The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms ARMED FORCES FL AG DAY Vol. XLII No. 181 | INDORE | SUNDAY | DECEMBER 7, 2025 | Pages 18 ` 4 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 FREE www.freepressjournal.in ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE UJJAIN NATION Sports From Hammered to Heralded P.18 PRESS PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK IndiGo chaos sparks crackdown SCENES FROM THE PANDEMONIUM India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on Saturday issued a show-cause notice to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers over the spiralling flight-disruption crisis that has upended travel plans for thousands of passengers across the country. The watchdog has asked Elbers to explain why punitive action should not be taken against him personally, citing widespread inconvenience and operational failures that brought airports to a standstill. The regulator has warned that an unsatisfactory response could invite a substantial financial penalty on the airline. The DGCA underlined that, as IndiGo’s chief executive, it is A French aviation technician stranded in Bengaluru airport snapped after 18 hours of confusion. She climbed onto the IndiGo counter, waving passport, shouting in rapid French, “I will lose my job if I don’t reach Toulouse tonight.” At Kolkata airport, tempers were exploding when an elderly schoolteacher broke into a soft, wavering “Hum Honge Kamyab.” Within minutes, dozens joined in— the stranded, the exhausted, the furious—singing a song of hope no one believed but everyone needed. At Delhi airport, a father pushed through the crowd shouting for medical help. His teenage daughter, pale and bleeding, had been stranded for hours after two cancellations… It took 40 minutes for medical staff to arrive. his responsibility to ensure operational stability and prevent the sort of large-scale breakdown witnessed over the past several days. IndiGo has been given 24 hours to respond to the notice. A government official told a news agency on Saturday Babri replica event sparks a frenzy that appropriate action would be taken once the inquiry committee submits its findings on the ongoing disruptions. Earlier on Saturday evening, the massive chaos that had erupted through the week at Indian airports due to IndiGo’s FREE SPEECH CASES Ex-CJI: Process is punishment FP News Service 30 flights cancelled Pilot shortage in IndiGo kept passengers anxious for the fourth straight day on Saturday at Indore’s Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport. Thirty citybound flights were cancelled, compounding ongoing disruptions. mismanagement eased as when IndiGO operated 1,500 flights. The aviation meltdown, which began on Tuesday after hundreds of scheduled IndiGo flights were delayed owing to a lack of crew, showed slight improvement on Saturday. Following the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s (MoCA) decision to suspend Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) rules. The airline, which cancelled more than 1,000 flights on Friday, reported fewer than 850 cancellations on Saturday. According to the airline, it operated around 1,500 services that day, connecting 135 of its 138 destinations. MoCA has launched a highlevel inquiry and has held IndiGo directly responsible for the operational collapse that crippled air travel across India for five consecutive days. While the Ministry has not yet announced specific punitive action against CEO Scan & Watch Pieter Elbers, 4Continued on | P8 Aritra Singha KOLKATA The foundation-stone for a mosque modelled on the Babri structure was laid in Beldanga’s Rejinagar area on Saturday afternoon, drawing thousands of people and creating one of Murshidabad’s largest public gatherings in recent months. Suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir stepped onto the dais shortly before noon, accompanied by local clerics and two invited religious scholars from Saudi Arabia. As the green cloth covering the foundation slab was lifted and Kabir placed his hand upon it, the crowd burst into chants of “Nara-e-Takbeer” and “Allahu Akbar”. Flower petals were thrown in the air, firecrackers were set off from the fringes of the ground, and the 25-acre venue briefly dissolved into a wave of 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 BHOPAL The state government suspended In-Charge Assistant Commissioner, Excise of Dewas district, Mandakni Dixit, with immediate effect on Saturday. The action follows allegations made by liquor contractor Dinesh Makwana, who before committing suicide, recorded a video accusing her of demanding illegal payments. The officer was suspended on CM’s order, and a departmental inquiry was also initiated against her. The Commercial Tax Department found the allegations of a serious nature. According to the suspension order, her actions violated Rule 3 of Madhya Pradesh Civil Service (Conduct) Rules, 1965. Suspension has been initiated under Rule 9 of Madhya Pradesh Civil Services (Classification, Control & Appeal) Rules, 1966. During her suspension, her headquarters will be Excise Commissioner, Gwalior. She will continue to receive livelihood allowance as per rules. 