Vol. 67 No. 150 | SATURDAY | MARCH 23, 2024 | 32 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 EDIT Check out our verdict on films and OTT releases REVIEWS THIS WEEK KEEPING THE OPPN ON A LEASH ` FALLS 48 PAISE TO HIT ALL-TIME LOW OF 83.61 AGAINST US DOLLAR ED finds with Kejri dossier on its officers ASHISH SINGH / MUMBAI The Enforcement Directorate (ED) recovered a crucial 150-page document during a search of the official residence Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday night, reportedly containing ‘incriminating’ information about two top ED officers. According to sources, the document is believed to have been strategically planted by Arvind Kejriwal. The Chief Minister, apprehending imminent arrest after dodging nine ED summons, is suspected to have orchestrated this to divert attention from the ongoing investigation and cast suspicion on the actions of the ED. One of the officers mentioned in the document had been trying to find a link between the Delhi government's controversial excise policy following an alleged payoff of Rs 100 crore by a liquor cartel and CM questions need for arrest, timing, asks ED to take off ‘mask’ court of Special Judge (Prevention of Corruption Act) Kaveri Baweja A Delhi anti-corruption court on at the Rouse Avenue Courts with a Friday remanded Delhi chief min- battery of lawyers, including ister Arvind Kejriwal, who was ar- senior advocates Abhishek Manu rested by the Enforcement Direc- Singhvi, Ramesh Gupta and torate on Thursday in connection Vikram Chaudhari. Arguing for with a money laundering case re- Kejriwal, Chaudhari accused the lated to the Delhi liquor ED of being partial and policy scam, to 6 days in questioned the timing of custody of the central the arrest. Kejriwal was AAPDATE arrested within hours of agency . The ED had sought 10 the Delhi High Court redays’ remand while Kejriwal had fusing to grant him any protection opposed the move and asked why from coercive action in the case. the agency if it had all the material , Chaudhari also alluded to ED with it, waited for the Lok Sabha working at the instance of the Cenelections to be announced to arrest tral Government and said it should him. “remove the mask and show us Kejriwal appeared before the who they exactly represent”. THE FPJ Prior to going to Rouse Avenue Courts, Singhvi had gone to the Supreme Court and approached Court No 1 of CJI D.Y Chandrachud . but he was directed to go to Court No. 2. Singhvi then mentioned the matter before Justice Sanjiv Khanna, while he was sitting with Justice Dipankar Datta in Court No. 2. When the two-judge Bench told him that a three judge Bench comprising Justices Khanna, MM Sundresh and Bela M Trivedi was set to take up the plea later in the day Singhvi withdrew from the , apex court the petition challenging his arrest by the ED, saying “because [ED] remand is clashing, decided to withdraw it...will fight the remand and come back to your WIFESPEAK: Modiji got your thrice elected Chief Minister arrested out of arrogance of power. He is trying to crush everyone. This is a betrayal of the people of Delhi. Your CM has always stood with you. Whether inside or outside, his life is dedicated to the country. The public knows everything,” Sunita said in an X post. THE FP BULLETIN CATHERINE HAS CANCER C atherine, Princess of Wales, revealed on Friday she has been diagnosed with cancer is in the “early and stages” of treatment. The princess described the diagnosis as a “huge shock” in a video statement released on social media. The news comes two months after she had temporarily stepped away from public life following what Kensington Palace said at the time was surgery for a non-cancerous abdominal condition. Catherine, 42, is married to the heir to the British throne, Prince William. The announcement is a ‘IN-HOUSE’ CM AT TIHAR JAIL election funding for the assembly polls in Goa and Punjab. According to sources, the seized document, which agency officials have referred to higher authorities, also links a senior ED officer to Riyaz Bhati, an allegedly close associate of the fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim. This officer is alleged to have connections with Chhota Shakeel and also involved in an underworld extortion racket. CONTD. ON NATION 6 DAYS IN ED CUSTODY GAURAV VIVEK BHATNAGAR / NEW DELHI In intraday trade, the rupee touched a low of 83.65 against the American currency Delhi minister Atishi on Friday said chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the Delhi liquor policy case on Thursday night, would continue in office despite