fridAY 21 march, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard New IPL rules X.com/TheMornStandard Ahead of the 2025 season, BCCI has made some major changes in the rules in the all-captains meet. A look... trump plan to shut down Edu dept The US president plans to sign an executive order calling for the shutdown of the US Education Department, according to a White House official. Page 9 Saliva ban revoked A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS l New Delhi 30 more Naxals killed in Chhattisgarh encounters E J AZ KAI S ER @ Raipur At least 30 members of the banned CPI (Maoist) were killed in two separate encounters in Bastar division on Thursday as security forces in, tensified operations against left-wing insurgency in south Chhattisgarh. “A joint team of the District Reserve Guards (DRG) from Bijapur and Dantewada, Special Task Force, CRPF and elite CoBRA force was out on search operations based on specific intelligence inputs. Around 7 am, an encounter broke out in the dense forest along the inter-district border area of BijapurDantewada, where 26 Naxalites were neutralised. During the exchange of fire, DRG jawan Raju Oyami lost his life,” said Jitendra Yadav, Bijapur district police chief. In another gunfight at Kanker district in the north Bastar region, a combined team of the Border Security Force, Bastar Fighters and DRG gunned down four Maoists close to the Abujhmad jungle of Narayanpur. No security personnel sustained injuries in the Kanker encounter. The recovered bodies of Maoists are yet to be identified and the casualty count of the red rebels may rise further, the officer said. The forces also recovered 21 weapons, including an AK-47, two Self-Loading Ri- Jawans returning from the operation in Bijapur-Dantewada on Thursday | ANI Naxals neutralised in the state in 2025 Jan 3, Gariaband: 1 killed Jan 5, Narayanpur: 5 killed Jan 9, Sukma: 3 killed Jan 12, Bijapur: 5 killed Jan 16, Bijapur-Sukma border: 12 killed Jan 21, Gariaband: 16 killed Feb 1, Bijapur: 8 killed Feb 9, Bijapur: 31 killed Mar 1, Sukma: 2 killed Mar 20, Bijapur: 26 killed Mar 20, Kanker: 4 killed fles, one INSAS rifle, three BGL rocket launchers, and explosives among others from the encounter site. Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that the security forces had achieved another big success in the mission to eliminate Naxalism under the ‘Naxal Mukt Bharat Abhiyan’. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai praised the commitment of the security personnel. “We are achieving historic success in the fight against the Maoists,” he said. So far this year, 113 Maoists have been eliminated in various encounters in the state. Last year, Maoists lost 219 of their fighters in anti-insurgency operations. The series of encounters during the last one year are part of the renewed strategy to eliminate Maoist influence in Chhattisgarh by March 2026. Bijapur, Dantewada, Kanker and Narayanpur are among the seven Maoist-affected districts of Bastar division. Rana makes last-ditch attempt to stop extradition, moves SC S h e k h a r S i n g h @ New Delhi In a final attempt to halt his extradition to India, 26/11 accused Tahawwur Rana has petitioned US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, renewing his plea for intervention. This comes after Justice Elena Kagan denied his review petition, paving the way for his transfer to Indian custody . According to details available on the US Supreme Court website, Rana’s fresh application has been circulated among the judges for discussion in a scheduled conference on April 4, 2025. The move suggests his desperate bid to evade extradition, as India seeks to prosecute him for his alleged role in facilitating the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Subject of high-level diplomatic discussions On February 14, Donald Trump announced his extradition during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington, underscoring the case’s geopolitical significance “Petitioner Tahawwur Rana has renewed his Emergency Application for Stay Pending Litigation of Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus, which was previously addressed to Justice Kagan, and requests that the renewed application be directed to Chief Justice Roberts,” his appeal stated, as per the order published on the US Supreme Court’s website. Earlier this month, the US Supreme Court denied Rana’s request for a stay on his extradition to India. In January the , US Supreme Court dismissed his petition for a writ of certiorari, which he had filed in November 2024 in an effort to overturn a lower court’s ruling that approved his extradition. A writ of certiorari allows a higher court to review decisions made by a lower court, but in this case, the Supreme Court refused to intervene. Rana’s extradition has been a subject of high-level diplomatic discussions. On February 14, Donald Trump announced his extradition during a joint press conference with PM Narendra Modi in Washington, underscoring the case’s geopolitical significance. Rana’s legal team has insisted that extradition would not only endanger his life but also violate human rights. Speaker writes to chief secy, seeks to put babus on notice A n u p V e r m a @New Delhi Lack of coordination between political and bureaucratic wings of the Delhi government has surfaced, with Speaker Vijender Gupta alleging that