The Evening Wrap: Schools, colleges to be shut in Chennai, neighbouring districts on October 16

In view of the heavy rain forecast, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday instructed the authorities to declare a rain holiday for schools and colleges in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, and Chengalpattu districts on October 16. According to an official release, October 16 has been declared a public holiday for government offices and public sector undertakings in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, and Chengalpattu districts. However, key government departments involved in rescue and relief operations would function. Services by the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC), Chennai Metro, the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS), airlines (subject to weather condition), petrol bunks, hotels, and eateries would function as usual. “Shops and commercial establishments would function as usual.” The Tamil Nadu government has also advised the private companies to either work with a skeleton staff or allow their employees to work from home on October 16, when heavy rain has been forecast. A total of 10 teams of the National Disaster Response Force and 16 of the State Disaster Response Force, comprising about 450 personnel, have been deployed in various districts where heavy rain is expected in the next few days. Messages on weather prediction through the Common Alert Protocol have been sent to about 85 lakh mobile phone users, it said. A total of 5,147 relief centres have been set up across Tamil Nadu, including 300 in Chennai. About 50 IAS officers have been appointed to coordinate relief operations. Of the 249 complaints received at the State Emergency Operations Centre, 215 have been redressed. Since October 1 this year, a rainfall of 10.52 cm has been received across Tamil Nadu, 68% more than usual. During the past 24 hours, Tamil Nadu received an average of 2.2 cm and Chennai received an average of 6.5 cm. Kudumiyanmalai in Pudukkottai district received 13.4 cm, Gummidipoondi in Tiruvallur district 10 cm and Malar Colony and Kolathur in Chennai 9 cm. Maharashtra Assembly poll on November 20; Jharkhand to vote in two phases on November 13, 20 The Maharashtra Assembly election, with 288 seats at stake, will be held on November 20, the Election Commission of India announced on Tuesday. Jharkhand will vote in two phases, with 43 constituencies going to the polls on November 13, and 38 constituencies on November 20. The votes for both Assembly elections will be counted on November 23. Dates have also been announced for byelections to 48 Assembly seats and two Parliamentary constituencies in 15 States. High-profile bypolls include the Wayanad parliamentary seat, which fell vacant after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi opted to retain the Rae Bareli seat in Uttar Pradesh and gave up the Kerala constituency, as well as Maharashtra’s Nanded parliamentary constituency which is empty due to the death of Congress MP Vasantrao Balwantrao Chavan. There are about 9.63 crore eligible voters in Maharashtra and more than 2.60 crore in Jharkhand, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said at a press conference. Over 20.93 lakh voters in Maharashtra and over 11.84 lakh voters in Jharkhand are 18- and 19-year old teenagers. With the announcement of the schedules, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) immediately came into effect in both the States and the constituencies where bypolls are to be held. The Code is also applicable to the Central government in so far as announcements or policy decisions pertaining to Jharkhand and Maharashtra are concerned. Kumar said the Commission has made elaborate arrangements to ensure the effective implementation of MCC guidelines. It has issued instructions for swift, effective, and stringent action to enforce the Code during the first 72 hours after the election schedule was announced, and for extra vigilance and strict enforcement action during the last 72 hours before the close of polls as well. As part of the law and order arrangements, Central Armed Police Forces will be deployed to supplement the local police and ensure the smooth conduct of elections in a free, fair, and credible manner. Comprehensive instructions have been issued to effectively monitor the candidates’ election expenditure; this includes the deployment of expenditure observers, and the formation of flying squads, static surveillance teams, and video surveillance teams, by involving enforcement agencies. The bypoll to the Wayanad parliamentary seat and 47 Assembly seats will be conducted on November 13 along with the the first phase of polling in Jharkhand, while the bypoll to the Nanded Lok Sabha seat and the Kedarnath Assembly seat will be held on November 20, along with the Maharashtra Assembly poll and the second phase of the Jharkhand election. The CEC said that bypolls have not been announced for the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal and the Milkipur seat in Uttar Pradesh, as election petitions are pending