insects species and 290 freshwater fi��shspecies.

“Asia is such a vast and diverse continent for anyonedreaming of an escape,”Lonely Planet’s AsiaPacifi��cMedia Spokesperson ChrisZeiher has said. The panel oftravel experts have namedBusan, South Korea, Uzbekistan and Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam to the fi��rst threespots.

“Our experts havecombed through thousandsof recommendations to pickthe best destinations.” Nagasaki in Japan, Chiang Mai inThailand, Lumbini in Nepal,Arugam Bay in Sri Lanka, Sìchuan Province in China andKomodo National Park in Indonesia are other prominentdestinations in the list.

It fi��gures in Lonely Planet’s collection of 10 best destinations


THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

The report also mentionsabout Neelakurinji, whichhas bloomed after 12 years.

* BHAGYA PRAKASH K

Western Ghats fourthbest tourist spot in Asia



CMYK

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wednesday O july 11, 2018

IN BRIEF

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CM promisesmore waterWill increase water supply

by 1520% in two years, and

by 50% in fi��ve years, saysArvind Kejriwal Page 2

‘Upgrade our school’Students of a school in

Haryana’s Nuh district are

sitting on a dharna seeking

its upgradation Page 3

‘Our future isin jeopardy’Students protest to

highlight the “paralysis”

at Manipur University

since May 30 Page 2

A forever bikeMillennials form

a sizeable section of

JawaYezdi clubs across India Page 4

Contractor’s wife fi��lescomplaint against copGURUGRAM

The wife of the constructioncompany director who shothimself last week has accuseda senior Gurugram policeoffi��cer for her husband’sdeath and demanded hisimmediate arrest.

CITY A PAGE 3

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Soumya murder case: SCdelays release of accused NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court on

Tuesday directed that an

accused facing trial in the

murder case of TV journalist

Soumya Viswanathan should

not be released from jail till

Friday following the Delhi

High Court’s order granting

him bail. PTI

The administration of a private school in central Delhi allegedly locked up 16 nurserygirl students in a basementfor fi��ve hours on Monday, over delay in payment of fee.

The students were laterrescued by their parents.

The Delhi Police has registered a case of illegal confi��nement and cruelty tochild against the management of Rabea Girls’ PublicSchool, Chandni Chowk.

Multiple calls to schoolauthorities, including theprincipal and chairman,went unanswered.

The police said they received a call on Mondayfrom angry parents claimingthat their children had beenwrongfully confi��ned in theschool’s basement.

In the complaint, the parents said the girls wereforced to sit on the fl��oor inhot and humid conditions.

The parents said theschool administration refused to accept that the feeshad been paid on time.

Parents claimed that theyshowed receipts of deposited fee to the school administration but the offi��cials refused to admit their mistake.

“When I went to theschool to pick up my child, Iwas told by the teachers thatshe was in the basement.When I asked why, they toldme that she had been confi��ned over nonpayment offees. I rushed to the basement along with other parents and rescued the children. There was noventilation in the room andmy child was crying,” saidFatima, a parent.

Around 50 parents staged

a protest at the school andfi��led a police complaint. “Idropped my daughter off�� atschool around 7 a.m. When Icame to pick her up at 12.30p.m., I did not fi��nd her in theclassroom. I was informedby the school staff�� that mydaughter had been lockedup in the basement. All thechildren were confi��ned in asmall room under inhumaneconditions with no fans andno ventilation,” said Mohammad Asif, another parent.

A senior teacher of theschool said as per rules, theschool fee should be deposited by the 30th of everymonth. In case the fee is not

deposited, the child will notbe allowed to attend classes,said the teacher.

“There was confusion over fee submission as theschool was not informed bythe administration. It will beclarifi��ed with the accountssection. Some parents havenot submitted a ‘teacher copy’ to the school and thatcreated confusion,” said theteacher.

An activity room: teacher“It was not a basementroom. It is an activity roomwhere students play. Thechildren were not confi��ned,”she added.

“Allegations against theschool management will beprobed. A case under IPCSection 342 and under Section 75 of the Juvenile JusticeAct, 2015, has been registered,” said Mandeep SinghRandhawa, DCP (Central).

Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights hasset up an enquiry team andwill visit the school on Wednesday, tweeted DCPCRmember Anurag Kundu.

School ‘locks up’ 16 girls inbasement for not paying feeNursery students confi��ned in room for fi��ve hours, claim parents; case registered

STAFF REPORTER

New Delhi

Angry parents staged a protest outside Rabea Girls’ PublicSchool in Chandni Chowk. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Peak power demand in Delhi crossed 7,000 MW for thefi��rst time on Tuesday.

Data on the website of theState Load Dispatch Centreshowed that the maximumload reached 7,016 MW at3.26 p.m. on Tuesday.

Peak power is the maximum amount of electricitythat is used in a given day.

Tuesday’s record breaks

the previous record of 6,998MW, which was set onMonday.

Peak power demand in2018 has crossed last year’speak of 6,526 MW 11 timesthis year, discom BSES saidin a statement.

“The power demand inBRPL areas of south andwest Delhi on Tuesdayclocked 3,081 MW. BYPLarea of central and east Delhi clocked 1,561 MW.”

The recordbreaking power demand was expected.

In March, Delhi Power Minister Satyendar Jain hadsaid: “We have enough backhand arrangements to meetthe power demand that isexpected to soar up to a historic 7,000 MW level”.

In the last 10 years, the record for peak power demand was set in July sixtimes, three times in Juneand once in August.

Staff Reporter

New Delhi

Power demand crosses 7,000 MW

LieutenantGovernor AnilBaijal and Chief SecretaryAnshu Prakash met UnionHome Secretary Rajiv Gaubaon Tuesday amid the ongoing power struggle betweenthe Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)government and the Centre.

The matter pertaining to“services” is said to havebeen discussed during themeeting.

During the 30minutemeeting the offi��cials are believed to have discussed theissues related to services inthe wake of Supreme Courtjudgment on the powers ofthe Delhi government andthe LG.

Mr. Baijal refused to divulge the details of themeeting. When asked if theissue of services was discussed at the meeting, theLG said: “All is well between me and Kejriwal.”

The meeting came a dayafter Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal wrote to the LGwondering how he can be“selective” in accepting theSC judgment.

On July 4, the apex courthad ruled that the LG cannot obstruct the Delhi government’s policy decisionsas he has no independentpower and was bound bythe elected dispensation’sadvice.

The SC said that the ap

peals arising out of the DelhiHigh Court order, whichheld that the LG was the administrative head, wouldcome up before an “appropriate regular Bench”.

