Vol. 67 No. 122 | TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 20, 2024 | 26 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only Quality at Value www.freepressjournal.in EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Nashik, Konkan, Indore, Bhopal, E-paper Guarantee u e Hamara San nkalp Viksit Bharat ik i h Kisan Rail connecting farmers with new markets; Over 2300 Kisan Rails operationalised on 167 routes NO DEAL, DELHI CHALO ON Farmers reject the Centre’s offer on MSP on maize, cotton, tuar dal, masoor dal and urad dal RAJESH MOUDGIL / CHANDIGARH Rejecting the Centre’s offer to purchase five crops at minimum support price (MSP) for five years, the farmer leaders on Monday night announced that they would resume their ``Delhi Chalo’’ march from PunjabHaryana Shambhu border on February 21. Addressing newspersons, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said that a decision in this regard was taken after the Centre’s offer was discussed with all the farm unions and the farmers found there was nothing in the said proposal and it was not in their favour, hence its rejection. With the rejection of the Centre’s offer, the stage is set for a likely confrontation between the farmers and the security forces on February 21, in case the Centre does THE FP BULLETIN DOCTORS’ STRIKE FROM FEB 22 T he Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) has have called for an indefinite strike from February 22. However, emergency services will be maintained during the strike period, MARD said. Resident doctors are demanding immediate grant of funds for hostel repairs and construction, regularisation of stipend payment, and a Rs10,000 hike in stipend. TOP COURT BLOW TO COAST GUARD T he Supreme Court on Monday came down hard on the Centre and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) for denying permanent commission to women officers and said the maritime force must come up with a policy that treats women “fairly”. “You speak of ‘nari shakti’. Now show it here,” said the court. SC NOD MUST FOR NEW ZOOS A ny proposal for a zoo or safari on forest land will now require SC approval. Any proposal to establish zoo/ safaris referred to in the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 owned by the govt or any authority in forest areas other than protected areas shall not be approved except with prior permission of the SC, it said. IVF FREE IN MAHA HOSPITALS U ndergoing in-vitro fertilisation treatment at the state-run medical colleges and hospitals will be of free of cost in Maharashtra benefiting many couples battling infertility and cannot afford it at private centres or hospitals. not come up with another offer on Tuesday . Earlier, the farmers had said they would take two days to respond to the Central ministers' offer giving fiveyear legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) on five crops – cotton, maize and three pulses (dal), following their meeting that stretched past Sunday midnight here. The meeting was held between Union ministers, Piyush Goyal, Arjun Munda and Nityanand Rai and over a dozen farm leaders, including Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal, and was also attended by Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann. It was the fourth meeting between them and on the sixth day of the protest of the farmers who are camping at Shambhu and Khanauri borders of Punjab and Haryana since February 13. The previous meetings (on February 8, 12 and 15) had failed. Briefing newspersons, Goyal said that the Centre had proposed to farmers a five-year plan for buying pulses (Tuar, Urad and Masoor Dal), maize and cotton at MSP. Stating that government agencies would buy these and there would be no limit on the quantity, he said that this measure would not only save Punjab’s farming but also improve the groundwater table and save the already-stressed land from becoming barren. The farmers want, besides a legal guarantee for MSP, pension for farmers and farm labour, farm debt waiver, withdrawal of police cases and justice for victims of 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence. CONTD. ON NATION action amounted to "murder" and a "mockery" of democracy . On Monday a bench headed , by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud directed the Chandigarh administration to provide security to the judicial officer, to be appointed by the high court, to ensure the safety of the officer and the records. "We ourselves will look at Observing that "horse-trading is taking place", the Supreme Court has said it would peruse on Tuesday the ballot papers of the Chandigarh mayoral polls and the entire video-recording of the counting day and directed the regis, trar general of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to depute a judicial officer to bring the records safely to Delhi. The court, on February 5, rapped Returning Officer Anil Masih, who conducted the mayoral polls, observing that it was obvious that he had defaced the ballot papers and that he should be prosecuted, adding that his You can sign the ballot papers ... Why were you ticking or putting X on those ballot papers?... Which rule says that you can put ticks or X in those ballot papers? ... He  (Masih)  to be has prosecuted. In an electoral democracy, this cannot be allowed," the CJI remarked. SC stays trial against Siddaramaiah FPJ NEWS SERVICE / NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the proceedings in a criminal case against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, state ministers Ramalinga Reddy and MB Patil and Congress general secretary and Karnataka incharge Randeep Singh Surjewala regarding a protest march in the state in 2022. A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and PK Mishra issued notice, returnable in six weeks, to the Karnataka government and the complainant and also stayed a Karnataka High Court order imposing a fine of Rs10,000 each on the four Congress leaders and directed them to appear before a special court on March 6. The top court was hearing the