FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. 15 No. 187 | BHOPAL | FRIDAY | DECEMBER 19, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports HARMAN IS STILL OUR LEADER: ANJUM P.12 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL MONEY Securities Mkt Code Bill introduced in Lok Sabha UJJAIN PRESS PUNE INDORE NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit SHANTI: Power and peril P.6 Cinema ‘I condemn it in very strong words’ P.14 4.38L VOTERS TO BE DROPPED FROM BHOPAL LIST Hitting sixes in final SIR ENDS | Draft electoral lists on December 23, unmapped voters to get chance to prove eligibility Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Around 4.38 lakh voters in Bhopal district will be removed from electoral rolls following completion of 45day Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters list, which concluded on Thursday. SIR began on November 4 fp Briefs DHAKA Visa centre ops resume India on Thursday resumed operations at its visa application centre in Dhaka, a day after closing it over escalated security concerns, but closed two other identical facilities in other parts of Bangladesh as anti-India protestors tried to march towards the Indian missions there. The Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) at southwestern Khulna and northwestern Rajshahi were closed on the grounds of security concerns amid strong protest marches towards the facilities that were stopped by security officials. NEW DELHI Court clears Mehul extradition Terming the objections raised by fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi as lacking substance, the Court of Cassation of Belgium has dismissed his appeal against extradition to India, affirming that he failed to establish any legal or factual ground warranting interference with earlier orders permitting his surrender. In its judgment, the Belgian Supreme Court upheld the October 17, 2025, ruling of the Antwerp Court of Appeal's Chamber of Indictment. NEW DELHI PM to address WHO Summit PM Narendra Modi will address the closing ceremony of the second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine, the Prime Minister's Office said on Thursday. The three-day programme being held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, underscores India’s growing leadership and pioneering initiatives in shaping a global, sciencebased, and peoplecentred traditional medicine agenda.“During the programme, the Prime Minister will launch several landmark Ayush initiatives, including MAISP. and was scheduled to end on December 4. Deadline was extended twice by Election Commission of Indiam, first till December 11 and later till December 18, due to delays in field work. Bhopal district has 21.25 lakh electors across seven assembly constituencies. Enumeration Forms (EFs) of 16.87 lakh voters (79.38%) have been digitised, while 4.38 lakh EFs (20.62%) were marked uncollectable. During field surveys conducted by 2,029 Booth Level Officers (BLOs), these voters were found either absent from registered addresses, deceased or permanently shifted. Their names will be Enumeration Forms of 16.87L voters have been digitised, while 4.38L were marked uncollectable removed from draft electoral rolls to be published on December 23. Of digitised EFs, 1.18 lakh voters remain unmapped, meaning names of their family members could not be traced in 2003 voters lists. These electors will be given an opportunity to establish eligibility by submitting required documents. Among constituencies, Govindpura will see highest deletions at RURAL REVAMP | Shivraj lashes out at Cong, claiming oppn had ‘killed’ ideals espoused by Mahatma Gandhi many times LS clears G RAM G Bill amid oppn protests PTI NEW DELHI The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed a bill that seeks to replace the 20-year-old MGNREGA with a new initiative that guarantees rural jobs for 125 days every year amid vociferous protests by the Opposition, and Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan asserting that the change was necessary to fix shortcomings in the scheme. Responding to the eighthour discussion on the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, Rural Development Minister Chouhan lashed out at the Congress, claiming that the opposition party had "killed" the ideals espoused by Mahatma Gandhi many times over and used his name to further political gains. Chouhan said during the UPA rule, MGNREGA was riddled with corruption and the expected amount of funds was not spent on procurement of material for designated jobs. With photographs of Mahatma Gandhi in hand, opposition MPs on Thursday took out a protest march inside the Parliament complex against the G RAM G bill "Funds were not allotted to the states as expected. MGNREGA was riddled with problems. As per the Act, 60 per cent of the funds were to be spent on labour and 40 per cent on material. But, only 26 per cent was spent on material and funds were siphoned off. Corruption was rampant under MGNREGA," he said. Chouhan said the G RAM G Bill was brought after extensive deliberations as it was felt that amount to the tune of Rs 10-11 lakh crore should not be spent on merely paying wages, but used for creating permanent assets. "We have made provisions to improve employment. On the other hand, this vast amount will be used to build fully developed villages which has been the goal of the Modi government," he said. He said the G RAM G initiative will focus on water security by creating lakes, micro-irrigation channels, developing core rural infrastructure, livelihood related CM flags social media risks, prioritises women safety Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL infrastructure and special works to mitigate extreme weather events. Chouhan said all the assets created will be aggregated to the Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack. At the outset of the session, Congress member K C Venugopal urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to refer the Bill to a parliamentary committee for threadbare examination. 