FREE PRESS FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms - VOL. XXXVIII NO. 340 | INDORE | THURSDAY | MAY 19, 2022 | PAGES 18 EDIT SHIVIR FALLOUT: HARDIK PATEL EJECTS TO SAFETY FOR 24X7 UPDATES SATYAMEV JAYATE: CM BJP & CONGRESS start taking the credit OUR BUREAU New Delhi The Supreme Court on Wednesday permitted the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota in Madhya Pradesh local body elections that was refused in case of Maharashtra on May 4. It gave a two-week deadline to declare the election schedule. Its decision came after the Madhya Pradesh government revised an earlier report which was objected by the court. As the Supreme Court allowed an OBC quota in the local body elections in Madhya Pradesh, the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress started taking the credit for it. Both the parties also traded barbs over the issue. Senior leaders of the BJP and the Congress in Madhya Pradesh welcomed the SC's decision saying, "justice prevailed", claiming that the initiative for providing reservation for OBCs was taken by their parties and accused each other of being anti-OBC. A three-judge Bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar, Abhay S Oka and J B Pardiwala gave the go-ahead for local body polls in Madhya Pradesh with OBC reservation, allowing th state gov- POLL SCHEDULE within 2 weeks special plane was get A used tofrom Bhopal documents OUR STAFF REPORTER city.bhopal@fpj.co.in Thanking and saluting the Supreme Court for its judgement on his government's petition allowing OBC reservation in the upcoming local bodies polls, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Wednesday, 'finally truth has won and it is proved that truth cannot be defeated'. "I salute the Hon'ble Supreme Court. This is what we had said that we want elections but with OBC reservation", said the CM. He said Congress had committed a sin. Elections were already going to be ernment to notify the reservation pattern as recommended in the second report of the State Backward Classes Commission. It took into account the MP Government's submission that an earlier report which the court had objected to has been revised and the delimitation exercise has already been completed and notified. "For the time being, we permit the Madhya Pradesh state election commission to Today is historic day and I am overwhelmed. We worked 24x7 for this, now we are going to election field when the Supreme Court wanted some more details on OBC during the hearing, disclosed Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan during his speech at the state BJP office. held with OBC reservation but only Congress moved the Supreme Court due to which it was decided (by the apex court) that elections should be held without OBC reservation. Chouhan said, "We made every effort and left no stone unturned for Triple test. We constituted the OBC commission which toured the entire state, collected facts, conducted a comprehensive survey and submitted the report to the court on the basis of those facts." CONTD. ON P6 notify the programme for the respective local bodies keeping in mind the delimitation notification already issued as on date, ie till today and the report submitted by the dedicated commission…," the Supreme Court ordered. "We permit the state of Madhya Pradesh to notify the reservation pattern local body wise to be adhered to by the state election commission within one week. The state election commis- sion shall notify the election programme in respect of the concerned local bodies one within thereafter week," the order said. On May 10, the court had directed that the elections to the local bodies in Madhya Pradesh be notified within two weeks without providing for OBC reservation as the state was yet to complete the triple test laid down by the SC before providing for such reservation. CONTD. ON P6 SHIVRAJ SINGH CHOUHAN, CM WOMAN'S EYELID GNAWED BY RATS IN RAJ HOSPITAL ICU Sheena Bora murder case AGENCIES Jaipur News Brief Rupee falls to a life-time low The rupee on Wednesday declined by 16 paise to close at its fresh lifetime low of 77.60 against the US dollar amid unabated foreign fund outflows and a robust greenback in overseas markets. Crude oil prices also surged over 1 per cent, which weighed on the rupee. (Brent crude futures quoted at USD 113 per barrel.) The dollar rebounded in global markets following hawkish comments from US Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell, who asserted that the central bank would increase interest rates as high as needed to contain a spike in inflation. SC grants bail to Indrani after 6.5 yrs in jail Rats gnawed at an eyelid of a paralysed woman undergoing treatment in an ICU of a government hospital in Kota, her husband has alleged. Kota railway colony resident Devender Singh Bhati said doctors treating his wife's eyelid injury have admitted to him that the wound was caused by rat bites. Thirty-year-old woman has been undergoing treatment at the Stroke Unit of Kota's MB Hospital for the last 45 days. The hospital authority set up a three-member panel of doctors to probe into the incident. Following the incident, MBS Hospital Superintendent Naveen Saxena, in a NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted bail to Indrani Mukerjea, who is the chief accused in the murder case of her daughter Sheena Bora. A bench of Justices L. Nageswara Rao, BR Gavai, and AS Bopanna said: "Admittedly, the petitioner has been in custody for 6 years. We do not intend to comment on the merits of the case which might be detrimental to the interest of either the prosecution or the defence." It added that taking into account the fact that the petitioner has been in custody for 6A years and even if 50 per cent of the remaining witnesses are given up by the prosecution, the trial will not complete soon. CONTD. ON P6 to report preliminary Kota's additional district