officers “don’t acknowledge” letters and calls from MLAs and writing to chief secretary Dharmendra in this regard. Citing instances of senior bureaucrats not responding to communications from the MLAs, Gupta has sought intervention from the chief secretary to ensure smooth functioning. Terming it serious, Gupta wrote, “A few instances have been brought to my notice where communications of the MLAs in the form of letters, phone calls or messages have not even been acknowledged by concerned officials.” The Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure calls for prompt disposal of references from MP and state legislatures. “Communications received from an MP/State Legislature should be attended promptly. Any Information sought by an MP and state legislature should be supplied, unless it is of such a nature that it would have been denied to him,” it says. Gupta’s letter, however, provided a chance to the opposition AAP to slam the BJP government, with former minister Saurabh Bhardwaj alleging that officials were taught not to listen to ministers and MLAs. l J8.00 l The usage of saliva on balls had been banned since covid pandemic, but it has been lifted for the IPL from hereon. This came after appeals from several star bowlers including Mohammed Shami. PAGES 12 slow overrate ban The IPL will enforce demerit points for captains if they fail to adhere to optimal over-rate. Mandatory ball change after the 11th over in second innings for night games cwg 2030: india send Expression of interest India have formally submitted Expression of Interest to host the Centenary Commonwealth Games at Ahmedabad. The letter of interest was sent by PT Usha as the chief of Commonwealth Games Association of India on March 13 | P11 Musk’s X moves K’taka HC, sues Indian govt over misuse of IT rules, content blocking of Information by Public) Rules, which require a structured review ELON Musk-led-social media plat- process before blocking decisions form X (formerly Twitter) has filed are made. a petition in the Karnataka High Section 79(3)(b) says if a governCourt against the Centre, accusing ment agency flags illegal content, it of illegally blocking conthe platform must take it Sahyog tent on the platform. down within 36 hours or portal The petition, filed on risk being liable for thirdThursday, alleges the gov- X also refused party content. According to X, the government is circumventing to join govt’s established le gal safe- Sahyog portal, ernment’s actions are a direct violation of estabguards and procedures in set up to lished protocols. It alleges its bid to censor online constreamline the government is disretent. According to X, the takedown government is improperly requests under garding the protections using Section 79(3)(b) of Sec 79(3)(b), granted to online platfor ms by the Supreme the Information Technoloterming it a Court in the landmark gy Act to issue content ‘censorship Shreya Singhal v. Union of blocking orders. It argued tool’ that India case, when it struck that this section is not inpressures down Section 66A of the IT tended for such purposes platforms to Act after finding it unconand that the government is remove stitutional and violating deliberately bypassing the content more stringent require- without proper the right to freedom of speech. ments of Section 69A of the legal review Meanwhile, the MinisIT Act and the associated try of Electronics and Information Blocking Rules. Section 69A is the legally defined Technology states that anyone can file a petition about this. An route by which the government official said that governcan restrict access to online ment agencies only send content that is deemed harmnotices to take down conful to the nation’s interests. tent from their portals, However, this process is reguand if they disagree, they lated by the 2009 IT (Procecan go to court. This apdure and Safeguards for plies to everyone. Blocking for Access R a k e s h K u m a r @ New Delhi Why platforms fear Section 79(3)(b) Non-compliance of a takedown order issued by government agencies under Section 79(3)(b) may strip online platforms of their ‘safe-harbour protection’, which shields them from being liable for content posted by third parties US detains Indian student for alleged Hamas support A g e n c i e s @ Washington, D.C. US federal authorities have detained an Indian citizen who came to the country legally on a student visa and threatened to deport him claiming he posed risk to American foreign policy . Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, was detained by masked agents from outside his home on Monday, US media reports said. His visa was revoked due to his alleged ties with Hamas. Suri was being targeted because of the Palestinian heritage of his wife Mapheze Saleh, a US citizen, his lawyer said in a lawsuit seeking his immediate release. Some reports said Saleh’s father served as a senior political adviser to the Hamas leadership. Confirming Suri’s detention, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson claimed Suri was “actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media.” The incident comes days after another Indian student, Ranjani Srinivasan, ‘self-deported’ following cancellation of her visa over her alleged support for Hamas. Meanwhile, a Georgetown spokesperson said the university was not aware of Suri engaging in any illegal activity, adding that it has not