FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. 15 No. 22 | BHOPAL | SUNDAY | JULY 6, 2025 | Pages 16 ` 4 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.in Neeraj rules his kingdom P.15 27% quota for OBC through new Bill: CM BHOPAL Politics has begun after the Supreme Court sought a reply from the chief secretary on the 13% of held posts under the OBC quota. The Congress has said it will launch an agitation for giving 27% reservation to the OBC category. On the other hand, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said his government was committed to giving 27% reservation to the OBC category. A fresh bill will be Yadav said the Congress had launched a misinformation campaign about giving reservations to OBC without any survey and only on the grounds of a piece of paper brought to the House to make provision for reservation, he said. Yadav said the officers had been told to prepare the bill with full figures.  Yadav said the Congress had launched a misinformation campaign about giving reservations to OBC without any survey and only on the grounds of a piece of paper. This is the reason that the issue is pending in the court, he said. The problems of the candidates whose posts were kept on hold and those who could not give joining would be solved, he said. According to Yadav, about giving reservations to the OBC, the court has said there is no curb on it. Rahul to join OBC quota stir M PCC president Jitu Patwari and Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar jointly addressed a press conference on Friday. They said the party would launch a statewide agitation over the quota to the OBC. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul fp Briefs NEW DELHI Nirav Modi’s bro held in US US authorities have arrested fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi's younger brother, Nehal Modi, following extradition requests from the ED and the CBI, officials said on Saturday. Nehal Modi, who is the subject of a Red Notice issued by the Interpol, was taken into custody on Friday, US officials told Indian authorities. NEW DELHI Sanjay Bhandari declared fugitive A Delhi court on Saturday declared UK-based arms consultant Sanjay Bhandari a fugitive economic offender on a plea from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), an order that will allow the agency to confiscate all his assets that are worth crores of rupees. Gandhi will participate in the agitation in the Bundelkhand area.   The phase-wise agitation will be organised in blocks, districts, and the entire state.  The government is not giving reservation to the OBC, which is their right, Patwari said. The government has given fees worth crores of Toll slashed by up to 50% for highways with bridges, tunnels FP News Service NEW DELHI The government has reduced the toll rates up to 50 per cent for the sections of National Highways that have structures like tunnels, bridges, flyovers or elevated stretches, a move which will lower travelling cost for motorists. User charges at fee plazas on National Highways are collected as per NH Fee Rules, 2008. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has made amendments to 2008 rules and notified a new method or formula for calculating toll charges. "The rate of fee for use of a section of national highway comprising of structure or structures shall be calculated by adding ten times the length of structure or structures to the length of the section of national highway excluding the length of structure or structures, or five times the total length of section of national highway, whichever is lesser," said the notification dated July 2, 2025. 'Structure' means an independent bridge, tunnel or flyover or elevated highway. rupees to lawyers to ensure that the OBCs do not get 27% reservation, Patwari said. Rahul Gandhi has raised the issue of caste census to give reservation to the OBC, Patwari said. The Congress demanded the government give appointments to those OBC candidates whose recruitment was stopped, Patwari said. IANS India, the world’s largest democracy, ranks second among nations as 74 per cent of people here feel satisfied about the working of the system of representative governance, according to Pew Research Centre (PRC) in a survey available on Saturday. Citing India as a shining example at the time of a gloomy public outlook towards democ- racy in 12-high income nations, the “Spring 2025 Global Attitudes Survey” of PRC said that the nation of over 99 crore voters is ranked just behind Sweden (75 per cent) in the sur- BHOPAL UJJAIN PUNE INDORE NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper readers’ corner A Lifelong Romance P.6 Cinema Checkmate, Traitors P.14 Flood-like situation continues in many parts of state Culvert collapse in Narsinghpur blocks State Highway-22 Elderly couple dies in wall collapse n elderly couple died after a wall collapsed in Shahdol while heavy rain disrupted traffic on highways in various parts of the state on Saturday. In Majhauli area of Keshwahi, Shahdol district, a mud wall collapsed due to heavy rain on Friday night, resulting in the death of an elderly couple. The incident occurred at around 4 am on Saturday. Jawahar Mahra (65) and his wife Domnia Mahra (60), were sleeping in their home when the rain-soaked mud wall suddenly fell on them, leading to their death, according to district administration officials. A Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Flood-like situation prevailed in many parts of the state on Saturday after heavy rainfall from intervening night of Friday and Saturday. Heavy rainfall disrupted