FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLI No. 310 | INDORE | FRIDAY | APRIL 18, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in JACKS OF ALL TRADES fp NAGPUR HC notice to Fadnavis The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court on Thursday issued notice to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in a poll petition challenging his 2024 win from the Nagpur South West assembly seat. The poll petition was filed in January by Congress' Prafulla Vinodrao Gudadhe, who had lost to Fadnavis by a margin of 39,710 votes. In the plea, Gudadhe alleged procedural lapses and corrupt practices and had sought that the HC declare Fadnavis' win "null and void". NEW DELHI Reprieve for Bengal teachers In a major relief, the Supreme Court on Thursday extended till December 31 the services of terminated teachers found untainted by the CBI. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar considered West Bengal's submissions that the terminations adversely impacted teaching in various state-run and aided schools. The order came on the pleas of the state government, which moved court after the April 3 verdict. The top court judgment invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teachers and staffers in various schools, calling the entire selection process "vitiated and tainted". BIJAPUR 22 Naxalites arrested Twenty two Naxalites have been arrested and explosive materials seized from them at three places in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, police said on Thursday. Seven lower rung cadres were apprehended on Tuesday from a forest near Tekmetla village under Usoor police station area, when a joint team of the CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action- an elite unit of CRPF) and local police was out on an area domination operation, an official said. Today in IPL P.12 FP News Service MUMBAI The Supreme Court’s ongoing examination of the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 took a turn on Thursday as the Centre assured that it would not denotify any waqf properties nor proceed with appointments to the Central Waqf Council and State Waqf Boards until May 5 which is the next day of hearing. This assurance from Solicitor General Tushar Mehta prompted the bench, led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, to defer interim directions but maintain judicial oversight over a deeply contentious matter. The Centre’s stand was prompted by the court’s proposal to stay provisions that allowed waqf properties—especially those recognised through centuries of uninterrupted religious usage, or Cheetahs coming to Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary FP News Service NEEMUCH Mandsaur's Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary will soon become the second home for cheetahs in Madhya Pradesh, with Chief Minister Mohan Yadav scheduled to participate in a special release programme on April 20. This development follows the successful introduction of cheetahs at Kuno Sanctuary, where increasing numbers have demonstrated that Madhya Pradesh provides a favourable environment for these magnificent cats. BENGALURU; 7.30 PM (DETAIL ON SPORTS PAGE) UJJAIN “waqf by user”—to be denotified, and to question the inclusion of non-Muslim members in Muslim religious administrative bodies. “If the registration of a waqf property took place under the erstwhile 1995 Act, then such properties cannot be denotified while the court is hearing the matter,” observed the CJI, indicating the gravity of preserving long-standing religious rights. 4Continued on | P8 n SC seeks Centre’s reply within a week. n Centre assures no appointments or denotification of Waqf properties till May 5. n ‘Waqf by user’ properties to remain untouched. n CJI flags constitutional issues. n SC warns against altering status quo. PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK Our staff reporter As many as 70 officials were served a departmental charge sheet in the nursing scam on Thursday. These officers were assigned the inspection of nursing colleges and have been given 15 days’ time to SC TO CONSIDER Succession law: Can it cover Muslims? PTI NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to examine the question if Muslims can be governed by secular Indian succession law to deal with their ancestral and self-acquired properties instead of Shariat without renouncing their faith. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar took note of a plea filed by Naushad K K, who hails from Kerala's Thrissur, seeking to be governed by the succession law instead of Shariat without renouncing Islam. The court issued notices to the Centre and Kerala for their responses. "The present writ petition.seeks judicial recognition and protection of the right of Muslim individuals to testamentary autonomy-specifically, the right to opt out of the testamentary limitations imposed by Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) if they explicitly and voluntarily choose to do so," Naushad said in his plea. NEW DELHI India on Thursday said there is a possibility of resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra soon and preparations for it are underway. India and China have been looking at resuming the Kailash Mansarovar VP slams judicial overreach FP News Service MUMBAI Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday