Vol. 67 No. 141 | WEDNESDAY | MARCH 13, 2024 | 26 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only Quality at Value www.freepressjournal.in MEMBER: AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATION EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Nashik, Konkan, Indore, Bhopal, E-paper BJP COURSE CORRECTION SOS TO PREZ ON POLL BONDS OUR BUREAU / NEW DELHI The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) chief on Tuesday wrote to President Droupadi Murmu urging her to seek presidential reference of the apex court in the electoral bonds scheme case and not to give effect to it unless the top SC LIFTS 27-YEAR OLD BAN ON NEET FROM OUR BUREAU NEW DELHI In a landmark ruling that has the potential to reshape the landscape of medical education in India, the Supreme Court has lifted a 27-year-old ban, allowing students who have pursued their education through distance learning to sit for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for undergraduate courses. Scheduled for May 5, 2024, NEET is recognized as the most prestigious medical entrance examination in the country attracting millions , of aspirants each year. The decision comes as a significant relief to students enrolled in distance education programs, who, until now, were ineligible to apply for NEET, a restriction that had been in place for nearly three decades. The Supreme Court’s ruling was delivered by a bench comprising Justice P Narasimha and .S. Justice Arvind Kumar, in response to an appeal filed by the Medical Council of India (MCI) against a Delhi High Court verdict that allowed open school students to appear for the exam. This pivotal judgment has opened the doors for students who have completed their 10+2 examinations through open schools recognized by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to pursue their dream of becoming doctors. The ruling emphasizes inclusivity and equal opportunities in education, ensuring that the mode of obtaining secondary education does not become a barrier to aspiring medical students. court has reheard the matter. The SCBA chief, in his letter to the president, said, “Revealing the names of corporate entities that had contributed to different political parties would render them vulnerable to victimization. The possibility of them being singled out by those parties that had re- ceived less contribution from them, and being harassed cannot be ruled out. This will be reneging on the promise given to them while accepting their voluntary contributions.” The bar body chief has urged Murmu to seek presidential reference in the case, so that the entire DREAM RIDE, NIGHTMARE AT WORLI Coastal Road: Cruise or chaos, depends on which side you are; Pedder Road empty proceedings could be reheard and complete justice could be done to “Parliament of India, political parties, corporate entities and the general public.” Article 143 of the Constitution confers advisory jurisdiction on the Supreme Court and empowers the President of India to con- Gehlot, Kamal Nath sons in Cong 2nd list FROM OUR BUREAU / NEW DELHI Congress general secretary K C Venugopal on Tuesday released the second list of 43 Lok Sabha candidates, including 10 each from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, 12 from Assam, 7 from Gujarat, 3 from Uttarakhand and 1 from Daman and Diu, raising the total candidates announced so far to 82. He said the candidates picked up in the two lists shows that the contest is this time between poor and the rich; the Congress has fielded the poor as against mostly the rich figuring in the BJP list of candidates. It is people's agenda vs power agenda, he said.For- WE WON’T IMPLEMENT CAA: STALIN N CHITHRA / CHENNAI AISHWARYA IYER/ MUMBAI Much to the delight of motorists, the first phase of the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Marg – Mumbai Coastal Road – was thrown open to traffic on Tuesday with 16,000 vehicles negotiating the stretch. Bhupen Tharu, an early bird who vroomed through it, was full of praise: “It’s a dream come true. It’s all very historic. Full marks to the BMC.” However, on Worli Sea Face, there was a huge traffic snarl, with several motorists vying to get on the road. Motorists were in awe of the 10.5km-long stretch, which is expected to reduce the 40-minute travel time from Worli to Marine Drive to a mere nine minutes. The road will be open from 8 am to 8pm, Monday to Friday It will . be closed on weekends. The first phase, consisting of the south-bound carriageway was inaugurated by Ma, harashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday The . second phase, which is expected to be complete by May 2024, will connect the BandraWorli Sea Link (Bandra-end) to Kandivli. On Day 1, motorists maintained complete discipline, assiduously adhering to traffic laws. At the Princess Street flyover, Marine Drive, traffic personnel were predicting a bottleneck, as the flyover receives traffic from the coastal road. CONTD. ON NATION A day after the Centre notified the rules for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday reiterated that the legislation will not be implemented in the State. He argued that the CAA was against the interests of the minorities and the Sri Lankan Tamils, who have been living in camps in Tamil Nadu for several decades. Stalin’s announcement is more of political import and technically he may not be in a position to stall the implementation of the CAA as the Centre has not given any powers to States to decide on this. CONTD. ON NATION ‘Agla station, Tirthankar Parshvanath (King’s Circle)’? FPJ NEWS SERVICE / MUMBAI Now that Mumbaikars have memorised the name of Prabhadevi (formerly Elphinstone Road station on Western Railway), they must