FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. XLI No. 117 | INDORE | FRIDAY | OCTOBER 4, 2024 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports Felt alive again after winning WC: Rohit P.14 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE WORLD Centre to SC: No need to criminalise marital rape In its counter-affidavit, the Union Home Ministry endorsed the existing rape law that carves out an exception for sexual relations between a husband and wife. NEW DELHI The Union government on Thursday filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court opposing petitions that have called for the criminalisation of marital rape. The Centre told the Supreme Court there is no need to criminalise marital rape as there are other "suitably designed punitive measures". It also contended that it is not within the jurisdiction of the Apex Court to criminalise marital rape. The Central government asserted that the issue is more of a social than a legal one, which has a direct bearing on society, in general. While so, even if fp Briefs NEW DELHI Isha case: SC takes over In a relief for Jaggi Vasudev's Isha Foundation, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Tamil Nadu Police to not act further in pursuance of the Madras High Court order asking it to probe alleged illegal confinement of two women at its ashram. The apex court transferred to itself a habeas corpus petition filed before the high court. CHANDIGARH Campaigning ends in Haryana Campaign in Haryana for the October 5 assembly polls came to an end Thursday evening as the BJP hopes to buck anti-incumbency to retain power for a third consecutive term and Congress eyes a comeback after a decade-long hiatus. HYDERABAD Azhar skips ED summons Former Indian cricket captain and Congress leader Mohammad Azharuddin on Thursday failed to appear before the ED in a money laundering case linked to alleged financial irregularities in the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), official sources said. 'marital rape' is to be criminalised, it is not up to the Supreme Court to do so, the Centre argued. "The (issue) cannot be decided without proper consultation with all the stakeholders or taking the views of all the States into consideration ...’’ it was pointed out. The Centre agreed that the act colloquially referred to as 'marital rape' ought to be illegal and criminalized. A woman's consent is not obliterated by marriage, and its viol- BHOPAL NASHIK ation should result in penal consequences. However, the consequences of such violations within marriage differ from those outside it, the affidavit contended. It added that a breach of consent should be punished differently, depending on whether such an act occurs within or outside a marriage. In a marriage, there is a continuing expectation to have reasonable sexual access from one's spouse, the Centre observed. It MUMBAI E-paper Edit No walkover in Haryana, J&K P.8 Cinema Bhaskar Jha celebrates Oscar nod P.12 Biden not to back strike on N-sites FP News Service NEW YORK clarified that such expectations do not entitle a husband to coerce his wife into having sex against her will. However, it may be excessive and disproportionate to punish a man under anti-rape laws for such an act, the Centre said. It further highlighted that Parliament has already provided different remedies to protect a married woman's consent within marriage. These remedies include laws punishing cruelty to married women (Section 498A under the Indian Penal Code), laws punishing acts against the modesty of women and remedies under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005. US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he would not support a strike by Israel on Iranian nuclear sites in retaliation for Tuesday’s missile attack. He made this clear hours after he concurred with G-7 leaders on imposing new sanctions on Iran following the ballistic missile attack on Israel. Asked whether he would support a decision to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, Biden said, “The answer is no. All seven of us agree that they have a right to respond but they should respond in proportion.” Biden's response is being seen as an attempt to restrain Israel from taking steps that could lead to the escalation of the war and further destabilize the region. 4Continued on | P6 4Continued on | P6 CS talks tough, points defects in metro design Says responsibility should be fixed for the shortcomings Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Chief Secretary (CS) Anurag Jain took charge on Thursday. In his first meeting with the officers after taking over as CS, Jain displayed his toughness as an administrator. He directed the officials to fix responsibility for the faulty design of the metro project and take action against the guilty. A problem cropped up in the design of the metro and flyover near the Gayatri temple. Since the road beneath the metro lines was high, dumpers running on the road were touching the flyover. When the issue came to ACS Rajesh Rajora with CS Anurag Jain light, the road was dug up to manage the system. The same situation occurred near Aishbagh where the PWD bridge is touching the flyover meant for metro. Those who have shown negligence in such an important work should be punished, Jain said, adding that the officers should not count on consultants and use their intelligence to appreciate the pros and cons of a project. Jain also expressed anger at the slow progress of mining and tourism projects. The state should send the projects to the Central Government after full preparation. If there is any problem with the Central Government, he should be informed about it, Jain said, adding that the state government has a fine opportunity to work for the Central Government’s projects. When the officers began to introduce themselves, Jain said there was no need for it, as he knows almost all the officers. He further said the important projects of the Central Government and those of the state government should be done on priority. There are