FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLI No. 338 | INDORE | FRIDAY | MAY 16, 2025 | Pages 16 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE MONEY Sports The Kohli way in IPL 2025 P.15 India is world’s second largest travel titan UJJAIN PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK Cinema Dubai Bling on the Red Carpet P.14 ‘GO & APOLOGISE’ MUMBAI The Supreme Court on Thursday reprimanded Tribal Affairs Minister Vijay Shah for his derogatory remarks against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, stressing that every word spoken by a minister during a national crisis must be marked by responsibility and restraint. The court’s sharp observations came as Shah moved the apex court, challenging the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s May 14 order directing the police to register an FIR against him under various sections of the BNS for promoting enmity and hatred. Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, presiding over a bench alongside Justice Augustine George Masih, did not mince words. “What sort of statements are you making? You KEJRIWAL WENT TO JAIL AS CM: YADAV Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has hinted at not seeking resignation from Vijay Shah. He made such indications at a press conference on Thursday. The government will act according to the SC order, Yadav said after Tiranga Yatra. “We have always followed the court orders,” he said. The Congress does not have the right to seek Shah’s resignation. The party should seek resignation from Siddaramaiah, Yadav said. A Congress ministers are facing court cases, he said. Yadav further said when Arvind Kejriwal was the chief minister he had gone to jail and the Congress stood by him. should show some sense of sensibility. Go and apologise in the High Court,” the CJI said sternly. “When the country is undergoing such a situation, every sentence or word uttered must be measured. Constitutional office-bearers are expected to show restraint,” the court observed. The bench agreed to hear the matter on Friday but also questioned Shah’s decision to bypass the High Court in seeking relief. “Merely because somebody is a minister, should we entertain it?” the court asked, hinting that he should approach the High Court first. Senior advocate Vibha Datta Makhija, appearing for Shah, said the minister had expressed remorse and claimed the video clip had been misinterpreted. “He never meant what is being made out by the media,” she argued, seeking a stay on the FIR pending a detailed hearing. The controversy erupted after a video surfaced showing Shah making communal and sexist remarks about Col Qureshi, juxtaposing her military role in Operation Sindoor with the plight of Hindu victims of terrorism. Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The Supreme Court’s order on Friday will decide minister Vijay Shah’s resignation from the cabinet. The apex court on Thursday decided to hear the case on Friday. fp Briefs DOHA US, Iran close to N-deal: Don President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States and Iran have "sort of" agreed to terms on a nuclear deal, offering a measure of confidence that an accord is coming into sharper focus. Trump, in an exchange with reporters at a business roundtable in Doha, Qatar, described the talks between American envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as "very serious negotiations" for "longterm peace" and were continuing to progress. DEVDA CRITICAL, BAGRI TRIES TO SAVE SHAH Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda said public representatives should utter word with caution and sobriety. Regarding action against Vijay Shah, Devda said party leadership was serious about the issue. However, minister of state Pratima Bagri tried to save Shah. Bagri said Shah did not have any wrong intention, but some words were misplaced. Shah has already apologised, she said. Ex-CM Uma Bharti again demanded Shah’s sacking. He is like younger brother, but he must face music for mistake, she said. If the SC does not accept the petition for cancellation of registration of an FIR ordered by the high court, the BJP will have no alternative other than accepting Shah’s resignation. The BJP is worried about Shah’s statement. The party 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Can timelines be set for assent? FP News Service MUMBAI In a rare and constitutionally significant move, President Droupadi Murmu has invoked her powers under Article 143(1) of the Constitution to seek the Supreme Court’s opinion on a series of fundamental questions relating to the role of Governors and the President in granting assent to state legislation. This follows the Supreme Court’s landmark April 8 judgment, which introduced Turkish firm loses footing in 9 airports PRESIDENT MURMU’S POSERS the concept of deemed assent—a principle the President described as alien to the constitutional scheme. In her letter, President Murmu asserted that Articles 200 and 201 of the Constitution do not prescribe any time frame for action by Governors or the President on bills passed by state legislatures. She warned that the concept of Dhairya Gajara Agencies SC clears temple path MUMBAI NEW DELHI In a decisive move prompted by national outrage, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has revoked the security clearance of Celebi Airport Services India Pvt Ltd, a Turkish company operating ground-handling services at nine Indian airports, including Mumbai. The revocation, effective immediately, has been issued in the interest of "national security," according to an official order released on Thursday. The action follows widespread condemnation over Turkey’s open support to Pakistan after India launched Operation Sindoor in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 civilians. Celebi’s presence in strategic Indian airports had come under sharp scrutiny, particularly after BJP-backed Andheri East MLA Murji Patel raised concerns and demanded the cancellation of the company's contract. Patel, who led a protest at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) along with Shiv Sena workers earlier this