FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 BRIEFLY AP braces for cyclone Montha: Hyderabad: With cyclonic storm Montha moving towards its coast near Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh is on high alert and Prime Minister Narendra Modi called chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu over the phone and discussed about the state’s readiness and intensity of the cyclone. The Prime Minister assured necessary help from the Centre as the state braces for a cyclone. The state has declared holidays in educational institutions and Naidu has ordered the distribution of Rs 3000 cash and 25 kgs of rice among the people. The system is expected to make landfall on Tuesday between Macchilipatnam and Kalingapatnam around Kakinada on 28 evening or night as a severe cyclonic storm with 90-110 kmph wind. According to IMD, very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall is expected in several districts, particularly the coastal ones, extending from Prakasam to Vizianagaram. Page 8 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi/Kolkata, 27 October Handing a major win to the West Bengal government, the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the Union government’s petition that challenged the Calcutta High Court's order directing the resumption of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employ- Pages 12 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA NEW DELHI | SILIGURI No friction over conducting SIR in Bengal: CEC STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 27 October T he second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls covering 12 states and Union Territories, with a focus on poll-bound states, will roll out from 4 November, the Election Commission of India announced on Monday. Announcing the schedule, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar told a media conference that the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls will be held in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. He said Assam has been left out for now because the citizenship criteria differ in the state, and the SIR would be held later. Draft electoral rolls will be published on 9 December and the final electoral rolls on 7 ment Guarantee scheme in Bengal from 1 August. The top court upheld an 18 June Calcutta High Court order that directed the central government to implement the MGNREGA, stalled in West Bengal since 2022, from 1 August. “We are not convinced that the impugned order requires any interference. The (Union government’s) SLP is dismissed," a bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta said. On 9 March 2022, the central government stopped releasing funds under the MGNREGA in the state, alleging embezzlement of funds. In its order, Calcutta High Court had said that cases from the period when the allegations of corruption in MGNREGA were made should be investigated. However, the court said the MGNREGA cannot be discontinued ‘for eternity’ and directed the Centre to resume the initiative from 1 August. CEC Gyanesh Kumar (centre), along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu (left) and Vivek Joshi during a press conference at Vigyan Bhawan, in New Delhi on Monday. AGENCIES February 2026, Mr Kumar said. The SIR aims to update and clean up the electoral rolls, ensuring that only eligible citizens are included in the voter list. The Election Commission has been preparing for this exercise, with a recent two-day Conference of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) held in New Delhi to finalise the SIR roadmap. "We have been working tirelessly to ensure that the electoral rolls are updated and accurate. The SIR is a crucial step in this process, and we are committed to conducting it in a free, fair, and transparent manner," said Mr Kumar. The SIR exercise will involve door-to-door verification, claims and objections, and updating photo ID cards, among other tasks. The ECI is working to ensure that the electoral rolls are accurate, and every eligible citizen is included in the voter list, the CEC said. SC summons Chief Secretaries over non-compliance of orders in stray dog menace case PARMOD KUMAR New Delhi, 27 October The Supreme Court on Monday directed the personal presence of Chief Secretaries of all States and Union Territories that have failed to submit compliance affidavits on measures taken, in pursuance to its 22 August directions, to address the stray dog menace across the country. The top court has fixed 3 November for their appearance. A Bench of Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sandeep Mehta, and Justice N.V. Anjaria noted that, so far, only the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), West Bengal, and Telangana had filed their affidavits. The Bench ordered that the Chief Secretaries of all the remaining States and UTs must be present in Court at 10:30 a.m. on 3 November, along with explanations as to why compliance affidavits have not been filed. THE BENCH ORDERED THAT THE CHIEF SECRETARIES OF ALL THE REMAINING STATES AND UNION TERRITORIES MUST BE PRESENT IN COURT AT 10:30 A.M. ON 3 NOVEMBER Expressing displeasure, Justice Nath remarked, "Continuous incidents are happening and the image of the country is being shown as down in the eyes of foreign nations. We are also reading news reports.” When one counsel highlighted instances of cruelty to dogs, the Bench retorted: “What about the cruelty towards humans?” The Delhi government, too, had not filed its compliance affidavit. Questioning