4Continued on | P8 SC dismisses Takia Masjid plea to challenge Mahakal temple complex expansion Our Staff Reporter Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Thursday warned that social media, while a powerful tool, has also become a major threat to society. Speaking to police officials at the Director General of Police–Inspector General of Police Conference 2025, he stressed that misuse of social media has amplified spread of rumours, crime and misinformation, and must be tackled proactively. The CM urged police to act swiftly against misleading or provocative content. “Public Statue of Unity creator dies NEW DELHI: Renowned sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar, whose works shaped the visual identity of modern India and whose artistic vision gave form to the Statue of Unity in Gujarat, passed away at his residence in Noida. Sutar was 100. Family sources said he died due to age-related ailments. His death marks the end of a defining chapter in Indian monumental art. BHOPAL CM Mohan Yadav flags of Mobile forensic van on Thursday expectation of prompt police assistance has increased. Officers must be technologically equipped to provide immediate help to victims,” he said. Women’s safety remains a top priority. “Special surveil- lance, regular patrols and swift action must be ensured in areas where crimes against women are more likely,” he said. 4Continued on | P8 7 held near Bondi Beach over ‘violent attack’ plan Online Report SYDNEY Amid an ongoing investigation into the Bondi Beach attack in Australia, police conducted an operation in a Sydney suburb, ramming a car and detaining seven men on Thursday. New South Wales Police said two vehicles were intercepted after intelligence suggested a violent act may have been planned, but clarified there was no link to the Bondi attack investigation. Visuals showed heavily armed officers detaining the suspects at gunpoint, forcing them face-down, handcuffing and searching them; one man appeared injured. Media reports said the men were armed and travelling in a Victorian-registered car. Police later confirmed the operation had concluded. The Supreme Court dismissed a petition filed by Takia Masjid challenging the land acquisition and expansion of the Mahakal temple complex in Ujjain. During the hearing on Thursday, the court stated that the petitioner was merely a worshipper, not the landowner, and therefore does not have the right (locus standi) to challenge the acquisition proceedings. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta observed that the acquisition notifications were not directly challenged in the petition; the objection was limited only to the compensation. In such cases, alternative statutory remedies are available under the law. The court held that when the petitioner is not the landowner or the recorded title holder, he cannot claim that the acquisition is illegal. Senior Advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, appearing for the petitioner, told the Free Press, 4Continued on | P8 offgrid Pak kabaddi player plays for ‘Indian’ team, set to face action PTI KARACHI A popular Pakistani international kabaddi player, Ubaidullah Rajput, faces the prospect of a severe disciplinary action after he appeared for an Indian team in a private tournament in Bahrain on December 16. Ubaidullah found himself in big trouble after videos and pictures of him wearing Indian shirt and waving the Indian flag in the GCC Cup went viral. The secretary of the Pakistan Kabbadi Federation, Rana Sarwar, said an emergency meeting of the PKR had been called on December 27 in which the matter would be discussed and decision taken on disciplinary action against Rajput and some other players. "I can confirm it was a private event with private teams formed under the names of India, Pakistan, Canada, Iran etc. in the com- petition by the organisers. But all the teams had players of their own origin. Indian players represented the Indian private side and Ubaidullah played for them which is unacceptable in these circumstances," Sarwar said. He also claimed 16 Pakis- tani players had gone to Bahrain in their personal capacity without taking any permission from the federation or the Pakistan Sports Board. "So action will also be taken against these players for falsely playing under the names of Pakistan team." 4Continued on | P8 97,349, while Berasia will have lowest at 12,909. Govindpura also tops list of unmapped voters with 30,348, while Berasia has lowest at 2,149. Overall, 15.69 lakh voters, about 71% of total electorate, have been found eligible and will not be required to take any further action. EU leaders likely to be R-Day guests Online Report NEW DELHI European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other leaders, including European Council President Antonio Costa, are likely to be chief guests at next year’s January 26 parade, sources said. The India–EU summit is also expected