New systemAfter the SC judgment, theKejriwalled government introduced a new system fortransfer and postings of bureaucrats, making the CMthe approving authority.

However, the ‘services’department refused tocomply saying that the SChas not abolished the notifi��cation issued in 2015, whichmade the Home Ministrythe authority for transfersand postings.

On July 6, the Home Ministry had asserted that itwill be against the law totake a fi��nal view on the matter related to services as it isstill pending before thecourt.

L-G, Chief Secretary meet Union Home SecretaryBelieved to have discussed matter pertaining to ‘services’


New Delhi

Anil Baijal

The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to list for nextweek a plea moved by theDelhi government to clarifythe issue of transfers andpostings in the city’s administration. The issue has become a bone of contentionbetween the AAP dispensation and the LieutenantGovernor’s offi��ce after a recentSupreme Court judgment onthe governance of the national Capital.

“It will be listed sometimein next week,” a Bench comprising Chief Justice DipakMisra and Justices A. M.Khanwilkar and D. Y. Chandrachud said.

The issue was mentioned

before the Bench by Delhigovernment lawyer RahulMehra who said that even after the July 4 ruling by theapex court, the stalemate over the issue of public services was continuing and itneeded to be dealt with byan appropriate Bench.

In its verdict, the apexcourt had said that all pending appeals relating to confl��ict between the Delhi government and the Centrewould be heard by an appropriate Bench later.

A fi��vejudge ConstitutionBench headed by the ChiefJustice had held that the LGhas no independent powerto take decisions and isbound by the elected government’s advice.

‘Matter will be listed for next week’


New Delhi

SC to hear govt’s pleaon exercise of power

The Delhi government onTuesday said the LieutenantGovernor had “illegally” transferred bureaucratseven as it said it had orderedthe suspension of two Public Works Department(PWD) engineers for allegeddereliction of duty.

At a press conference, Deputy Chief Minister ManishSisodia accused LG AnilBaijal of “dadagiri”.

“The Supreme Court hassaid that all matters apartfrom three subjects are withthe Delhi government, butthe LG is indulging in bullying in order to keep controlof services. He has issued anillegal order to appoint theDirector, Education. He didnot even speak to us.”

The order approved bythe LG states that SoumyaGupta has been replaced bySanjay Goyal as EducationDepartment Director; Chanchal Yadav, who served asSouth Delhi Municipal Corporation’s Deputy Commissioner has been shifted as

Special Secretary to LG;and Vasanthakumar N. hasbeen made Special Commissioner (Trade and Taxes).

Engineers suspendedMr. Sisodia said that PWDassistant engineer R.B.Singh, and PWD junior engineer Jay Shankar Prasadwere suspended, pendingenquiry, on the orders of theDelhi government.

The orders came after afi��eld visit by Chief MinisterArvind Kejriwal to southDelhi's Ambedkar Nagar onMonday found that claimsabout desilting of drainsmade on paper were farfrom ground reality.

Mr. Kejriwal, Mr. Sisodiaand PWD Minister Satyendar Jain, had inspecteddrains at Old MB Road Khanpur (Pipal Chowk), ValmikiMandir Marg and RajaramMarg near BRT Road.

After the inspection, Mr.Kejriwal had told reportersthat he had asked the PublicWorks Department Secretary to suspend the offi��cialsconcerned.

Govt says LG illegallytransferring offi��cersSisodia accuses Baijal of ‘dadagiri’

Staff Reporter

New Delhi

The High Court on Tuesdayasked the Delhi Metro RailCorporation (DMRC) to putup disclaimer notices at asouth Delhi metro stationand other places that thecoaching centre FIITJEE isin no manner connected tothe Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). The metro station opposite IIT is called‘FIITJEE IIT’.

The court’s directioncame on a plea by IIT seeking directions to the DMRCnot to use its name in conjunction with that of FIITJEE for the metro stationthere, claiming it was tar

nishing the image of the premier engineering institute.

Justice Vibhu Bakhru,while disposing of the plea,directed that the disclaimershould clearly indicate thatFIITJEE is not connectedwith IIT in any manner andthe font and size of the disclaimer should be identical

with the font and size inwhich FIITJEE is written atthe metro station, or anyother place where the metrouses the name.

Observing that there cannot be any incorrect representation, the judge alsopulled up the DMRC for allowing a deceptive cobranding at its station and askedwhy a disclaimer was not issued at the time of tender.

The DMRC counsel saidhe had no objection to thesuggestion and a disclaimerhas already been put on thehoarding and their font andsize would now be madeidentical to dispel anyconfusion.

Put up disclaimer at FIITJEE IITmetro station, HC tells DMRCIIT had pleaded that the name was misleading the public

Staff Reporter

New Delhi

The metro station oppositeIIT is called FIITJEE IIT.

The garbage mountains ofDelhi caught the attentionof the Supreme Court onTuesday, which asked boththe LieutenantGovernorand the Chief Minister toclarify by Wednesday as towho is responsible forclearing them.

“There are mountains ofgarbage in Delhi, particularly in Bhalswa, Okhla andGhazipur. We would like toknow who is responsiblefor clearing the garbage —those answerable to the LGor those answerable to theChief Minister?” a Bench ofJustices M.B. Lokur andDeepak Gupta said.

Buried under wasteThe Bench observed thatDelhi is getting buried under mounds of garbage andMumbai is sinking underwater but the governmentswere doing nothing.

It also slapped fi��nes on 10States and two Union Territories for not fi��ling affi��davits

on policies for solid wastemanagement strategy.

“The Solid Waste Management Rules came intoforce on or about April 8,2016. We are two yearsdown the line but we areshocked to know that morethan twothird of theStates/UTs have not yetcomplied with the basic requirement of the SolidWaste Management Rules,2016,” the Bench said.

“The tragedy is that

more than twothird of theStates / UTs in the countryhave neither bothered tocomply with the orderspassed by the court norbothered to comply withthe directions given by theMoEF, Government of India....This is not only a tragic state of aff��airs but ashocking state of aff��airs,particularly since solidwaste management is ahuge problem in this country,” noted the Bench.

‘Who is responsible for clearingCapital’s garbage mountains?’ Supreme Court asks LG, CM to clarify matter by today

Staff Reporter

New Delhi

Wasteful: Segregation of garbage in progress at the Ghazipurlandfi��ll site. * FILE PHOTO: SANDEEP SAXENA

Approval to buy around1,000 electric buses at an estimated cost of ₹��2,500 crore,which was on the agenda ofthe Delhi Cabinet on Tuesday, was postponed due towhat government sourcesclaimed were issues relatedto “fi��nancial propriety”.

