THE SUNDAY Vol. 37 No. 13 | Sunday, December 21, 2025 28 Pages | `5 & for State `6 | Reg. No. MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 46955/1988 M.p.c.s. office Mumbai-400001 FREE PRESS JOURNAL WORLD SAREE DAY INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation GOOD LIFE Weekend Maria Goretti reveals her plans for Christmas BLITZKRIEG | Narendra Modi targets both Trinamool and Congress in W Bengal, Assam Probate law relief to Mumbaikars PM Modi in pitch for double engine govt to demographic and security challenges that the region continues to grapple with. 4Contd on | Nation 4Contd on | Nation PTI FPJ News Service Gill axed in T20 gamble Irfan Haji MUMBAI FPJ News Service MUMBAI Parliament earlier this week cleared a sweeping reform that will end a long-standing anomaly in India’s succession laws, paving the way for Hindus and several other communities to no longer require mandatory probate of wills in many cases. The move came with the passage of the Repealing and Amending Bill, 2025, which scraps 71 obsolete laws and amends four others to simplify the legal framework and remove colonial-era discrimination. The Bill was passed by voice vote in the Rajya Sabha after being approved by the Lok Sabha a day earlier. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said the legislation was aimed at improving the “ease of living” for citizens by eliminating outdated provisions that created unnecessary legal hurdles. A key change relates to Section 213 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925. Under the existing law, wills made by Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains and Parsis in the former presidency towns of Bombay (Mumbai), Madras (Chennai) and Calcutta (Kolkata) required probate, or court validation, before they could be enforced. GUWAHATI & KOLKATA Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday mounted a sharp political offensive against the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) during a packed day of official engagements and rallies across Assam and West Bengal, blending development messaging with pointed attacks on alleged misgovernance, infiltration and vote-bank politics ahead of key electoral battles. In Guwahati, Modi inaugurated the new terminal building of the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, describing it as a landmark step in transforming the Northeast into a gateway of India’s growth. Addressing a public gathering after the inauguration, the Prime Minister accused successive Congress governments of neglecting Assam and the wider Northeast for decades, a failure he said had weakened national security and stalled development. “The Congress never had Assam or the Northeast on its development agenda,” Modi said, alleging that earlier regimes had prioritised vote-bank politics over border security and the interests of indigenous communities. He claimed that unchecked illegal infiltration during the Congress era had led ‘New centres of power and influence have emerged’ very much more positively and very much more seriously than before, and the reasons for that is both our national brand and our individual reputations, which have improved considerably," Jaishankar said. Globalisation has fundamentally altered the way we think and work, the minister said. "After decolonization, many nations were able to progress and prosper because they now control their own destinies. The quality of choices and the wisdom of policy have made a crucial difference. PTI In a selection call that underlined India’s ruthless shift towards impact over reputation, Shubman Gill was on Saturday left out of the T20 World Cup squad, with the selectors opting for firepower, flexibility and wicketkeeping depth ahead of pedigree. The exclusion of Gill — India’s Test and ODI captain and T20 vicecaptain until recently — emerged as the biggest talking point as the Ajit Agarkarled panel unveiled a 15-man squad aimed at defending the title on home soil. 4Contd on | Nation PUNE The world today perceives India much more positively, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday, adding that the evolution of the country's image is an undeniable reality. Addressing the 22nd convocation of the Symbiosis International (Deemed University) in Pune, Jaishankar also said the global economic and political pecking order has undergone a significant change. "A number of centres of power and influence have emerged. No country, however A number of centres of power and influence have emerged. No country, however powerful, can impose its will on all issues. – Dr S Jaishankar powerful, can impose its will on all issues," he said. "How does the world perceive us currently? The short answer is 4Contd on | Nation Seven elephants killed in Assam train accident AUGUSTA WESTLAND PTI FPJ News Service MUMBAI UK national cleared in one of two cases Agencies At least seven elephants were killed and a calf injured after a herd was hit by the Sairang– New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Assam’s Hojai district early on Saturday, once again underlining the growing conflict between wildlife movement and expanding transport infrastructure in the Northeast. The accident occurred around 2.17 a.m. when the New Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express struck a herd of elephants crossing the railway tracks. Forest department officials confirmed that seven elephants died on the spot, while an injured calf was rescued and given medical treatment. A few coaches of the train were derailed, though no passengers or railway staff were injured. The Sairang–New Delhi Rajdhani Express connects Sairang, near Aizawl in Mizoram, with Anand Vihar Terminal in Delhi. 