Thursday, May 15, 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. 190 | 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) GAMES NATION Bulletproof vehicle added to EAM Jaishankar’s convoy UNNECESSARY COFFEE BREAKS | On the larger issue of belated delivery of verdicts, judges say mandatory guidelines are necessary to safeguard trust in the system SC mulls performance audit of high courts Agencies Some of the judges, we know, they work so hard, their commitment is something that we In a matter pertaining to the always feel proud...but there are delay of nearly 3 years by the other judges who are unforJharkhand High Court in pro- tunately disappointing us... there nouncing verdict in reserved are certain things we are hearcriminal appeals, the ing and maybe this Supreme Court on matter we would like Tuesday expressed to be very frank and inclination to examblunt to deal with ine the "performance some of the avoidable outputs" of High issues which are unCourts across the necessarily inviting country. decision in terms of Live Law reported Justice Surya Kant functioning of High that the Court also Courts...they are questioned certain usually getting up for High Court judges' tea break, coffee practice of rising for break, this break, that tea/coffee breaks, break...why don't they while commenting continuously work that if the judges only till...? Except that you take lunch breaks, need a lunch break. It there would be better will be better perJustice NK Singh performance and reformance, better results. “We would like to examine sult also", observed Justice Surya a very larger issue that what is Kant. A bench of Justices Kant the output of the High Courts? and N Kotiswar Singh was dealHow much we are spending on ing with a petition filed by 4 conthe system, what is the actual victs, as judgments on their output? What is the perform- criminal appeals were heard ance scale? What is the bench- and reserved by the High Court mark which should be there? NEW DELHI We would like to examine a very larger issue that what is the output of the high courts? How much we are spending on the system, what is the actual output? What is the performance scale? What is the benchmark which should be there? about 2-3 years back, but the orders remained to be pronounced. On Tuesday it emerged that after the top Court's intervention, the High Court acquitted 3 of the convicts and delivered a split verdict in case of the 4th. Albeit, all 4 were ordered to be released from custody. Considering the above developments, the bench led by Justice Kant turned its focus onto the larger issue raised by the case - that is, belated delivery of judgments. "The timeline prescribed earlier by this Court for pronouncement of judgments will have to be adhered to, alongwith the mechanisms we propose to [evolve]", the judge said. IANS adds: The petitioners belonged to Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. The Supreme Court said such delays highlight the need for clear guidelines to uphold public confidence in the judicial process and to ensure that convicts and undertrials do not feel that they have been denied justice. 4Contd on | Nation .... high courts...they are usually getting up for tea break, coffee break, this break, that break...why don't they continuously work till...? Except that you need a lunch break. It will be better performance, better result also. SC pushes for footpath guidelines PTI NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed all states and union territories to frame guidelines to ensure proper footpaths for pedestrians calling it their constitutional right. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan observed in the absence of footpaths pedestrians were forced to walk on roads, making them vulnerable to risks and accidents. "It is necessary to have proper footpaths for citizens. They should be such that they should be accessible for persons with disabilities and removal of encroachments is mandatory. This court has recognised that the right of pedestrians to use footpaths is guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution," it said. The top court added, "Right to have footpaths which are unobstructed is certainly an essential characteristic." 4Contd on | nation Justice Surya Kant Briefs Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has suspended its academic MoU with Turkiye’s Inonu University due to national security concerns. Signed on February 3, the 3-year agreement included faculty and student exchange programmes. Online platforms like EaseMyTrip and Ixigo have issued advisories against travel to Turkiye, while boycott calls for Turkish goods gain momentum across India. See Nation India slams China perfidy India on Wednesday hit back at China’s latest bid to lay symbolic claim to Arunachal by renaming locations in the state — a move New Delhi dismissed as both “preposterous” and utterly ineffective. The retort came after Beijing released a fresh list of so-called "standardised" names for places in Arunachal Pradesh, which China continues to refer to as "South Tibet" — a narrative India has consistently rejected. See Nation Justice Gavai sworn in CJI Agencies NEW DELHI Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, 64, who has been part of several benches that delivered landmark rulings including the one upholding the Centre's decision to abrogate provisions of Article 370 bestowing