Wednesday, November 26, 2025 | Vol. 69 No. 44 | 30 Pages THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 26/11 TERROR ATTACK INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation MUMBAI Celina Jaitly accuses husband of domestic violence, seeks `50 cr compensation GAMES India, Pak in Group A of T20 WC 2026, to play each other on Feb 15 in Colombo Cinema Why Alisha Chinai stayed away from Bollywood? Edit A farmer, a poet, and an actor, but never a parliamentarian MARATHA QUOTA | SEC informs top court that in 57 of 288 local bodies for India nearing $2.8bn Canada which polls had been notified, the 50% reservation cap has been breached uranium deal Agencies OTTAWA SC ties caveat to outcome of case FPJ News Service Canada and India are nearing a major deal that would see Ottawa supply New Delhi with uranium worth $2.8 billion, according to a report in The Globe and Mail on Monday. Citing people familiar with the discussions, the report said the proposed deal would span 10 years and involve uranium shipments from Canadian producer Cameco Corp. If finalised, the agreement could form part of a broader nuclear cooperation effort between the two countries. If finalised, the agreement could form part of a broader nuclear cooperation effort Neither the Indian government nor its Trade Ministry responded to Reuters’ requests for comment. Canadian officials also did not immediately comment, and Reuters said it could not independently verify the report. The development comes as high-level bilateral diplomacy is gaining momentum. On Sunday, Canada’s PM Mark Carney met PM Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Johannesburg. 4Contd on | nation NEW DELHI The SC on Tuesday adjourned the hearing in the Maharashtra local body elections case to Friday after the State sought additional time, saying it was still consulting the State Election Commission (SEC) on the 50% ceiling for reservations. At the outset, Senior Advocate Balbir Singh, appearing for the SEC, informed Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joyma- lya Bagchi that elections for 242 Municipal Councils and 42 Nagar Panchayats have already been notified for December 2. He added that in 57 out of these 288 bodies, the 50% reservation cap has been breached. Taking note of this, the bench clarified that any future election notifications must strictly comply with the 50% ceiling. For the already-notified 57 bodies, the reservation structure will remain subject to the outcome of the case. REFUSAL TO ENTER TEMPLE SC defends regimental ethos, upholds sacking FPJ News Service NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the dismissal of Lieutenant Samuel Kamalesan, a Christian officer who was removed from the Indian Army for repeatedly refusing to participate in his regiment’s weekly religious parades. A Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi dismissed his petition, calling his conduct “gross indiscipline” and saying it had hurt the sentiments of the troops he commanded. The Court was hearing Kamalesan’s challenge to a Delhi High Court judgment from May, which had already affirmed his termination. The Supreme Court noted that the Army functions on strict discipline and secular values, and that an officer’s refusal to enter religious places during mandatory regimental duties undermined unit cohesion, Live Law and Bar & Bench 4Contd on | nation Whatever we do, we should not divide the society on caste lines CJI Surya Kant “These 57 will be subject to the results of these proceedings. Any further election you notify must comply with the 50 Biswajeet Banerjee Ayodhya witnessed a defining moment on Tuesday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisted the saffron Dharma flag atop the newly completed Ram Temple, declaring that “centuries-old wounds are healing” and that a 500-year civilisational resolve had finally reached fruition. The ceremony, held during the auspicious Abhijit Muhurat and coinciding with Vivah Panchami, marked the formal completion of the temple com- FPJ News Service lighted that around 11 people had died in police custody over seven to eight months this year, The Supreme Court on MonLive Law report. day gave a final three-week During Monday’s hearing, deadline to all States and Senior Advocate Siddharth Union Territories that have not Dave, the amicus curiae, inyet filed their compliance affiformed the bench that only 11 davits on the installation and states had responded to the functioning of CCTV cameras queries raised by the Court in in police stations. The its October 14 order. He Court made it clear that if also said the Union govCCTV IN POLICE STATIONS the affidavits are not filed ernment had not yet filed by the next hearing, its compliance affidavit on scheduled for December 16, Mehta passed the order while the central investigating 2025, the Chief Secretaries and hearing the suo motu case con- agencies, including the NaDirectors of the concerned cerning the lack of functional tional Investigation Agency state agencies will have to ap- CCTV cameras in police sta- (NIA). Solicitor General Tushar pear in person and explain the tions across the country. The Mehta requested three more delay. issue was first taken up by the weeks to complete the filings. A bench of Justice Vikram Court on September 4 after a 4Contd on | nation Nath and Justice Sandeep Dainik Bhaskar report high- NELLIE MASSACRE Assam tables two reports, after 42 years PTI GUWAHATI On the opening day of Assam Assembly’s Winter Session, the state government placed