FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLII No. 172 | INDORE | FRIDAY | NOVEMBER 28, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in Money GST relief fuels consumption as India enters Q3 on firm footing P.11 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE UJJAIN WORLD PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit What matters is merit not faith P.6 2 National Guards shot at by Af man near White House Cinema ‘Main ab TV serials nahi karungi’ P.14 N-SHIFT PM Modi says No more felling MEGAcountry's |energy securitythe move will give new strength CM sends Gaur to the of trees in state, Nuclear power sector to to VIT, campus says High Court open for pvt players soon looks deserted Police register Directs govt to frame first transplantation policy Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The Madhya Pradesh High Court has imposed a statewide halt on cutting, pruning or transplanting trees without prior approval from the committee constituted by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the designated Tree Officer. The order, issued on Thursday after a hearing on Wednesday, comes amid petitions alleging largescale tree felling for development projects in Bhopal, Sagar and other districts. The court made it clear that no tree of any kind may be cut anywhere in the state until further orders, unless proper permissions are obtained. Senior officials from Gati Shakti, Railways, Bhopal Municipal Corporation, Forest Rape & death threats over hijab reels Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Department, and Vidhan Sabha appeared during Wednesday’s hearing. The state government admitted irregularities and acknowledged that Madhya Pradesh currently has no official tree-transplantation policy. The High Court directed the government to formulate the state’s first such policy immediately. Photographs submitted by the state showing transplanted trees were deemed “far from reality,” with poor survival rates. The court also sought full disclosure from all concerned departments, requiring them to report the number of trees already cut, those proposed for cutting or transplantation, locations planned for transplantation, plans to restore green cover and details of the age, size and type of trees proposed for replantation. The matter will be heard again on December 17, 2025, with compliance reports due before the next hearing. 4Continued on | P8 PTI HYDERABAD Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India's tightly controlled nuclear power sector will soon be opened for private players, a move that will give new strength to the country's energy security. The prime minister made the remarks during a function to inaugurate Skyroot Aerospace's Infinity campus here. "We are moving towards opening the nuclear sector as well. We are laying the foundation for a strong role for the private sector in this field too," Modi said in his address through video conferencing. The government has set a target of generating 100 GW of nuclear power by 2047, a more than 10-fold increase from the current capacity of 8.8 GW of atomic energy generation. "This will create opportun- ities in small modular reactors, advanced reactors and nuclear innovation. This reform will give new strength to our energy security and technological leadership," Modi said. The government has listed The Atomic Energy Bill, 2025 for introduction during the Winter session of Parliament beginning December 1. The Bill seeks to open up the nuclear power sector for private sector participation. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, presenting the General Budget in February this year, had also announced plans to amend the nuclear liability law. The Atomic Energy Act, 1962 prohibits the participation of the private sector or even state governments in the nuclear sector. Under this law, the power to operate nuclear power plants is vested in the central government and companies or corporations established by it. Woman dies in urea queue FP News Service GUNA A 50-year-old woman farmer died after waiting in line for two consecutive days at a fertiliser distribution centre in Guna district. Bhuriya Bai of Kushepur village reached Bageri distribution centre on Tuesday to purchase urea. When she failed to get it, she returned to the queue on Wednesday only to be left waiting again. in the bitter cold she stayed outside the centre overnight. Later at night, her health deteriorated sharply; she began vomiting and collapsed. Her family called for an ambulance, but none arrived. PG5 n Founded by IIT alumni and ISRO ex-scientists Pawan Chandana and Bharath Daka, Skyroot is India’s leading private space company n Its new facility spanning two lakh sqft is equipped to develop and test multiple launch vehicles and can build one orbital rocket every month n In Nov 2022, It became the first Indian private firm to launch a sub-orbital rocket, Vikram-S UNVEILS FIRST PVT SECTOR ROCKET PM Narendra Modi said India is experiencing an unprecedented moment in its space journey, with historic reforms unlocking the sector for private enterprise and global investment. He was speaking after virtually inaugurating Skyroot Aerospace’s sprawling Infinity Campus near Hyderabad airport and unveiling its first orbital rocket, Vikram-I. Modi said the campus symbolised “India’s new thought and innovation,” driven by the energy of the youth. IAS officer Verma has sick mentality: Dy CM If reply to notice is not satisfactory, govt will act: Shukla COMMENTS ON BRAHMIN GIRLS Our Staff Reporter Hijab-clad Instagram reels posted by a Muslim woman in Bhopal have sparked a wave of rape threats, death threats and abusive harassment, prompting Police Commissioner Harinarayanchari Mishra to order a Crime Branch investigation. Yasmeen (30), originally from Murwas in Vidisha and currently residing