Vol. 67 No. 220 | FRIDAY | JUNE 14, 2024 | 29 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only Quality at Value www.freepressjournal.in MEMBER: AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATION JANUARY TO DECEMBER 2023 EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Nashik, Konkan, Indore, Bhopal, E-paper The couple’s incomplete love story features murders, jail and heartbreaks AJAY DEVGN, TABU’S NEXT THE FP BULLETIN BUS ATTACK: 50 DETAINED H ours after PM Narendra Modi held a review meeting to assess the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, police in the Union Territory announced that 50 people have been detained in connection with Sunday's terrorist attack on a bus in Reasi district. a part of As the major crackdown, the search operation to track down the terrorists has been expanded to cover the district's Arnas and Mahore areas which were terrorist hotbeds between 1995 and 2005. GRIM TALES FROM KUWAIT K uwaiti authorities are conducting DNA tests on the bodies of over 40 Indians killed in the devastating fire; an IAF aircraft is on standby to bring back the mortal remains, officials said on Thursday. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh is already in Kuwait to oversee assistance to the injured and to ensure early repatriation of mortal remains. As the authorities went about the task of identifying the charred remains, grim accounts emanated from the families. TATTOO HELPS IDENTIFY BODY P radeep, father of 27year-old Srihari, was able to identify the remains only from the tattoo on his son’s hand. ‘‘When I went there, I saw that the face was completely swollen and the nose was covered with soot. Initially, I was unable to identify him. I just could not.’’ Srihari had just returned to Kuwait from Kerala on June 5. Both father and son worked for the same company. JUMPED INTO WATER TANK A split-second decision by Nalinakshan saved his life. He found himself trapped in his third floor apartment when disaster struck. In a daring bid to escape the flames, he jumped into a nearby water tank. Though it left him with broken ribs and injuries, Nalinakshan managed to survive the tragedy. Relatives who lived nearby quickly rushed him to a hospital. UNFULFILLED LAST WISH L ukose had bought a mobile phone for his elder daughter who had scored excellent marks in plus two (class 12) board exams and was going to give it to her next month when he proposed to visit his native place to arrange her admission in a nursing course in Bengaluru. However, what reached his family on Wednesday were unconfirmed news reports that the building he was living in was the one that was gutted. The Kerala government has announced a compensation of Rs5 lakh to the families of the deceased. Modi outreach starts with G7 EDIT NAIDU RECLAIMS POLITICAL DOMINANCE INDIA TO REMAIN FASTEST GROWING ASIA-PACIFIC ECONOMY: MOODY'S Says it anticipates policy continuity after polls and continued focus on infra development SECOND SHOT AT NEET ■ Grace marks of 1,563 students withdrawn ■ Can opt for re-test ■ Minister denies paper leak or rigging ■ Cong wants SC-led probe I n his first trip abroad in the new term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is off to attend the G7 summit. The summit is being held between June 13 and 15 at the luxurious Borgo Egnazia resort in Italy's Apulia region. Leaders have already begun flying in from the seven member countries - the US, UK, Canada, Germany Italy Japan, and France. The Euro, , pean Union is a "non-enumerated member". During the stay Modi will meet Italian , Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni with and the two leaders are expected to review the entire gamut of bilateral ties. India has been invited to the G7 Summit as an outreach country This . will be PM Modi's first overseas visit since he took oath as Prime Minister for the third straight term and he is expected to be in Italy for 24 hours. CONTD. ON NATION The Centre has informed the Supreme Court that it has decided to cancel the scorecards of 1,563 NEET-UG 2024 candidates who were given grace marks. The 1,563 students who were given grace marks will have the option to take a re-test on June 23. They will be informed of their actual scores without the grace marks and will then have the choice to appear for a re-examination. If any of the 1,563 candidates do not wish to take the retest, their earlier marks without the grace marks will be used for the results. The development has come amid controversy that the "arbitrary" award of grace marks led to a shocking surge of top scorers, with several claims being made of malpractices, cheating and irregularities in the conduct of the exam. CONTD. ON NATION Not so NEAT, feel students Bank to refund `76L Customer has zero liability in third party unauthorised transactions: HC URVI MAHAJANI / MUMBAI Observing that a customer has ‘zero liability’ in a thirdparty unauthorised transaction, where the deficiency lies not with the bank or customer but somewhere in the system, the Bombay High Court has directed the Bank of Baroda (BoB) to refund Rs 76 lakh fraudulently debited from a company’s bank account. The court noted that the Reserve Bank of India’s circular of July 2017 specifies that a customer has zero liability in such cases. Even the BoB has a policy called the ‘Consumer , Protection Policy (Unauthorised Electronic Banking Transactions)’ which reiterates the same. The HC was hearing a peti- Petitioner had challenged order of banking ombudsman refusing to direct BoB to refund amount siphoned from account by way of cyber fraud. tion, filed by one Jaiprakash Kulkarni and Pharma Search Ayurveda Private Limited, challenging an order passed by the banking ombudsman refusing to direct the BoB to refund