At a press conference, Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Manish Sisodia said that whileinprincipal approval hadbeen granted, “technicaldefi��ciencies” needed to beironed out.

Taking sidesGovernment sources saidthat the ebuses proposal,which is scheduled to comeup for hearing at the Supreme Court later thismonth, had the Finance andTransport departments onone side and the Cabinet ofMinisters on the other.

“Issues related to fi��nancial propriety of the proposed induction became thebone of contention betweenthe two sides. The proposalwill now be deliberatedupon at another Cabinetmeeting scheduled for 11.30a.m. on Wednesday,” said agovernment source.

The proposal has been reworked and will be submit

ted for reconsideration onWednesday, the sourceadded.

As reported by The Hindu

on April 4, challenges tocreate the ebus fl��eet, include lack of dedicated budgetary outlay and nonavail

ability of charging points.Only two depots, one eachat East Vinod Nagar and Bawana, have been proposedto be equipped with 11 KVsubstations to providecharging facilities for thebuses.

Approval for ebuses postponedAllegedly due to issues related to ‘fi��nancial propriety’

Jatin Anand

New Delhi

The Delhi government’sproposal to buy 1.4 lakhCCTV cameras is likely tobe tabled before theCabinet for approval nextweek, even as a committeeset up by the LieutenantGovernor continues toseek public opinion on itsdraft rules for regulatingCCTV systems till July 20.

The proposal hadbecome one of the stickingpoints between the electedgovernment and RajNiwas. The AAPgovernment blamed LGAnil Baijal of trying todelay the project byappointing a panel to draftrules to govern theinstallation, operation andmonitoring of CCTVcameras in May.

After last week’sSupreme Court order onthe powers of the electedgovernment and the LG,the Delhi government saidit will go ahead with theproject.

“There are still sometechnical issues in theproposal. But, hopefully, itwill be presented in theCabinet next week,” saidDeputy Chief MinisterManish Sisodia.

The draft rules say theDeputy Commissioner ofPolice (Licensing) wouldbe the appropriateauthority for regulation ofCCTV systems.Government sources saidthis could lead to a tusslebetween the electedgovernment and the LGwhen the cameras areinstalled.

Cabinet likely to take upCCTV proposal next week Damini Nath

New Delhi

JNUSU not invited toAcademic Council meetNEW DELHI

Jawaharlal Nehru University

Registrar Pramod Kumar tells

students’ union members

they have not been invited to

the upcoming Academic

Council meeting due to

“pending proctorial inquiry”.

CITY A PAGE 2

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD





CITY

HC fi��nes NDMC forsealing restaurantNEW DELHI

The Delhi High Court has

imposed a cost of ₹��10,000

on New Delhi Municipal

Council for sealing a

restaurant in Connaught

Place without issuing a

notice, saying there was

flagrant violation of

principles of natural justice

and that its action cannot be

justified. The court trashed

the submission of the NDMC

that the action was taken on

the direction of the Supreme

Courtmandated monitoring

committee. PTI

IN BRIEF

The High Court here onTuesday asked the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC)to draw inspiration from theLondon tube to make its stations diff��erentlyabledfriendly.

Step-free access Drawing the DMRC’s attention to how London’s Department for Transport hadmade access to and from itstube stations “stepfree”, aBench of Acting Chief JusticeGita Mittal and Justice C. Ha

ri Shankar asked the Metroto try and replicate it here.

The court also noted thatLondon’s Department forTransport had ensured stepfree access to buses andcabs, while the Delhi government has not been able toprovide 10,000 lowfl��oorbuses in the past 20 years.The Bench asked the DMRCto “examine [the] scheme inplace in London and otherparts of the world to ensurewheelchair access and methods to avoid stairs”.

On the issue of lowfl��oorbuses, the court said apart

from being more accessibleto the diff��erently abled, suchvehicles are also environment friendly.

The Bench was hearing apetition by 29yearold Nipun Malhotra, who suff��ersfrom locomotor disability,claiming that most public facilities in the Capital are notdiff��erently abledfriendly. Inthe plea fi��led through advocate Jai Dehadrai, Mr. Malhotra has sought directions tomake the Capital’s roads, government offi��ces and publictransport friendly for the differently abled.

HC tells DMRC to make stations diff��erently abledfriendly

Staff Reporter

New Delhi

‘Draw inspiration from London tube’

A number of tribal studentbodies came together for aprotest at Jantar Mantar onTuesday to highlight the “paralysis” being faced at Manipur University since May 30.The students said that stepsneed to be taken to ensurethat the Central university,which comprises 86 collegesand institutions, returns tonormalcy.

They demanded that ahighlevel independent inquiry committee needs to beset up to bring a “permanentsolution to the frequent problems in Manipur Universityin the last decade”.

Blames State govtUnder the banner of JointTribal Students’ Bodies, Manipur, the protesters blamedthe State government, whichis responsible for maintaining law and order situationof the university for not taking any eff��ective measure for

restoration of normalcy.Since May 30, the Mani

pur University Students’ Union (MUSU) with the supportof the Manipur UniversityTeacher’s Association (MUTA) have been on protest over their demand for removalof the ViceChancellor.

The protesters said, “Dueto the current impasse created by the MUSU volunteersinside the university, disrupting all administrativeand academic aff��airs, the careers of all bachelor’s andmaster’s degree students are

in great jeopardy. This is tantamount to assassination ofstudents’ career and is an irreparable loss for the wholesociety.”

They added that theblame game should stop immediately and the students’body should immediatelywithdraw its agitation topave way for resumption ofnormal administrative andacademic activities in the university. They felt that the agitation wascounterproductive.

The Federation of Central

University Teachers’ Association (FEDCUTA) hadcome out with a statementon Monday saying its complete solidarity with the MUTA as well as other sectionsof the Manipur Universitycommunity, and appeals tothe President to immediatelyinstitute an independent inquiry into the charges of misgovernance, pending whichthe ViceChancellor must besent on leave.

The FEDCUTA also appealed to Chancellor NajmaHeptullah who is also Governor of Manipur to intervenein the matter to ensure thatnormalcy is restored in theUniversity and students’ careers are not jeopardised.

Students and teachershave been on strike for morethan a month, demandingthe resignation of ViceChancellor A.P. Pandey for “grossdereliction of duty and blatant fl��outing of all fi��nancialand administrative rules andnorms”.