been officially informed of the reasons for his detention. According to Suri’s profile on the Georgetown University website, he completed his PhD in Peace & Conflict Studies from Nelson Mandela Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi in 2020. He has travelled extensively in the conflict zones of India, Pakistan, Iraq, Turkey Syria, Leb, anon, among others. riyadh Russia to hold talks with US on Ukraine All eyes are set in Saudi Arabia as Russian and US officials will discuss ways to restore peace in Ukraine on Monday, according to President Vladimir Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov | P9 April 30 deadline set for 1st CCS building Pa r v e z S u lta n @ N e w D e l h i The Common Central Secretariat (CCS) building-3, part of the Central Vista redevelopment project along Kartavya Path, will be ready by April 30. Ministries and departments will move into the new office Who will complex after statutory clearances for ocmove where cupancy, including fire clearance. Two other CCS buildings — 1 and 2 — As part of the may be ready between June 30 and July Central Vista Redevelopment 30. The completion schedule of these buildings was presented in the Lok Sabha Project, a . Common Central on Thursday The timeline is part of the reply of UnSecretariat ion Minister of Housing and Urban Af(CCS) is being fairs Manohar Lal in response to a quesdeveloped tion by DMK MP D Raja on the progress It will of the CCS buildings. Lal informed the comprise 10 House that the CCS building-10 would be office buildings ready by April 30 next year. and a Central Raja also sought to know the project’s Conference expenditure and the fate of the existing Centre office complexes, such as Shastri BhaIn first phase, wan, Nirman Bhawan, Krishi Bhawan, Udyog Bhawan, or Rail Bhawan. the offices of “The future use of the vacated office the ministries of buildings will be noted in due course,” finance, home Khattar said. He said `3,081 crore had department of been spent since 2021-22, when the conpersonnel and training, Central struction of the three CCS buildings 1, 2, Board of Indirect and 3 began, against the sanctioned budget of `3,690 crore. The sanctioned amount Taxes and for CCS-10 was `621 crore, and over the Customs and last two financial years, around `104 CBDT are likely crore was spent on its construction. to shift first to The ministry has launched an exercise new buildings— to explore solutions for better mobility in CCS 1, 2 and 3 New Delhi area, especially in the vicinity In the second of Kartavya Path and Parliament House. phase, ministries It is conducting a study on reducing conof defence and gestion, improving roads, enhancing pubexternal affairs lic transport, and improving multi-modal to be shifted the integration at metro stations. new office The ministry is seeking online feedblocks, including back from government employees to unthe building 10 derstand their commuting patterns. mark of talent Devis radiate glow of feminine energy E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Kochi NIRF hc stays release of ranking list The Madras High Court on Thursday restrained the education ministry and the NBA from publishing the National Institutional Ranking Framework rank list for 2025. The HC was hearing a PIL alleging malpractices and lack of transparency in calculation of scores for the list. | P5 Sun glitter off Kochi’s Marine Drive shimmered brighter than usual on Thursday evening as TNIE honoured 15 women icons with its Devi Awards ceremony at Taj Vivanta for their outstanding contributions in various fields, ranging from feminist activism to fashion innovation. Since its inception in 2014, the Devi Awards series has feted more than 375 exceptional women achievers across India. Women who have scripted stories that inspire. The 32nd edition saw Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar felicitate 15 ‘Devis’ who have made an indelible mark with their talent, tenacity and triumph. He was joined by TNIE Group CEO Lakshmi Me- Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar (centre), TNIE CEO Lakshmi Menon (sitting left) and Editorial Director Prabhu Chawla (sitting right) with awardees during the Devi Awards ceremony at Taj Vivanta in Kochi on Thursday | T P Sooraj non and Editorial Director Prabhu Chawla in celebrating the following role models: V P Suhara (social activist and writer), Maya Mohan (educator), Rev. Sister Roselin (founder of Snehatheeram), Sudha Chandran (forest guide), P G Deep- amol (ambulance driver), V J Joshitha (cricketer), Usha Nangiar (Koodiyattam exponent), Poornima Indrajith (actor & designer), Sreekumari Ramachandran (writer), Latha K (celebrity chef), Sheela Kochouseph (entrepreneur), R N Rejitha (CRMG crane operator), and Team Ezha (Swathy Subramanian, Savita Rajan, and Ritu Sara Thomas (heritage conservation and architectural design consultants). The governor started his address invoking the Divine Mother, the omnipresent element of divinity: “Ya Devi sarva bhuteshu… namastasyai namastasyai namastasyai namo namah…” He said it was “one word” that initially drew him to the event — the title of the award, ‘Devi’. “The very word Devi, that’s how we should view women,” he stressed. As the sun set down the horizon, there was happiness in the air. And the dappled reflections across the lilting backwaters by the venue seemed to radiate a tinge of divinity p5 .