special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was on Wednesday sworn in as the 52nd Chief Justice of India. Administered oath by President Droupadi Murmu at a brief ceremony at the Ganatantra Mandap in the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Justice Gavai succeeds Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who demitted office on Tuesday on attaining the age of 65. CJI Gavai, who was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019, will have a tenure of over six months and would demit office on November 23. He took the oath of affirmation in Hindi. Soon after he took oath, CJI President Droupadi Murmu administers the oath of office to Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai as 52nd Chief Justice of India. (R) CJI Gavai seeks blessings from his mother Kamaltai Gavai –PTI Gavai sought blessings of his mother Kamal Tai Gavai by touching her feet. He was greeted by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers and former judges. Born on November 24, 1960, in Amravati, Justice Gavai was elevated as an additional judge of the Bombay High Court on November 14, 2003. He became a permanent judge of the high court on November 12, 2005. He has been a part of several Constitution benches in the apex court which delivered path-breaking verdicts. He was part of a five-judge Constitution bench which in December 2023 unanimously upheld the Centre's decision to abrogate provisions of Article 370 bestowing special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. Another five-judge Constitution bench, of which Justice Gavai was a part, annulled the electoral bonds scheme for political funding. 4Contd on | Nation ‘Focus will be on backlog of cases’ Online Report NEW DELHI A day before Justice B.R. Gavai took oath as the 52nd Chief Justice of India (CJI), he told Pallavi Saluja of the Bar and Bench, "I have always advocated social and economic justice.” In the interview, Justice Gavai identified the backlog of cases across Indian courts as a major concern. “I have decided that I would like to work on reducing the pendency of cases — right from the trial courts up to the Online Report BHOPAL The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday initiated a suo motu case against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister Kunwar Vijay Shah for his comments targeting Colonel Sofia Qureshi, the Indian Army officer who had briefed the media about Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. The Division Bench of Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Anuradha Shukla directed PTI AMRITSAR JNU ends MoU with Turkiye Edit Operation Sindoor and the narrative of empowerment If an IAS officer’s son can be an IAS officer, and a politician’s son can be a politician, then why not here? The only condition is that merit must not be compromised. If someone is promoted purely because of their lineage, that is unacceptable. But we should not disqualify a capable person just because they are related to someone. – CJI Gavai Supreme Court. I also want to focus on infrastructure. While the High Courts have relatively good infrastructure, it remains a major problem in the lower courts.” On what can realistically be achieved during his relatively short six-month tenure, he said: “I don’t want to make any promises in the beginning. I’ve seen many people make tall claims at the outset, only to deliver less than 50% of what was promised.” Justice Gavai believes that delays in justice are closely linked to how cases are listed before courts. “Immediately after taking oath, I will hold wide-ranging discussions with my colleagues to understand the most pressing issues and begin addressing them. Listing is a major issue — bifurcating days into miscellaneous and regular days has led to an increase in the pendency of regular matters.” “I will try to find workable solutions. Classification, categorisation, and clubbing of matters are needed. 4Contd on | Nation PAK RETURNS BSF JAWAN MP HC directs FIR against minister Door open to int’l lawyers The Bar Council of India has notified amended rules allowing foreign lawyers and law firms to practice foreign law in India on a reciprocity basis. The rules make it clear that the field of foreign lawyers will be strictly confined to non-litigious areas involving foreign law, international law, and arbitration matters, particularly concerning cross-border transactions and international disputes, Bar and Bench reported. Cinema De Niro slams Trump while accepting Palme d’Or Michael Vaughan says no individual has done more for Test cricket than Virat Kohli Pakistan on Wednesday handed over BSF jawan Purnam Kumar Shaw to India, 21 days after he was apprehended by the Rangers from along the International Border between the two countries in Punjab. The constable was handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) by Pakistan Rangers at 10:30 am at joint check post (JCP) Attari in Amritsar district (opposite Pakistan's Wagah), a BSF spokesperson said. A picture of the jawan released by the force showed a bearded Shaw with ruffled hair, and wearing a dark green round-neck T-shirt. "Today at 1030 hours Constable Purnam Kumar Shaw has been taken back from Pakistan by BSF at Attari-Wagah border," the spokesperson said. Shaw had "inadvertently" crossed over to Pakistan territory while on operational duty in the area of Ferozepur sector on April 23 around 1150 hours and detained by Pak Rangers, he said. Officials told PTI that the jawan will undergo a full body check-up and medical test followed by a counselling and 'debriefing' session where he will be asked "relevant questions" by the BSF officials about his 21-day detention by the Rangers. The jawan, belonging to the 24th BSF battalion, will not be drafted in active duty and will also be part of an official inquiry instituted by the Punjab frontier of the BSF to look into the sequence of his apprehension by the Rangers and find lapses, if any, they said. The spokesperson said the handover of the jawan at the border "was conducted peacefully and in accordance with established protocols." 