his arrest. "We had made it clear in the beginning that he will work from jail if the need arose,” she said while addressing a press conference at the Aam Aadmi Party headquarters on Friday morning. The Delhi minister added that “there is no law that stops him (Kejriwal) from continuing in office as he has not been convicted.” Atishi had also pointed out in the meeting that this was the first time that a sitting chief minister has been arrested. Referring to the recent instance of the arrest of the Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren by the ED, she said, “He had resigned before his CONTD. ON NATION arrest”. RUCHA KANOLKAR / MUMBAI S BALAKRISHNAN / MUMBAI Actor Govinda called on Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday apparently seeking a Shiv Sena ticket to contest the Lok Sabha election from Mumbai northwest. However, sources said it was Shinde who had sought out Govinda and asked him if he would be interested in contesting the upcoming poll. Govinda had emerged as a giantkiller in 2004, when he delivered a shock defeat to sitting MP and BJP veteran Ram Naik. Shinde’s gameplan is apparently to field the actor against Amol Kirtikar, who has been fielded by the Shiv Sena (UBT). Amol is the son of the sitting MP Gajanan Kirtikar, who has joined Shinde. However, the older Kirtikar is not interested in contesting as it would pit him against his own son. In the absence of a candidate of stature to defeat Amol, Shinde is toying with the idea of asking Govinda to enter the fray . But the problem is, since 2004, Govinda’s popularity has been on the wane and it is doubtful if he will be able to pull the kind of crowds he did 20 years ago. Also, his performance as an MP verged on the pathetic. He rarely spoke in Parliament and he did not even fully spend his allocated MP area development fund. He was also inaccessible to his constituents. CONTD. ON NATION BISWAJEET BANERJEE LUCKNOW HIGHEST BHUTAN HONOUR FOR PM P rime Minister Narendra Modi made history on Friday by becoming the first foreign Head of Government to be bestowed with Bhutan’s highest civilian honour, the Order of the Druk Gyalpo. Modi was awarded by the King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, during his state visit to the country. “This honour is not my personal achievement, it is the honour of India and 140 crore Indians. I humbly accept this honour on behalf of all Indians in this great land of Bhutan and thank you all from the bottom of my heart for this honour,” the Prime Minister said at a public award ceremony at the Tendrelthang, Thimphu. Sunrise : 06:41 am Sunset : 06:50 pm In a major setback to the largest opposition party in the country ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed the Congress Party's three petitions challenging the reassessment proceedings initiated against it by the Income Tax Department. The Congress pleaded that these reassessments pertaining to fiscal years 2014-15, 201516 and 2016-17 were timebarred, but the High Court dismissed its contention. Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who appeared for the Congress party had , further argued that the reassessment was barred by limitation and was being done in violation of the provisions of the Income Tax Act. The IT department, in turn, argued that there had been no violation of the statutory provisions and that the ‘escaped’ income of the Congress was more than Rs 520 crore. A bench of Justices Yashwant Varma and Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav while , pronouncing the verdict, said, "We dismiss the writ petitions." The high court had previously refused to interfere with the order of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) which declined to stay a notice issued by the I-T department to the Congress for recovery of outstanding tax of more than Rs 100 crore. CONTD. ON NATION THE MEIL MONEY LINK T he Delhi High Court on Friday said that the Income Tax Department prima facie “substantial and concrete had evidence” to further scrutinise the income of Congress for the years 2014-15 to 2020-21 under the Income Tax Act. A division bench of Justice Yashwant Varma and Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav noted that the Satisfaction Note drawn by the Assessing Officer makes detailed reference to unaccounted transactions with respect to the Lok Sabha elections of 2019 and the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections of 2018 and 2013. "On a prima facie examination, it is evident that the respondents appear to have collated substantial and concrete evidence