Students demand inquiry committee to bring a permanent solution to crisis

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI

Students during a peaceful protest in solidarity with thosefrom Manipur, in the Capital on Tuesday. * KANIKA THAPLIYAL

Protest to end ‘paralysis’ at Manipur varsity

Water supply in the city willincrease by 15% to 20% in thenext two years and by 50% inthe next fi��ve years, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal saidon Tuesday.

Addressing a press conference, Mr. Kejriwal said theDelhi Jal Board, which currently supplies 900 milliongallons per day (MGD) of water to Delhiites, will increasethe supply in the comingyears.

“In the past three to fourmonths, I have had manymeetings with DJB offi��cialsand we have come up with aplan. We will increase thewater availability by 15% to20% in the next two yearsand by 50% in the fi��ve years,”he said.

Inspects STPMr. Kejriwal, who tookcharge as DJB chairperson inSeptember 2017, inspectedthe site of the underconstruction Coronation Pillarsewage treatment plant (STP)on Tuesday. He said phaseIof the project will be completed in June 2019 and 70MGD of treated water fromthe Coronation Pillar STPwill be sent to Wazirabadthrough Palla for furthertreatment and supply. Thetreated water will then besupplied to homes as potablewater.

PhaseII of the project,which will involve supply of40 MGD of treated waterfrom Rithala STP to Wazirabad, will start in December

2019, he said. PhaseIII willstart in June 2020, withanother 40 MGD of treatedwater from Rithala STP ex

pected to be supplied to Wazirabad. According to thisplan, a total of 150 MGD willbe sent to Wazirabad for

treatment and supply. The Chief Minister said the

DJB will adopt the “Singapore model” for water treatment. The treated waterfrom STPs will be taken toPalla and then released intothe Yamuna. The water thenwill fl��ow till Wazirabad,where it will be lifted at theWazirabad water treatmentplant (WTP) for a fi��nal levelof treatment.

Apart from the CoronationPillar STP, a new 50 MGDWTP at Dwarka will be completed by February 2020 forthe treatment of water fromHaryana, the governmentstatement said.

In order to increase theamount of recycled treatedwater from the 36 other STPsapart from Coronation Pillarand Rithala STPs, the DJBhad hired a consultant tocome up with a plan. Oncecompleted, this could lead toaround 200 MGD of recycledwater, the statement said, adding that this water goes intothe river as of now. In addition, 70 new borewells thatwill add 15 MGD of water willbe made in Palla, the statement said. The DJB hasplanned to rejuvenate 200waterbodies that will improve the groundwater levels, the statement added.

Will increase water supplyby 15-20% in two years: CMSays Delhi Jal Board to adopt the ‘Singapore model’ for water treatment

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visits the Coronation Pillarsewage treatment plant in the Capital on Tuesday.

* SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA

Jawaharlal Nehru UniversityRegistrar Pramod Kumarhas sent a letter to membersof the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union( JNUSU) saying they havenot been invited to the upcoming Academic Councilmeeting of the universitythat will be held on Friday.

“I am directed to informyou that the representativesof the students’ union havenot been invited to the forthcoming meeting of the Academic Council to be held onJuly 13 [Friday] as special invitees due to a pending proctorial inquiry,” read the letter addressed to the JNUSUpresident Geeta Kumari.

The proctorial inquiry isbeing carried out against the

offi��cebearers of the JNUSUfor alleged creating disruptions by marching up to thedais and using abusive language against the ViceChancellor.

First instanceThe JNUSU said, “The JNUadministration continues todisplay its blatant disregardfor conducting the aff��airs ofthe university in a democratic manner and in consonance with the JNU Act. It ismandated in the JNU statutes that the JNUSU offi��cebearers are special inviteesto the Academic Council.”

It has claimed that it is forthe fi��rst time in the historyof JNU that the elected representatives of the studentsare not being called for theAcademic Council meeting.

Reacting to the letter, Ms.Kumari questioned why wasshe being accused of misconduct by a “dishonourable VC” who “broke” alllaws to “defy reservation,and take away scholarships”.

She added that her teachers have been shamed andinsulted at the meetings forno reason.

The JNUSU said that itwishes to communicate tothe administration that nosuch inquiry has been instituted or nothing regardingany such inquiry has beenintimated to the offi��cebearers.

It is, therefore, utterlybaseless for the administration to keep out the JNUSU,which is a representative body of all JNU students.

University cites pending proctorial inquiry as reason

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI

JNU students’ union not invitedto Academic Council meeting

Over 104 autorickshawswith public announcementsystems, to spread awareness about vectorbornediseases and measures forprevention, were fl��aggedoff�� by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation Mayoron Tuesday.

Awarenessdrive by SDMC

Staff Reporter

New Delhi

The State BJP and Congresstook on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accusing himof misleading citizens on alleged issues related to drinking water in the Capital onTuesday.

Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari alleged that despite being in power for almost 40 months and beingincharge of the Delhi JalBoard (DJB) for almost 15months, Mr. Kejriwal’s statement over “better management of available water”and water harvesting in Delhi during his visit to Coronation Park spoke “volumes

on his wilful evasion” ofresponsibilities.

Delhi Congress presidentAjay Maken slammed Mr.Kejriwal for his observationthat it will take at least fi��veyears for the water shortagein Delhi to improve, despiteits manifesto promise of togive 20,000 litres of free water to every household permonth.

“How could the Kejriwalgovernment promise supplyof free water when it hadnot increased the watertreatment capacity as whatever water treatment capacity was increased wasdone by the Congress government,” Mr. Maken said.

Kejriwal misleadingpeople: OppositionStaff Reporter

New Delhi

The Delhi HC on Tuesdayexpressed concern over lackof functional CCTV camerasaround the India Gate roundabout in the Lutyens’ zoneof the Capital.

A Bench sought responses from the Centre, the Delhi government and the police saying that manyaccidents and hitandrunincidents remain unsolved

due to lack of information,including video footage ofsuch instances incidents.The court also asked themto give areawise location ofCCTV cameras in the Capital, along with informationon how many of them werefunctional.

The Bench issued the directions while adjudicatinga plea initiated by it on itsown after receiving a letterfrom a physiotherapist.

