Wednesday, May 14, 2025 | 30 Pages | `5 & for State (+6 pages) `6 Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL Vol. 68 No. 189 | Leader in E-paper circulation l www.freepressjournal.in ● EDITIONS: ● MUMBAI ● INDORE ● PUNE ● BHOPAL ● NASHIK ● KONKAN ● E-paper ● Member: Audit Bureau of Circulation (July to December 2024) NATION 21 killed in Punjab hooch tragedy, CM Mann faces Opposition wrath GAMES Cinema Simi Garewal to make her Cannes debut Sunil Gavaskar doubtful of Rohit and Virat playing at the 2027 ODI World Cup Edit Can BJP bank on the national sentiment in Bihar polls? NO CHANGE IN POLICY | Foreign Ministry rejects suggestion of any mediation, re-iterates Indus Waters Treaty remains suspended till Pak “credibly and irrevocably abjures” support to terrorism Kashmir remains bilateral matter FPJ News Service MUMBAI In a sharp and unequivocal rebuke to US President Donald Trump’s recent boasts, India on Tuesday dismissed all claims of third-party mediation in the recent military standoff with Pakistan. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) firmly reiterated its time-honoured position that the issue of Jammu and Kashmir remains strictly bilateral and cannot be internationalised. “We have a longstanding national position that any issues pertaining to the Indian Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir have to be addressed by India and Pakistan bilaterally,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal at a press briefing in New Delhi. “That stated policy has not changed. The outstanding matter is the vacation of illegally occupied Indian territory by Pakistan.” Jaiswal was responding to Trump’s assertions that his administration had “brokered a full and immediate ceasefire” between the two nucleararmed neighbours by offering trade incentives. India minced no words in debunking the claim. “The issue of trade did not come up in any of the discussions,” said the MEA in a statement. “From the time Operation Sindoor commenced on May 7 till the understanding DELHI EXPELS PAK OFFICIAL India on Tuesday expelled a Pakistani official working at the Pakistan high commission for indulging in activities not in keeping with his official status. He was given 24 hours to leave India. PTI reports that a demarche also had been issued to the Pakistani Charge d' Affaires in New Delhi on the activities of the official. The official was not identified. The usual pattern is that Islamabad retaliates proportionately. ‘Lakshman Rekha against Girls shine bright terror very clearly drawn’ in board results Vikrant Jha MUMBAI PTI NEW DELHI With an S-400 missile defence system in the backdrop, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent a firm message Tuesday from Adampur Air Base to Pakistan: Not only have you failed to harm any of India's military installations but you will be annihilated if terrorism continues from your soil. In his first speech to the armed forces since Operation Sindoor, Modi lauded the military for humbling Pakistan in the four-day engagement that resulted in the destruction of nine terror sites, killing of over 100 terrorists and damage to its eight military installations. "Aatank ke viruddh Bharat ki Lakshman Rekha ekdam spasht hai. Ab phir koi terror attack hua to Bharat jawab dega, pakka jawab dega. (India's Lakshman Rekha against terrorism is now crystal clear. India will respond and definitely respond if hit by a PM Modi addresses the soldiers at Adampur air base, with S-400 in the background. –ANI PM signals from Adampur air base which houses the Russian-made S-400 defence shield that Pak targeted but couldn’t pierce terror attack)," he said, in an over 27-minute speech which echoed the message of his address to the nation on Monday night. But the significance of the speech was immense. It was delivered from the Adampur base, merely 100 km from the Pakistan border, which Pakistan claimed to have destroyed along with the S-400 missile defence system. India had rubbished the claims and TV cameras following Modi corroborated that. 4Contd on | Nation PTI NEW DELHI related to law," the CJI said. Responding to a query related to the cash discovery controversy involving high court judge Justice Yashwant Vermam, he said, "Judicial thinking has to be decisive and adjudicatory." 4Contd on | Nation 4Contd on | Nation Agencies NEW DELHI CJI-designate Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai with outgoing CJI Sanjiv Khanna (R) at a farewell function. –PTI post-retirement official assignments, and that he would continue his innings in law. Justice Khanna, who was elevated to the top court in January 18, 2029, was appointed as the CJI on November 11, 2024 and demitted office on Tuesday. "I will have a third innings and will do something EC: Duplicate voter ID glitch resolved The Election Commission has resolved the issue of voter cards having similar numbers and those with such cards have been issued fresh ones with new numbers, sources said on Tuesday. The number of similar electoral photo identity card or EPIC numbers found were "miniscule", averaging to around one in four polling stations, they said. During the field-level verification, it was found that holders of such similar EPIC numbers were genuine electors in different assembly constituencies and different polling stations, the sources said. Every voter's name is in the electoral roll of the polling station, where he or she is an ordinary resident. Having had an