4Continued on | P8 Another video referring to Rs 2 cr ‘settlement’ viral Demand allegedly made on behalf of contractor’s mother In a courtroom exchange on Friday, the Karnataka High Court said that India, despite accusing other nations of racism and apartheid, is “one of the most racist societies in the world.” Justice MI Arun Nitendra Sharma BHOPAL A fresh draft about land pooling for Simhastha has been prepared after a series of protests by the Bharatiya Kisan Sangathan (BKS). According to the new draft, only 155 hectares will be acquired for roads and other work for Simhastha. In the previous draft, there was a proposal for the acquisition of 2,376 hectares. But Chief Minister Mohan Yadav decided to scrap the proposal after the BKS’s protest against it. But after Yadav’s decision, an order issued by the government indicated that the Ujjain Development Authority was to modify the scheme. The BKS, protesting the order, demanded the cancel- made the sharp observation while hearing petitions filed by Aaj Tak and anchor Sudhir Chaudhary seeking to quash a 2023 hate-speech case against them over a broadcast on the State’s Swawalambi Sarathi scheme. The judge questioned the Our Staff Reporter State government on whether it could point to any falsehood in the news report that suggested the scheme amounted to appeasement politics by depriving Hindus of incentives. The State’s counsel argued that the channel had “demonised one community” More than 5,000 Home Guards will be recruited for the upcoming Simhastha 2028, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced while addressing a function marking the 63rd Foundation Day of Home Guards at Home Guards Parade Ground on Saturday. The suicide case of liquor contractor Dinesh Makwana has taken a new turn following revelations that Makwana’s mother had allegedly demanded Rs 2 crore from Dewas’s assistant excise commissioner Mandakini Dixit as part of a settlement. An audio and video clip purportedly referring to a financial settlement between Makwana’s mother and excise officer Dixit became viral on Saturday. However, Free Press is not in a position to authenticate the audio or video. In these recordings, a woman believed to be excise officer Mandakini Dixit is allegedly heard speaking to the deceased contractor’s mother, Santosh Makwana, expressing her inability to arrange Rs 2 crore, while another man, 4Continued on | P8 and “incited hatred,” and urged the Court to allow the investigation to continue. Justice Arun, however, made it clear that relief would depend entirely on whether the programme contained factual inaccuracies, Bar & Bench reports. 4Continued on | P8 India clinches the ODI series FP News Service MUMBAI Riding on Mumbaikar Yashasvi Jaiswal’s stunning maiden ODI century and commanding half-centuries from veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, India steamrolled South Africa by nine wickets in Visakhapatnam on Saturday to seal the threematch ODI series 2-1. The win, emphatic in both scale and style, came as a balm after the team’s recent 0-2 Test drubbing. Kohli, in the middle of one of his most fluent white-ball spells in recent years, was named Player of the Series for back-to-back hundreds in Ranchi and Raipur. Had the target been larger than 271, he might well have made it three in a row. But India, blessed with a top order in full bloom, wrapped up the chase long before such possibilities were needed. The tone was set by the firstwicket stand between Jaiswal and Sharma, who stitched together 155 runs with a blend of aggression and serenity. The South African pacers were reduced to spectators as the duo unfurled drives, pulls and lofted strokes with alarming ease. (See Sports) Remove ‘secular’ and Bill to criminalise marital rape introduced ‘socialist’ from Preamble PTI NEW DELHI Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday introduced a private member’s bill in the Lok Sabha to criminalise marital rape, calling it an “urgent necessity” in India’s legal framework and stressing that marriage cannot override a woman’s right to consent. Tharoor said India must uphold its constitutional values and move from “no means no” to “only yes means yes”. In a post on X, the