before legislators two significant reports tied to one of the darkest chapters in Assam’s history — the 1983 Nellie massacre and the widespread violence surrounding the contentious assembly elections that year. 4Contd on | nation 4See also | nation RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said the hoisting of the Dharma flag atop the Ram Temple marked the culmination of centuries of sacrifice, devotion and unbroken resolve. Speaking at the ceremony, he said those who dedicated their lives to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement — from saints to activists and leaders such as Ashok Singhal, Paramhans Chandra Das and Vijay Sankeshwar Dalmia — “must have found peace today”. CONTD NATION 4Contd on | nation X strips agenda masks FPJ News Service MUMBAI Elon Musk’s X has triggered a global storm with its latest transparency tool, a deceptively simple tab called About This Account that reveals where an account is being accessed from, its username history, and its date of verification. What was meant to be a routine update has now snowballed into a sprawling international exposé, uncovering networks of politically charged accounts masquerading as locals in India, the United States, the UK and beyond. The chaos began when tech bloggers flagged the profile “American” — a long-standing account claiming US roots — which the feature revealed as being linked to the Pakistan App Store. The account was promptly suspended. Within hours, India Today’s OSINT team published its own findings: a cluster of saree-clad, “Jai Hind”-chanting accounts claiming to be from Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai were actually operating out of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and West Asia. These accounts, many posting fluently in Hindi, had been amplifying narratives around the Bihar elections, the Red Fort violence and caste politics. 4Contd on | nation Catch monkeys, Maha reward is not just peanuts Ravikiran Deshmukh MUMBAI The state government has put a price on monkey mischief: Rs 600 per simian, at least for the first ten. It rolled out on Tuesday a new scheme to curb the spiralling human–primate conflict by paying trained monkey catchers for every furry troublemaker they nab. The government resolution said they will earn Rs 600 each for the first 10 monkeys and Rs 300 thereafter, with total earnings capped at Rs 10,000. 4Contd on | nation Wardrobe malfunction Aussie senator barred for protest burqa AP MELBOURNE An Australian senator who is campaigning for a national burqa ban was barred Tuesday from Parliament for the rest of the year for wearing the Muslim garment in the chamber. Pauline Hanson, the 71year-old leader of the antiMuslim, anti-immigration One Nation minor party, was accused of performing a disrespectful stunt on Monday when she walked into the Senate shrouded in a headto-ankle garment to protest fellow senators’ refusal to consider her bill that would ban the burqa and other fullface coverings in public places. Senators suspended her 4Contd on | nation NEW DELHI Raghukul values rise again plex that has shaped India’s political and cultural discourse for decades. Modi, accompanied by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, raised the 10x20ft triangular flag bearing a radiant Sun, the sacred Om and the Kovidar tree. He described it as a symbol of awakening, resolve and the collective perseverance of generations of devotees and saints. cate Indira Jaising, supporting OBC reservation, argued that many regions in Maharashtra have a high tribal population where SC-ST quotas alone could reach 50%, leaving no space for OBC reservation. She also noted that a caste census has not been conducted since 1931, though a fresh one is now proposed, which would help determine the percentage of OBCs. SC gives final 3-week deadline China in denial on harassment charge ‘WOUNDS OF CENTURIES HEALING’ AYODHYA per cent ceiling limit”, the court told the SEC. During the hearing, Chief Justice Surya Kant made a pointed remark on the broader implications of castebased quotas. “Whatever we do, we should not divide the society on caste lines,” he said, as concerns were raised about the possible exclusion of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) from grassroots democracy if the ceiling is rigidly enforced. Senior Advo- for the rest of the day on Monday. In the absence of an apology, they passed a censure motion Tuesday that carried one of the harshest penalties against a senator in recent decades. She was barred from seven consecutive Senate sitting days. The Senate rises for the year on Thursday, and Hanson’s suspension will continue when Parliament resumes in February next year. 4Contd on | nation PTI BEIJING China on Tuesday refuted allegations that an Indian woman from Arunachal Pradesh was harassed at Shanghai airport, saying the actions taken by the Chinese immigration officials were as per laws and regulations. Pem Wangjom Thongdok, a UK-based Indian citizen who was travelling from London to Japan on November 21, said her three-hour layover turned into a traumatising ordeal after immigration officials declared her passport “invalid” as it listed Arunachal Pradesh as her birthplace. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning claimed that the woman was not subjected to any compulsory measures, detainment or harassment as alleged by her. In New Delhi, MEA reacted strongly, saying Arunachal Pradesh’s status was “indisputable and Scan & Watch self-evident.” 4Contd on | nation