warranting further scrutiny and examination under the Income Tax Act," court said. There is specific reference to the unaccounted transactions pertaining to assessment years 201415, 2015-16 and 2016-17, said the court while noting that income which allegedly “escaped assessment" stands at about Rs 520 crores. In the decision, the court particularly referred to the documents recovered from Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) Group and said it appears that unaccounted transfers were made to the political party. CONTD. ON NATION Shinde’s ‘Govinda Heat: Expect degree of relief only Aala Re’ moment? Scorcher alert: Saturday will be another hot and humid day , with maximum and minimum temperatures predicted to hover around 37 and the mini°C mum at 23 respectively °C . However, there is a degree of relief to follow, with the maximum and minimum temperatures expected to drop by one degree in the next 48 hours, to around 36 °C and 22 °C respectively Clear skies are . also expected during this period. Over the past 24 hours, the city recorded a temperature of 32 °C over the past 24 hours, with minimal deviation from the normal. However, at 24.3 °C, the minimum temperature indicated a slight departure from the expected range. On Thursday the Santacruz , observatory recorded a maximum temperature of 38.8 °C, surpassing the previous day’s record and marking the hottest day of the ongoing season. The seven-day outlook indicates that temperatures are likely to range from 23 °C to 35 BLOODBATH AT RUSSIA CONCERT I n a landmark decision, the Allahabad High Court has deemed the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act, 2004, as "unconstitutional" and against the secular fabric of the nation. The court's division bench, consisting of Justice Vivek Chaudhary and Justice Subhash Vidyarthi from the Lucknow branch, handed down the ruling in response to a writ petition filed by Anshuman Singh Rathore. Rathore's petition challenged not only the constitutionality of the UP Madarsa Board but also raised concerns about the management of madarsas by the Minority Welfare department, both at the Union and state levels. In its verdict, the court highlighted the violation of the principle of secularism and emphasized the need for inclusivity and equal opportunities in education. Justice Vivek Chaudhary remarked, "The constitution guarantees equal treatment for all citizens irrespective of their religious beliefs. The UP Madarsa Board Act, by its nature, undermines this fundamental principle." Moreover, Justice Subhash Vidyarthi added, "Education should be a tool for empowerment and social cohesion. CONTD. ON NATION A shooting broke out at a large concert hall near Moscow on Friday. RIA news agency said at least three people in camouflage clothing had opened fire. Video footage published on Russian social media channels showed chaotic scenes, with a large crowd of concertgoers attempting to flee the hall, followed by gunshots. Other video footage showed a number of people lying motionless in pools of blood outside the hall. The gunmen are believed to have used explosives as well. In one video, the three men in fatigues are seen firing rifles at point blank range into bodies strewn about the lobby of the concert hall. At least 50 ambulances had been dispatched to the site of the attack. AUTHORITIES TOOK AWAY ID CARDS & LOCKED ALL EXITS OUTSIDE THE VENUE OF THE EVENT Students subjected to forced ‘lecture’ on BJP MEGHA CHOWDHURY / MUMBAI Students at the Thakur College of Science & Commerce, Kandivli, were compulsorily made to attend a session organised by the college for a member of the BJP member in the college complex Friday on . Not only did college authorities confiscate the ID cards of BMM students to ensure their participation but exits from the venue of the event, which was held on the seventh floor of the building were locked, so as to prevent the attendees from exiting. was only inside the venue It that the students realised Students said they were currently stressed about their exams as things stood and the bizarre behaviour of the management had further aggravated the situation that son of Union Minister the Piyush Goyal, Dhruv Goyal, was the speaker at the session, with the topic being the achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the achievements of the BJP in the last 10 years. When The Free Press Journal reached out to students, they seemed most unhappy about not being taken into confidence by the college authori- ties, who instead, sprung a surprise on them. Speaking on condition of anonymity