in Bhopal’s Huzur area with her husband, a BHEL employee, told police she was targeted by several men, including some relatives, simply for posting personal reels and replying to obscene comments on Instagram. PG5 Aiming High BHOPAL Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla has also plunged into action against the AJAKS president and IAS officer Santosh Verma’s statement on the Brahmin girls. Shukla wrote a post on so- cial media that the IAS officer’s comments were highly objec- SC set to study SIR provisions independently FP News Service NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Thursday indicated that the Election Commission of India (ECI) may need to justify the process followed in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, as the Court continued hearing a series of petitions challenging the legality of the exercise. A Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, hearing arguments through the afternoon, said it would interpret the statutory provisions independently and not only based on what the ECI had done. The matter will now be heard on Tuesday, Live Law and Bar & Bench report. The challenge centres on whether the ECI can conduct an en masse verification of voters under Article 324 of the Constitution when the Representation of the People Act (RP Act) and the rules framed under it provide for an individual, constituency-based revision. Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, arguing for PUCL and several political parties, insisted that the SIR form and the process itself must come from delegated legislation and not from the We want to independently interpret this, de hors (outside) of what the Commission has done. Surya Kant Chief Justice of India Commission’s own instructions. “This is lack of jurisdiction I am arguing,” he said, adding that the ECI was drawing powers from Article 324 in a manner not permitted by law. 4Continued on | P8 Two cops injured in attack by villagers Villagers say they mistook policemen for kidnappers FP News Service RAJGARH Two policemen sustained injuries when a group of people attacked cops with the sticks and rods in Abhaypur village under Khilchipur police station on Thursday when they went there to arrest a wanted criminal. The villagers tore the clothes of the policemen and damaged a vehicle. According to reports, the policemen from Pachore police station went to Abhaypur in civil dress and in a private vehicle to arrest the criminal. The cops almost took the criminal into their custody, but some people suddenly attacked them. The villagers said that since the policemen were in civil dress, they mistook the cops for kidnappers. They also said some people had kidnapped a youth from the village. 4Continued on | P8 offgrid tionable, insensitive, and divisive. Such comments against the girls of a particular community show the sick mentality of the person, Shukla wrote. According to Shukla, such remarks coming from a person holding an important position only affect the decency of the post. 4Continued on | P8 CORRUPTION CASES B’desh court gives Hasina 21 yrs in jail IANS A woman from Madhya Pradesh, presumed missing at the Gangasagar Mela in West Bengal nearly 20 years ago, has been traced to Bangladesh. Efforts are now underway to bring her back to India and reunite her with her family. This miracle was made possible by amateur radio operators of the West Bengal Radio Club (WBRC), who are constantly engaged in reuniting missing people with their families by using their wide network. "Our contacts in Bangladesh informed us about this woman named Radhika, aged around 70, who was found begging on the streets. When asked about the name of her husband, she remained quiet. The only word she uttered was ‘Sagar’. The first thing that we did was check if anybody of that description had gone missing from Sagar Island in the southernmost tip of West Bengal. We extended our search after confirming that she is not from the island," said Ambarish Nag Biswas, secretary, WBRC. The HAMs then started checking places in India named Sagar. That is when they got information about a woman from Khajra village in the Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh, who went missing during her pilgrimage to Gangasagar. FP News Service BHOPAL/ASHTA/SEHORE Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has instructed the in-charge minister of Sehore, Krishna Gaur, to visit the campus of the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) on the Indore-Bhopal highway, which witnessed a rumpus on Tuesday night, but it wore a deserted look on Thursday. The students went on the rampage and torched vehicles parked on the institute premises to protest over the illness of over 32 students caused by contaminated water. They also clashed with the security guards. In a tweet on Thursday, Yadav directed Gaur to interact with the students and the university management and settle the issue so that such incidents should not take 4Patient hearing | P5 Rahul caught in a cleft stick of his promise Vinay Madhava Gowda K’TAKA POWER TUSSLE BENGALURU The strategy of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to cling to power has stunned the party high command, landing Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, in a first class crisis over a promise made in 2023 to transition power to D K Shivakumar. Since Siddaramaiah is denying any such promise or power transfer talks had been held in 2023, the party high command is exploring a way to move forward as details of the talks become embarrassingly public. Rahuls problem is as follows. Crisis in Cong deepens as Shivakumar manoeuvres to force a transition of K’taka chief ministership If the High Command were to ask Siddaramaiah to abide by the promise and step down the message to the public would be that the High Command had forced