Thursday, October 16, 2025 | Vol. 69 No. 10 | 30 Pages Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation Spy claims: Brickbats for Ashley Tellis SETBACK | ED lacked tangible material, says the court; orders immediate release of official, rejects plea to stay its directive HC finds ex-Vasai Virar civic chief’s arrest illegal Urvi Mahajani MUMBAI S Balakrishnan MUMBAI The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has slammed Ashley Tellis (64), Mumbai-born IndianAmerican Strategic Affairs expert who was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at his home in Vienna, Virginia, over the weekend. Significantly, Sanjeev Sanyal, economist and a member of the PM's Economic Advisory Council known for his close proximity to the Union government, too came down heavily on Tellis calling him a “deep state asset.” Priyanka Chaturvedi, Rajya Sabha MP of the Shiv Sena (UBT) too joined the chorus for good measure alleging that Tellis “wasn't an expert but Scan & watch a sell-out." 4Contd on | nation In a severe setback to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Bombay High Court on Wednesday declared the arrest of exVasai-Virar Municipal Commissioner (VVMC) Anilkumar Pawar as “illegal”, holding that the agency lacked “tangible material” to justify his detention. The court directed Pawar’s immediate release and rejected the ED’s plea to stay its order. A bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad quashed the arrest and remand orders passed by the designated special PMLA court on August 13 and 20, terming them unsustainable. “When we say the arresting officer had no such material, we mean there was no tangible material in his possession,” the bench observed. “We see no prima facie case made out against the petitioner.” The bench remarked that under Section 19 of the Preven- tion of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), an arrest must be based on “reason to believe” supported by concrete evidence available at the time of arrest. “You can’t show new material FPJ News Service NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Wednesday criticised the Union government for opposing suggestions to provide death row convicts an option to choose Problem is, the government is not ready to evolve. It’s a very old procedure; things have changed over a period of time. Sandeep Mehta, SC Judge lethal injection instead of hanging. The bench remarked that the government was “not ready to evolve” with the changes that have taken place over time. The observation came during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking to Doc’s deadly secret unravels after 6 months Vinay Madhava Gowda BENGALURU In a chilling tale straight out of a psychological thriller, a young Bengaluru doctor has been arrested for allegedly murdering his wife with a hospital-grade Ahmedabad recommended for 2030 CWG I n a big boost to India’s second bid to host the Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Sport’s Executive Board has recommended Ahmedabad as the host city for the 2030 edition of the Games. The decision could potentially see India hosting the Commonwealth Games for the second time after a gap of two decades, when the CWG was held in New Delhi in 2010. A final decision will be taken on November 26 at the body’s General Assembly after the recommendation is sent to the full membership of Commonwealth Sport. SEE P27 Protest over Zubeen death turns violent Digjyoti Lahkar GUWAHATI Over 60 people, including policemen and journalists, were injured on Wednesday when violence broke out outside the Baksa District Jail at Nikashi on Wednesday as a mob hurled stones at the convoy carrying the five accused arrested in connection with the death of singer Zubeen Garg. Policemen resorted to lathicharge and fired teargas shells to disperse the agitated crowd. The unrest prompted the Assam government to suspend mobile internet and data services across Baksa district for an indefinite period. 4Continued on | P17 anaesthetic — and nearly getting away with it for six months. The accused, Dr Mahendra Reddy (31), a surgeon at Victoria Hospital, was taken into custody by Marathahalli Police after forensic reports confirmed that his wife, Dr Kruthika Reddy (28), a dermatologist, had died from the deliberate administration of Propofol, a restricted anaesthetic used only in operation theatres. 4Contd on | nation FPJ News Service abolish death by hanging and replace it with more humane methods such as lethal injection, electrocution, shooting, or the gas chamber. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta heard the matter and adjourned it to November 11. As reported by Live Law. 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation which you didn’t submit at the time of arrest as grounds of arrest and reason to believe,” the court said during the hearing. The court noted that the ED’s case rested largely on the statements of YS Reddy, a suspended former deputy director of town planning, and several architects, builders, and developers, along with certain WhatsApp chats between Reddy and Pawar. 4Contd on | nation 4See also | city High-five even as Aussies mock MUMBAI Pakistan on Wednesday announced a 48-hour ceasefire with Afghanistan after deadly cross-border clashes left dozens dead on both sides. The Pakistani Foreign Office said that “a temporary ceasefire has been decided between the Pakistani government and the Afghan Taliban regime, with the mutual consent of both parties, for the next 48 hours from 6 pm today, at the request of the Taliban.” The statement, quoted by Dawn, added that “during this period, both sides will make sincere efforts to find a positive solution to this complex but solvable issue through constructive dialogue.” There was no immediate confirmation from the Afghan government. The truce followed the deadliest exchange of fire between Afghan Taliban forces and Pakistani troops since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. Scan & watch SC FROWNS ON GOVT AVERSION TO EVOLVE LETHAL INJECTION 48-hr truce in Af-Pak skirmishes Haridev Pushparaj MUMBAI In a world where even a handshake can spark a diplomatic incident, India’s Under-21 hockey boys have shown that a simple high-five can melt geopolitical ice faster than a Malaysian afternoon. Before their Sultan of Johor Cup clash in Johor Bahru, the Indian and Pakistani youngsters lined up for the national an- thems. Then the unthinkable: they smiled and high-fived. They even looked like they were enjoying themselves. Somewhere, Suryakumar Yadav probably winced. This charming display of sportsmanship came as Australian cricketers were lampooning India’s no-handshake policy in a cheeky promo that’s now mysteriously vanished from Kayo Sports. 4Continued on | P17 Trump targets BRICS Agencies WASHINGTON US President Trump has claimed that member countries are “dropping out” of the BRICS grouping after he warned of imposing tariffs on nations seeking to join the bloc. Speaking during a meeting with Argentine PM Javier Milei, he said BRICS was “an attack on the dollar” and asserted that his tariff policy had forced countries to rethink their participation. India is set to take the charge of BRICS chairmanship in 2026 “I told anybody who wants to be in BRICS, that’s fine, but we’re going to put tariffs on your nation. Everybody dropped out,” Trump said. 4Contd on | nation