FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. XLII No. 259 | INDORE | WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 25, 2026 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 FREE www.freepressjournal.in ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE MONEY Sports Brook seals Pak fate P.12 ‘Bengal can seek help from Odisha, J’khand’ FPJ News Service NEW DELHI fp Briefs NEW DELHI IYC president arrested TMC CLAIMS WIN, BJP SLAMS DIDI Both Trinamool Congress and BJP hailed the SC order. Calling it another resounding victory for "Bengal's Maa-Mati-Manush", TMC said on X: "EC's arrogant stranglehold on Bengal's SIR process has been decisively snapped." Blaming TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, BJP said the SC order means the "highest court in the country has no faith in the Bengal administration." (Senior Division) and Civil Judges (Junior Division) with at least three years of experience. “If the High Court Chief Justice feels that further human resource is needed, he may approach Chief Justices of neighbouring states - Orissa and Jharkhand High Court to draw serving and retired judicial officers of those states in similar rank who shall be entrusted to complete the verification work in West Bengal. Travel, boarding, lodging of such officers shall be borne by the Election Commission of India,” the NEW DELHI Nidhi is interim NITI Aayog CEO The government has given additional charge of Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog to Nidhi Chhibber after the completion of BVR Subrahmanyam's three-year term on Tuesday. Chhibber is currently serving as Director General of the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office under NITI Aayog. PUNE Court ordered. Earlier, Justice Bagchi pointed out that many ECI-appointed officers had little knowledge of the Bengali language, creating a practical barrier to accurate verification. The Chief Justices of the Jharkhand and Orissa High Courts were requested to “sympathetically and urgently” consider any such request made by the Calcutta High Court. When Kalyan Bandhopadhyay raised language concerns, the Bench noted Jharkhand and Odisha regions were historically part of undivided Bengal. The Court BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Turn solid waste into resource P.6 Cinema CBFC clears film with 16 changes P.14 God’s own country gets a new name: Keralam PTI NEW DELHI said SIR verification must consider October 24 and June notifications, plus its September 8, 2025 and January 19, 2026 orders. “All such documents, whether submitted electronically or physically, on or before the cut-off date of February 14, 2026, be considered,” the Court directed, adding that it shall be the “entire responsibility of EROs/AEROs to satisfy the judicial officers” regarding the documents. The Bench allowed ECI to publish the final roll on February 28, 2026, with continuous supplementary lists if verification remains incomplete. “We deem it appropriate to invoke our powers under Article 142 and declare that the voters enlisted in such subsequent supplementary list shall be deemed to have been part of the final list published on February 28, 2026,” the Court said. These directions follow earlier orders citing a “trust deficit” between the West Bengal government and the ECI. On February 20, the Court ordered the deployment of serving and retired district and additional district judges, stating their directions would be treated as binding court orders. The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposal of the Kerala government to change the name of the state to Keralam, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. The decision, which comes ahead of the assembly elections in the state, was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at its first meeting held at Seva Teerth, the new PMO complex. The Union Cabinet approved the proposal for altering the name of Kerala to Keralam, Vaishnaw said. Prime Minister Modi hailed the Cabinet decision, saying it reflects the will of the people of the state. "It is in line with our efforts to strengthen the connect with our glorious culture," he said in a post on X. The Kerala assembly elections are due in April this year, with the tenure of the 140member current assembly ending on May 23. After the Union Cabinet's approval, the president of India will refer a Bill, namely the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, to the Kerala Assembly for expressing its views under the proviso to Article 3 of the Constitution of India. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 US DEAL: Modi didn’t take Cabinet nod, says Rahul KISAN MAHACHAUPAL Gandhi dares PM to withdraw deal with US Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The India-US trade deal was done by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi without taking the approval of the Cabinet. It is not an Indo-US deal but a Trump-Modi deal, said Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Rahul Gandhi. He was addressing the Kisan Mahachaupal here on Tuesday. The Congress launched a nationwide agitation against the trade deal from Madhya Pradesh. He also claimed that the PM did not consult senior Union ministers Rajnath Singh (Defence), Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Agriculture) and Nitin Gadkari (Road Transport and Highways) in this regard. "This is not a deal, but an arrow struck in the hearts of the country's farmers," he said. He also alleged that through the trade deal, the PM has compromised the interests of India's agriculture, data, textile and import sectors. He further claimed, “The Indo-US trade deal was done by PM Modi under the pressure of US President Donald Trump because of Epstein files and to save industrialist Adani.” Gandhi also challenged PM Modi to withdraw Canada moves to 3 rly