Vol. 67 No. 35 | WEDNESDAY | NOVEMBER 8, 2023 | 21 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only Quality at Value www.freepressjournal.in EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Nashik, Konkan, Indore, Bhopal, E-paper BIDITA BAG ON BOLD SCENES THE FP BULLETIN MOITRA ACCUSED OF TRESPASS A dvocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, who happens to be TMC MP Mahua Moitra's ex-partner, has filed a complaint against the latter, accusing her of "trespassing" at his residence with the intention of "intimidating" him. In the complaint, he alleged that she showed up at his house unannounced on November 5 and 6, days after she appeared before the Ethics Committee.   lawyer had The earlier alleged that Moitra had accepted bribes from a businessman to ask questions in Parliament. Dehadrai was reportedly in a relationship with the Trinamool MP and they have allegedly not been on the best terms since they parted ways. One of the reasons for the friction between them is their pet dog, a Rottweiler named Henry. Both have accused the other of 'stealing' Henry and a battle for his custody is being fought in court. The dog is currently with Moitra. MINISTER IN CAR MISHAP, 1 KILLED A man was killed and three others injured on Tuesday when Union Minister Prahlad Patel's car met with an accident in Madhya Pradesh. The minister too has minor bruises. The Central Minister, who is contesting the State polls, was travelling from Chhindwara to Narsinghpur when the accident took place. The man who died in the accident has been identified as a teacher; he was returning home with his two children on a bike. One of the children has a head injury. ADITYA CATCHES A SOLAR FLARE T he X-ray spectrometer, HEL1OS, attached to Aditya-L1 spacecraft for its maiden solar mission, captured the first highenergy X-ray glimpse of solar flares. A solar flare is a sudden brightening of the solar atmosphere. Aditya-L1 will neither land on the sun nor inch any closer. Its current strategic location will enable the spacecraft to continuously observe the sun without being hindered by eclipses or occultation, allowing scientists to study solar activities and their impact on space weather in real-time. MEDIA DEVICES: SC FOR NORMS T he Supreme Court has orally observed that there should be guidelines in place to govern the search and seizure of phones or other digital devices belonging to individuals, particularly media professionals. It has given the Centre a month to suggest the guidelines. A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia said that media professionals could have confidential information or details about their sources on their devices. "It's a serious matter. There must be some guidelines. If you take everything away, there is a problem,’’ the bench told the Centre. If I am showing my cleavage for a role, people may think it is bold EDIT CENTRE RELEASES TAX DEVOLUTION OF RS 72,961.21 CR TO STATES GOVERNORS’ DELAYS CALL FOR REFORM CRACKER CURBS FOR ALL SC 2018 order is binding on all states, not just NCR-Delhi; Supreme Court also wants stubble burning to cease OUR BUREAU / NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered a ban on firecrackers containing barium in every state and not just the Delhi-NCR region, which is grappling with severe air pollution. The clarification by the top court, which had in 2018 banned the bursting of conventional firecrackers to curb air and sound pollution, will have ramifications across the nation. As per this court diktat, rev- ellers across the country can only burst green firecrackers from 8 PM to 10 PM on Diwali. The two-judge bench was hearing pleas seeking direction for the implementation of previous orders regarding the bursting of firecrackers. During the hearing, the bench observed that there is a wrong perception that only the court has a duty in environmental matters; rather, "it is for everyone to manage air and sound pollution." CONTD. ON NATION CHHATTISGARH 61%, MIZORAM VOTE 70 PC Frowns at selective appointment of judges The Supreme Court on Tuesday observed that the Central government cannot block the appointment of judges just because names cleared by it were not approved by the Collegium. A Bench of Justices  Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia  said that when the Collegium does not accept a name for judgeship, that should be the end of it. "Suppose some name is cleared by you  (Central government) and suppose the Collegium does not clear it. Then that should be the end of the chapter. Somebody expects to be a judge and we do not accept that, then that should be the end. This has happened in more than one case. This cannot be the reason why other names are halted. Else it becomes like a ping pong ball." The court also slammed the Central government for a "pick and choose" approach in the appointment of judges, observing that it was disturbing the seniority among those recommended for the judgeship. It warned that a situation should not come to pass where the Collegium or the Supreme Court is made to take a decision that is not palatable. The judges said that not even 50 per cent of the names recommended for judgeship by the Supreme Court Collegium were being cleared by the government, either due to intelligence reports or adverse inputs from the government. CONTD. ON NATION BDD CHAWLS REDEVELOPMENT Dash to ready 2 rehab high-rises, for poll boost  DRAUPADI ROHERA / MUMBAI The ruling coalition government in the state is working overtime to ensure that at least two towers of 40-storeys each are readied as part of the redevelopment of BDD chawls in Worli before the Lok Sabha polls in 2024, with a view to  derive political mileage.  