Vol. 67 No. 258 | Tuesday, July 30, 2024 | 28 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL Leader in E-paper circulation lwww.freepressjournal.in NATION Rift in BJP? Elections not won on strength of govt but party: UP dy CM Maurya fp Briefs SC upholds Soren bail In a relief to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the Enforcement Directorate's plea challenging a high court order granting him bail in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. The apex court said the Jharkhand High Court's June 28 order granting bail to Soren was a "very well reasoned judgment". Speaking to the reporters, Soren stated that his imprisonment had been orchestrated under false pretences aimed at tarnishing his and his family's reputation. No SC stay on Patna verdict The Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay a Patna High Court order setting aside the amended reservation laws in Bihar that enabled the Nitish Kumar government to raise quotas for Dalits, tribals and backward classes from 50 per cent to 65 per cent. The bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, however, agreed to hear 10 petitions of the Bihar government against the Patna High Court verdict. SC begins Lok Adalat In a first, the first seven benches of the Supreme Court commenced a special Lok Adalat at 2 pm on Monday for an amicable resolution of disputes, with media cameras being allowed inside courtrooms. The week-long special Lok Adalat, celebrating 75 years of the Supreme Court, began with the aim to “facilitate amicable settlements of suitable pending cases”, in matters that have “elements of settlement”. EDITIONS: Dr Snehlata Deshmukh, the first woman dean of Lokmanya Tilak Hospital, Sion, and one of the two women to have served as vice chancellor (VC) at the University of Mumbai (MU), passed away on Monday. She was 85 years old. Dr Deshmukh has left behind a trailblazing legacy with her work in pre-natal and neo-natal care. Instrumental in setting up paediatric surgery departments at KEM and Sion hospitals, she is also recognised for her books on pregnancy that seek to blend ‘garbh sanskar’ with modern medical science. Full Report City Bridge mishap notice to Bihar The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Bihar government on a petition seeking to issue directions to the state government to conduct the highest level of structural audit of all existing and under-construction bridges in the state and to demolish or retrofit weak structures depending on feasibility. Recently there have been numerous cases of bridge collapse in the state. INDORE PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK KONKAN GAMES E-paper Member: Audit Bureau of Circulation (Jan to Dec 2023) Cinema Sonu Sood turns 51, here's what he told us Dravid backs Indian players to come good when cricket makes debut at LA Olympics Edit Is the federal structure in jeopardy? SLUGFEST |AAP, Delhi LG spar over master plan to desilt drains even as IAS aspirant tells CJI about the living hell ‘Aaj ka Arjun’ hopes to Home Ministry to probe break BJP chakravyuh coaching centre deaths BJP accused of using all stratagems to keep tenacious hold on nation, Rahul says will use census to break free Our Brueau NEW DELHI NEW DELHI The Union Home Ministry on Monday constituted a highlevel committee, headed by an Additional Secretary, to probe the death of three IAS aspirants at a coaching centre due to flooding of the building's basement. Its report is to be submitted in thirty days. The committee will inquire into the reasons, fix responsibility, suggest measures and recommend policy changes, a ministry spokesperson said. The decision to set up the committee came even as both Houses of Parliament took up a special discussion on the drowning. Preliminary investigation suggests a malfunction Police use water cannon to disperse BJP workers. PIC: PTI in the biometric doors prevented them from leaving the basement. There was much din with the BJP accusing the Aam Aadmi Party, which has a government in Delhi and also rules over the municipal corporation, of criminal negligence; the AAP, in turn, tried to Asli, Naqli NCP: SC seeks Ajit response Our Bureau NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Monday sought the responses of Ajit Pawar and his 40 MLAs on a plea moved by the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP challenging Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar's decision declaring the group led by the deputy chief minister as the real NCP. A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra took note of the submissions made by senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, who appeared on behalf of the Sharad Pawar faction, that the plea needed an urgent hearing keeping in mind that the term of the Assembly expires in November. The bench said it will hear the plea filed by Jayant Patil and Jitendra Awhad, lawmakers from the Sharad Pawar faction, just after it has