Vol. 65 No. 310 | TUESDAY | MAY 3, 2022 | 15 Pages | EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Indore, Bhopal, Konkan, E-paper Imran took BMW X5 on way out Pakistan's Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that ousted prime minister Imran Khan took away a plush Pakistani Rupee150 million official vehicle after being removed from power through a no-confidence vote last month. “Mr Khan took a BMW X5 on his way out, which was basically a car from the Prime Minister Office's pool for foreign delegations,” Marriyum said. She insisted that the value of the car was around PKR 150 million. Sunrise: 06:10 am Sunset : 07:01 pm MUMBAI-DURGAPUR FLIGHT TURBULENCE M T URVI MAHAJANI MUMBAI Taking a serious note of the menace of illegal banners and hoardings by political parties and their workers in Mumbai and other cities and towns in the state, the Bombay High Court on Monday directed the Maharashtra government and all civic bodies and district he Bombay High Court on Monday directed the Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) to file an affidavit listing steps it had taken to clear the obstacles and buildings violating norms that fell along the path of flight P2 takeoffs and landings. Nawab Malik’s condition serious, claims lawyer S tate minister Nawab Malik, arrested by the ED in a money laundering case, was admitted to hospital on Monday after he complained of fever and diarrhoea, his lawyer told the court and claimed that Malik's health had deteriorated and he was in a “serious condition”. P2 Power crisis: Avoid AC, Raj CM to citizens R ajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday urged people to cut down on electricity consumption, saying the demand for it has shot up by 35% and no additional power was available. The CM also appealed to people to avoid using air-conditioners unnecessarily. India extends credit line to SL by $200 mn ndia extended its credit line by a further $200 million to replenish Sri Lanka's rapidly depleting fuel stocks. Sri Lanka is in an unprecedented economic turmoil. P17 Modi meets German Chancellor P rime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and reviewed the full range of bilateral ties, including giving an impetus to trade as well as cultural linkages. P17 Mehul Choksi cheated IFCI: CBI T he CBI has filed a fresh case against Mehul Choksi, wanted along with his nephew Nirav Modi in a loan fraud case of Rs 13,500 crore, for allegedly inflating the value of diamonds and jewellery pledged to get Rs 25 crore loan from IFCI. P2 PK’s poll plunge P olitical strategist Prashant Kishor on Monday caused ripples in Bihar politics, indicating his turn towards active politics in his home state with a cryptic tweet that it is time for him to go to the people to better understand their issues and the path of 'jan suraj' (people's good governance). P11 Can’t force Covid jabs: SC Court says 'bodily autonomy and integrity' are protected under Article 21 of the Constitution; asks Centre to put out data on adverse effects of Covid vaccines FPJ BUREAU NEW DELHI No individual can be forced to get vaccinated against Covid19, the Supreme Court said on Monday, and asked the Centre to make public the data on the immunisation's adverse effects. Bodily autonomy and integrity are protected under Article 21 of the Constitution, a bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and Bhushan Gavai said, while suggesting that there be no restrictions on unvaccinated people in public areas till Covid numbers are low. On the basis of available material, and considering expert views, the current Covid-19 vaccine policy cannot be said to be manifestly arbitrary and unreasonable, the apex court said. “Till the numbers are low, we suggest that relevant orders are followed and no restriction is imposed on unvaccinated in- THE FPJ SAYS: THINK ABOUT OTHERS’ SAFETY dividuals on access to public areas or recall the same if already not done,” the bench said. The apex court also directed the Centre to publish reports on adverse events of vaccines from the public and doctors on a publicly accessible system without compromising on the data of individuals. The SC The apex court was hearing a plea filed by Dr Jacob Puliyel, a former member of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, who has sought directions to also disclose post-vaccination data regarding adverse effects. On the issue of vaccination for children, the bench said that it was not possible to second guess the opinion of experts and the vaccination indeed follows global standards and practices. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE ‘Won’t give an inch of land to Maharashtra’ Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday urged the Maha Vikas Aghadi government not to use “language bogey or border issue for their political survival”, as he made it clear that his state will not give “even an inch of its land to Maharashtra”. Noting that several Kannada speaking areas were in Maharashtra, he said the thinking is on about incorporating them into Karnataka. He was responding to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's statement on Sunday that the government will continue to support the fight of the Marathi-speaking people residing in border areas of Karnataka to include those places in Maharashtra. “There is a political crisis in Maharashtra,” Bommai said, “It is there now, their entire government is at the rock bottom; so they create a language bogey and raise the border issue. To survive politically, they do this.” Bommai said that Karnataka's stand on the border issue was “very clear”, and the state was not going to yield for anything. “We stand firmly by our decisions. They (Maharashtra) also know it. I strongly urge the politicians of Maharashtra not to use language bogey or border issue for their political survival,” he said, adding that there was no question of giving even an inch of Karnataka's land. Maharashtra claims the border district of Belagavi and nearby areas were part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency, but is currently a part of Karnataka, on linguistic grounds. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE IIT-Mandi finds molecule for diabetes treatment Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Mandi have identified a drug molecule which triggers the release of insulin by pancreas and can potentially be used as an orally administered medicine for diabetes. According to the research team, the molecule is called PK2 and the findings of the research have been published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry . “Current drugs such as exenatide and liraglutide used for diabetes are administered as injections, and they are costly and unstable after administration. We seek to find simpler drugs that are stable, cheap, and effective against both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes," said Prosenjit Mondal, associate professor, School of Basic Sciences at the IIT. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE ing to a monthly report published by the messaging platform. The new IT rules – which came into effect last year – require large digital platforms (with over 50 lakh users) to publish compliance reports every month, mentioning the details of complaints received and action taken. According to the latest report, 18.05 lakh Indian accounts were banned by WhatsApp between March 1-31, 2022, using the “abuse detection approach, which also includes action taken in furtherance to CONTD. ON NATION PAGE FPJ BUREAU NEW DELHI cowardice that had undermined Gujarat's pride”. Addressing a press conference, Mevani announced that he would take to the streets and ensure a Gujarat bandh on June 1 on a raft of issues such as seeking action against those behind the leak of 22 exam papers, the recent recovery of “Rs 1.75 lakh-crore worth of drugs” from the Mundra Port, and to press for the withdrawal of all cases against Dalits in Una and against minorities in the state. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE KARNATAKA CM BOMMAI DARES MVA STAFF REPORTER BENGALURU PTI NEW DELHI WhatsApp bans 18L Indian accts in March FPJ BUREAU / NEW DELHI WhatsApp banned 18.05 lakh Indian accounts in March on the basis of complaints received from users via grievances channel and through its own mechanism to prevent and detect violations, accord- Statements against Kejri: HC saves Vishwas The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday stayed the arrest of former AAP leader Kumar Vishwas over 'inflammatory statements' against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, terming it a fit case to prevent the “abuse of the process of law”. Vishwas was booked by the Rupnagar police in Punjab after the complainant in the case alleged that he and AAP supporters were called Khalista- councils to submit a report on steps taken against such hoardings and banners. The fact that the authorities have not filed a compliance report since 2018 also did not go down well with the HC, which is hearing a bunch of public interest litigations (PILs) on the issue of illegal banners, hoardings and posters put up by political parties across the REPRESENTATIONAL PIC List steps to clear flight hurdles: HC to Mumbai Airport The Bombay High Court asks state govt, civic bodies on steps taken against illegal hoardings REPRESENTATIONAL PIC P-MLA couple Navneet Rana and Ravi Rana, arrested over the Hanuman Chalisa row, will have to remain in jail at least for a few more days