Lack of CCTVs worries HC Staff Reporter

New Delhi

Metro services hit onViolet Line due to snagNEW DELHI

Metro services were affected

for nearly an hour on the

Violet Line due to a technical

snag between Mandi House

and ITO stations, a DMRC

official said on Tuesday

morning. “There was a track

circuit drop between Mandi

House and ITO section on up

line [going towards Kashmere

Gate station] from 8.309.20

a.m.,” the official said. PTI

<> In the past three to

four months, I have

had many meetings

with DJB offi��cials and

we have come up

with a plan

Arvind Kejriwal

Chief Minister

HC pulls up govt overcongestion, pollutionNEW DELHI

The Delhi HC on Tuesday

asked the AAP government

how it could defend more

construction in the Capital

while pulling it up for not

taking steps to decongest the

city and curb pollution. The

court also asked the

government if it had

considered the additional

burden the growing number

of housing units would put on

the facilities and the

environment. PTI





CMYK

B ND-NDE

CITY

Man arrested withsatellite phone at IGI NEW DELHI

A Leh-bound British

passenger was on Tuesday

apprehended at the IGI

Airport for allegedly carrying

an unauthorised satellite

phone, a senior official said.

He was arrested by the CISF

personnel after the phone

was detected in his baggage,

the official added. PTI

IN BRIEF

Talk: Discussion on “Creating zerowaste communities and house-holds”. Speakers: Keshav Jaini andMadhur Panjwani at ConferenceRoom – I, India International Centre(IIC), 6:30 p.m.

Talk: “Her Theatre” as part of ‘ArtMatters’ series by Neelam MansinghChowdhry, Kirti Jain and Maya K. Raoat Seminar Rooms – II & III,Kamaladevi Complex, India Interna-tional Centre (IIC), 6:30 p.m.

Exhibition: A group painting showby Pramod M.V., T. Srinivas,Chandrashekhar Morkhonda &Ramesh Gorjala at ConventionCentre Foyer, India Habitat Centre(IHC), 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Exhibition: “Earth Song II” - an ex-hibition of Stoneware and Ceramicsby Shashi at Triveni Kala Sangam,205, Tansen Marg, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

(Mail your listings for this columnat [email protected])

DELHI TODAY

While scanning diary entries, the police, who are investigating the deaths of 11members of a family in Burari, said an entry made inNovember 2017 cautionedthe family it might not beable to celebrate Diwali in2018.

Eleven members the family were found hanging attheir residence on July 1.

The entry, dated November 11, 2017, said: “Dhante-ras aake chali gayi… kissi kigalti ka prabhav hai… che-tavni ko nazarandaaz nakarte hue uspe gaur karo...aisa na ho ki agli Diwali nadekh pao… [Dhanteras hascome and gone… there is aninfl��uence of someone’s mistakes… pay heed to warn

ings instead of ignoringthem… what if you are unable to celebrate Diwali nextyear?]”.

Incidentally, the familymembers died four monthsbefore this Diwali. The police said the fi��rst mention of‘badh tapasya [banyan treepuja]’ was made in an entrydated March 10, 2018.

“The entry stated thesame steps mentioned inthe entry made on June 24,which makes us suspect thatthe plan to carry out the ritual was on the family’smind since March,” said asenior police offi��cer.

Around 11 diaries recovered by the police are being examined. The entrieswere made by at least twofamily members after Lalitasked them to, they said.

Burari: note says familymay not see next DiwaliEntry made in November 2017

Staff Reporter

New Delhi

Students of a school in neighbouring Nuh’s Tapkan villagehave locked its premises andsat on an indefi��nite dharnafrom Monday, seeking its upgradation to the senior secondary level.

The school caters to overhalfadozen villages andboasts an outstanding academic record. Students in Rewari and Gurugram had heldsimilar protests earlier seeking similar upgradation.

Tapkan sarpanch Taj Mohammad said the villagershave been seeking upgradation for the past three yearsand even fulfi��lled the criteriabut the government hadfailed to listen to their demand.

“It caters to around 67 villages. Girl students are forcedto dropout after completingmatriculation since parentsare uncomfortable sendingthem to faroff�� places forfurther studies. The schoolhad a pass percentage of 75%,

the highest in the area, and30 girls scored merit,” saidMr. Mohammad.

The villagers had in ameeting on July 6 decided tohold an indefi��nite dharna after they called up the DistrictEducation Offi��cer in connection with their demand butdid not receive any assurance, he said.

The panchayat had handed over a memorandum toChief Minister Manohar LalKhattar earlier this year butthe school still failed to fi��gure

in the list of 12 schools upgraded on January 25, headded.

Mr. Mohammad said thevillagers will shift the dharnato the miniSecretariat if theirdemand for upgradation isnot met by Thursday. They also plan to show black fl��ags toMr. Khattar during his visit tothe district later this week.

Nuh fi��gured at the bottomof the Niti Aayog’s recent listof 101 most backward districts in the country. The report stated that two major

contributors to its backwardness were poor ratings inhealth and education sectors.The district fi��nished at 94thand 99th spots in sectorwiseranking for health and education respectively.

Former Transport Ministerand Congress leader AftabAhmed said good educationwas the most important requisite for development butthe present BJP governmentwas antidevelopment.

District Education Offi��cerDinesh Shastri said he hadwritten to the higher authorities threefour times seekingthe school’s upgradation andto clear the decks treating itas a special case.

“Earlier, the school hadone room less than the number required as per normsbut I still requested the authorities to upgrade it as it hada good academic record. Butthat did not happen. Now theroom has been built, I resentthe fi��le last week. I hope itwill be done this time,” saidMr. Shastri.

Nuh students on indefi��nitedharna, demand upgradation To senior secondary level; school boasts outstanding academic record

Ashok Kumar

GURUGRAM

Students and residents of Tapkan village on a dharna outsidethe school seeking its upgradation. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

A Class XI student was killedwhile his friend was injuredafter their twowheeler collied with a truck in Rohini’sAlipur on Tuesday afternoon, the police said.

The accused driver isabsconding.

Enroute homeThe deceased has been identifi��ed as Tanishk (16) and theinjured boy as Naveen, bothstudents of DAV PublicSchool and residents of Alipur, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rohini) Raj

neesh Gupta.They were on the way

home from school on a scooty when the incident happened around 3 p.m., thepolice said.

“The students were on atwowheeler. The truck wascoming from the oppositeside when the two vehiclescollided,” Mr. Gupta said.

Tanishk, who was ridingthe scooty, was fl��ung a fewmetres ahead before fallingon the road, sources said,adding that Naveen fell onthe other side.

Following the accident,the driver of the truck bear

ing an Uttar Pradesh number fl��ed the spot. “Tanishkwas rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was declaredbrought dead. Naveen is undergoing treatment at Satyawadi Raja Harish ChandraHospital. He is out of danger,” the offi��cer said.

Case registeredA case under Sections 279(rash driving), 337 (causinghurt by act endangeringlife), and 304A (causingdeath by negligence) of theIPC has been registered andteams formed nab the accused, the police said.