4Contd on | Nation REMARK AGAINST COL SOFIA QURESHI the Director General of Police (DGP) to immediately register an FIR against Shah under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The same must be done by today evening, otherwise the Court will tomorrow proceed under the Contempt of Courts Act against the DGP, it added, the Bar and Bench reported. "I shall take no excuse. En- To enforce the order of this court, I will bring the hell down, if need be. I will ensure that it is done. Justice Sreedharan sure that it is done. Otherwise I can assure you, I promise, the State would face extreme embarrassment and I couldn't care less," Justice Sreedharan told Advocate General Pra- FPJ News Service The phrase “Republic of Balochistan” is trending widely on social media following a dramatic declaration of independence by Baloch nationalist leaders. Spearheaded by noted writer and activist Mir Yar Baloch, the move has once again brought global attention to Balochistan’s longstanding grievances against Pakistan, its geopolitical im- portance, and its recent diplomatic overtures toward India—particularly as hostilities escalate between New Delhi and Islamabad. Mir Yar Baloch posted multiple statements on X (formerly Twitter) on May 9, formally asserting Balochistan’s independence and urging the Indian government to permit the opening of a Baloch embassy in New Delhi. He also called for the immediate withdrawal of Pakistani troops from the re- gion, declaring, “The collapse of the terrorist state of Pakistan is near. We urge India to allow an official of- 4Contd on | Nation Donald Trump reiterates claim Take Maratha on brokering ceasefire yet again quota call, SC Yoshita Singh NEW YORK For the fifth time, US President Donald Trump repeated his claim that Washington "got involved" with India and Pakistan, saying he "didn't like what was happening" and that he did a "good job" as he "convinced" the two countries "to let's have peace and let's go and make trade deals." His reiteration came after the Min- istry of External Affairs Spokesman Randhir Jaiswal rejected point by point the previous American claims on how the ceasefire had been achieved. Trump was speaking to Fox News aboard Air Force One after he wrapped up his Saudi Arabia visit on Tuesday. India and Pakistan reached an understanding on Saturday to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes, PTI reports. 4Contd on | Nation Trending now: Baloch activists declare freedom MUMBAI shant Singh. The Court observed that Shah had used "the language of the gutters" against Colonel Qureshi. "His comments are disparaging and dangerous, not just to the officer in question but to the armed forces itself," it added. Shah referred to Colonel Qureshi as the "sister of the terrorists" who carried out the killings of 26 innocent Indians at Pahalgam, the Court noted. fice, and embassy of Balochistan, in Delhi.” In a separate appeal to the United Nations, Baloch called for international recognition of the Democratic Republic of Balochistan and the release of financial resources necessary to establish statehood infrastructure, including currency and passport systems. A flurry of digital activity followed, with users sharing maps of a liberated Balochistan and images of its flag being hoisted. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), meanwhile, claimed responsibility for 71 coordinated attacks across 51 locations as part of “Operation Herof,” targeting Pakistani military, intelligence, and infrastructure assets. In a strongly-worded statement on May 11, the BLA asserted that “a new order is inevitable” in South Asia, and dismissed claims of being a proxy actor, declaring itself a sovereign force working toward the dismantling of Pakistan as a state that “exports terror.” 4Contd on | Nation to Bombay HC FPJ News Service MUMBAI The Supreme Court has asked the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court to urgently constitute a bench to hear a batch of petitions challenging the 10% reservation granted to the Maratha community. The directive came in response to a writ petition filed by students appearing for the NEET-UG and PG 2025 examinations. They argued that the prolonged delay in adjudicating the matter was violating their fundamental right to fair and equal treatment in the ongoing admission process reported Bar & Bench. A Bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and Augustine George Masih declined to go into the merits of the petition, noting that similar challenges to the Maratha reservation were already pending before the Bombay High Court. However, the Supreme Court recognised the academic urgency involved, particularly in light of the imminent counselling and admission deadlines.