MP from Thiruvananthapuram said his bill seeks to amend the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and remove the exception that shields husbands from prosecution for non-consensual sex with their wives. “Marital rape is not about marriage but about violence. The moment for action has arrived,” he said. The statement of objects and reasons of the bill notes that Section 63 of the BNS, 2023, currently excludes marital rape from being punishable, allowing men to have non-consensual sex with their wives if the wife is under 18 years of age. It says this exception is rooted in “patriarchal notions that view wives as property a remnant of colonial-era mindsets”. The bill says this failure leaves married women “legally defenceless”, wrongly suggesting that marriage removes the need for consent and undermines women’s dignity, safety and bodily autonomy. 4Continued on | P8 What is govt’s intention? The government intends to acquire land to develop roads, sewage systems, and other work through the land pooling scheme so that it does not have to start the process under the Land Acquisition Act. If the government starts the land acquisition process afresh, it may take six months, which it cannot afford, because the date for Simhastha is not very far. lation of the land pooling scheme. The Urban Development Department has prepared a fresh draft, and efforts are being made to persuade the farmers to accept the fresh draft. According to the draft, 155 hectares will be acquired for constructing roads, sewage systems, and other important work. The farmers will get double compensation for the land under the Land Acquisition Act. It has been mentioned in the draft that the compensation will be given to the farmers after holding talks with them, which means the government may give them more compensation. Except for 155 hectares, the rest of the land will be out of the land pooling scheme, which has also been mentioned in the draft. Once the BKS accepts the draft, it will be notified in the gazette. The BKS recently warned the government of a statewide agitation unless the land pooling scheme was completely scrapped. PTI NEW DELHI The terms 'secular' and 'socialist' are not required in the Preamble of the Constitution, and were added in an "undemocratic" manner during the Emergency, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Bhim Singh said as he introduced a Private Member's Bill in the Upper House to remove these words, He added the words create "confusion", and they were not a part of the original Constitution. Later, he told PTI that the original Constitution adopted in 1949, which has been in force since 1950, did not have these two words. Mrs Indira Gandhi added these two words to the Constitution during the Moreover, a company will be formed to train tribal youths from Baiga, Bharia and Saharia communities for recruitment into security forces. The CM lauded Home Guards for their selfless service, describing them as “good Samaritans” who save lives during crises. He also announced the “Mukhyamantri Adamya Sa- Continued on | P8 hasik Karya Puraskar”, under which 10 rescue teams saving lives and property under challenging conditions will receive Rs 51,000 annually. Teams from Indore, Shivpuri, Guna, Raisen, Mandla, Narsinghpur, Rewa, Chhattarpur, Tikamgarh and Ujjain were felicitated. 4Continued on | P8 INDORE K’taka HC: India is one of most racist societies BENGALURU BKS warns of agitation Our Staff Reporter sound and movement. The ceremony itself lasted less than an hour, but the spectacle surrounding it was immense. The most striking aspects were the presence of the two Saudi clerics and the elaborate food arrangements that defined the day. Before the stone was unveiled, the clerics recited Arabic prayers and short invocations, translated for the crowd. Their presence had been publicised by the organisers for days, and many attendees said they had come specifically to witness the “international guests”. Police escorted the clerics to and from the dais as a precaution. Equally dramatic was the scale of the catering effort. Organisers claimed that nearly 40,000 packets of biryani were prepared overnight by seven catering agencies. FP News Service New draft ready, 155 hectares to be acquired BHOPAL Our Staff Reporter Former TMC MLA Humayun Kabir (left) waves to the gathering, in Murshidabad, while laying the foundation stone for a mosque, modelled on Ayodhya’s Babri Masjid. –PTI SIMHASTHA LAND POOLING Dewas excise officer 4 suspended after 5K Home Guards to be recruited for Simhastha contractor’s suicide MUMBAI Former Chief Justice of India BR Gavai on Friday cautioned that prolonged criminal proceedings in free speech cases can themselves