Off��ending vehicle came from the opposite side: police

Staff Reporter

New Delhi

Teen killed, another hurt as truckhits twowheeler; accused on the run

Concurring with the Metropolitan Magistrate (MM)court fi��nding that an adultmarried woman joining thecompany of someone else isnot an off��ence, a sessionscourt has dismissed adultery charge against a man.

The husband had allegedthat she was in an ‘illegal’ relationship with anotherman. Dismissing the allegations, the MM court said:“The wife of the accused is amajor and her joining thecompany of someone elsedoes not constitute any offence within the preview ofthe Indian Penal Code.”

Additional Sessions JudgeAjay Goel upheld the fi��ndingof the MM court.

“... The allegations havenot been duly corroboratedin presummoning evidence. In presummoningevidence, it has been statedby complainant that he sawone person in the washroom attached to his bedroom and no other allegations of intimacy have been

levelled... Moreover, thisfact is not mentioned in thecomplaint. General vagueallegations have been levelled. It is also rightly discussed by the trial court thatthe complainant has not deposed anything about sexual intercourse between hiswife and any other person,hence the allegation of adultery was also rightly rejected,” the judge said.

The man had alleged thathis wife’s family had beatenhim. This allegation too wasdismissed by the court.“The accused no. 1 is hiswife and it cannot be statedthat he does not know thename of those family members. It seems that whole allegation is creation of hismind. He has stated that hewas admitted to a hospitalbut no such medico legalcase has been produced onrecord. He does not recognise those threefour persons,” the judge said.

The man had come in revision against the MM orderdismissing his complaintagainst the accused.

Sessions court upholds MM court fi��nding

Nirnimesh Kumar

New Delhi

Court dismisses adulterycharge against man

A 15yearold girl was allegedly raped by two of herclassmates in west Delhi’sNaraina on Tuesday afternoon, the police said.

The two boys, aged 13and 14 years, have been apprehended, they added.

The accused took thevictim to a secluded areanear the school and allegedly raped her, a seniorpolice offi��cer said.

After the victim managed to leave, she approached the police. Acase on charges of rapeand under the POCSO Acthas been registered.

The victim was taken formedical examination andwas later counselled, thepolice said.

All parties involved arestudents of a governmentschool and the incidenthappened during schoolhours, they added.

15yearoldstudentalleges rape

Staff Reporter

New Delhi

Senior citizen held forposing as policeman NEW DELHI

A 62-year-old Ghaziabad

resident was arrested on

Monday for allegedly posing

as a police officer to extort

money from a Gujarat based-

businessman, the police said

on Tuesday. The accused has

been identified as Vijay

Verma. The incident was

reported from Kalkaji in

February. The police said Vijay

read about the modus

operandi and started cheating

people thereafter. He

allegedly observed police

officers to copy their body

language. STAFF REPORTER

The wife of the constructioncompany director who shothimself last week on Tuesday accused a senior Gurugram police offi��cer for herhusband’s death and demanded his immediatearrest.

Meets CommissionerContractor Vinod Sharma’swife Meenu Sharma, a resident of DLF PhaseV, metPolice Commissioner K.K.Rao in his offi��ce on Tuesdayafternoon.

She alleged in a writtencomplaint that Deputy Commissioner of Police Mahender Sethi was responsible forher husband’s death.

Accusing the police of trying to shield the offi��cer, Ms.

Sharma stated in her complaint that she had given astatement seeking actionagainst Mr. Sethi on Sundaybut the police registered aFirst Information Reportagainst a Delhi businessman

based on her husband’s suicide note.

Mr. Rao told The Hinduthat he had marked an inquiry into the complaint to theDCP (East).

However, the Police Commissioner denied that thepolice had received a complaint in this regard earlier.

No responseMr. Sethi did not respond torepeated phone calls and atext message for a comment.

Ms. Sharma said Mr. Sethiand three other men hadcome to her husband on July2 demanding ₹��3.26 crore andasked him to pay the fi��rst instalment of ₹��50 lakh on July4. Ms. Sharma said her husband was stressed and shothimself on July 4.

Seeking the offi��cer’s im

mediate arrest, Ms. Sharmasaid she will hold an indefi��nite dharna outside the Police Commissioner’s Offi��ce ifaction is not initiated againstMr. Sethi within 24 hours.Demanding a Central Bureauof Investigation probe in thematter, Ms. Sharma said shehad no faith in the HaryanaPolice.

The 59yearold contractor had shot himself twice inthe chest in his Sector 57 offi��ce on July 4. He had accused Devender Lakra, a resident of Delhi’s Mundka,and his family for his death.He died at a private hospitalfour days later.

Suicide prevention hel-pline: Sanjivini , Society forMental Health, Telephone:011-40769002, Monday-Sa-turday, 10 a.m. -7.30 p.m.

Contractor’s wife fi��les plaint against cop Accuses him for her husband’s suicide; demands his immediate arrest, CBI probeStaff Reporter

GURUGRAM

Vinod Sharma.* SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

A 26yearold man died after sustaining serious injuries during a quarrel withhis wife in south Delhi’sAya Nagar, the police saidon Tuesday.

They received a call at12.30 a.m. about an injuredwoman lying in Aya Nagar.A team rushed to the spotand found the injuredcouple.

Chhutki and her husband Rana were rushed toAIIMS Trauma Centre. Rana was declared broughtdead, said DCP (South) Romil Baaniya.The couple isfrom West Bengal’s Maldadistrict and had been livingin Aya Nagar for the pastthree months.

They used to have frequent altercations as Ranawas an alcoholic, the offi��cer said. It is suspected thata discussion on Rana’sdrinking habits turned violent. Chhutki has also sustained serious injuries inthe attack, the police said.

A case has been registered. Chhutki is yet to regain consciousness.

Man injuredin fi��ght withwife, dies

STAFF REPORTER

New Delhi

Late Supreme Court judgeJustice V.R. Krishna Iyer wasthe man who built the “edifice for access to justice” inIndian jurisprudence, ChiefJustice of India (CJI) DipakMisra said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the JusticeV.R. Krishna Iyer MemorialLecture here, Justice Misrasaid Justice Iyer was “a judgewho believed in the humanand the compassionate spiritof the Constitution”.

‘Access to justice’“We have been told thatthere has to be access to justice, and Justice Iyer built theedifi��ce of access to justice.Whatever relief Justice Iyergranted to every poor or richman, it was not [based] on awhim or fancy but based ona foundational principal,”

Justice Misra said.“Apart from referring to

the Constitution in his judgments, he also referred tothe Upanishads. That is thebeauty of it. The man wasrooted in ancient Indian concepts as well as modernWestern concepts...,” the CJIsaid.