in the High Courts against the candidates who had won from these seats. The slew of bypolls will take place in Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. ‘Simply not true’: India denies Canada’s accusations linking Indian diplomats to organised crime gangs Canada’s claims linking Indian diplomats to transnational organised crime gangs are “simply not true”, India said on Tuesday. Noting that the Canadian government had engaged with Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma during its investigation into the 2023 murder of pro-Khalistan preacher Harjeet Singh Nijjar, sources in New Delhi termed Ottawa’s latest accusations against the High Commissioner as “absurd”. “At the [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] RCMP briefing, assertions were made about connections of certain individuals to India. In no case were any specifics provided. There was also talk about holding people accountable. But it was never made clear who and for what,” said a source familiar with the ongoing exchanges between India and Canada. At a Monday briefing, the RCMP’s top officials suggested that Indian diplomats were in contact with at least one transnational crime gang — the Bishnois — who carried out violent actions against South Asian targets in Canada. Such assertions from the Canadian leadership were not helpful in dealing with the unprecedented diplomatic crisis that has broken out, the source added. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday (October 14, 2024) announced that it was withdrawing six diplomats serving in Indian missions in Canada, including the High Commissioner, Mr. Verma. The MEA said the decision was taken after Canada described them as “persons of interest” in relation to the June 2023 murder of Mr. Nijjar in Canada’s British Columbia province. Soon afterwards, Canadian authorities announced that the six diplomats were being expelled from Canada. In a tit-for-tat move late on Monday evening, the MEA announced that six Canadian diplomats, including Acting High Commissioner Stewart Ross Wheeler, had been expelled from India. “They have been asked to leave India by or before 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, October 19, 2024,” the MEA said. The source refuted Canadian claims that India has been provided with “credible evidence” proving a connection between the Indian diplomats and Mr. Nijjar’s murder. “The central assertion from all Canadian officials is that credible evidence has been presented to India. This is simply not true. From the very beginning, the Canadian approach has been to make vague accusations and put the burden of denial on India,” the source said. India has maintained that Canada’s allegations against Indian diplomats are prompted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s domestic political challenges. “Canadian PM Trudeau’s press conference yesterday was the same old Trudeau saying the same old things for the same old purposes,” the source said. Government officials here have been arguing that Mr. Trudeau’s approach to the Nijjar case is dictated by what they describe as Canada’s “vote bank politics”. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif exchange pleasantries External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday exchanged pleasantries with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, hours after landing in the Pakistani capital to attend a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The brief exchange took place at a dinner reception hosted by Sharif at his residence in honour of the delegates of the SCO member countries. Jaishankar and Sharif warmly shook hands and held a very brief interaction. Jaishankar’s aircraft landed at the Nur Khan airbase on the outskirts of the Pakistani capital city at around 3:30 p.m. (local time) and he was greeted by senior Pakistani officials. It is the first time in nearly nine years that India’s foreign minister travelled to Pakistan even as the ties between the two neighbours remained tense over the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. The External Affairs Minister will lead the Indian delegation at the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) summit on Wednesday (October 16, 2024). “Landed in Islamabad to take part in SCO Council of Heads of Government Meeting,” Jaishankar posted on ‘X’ along with photographs of children and officials welcoming him with flowers at the airport. Supreme Court asks West Bengal to come clean on ‘civic volunteers’, whether the hiring was a ‘nice’ form of conferring political patronage The Supreme Court on Tuesday (October 15, 2024) directed the West Bengal government to come clean on the “source of authority” by which civic volunteers like RG Kar rape and murder case accused Sanjay Roy was employed, especially in sensitive areas such as schools and hospitals. Junior doctors in Kolkata continue their protest over the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at the city’s R.G Kar Medical College and Hospital in August. Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, heading a three-judge Bench, said employing political acolytes and sympathisers as ‘civic volunteers’ could be a “nice process of conferring political patronage on people who are totally unverified”. The court turned the spotlight on the role of civic volunteers in West Bengal after senior advocate Karuna Nundy, appearing for junior doctors, drew the Bench’s attention to the “band of civilians” entrusted with policing powers under the Rattirer Sathi scheme. Ms. Nundy submitted that, rather than disbanding them, the State has doubled down on the recruitments. Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for West Bengal government, flatly denied the claim of Ms. Nundy. He said the government has stopped the recruitment of ‘civic volunteers’, and is currently hiring security personnel under the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act of 2005, which is a Central law. The personnel are procured from licensed security agencies as in every other State in the country. Mr. Dwivedi said Sanjay Roy was recruited on the basis of a police notification. He had not even been “posted” at the RG Kar at the time of the murder and rape of the junior doctor on August 9. The CBI chargesheet has accused him of offences under Sections 63 (rape), 66 (causing death of a woman while committing rape or leaving her in a persistent vegetative state) and 103(1) (murder). The offences are punishable by either life imprisonment or death penalty. “How many such civic volunteers do you have in West Bengal?” the Chief Justice asked Mr. Dwivedi. Ms. Nundy replied that it was “1,514 in the last count”. The Chief Justice asked how these people were recruited and who had hired them. At this point, advocate Vrinda Grover countered Mr. Dwivedi’s submission that Roy was not posted at RG Kar. “He was… and he had cases against him, particularly of domestic violence,” Ms. Grover said. One of the lawyers alleged that police stations in West Bengal were “run by these civic volunteers”. The top court directed the West Bengal government to file a detailed affidavit on the “source of authority” for recruitment of civic volunteers in the State; the modalities followed in their recruitment; the qualification required for recruitment; the process by which their antecedents are verified; the institutions in which the civic volunteers are assigned duties; and the payments made to them and the budgetary outlays in that regard. The court ordered the State to disclose the steps taken to ensure that civic volunteers did not operate in sensitive institutions such as hospitals and schools. It also sought information from the State on whether any civic volunteers were attached to police stations or were deployed with work in connection with police stations and investigation of crimes. Meanwhile, the CBI informed the top court that an Additional Sessions Judge in Sealdah has scheduled the framing of charges against Roy for November 4. The Central agency informed the court through its fifth status report that investigation into the alleged involvement of “others” in the rape and murder was under way. A separate probe into the allegations of financial fraud was also on. In letter to Lok Sabha Speaker, Opposition MPs allege violation of rules in conduct of meeting on Waqf bill Opposition MPs on Tuesday wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on the “gross violation of parliamentary code of conduct” in the meeting of the joint committee examining the Waqf (Amendment) Bill by panel chairman Jagdambika Pal. It will be very difficult to continue working on the Joint Parliamentary Committee, the members said, in the current “partisan and politically motivated environment.” The letter has been signed by Congress MPs Gaurav Gogoi, Syed Naseer Hussain & Imran Masood, DMK’s A Raja & M M Abdulla, Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM) and Kalyan Banerjee (TMC). The opposition members had walked out in protest from Monday’s meeting, after Chairman Pal ignored their demand to not allow former Karnataka State Minorities Commission chairman Anwar Manippady from deposing before the committee. Manippady, named several opposition leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and K Rahman Khan, in the alleged embezzlement of Waqf properties, citing a 2012 report. “The proceedings of the Committee were conducted in a biased and partisan manner by the Chairperson Shri Jagdambika Pal,” opposition members said in the letter. The members in their letter underlined that Manipaddy’s presentation “contained no observations on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. “Instead, it was full of politically motivated allegations against leaders of the Karnataka Congress, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Hon’ble Leader of Opposition (Rajya Sabha),” the letter said. The members pointed out that allowing the witness to continue with his deposition was against the basic rules and procedures outlined in “Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha.” Under Rule 353, they pointed out that “defamatory or incriminatory” allegations cannot be made against any person unless the