as the court on Monday said it will give its ruling on their bail plea on P2 Wednesday. FPJ BUREAU CHANDIGARH 350c. 270c. No chamchagiri banners on our walls, please Two in ICU; flight No bail for the Ranas yet I B-TOWN CELEBS SPILL THE BEANS ON HOW THEY ARE CELEBRATING EID nis. The complaint claimed that the incident took place on April 12 after Vishwas made the remarks, accusing Kejriwal of supporting separatists. Vishwas had moved the high court last week, seeking the quashing of the FIR registered against him. The court in its order observed that the penal provisions under which the petitioner stands arraigned are not prima facie made out against him. “The submission that the FIR is politically motivated cannot be ruled out,” the HC CONTD. ON NATION PAGE said. Mevani says arrest ‘56-inch cowardice’ “Some Godse bhakts in the Prime Minister's Office” had got FIRs registered against him, Gujarat legislator Jignesh Mevani alleged on Monday, and termed his arrest by the Assam Police a “preplanned conspiracy” to destroy him ahead of the Assembly elections in Gujarat. Mevani, who was released on Saturday, also said his arrest was an act of “56-inch Vaccination opposition isn’t a new concept. Refusing vaccines began as early as the 1800s when the smallpox vaccine started being used in large numbers. But in the case of Covid19 pandemic, it is not as simple as protecting any individual's right to privacy. The unvaxxed must realise that their actions put people around them at risk and nobody deserves to die just for the sake of someone's right to privacy. For this reason alone, there should be no leniency when it comes to allowing the unvaxxed on public transport. state, which according to the pleas defaced public places. In 2016, the HC had directed the government and all municipal corporations in the state to ensure that illegal hoardings are not put up in public places. The court had also directed the authorities to submit compliance reports on a regular basis. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE Raj backs down, says no maha aartis SANJAY JOG MUMBAI In view of the strong warning by the state Home Department of stern action, MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Monday backtracked from his announcement of holding maha aartis across the state on the occasion of Akshay Tritiya on Tuesday, which coincides with Ramzan Eid. Raj appealed to party workers not to perform maha Aartis on May 3. He tweeted, “Tomorrow (Tuesday) is Eid. I have already spoken about it at the Aurangabad (Sambhajinagar) rally This festival of . the Muslim community must be celebrated with happiness. As discussed, please do not play maha aartis on the occasion of Akshay Tritiya as we do not want to hamper the celebrations of any religion. Loudspeakers are a social issue and not a religious one and I will spell out further course of action regarding the same through my next tweet.” CONTD. ON NATION PAGE crew grounded STAFF REPORTER MUMBAI regulator Aviation Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday said that two of the 14 injured passengers on the MumbaiDurgapur SpiceJet flight that ran into severe turbulence on Sunday are in the ICU. One passenger suffered head injury and another had injuries to spine, the DGCA said, adding that it was carrying out an inspection of the entire SpiceJet aircraft fleet. The DGCA also took off the roster the flight's crew, aircraft maintenance engineer (AME) and in-charge of SpiceJet's maintenance control centre pending a probe. The aircraft involved in the incident was grounded in Kolkata. On Sunday, the MumbaiDurgapur flight encountered a severe turbulence during its descent phase, injuring 14 passengers and three cabin crew members. “The DGCA has off-rostered the involved crew, the AME, and in-charge maintenance control of centre of SpiceJet pending investigation,” the DGCA statement said. Mum Airport to shut for 6 hrs on May 10 STAFF REPORTER MUMBAI Scores of flights are like to be affected after it was announced that the Mumbai International Airport will remain shut for around six hours on May 10 for pre-monsoon repairs and maintenance. The airport's two runways – 14/32 and 09/27 – will remain shut as the maintenance will be carried out from 11 am to 5 pm on May 10, an airport official said. “The airport's both runways will remain non-operational on May 10. The runway closure is a yearly practice and a contingency plan is aimed to help maintain operational continuity and en- sure passengers' safety,” the statement said. The airport official said that a notice to the effect has been issued to all stakeholders to manage flights and reduce passengers' inconvenience. “All operations will resume as usual post 5 pm on May 10,” the CSMIA spokesperson said.