traffic in Sagar, Narsinghpur districts in the morning hours. Lowlying areas were submerged as water gushed in houses. Priest rapes 2 minor girls, bites private part of one of them FP News Service CHHATARPUR A 60-year-old priest of an Ashram in the Garhi-Malhara area of the Chhatarpur district raped two five-year-old girls on the pretext of giving them Prasad on Friday. There are allegations that the priest bit the private part of one of the girls. After their parents filed a complaint, the police arrested the priest and registered a case against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. But the health department examined the children 12 hours after the incident. According to reports, the incident occurred when the two girls, both cousins, were going from one place to another. The priest of Mahakal Ashram, Charandas, called them on the pretext of giving them Prasad to an under-construction part of the temple. He closed the door of the room and raped them. He also bit the private part of one of the girls. They related their tale of woes to their parents, who lodged a complaint at the Garhi-Malhara police station. When their parents went to the temple, the priest attacked them with a trident. The health department did not conduct the medical examination of the girls for 12 hours. 4Continued on | P8 PTI MUMBAI Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said he and MNS head Raj Thackeray have come together to stay united as the cousins shared a political stage for the first time after two decades on the issue of Marathi identity and "imposition" of the Hindi language. Addressing a "victory" rally in Worli here to celebrate the rollback of the Hindi language GRs (resolutions) by the BJPled government, Uddhav Part of Kharmor Sanctuary land returned to farmers FP News Service DHAR Around 216 square kilometres of land of the Kharmor Sanctuary, located in Sardarpur tehsil of Dhar district has been returned to farmers. The Kharmor Sanctuary will now cover only 132 square kilometres. The move will bring relief to farmers of 14 villages of Sardarpur and many villages of Petlawad, Jhabua district, as land owners will now be able to buy and sell land or use it for other purposes. As part of the sanctuary, the farmers could only use their land for farming. The demand for denotification intensified as the number of Kharmor sightings (Lesser Florican) has gone down over the years. vey covering 23 countries. The survey’s findings also show that economic perceptions are an important factor behind people feeling satisfied with the functioning of democracy in their countries. “Countries where large shares of the public say the economy is in good shape also tend to have large shares who are satisfied with their democracy,” said 4Continued on | P8 Forest Department issued an order on Friday, converting about 216 square kilometres of 348.12 square kilometre sanctuary area into revenue land. The sanctuary was originally established on June 4, 1983, covering about 348.12 square kilometres in Sardarpur area of Dhar district. It was created following ornithologist Salim Ali's recommendation which was followed by the Forest Department. Since the sanctuary's creation, farmers faced major problems as their land could not be bought or sold. This restriction caused continuous trouble for villagers and became an important election issue for the Sardarpur assembly constituency. 4Continued on | P8 Rainfall recorded in last 24 hours: Place Rainfall (mm) Rithi 230.4 Niwas 188.4 Bijadandi 181.2 Sheopur 174.2 Narainganj 163.0 Kundam 154.6 Dindori 125.3 Bijawar 129.0 Bhopal–Sagar highway was severely affected early Saturday morning after water levels surged over Parasari stream near Begamganj. On Sagar-Bhopal road in Begumganj tehsil of Raisen dis- trict, only two-wheelers and personal vehicles are being allowed, while heavy vehicles are prohibited. The road closure comes amid relentless rainfall that battered the area for the last 48 hours, 12 nations to get US tariff letters tomorrow: Don Even after 6 months of court order, e-tender probe yet to begin IANS NEW DELHI/WASHINGTON US President Donald Trump has signed tariff letters on exports from 12 countries, which are expected to be sent out on July 7 (Monday). Speaking to the media aboard Air Force One, the US President said the names of the countries which will receive the letters would only be revealed on Monday."I signed some letters and they'll go out on Monday, probably 12. Different amounts of money, different amounts of tariffs,” he told reporters."The letters are better. It is much easier to send a letter," Trump added. Trump has suggested that the reciprocal tariffs could go even higher. Thackeray brothers reunite after 20 yrs India second most satisfying democracy for citizens: Pew NEW DELHI EDITIONS: 27 perish, 23 campers missing in floods PREPS UNDERWAY | Yadav says officers have been told to prepare the bill with full figures Our Staff Reporter iii QUALITY @ VALUE WORLD Sports Congress will launch agitation through state ESTD-1983 hinted at contesting the upcoming civic elections together. "We have come I hope to live for 30-40 years more: Dalai Lama PTI DHARAMSHALA The Dalai Lama on Saturday put to rest rumours surrounding the announcement of his successor, saying he hopes to live for another 30-40 years more to serve people. Speaking at the long life prayer ceremony ahead of his 90th birth anniversary on Sunday at Tsuglagkhang, the main Dalai Lama temple in McLeodganj, Tenzin Gyatso said that he has "clear signs and indications" that the blessings of the Avalokiteshvara are with him. "Looking at the many prophecies, I feel I have blessings of the Avalokiteshvara. I have done my best so far. I hope to still live for 3040 years more. Your prayers have borne fruit so far," the Tibetan spiritual leader said. together to stay together. We will together capture power in the Mumbai civic body and Maharashtra," he said, evoking loud cheers from the crowd in the packed NSCI Dome. The elections to the high-profile civic body in Mumbai, which Sena considers its citadel and homeground, and other municipal corporations are due in coming months. 