TIRUNELVELI l Wednesday l November 04, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l CITY EDITION IISc Bengaluru, 5 IITs among Asia’s top 100 universities India continued to remain Asia’s second most represented higher education system, with 325 ranked universities, as per QS rankings All 6 institutes drop in y-o-y rankings According to the London-based Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), IIT Delhi was ranked 59th last year and slipped to 66th this year, followed by IISc Bengaluru, which was 64th last year and is 79th now. IIT Bombay fell from 71st to 83rd, IIT Madras fell from 70th to 85th, IIT Kharagpur fell from 77th to 90th, and IIT Kanpur fell from 77th to 97th ■ 7th India leads in research output per faculty ■ India leads Asia for universities excelling in research output per faculty, with 27 universities in the top 50 for papers per faculty and five in the top 10, more than any other higher education system India also increased its representation among the top 200, with 21, up from 20 last year and 17 in 2018 in the QS rankings Rank obtained by iit-b in employer reputation category 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 prof’s arrest CM’s personal intervention is not a remedy at all, says HC R S I V A K U M A R @ Chennai The Madras High Court severely criticised the state government over the illegal detention of noted economist and Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS) associate professor A Kalaiyarasan by the police, saying an apology, however high its source, was not accountability and a reme, dy that depended on the CM’s personal intervention was no remedy at all. The illegal detention had sparked widespread outrage and condemnation from political parties, social organisations and eminent persons. Kalaiyarasan was detained recently under the pretext of an inquiry into an alleged derogatory comment against a woman MLA of the TVK, made from a social media account that displayed the economist’s picture. It was alleged that the police action was intended to intimidate him following his caustic comments against the T V K g ov ernment A Kalaiyarasan over its failure to check the rising prices of essential commodities. A minister had expressed an apology while CM , C Joseph Vijay met Kalaiyarasan as tempers ran high. Justice N Ramesh made the scathing remarks on Monday while granting anticipatory bail to DMK councillor D Sudha in a case relating to alleged derogatory comments against the CM. He said the “grace” shown at the end did not answer questions about the detention, including how plainclothesmen were sent to the economist’s doorstep at dawn and what action had been taken so far. The judge said Kalaiyarasan was released within hours thanks to his eminence, but a common citizen could have ended up going through the rigours of being locked up, remand and trial before anyone could ask whether the social media account was his own.  P7 India, Israel vote against UNGA arms resolution Jaya n t h Ja c o b @ New Delhi INDIA and Israel were the only two countries to vote against a United Nations General Assembly First Committee resolution on conventional arms control at regional and subregional levels, with New Delhi arguing that security concerns cannot be confined by geographical boundaries. The draft resolution, moved by Pakistan and Belarus, was adopted with 180 votes in favour, two against and no abstentions in the 193-member world organistation. Explaining India’s vote, Anmol Sher Bedi, First Secretary at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, said conventional arms control was a global issue and should not be addressed primarily through regional and subregional frameworks. “We read this request with a certain degree of curiosity,” Bedi said, questioning the need for further deliberations on a subject that had already been extensively discussed within the UN Disarmament Commission. The resolution argues that Regional security India opposed a draft resolution paragraph on arms control in South Asia, which noted regional initiatives like consultation among Latin American nations, and its use for regional security Cold War era arise among countries within the same geographical regions. It also calls for agreements aimed at strengthening regional peace and security while maintaining armaments and military forces at the lowest possible levels. Bedi pointed out that the Commission had adopted three consensus outcomes on the subject: guidelines and recommendations on regional disarmament in 1993, guidelines on conventional arms control and disarmament in 1999, and rec- ommendations on practical confidence-building measures involving conventional weapons in 2017. “We fail to understand why a subject already deliberated at length needs another round of deliberation unless the aim is to keep the UN disarmament machinery busy Bedi said. ,” India also objected to the resolution’s emphasis on maintaining a balance in defence capabilities within specific regions, arguing national security concerns often extend beyond geographical limits. SC: No one can occupy a protest site indefinitely Says protests must be time-bound, directs traders to implead organisers in their plea day