magistrate, said Roopwati's eyelid was nibbled at by rats at around 3 am as alleged by her attendant. However, there has been no injury to her eye, Dr his in said Saxena report. The Rajasthan BJP on Wednesday demanded strict action against the Kota government hospital. Chief State BJP Spokesperson and MLA Ramlal Sharma accused the hospital of negligence. CONTD. ON P6 China constructing new bridge near Pangong Tso NEW DELHI China is constructing a second bridge in an area held by it around the strategically key Pangong Tso lake in eastern Ladakh and it could help the Chinese military to quickly mobilise its troops in the region, according to satellite imagery and people familiar with the develop. ment on Wednesday The bridge is being built amid the lingering standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries at several friction points in eastern Ladakh for over two years. There is no official reaction or comment by the Indian defence establishment on the new construction. China has been focusing on strengthening its military infrastructure after Indian troops captured several strategic peaks on the southern bank of the Pangong lake in August 2020 after the Chinese PLA attempted to intimidate them in the area. India too has been constructing bridges, roads and tunnels in the border regions as part of overall efforts to enhance military preparedness. CONTD. ON P6 From sand dunes to the red carpet of Cannes, Mame Khan creates history MANISH GODHA Jaipur Apart from the plethora of Indian stars who marked their presence at the 75 Cannes film festival on the first day, it was Mame Khan, the folk singer from Rajasthan who caught the attention of the fans. The singer from the send dunes of Jaiselmer, Rajasthan scripted history as he became the first folk artist from India to walk the red carpet at the . Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday WEATHER 40.90c. 24.60c EDITIONS: INDORE, BHOPAL, UJJAIN, MUMBAI, PUNE SC permits OBC quota in state local body election WWW.FREEPRESSJOURNAL.IN `3 QUALITY AT VALUE RNI No. 38281/83 Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2021-2023; The singer was seen dressed in a vibrant pink kurta set with an embroidered navy blue jacket and completed his look with a Rajasthani turban and sunglasses. The costume was designed by Anjuli Chakraborty, Mame Khan was a part of the official Indian contingent led by Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur R Madhavan, Ricky Kej, Prasoon Joshi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Shekhar Kapur, and others also represented India at the Cannes 2022 red carpet. CONTD. ON P6 Sunrise : 05.45 Sunset : 07.02 LAHIRI TO COMPETE IN THE PGA CHAMPIONSHIP Pg-12 Rajiv case life convict set free after 31 years OUR BUREAU New Delhi/Chennai The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the release of A G Peraria valan, conlife vict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. The court had questioned the excessive delay in the Governor’s decision on his pardon plea. He has been behind bars for the last 31 years. Nineteen at the time of the assassination, Perarivalan was accused of buying two 9-volt batteries for Sivarasan, the LTTE masterminded of the killing. The batteries were used in the bomb; however, Perarivalan had denied he was aware of the use to which the battery was being put. CONTD. ON P6 CHOUHAN DISTRIBUTES HABITAT RIGHTS DOCUS AMONG 3.7 LAKH BENEFICIARIES 'WORK ON irrigation projects worth Rs 30K cr to be started this year' OUR STAFF REPORTER city.bhopal@fpj.co.in Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan distributed habitat rights documents among 3.7 lakh villagers of the state under Swamitva Yojana in Rewa. under Simultaneously, the Mukhyamantri Kisan Kalyan Yojna, a 'samman nidhi' of Rs 4000 was transferred to the accounts of as many as 82 lakh farmers. The CM attended the state level programme in Rewa on Wednesday. He also distributed moong free-of-cost to the school children. Speaking at the programme, Chouhan said, "The aim of the government is to make agriculture a profitable business. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launches several development programme in Rewa on Wednesday Farmers should diversify agriculture and do natural farming. Due to this, they will get more profit and the fertility of the agricultural land will also be maintained." He said the government would give Rs 900 per month per head to farmers for keeping a cow for natural farming. "Jeevamrut prepared by mixing cow dung, cow-urine, jaggery etc increases the fertility of the soil," he added. He said the area under irrigation was being continuously increased in the state. Remaining work of Baan Sagar project of Rewa area would be completed soon. Work on irrigation schemes worth Rs 30,000 crore will start this year. CONTD. ON P6 Forest fire triggers landmine explosions along LoC in Poonch JAMMU A forest fire triggered several landmine explosions along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, officials said on . Wednesday The fire that started in a forest across the LoC on Monday spread to the Indian side in the Mendhar sector, they said. The fire triggered the explosion of nearly half a dozen landmines that were part of the anti-infiltration obstacle system, officials said. "The forest fire has been raging for the past three days. We along with the Army are dousing the fire. The fire was brought under control, but this morning it started in Daramshal block and spread fast due to powerful winds," Forester Kanar Hussain Shah said. He added that the blaze was later brought under control with the help of the Army as it reached near the border hamlet, he said. In Rajouri district, another huge fire broke out in the Sunderbandi area near the border which spread to other forest areas, including Ghambhir, Nikka, Panjgraye, Brahamana, Moghala, officials said on Wednesday. CONTD. ON P6