week, stated, “These Turkish companies earn money from India and support our enemies. External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Thursday made it clear that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) will remain suspended until Pakistan stops sheltering internationally designated terrorist entities and individuals who are also engaged in crossborder terrorism against India. New Delhi had put the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance immediately after the terrorist attack on April 22 NEW DELHI/LONDON Nirav's bail plea rejected The High Court in London on Thursday rejected a fresh bail application filed by diamantaire Nirav Modi, who has been in prison in the UK for over six years while fighting against his extradition to face the Indian courts in the Rs 13,000 crore PNB fraud case. 4Continued on | P8 automatic or deemed assent undermines the discretionary authority conferred upon these constitutional offices and could distort the delicate federal balance. The 14-point reference poses critical questions about the scope of discretion, judicial re- view, and the limits of judicial intervention in legislative processes. The reference is widely seen as a pointed response to the Supreme Court’s April 8 ruling, which had criticised Governors for sitting on bills and held that unreasonable delay in granting assent could amount to deemed assent, thereby allowing a bill to become law without formal approval. Agencies NEW DELHI American President Donald Trump in throwaway remarks in Doha on Thursday claimed that India had offered America a zero tariff deal, a claim which Foreign Minister Dr S Jaishankar hours later seemed to rebuff. Equally significantly, Trump also claimed he advised Apple CEO Tim Cook to desist from moving manufacturing iPhones to India, an advice that the company indicated it had chosen it ignore. "It is very hard to sell in India, and they are offering us a deal where basically they are willing to literally charge us no tariffs," Trump said in a meeting with executives in the Qatari capital Doha. Jaishankar at a press opportunity was quick to downplay Trumps remarks suggesting that it would be better to wait for the finalisation of the deal US President Donald Trump on Thursday repeated his earlier claims he made as many as five times that he had brought about cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan. “And by the way, I don't want to say I did, but I sure as hell helped settle the problem between Pakistan and India last week, which was getting more and more hostile," he said while addressing US military Clear who sought ceasefire: EAM External affairs minister S Jaishankar highlighted that India achieved its objectives in Operation Sindoor, targeting and destroying terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and said it was clear that who had called for a ceasefire. His comments came amid the controversy over President Trump's claims that US had brokered peace between the two countries before revealing details. He said, "Between India and the US, trade talks have been going on. These are complicated negotiations. Nothing is decided till everything is. Any trade deal has to be mutually beneficial; it has to work for personnel at al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar. "And all of a sudden, you'll start seeing missiles of a different type. And we got it settled. I hope, I hope I don't walk out of here and two days later find out that it's not settled, but I think it is settled," Trump said. This is the sixth time since Saturday that he claimed that the US brokered the "ceasefire" between New Delhi and Islamabad. The unemployment rate in India stood at 5.1% in April 2025, according to the firstever monthly job data released by the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation on Thursday. The data collected in current weekly status showed that the unemployment rate for persons of all ages (individuals aged 15 years and above) during April 2025 worked out to 5.1% in April 2025. The pace of joblessness among men stayed slightly higher at 5.2% compared to that of women at 5%. Joblessness among those in the age group of 15-29 was 13.8% across the country. The rate of unemployment in urban areas stood at 17.2%, while it was 12.3% in rural areas. Across the country, a total of 7,511 first-stage sampling units have been surveyed during April 2025.  The number of households surveyed was 89,434 (49,323 in rural areas and 40,111 in urban areas) and number of persons surveyed was 3,80,838 (2,17,483 in rural areas and 1,63,355 in urban areas. The study revealed that the unemployment rate among women in the age group of 15-29 was 14.4% across the country (rural and urban), while it was 23.7% in cities 4Continued on | P8 SRINAGAR Agencies NEW DELHI Pakistan's nuclear weapons should be brought under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as they are not safe in such a rogue nation, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday. His comments came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India would not tolerate "nuclear blackmail" by Pakistan and would punish cross-border terrorism strongly. Shortly after landing in Srinagar in his first trip to Jammu and Kashmir since Operation Sindoor, Singh said how strong India's resolve against terrorism can be gauged from the fact that it has not even paid heed to Pakistan's nuclear blackmail. "The whole world has seen how irresponsibly Pakistan has given nuclear threats to India several times," he said interacting with troops. "Today, from the land of Srinagar, I want to raise this question before the whole world: are nuclear weapons safe in the hands of such an irresponsible and rogue nation?" Singh asked. ‘No radiation leak in Pak’ Global nuclear watchdog IAEA has said there was no radiation leak or release from any nuclear facility in Pakistan during the country's recent military conflict with India. The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) statement came amid claims being made on social media that Pakistan's nuclear facilities were hit by Indian armed forces during Operation Sindoor. "I believe that Pakistan's nuclear weapons should be taken under the supervision of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)," he added. 