member is given adequate advance notice. “Most importantly, members of the committee were deprived of their fundamental right to voice their concerns and thoughts in a space which is expected to operate with the highest alignment to democratic values,” the members said. In Brief:Bengaluru rains: Holiday for schools in Bengaluru Urban on October 16; waterlogging and traffic chaos in several roads Following the incessant rains, the Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban District has declared a holiday for schools on Wednesday. However, no holiday has been declared for degrees, post graduation, diploma, engineering and ITI colleges. Earlier on Tuesday, attendance of students in schools and colleges in Bengaluru was low following incessant overnight rains that lashed the city. Traffic came to a standstill or moved at snail’s pace across major roads in Bengaluru and officegoers found their commute a tougher-than-usual ordeal. While it took several hours for many to cover a few kilometres, others found it hard to find rides on auto/cab aggregators. Those who had flexible work policies made use of it and decided to stay home. Andhra Pradesh rains: red alert for coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh A red alert has been issued for all the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh on October 15 and 16, as the low pressure area over southeast Bay of Bengal moved west-northwestwards and lay as a well-marked low pressure area at 5.30 a.m. The India Meteorological Department has said it is likely to intensify into a depression and continue to move west-northwestwards towards north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts during next two days, triggering heavy to very heavy rainfall in Rayalaseema and South Coastal Andhra Pradesh. Mumbai Police arrest fourth suspect in Baba Siddique murder case Mumbai Police on Tuesday announced the arrest of a fourth suspect in the murder of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former Maharashtra Minister Baba Siddique. The arrest comes as part of an ongoing investigation into the case that has sent shockwaves through political circles and Bollywood community. The accused, identified as Harishkumar Balakram (23), hails from Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh. Police said that Balakram, who worked as a scrap dealer in Pune, Maharashtra, played a key role in the conspiracy to assassinate Siddique. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 15 October 2024 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( Chennai rains: Holiday for schools and colleges in Chennai, three neighbouring districts on October 16 In view of the heavy rain forecast, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday instructed the authorities to [declare a rain holiday for schools and colleges in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, and Chengalpattu]( districts on October 16. According to an official release, October 16 has been declared a public holiday for government offices and public sector undertakings in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, and Chengalpattu districts. However, key government departments involved in rescue and relief operations would function. Services by the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC), Chennai Metro, the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS), airlines (subject to weather condition), petrol bunks, hotels, and eateries would function as usual. “Shops and commercial establishments would function as usual.” The Tamil Nadu government has also advised the private companies to either work with a skeleton staff or allow their employees to work from home on October 16, when heavy rain has been forecast. A total of 10 teams of the National Disaster Response Force and 16 of the State Disaster Response Force, comprising about 450 personnel, have been deployed in various districts where heavy rain is expected in the next few days. Messages on weather prediction through the Common Alert Protocol have been sent to about 85 lakh mobile phone users, it said. A total of 5,147 relief centres have been set up across Tamil Nadu, including 300 in Chennai. About 50 IAS officers have been appointed to coordinate relief operations. Of the 249 complaints received at the State Emergency Operations Centre, 215 have been redressed. Since October 1 this year, a rainfall of 10.52 cm has been received across Tamil Nadu, 68% more than usual. During the past 24 hours, Tamil Nadu received an average of 2.2 cm and Chennai received an average of 6.5 cm. Kudumiyanmalai in Pudukkottai district received 13.4 cm, Gummidipoondi in Tiruvallur district 10 cm and Malar Colony and Kolathur in Chennai 9 cm. Maharashtra Assembly poll on November 20; Jharkhand to vote in two phases on November 13, 20 The Maharashtra Assembly election, with 288 seats at stake, will be held on November 20, [the Election Commission of India announced]( on Tuesday. Jharkhand will vote in two phases, with 43 constituencies going to the polls on November 13, and 38 constituencies on November 20. The votes for both