but they remained in Jantar Mantar for 17 days. In their plea, the traders arTHE Supreme Court on Tues- gued that the Opposition parday said everyone has the right ties’ protests against the Speto protest but no individual or cial Intensive Revision have led organisation can occupy a pro- to traffic diversions, police bartest site indefinitely as it will ricading and restricted access deny the right of others to shops, causing huge to use the venue. financial losses to small “You cannot occupy a shops and businesses. site for all times. Where The plea sought direcwill farmers, journaltions to shift the protest ists, etc go? The desigto an alternative site or nated sites must be givlimit the duration of en for a designated the demonstration. Notice period,” said a bench S e n i o r a dvo c a t e to Rahul of Chief Justice Surya Mukul Rohtagi, appearThe SC asked Kant and justices Joying for Kirana Commitmalya Bagchi and V Congress leader tee Delhi, said: “We Rahul Gandhi Mohana, while emphahave lost thousands of sising that the right to to file his reply crores. Nobody is able protest must be bal- to a plea filed to do business in Conby a female anced against the rights naught Place. Thoujournalist of others, including sands of auxiliary traders and daily-wage alleging that he workers connected to had pushed her these businesses are workers. The bench was hear- during a protest without jobs as sales at the apex ing a litany of petitions are down in the middle including one filed by court premises of the festive season.” Kirana Committee DelRohtagi said busihi, which alleged that traders nesses have suffered losses runsuffered huge loss of business ning into thousands of crores due to the protests. and sought a two-month restricSolicitor General Tushar Me- tion on protests, especially durhta, appearing for the Centre ing the festive season. and Delhi Police, said the CockThe court asked him to imroach Janta Party’s protest in plead the organisers of the proJuly was permitted only for one tests as parties to the plea. S U CH I T R A K A LYA N M OH A NTY @ New Delhi TN man killed as two choppers collide near Mt Everest base camp in Nepal G au t h am S e lvara j a n @ Chennai Two helicopters collided on Tuesday while trying to land just below Mount Everest’s base camp, killing Vasanth Kumar Balaramaramadu (47) of Chennai and injuring three others at Pheriche village, which is located at an altitude of 4,200 metres (13,780 feet) in Nepal’s Solukhumbu district. Vasanth’s fellow passenger Shailesh Krishna Patel from New Zealand and Nepalese pilots Rabindra Prajapati (Fishtail Air) and Prajwal KC (Air Dynasty), who were injured in the incident, were taken to Kathmandu for treatment. According to the Nepal police, Vasanth’s mortal remains were sent to Kathmandu for a postmortem. The two helicopters collided around 8.11 am (local time) while landing at Pheriche in Solukhumbu, according to Nepal police. Vasanth’s chopper took off from Lukla Airport, the gateway to Mt Everest. The base camp trek lasts up to two weeks and goes from the only conventional ar ms control should primarily be pursued at regional and subregional levels, noting that most threats to peace and security in the post- TRUMP’s midterm test Voters at a polling location during the US midterm elections in Edinburg, Ohio on Tuesday. Americans voting in the midterm elections will decide who gets to control Congress for the final two years of Donald Trump’s presidency, along with dozens of governorships and thousands of state offices. The first results are expected from 6 pm EST (4:30 am IST Wednesday) | AFP South TN, delta likely to witness rainy Deepavali E X P R E S S NEW S S E R V I CE @ Chennai Tamil Nadu is likely to see widespread rainfall during the Deepavali weekend, with heavy rain forecast in isolated places across the southern districts, Cauvery delta and Western Ghats on November 6-8. The rainfall is expected to be part of the normal northeast monsoon activity under the influence of an easterly wave. According to the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), heavy rain is likely in Theni, Dindigul, Ramanathapuram, Pudukkottai, Sivaganga and Madurai districts on November 6. On November 7, the heavy rainfall warning will continue for Theni, Dindigul, M a d u r a i a n d R a m a n at hapuram districts. On the day of Deepavali (November 8), heavy rain is forecast in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nag apattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Pudukkottai, Ramanathapuram, Kanniyakumari, Coimbatore, Theni and Dindigul districts, besides Puducherry and Karaikal. Moderate rain is likely over the remaining parts of Tamil Nadu. The forecast comes as Severe C yc l o n i c S t o r m M u r a s u crossed the South Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapur, close to Ongole, between 3.30 am and 5.30 am on Tuesday. Meanwhile, in Andhra Pradesh, officials said the cyclone killed at least two people and destroyed standing crops across more than 52,000 hectares.  