mounted a trenchant critique on judicial overreach, questioning the legality of judges' immunity from criminal investigation and calling for an urgent probe into the alleged discovery of cash at a Delhi High Court judge’s residence. He also described Article 142 of the Constitution as a “nuclear missile against democratic forces,” demanding a structural relook at how substantial constitutional matters are decided in court. Article 142 of the Indian Constitution grants the Supreme Court broad powers to ensure "complete justice" in “Is the committee under the Constitution of India? No. Is this committee of three judges having any sanction under any law emanating from Parliament? No...” any matter before it.  4Continued on | P8 SHAH VOWS TO END NAXALISM BY MARCH 2026 Sarang corners Singh; Cong leader comes in support of ex-CM Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Former chief minister Digvijaya Singh, known for creating controversy with his statements, has again kicked up a row. During a protest in Shajapur against ED charge sheets in connection with the National Herald case, Singh said when Babri Mosque became a martyr, he was the MPCC president. Bhopal did not see such riots even in 1947 as it did after the fall of Babri Mosque. He said he had spent two weeks in the state party office. When he was saying this, his tongue slipped. Instead of saying he had stopped riots, Singh said he had let it happen. NURSING COLLEGE SCAM reply. Nursing officers, doctors, and SDMs were in the team. However, SDMs are not mentioned in the charge sheet.  Nursing college principal, Gandhi Medical College (GMC), Radhika Nayar has been removed. Earlier, notices were served to the former principal of GMC’s nursing Yatra as part of efforts to improve ties after the two countries completed disengagement of troops at the two remaining friction points of Demchok and Depsang under the framework of a pact sealed in October last year. 4Continued on | P8 college, Rosy Shahul, DrJitendra Mahaver, Dr Harisingh Makwana, Dr Sandeep Kumar, Dr Virendra Kumar, Rajani Nair, PriadarshaniDeharia. But so far, no action has been taken against them. The then health commissioner had served 110 officials, and now, charge sheets have been given to only 70 officials. In February 2024, the CBI had submitted a list of 308 nursing colleges, divided into three categories: suitable, defi- cient, and unsuitable, to the high court. Of these, 66 colleges werecategorised as unsuitable, 132 as suitable, 37 as suitable with minor deficiency, and 73 as deficient. Director of Medical Education (DME) Dr A.K. Shrivastava said, “The inspection team consisting of nursing staff, doctors, and SDMs was assigned the task of inspection of nursing colleges. 4Continued on | P8 Union Home Minister Amit Shah honours 2,264 CRPF martyrs and their families' contribution to India's progress FP News Service NEEMUCH Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that Naxalism, which is confined to just four districts in India, will be eliminated by March 31, 2026, and the CRPF is the "backbone" of this mission. Shah added that he is confident of victory wherever the CRPF is deployed. Shah was speaking at Central Reserve Police Force's (CRPF) 86th Raising Day function as the chief guest in Neemuch on Thursday. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav was also present. He said the CRPF's contribution to national security is unparalleled, whether it is Cause of fire not known, further probe is on: Cops fighting terrorists in the Kashmir valley, or ensuring peace in the Northeast. Highlighting contributions of CRPF, Shah further said, "2,264 among you have sacrificed their lives. I want to say to families of all the martyrs that as the nation moves forward towards becoming the supreme power by 2047, your families' contribution is immense." Shah commenced the event by honouring the fallen soldiers at the Shaheed Sthal (Martyrs’ Memorial). Following this solemn tribute, he reviewed the ceremonial parade from an open jeep. 4Continued on | P8 A 5-year-old girl was burned to death after a fire broke out in a hut in Bhitarwar area on Wednesday night, a police official said. As per reports, the incident occurred in Gajna Bajna area, under the jurisdiction of the Belgadha police station, where the hut was completely engulfed in flames. Despite the valiant efforts of local residents who attempted to extinguish the fire, they were unable to control it in time. Emergency services were alerted and police and administration officials were notified. SDOP Jitendra Nagaich and Belgadha police station in-charge Ajay Sikarwar rushed to the spot in hopes of rescuing the trapped child. Unfortunately, by the time rescuers reached her, the young girl had succumbed to severe burns and smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire was immediately not known and further probe is on to ascertain cause of fire, officials said. Hindi mandatory 3rd language in Maha PTI MUMBAI Maharashtra Government has decided that Hindi as a third language will be mandatory for students in classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English-medium schools across the state, in a departure from the practice of studying two languages. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray slammed the move, adding his party will oppose the decision vehemently and ensure that it is not imple- mented. The three-language formula for classes 1 to 5 is a part of the new curriculum implementation under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. 4Continued on | P8 5 killed, 4 hurt in US varsity shooting Pak army chief stirs IANS WASHINGTON Multiple victims were reported in a shooting at the Florida State University (FSU) in Florida state on Thursday. WFTV9, an Orlando-based news station, reported that five people were killed and four injured, the fatalities citing unidentified law enforcement sources, who also put the number of alleged shooters at two, one of whom is dead and the other is in custody. These numbers had not been announced by auth- orities yet." An active shooter has been reported in the area of the Student Union," the university's alert system said in an alert. US President Donald Trump, who is a resident of Florida but was in the White House at the time, said he had been briefed and called the shooting a "shame". 4Continued on | P8 Hints of ‘biological life’ in faraway planet Agencies WASHINGTON Nikku Madhusudhan duced by simple organisms. The discovery was possible through the James Webb 5-year-old girl burned to death in hut fire FP News Service 4Continued on | P8 When minister Vishvas Sarang shared a video of Singh’s statement on social media, he wrote it indicated that Singh had engineered riots after the fall of Babri Mosque. Nothing can be more objectionable than the way Singh said Babri Mosque was a martyr. What lies in Singh’s heart comes to his lips, Sarang said. Congress leader KK Mishra and senior journalist Lajja Shankar Herdenia came in support of Singh. Both of them said Sarang’s statement was wrong. Herdenia said Singh was trying to stop riots. An FIR in this country can be registered against anyone—any constitutional functionary, including the one before you. One has only to activate the rule of law. No permission is required. But if it is judges—FIR cannot be straightaway registered. It has to be approved by the concerned in judiciary. But that is not given in the Constitution. DATIA offgrid Space scientists have found new but tentative evidence that a faraway world orbiting another star may be home to life. Reuters and BBC reported that team studying the atmosphere of a planet called K2-18b has detected signs of molecules which on Earth are only pro- We cannot have a situation where you direct the President of India, and on what basis? Digvijaya calls fall of Babri Mosque as ‘martyr’, his tongue slips on riots Kailash Mansarovar Yatra to resume soon PTI E-paper Cinema Darr 2 on the cards? P.14 Officers, docs among 70 served charge sheet GMC nursing college principal removed MUMBAI Edit Bigotry under the surface P.6 Fitch cuts India growth estimates by 10 bps to 6.4% MATCH NO. 34 RCB Vs PBKS INDORE STATUS QUO ON WAQF TILL MAY 5 BHOPAL How would Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray react to the current-day politics and Eknath Shinde's Sena? Uddhav Thackeray's faction of Shiv Sena has tried to answer that question, with an AIgenerated voice of the Sena founder. The audio clip, played at a Sena (UBT) gathering in Nashik yesterday, was also done with an eye to shoring up the party's prospects after the assembly polls debacle. The 13-minute speech attacked the BJP and the Shiv Sena faction under Shinde. EDITIONS: UNDER SC LENS | Centre halts appointments, denotification of Waqf properties as SC examines constitutional validity of amendments MUMBAI AI Bal Thackeray attacks Shinde iii QUALITY @ VALUE MONEY Sports Briefs ESTD-1983 Space Telescope which detected chemical fingerprints of gases that on Earth are produced only by biological processes. The two gases - dimethyl sulfide, or DMS, and dimethyl disulfide, or DMDS - involved in Webb's observations of the planet named K2-18 b are generated on Earth by living organisms, primarily microbial life such as marine phytoplankton – algae. This suggests the planet may be teeming with microbial life, the researchers said. 4Continued on | P8 old two-nation pot FP News Service MUMBAI Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir has reignited ideological fault lines by asserting that Pakistanis abroad must never forget they belong to a “superior ideology and culture.” Addressing the Overseas Pakistani Convention in Islamabad on Thursday Munir urged expatriates to act as ambassadors of Pakistan and to inculcate the same belief in their children. “Our forefathers believed that we were different from Hindus in every possible aspect—our religion, customs, traditions, thoughts, and ambitions,” Munir declared, invoking the divisive Two-Nation Theory that led to the 1947 Partition. “This was the foundation of Pakistan,” he said, stressing that this ideological distinctiveness must be preserved across generations, even in the diaspora. The Army Chief invoked Allama Iqbal and the vision of Riyasat-e-Tayyaba, portraying Pakistan as a unique Islamic state whose values should not be diluted by Western influences. His remarks sought to recentre Pakistan’s identity around Islam and a civilisational contrast with India. Toward the end of his speech, Munir turned to Kashmir, describing it as Pakistan’s “jugular vein”—a metaphor long used by the military establishment to underline the emotional and territorial centrality of the region in Pakistan’s worldview. 4Continued on | P8