projects worth `9k cr okayed DGP: 22,500 revoke Rana’s NEW COPS TO citizenship ahead of Connectivity to Kachnar Shiv Temple, Kanha National Park, Gangulpara JOIN RANKS Carney’s India visit Dam, Pench National Park, Dhuandhar waterfall, Bargi Dam to get boost Our Staff Reporter PTI Railways by about 307 km. PTI NEW DELHI TORONTO Delhi Police on Tuesday arrested Indian Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib as the "main conspirator" and "mastermind" of the shirtless protest at the AI Summit last week, and added charges of rioting against him and other seven IYC workers held earlier. PRESS FY26 tech revenues seen at $315 bn SIR REVISION | SC nod to civil judges from neighbouring states as otherwise the electoral exercise would take at least 80 days The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed judicial officers from Odisha and Jharkhand to be deployed for adjudicating claims and objections in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, noting that the exercise would take at least 80 days if handled only by judges available in the state. Taking note of a communication from the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court highlighting the scale of the exercise, the Bench said that with 50 lakh cases under the “logical discrepancy” and unmapped categories and only 250 judicial officers available, “even if one officer decides 250 matters a day, it will take at least 80 days to complete the process,” Live Law and Bar & Bench report. The Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi expanded the pool of judicial officers who can be assigned the work, observing that “further clarifications are needed to increase the catchment area of judicial officers.” In addition to district judges and additional district judges, including retired officers, the Court permitted the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court to draw from Civil Judges UJJAIN Ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to India, the Canadian government is pushing to revoke the citizenship of a Pakistan-born businessman, Tahawwur Rana Hussain, accused of playing a key role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. Rana, 64, is a Pakistan-born Canadian national and close associate of one of the main conspirators of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, David Coleman Headley, alias Daood Gilani, a US citizen. D o c u ments obtained by Global News show that immigration officials have notified Rana that they intend to strip him of the Canadian citizenship he acquired in 2001. He immigrated to Canada in 1997 and was later convicted in the US of plotting to attack staff at a Danish newspaper. Rana, the mastermind behind the 26/11 attack, which killed 166 people, was extradited from the United States to India in April 2025. He was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as soon as he landed in New Delhi. 4Continued on | P8 The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday approved three Railway ministry projects with a total cost of approximately 9,072 crore. The three projects include the doubling of the Gondia-Jabalpur section and the laying of the third and fourth lines between Punarakh-Kiul and Gamharia-Chandil sections. The government said that these projects covering eight districts across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand will increase the existing network of the Indian "The proposed multi-tracking project will enhance connectivity to approximately 5,407 villages which have a population of about 98 lakhs," an official statement said. It added, "The increased line capacity will significantly enhance mobility, resulting in improved operational efficiency and service reliability for Indian Railways. 4Continued on | P8 Minor delivers baby HC judge recuses in school washroom from Som case Distilleries’ during Class 10 exam Our Staff Reporter JABALPUR FP News Service PITHAMPUR (MHOW) A minor girl appearing for her Class 10 board examination delivered a baby boy in the washroom of a private school here on Tuesday. The incident has raised serious concerns about minors’ safety and need for awareness about their well-being. The student, originally from Sagar district, was taking her second paper in a private school in Sector 1 of the Pithampur industrial area. She attends a government school but was writing the exam at this centre. Midway through the examination, she went to the washroom complaining of discomfort and unexpectedly went into labour, giving birth to a full-term baby boy. When the school authorities came to know, they immediately rushed her to the government hospital in Pithampur. Both the mother and the new-born are reported to be stable and healthy. The girl’s family lives in a rented house in the Betma police station area and her parents work in Pithampur. A single judge bench of High Court recused himself from hearing a petition filed by Som Distilleries related to recent suspension of its license by the Excise department. Justice Vishal Mishra ordered, “Let the matter be listed before some other Bench for consideration, in which I (Justice Vishal Mishra) am not a member”. Further the court ordered to list the petition on February 26 for hearing before other bench. The court issued the order on February 6 during the hearing of the petition. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 loo profile 5K sailors on USS Ford face 650 failing toilets Agencies As the most expensive US warship ($13 bn) deploys towards Iran, such is the dire situation that shortage of toilets has led to queues of up to 45 minutes daily The United States is building the largest force of American warships and aircraft in the Middle East in decades, as US President Donald Trump warns of a military action against Iran. However, the conflict with Iran is the least of the troubles for almost 5,000 sailors on the world's largest aircraft carrier. USS Gerald R. Ford's Ex- tended Deployment The USS Gerald R. Ford has been at sea since June last year. The Republican leader's decision to extend its deployment for a second time has snowballed into a growing list of problems, such as blocked toilets and sewage troubles. The Ford played a major role in the capturing of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in Ja- nuary. After the mission, the crew got to know that their deployment would be extended for potential US strikes on Iran and are now heading toward the Middle East to join another carrier. Typically, a carrier deployment lasts 6 months during peacetime, Mark Montgomery, a retired rear admiral, told the Wall Street Journal. 4Continued on | P8 INDORE The state police is set to recruit 22,500 personnel to address the ongoing manpower shortage in police stations across the state. This announcement was made by DGP Kailash Makwana while attending the 19th all India police shooting sports championship as the chief guest, organised at the Reoti Range by the BSF CSWT. Responding to questions regarding the lack of force in police stations, DGP Makwana told reporters, “We are currently short of 20,000 personnel across the state. We recruited 8,500 personnel last year and will recruit a total of 22,500 in three phases to resolve this issue. We are submitting the proposal again this year. This expansion will assist with traffic management and preparations for the Simhastha 2028.” 4Continued on | P8 ‘Aggro’ CM slams ‘clueless’ Rahul Chief Minister Mohan Yadav exhorted state LoP Umang Singhar to ask Rahul Gandhi which crop(s) is/were sown during the rabi and kharif seasons. He also asked Singhar to find out if Rahul knew which crops came under pulses and oilseed in the state. Following this, Singhar erupted and said he too wanted to know from the PM what’s in the Indo-US deal? Whether farmers of the state were benefitted? Earlier, targeting the CM, Singhar said even as Rahul had arrived here to attend the Kisan panchayat, the CM was trying to do his bit to woo the farmers. This enraged the CM to target Gandhi. the deal but said that the PM was not in a position to do so because of the Epstein Files. Sharing descriptions written by former Army chief Gen M M Naravane's memoir, Rahul Gandhi accused the Prime Minister and Defence Minister of not taking decision when the Chinese army came near the line of control. Lauding the Indian Youth Congress leaders by calling them “Babbar Sher,” Gandhi asked them to stand firm against the atrocities of RSS and BJP on the farmers and citizens of the state. PM speaks in Mann Ki Baat, but does not say a word in Parl: Kharge- Criticising PM Modi, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge said, “He had the time speak on Mann Ki Baat, but did not have time to present his statement in Parliament on trade deal.” Kharge asked, “ Modi always says he has talks with Trump... does he (Modi) discuss issues about selling the nation to Trump?” Speaking on the Youth Congress protest at the AI summit, Kharge said even the BJP workers had protested during the Common Wealth Games held in New Delhi thereby insulting the nation. France ups ante in beef with US envoy, blocks access to officials AP PARIS France's spat with the US ambassador to Paris took another turn on Tuesday with the French foreign minister saying the top US diplomat in France must respond to a summons and won't have access to French government officials until he complies. French authorities had summoned Ambassador Charles Kushner — the father of US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner — for a meeting on Monday evening over comments from the Trump administration that France objected to. French diplomats said Kushner did not show up. Speaking Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot described the failure to attend the meeting as “a sur- French authorities had summoned Ambassador Charles Kushner for meeting. French diplomats said Kushner did not show up prise” that flew in the face of diplomatic protocol and will dent Charles Kushner's ability to serve as an ambassador. “It will, naturally, affect his capacity to exercise his mission in our country,” Barrot said, speaking to public broadcaster France Info. He said that Kushner "is bringing difficulties on himself. Because for an ambassador to be able to do his job, he needs access to members of the government. 4Continued on | P8 Grand Braj Holi begins, devotees throng Barsana, Nandgaon IANS MATHURA Thousands of devotees and tourists from across India and abroad have begun arriving in the Braj region to witness the world-famous Holi celebrations in Barsana, Vrindavan and Mathura, as the traditional festivities formally commenced with ritual ceremonies on Tuesday. The grand Braj Holi began with groups of women from Barsana visiting Nandgaon to extend a ceremonial invitation for the iconic Lathmar Holi. With this customary exchange, the vibrant Phag (Holi) celebrations in the region have officially started. Later in the evening, Laddu Prasad was scheduled to be showered in the courtyard of the revered Shri Radha Rani Temple (Ladli Ji Temple), drawing large crowds of devotees. Visitors expressed deep joy at witnessing the centuries-old traditions. A devotee from Mumbai said, “We have come from Mumbai, and it feels very good to be here. Everything looks extremely beautiful. It is wonderful to see these celebrations.” Another visitor described the experience as “full of joy and spiritual bliss,” ad- ding that everyone should witness it at least once. Authorities have made elaborate arrangements to manage the massive influx of pilgrims. Superintendent of Police (Security) Suresh Chandra Rawat said the world-renowned celebrations are being held under tight security. 4Continued on | P8