4Contd on | Nation Sunday Read With Salman Khan turning 60 on Dec 27, Sooraj Barjatya and David Dhawan, others reflect on his cinematic swag. Why it is okay if you don’t feel elated on Christmas NEW DELHI SC links CSR to environment Courts will side with animals In a significant ruling with far-reaching implications, the Supreme Court has held that corporate social responsibility cannot be separated from corporate environmental responsibility, asserting that companies cannot claim to be socially responsible while ignoring the environment The Supreme Court has also underlined that courts will consistently lean in favour of animals, which it described as “silent victims” when migration paths are blocked by human activity and commercial development. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with 4Contd on | Nation 4Contd on | Nation The Rouse Avenue court on Saturday ordered the release of Christian Michel James from custody in a money laundering case linked with the AgustaWestland chopper deal case. He will remain in custody, though, as a similar application is also pending in a CBI case. Special Judge (CBI) Sanjay Jindal ordered the release of Christian Michel James under the provisions of Section 436A CrPC. The court has ordered the jail authorities to release James on December 21 if he is not in custody in any other case. James had sought release from custody on the grounds that he had completed the maximum sentence of seven years in custody in the money laundering case. He was granted bail by the Supreme Court in the CBI case and by the Delhi High Court in the Money laundering case. 4Contd on | Nation CLASHES MAR CIVIC POLLS VOTING FPJ Political Bureau MUMBAI The final phase of polling for Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats concluded on Wednesday, with voting held for 23 municipal councils across the state. The elections, which had been postponed due to pending court cases, were conducted to elect council presidents and 143 members. However, the process was marred by allegations of voter detention, bogus voting and unruly scenes at several locations. In Dharmabad in Nanded district, women voters were allegedly prevented from exercising their franchise after being detained at local marriage halls and temples. Reports claimed that local BJP workers were involved. Ac- cording to complaints, voters were offered money to vote for a particular candidate and asked to assemble at a temple, where they were later locked inside, triggering chaos. Poll officials intervened and the voters were subsequently released. Electronic media reports claimed that at least 1,000 voters were confined. Uproarious scenes were reported from Gadhinglaj in Imran Khan, wife Bushra Bibi get 17-year jail terms TOSHAKHANA 2 Agencies ISLAMABAD Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were sentenced to 17 years in jail each by a court on Saturday in the Toshakhana 2 corruption case. Khan, 73, who has been in jail since August 2023, faces multiple cases launched against him since his ouster from power in April 2022. The Toshakhana 2 case involves alleged fraud in state gifts that the former first couple received from the Saudi government in 2021. Khan served as the 19th prime minister of Pakistan from August 2018 until April 2022 The case pertains to the purchase of an expensive Bulgari jewellery set, gifted to Imran by the Saudi crown prince during an official visit in May 2021, at a throwaway price. During the proceedings, the prosecution contended that the PTI founder retained the jewellery set, valued at approximately PKR 80 million, after paying only PKR 2.9m. The Toshakhana is a department under the Cabinet Division that stores gifts given to rulers and government officials by heads of other governments and foreign dignitaries. Once deposited, the gifts can be bought back following proper rules and procedures. 4Contd on | Nation Case pertains to the purchase of an expensive Bulgari jewellery set, originally valued at `80 million, gifted to Imran by the Saudi crown prince during an official visit in May 2021, at a throwaway price of only `2.9m Kolhapur district after the chairman of the District Milk Federation was allowed to enter a polling booth, prompting protests from rival groups. In Ambarnath in Thane district, allegations of bogus voting were levelled against workers of the Eknath Shindeled Shiv Sena. 4Contd on | Nation Seven held for lynching in Bangladesh ANI DHAKA Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested seven people in connection with the lynching of a Hindu youth in Bhaluka, Mymensingh, the Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, stated in an X post. The arrested suspects are Md. Limon Sarkar (19), Md. Tarek Hossain (19), Md. Manik Mia (20), Ershad Ali (39), Nijum Uddin (20), Alamgir Hossain (38), and Md. Miraj Hossain Akon (46). RAB-14 carried out operations at different locations and arrested the suspects. 4Contd on | Nation 4See also | World