many land banks in MP which should be properly used, he said, adding that something must be done to improve financial condition of the state. FIR against four protesting India trashes US Religious Freedom report guest faculty members Agencies NEW DELHI Guest teachers did not have permission to stage protest, say police Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL A day after scores of guest faculty teachers had congregated at the Ambedkar Ground at Second number bus stop in Bhopal, to protest against the state government and the education department and demand regularisation, the police have registered an FIR against four of the guest faculty members. ‘NOT TERRORISTS’ State president of Guest Faculty Samanvay Samiti, Sunil Singh Parihar, condemned the lathi-charge and FIRs by the police. He said that the police must withdraw the FIRs registered against the guest faculty members. “The guest faculty members are neither terrorists nor criminals, and the demands raised by them are completely justified. If the FIRs are not withdrawn, 1 lakh guest faculty members shall again congregate and protest against the government,” he added. ‘Savarkar ate beef, not against cow slaughter’ PTI BENGALURU Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has claimed that Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar used to eat meat and was not against cow slaughter. "Savarkar, a 'Chitpavan Brahmin', used to eat meat. He was a non-veg eater and he was not against cow slaughter. He was modern in a way," he said at an event here on Wednesday. "Some say that he used to eat beef as well. As a Brahmin, he used to eat meat and was openly propagating eating meat. So he had that thinking," the Minister claimed. Rao added that Mahatma Gandhi was a vegetarian and had a firm faith in Hinduism "but his actions were different. He was a democratic person." "(Founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali) Jinnah was another extreme. He was a hardcore Islamist believer. He used to drink wine and it is said that he used to eat pork as well but he became a Muslim icon after the two-nation theory and politics. But Jinnah was not a fundamentalist but Savarkar was a fundamentalist," he said. On Thursday, explaining the context in which he made the comments, the Minister said there was a discussion on Mahatma Gandhi's assassination in a book release event where he had a 'very healthy discussion'. "It was basically an observation on the contrast between Mahatma Gandhi and Savarkar. 4Continued on | P6 TT Nagar ACP Chandrashekhar Pandey told Free Press that four guest faculty members, against whom an FIR has been registered, have been identified as KC Pawar, the state president of the guest faculty association, and three other members of the association - BM Khan, Mukesh Joshi and Santosh. A case has been registered against them under Section 223 of the BNS, he added. ACP Pandey said that the police had to resort to lathicharge, and take the legal course, as the protests had been taking place without permission. The police had even warned the agitating guest faculty that they would open fire on them. Cabinet to meet in Singrampur tomorrow Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The second meeting of the Mohan Yadav-led cabinet outside the state capital is going to be held in Singrampur area on Saturday. The area is known as the capital of queen Durgavati. The cabinet members will also visit the historical places around Singrampur. The ministers will also visit the fort of queen Durgavati, offer prayers and garland the statue of the queen. A conference on Ladli Behna will also be held in Singrampur village together with the cabinet meeting. At the meet, Yadav will transfer money to the accounts of the beneficiaries of the Ladli Behna Yojna and those of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojna. Yadav will interact with Behnas. 4Continued on | P6 offgrid UK gives up its ‘last African colony’ FPJ News Service LONDON Britain announced on Thursday it would give up sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a deal that would allow people displaced decades ago to return home while London retained use of the UKU.S. military base on Diego Garcia. Britain said that the operation of Diego Garcia, a stra- PUNE 15 Hezbollah militants killed in Israeli strike UNION GOVT’S LOGIC: It is not a legal matter for the court to address Online Report UJJAIN PRESS tegic airbase in the Indian Ocean jointly operated with the United States, was protected by the agreement, which also allows Mauritius to resettle the rest of the islands after its population was displaced. Diego Garcia's strategic importance was demonstrated during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, where it acted as a launch pad for long-range bombers. Britain, which has controlled the region since 1814, kept the Chagos Islands in 1965 instead of giving it to Mauritius – a former colony that became independent three years later – to create the British Indian Ocean Territory. 4Continued on | P6 Rubbishing a report by a US federal government commission which has pointed to the alleged worsening of religious freedom in India and called for it being designated a "country of particular concern", the Ministry of External Affairs CHARGES LEVELLED IN REPORT “This report highlights how, throughout 2024, individuals have been killed, beaten, and lynched by vigilante groups, religious leaders have been arbitrarily arrested, and homes and places of worship have been demolished. These events constitute particularly severe violations of religious freedom," the commission said in the document. has termed it an attempt to "peddle a motivated narrative". Responding to queries on the annual report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), the ministry's spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said its views on the "biased organisation with a political agenda" are well known. "Our views on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) are well known. 4Continued on | P6