heard a similar petition of the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray camp of the Shiv Sena. The Thackeray group has filed a similar petition contesting the speaker's decision in favour of Maharashtra Chief NCP (SP) wants narco test on Samit Kadam Raut raises questions on ‘Y’ security cover There are indications that more skeletons will shortly tumble out regarding the alleged pressure exerted by the BJP on former home minister and NCP (Sharad Pawar) leader Anil Deshmukh to sign affidavits against Uddhav Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray, Ajit Pawar and Anil Parab. Deshmukh, who was in Mumbai after the controversy erupted, reiterated his allegations against BJP leader and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis. “A person named Samit Kadam, a close associate of Fadnavis, had come to me three years ago and insisted on my signing an affidavit seeking to implicate Uddhav Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray and Parth Pawar, the son of Ajit Pawar, in false cases, to topple the then MVA government.’’ Samit had also offered to release Deshmukh from all ED and CBI cases lodged against him. “It is the policy of the BJP that you either go with them or go to jail,” alleged Deshmukh. The former home minister, who had to put in his papers in April 2021 following allegations of being set a ‘wasooli’ ‘target’ of Rs 100 crore  per month, showed photographs of Samit Kadam and Fadnavis together. 4Contd on | nation Delhi court on Monday suspended the five-month imprisonment sentence awarded to activist Medha Patkar in a 23-year-old criminal defamation case filed by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena. While sentencing Patkar, the Judicial Magistrate had ordered a one-month suspension of the sentence under Section 389(3) of the CrPC to allow Patkar to file an appeal against the judgment. Patkar was convicted by the Delhi court on May 24 in the case. Less than a month later, the Judge suspended her sentence. A Minister Eknath Shinde and his MLAs that they represent the real Shiv Sena. "We will issue notice. All objections, including on grounds of maintainability, will be decided at final disposal. Liberty is granted to serve the other respondents with 'dasti' (a mode of serving notices)," the CJI said. 4Contd on | nation Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday asserted that India was trapped in a modern-day “chakravyuh” (a term used in Mahabharata for a multi-tiered circular formation in which the enemy is trapped). He further suggested that the Mahabharata ‘chakravyuh’ had a lotus shape, thus drawing the Bharatiya Janata Party into the analogy. Warming to his theme, Rahul mentioned that PM Modi had the lotus symbol pinned on his chest like a badge of honor. Linking the analogy to the Union Budget, which was recently presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Gandhi said the BJP ‘chakravyuh’ is causing harm to crores of people. However, the INDIA bloc would prise it apart by passing the caste census. “As I said earlier, the INDIA bloc will ensure a statutory UT B 1-man probe panel gets 5 more experts More than two-and-a-half months after the Ghatkopar hoarding tragedy, in which 17 people lost their lives on May 13, the one-man committee appointed to probe has been expanded to five and has now finalised its terms and references, to prevent such incidents in future. The committee, as an- nounced earlier, will be headed by retired High Court Chief Justice Dilip Bhosale. The new members of the committee include – an additional commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), an officer from the state DGP office of the rank of additional director general of police, a structural engineer from IIT Bombay, to assess structural stability, a senior income-tax officer with experi- ence in probing financial irregularities or tax evasion, a chartered accountant (CA) who is an expert in probing business matters, financial issues and accounting, according to a state government order issued on Monday. The terms and reference of the committee will be as follows: ■ To examine the sequence of events/ causes and the consequences of the tragedy ■ To assess the role of the company responsible for the hoarding and the petrol pump, including their previous records, financial trails and any evidence of collusion with officials of various agencies ■ To review of the adequacy or otherwise of the process for approval/ installing hoardings at railway or police properties for welfare purposes 4Contd on | nation PTI The four-nation grouping Quad on Monday called for concerted action against all UN-listed terrorist groups, including LeT, JeM and their proxy outfits as it urged all countries to take im- 4Contd on | nation In a bizarre case, a shepherd found a 50-year-old US citizen chained to a tree in the jungles of Sindhudurg district, on Saturday evening. He alerted the police who rushed to the spot and freed the woman, who had reportedly been screaming for help for two days. Identified as Lalita Kayi, the woman was apparently from Tamil Nadu. How she happened to reach Sindhudurg from Tamil Nadu and end up being chained to a tree in the jungle near the village of Sonurli is the mystery.  