4Continued on | P8 SRINAGAR It’s official: New data shows 5.1% Indians jobless FP News Service both countries. That would be our expectation from the trade deal. Until that is done, any judgment on it would be premature." New Delhi is seeking to close a trade deal with the US within the 90-day pause announced by Trump on April 9 on tariff hikes for major trading partners. Speaking at a business roundtable at Doha, Qatar, Trump said, “I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday... You are coming up with $500 billion, but now I hear you are building all over India. I don’t want you building in India. You can build in India, if you want to take care of India because India is one of the highest tariff nations in the world,” Trump said. PTI offgrid MUMBAI S Jaishankar Rajnath wants Pak nukes under IAEA 4Continued on | P8 India's relations and dealings with Pakistan will be "strictly bilateral", which is a national consensus for many years and there is "absolutely no change" in that consensus, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday. Interacting with reporters on the sidelines of an event here, he also said the UN Security Council had underlined the need to hold the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack accountable, and on May 7 morning, "we held them accountable through the Operation Sindoor" Donald Trump Set up special POCSO court on priority basis: SC to Centre 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Tim Cook POTUS clings to his version of ceasefire tion affiliated to the Pakistanbased Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), had claimed responsibility for the killings. 4See also | P9 Only bilateral talks: Jaishankar in Pahalgam, in which 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen were killed and a number of others sustained injuries. The Resistance Front (TRF), an international terrorist organisa- Trump claim of zero tariff offer refuted The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Centre to set up on "top priority basis" dedicated POCSO courts to exclusively deal with cases of sexual offences against children. A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and P B Varale said due to the inadequacy of the number of exclusive courts for the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act cases, the timelines mandated under the law for completion of trials weren't adhered to. "It is therefore expected that the union of India and the state governments shall take appropriate steps to sensitise the officials associated with the investigation of POCSO cases, and also to create dedicated courts to try POCSO cases on top priority basis," the bench said. The top court further directed filing of chargesheets within the mandatory period stipulated in law besides completing trials within the prescribed time frame. As Pak pleads on Indus Treaty, EAM says it will remain paused NEW DELHI The Supreme Court has cleared the Uttar Pradesh government’s plan to develop a corridor around the Shri Banke Bihari Temple in Mathura. It allowed the use of the temple’s fixed deposits to purchase five acres of land for facilities such as parking, toilets, and holding areas for pilgrims. Our Staff Reporter JABALPUR leaders from Bhopal to Delhi are mulling over the issue. CM Mohan Yadav spoke to the central leaders of the party over the phone on Thursday. Yadav informed the party leaders in Delhi about the matter. The central leaders will take a decision. The party leadership has asked the BJP’s national organisational secretary, BL Santosh, to hold discussions over the issue. Shah’s resignation rests on SC order BJP leaders from Bhopal to Delhi mulling over the Shah issue HC to monitor probe, slams FIR as ‘Gross Subterfuge’ The Madhya Pradesh High Court's principal seat at Jabalpur has ordered monitoring of the investigation into an FIR registered against Minister Vijay Shah, who is accused of using scurrilous language against a senior Indian Army official. The court expressed strong disapproval of the FIR, stating that it is brief and lacks any specific mention of Shah’s actions that would meet the criteria for the alleged offences. The division bench of Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Anuradha Shukla observed, “This is gross subterfuge on the part of the State. The FIR has been drawn in a manner so as to assist the suspect Vijay Shah to be able to have the FIR quashed on a later date.” The FIR was registered by Manpur Police Station, Dehat district, Indore, under Sections 152, 196(1)(b), and 197(1)(c) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, pursuant to the High Court's order dated 14.05.2025. 4Continued on | P8 E-paper Edit MP minister must resign P.6 FACING MUSIC| SC raps minister Vijay Shah over remarks on Col Sofia Qureshi saying, person holding public office expected to uphold certain standards FP News Service MUMBAI and 10.7% in villages. Joblessness among men aged 15-29 years was recorded at 13.6%, while it was 15% in cities and 13% in villages. The data showed that the labour force participation rate among people aged 15 years and above was 55.6% during April 2025. The participation rate in rural areas was 58% while it was 50.7% in urban areas. Labour force participation rate among males aged 15 years and above in rural and urban areas were 79% and 75.3%, respectively. Among females aged 15 years and above, the rate of labour force participation was 38.2% for rural areas during April 2025. 4Continued on | P8 3 terrorists killed in J&K Three Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists were gunned down in an encounter with security forces in Pulwama’s Nader Tral area, Jammu and Kashmir, on Thursday. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, forces launched a cordon and search operation that turned into a gunfight when the terrorists opened fire. The slain militants were identified as Asif Ahmed Sheikh, Amir Nazir Wani, and Yawar Ahmed Bhat. Security forces recovered three AK rifles, 12 magazines, grenades, and other warlike stores.