Attorney General K.K. Venugopal also gave a lectureon the ‘Role of Judiciary inProtecting Human Rights ofthe Poor and the Marginalised’ at the event, organisedby SaradaKrishnaSatgamaya Foundation for Lawand Justice, Delhi Chapter.

Mr. Venugopal recalledthe immense praise JusticeIyer earned not just in Indiabut even in neighbouringcountries like Pakistan andBangladesh. “He should beplaced among the greatestjudges of the world and not

just of India,” he remarked.He said, “As a judge of the

apex court, there is hardly afacet of the Constitution thathas remained untouched byhim.”

“I had appeared beforeJustice Iyer in 1981 in a caserelated to promotion of Dalits in government jobs. I wasappearing against Dalits andyou can take it from me thatafter what he [ Justice Iyer]told me I decided that I willnever appear against Dalitsin any time in future, thoughI will appear for them,” Mr.Venugopal said. Justice Iyersaid we have to “pay for victimising these Dalits for thelast 5,000 years”, Mr. Venugopal said. He added that itwas due to apathy of variousgovernments and negligencetoward the needs of the poorthat courts have had to stepin.

The CJI was speaking at a memorial lecture

Staff Reporter

New Delhi

Justice Iyer built edifi��ce ofaccess to justice: CJI Misra

Nearly 50 spiked bits fi��ttedinside the mouths of horsesto control them were seizedfrom stables across the cityduring a 10day drive carriedout with the help of the police, People for the EthicalTreatment of Animals (PETA) said on Tuesday.

Filed complaints Displaying the seized spikedbits at Moti Nagar police station on Tuesday, PETA Indiasaid it had carried out an investigation, seized thespiked bits, replaced themwith nonspiked ones andfi��led complaints against

horse owners. “Spiked bitsrip horses’ lips and tongues,causing extreme pain, bloo

dy wounds, immense psychological trauma and lifelongdamage,” said PETA India

horses to the marriage venue, ignorant of the paincaused to horses. Use ofthese spiked bits sees an upsurge during the weddingseason, though they are alsoused on a daily basis,” saidNikunj Sharma, associate director of policy at PETA India.

Ban sale of spiked bitsThe animal welfare organisation has urged the UnionMinistry of Environmentand Forests to amend thePrevention of Cruelty toDraught and Pack AnimalsRules, 1965, to ban the manufacture, sale and storageof spiked bits.

CEO and equine veterinarian Manilal Valliyate.

“We started the campaignduring the wedding seasonsince groomstobe ride

They rip horses’ lips and tongues, cause extreme pain, bloody wounds, says PETA

Jayati Gupta

New Delhi

An activist displays the spiked bits seized from stables acrossthe city at Moti Nagar police station on Tuesday.

* KANIKA THAPLIYAL

Spiked bits used in horses’ mouths seized

<> We started the

campaign during the

wedding season

since grooms-to-be

ride horses to the

marriage venue,

ignorant of the pain

caused to horses.

Use of these spiked

bits sees an upsurge

during the wedding

season

Nikunj Sharma

Associate director of policy at PETA India

Humane Society International/India has claimed ithas sent over 100 legal notices to the Chief WildlifeWarden (CWW) of Rajasthan in connection with illegalities surrounding elephants at Amer Fort.

‘Cutting of tusks’ “This includes, but is not limited to, illegal cutting oftusks of over 47 elephants, apractice which amounts tohunting and is illegal according to the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972,” noted arelease issued by the

HSI/India.The organisation has also

sent legal notices to theCWW asking for cancellation of ownership certifi��cates of elephants on thegrounds of cruelty, negligence and absence of otherrequired documents.

Ownership certifi��cates This includes ownershipcertifi��cates given as late as2017, more than 14 years after the last call was made toobtain a permit for owningelephants.

HSI/India has been campaigning to end elephantrides at Amer Fort .

Legal notices sent toRajasthan Forest Dept On illegalities over Amer Fort elephants

Staff Reporter

New Delhi

A newlywed couple allegedly committed suicide byhanging at their residence inUttam Nagar on Tuesday afternoon, the police said.

They have been identifi��edas Neetu and Neeraj. No suicide note was recovered andtheir family members continue to remain puzzled overthe deaths, the police said.

Threemonth pregnantNeetu was threemonthpregnant. The incident wasreported around 1 p.m.,when Neetu’s father Ramesh Chander called herseveral times but did not getany response.

Mr. Chander reachedtheir apartment and spotted, through a window, thecouple hanging from theceiling fan.

He said the couple methim on Tuesday morning,and Neeraj told him aboutsome issue they planned todiscuss later in the day.

“I had asked them tocome over to my house. Ikept calling them for halfanhour but both of themdid not take my calls. I wentto their house and saw themhanging,” said Mr. Chander.Neetu had even cookedlunch for the family, the police said.

Mobile phonesPreliminary probe suggeststhat Neeraj murdered Neetuwith a rope and thenhanged himself . The policesuspect discord with a family member as the reason behind the suicide . “Theirmobile phones have beensent for forensic examination,” a police offi��cer said.

Newlywed couplefound hanging Staff Reporter

New Delhi

Mother, son held forkidnapping businessmanNEW DELHI

A Mewat-based mother and

son have been arrested for

allegedly kidnapping an

Indore-based businessman

from Delhi, the police said.

The accused, along with their

four accomplice, pretended

to run a scrap company to

lure the victim and extorted

lakhs on gunpoint before

leaving him. One accomplice

has been arrested, while

three others are absconding.STAFF REPORTER

Woman catches bagsnatcher in Pandav NagarNEW DELHI

A woman (22) caught a thief

trying to steal items from her

bag and handed him over to

the police in east Delhi’s

Pandav Nagar on Tuesday, the

police said. The accused has

been identified as Manish

Kumar, a resident of Trilokpuri

in east Delhi. A school

dropout, Manish is a smack

and liquor addict, the police

said. He had been involved in

the crime to fulfil his

addiction, they added. PTI



In a fi��tting throwback, an elevatorwith a door that takes a wrenchingaction to shut, is taking me up to asmall congregation of Yezdi and Jawa loyalists. It’s a group so loyalthat some ride these machines towork, choosing nostalgia over theease of modern automotivetechnology.