an amount of Rs 76 lakh allegedly defrauded from their account by way of cyber fraud. The court said this was an example of how “increasingly innocent persons are becoming victims of cyber fraud”. Dog killed in hit-and-run; lawyer-activist files case MEGHA KUCHIK & DHAIRYA GAJARA / MUMBAI The Samta Nagar police booked the driver of a car on Thursday for allegedly com, mitting mischief by killing a dog. On June 12, a black dog was struck by the driver of a Scorpio in Kandivli East. The dog sustained injuries to its back and mouth and subsequently died. Accordingly a , case has been registered against the driver, after a lawyer, Nidhi Hegde,33, filed a complaint with the Samta Nagar police. According to the police report, Hegde, a resident of Kandivli East, received a call from her acquaintance, Akshay Gangavane, at 10.38pm on June 12. Gangavane informed her that a car had hit a black female dog, resulting in her death near Gopinath “Both as per the RBI Circular and the policy of the bank, a customer has zero liability when the unauthorised transactions occur due to a third-party breach, where the deficiency lies neither with the bank nor with the customer but elsewhere in the system and the customer notifies the bank regarding the unauthorised transactions within a certain time frame,” a bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Firdosh Pooniwalla said. October 1, 2022, certain On entities/ individuals were added as beneficiaries to the petitioner company’s bank account without any one-time password (OTP) sent to the petitioner on the registered mobile number or email id. CONTD. ON NATION Munde Garden, Lokhandwala, Kandivli East. Bystanders attempted to stop the driver, but he fled the scene. Complainant Nidhi Hegde, who has been feeding dogs in the locality for the last 14 years, reached the site with a doctor but couldn’t save the dog which was in tremendous pain as the car had run over her back, severely damaging her uterus. CONTD. ON NATION MEGHA CHOWDHURY / MUMBAI The BJP and its ideological mentor, the RSS, are brainstorming over the appointment of the next party president, at a time when the relations between the two are at a low ebb following the setback in the recent Lok Sabha elections. The peculiar circumstances have fuelled the buzz that the next party president could be one with Sangh background. The choice would also factor in the political variables and the current challenges being faced by the BJP . There was a marked shift in Dalit votes in the elections, which cost the party dear. A major reason for this was the campaign underpinning that the party needed a two-thirds Sunrise : 06:01 am Sunset : 07:17 pm Doval stays NSA, Mishra Principal Secretary to PM GAURAV VIVEK BHATNAGAR / NEW DELHI Most students are upset and are not prepared for the re-test. “It’s not easy to reappear for an exam of this magnitude. We have to consider how different the question papers might be and redo our revisions. It’s men- tally stressful. With this added pressure, can we even focus fully on the exams? Are the agencies playing with our future?” asked one student. The grace marks have certainly been a worrying factor for those who missed the chance to get admission by a whisker, said Pritam, who NBW FOR BSY IN KARNATAKA POCSO CASE ‘Sheena remains are untraceable’ OUR CORRESPONDENT BENGALURU A non-bailable arrest warrant has been issued against former Karnataka chief minister and senior BJP leader BS Yediyurappa in connection with a case registered under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012. The arrest warrant was issued by the fast-track court after hearing an anticipatory bail petition filed by Yediyurappa. On March 14, mother of a 17-year-old girl had filed a case of sexual assault against the former CM, accusing him of molesting her minor daughter. A case was registered and the following day the State government ordered a Crime Investigation Department (CID) probe. CONTD. ON NATION The peculiar circumstances have fuelled the buzz that the next party president could be one with Sangh background majority for changing the Constitution. This sentiment was exploited by the Opposition to convey that the BJP wanted to do away with the Constitution and the existing reservation regime. As such, many now believe that a Dalit leader would be selected as the party president. Others believe that the post should go to a person from the Other Backward Classes, as they too constitute a significant section of the electorate refused to give his full name and scored 715 marks. “Why are we being punished for their demand of re-examination? I prepared for my exam for the last two years but now they want me to re-appear and prove my credibility all over again,” he pointed out. CONTD. ON NATION TWIST IN THE INDRANI CASE CHARUL SHAH JOSHI MUMBAI Human remains recovered by the Pen police in 2012, believed to be those of Sheena Bora after her alleged murder, are not traceable, the prosecution told the court on Thursday . The CBI was examining the 91st witness Dr Zeba – Khan, a forensic expert from J J Hospital, who had first examined the bones which Pen Police had recovered from the spot where Sheena’s body had been allegedly burnt, to dispose of, in 2012. At that time, after examining the bones, Khan had certified that the remains were human. During the examination RSS overhang on choice of party president by BJP GAURAV VIVEK BHATNAGAR NEW DELHI 0 The Narendra Modi government on Wednesday reappointed National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Principal Secretary to the PM, P Mishra, to their posts with ef.K. fect from June 10. A statement issued by the Centre also said that their tenure would be “co-terminus with the term of the Prime Minister or until further