EPIC of similar number never enabled any such person to vote at any other polling station. Thus, the issue of a similar EPIC could not have impacted the results of any elections, they asserted. ‘Judiciary has to earn public trust’ In message to his colleagues and others in his farewell remarks Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna declared that, “The public trust which the judiciary has, it cannot be commanded. It has to be earned. And we earn it through the members of the bar and the bench. Judiciary is a common term which refers to both the judges and the bar. You (bar) are a built-in check apart from the other checks on the system. . You (bar) are the conscience-keeper." As for his successor, CJI Khanna said that Justice Gavai will be an excellent Chief Justice who "is going to uphold the institution, the fundamental rights, and uphold the basic doctrines of law."He also said he wasn't going to accept any Results of three major school examinations — SSC (Class 10) under the Maharashtra State Board, and Class 10 and 12 under the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) — were declared on Tuesday, with girls once again outperforming boys across both boards. In Maharashtra, the State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education recorded a pass percentage of 94.10% for the SSC exams. Out of 16,11,610 students, girls outperformed boys with a pass percentage of 96.14%, compared to 92.31% for E-passports rolled out in 13 cities FPJ News Service MUMBAI Embedded Electronic Microchip: India on Tuesday formally launched the first phase of its much-anticipated epassport initiative in 13 cities, signalling a major leap in passport modernisation and document security. These next-generation passports blend traditional paper formats with embedded electronic chips, aiming to streamline identity verification and prevent forgery. The initiative is being implemented under the broader Passport Seva Pro- l The passport contains a secure, contactless electronic chip embedded on its back cover. l This chip stores the holder’s personal details, biometric data (like a digital photograph), and travel history. gramme (PSP) Version 2.0, which was initiated in April 2024. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), this is the initial rollout in what will eventually KEY FEATURES ICAO Standards: l The e-passport is compliant with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, making it readable globally by immigration systems. Enhanced Security: l The chip includes digital signatures and en- be a nationwide transition, with all Passport Seva Kendras expected to issue epassports by mid-2025. The cities included in the first phase are Nagpur, Bhubanes- cryption to prevent data tampering, cloning, or forgery. l Any attempts to alter the information will render the chip invalid. Faster Immigration Clearance: l At airports, the chip allows for quicker verification, reducing wait times and improving the passenger experience. war, Jammu, Goa, Shimla, Raipur, Amritsar, Jaipur, Chennai, Hyderabad, Surat, Ranchi, and Delhi. 4Contd on | Nation boys — a gap of 3.83 percentage points. The Konkan division topped the chart with a 98.82% success rate, followed by Kolhapur (96.87%) and Mumbai (95.84%). Notably, 211 students across the state secured a perfect 100% score, with Latur alone contributing 113 of them. The CBSE also announced results for Class 10 and 12. In Class 10, 1.99 lakh students scored above 90%, and 45,000 achieved above 95%. For Class 12, the overall pass percentage stood at 88.39%. Girls continued their lead, with a pass percentage of 91.64%, compared to 85.70% for boys. 4See also | Mumbai on cessation of firing and military action on May 10, there were conversations between Indian and US leaders on the evolving military situation. The issue of trade did not come up in any of the discussions.” Refuting Trump’s claim that his intervention prevented a nuclear war, Jaiswal said, “The military action was entirely in the conventional domain. 4Contd on | Nation Retail inflation hits 6-yr low FPJ News Service MUMBAI Headline inflation (year-onyear) based on All India Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the month of April 2025 eased to 3.16%, hitting its lowest level since July 2019. There is a decline of 18 basis points in headline inflation for the month of April 2025 as compared to March, marking the lowest monthly inflation rate in 69 months, according to official data released by the National Statistics Office on Tuesday. The decline in headline inflation and food inflation during the month of April 2025 is attributed to decline in infla- tion of vegetables, pulses and products, fruits, meat and fish, personal care and effects and cereals and products. Kerala recorded the highest combined year-on-year inflation rate at 5.94%, and Telan- gana the lowest at 1.26%. Karnataka recorded 4.26% inflation, Jammu & Kashmir (4.25%), Punjab (4.09%), Maharashtra (3.56%), Tamil Nadu (3.41%), West Bengal (3.16%), Andhra Pradesh (2.59%), Gujarat (2.51%), and Delhi (1.77%). Food inflation rate based on All India Consumer Food Price Index for the month of April 2025 over April 2024 stood at 1.78%. A sharp decline of 91 bps was observed in food inflation in April 2025. The food inflation in April 2025 is the lowest after October 2021.Corresponding food inflation rate for rural and urban areas were 1.85% and 1.64%, respectively. 4Full report | Money