P7 HC raps netas over Dia Mirza’s awareness video S u d h ir S ur ya w a n s h i @ Mumbai The Bombay High Court on Tuesday slammed BJP leaders for their remarks against actor Dia Mirza and her video message for a peaceful and pollution-free Diwali posted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on the HC’s orders. Stating that India is a secular country the HC said politicians , should not give a religious colour to awareness campaigns. A Division Bench of Justice Girish Kulkarni and Justice Dr Neela Gokhale, taking suo moto cognisance of the issue, said it was “disturbed by the stray comments made by some politicians” against Mirza, who had participated in the campaign in accordance with its directions. The court directed the BMC, which had taken down the video after the remarks by BJP leaders, to reupload the video on its social media handles. The bench asked why the actor’s participation in an awareness campaign should become a matter of religious controversy and stressed that the campaign was intended to create awareness on the harmful effects of firecrackers and need to follow the restrictions imposed by the court. Referring to the Supreme Court’s observation that Diwali is celebrated by people irrespective of their caste or religion, the HC questioned the logic behind objecting to Mirza’s participation on religious grounds. The HC said Mirza delivered a “really good message” and warned leaders against spinning any other angle. Mirza made the video at the BMC’s request as part of its effort to spread awareness about HC’s directions prohibiting bursting of crackers on streets. The BMC had posted her video and videos by actor Madhuri Dixit and former cricketer Ajinkya Rahane on its social media handles. However, the BJP’s Mumbai unit chief Amit Satam and Mayor Ritu Tawde objected to Mirza’s participation, labelling her “anti-Hindu”. On Tuesday Satam claimed , he had not opposed Mirza on the basis of caste and religion, but he had the right to “speak against the people who speak against India”. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis distanced himself from the controversy, terming it a “small issue”. e x p r e ss r e a d State rejects 400 MT onion consignment over poor quality DA case: Court acquits DMK MLA Anitha Radhakrishnan & family Tamil films can be screened from 6 am for 1 week from release date Chennai: TN has cancelled the procurement of 400 MT of onions from the NAFED after finding that over 30% of the consignment was rotten and failed to meet prescribed quality standards. The onions were intended for sale at `35/kg through fair price shops | P4 Thoothukudi: A district court on Tuesday acquitted Tiruchendur DMK MLA Anitha R Radhakrishnan and his kin in a `2.07 crore disproportionate assets case. The case pertains to his stint as a minister in AIADMK government from 2001 to 2006 | P4 Chennai: The state on Tuesday increased the permitted number of daily screenings of newly released Tamil films from five to six shows a day, allowing theatres to screen shows from 6 am to 2.30 am, the next day, for one week from the date of release | P2 red-ochre art 5,000-year-old Neolithic rock paintings found in Kallakurichi B aga l ava n P e ri e r B @ Kallakurichi Rescue workers inspect the mangled wreckage of a helicopter after two choppers collided while attempting to land at Pheriche in Nepal on Tuesday | pti airstrip in the area at Lukla to base camp located at 5,300 metres (17,380 feet). Anxiety gripped Vasanth’s house on Peramballu Street in Old Washermenpet as shocking visuals of the chopper crash flashed across news channels. The family had been tense ever since they saw the news, as they knew Vasanth was in Nepal for a trek. A visit from revenue department officials confirmed what they had been dreading. The cries of Vasanth’s elderly parents Balaramanadu (80), mother Parameshwari (74) and maternal grandparents from their first-floor house could be heard on the street as the family struggled to come to terms with the news of the death. P7 Rock paintings believed to be around 5,000 years old and belonging to the Neolithic period, depicting a prehistoric hunting scene involving a human figure and deer, have been discovered at a hillock at Seedevi village in Ulundurpet taluk of Kallakurichi district. Blackand-red and black pottery sherds found scattered around the hillock are also suspected to belong to the same period. A team comprising V Vijayrangam, associate professor in the Department of History at Arignar Anna Government Arts College, Villupuram, research scholar C Immanuel from the same college and archaeological enthusiast A Kulanthairaj of Eraiyur, conducted a field survey in the village on Monday . During the survey, they found red-ochre paintings on a rock formation at a hillock locally known as ‘Saavadikkal’. Explaining the discovery, Vijayrangam said two large rocks stood vertically at the site. “A large deer with long, branched antlers has been depicted in red ochre at the centre of one of the rocks. Opposite the deer is a human figure, shown standing with one leg on the ground and the other raised, holding a weapon,” he said. The scene appeared to depict a hunting activity of prehistoric humans, he said. The human figure had been outlined in dark red and filled with a lighter shade of red.  P7 The painting that depicts a large deer on a rock in Kallakurichi | Express