orders, whichever is earlier”. The order, therefore, means that both Doval and Mishra will continue in their positions as long as the PM remains in his position or until further orders. The two senior officials, the statement said, will be assigned the rank of a cabinet minister in the table of precedence during their term in office. CONTD. ON NATION SUNIDHI VIJAY / MUMBAI OUR BUREAU/ AGENCIES / NEW DELHI 0 31 c. 28 c. AFTER NADDA WHO and some among them have also moved away from the BJP However, with Prime . Minister Narendra Modi himself being an OBC, the party can discount this factor. It is also worth noting that in the last 10 years, both the party presidents, Amit Shah and JP Nadda, had served as BJP national general secretaries before they took up these posts and thus possessed the requisite organisational experience. CONTD. ON NATION of Dr Khan, in the previous hearing held on May 7, CBI Prosecutor C J Nandode had wanted to show the remains recovered by Pen Police, which she had initially examined for identification, to authenticate if they were the same. However, the remains could not be found, even after a search. Hence, the prosecution had sought time, stating, “The two packets received by the witness and examined by her are not readily traced on the record of the case. The articles are necessary and important to be shown to the witness.” The hearing was adjourned to allow the CBI to trace the alleged remains of Sheena. CONTD. ON NATION HAMARE BAARAH: SC STAYS RELEASE NEW DELHI The SC on Thursday stayed the release of movie 'Hamare Baarah' and asked the Bombay High Court to take an expeditious decision on a petition alleging that the film was insulting to Islam and married Muslim women. The movie was slated to be released on Friday The court . passed the order after hearing a petition challenging the Bombay High Court's refusal to stay the release of the movie, reports Bar and Bench. The petitioner had submitted that the High Court had directed an "interested party" -- the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) -- to form a committee to screen the movie. However, the moviemaker submitted that all objectionable scenes had been removed from the teasers. The court, however, LAST WORD rejected the claim. "We saw the teaser this morning and all scenes are there," it said. When the movie maker argued that he would have to incur losses on account of the stay order, the court said, "If the teaser is so offensive then what about the whole movie...’’ In this backdrop, the Apex Court asked the High Court to expeditiously decide the plea which essentially challenges the CBFC certificate of the movie. The High Court had restrained the filmmaker from releasing the movie till June 14. A day later it ordered the CBFC to form a panel of three individuals, including at least one member from the Muslim community , to view the movie. However, the court later allowed the release of the movie after the producers agreed to delete certain dialogues from it. CONTD. ON NATION TAILPIECE Naidu 4.0: Cleansing will start at Tirumala Cop’s son flings woman in air Poor quality and tasteless laddus are distributed; drugs and liquor are consumed at Tirumala; Red Sanders smugglers move unchecked in the forests VJM DIVAKAR / TIRUMALA Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who visited Tirumala Balaji temple on Thursday vowed , that his government would begin a process of cleaning each and every system which was impacted by five years of YS Jagan’s misrule. The clean-up would begin at the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams. Speaking to media persons on Thursday Naidu dwelt on , his long association with Tirupati-Tirumala since childhood and said he was unhappy at the ham-handed handling of matters relating to TTD by the previous government. “Since my student days I used to visit the temple regu- larly and Lord Balaji is our family deity till date. I may not engage in rituals/poojas but every day when I begin my work I offer a silent prayer to Lord Venkateswara to give me strength and vision to serve the people.” Elaborating on the irregularities in Tirumala, Naidu said anti social and unethical elements were involved in the affairs of TTD’s day-to-day administration. “These unscrupulous elements are responsible for distributing poor quality and tasteless laddus to turning the activities at Tirumala into a money making exercise.’’ Lord Venkateswara is being used to promote personal interests. Drugs and liquor are consumed at Tirumala. Red Sanders smugglers are moving unchecked in the forests of Tirumala. This will not be tolerated,” he said. CONTD. ON NATION FPJ NEWS SERVICE / PUNE A woman was grievously injured after being hit by a speeding car driven by the son of a policeman in PimpriChinchwad. The accident took place at Swaraj Chowk within the Bhosari MIDC Police Station jurisdiction on Wednesday afternoon when the woman was crossing the road. CCTV footage showed the woman being flung into the air and falling some distance away on being hit by the car. The driver of the car rushed the injured woman to hospital, where she is being treated for her injuries, according to residents of the area. The accident comes close on the heels of the Pune Porsche crash case, which continues to make headlines across the country . Police have arrested the driver of the car in Wednesday’s incident, identified as Vinay Vilas Naykere, under Sections 279 (rash or negligent driving), 337 (causing hurt to any person by doing any act negligently) and other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Motor Vehicle Act (MVA). The driver of the car and the woman were both at fault, X users said after CCTV footage of the accident went viral on social media. CONTD. ON NATION