THRISSUR l wednesday l January 21, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l city EDITION SC slams Maneka Gandhi’s critique of stray dogs order The Supreme Court on Tuesday lambasted former Union minister Maneka Gandhi for calling the order on stray dogs ‘impractical’ not initiating contempt proceedings: sc sc flags disregard of its norms on strays A bench of justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria said Maneka made “all kinds of comments” without thinking, but added it is not initiating contempt proceedings because of the court’s magnanimity. Senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, for Menaka, said his client’s words are not contempt as politicians do make statements ■ The Supreme Court was hearing several petitions seeking modification of its Nov 7, 2025 order directing the authorities to remove stray animals from the institutional areas and roads ■ The bench also flagged concerns over the non-implementation of norms on stray animals for the last five years Jan 28 is when the supreme court will hear the matter next CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI K’taka forced to suspend DGP over sleaze videos Party rein in Nabin hands THE fortune of Indian equity market, it appears, is firmly tied to the vagaries of US president Donald Trump. He seems to be the biggest ‘cue’ the domestic equity market is paying heed to as `10 lakh crore worth of investors’ wealth was wiped out on Tuesday amid US’ deepening standoff with Europe over Greenland. The stock market fell sharply on Tuesday, with benchmark NSE Nifty nosediving to its lowest level in three months and experiencing its biggest singleday fall since April 2025. The NSE Nifty settled 353 points or 1.38% lower at 25,232.50 while the BSE Sensex tumbled 1,066 points or 1.28% to close at @ Bengaluru 82,180. The sell-off was such that 48 stocks in the Nifty50 pack ended in the red and the market capitalisation of BSElisted fir ms came down to `455.76 lakh crore from `465.19 lakh crore. Investor sentiment across the globe has taken a hit over concerns related to US President Donald Trump proposing tariffs on countries opposing his bid to control Greenland and a subsequent pushback from Europe. This has revived fears of renewed global trade disruptions, prompting investors to exit equities. Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments said domestic markets remained cautious ahead of the US Supreme Court’s ruling on Trump- RECORD TUMBLE NSE Nifty 25,500 25,400 25,232.50 25,300 25,200 9.15 am 11 am BSE SenSEX 1 pm 3 pm 4 pm 82,180.47 83,000 82.500 82.000 9.15 am 11 am 1 pm 3 pm 4 pm era tariffs, with renewed uncertainty over US trade policy prolonging the recent consolidation. He added that continued FII outflows, rising US and Japanese bond yields, and a weakening rupee weighed on investor confidence. In the near term, market sentiment will hinge on the earn- tale of two governors ings season, while geopolitical developments and global trade conditions remain important influences, he said. The rupee ended at 90.98 per dollar, slightly weaker than Monday’s close of 90.91. In the broader market, the Nifty Midcap 100 and Nifty Smallcap 100 underperformed the frontline indices, falling by up to 3 per cent each. FIIs sold equities worth `2,192 crore on Tuesday mark, ing the 11th consecutive session of net outflows this month. In the Asian markets, South Korea’s Kospi, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index, Shanghai’s SSE Composite index and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index settled lower. Markets in Europe were trading over 1 per cent lower. India’s B’desh mission now a non-family posting J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi CM Pinarayi Vijayan receives Governor Rajendra Arlekar who arrived for the policy address | Vincent Pulickal I can say Nitin Nabin ji is a millennial. He belongs to a generation that has witnessed a great deal of change... When it comes to party matters, Mananiya Nitin Nabin ji... I am a worker, and you are my boss Narendra Modi, PM Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the newly elected BJP president Nitin Nabin at the party’s headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday. A five-time MLA from Bihar, Nabin, 45, was declared elected unopposed, becoming the youngest ever in BJP to occupy the top post. “BJP is the only party where it is not necessary to belong to any particular family to hold major positions,” Nabin said. Soon after taking over charge from J P Nadda, he sought to set the tone for the upcoming state polls targeting opposition parties on a range of issues including the “changing demographics” | Sayantan Ghosh | p9 Muslim League stunner: Not to seek more seats this assembly election K S SR E E J ITH @ T’Puram Apparently sensing trouble amid rumours doing the rounds that it would be holding the reins, though tacitly if the UDF , is voted to power, the IUML — a key constituent of the front — has decided not to seek more seats than last time in the upcoming assembly elections. Instead, the League will push for seats with higher winning chances, top party sources told TNIE. The party had contested 25 seats in the 2021 assembly elections and won 15. “We are now focusing on winnability We are . reviewing each