the lapse, the Bench asked Additional Solicitor General Archana Pathak Daveas as to why the Delhi government has not filed a compliance affidavit. Jaishankar, Rubio discuss India-US ties, global issues STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 27 October External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur and discussed bilateral ties as well as regional and global issues. The high-level meeting between the two leaders comes at a time when trade negotiations between India and the United States are ongoing, adding diplomatic weight to the broader economic dialogue between the two countries. In a post shared on X, Mr Jaishankar said: "Glad to meet @SecRubio this morning in Kuala Lumpur. Appreciated the discussion on our bilateral ties as well as regional and global issues." Union Minister Piyush Goyal last week had said: "We are in dialogue with the United States | | BHUBANESWAR | Tuesday, 28 October 2025 SIR of voter lists in 12 states, CJI Gavai recommends UTs to begin on 4 November Justice Surya Kant as the Top court dismisses Centre’s plea against HC directive to resume MGNREGA in Bengal The scheme of the act does not envisage a situation where it would be put in cold storage for eternity. | of America. Our teams are engaged. We recently had the commerce secretary visit the US, and he met with his counterparts. We continue to engage with them, and talks are progressing. We hope to work towards a fair and equitable agreement in the near future." Meanwhile, Ministry of External Affairs' Secretary (East) P Kumaran met US Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, S Paul Kapur, in Kuala Lumpur as both sides exchanged views on India-US relations. In Kuala Lumpur, Mr Jaishankar also met with Japanese counterpart Motegi Toshimitsu on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit as both discussed expanding bilateral ties and agreed to work closely to implement the joint vision for the next decade of India-Japan cooperation. Following their meeting, EAM Jaishankar in a post on X wrote, "Delighted to meet FM Motegi Toshimitsu of Japan. Held wide-ranging discussions on our bilateral ties. Agreed to work closely to implement the joint vision for the next decade of our cooperation. Also exchanged perspectives on the global situation and our Indo Pacific cooperation. Our conversation reflected the strength and warmth of our Special Strategic and Global Partnership." The EAM also met Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the sidelines of the 20th East Asia Summit (EAS) in Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur. The External Affairs Minister also met with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit 2025 in Malaysia. New Delhi: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar dismissed as imaginary all conjectures about a disagreement between the ECI and the Bengal government over the issue of Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. “There is no friction over the Special Intensive Revision in West Bengal. All constitutional institutions conduct their business as per the Constitution. By preparing to conduct the Special Intensive Revision, the Election Commission is performing its constitutional duty and, in the same manner, every state government will also perform its duty,” he said. 53rd Chief Justice of India PARMOD KUMAR New Delhi, 27 October With less than a month remaining for his retirement on 23 November, Chief Justice of India B R Gavai on Monday initiated the process for appointing his successor by recommending Justice Surya Kant, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court after him, to the Central government. If approved by the government, Justice Kant will become the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI) and assume office upon Justice Gavai’s demitting charge on 23 November. Justice Kant will have a tenure of over one year and two months, serving as CJI until 9 February 2027. As per convention, CJI Gavai handed over his letter of recommendation to Justice Kant on Monday itself. The recommendation follows the Law Ministry’s 23 October communication requesting the outgoing Chief Justice to name his successor. Born on 10 February 1962, in Hisar district, Haryana, into a middle-class family, Justice Kant completed his graduation from Government Post Graduate College, Hisar, in 1981 and obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Law in 1984 from Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak. He began his legal practice at the District Court, Hisar, in 1984 and shifted to Chandigarh the following year to practise before the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Justice Kant made history in July 2000 when he was appointed Advocate General of Haryana, becoming the youngest lawyer to hold the post. In March 2001, he was designated a Senior Advocate and continued as Advocate General until his elevation as a permanent judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on 9 January 2004. Justice Kant took charge as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court on 5 October 2018, and was elevated to the Supreme Court on 24 May 2019. He currently heads the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee, a position he has held since November 2024. He was a member of the Governing Body of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) from February 2007 to February 2011, and has been associated with several committees of the Indian Law Institute, a deemed university under the Supreme Court’s aegis.