a popular OBC leader out. If it allows Siddaramaiah to continue, the party loyals would be let down, as Siddaramaiah himself is a late entrant in the party (in 2008) and has been enjoying the power in the capacity of either opposition leader or the chief minister. Besides, his supporters, who have come to Congress after 2008 are enjoying the most powerful positions in the government, leaving the original congressmen high and dry. Ever since Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar claimed the Chief Ministerial post, Rahul Gandhi has been in consultation with his core team. 4Continued on | P8 PTI DHAKA A Bangladesh court on Thursday sentenced deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina to 21 years in jail in three corruption cases related to irregularities in allocations of land in a government housing project. Judge Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun of Dhaka Special Judge Court-5 sentenced 78-year-old former premier to seven years each in three cases of corruption in the Rajuk New Town Project in Purbachal, totalling 21 years. The judge said Hasina would serve them consecutively. The judge also fined Hasina Taka one lakh in each case, or 18 months more in prison if she failed to submit the amount. Judge Mamun also sentenced Hasina’s son Sajib Wajed Joy and daughter Saima Wazed Putul to five years imprisonment each in the cases filed against them in the housing project near the capital. Woman traced to B’desh 20 yrs after going missing KOLKATA cases against management and students place in the future.Yadav also instructed Education Minister Inder Singh Parmar to identify the problems related to the students of private institutions by holding a high-level meeting and solve them. Yadav asked the officials of the district administration to solve the food- and water-related problems of the students. Immediately after getting instructions from the Chief Minister, Minister for Backward Caste Welfare Department Krishna Gaur visited the campus and said the VIT management should ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future. In an interaction with the management, she said the management seemed to have failed to understand the problems. She also interacted with some students and took feedback on the food and potable water provided to them. The government is with the students, Gaur said. "The woman had travelled to Gangasagar with a team of pilgrims. She got lost somehow and joined another group of pilgrims from Bangladesh. In those days, pilgrims from Bangladesh would clandestinely travel to Sagar Island by trawlers. Radhika seemed to have got into one of those trawlers and reached Bangladesh. Unable to fend for herself, she took to begging," Nag Biswas said. Minorities targeted during Ram temple donation drive: Diggy HC reserves verdict on PIL Our Staff Reporter INDORE Former chief minister Digvijaya Singh appeared before Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court in connection with a PIL related to alleged irregularities and violence during the donation drive for Ram Temple construction. Singh alleged that minorities were attacked by some outfits in the name of donations for construction of Ram temple. Before the hearing began, Singh raised objections over the misuse of live-streaming in this case and urged the court to stop it. The court accepted his request and immediately discontinued the live-stream. Singh’s appearance came in compliance with the court’s earlier direction issued during the November 10 hearing, when advocate Ravindra Chhabra informed the bench that Singh wished to personally present certain facts. The court had then asked him to appear on November 27. Singh had attended an earlier hearing as well, but could not put his side before the bench at that time. Singh gives submission for half an hour- During the 30minute hearing, Singh told the court that while he fully supports the sacred task of constructing Ram Temple, donation collection should be completely voluntary. He alleged that during the donation campaigns, certain organisations exerted pressure on minority communities and in many cases, they were threatened. 4Continued on | P8 During childcare leave, women employees will get 80% of salary New leave rules to be implemented from January 1 Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The state government is going to implement the new leave rules from January 2026. The 48-year-old leave rule is being followed in the state. The cabinet has recently approved new leave rules, which will be implemented from the New Year. The government has issued a notification of the new leave rules. According to the new rules, even a single parent will get childcare leave. In the case of an adopted child, the employee concerned will get 15 days’ leave. If a woman becomes a surrogate mother, both the surrogate and commissioning mothers will be eligible for leave. SEE PG 5 SC LEANS TOWARDS REGULATION ONLINE CONTENT FP News Service NEW DELHI The SC on Thursday said that the existing system of selfregulation for online content is “ineffective” and stressed the need for a “neutral, independent and autonomous” body to monitor obscene, offensive or illegal material on digital platforms. The observation came Top court observes that the existing system of self-regulation for online content is ‘ineffective’ and stressed the need for a ‘neutral, independent and autonomous’ body to monitor obscene, offensive or illegal material on digital platforms while a Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing petitions related to India’s Got Latent controversy and the larger issue of online obscenity. Attorney General R Venkata- ramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the Court that the Union Government was preparing new guidelines and consulting stakeholders. 4Continued on | P8