4Continued on | P8 Court cancelled EOW closure application Nitendra Sharma BHOPAL The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) is yet to re-probe the biggest financial scam of the state even after the court order. The agency seems to have swept the case under the rug. EOW presented a closure report to the special judge of the Prevention of Corruption Act for the e-tender scam. The court cancelled the closure application on December 24 last year and asked the agency to probe the case again. Six months have passed since the court issued the order, but the EOW has yet to begin the probe. The court also fixed certain points and asked the agency to reprobe the case accordingly. The court asked the agency to compile the evidence related to BPN logs and collect information about a letter written to the MP State Electronics Development Corporation (MPSEDC) on March 29, 2019. The court also directed the throwing life out of gear in Begamganj and its surrounding villages. 4Continued on | P8 agency to gather proofs through IP address and Internet service provider. The agency was also told to gather the log details from the office of the chief engineer and attach more evidence to the case. Besides the directors of GVPR Engineers Limited, the Indian Human Pipe Limited, JMC Projects Limited, Rajkumar Narwani, Madhav Infra Projects Limited, Max Metana Micro GV, Hyderabad, and some former government officers were made a party to the case. According to sources, despite the court order, EOW did not reprobe the case. Nor did it write any letter to MPSEDC. The agency also did not take any initiative to gather information according to the court order. The e-tender scam came to light in 2018. The then chief secretary BP Singh wrote to the EOW to probe the case. According to sources, the scam is worth Rs 3,000 crore. As the agency did not properly follow the case, the court acquitted all the accused on November 23, 2022. The probe agency failed to probe the scam. Even after the court order, the agency is giving a wide berth to the inquiry. Gillstorm in Birmingham HISTORIC FEATS Shubman Gill etched his name alongside cricketing royalty as he became only the second Indian and ninth player ever to score a double century and a century in the same Test match, guiding India to a dominant position in the second Test against England. He now joins an elite club featuring Brian Lara, Kumar Sangakkara, Graham Gooch, and Greg Chappell, among others. n First Indian captain to score 430 runs (269 in first innings and 161 in second innings) runs in a Test, surpassing Virat Kohli's 293. n Highest run aggregate by an Indian in a single Test, eclipsing Gavaskar’s 344. n Second Asian to record 350+ runs in a Test outside Asia, after Hanif Mohammad (1958). n Third Indian captain with centuries in both innings, after Gavaskar and Kohli. n Three hundreds in first two Tests as captain, equalling Kohli’s record. Vaibhav blazes fastest youth ODI ton WORCESTER: 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi turned Worcester into his personal stage of glory smashing 143 off 78 balls to register the fastestever century (off 78balls) in Youth One-Day Internationals, and becoming the youngest centurion in the format’s history. (Detail on Sports Page) Shubman Gill plays a shot during fourth day of the 2nd Test against England, at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Saturday @BCCI X/ANI offgrid Man wins 7-yr battle over Rs 5.28 overcharge Rs 5,000 penalty slapped on milk brand, retailer Our Staff Reporter INDORE In a significant victory for consumer rights, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (Indore-1) has ruled in favour of the complainant, Nar- endra Tiwari after a legal battle that lasted seven year against a milk brand. The milk brand and its distributor were directed to pay Rs 2.64 each as compensation for overpricing and unfair trade practice. Tiwari had filed the case in 2018 after he was sold three 500 ml buttermilk packets from a grocery store near Mangliya, at rates above the printed Maximum Retail Tiwari had filed the case in 2018 after he was sold three 500 ml buttermilk packets at rates above printed MRP Price (MRP). The packets also lacked expiry information and a valid bill, prompting Tiwari to take legal recourse against the milk brand and the seller. During the longdrawn hearing, the forum found merit in Tiwari’s claim. It ruled that the complainant was overcharged Rs 5.28 in total violating established consumer rights. In addition to the refund, the court awarded Tiwari Rs 3,000 for mental harassment and Rs 2,000 towards legal expenses. The forum gave the parties 45 days to comply with the order. The commission also criticised the manufacturer and distributor for failing to present any legal documentation or justification for the transaction, underlining the importance of transparent and lawful trade practices. This judgment reinforces consumer protection norms and sends a strong message against arbitrary pricing, especially in essential daily-use products like milk.