petitions filed by Siddaramaiah and the other Congress leaders against the High Court’s refusal on February 6 to quash the case lodged against them after they took out a march to lay siege to then Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s residence in Bengaluru, demanding the resignation of then Rural Development Minister KS Eshwarappa. The agitation was staged after a contractor, Santosh Patil, committed suicide accusing the minister of demanding 40 per cent commission for public work in his village. CONTD. ON NATION Supreme Court nixes LS summons to Bengal officials FPJ NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI & KOLKATA A Supreme Court bench on Monday stayed the summons notices issued to West Bengal Chief Secretary Bhagwati Prasad Gopalika and other officers by the privileges committee of the Lok Sabha in connection with the Sandeshkhali violence, even as another bench of the top court refused to entertain a PIL seeking a court-monitored Central Bu- Farmer leaders Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal address the media at the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border –PTI Chandigarh mayoral poll to be reviewed AGENCIES / NEW DELHI reau of Investigation (CBI) or SIT probe into the violence. Meanwhile the National Commission for Women (NCW) chief Rekha Sharma demanded imposition of President’s Rule in West Bengal. A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra issued notice to the Lok Sabha secretariat and stayed proceedings before the privi- leges committee against Gopalika and other officers on a complaint filed by West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Sukanta Majumdar in connection with the violence. The court was hearing a challenge by Gopalika and West Bengal Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar after Majumdar alleged “misconduct, brutality and life-threatening injuries” to him, according to Bar and CONTD. ON NATION Bench. ‘BRUISES ON NAVALNY’S HEAD, CHEST’ Government of India the records at 2 pm," the bench, also comprising justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, said. "Horse-trading taking place," the Chief Justice of India said while declining a plea that the case on the mayoral polls be heard on some other day instead of Tuesday . The Court warned that the RO could be prosecuted if he made any attempts to lie to the Court, according to a report by Bar and Bench. "This is a very serious matter. All that you say .. if any falsehood you will be prosecuted ... Why were you looking into the camera and putting marks in the ballot papers?" asked CJI Chandrachud. CONTD. ON NATION cbc 222 201/13/0279/2324 odi Sarkar ki k Prosperous Farmers, Prosperous Nation Scan for mor information re NCP vs NCP: SC notice to EC and Ajit Pawar FROM OUR BUREAU / NEW DELHI The Sharad Pawar versus Ajit Pawar battle was played out in the Supreme Court on Monday with the court issuing a notice to Ajit Pawar on the Election Commission declaring his group as the real Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The Election Commission had allowed use of "NCPSharadchandra Pawar" for a limited period until the Rajya Sabha biennial elections on February 27, but the top court allowed it to use the name until further orders. A bench headed by Justice Surya Kant, comprising Justice K V Viswanathan asked the Sharad Pawar faction to move the Election Commission for allotment of a new symbol and observed that it must be recorded within a week of the application. The court posted the matter for further hearing after three weeks. It was hearing the petition of the Sharad Pawar group challenging the order of Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narwekar, who ruled that the MLAs of Ajit Pawar faction will not be disqualified under anti-defection law as the provisions cannot be used to stifle dissent within a party . The Bench allowed the EC's February 6 order, declaring the Ajit Pawar faction as the real NCP The . court gave Ajit Pawar and the Election Commission of India two weeks to   their file reply to the Sharad Pawar’s petition and a week to Sharad Pawar to file his rejoinder the reply  to be filed by the Ajit Pawar and the poll panel. “Issue notice. Counter in two-week, rejoinder if any within one week thereader. Post after three weeks. CONTD. ON NATION Akhilesh caveat on joining Yatra BISWAJEET BANERJEE / LUCKNOW Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav dropped clear hints of stepping away from the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, citing disagreements over seat allocations. "We have many round of dialogue with Congress leaders. Till we reach to a conclusion, Samajwadi Party will not attend the Yatra", Akhilesh told reporters in Lucknow. The Nyay Yatra commenced from Amethi on Monday followed , by Rae Bareli on Tuesday . Akhilesh did not attend Amethi leg of Yatra and sources claim that there is no indication of Akhilesh joining the Yatra in Rae ‘Kochhar arrests lacked legal basis’ URVI MAHAJANI / MUMBAI Observing that the “right to remain silent” cannot be equated with noncooperation, the Bombay High Court has confirmed bail of former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ICICI Bank Chanda Kochhar and her husband Deepak Kochhar by terming their arrest in the ICICI Videocon loan fraud case as “abuse of power” lacking proper legal consideration. The court also noted that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had failed to provide substantial evidence for the arrest. The court, on February 6, had confirmed the bail grant- SPECIAL SESSION TODAY TO UNLOCK OBC QUOTA FPJ NEWS SERVICE / MOSCOW KALPESH MHAMUNKAR/ MUMBAI Bruises were spotted on the head and chest of Alexei Navalny the most prominent , critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, when the body arrived at the Salekhard District Clinical Hospital on Friday a paramedic told Russ, ian newspaper Novaya Gazeta Europe, according to New York Post. The statement has intensified rumours of foul play in the death of Navalny 47, who was , brought to the hospital after he died at an infamous remote nearby prison, to which he had secretly been moved in late December. The development came as the legal team and Navalny’s family accused Russian authorities of not handing over his body and acting as “murderers” attempting to conceal their actions. CONTD. ON NATION All eyes are on the special session of the Maharashtra legislature to be held on Tuesday which has been convened by the Eknath Shindeled Mahayuti government to consider the report of the state backward class commission (BCC) on the issue of reservation for Marathas. The government had recently conducted, on a warfooting, a survey of the economic status of the Marathas. The demand of Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil to issue kunbi certificates to Marathas will be one of the important matters to be debated by the MLAs. Jarange Patil has demanded that Marathas be given reservation from the 27% given to OBCs; a demand which has been vehemently opposed by senior cabinet minister and OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal. Discussion will also be held on the notification issued by the state government on January 26 to give Kunbi caste certificate to ``sage-soyare" (close and distant) blood relatives as demanded by of Maratha Jarange-Patil. Chief minister Shinde has claimed that Marathas will be given reservation without affecting the OBCs. How, exactly he proposes to do that will become clear on Tuesday . But more than the outcome of the special session Jarange Patil's response to it will be politically more important. If he rejects the house resolution and persists with his ten-day-old hunger strike, then the situation will be back to square one for the government. Jarange Patil also told the media that he is closely watching every move of the state government. He is on hunger strike at his village Anterwali-Sarati in Jalna district. CONTD. ON NATION DOWN FROM 76TH POSITION IN 2014 TO 85TH NOW Indian passport slip-sliding away FPJ NEWS SERVICE / MUMBAI India’s soft power is becoming a matter of concern, with the country slipping steadily in the world’s most powerful passports ranking. India slipped from the 84th position last year to the 85th position in The Henley Passport Index for 2024, which ranks nations based on the strength of their passports. India’s ranking has been dropping steadily for several years and has fallen nine ranks over the last 10 years. In 2014, when the National Democratic n The passport ranking had dropped to the 85th position by 2016 n The passport ranking rose in 2022 to the 83rd position, only to slip the next year and again this year Alliance government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power, the Indian passport was at the 76th rank in the Henley Index. By 2016, it had slipped to the 85th position with visa-free access to 52 destina- tions. In 2017, it slipped further to the 87th position and by 2021, the passport dropped to as low as the 90th position in the Henley ranking. The passport ranking rose in 2022 to the 83rd position, only to Bareli. Initially Akhilesh Yadav , had accepted an invitation extended by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to participate in the Nyay Yatra from either Amethi or Rae Bareli. The Samajwadi Party had announced that Akhilesh Yadav would participate. While discussions are ongoing, sources suggest that a final decision regarding the distribution of seats between the parties may be reached on Monday Only if an agree. ment materializes will Akhilesh consider joining Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Nyaya Yatra in Rae Bareli. CONTD. ON NATION slip the next year and again this year. What can be more a matter of concern for foreign policy mandarins is that Maldives, a country with which India’s relationship has been strained of late, is well above India having maintained the position it held last year at the 58th rank. The Henley Passport Index derives its rankings from data spanning the past 19 years, based on the International Air Transport Association’s data, covering 199 different passports and 227 travel destinations worldwide. CONTD. ON NATION ed to Kochhars last year. The detailed order copy was made available on Monday . The court noted that the first information report (FIR) was registered against the Kochhars in 2019, however they were summoned for questioning only in 2022. “Despite the gravity of the offence, the petitioners (Kochhar's) were not interrogated or summoned for a period of over three years from the date of registration of the crime,” a bench of Justices Anuja Prabhudessai (since retired) and NR Borkar remarked. “Such routine arrest without application of mind and due regard to the law amounts to an abuse of power,” the bench said. CONTD. ON NATION Kejriwal skips sixth ED call GAURAV VIVEK BHATNAGAR NEW DELHI Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal did not appear before the Enforcement Directorate on Monday in response to the sixth summon served on him by the central investigation agency in the Delhi excise policy case. The summons for today’s appearance was issued by the ED on February 14 after proceedings in the case had started in a Delhi court. On being asked by the media for his refusal, Kejriwal said: “We are replying to whatever is as per the law. Now they have filed a case, which is pending in court, and the ED should wait" for the decision of the court before issuing any fresh summons," he said. “Kejriwal had in the past charged that these summons were “illegal and invalid” and accused the BJP of using the ED to prevent him from campaigning for the upcoming Lok Sabha. The ED case pertains to Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders. It was alleged that it allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes. The agency had issued multiple summons to Kejriwal as it wanted to question him and wanted to record his statement on issues related to formulation of the policy, meetings held before it was finalised and charges of bribery . CONTD. ON NATION