The Worli assembly constituency is represented by Aaditya Thackeray of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Eknath Shinde-led government is keen on weaning away voters from Aaditya. The 121 chawls have 9,600 tenants and they will be relocated in 33 rehab towers, each 40-storeyed. The total plot area of the project is 54 acres, of which 25 to 30 acres will be utilised to rehouse the existing tenants. With an available floor space index (FSI) of 6.9, the remaining area will be used for construction of ten 76-storeyed residential towers and one 40storeyed commercial structure, for sale in the open market. In addition, some area will also be utilised to accommodate the iconic Jamboree  Maidan,  gardens, roads and other amenities. The project also envisages two school buildings, a hospital, a hostel, a  club/ gymkhana and  BDD Chawl museum. a The RCC structure of the two rehab  towers is complete but work on the sewage treatment plants, underground water tanks, parking podium etc is pending, architect Vivek Bhole told the FPJ on Tuesday .  CONTD. ON NATION OUR BUREAU / NEW DELHI In the first round of what is seen as a mini general election, there was a 70% turnout in the Mizoram assembly elections for 40 seats. As against this, 60.92% voted in the first phase of the Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, where 20 seats are up for grabs. (The remaining 70 seats in Chhattisgarh will vote on November 17). Of the 20 seats in the first round, 12 are reserved for the Scheduled Tribes (ST) and one for the Scheduled Caste (SC). No less than 60,000 security personnel had been deployed for the smooth conduct of polls in the Bastar division. CONTD. ON NATION ISRAEL SEES FUTURE ROLE IN GAZA SECURITY KHAN YOUNIS / GAZA STRIP A month into war, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will need to oversee the security of the Gaza Strip once the fighting is over. This is the clearest indication yet that Israel plans to maintain control over the coastal enclave indefinitely . However, Netanyahu’s plan would stop just short of a full re-occupation of Gaza — a move that the United States and others have warned against. President Biden has warned that it would be  big mistake  Isa for rael to reoccupy Gaza, which it withdrew from in 2005. Hamas has been the sole governing power in the enclave since 2007. Netanyahu again offered no clarity about who would take Hamas’s place in governing Gaza. “Those who don’t want to continue the way of Hamas” should be in charge. Israeli officials have publicly said it is premature to discuss governance for Gaza and they are focused on immediate military objectives. In an interview with ABC News that aired late Monday , Netanyahu also expressed openness to “little pauses” in the fighting to facilitate the delivery of aid to Gaza or the release of some of the more than 240 hostages seized by Hamas in its Oct 7 attack into Israel that triggered the war. CONTD. ON NATION The results of polls held in more than 2,300 gram panchayats in Maharashtra are out and have instantly become the subject of debate – can these be viewed as the litmus test of political trends in the state? The debate is complex because these polls are not held under any election symbol given to political parties. However, MLAs from various parties form their own panels and contest the polls through their representatives. Whether this can be seen as a was fostered the sentiment about the outcome of the next polls indicating whether or not there was public acceptance of the actions of various leaders. Since the municipal polls have been repeatedly postponed, many turned to the MEGHA KUCHIK / MUMBAI gram panchayat polls for some indication of the public mood. These polls do not matter much for mega cities like Mumbai and Pune or other urban areas in the state, so not much attention was paid by the national media to the poll results declared on Monday . hree people lost their lives and two were injured when a car plunged from a bridge onto a moving goods train between Karjat and Panvel at 4 am on Tuesday . The deceased have been identified as Mangesh Jadhav (46) from Dhobi Ghat, Mumbai, Nitin Jadhav (48) from Thane, and Dharmanand Gaikwad (41) from Raigad, a member of the Republican Party of India (RPI). The car was heading for Neral on the Mumbai-Panvel Road when it crashed through an iron bridge and fell onto the moving goods train, according to police. Some wagons of the goods train, which was going from Panvel to Karjat in Raigad district, got detached because of the incident. Railway Master Kalpesh Deshpande promptly alerted the Karjat Railway Police Force which arrived at the scene and rushed the five to the district hospital. CONTD. ON NATION 18 VEHICLES GUTTED IN DADAR PARKING LOT G lenn Maxwell slammed a double hundred to power Australia to a stunning three-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the World Cup match at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday. Earlier, Australia was down in the dumps at 91/7 and Afghanistan was eyeing a huge upset. They were also hoping to extract revenge for the acrimony that ensued after the Australians refused to tour the UAE for a bilateral three-match ODI series against Afghanistan citing the restrictions Taliban had introduced on women’s rights. KALPESH MHAMUNKAR MUMBAI E ighteen vehicles, including 16 four-wheelers and two 2wheelers, were destroyed in a fire which broke out in a civic parking facility at Dadar west on Tuesday  It . was two hours before the fire brigade could douse the blaze which was noticed at midnight at Kohinoor