seat and seeking to swap constituencies we have been losing repeatedly with other UDF partners, including the Congress, where they have better prospects. Conversely in seats where our , partners have been losing consistently and we have a stronger chance, we would like to contest,” a senior leader said. In the first round of deliberations that began on Tuesday, the Congress and the League agreed to to assess the winnability of seats they won and lost in the last election. Unlike in the past, when seat sharing was largely driven largely by leaders’ preferences, the process this time will be guided by findings from two surveys commis- Terrible Tuesday: Sensex dives to lowest in 3 months, wipes off H10L cr of investor wealth A r s h a d K h a n @ New Delhi E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e For the first time in the history of Karnataka, a Director General of Police (DGP) rank officer has been suspended. Hours after an alleged intimate video involving K Ramachandra Rao surfaced online on Monday, the state government cracked the whip against him. Rao, a 1993-batch IPS officer, was heading the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE). The undated 47-second compilation, consisting of three separate video clips, and two audio recordings, surfaced on Monday afternoon. In the video, the DGP is allegedly seen in a compromising position inside his office during working hours. Speaking to reporters at the residence of home minister G Parameshwara on Monday, Rao claimed the Ramachandra Rao v i d e o w a s “fabricated” and demanded a thorough investigation. Late on Monday night, the government issued an order alleging that Rao acted in an obscene manner, unbecoming of a public servant and caused embarrassment to the government. It added that his conduct amounted to a violation of Rule 2 of the All-India Services (Conduct) Rules and suspended him pending inquiry The order fur. ther stated that Rao shall not leave headquarters under any circumstances without prior written permission from the state government. In 2025, Rao was sent on compulsory leave after his stepdaughter, Ranya Rao, was arrested in a gold smuggling case. A probe later cleared him of charges of aiding his stepdaughter in smuggling. Markets in red over Greenland EXPRESS READ PM to arrive in state capital on Jan 23 T’Puram: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kick-start the BJP’s poll campaign by unveiling a development blueprint for the state capital on Friday. The PM will also flag off four new trains for the state including three Amrit Bharat sleeper trains, in a separate event on the day. P6 ‘BJP saw 4-fold rise in its income in 1 decade’ We are reviewing each seat and seeking to swap constituencies we have been losing repeatedly with other UDF partners, including the Congress, where they have better prospects A senior IUML leader sioned by the All India Congress Committee (AICC), the sources said. One survey was conducted by Congress electoral strategist Sunil Kanugolu and the other by an independent agency To. gether, the reports form the bas i s o f t h e s e at s h a r i n g discussions. The reports assess each party’s electoral prospects in constituencies contested in the 2021 assembly election, analysing the reasons for the victories and defeats and the likelihood of retaining or wresting those seats this time. “Based on these findings, each UDF ally will decide whether seats need to be swapped with other partners,” a UDF leader said. ● More on P6 New Delhi: In the past one decade since the BJP took over the reign of power at the Centre under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the party saw a whopping over four-fold increase in its income and expenditure. P9 Governor R N Ravi walks out of Tamil Nadu Assembly on Tuesday without delivering customary address | Express Pinarayi flags TN guv refuses to omissions by guv deliver customary in policy address speech in House E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ T’Puram T M u r u g a n a n d h a m @ Chennai Governor Rajendra Arlekar on Tuesday omitted and amended certain portions of his policy address approved by the state cabinet, triggering another round of confrontation with the state government. Soon after seeing off the governor from the House, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in an unusual move, raised objections over the omissions and alterations made by the governor in the policy address, which marked the commencement of the final session of the 15th Legislative Assembly . Reading out the portions omitted and modified by the governor, the chief minister drew attention to the mismatch between the cabinet-approved text and what was actually delivered. He also urged the Speaker to rule that the policy address approved by the cabinet, in accordance with constitutional principles, would prevail. However, sources close to the governor said Arlekar had read out an amended version of the address to which the government had earlier given its concurrence but backtracked later. The chief minister was provoked by the governor’s decision to omit a passage critical of the Union government. The missing line stated: “Despite these social and institutional achievements, Kerala continues to face severe fiscal stress arising from a series of adverse Union government actions that undermine the constitutional principles of fiscal federalism.”  ● More on P7 For the third consecutive year, Governor RN Ravi’s annual customary inaugural address to the Assembly became a flashpoint, with the governor once again refusing to read the speech prepared by the state. He left the House abruptly, declining to deliver the speech, alleging insult to national anthem and unsubstantiated claims in the state-prepared text. Minutes after the walkout, the governor’s office released a statement listing out 13 reasons as to why he had declined to read out the prepared speech. The statement from the Lok Bhavan, among other things, alleged that the gover nor’s microphone was switched off repeatedly and the national anthem was insulted by not being rendered at the beginning of the session (Thamizh Thaai Vaazhthu was rendered first as conventionally done in the TN Assembly). The other 11 reasons dealt with various alleged issues of concern in the state. The governor’s office alleged that the prepared speech was marked by unsubstantiated claims, particularly on investment inflows, with many MoUs remaining unrealised, declining FDI rankings, severe stress on MSMEs, and growing discontent among lowerlevel employees over their unaddressed demands. “It ignored social concerns like rising crimes against women, rising Pocso cases, rampant drug abuse among youth leading to thousands of suicides, escalating atrocities against Dalits, and TN’s alarming suicide rate,” the Lok Bhavan’s statement said. India has designated its diplomatic mission in Bangladesh as a non-family posting for the time being, citing security concer ns. As a precautionary measure, dependents of the Indian Mission and Post officials have been advised to return to India, while all diplomatic missions and posts in Bangladesh remain open and fully operational, sources said. The decision reflects New Delhi’s assessment of the prevailing security environment following months of political instability and rising tensions over the treatment of minority communities. Sources described the move as precautionary, taken in view of evolving ground conditions. Bangladesh is preparing to hold its first national election since the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government was ousted in a violent, student-led protest in August 2024. Election campaigning is scheduled to begin on January 22, with authorities promising strict security arrangements. However, the period leading up to the polls has been marked by sporadic violence, contributing to concerns among foreign governments and diplomatic missions. The safety of minority communities has emerged as a key issue in India’s recent engagement with Dhaka. India’s decision to shift its mission to a non-family posting signals that it views the current situation as sufficient enough to warrant added caution. Such steps are usually adopted when host countries face prolonged political uncertainty , even as routine diplomatic engagement continues. ED to attach assets of accused in Sabarimala gold theft case P R a m d a s @ Kochi In a major crackdown linked to large-scale misappropriation of temple assets at Sabarimala, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted simultaneous raids at 21 locations across Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu on Tuesday as part of its probe into the money laundering angle. The searches were connected to the allegations of illegal removal and processing of gold and other temple valuables. An ED officer said the agency would proceed with the pro- visional attachment of properties belonging to the accused who have been arrested in the case. The bank accounts of the accused would be frozen after the completion of searches. In Kerala, the raids were conducted at the devaswom offices at Sannidhanam, Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) headquar ters in T hir uvananthapuram, and the houses of Unnikrishnan Potti (Thiruvananthapuram), former TDB president A Padmakumar (Aranmula), former devaswom board administrative officer Murari Babu (Changanassery), ED at the house of former TDB president A Padmakumar in Aranmula on Tuesday | Shaji Vettipuram and former TDB chairman and commissioner N Vasu (Thiruvananthapuram). According to ED, documents, other evidence and digital records related to the loss of gold at Sabarimala and associated financial transactions were seized during the raids. Information regarding the accused persons’ links, financial dealings has been collected. Explaining the legal basis for the action, the officer said: The searches were aimed at tracing the proceeds of crime, seizing incriminating documents and digital evidence, and ascertaining the full extent of money laundering involved — An ED officer “Section 5 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) provides for provisional attachment of properties involved in money laundering. It empowers the ED director or authorised officers to attach assets if there is reason to believe that such properties may be concealed, transferred, or otherwise dealt with to frustrate confiscation.” The officer said if the proceeds of crime are not available, the value of the proceeds of crime can be attached from other assets, including ancestral properties of ● More on P6 the accused.