Assembly elections will be counted on November 23. [Dates have also been announced for byelections to 48 Assembly seats and two Parliamentary constituencies]( in 15 States. High-profile bypolls include the Wayanad parliamentary seat, which fell vacant after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi opted to retain the Rae Bareli seat in Uttar Pradesh and gave up the Kerala constituency, as well as Maharashtra’s Nanded parliamentary constituency which is empty due to the death of Congress MP Vasantrao Balwantrao Chavan. There are about 9.63 crore eligible voters in Maharashtra and more than 2.60 crore in Jharkhand, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said at a press conference. Over 20.93 lakh voters in Maharashtra and over 11.84 lakh voters in Jharkhand are 18- and 19-year old teenagers. With the announcement of the schedules, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) immediately came into effect in both the States and the constituencies where bypolls are to be held. The Code is also applicable to the Central government in so far as announcements or policy decisions pertaining to Jharkhand and Maharashtra are concerned. Kumar said the Commission has made elaborate arrangements to ensure the effective implementation of MCC guidelines. It has issued instructions for swift, effective, and stringent action to enforce the Code during the first 72 hours after the election schedule was announced, and for extra vigilance and strict enforcement action during the last 72 hours before the close of polls as well. As part of the law and order arrangements, Central Armed Police Forces will be deployed to supplement the local police and ensure the smooth conduct of elections in a free, fair, and credible manner. Comprehensive instructions have been issued to effectively monitor the candidates’ election expenditure; this includes the deployment of expenditure observers, and the formation of flying squads, static surveillance teams, and video surveillance teams, by involving enforcement agencies. The bypoll to the Wayanad parliamentary seat and 47 Assembly seats will be conducted on November 13 along with the the first phase of polling in Jharkhand, while the bypoll to the Nanded Lok Sabha seat and the Kedarnath Assembly seat will be held on November 20, along with the Maharashtra Assembly poll and the second phase of the Jharkhand election. The CEC said that bypolls have not been announced for the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal and the Milkipur seat in Uttar Pradesh, as election petitions are pending in the High Courts against the candidates who had won from these seats. The slew of bypolls will take place in Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. ‘Simply not true’: India denies Canada’s accusations linking Indian diplomats to organised crime gangs [Canada’s claims linking Indian diplomats to transnational organised crime gangs]( are “simply not true”, India said on Tuesday. Noting that the Canadian government had engaged with Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma during its investigation into the 2023 [murder of pro-Khalistan preacher Harjeet Singh Nijjar]( [sources in New Delhi termed Ottawa’s latest accusations against the High Commissioner as “absurd”](. “At the [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] RCMP briefing, assertions were made about connections of certain individuals to India. In no case were any specifics provided. There was also talk about holding people accountable. But it was never made clear who and for what,” said a source familiar with the ongoing exchanges between India and Canada. At a Monday briefing, the RCMP’s top officials suggested that Indian diplomats were in contact with at least one transnational crime gang — the Bishnois — who carried out violent actions against South Asian targets in Canada. Such assertions from the Canadian leadership were not helpful in dealing with the unprecedented diplomatic crisis that has broken out, the source added. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday (October 14, 2024) announced that it was withdrawing six diplomats serving in Indian missions in Canada, including the High Commissioner, Mr. Verma. The MEA said the decision was taken after Canada described them as “persons of interest” in relation to the June 2023 murder of Mr. Nijjar in Canada’s British Columbia province. Soon afterwards, Canadian authorities announced that the six diplomats were being expelled from Canada. In a tit-for-tat move late on Monday evening, the MEA announced that six Canadian diplomats, including Acting High Commissioner Stewart Ross Wheeler, had been expelled from India. “They have been asked to leave India by or before 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, October 19, 2024,” the MEA said. The source refuted Canadian claims that India has been provided with “credible evidence” proving a connection between the Indian diplomats and Mr. Nijjar’s murder. “The central assertion from all Canadian officials is that credible evidence has been presented to India. This is simply not true. From the very beginning, the Canadian approach has been to make vague accusations and put the burden of denial on India,” the source said. India has maintained that Canada’s allegations against Indian diplomats are prompted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s domestic political challenges. “Canadian PM Trudeau’s press conference yesterday was the same old Trudeau saying the same old things for the same old purposes,” the source said. Government officials here have been arguing that Mr. Trudeau’s approach to the Nijjar case is dictated by what they describe as Canada’s “vote bank politics”. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif exchange pleasantries External Affairs Minister S. [Jaishankar on Tuesday exchanged pleasantries with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif]( hours after landing in the Pakistani capital to attend a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The brief exchange took place at a dinner reception hosted by Sharif at his residence in honour of the delegates of the SCO member countries. Jaishankar and Sharif warmly shook hands and held a very brief interaction. Jaishankar’s aircraft landed at the Nur Khan airbase on the outskirts of the Pakistani capital city at around 3:30 p.m. (local time) and he was greeted by senior Pakistani officials. It is the first time in nearly nine years that India’s foreign minister travelled to Pakistan even as the ties between the two neighbours remained tense over the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. The External Affairs Minister will lead the Indian delegation at the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) summit on Wednesday (October 16, 2024). “Landed in Islamabad to take part in SCO Council of Heads of Government Meeting,” Jaishankar posted on ‘X’ along with photographs of children and officials welcoming him with flowers at the airport. Supreme Court asks West Bengal to come clean on ‘civic volunteers’, whether the hiring was a ‘nice’ form of conferring political patronage The Supreme Court on Tuesday (October 15, 2024) [directed the West Bengal government to come clean on the “source of authority”]( by which civic volunteers like RG Kar rape and murder case accused Sanjay Roy was employed, especially in sensitive areas such as schools and hospitals. Junior doctors in Kolkata continue their protest over the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at the city’s R.G Kar Medical College and Hospital in August. Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, heading a three-judge Bench, said employing political acolytes and sympathisers as ‘civic volunteers’ could be a “nice process of conferring political patronage on people who are totally unverified”. The court turned the spotlight on the role of civic volunteers in West Bengal after senior advocate Karuna Nundy, appearing for junior doctors, drew the Bench’s attention to the “band of civilians” entrusted with policing powers under the Rattirer Sathi scheme. Ms. Nundy submitted that, rather than disbanding them, the State has doubled down on the recruitments. Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for West Bengal government, flatly denied the claim of Ms. Nundy. He said the government has stopped the recruitment of ‘civic volunteers’, and is currently hiring security personnel under the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act of 2005, which is a Central law. The personnel are procured from licensed security agencies as in every other State in the country. Mr. Dwivedi said Sanjay Roy was recruited on the basis of a police notification. He had not even been “posted” at the RG Kar at the time of the murder and rape of the junior doctor on August 9. The CBI chargesheet has accused him of offences under Sections 63 (rape), 66 (causing death of a woman while committing rape or leaving her in a persistent vegetative state) and 103(1) (murder). The offences are punishable by either life imprisonment or death penalty. “How many such civic volunteers do you have in West Bengal?” the Chief Justice asked Mr. Dwivedi. Ms. Nundy replied that it was “1,514 in the last count”. The Chief Justice asked how these people were recruited and who had hired them. At this point, advocate Vrinda Grover countered Mr. Dwivedi’s submission that Roy was not posted at RG Kar. “He was… and he had cases against him, particularly of domestic violence,” Ms. Grover said. One of the lawyers alleged that police stations in West Bengal were “run by these civic volunteers”. The top court directed the West Bengal government to file a detailed affidavit on the “source of authority” for recruitment of civic volunteers in the State; the modalities followed in their recruitment; the qualification required for recruitment; the process by which their antecedents are verified; the institutions in which the civic volunteers are assigned duties; and the payments made to them and the budgetary outlays in that regard. The court ordered the State to disclose the steps taken to ensure that civic volunteers did not operate in sensitive institutions such as