Parking, behind Plaza Cinema. The fire broke out at 12.24am on Monday night. No one was injured in the incident. It all happened on podium number 4; CONTD. ON NATION Govt diktat to weed out morphed images FPJ NEWS SERVICE / NEW DELHI The Centre on Tuesday issued an advisory to all social media platforms, including X, Instagram and Facebook, to remove morphed images within 36 hours of receiving a complaint under the IT rules. Failure to act in accordance with the IT Act would attract Rule 7 and could lead to the organisation losing the protection available under Section 79(1) of the Information Technology Act, 2000. The directive came in the backdrop of deepfake videos of actresses Rashmika Mandanna and Katrina Kaif circulating on social media platforms. Kaif ’s digitally altered image from her upcoming film  'Tiger 3'  shows the Bollywood star fighting a Hollywood stuntwoman clad in a towel. However, in the now-viral edited version, Kaif can be seen wearing a low-cut white top and a matching bottom instead of the towel. The image was altered using AI tools, which have the ability to morph individuals' faces in videos and pictures, often resulting in misleading or fabricated content. Taking to social media, several users strongly reacted to the deepfake picture. ‘‘ I is a A great tool but using it to morph women is outright criminal offence. Feels disgusted," wrote one user. The social media platforms have been asked to ensure that due diligence is exercised and reasonable efforts made to identify misinformation, in particular information that violates the provisions of rules and regulations. Nitish to take census to logical conclusion FPJ NEWS SERVICE / PATNA Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has decided to take the caste survey to its logical conclusion. He has decided to hike the quota cap for Other Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the state, possibly in the ongoing assembly session, which has three more days to go. The announcement came on the floor of the House dur- What do the state panchayat poll results indicate? victory of a particular party is arguable but certain conclusions can be drawn based on the results that emerged on Monday . The elections to over 14 municipal corporations and 25 district councils in Maharashtra have been pending for more than 18 months now. There have been several political twists and turns, with leaders changing sides, political parties shifting their stand and a change in government, too. All these events happened under circumstances termed ‘unethical’ or ‘illegal’, by a section of politicians. Thus 3 die as car nose-dives into moving goods train MAXWELL DENIES AFGHANS REVENGE EDGE FOR MAHAYUTI BUT NO SHABBY SHOW BY OPPOSITION EITHER     ROHIT CHANDAVARKAR / MUMBA  The Centre released the funds three days ahead of schedule T Don’t pick and choose: SC ONLINE REPORT / NEW DELHI International Day of Radiology However, these polls have definitely  the trend for the upset coming bigger state assembly and Lok Sabha polls, as these gram panchayats or selfrule bodies are the basic building blocks of the assembly constituency . Just as the assembly polls in the five states are seen as a semi-final for the big 2024 Lok Sabha polls, these panchayat polls are seen as a curtain raiser to the 2024 Maharashtra assembly polls.  What conclusions may be drawn, based on the panchayat poll results? CONTD. ON NATION ing a debate that followed tabling of the caste survey report. "The quota for SCs and STs together stands at 17 per cent. It should be raised to 22 per cent. Likewise, the reservation for OBCs should also be hiked from the current 50 per cent to 65 per cent. According to the survey , OBCs, including the extremely backward classes subgroup, accounted for 63 per cent of the state's total popula- tion, while SCs and STs together were slightly over 21 per cent. If implemented, the pro- posals will take state quotas past the 50 per cent cap set by the Supreme Court in 1992. The chief minister’s statement is also likely to trigger demands for an increase in quotas from other parts of the country . Nitish decried as "bogus" doubts being cast over the caste survey in Bihar. He was referring to a remark made by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Kumar said, CONTD. ON NATION TAILPIECE BIHAR CM FLUNKS SEX EDUCATION THEORY TEST FPJ NEWS SERVICE / PATNA B ihar CM Nitish Kumar seldom puts his foot in the mouth. But, on Tuesday he lost the plot with , his absurd reasoning about importance of women's education to control population. Underscoring the importance of education, Kumar put forth the analogy of an educated woman who can restrain her husband during sexual intercourse. "The husband's heightened libido leads to more births. However, an educated woman knows how to restrain him... this is the reason the numbers (of births) are coming down," he said with rustic aplomb. He amplified, "Aaj agar mahilayen nahin padhi hui hain, jo mard log is tarikey se roj-roj karte rehte hain, usko dhyan mein hi nahin rehta ki bachcha paida nahin karna hain. Mahila padhi rehti hai to unko sab cheej ka gyaan ho jaata hai ki bhai kaise humko bachna hai." (Were women better educated they would know how to protect themselves from getting pregnant. Men are careless and as women are not properly educated they are unable to save the situation from pregnancy). This basically amounts to saying men didnt want to take responsibility while women remained uneducated. "You, journalists also understand it well. Earlier the fertility rate was 4.3, but now it has reached 2.9. And, soon we will reach 2," CONTD. ON NATION he added.