become a form of punishment, often causing harm that cannot be undone even if the accused is eventually acquitted. Speaking at the Justice KT Desai memorial lecture at the Bombay High Court, he said that delays at any stage of investigation, trial or appeal can severely damage a person’s liberty, reputation and ability to express themselves freely. “When cases involving speech offences remain pending for years, whether at the stage of investigation, trial or appeal, the process itself becomes a punishment,” Justice Gavai said. He stressed that such delays could inflict “irreversible damage” on individuals, making the criminal process a threat to fundamental freedoms, Bar & Bench reports. He pointed out that the Supreme Court is increasingly being called upon to handle cases where the initiation of criminal proceedings, denial of bail or prolonged incarceration affects a citizen’s right to free expression. P.6 Cinema Malti calls Amaal a ‘liar’ P.16 MINISTRY MANOEUVRES | Show-cause notice to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers; domestic airfares capped. Refunds ordered by 8 pm tonight. Disruptions continue to persist Dhairya Gajara E-paper Readers’ Corner Behaviour of Elephants... Ties with Russia among ‘steadiest’ globally: EAM MUMBAI MUMBAI Emergency in 1976, under the 42nd Constitution amendment. At that time, no debate was held in Parliament." "All the opposition leaders, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani, and George Fernandes, were in jail. Democracy was being murdered, and in that situation, Mrs Indira Gandhi added these two words. So, this is the word that was added later, and the Constitution should remain in its original form," he said. Singh said that the Constituent Assembly had also debated this issue. "The chairman of the Drafting Committee, Dr B R Ambedkar, gave an answer. 4Continued on | P8 PUTIN VISIT REPERCUSSIONS How Delhi walked diplomatic tightrope ANI FP Ashwin Ahmad NEW DELHI President Putin’s summit meeting with Prime Minister Modi would have been viewed by many as an unqualified success. However, observers did not fail to notice that both leaders did not elaborate on the issue of Russian oil exports to India. Nor did they elaborate on Russian defence sales, despite the Russian Duma ratifying the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Support (RELOS) agreement a day before the Russian president touched down in New Delhi. This lack of mention has led some to wonder if concerns regarding the US were a common factor for both New Delhi and Moscow. India is in the middle of talks of a free trade deal with the US, and Russia is also in talks with the Americans on ending the Ukraine war. Russia expert Gulshan Sachdeva,  professor at the School of International Studies, JNU, and chief coordinator of the Global South Centre of Excellence at RIS, New Delhi, says that oil pur- chases by India from Russia has actually given a “new momentum” to India-Russia ties.  “Except for the mobility issue, which is the new one this time, everything else has been talked about for the last 25 years.”   Asked why both sides avoided any mention of oil, Professor Sachdeva said that New Delhi rather than Moscow may have been hesitant in doing so.  “Russia doesn't care about these things, and that’s why Putin even mentioned that statement that we will continue to supply. 4Continued on | P8 ‘Right to disconnect’ after office hours NEW DELHI Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule on Friday introduced a private member’s Bill seeking to give employees in India the legal right to disconnect from work-related communication after office hours. The Bill, titled “The Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025,” aims to promote a healthier work-life balance and places a penalty of 1 per cent of the total remuneration of employees on any company or society that fails to comply with its provisions. According to the Bill, every employee would have the right to refuse responding to calls, emails or any work-related electronic communication beyond working hours. Sule said the proposal seeks to reduce the “burnout caused by today’s digital culture,” writing on X that the measure is crucial to improving the quality of life for workers. In the statement of objects and reasons, she argued that while digital technology brings flexibility, it also blurs the line between professional and personal time. The Bill notes that employees expected to stay available round the clock face risks of overwork, including sleep deprivation, stress and emotional exhaustion. It highlights “telepressure,” the constant urge to respond to messages, which studies say disrupts work-life balance. 4Continued on | P8