hospitals and schools. It also sought information from the State on whether any civic volunteers were attached to police stations or were deployed with work in connection with police stations and investigation of crimes. Meanwhile, the CBI informed the top court that an Additional Sessions Judge in Sealdah has scheduled the framing of charges against Roy for November 4. The Central agency informed the court through its fifth status report that investigation into the alleged involvement of “others” in the rape and murder was under way. A separate probe into the allegations of financial fraud was also on. In letter to Lok Sabha Speaker, Opposition MPs allege violation of rules in conduct of meeting on Waqf bill [Opposition MPs on Tuesday wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla]( on the “gross violation of parliamentary code of conduct” in the meeting of the joint committee examining the Waqf (Amendment) Bill by panel chairman Jagdambika Pal. It will be very difficult to continue working on the Joint Parliamentary Committee, the members said, in the current “partisan and politically motivated environment.” The letter has been signed by Congress MPs Gaurav Gogoi, Syed Naseer Hussain & Imran Masood, DMK’s A Raja & M M Abdulla, Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM) and Kalyan Banerjee (TMC). The opposition members had walked out in protest from Monday’s meeting, after Chairman Pal ignored their demand to not allow former Karnataka State Minorities Commission chairman Anwar Manippady from deposing before the committee. Manippady, named several opposition leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and K Rahman Khan, in the alleged embezzlement of Waqf properties, citing a 2012 report. “The proceedings of the Committee were conducted in a biased and partisan manner by the Chairperson Shri Jagdambika Pal,” opposition members said in the letter. The members in their letter underlined that Manipaddy’s presentation “contained no observations on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. “Instead, it was full of politically motivated allegations against leaders of the Karnataka Congress, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Hon’ble Leader of Opposition (Rajya Sabha),” the letter said. The members pointed out that allowing the witness to continue with his deposition was against the basic rules and procedures outlined in “Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha.” Under Rule 353, they pointed out that “defamatory or incriminatory” allegations cannot be made against any person unless the member is given adequate advance notice. “Most importantly, members of the committee were deprived of their fundamental right to voice their concerns and thoughts in a space which is expected to operate with the highest alignment to democratic values,” the members said. In Brief: Bengaluru rains: Holiday for schools in Bengaluru Urban on October 16; waterlogging and traffic chaos in several roads Following the incessant rains, the Deputy Commissioner of [Bengaluru Urban District has declared a holiday for schools]( on Wednesday. However, no holiday has been declared for degrees, post graduation, diploma, engineering and ITI colleges. Earlier on Tuesday, [attendance of students in schools and colleges in Bengaluru was low]( following incessant overnight rains that lashed the city. [Traffic came to a standstill or moved at snail’s pace]( across major roads in Bengaluru and  officegoers found their commute a tougher-than-usual ordeal. While it took several hours for many to cover a few kilometres, others [found it hard to find rides on auto/cab aggregators](. Those who had flexible work policies made use of it and decided to stay home. Andhra Pradesh rains: red alert for coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh A [red alert has been issued for all the coastal districts]( of [Andhra Pradesh]( on October 15 and 16, as the low pressure area over southeast Bay of Bengal moved west-northwestwards and lay as a well-marked low pressure area at 5.30 a.m. The India Meteorological Department has said it is likely to intensify into a depression and continue to move west-northwestwards towards north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts during next two days, triggering heavy to very heavy rainfall in Rayalaseema and South Coastal Andhra Pradesh. Mumbai Police arrest fourth suspect in Baba Siddique murder case [Mumbai Police on Tuesday announced the arrest of a fourth suspect]( in the murder of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former Maharashtra Minister Baba Siddique. The arrest comes as part of an ongoing investigation into the case that has sent shockwaves through political circles and Bollywood community. The accused, identified as Harishkumar Balakram (23), hails from Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh. Police said that Balakram, who worked as a scrap dealer in Pune, Maharashtra, played a key role in the conspiracy to assassinate Siddique. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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