be ready to learn seven more new names. Member of Parliament Rahul Shewale has urged the Shinde government to change the colonial-era names of seven suburban railway stations in the city . According to Shewale, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has accepted the proposal in principle, in a step towards embracing a more culturally rooted nomenclature. There are some railway stations in Mumbai with names dating back to the British era. The proposal by Shewale aims to rename these prominent railway stations so as to em- phasise their historical and cultural connections. Sample this: the stations on the list, with their proposed names in parentheses: Currey Road (Lalbaug), Sandhurst Road (Dongri), Marine Lines (Mumbadevi), Charni Road (Girgaon), Cotton Green (Kalachowki), Dockyard Road (Mazgaon), and King’s Circle (Tirthankar Parshvanath). Additionally the state govern, ment has already proposed renaming Mumbai Central Railway Station as Nana Jagannath Shankarsheth Railway Station, another proposal currently awaiting Central government approval. Shewale stressed the importance of recognising India’s sovereignty and eliminating the vestiges of colonial influence. The Central government, he mentioned, was actively en- LAST WORD Gung-ho, Rahul promises caste census KALPESH MHAMUNKAR / MUMBAI The Congress government would carry out a caste census and an economic and financial survey in case it wrests power , from the BJP regime, party leader Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday in the tribaldominated Nandurbar district of Maharashtra. “Once we come to power, the Congress will carry out a caste census and an economic and financial survey across the country It will be a revolutionary . step...we will have the exact data of each caste and its representation in the population,” said Gandhi as his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra entered the state from Gujarat to a tumultuous welcome. Tribals make up 8 per cent of India's sult the top court if it appears to the president that a question of law or fact has arisen, or can arise in future which is of public importance. RAW DATA SHARED: The State Bank of India on Tuesday evening submitted the data of electoral bonds to the CONTD. ON NATION population and the Congress would ensure that they get a proportionate stake in development, said Gandhi who took part in the traditional tribal Holi ritual, following which he addressed the “ Adivasi Nyay Sabha”. Adivasis are the real owners of the country and have rights to water, forest and land, the Congress leader said, targeting the BJP-led central government which he alleged has deprived adivasis of their rights. “While the BJP government is giving adivasis’ land to Adani, the Congress is protecting adivasis’ rights. Though the adivasi population is high they are not a part of the government,” he said at Nandurbar, which was once was a bastion of CONTD. ON NATION the Congress mer Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's son Vaibhav is to be fielded from Jalore in Rajasthan while Kamal Nath's son Nakul will be seeking re-election from Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh. It appears that Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot may not be contesting this time. Although Rahul Gandhi was in Delhi on Monday, he did not attend the CEC meeting.Gaurav Gogoi has been fielded from Assam's Jorhat, while Rahul Kaswan, who quit the BJP two days ago, has been given the ticket to seek reelection from Churu in Rajasthan. CONTD. ON NATION OBC leader replaces Khattar as Haryana CM; BJP dumps ally JJP NEELU VYAS/RAJESH MOUDGIL / CHANDIGARH JEWELLER WIFE MURDERED AT MALABAR HILL VISHAL SINGH / MUMBAI A senior female citizen was found murdered at her house at Malabar Hill. The husband of the deceased is the owner of a jewellery showroom. Jyoti Shah (63) was allegedly alone in the house at the time of the incident. According to Malabar Hill Police, the victim lived with her husband at Nepean Sea Road. Preliminary investigation has pointed the needle of suspicion at the domestic help which was hired only two days ago. There is no trace of the servant after the incident. A police officer said that Jyoti was murdered by strangulation. CONTD. ON NATION In a major political development, just a few weeks ahead of the general elections, Haryana BJP president and OBC leader Nayab Saini has replaced Manohar Lal Khattar as chief minister. In what is seen as a surgical operation, not only has the CM been replaced but the BJP’s four-and-a-half year alliance with Dushyant Chautala's Jannayak Janta Party also stands severed. The party has decided to go with independent MLAs instead. According to political analysts, sensing the growing discontent of the farmers, wrestlers, youths and even a spiralling anti-incumbency against Chief Minister Khatter, PM Modi and Amit Shah are on course correction. In Saini, the BJP has found someone who could help the party cosy up to the nearly 44 percent OBC population. Two months ago, Congress's Ashok Tanwar, a Dalit leader, had joined the BJP who is tasked to wean away the 20 percent Dalit vote. The OBC- Dalit combination might help the BJP tide over any imminent backlash from the dominant Jat community which , holds sway on 40 out of 90 assembly seats, following snapping of ties with the JJP . Many believe that this dissolution the BJP-JJP ties is of part of a pre-decided script written by Chautala, Modi and Shah, sensing the shifting political sands in the Jatland of Haryana. The split was imminent as the JJP had reportedly sought two of the 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state, something that was not acceptable to the BJP . CONTD. ON NATION