Police have recovered Xerox copies of her US passport, an Aadhaar card with a Tamil Nadu address and other documents from her, a police officer said on Monday.  “The woman was rushed to a hospital, first in Sawantwadi, and later shifted to Oras in Sindhudurg. Considering her mental and physical state, she was shifted to Goa Medical College for advanced treatment. She is out of danger. Doctors treating her said she suffers from psychiatric problems. We have found medical prescrip- tions in her possession,” police added. The police are in touch with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office. The woman has been in centrated in two hands,’’ Rahul said while naming two industrial houses. This led to a major commotion with the BJP objecting and the Chair ruling that no names would go on record. Rahul then said with a touch of sarcasm, “We understand PM Modi wants to protect A1 and A2.” 4Contd on | nation mediate, sustained and irreversible action to prevent their territory from being used for terrorist purposes, in a veiled reference to Pakistan. In a joint statement issued after the Quad foreign ministers' meeting here, the Quad ministers "unequivocally" con- India for the past 10 years. “She is not in a position to give her statement. She is weak, not having eaten anything for two days and has taken ill after being exposed to heavy rains in the forest. We don’t know for how long she was tied to that tree. We believe that her husband, who hails from Tamil Nadu, tied her there and fled,” he said. Police teams have left for Tamil Nadu, Goa and other places, to trace her relatives. (With inputs from PTI) Pawar sees in state Manipur like portents PTI THANE n the uproar during his speech, Rahul Gandhi pulled out a photo of the halwa ceremony traditionally held at the finance ministry before the presentation of the budget. When he raised the photo the speaker Om Birla interjected: “You are now the leader of opposition I expect you to maintain decorum in the house.” Amidst the uproar Rahul said, The Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar has expressed serious concern over the potential for Manipur-like disturbances in Maharashtra, and underscored the need to maintain social unity. "There is a concern that such a thing will happen here too. Everyone should, therefore, work to create 'eksangha rashtra' (united nation) going beyond caste, creed and religion, he added. Pawar didn't specify the reason for his assessment; however, the remarks have come days after he flagged the "rift" among communities over the Maratha-OBC quota tussle; it has also come on the heels of recent criticism by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who dubbed the veteran Maratha politician a "ringleader of corruption". Addressing a Social Unity Conference in Navi Mumbai, Pawar also criticised the Centre's handling of ethnic strife in Manipur. "The prime minister never felt the need to visit Manipur in the wake of social disturbances in the north-eastern state. 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation Quad for concerted anti-terror action TOKYO I? Manu Bhaker put herself in contention for a second medal at Paris after making the bronze playoff of the 10m air pistol mixed team event. US woman found tied in Sindhudurg FPJ News Service M A guarantee of minimum support price and it would similarly pass the caste census,” Gandhi said, almost daring the Treasury benches. He said the INDIA bloc would similarly extricate the nation from the clutches of the BJP. “The ‘chakravyuh’ that has ensnared India has three forces backing it. The first is the notion of monopoly capital – so that the entire wealth is con- demned terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms including cross-border terrorism. "We strongly reiterate our condemnation of terrorist attacks, including the 26/11 Mumbai and Pathankot attacks and 4Contd on | nation offgrid MUMBAI E ER H W GHATKOPAR HOARDING TRAGEDY Ravikiran Deshmukh FPJ Political Bureau deflect the blame by raising generic questions on the use of basements in the area. As charges flew thick and fast, sources told news agency PTI that a proposal for a unified authority to desilt and manage 18 main drains emptying into the Yamuna River had been pending with Saurabh Bhardwaj, Delhi's Flood Control Minister, since August last year. LIVING HELL: The home ministry committee was set up even as a civil services aspirant, Avinash Dubey, sent a missive to Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud seeking action against officials responsible for the deaths. Medha term is suspended MUMBAI MUMBAI Dr Snehlata passes away MUMBAI Tailpiece THE HALWA IN BUDGET I