students said, they , were currently stressed about their exams as things stood and the bizarre behaviour of the management had further aggravated the situation. Apparently at one point in , the meeting, students who were video-recording the event were pulled up and ordered to °C, with mainly clear skies prevailing throughout. The temperature rise is largely because of the prevailing easterly winds, according to Sunil Kamble, scientist and head of the India Meteorological Department, Mumbai. However, there is relief on the horizon, he assured. Typically the IMD issues a , heatwave warning for coastal cities when the maximum temperature exceeds 37 °C on two consecutive days. Mumbai’s temperatures have been elevated, but the readings at delete the video immediately A . student who dared to raise his voice over the behaviour of the college authorities was also made to shut up. However, he finally did manage to get an opportunity to speak his mind and told Goyal about the events that led to the meeting. Once Goyal left the venue, the students said, the principal came on the stage and reprimanded the students for their uncooperative behaviour. The Free Press Journal reached out to the college authorities via email but until the time of going to press, no response was forthcoming. New roles for Chahal, Velrasu KALPESH MHAMUNKAR MUMBAI Former BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal has been appointed additional chief secretary to the Chief Minister. In addition, he will also be in charge of the mining department, having been made additional chief secretary of this department. Former Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) P Velrasu has been appointed secretary of the social justice and special assistance department, Mantralaya. Velrasu replaces Sumant Bhange. CONTD. ON NATION the Colaba observatory have remained between 34 °C and 36 °C over the past two days, falling short of the criterion for a heatwave warning. ACROSS THE STATE Meanwhile, the rest of Maharashtra is gearing up for a surge in temperatures over the coming days. Interior parts of the state are expected to experience a 2-3 °C increase in maximum temperatures, posing challenges for residents and agricultural activities alike. CONTD. ON NATION City gangster being brought from China VISHAL SINGH / MUMBAI Allahabad HC strikes down Madarsa Act devastating blow for the British monarchy as King Charles III is currently undergoing treatment for an unspecified cancer, which was announced by Buckingham Palace in early February. 0 CONG LOSES I-T CASE, TOO OUR BUREAU / NEW DELHI GAURAV VIVEK BHATNAGAR NEW DELHI 0 34 c. 26 c. A notorious criminal and gangster, Prasad Pujari -- who had struck terror in Mumbai and was arrested in China last year -- is being brought back to India tonight. Having been involved in major crimes like murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping and extortion, Pujari had managed to escape the dragnet and was a recurring headache for the Mumbai Police. Ever since he was arrested in China last year, the Mumbai Crime Branch was trying through diplomatic channels to bring him back. Crime Branch DCP Datta Nalawade confirmed that Poojari has been indeed deported and will be apprehended upon arrival in Mumbai. He is wanted in over nine cases, involving incidents of firing, extortion, and murder. He had been mostly targeting builders and businessmen in east Mumbai. This marks the first instance of an absconding criminal being extradited from China. Pujari, a resident of Tagore Nagar in Vikhroli, had obtained a temporary residence visa and was residing in Luohu district of China. His name had come up during investigation into firing on a Shiv Sena worker Chandrakant Jadhav, a resident of Vikhroli. Jadhav had been lucky as the bullet had merely grazed him. CONTD. ON NATION TAILPIECE For Anna, Kejriwal is just another neta S BALAKRISHNAN / MUMBAI Even as Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest was denounced by a large number of people, his mentor, Anna Hazare, slammed him for his liquor policy The 86-year-old . Gandhian activist recalled that Kejriwal was enamoured of his crusade against corruption. "I had told him several times to steer clear of liquor, but he could not avoid a money spinner. He should not have done that. " "I am very saddened that a person like Kejriwal, who had raised his voice against liquor vends, got embroiled in formulating the policy ."But what can be done? He got arrested due to his deeds. Had he not done anything, there was no question of him being CONTD. ON NATION arrested.