to be held in New Delhi around the same time, focusing on the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said negotiations are progressing across several chapters, though FTAs cannot be tied to fixed deadlines. He noted deep engagement to narrow differences through physical and virtual meetings. So far, 14 rounds of talks have been held. An EU team visited New Delhi from December 3– 9, during which Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal met EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic. over: SC on judges passing many orders before retirement PTI NEW DELHI The Supreme Court has objected to the "growing trend" of judges passing "so many orders" just before they retire, equating it to a batter "hitting sixes" in the final overs of a match. An apex court bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant was hearing a plea of a Madhya Pradesh principal and district judge challenging a full court decision of the high court to suspend him just 10 days before his scheduled retirement allegedly over some questionable judicial orders. "Petitioner just before retirement started hitting sixes. It is an unfortunate trend. I do not want to elaborate on it," the bench, also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, observed on Wednesday. "There is a growing trend of judges passing so many orders just before retirement," the CJI said. The Madhya Pradesh judicial officer, who was due to retire on November 30, was suspended on November 19, allegedly because of two judicial orders passed by him. Senior advocate Vipin Sanghi, appearing on his behalf, submitted that he had an impeccable service record with consistently high ratings SC was hearing a plea of a Madhya Pradesh principal and district judge challenging a full court decision of HC to suspend him just 10 days before his retirement in his annual confidential reports. Sanghi questioned the legality of the suspension, arguing that judicial officers cannot be subjected to disciplinary action merely for passing judicial orders. "How can an officer be suspended for judicial orders which can be appealed against and rectified by the higher judiciary?" he asked. The bench agreed in principle, observing that disciplinary proceedings cannot ordinarily be initiated against a judicial officer for erroneous orders. 4Continued on | P8 India, Oman ink FTA as Modi holds talks with Sultan Haitham PTI MUSCAT India and Oman on Thursday signed a free trade agreement, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tarik and explored ways to further add greater depth to the bilateral Strategic Partnership. Modi, who arrived in Oman on Wednesday on the last leg of his three-nation tour, was welcomed by Sultan Haitham at Al Baraka Palace in Muscat before their ?one-on-one talks and the delegation-level meeting. "Today, we are taking a historic step forward in IndiaOman relations, whose positive impact will be felt for decades to come. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) will energise our ties in the 21st century," Modi said. He said the agreement will PM Narendra Modi being conferred with the Order of Oman by Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tarik, in Muscat give new momentum to trade, investment and open new opportunities across different sectors, and greatly benefit the youth of both nations. Modi thanked the Sultan for Caste-based mindset needed: IAS officer Meenakshi Singh Video goes viral Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL A video of another IAS officer, Meenakshi Singh, making a controversial statement went viral after IAS officer Santosh Verma’s video kicked up dust across the state. At a function organised by the Anusuchit Jati Jannati Karmachari Sangh (AJJAKS), Singh said people should have a caste-based mindset. Having a caste identity and caste-based sentiments is the need of the hour, she said, adding that the people belonging to the upper caste favour people on the grounds of their surnames. ‘‘So, we, too, should go to the people of our caste,’’ Singh says in the video. She said whenever she had The people of upper caste favour the people of their community on the basis of surname, she says been posted in districts, the people belonging to the SC/ST category avoided meeting her, thinking that she was an officer. 'But we have to tell our people that we belong to the SC/ST category. We should search for our people and help them,’’ Singh says in the video. In the video, she further said, ‘‘So, the AJJAKS must go to our people.’’ The video of Verma in which he made objectionable remarks on the Brahmin girls had gone viral before Singh’s video. his efforts in finalising the historic CEPA, as he described it as "a new and golden chapter" of bilateral cooperation. 4Continued on | P8 US announces $10 bn arms sales to Taiwan AP WASHINGTON The Trump administration has announced a massive package of arms sales to Taiwan valued at more than USD 10 billion that includes medium-range missiles, howitzers and drones, drawing an angry response from China. The State Department announced the sales late Wednesday during a nationally televised address by President Donald Trump, who made scant mention of foreign policy issues and did not speak about China or Taiwan at all. US-Chinese tensions have ebbed and flowed during Trump's second term, largely over trade and tariffs but also over China's increasing aggressiveness toward Taiwan, which Beijing has said must reunify with the mainland. 4Continued on | P8