They represent the core team ofRoaring Riders, a Yezdi and Jawaclub from Chennai. It is over fi��veyears since I last connected withthe club, and I scan the faces quickly for traces of familiarity. Thereare none to be found. With a bit ofRipVanWinkleish anxiety, I inquire about some of the ‘old’ members. The answer is reassuring:They are well within the fold buthave taken a step back to let themillennials lead. That’s good forany club in any sphere, more sowhen it involves automobiles powered by anachronistictechnology.

Roaring Riders includes youngand unlikely converts. Not longago, the 20something Akilan Mohandoss thought ‘Yezdi’ was actually ‘SD’. Once he learnt its truename, he took a sudden shine tothe motorcycle and bought one, almost badgering Srinivasan Kashyap, a senior member of RoaringRiders, for information. Today, heis a cardcarrying member of theclub.

Parthasarathy K, a young musician, was drawn to these bikes after having listened to their twostroke exhaust note fl��owing out oftwin pipes. At the time, he was noteven a rider, he confesses.

Thanks to growing enthusiasmof this kind, last Sunday, when Ja

wa Day was celebrated across theworld, India contributed richly to

an album of memories, withthe Roaring Riders, Mysuru Jawa Club, Beating Hearts JawaYezdi Motorcycle Club, Puducherry Jawa Club, and groups inBengaluru and other parts ofthe country, all coming out to

celebrate.The clubs in India largely cele

brate the machines that rolled outof the Mysuru factory of Ideal Jawa(India) Ltd, between 1960 and1996. In the early 70s, the company began manufacturing the motorcycles under the Yezdi name.Machines from the parent — JAWA

of Czechoslovakia — make a smallpart of the collection. For Indians,the JawaYezdi nostalgia largelycentres around the Jawa 250, commonly referred to as the ‘A’ Type,which was off��ered under licence,Yezdi 250 ‘B’ Type, Yezdi Roadking, Yezdi 350 Twin and Yezdi Monarch. The smaller Yezdi 175 andthe Yezdi 60 Colt, a moped, alsocontinue to have a lot of tractionamong classic vehicle enthusiastsand collectors.

The surviving Jawa and Yezdimachines have one thing going forthem: there is powerful networking between clubs across India.Kashyap speaks of an incidentfrom a 3,600km ride across India,undertaken by a sixmembergroup from Roaring Riders. Thegear selector on one of the bikesbroke when the Chennai riderswere 40km outside Raipur. Theteam called JawaYezdi enthusiastsat Raipur, and they promptly madearrangements for the vehicle to beattended to, on its arrival in thecity.

JawaYezdi enthusiasts want tocapitalise on this closeness anddocument learnings from restorations and periodic maintenance tocreate a body of work, largely digital, that can serve as a guide fornew entrants to the growing JawaYezdi fold.

A forever bikeWith millennials forming a sizeable section of Jawa-Yezdi clubs across India, the fascination for thesemachines is clearly growing

JAWA IN INDIA AGAINIdeal Jawa India used thecatchphrase ‘Forever BikeForever Value’, while marketingits Jawa and Yezdi machines.However, Ideal Jawa folded upin 1996. Now, Jawa is set tohit the streets in India again asa production bike. Through itssubsidiary Classic LegendsPrivate Limited (CLPL),Mahindra & Mahindra Ltdentered into a brand licensingagreement with Jawa Moto in2016 to gain the right to makeand off��er motorcycles underthe Jawa brand name.Reports suggesting that thefi��rst machine to be born of thismove will hit the streets verysoon, have generated a lot ofexpectations among JawaYezdienthusiasts.AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

NAME FAME

The name of the Jawa bike wasestablished by combining thefirst letters of the names ofits founder Janecek and thecompany Wanderer, hebought it from.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

MAN AND MACHINE

The eternal allure: Of the Jawa

motorbike * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

PRINCE FREDERICK

Motosport magicThe Buck, synonymous with motorsports entertainment forover 44 years in the US, features accomplished competitorsand newcomers in the motorsports industry fighting it outfor the top spot. The event, hosted annually in Quarryvillein August, also has a reality show element in it, wherespectators too contribute to the thrills. Besides the ontrack action, spectators tour the pits and meet the drivers.The event promises a funfilled experience on the whole.More details at buckmotorsports.com

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

EXPERIENCE THIS

Lego roomThe Lego Technic Porsche 911 GT3 RS, with sleekaerodynamic lines, adjustable rear spoiler and orangebodywork, is packed with features and functions thatcapture the magic of the iconic supercar, and is equippedwith an elaborate cockpit with racing seats, workinggearbox, steering wheel with gearshift paddles, detaileddashboard and a glove compartment containing a uniqueserial number. Red suspension springs, detailed brakecalipers and originaldesign rims with special lowprofileroadgripping tyres add the final touches to the model.Lego Technic is a line of Lego interconnecting plastic rodsand parts. The Lego Technic Bugatti Chiron model isdeveloped in partnership with Bugatti Automobiles andfeatures an aerodynamic bodywork, logoed spoked rimswith lowprofile tyres, detailed brake discs and a W16engine with moving pistons. Open the doors and you’lldiscover an elaborate cockpit, featuring a Technic 8speedgearbox with movable paddle gearshift and a steeringwheel bearing the Bugatti emblem. Insert the topspeedkey to switch the active rear wing from handling to topspeed position or lift the hood to reveal a unique serialnumber. The Porsche 911 GT3 is available for ₹��28,000 and₹��24,000 for the Bugatti.

■ Across

1 Dishonesty (13)

8 Mate (3)

9 Exposing human

folly to ridicule (9)

10 Dedicated

birdwatcher (8)

11 Floating navigation

mark (4)

13 Long upholstered

seat (6)

14 Advancing (6)

16 Figure skater’s

jump (4)

17 Look (cockney

slang) — Smithfi��eld

workers (8)

20 Hardship (9)

21 Female sheep (3)

22 In an impressively

beautiful

manner (13)

■ Down

1 Storehouse (5)

2 Light exercises to

promote general

fi��tness (13)

3 Without others

knowing (2,6)

4 Parent (6)

5 Bait (4)

6 Motivation (13)

7 Spread apart (7)

12 Settle fi��rmly (8)

13 Clear off! (7)

15 Merger (6)

18 Shabby (5)

19 Become wearisome

(4)

THE GUARDIAN QUICK CROSSWORD - 12810

6

Solution will appear

in Delhi Metro dated

July 12, 2018.

Solution No. 12809

POOCH CAFE

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE

TIGER

PEANUTS

CALVIN AND HOBBES

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

WUMO




CMYK

B ND-NDE

WHEELS downloaded from : www.visionias.net downloaded from : https://t.me/Material_For_Exam

'Choosing a partner is a person's fundamental right'

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