Vol. 67 No. 163 | TUESDAY | APRIL 9, 2024 | 26 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only Quality at Value www.freepressjournal.in MEMBER: AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATION JANUARY TO DECEMBER 2023 EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Nashik, Konkan, Indore, Bhopal, E-paper PUSHPA 2: THE RULE THE FP BULLETIN CEO SALARY T he average CEO compensation in India stood at 13.8 crore, up 40 Rs per cent, compared with preCOVID-19 times. As against this, CEOs who were also promoters or members of the promoter family were paid Rs16.7 crore on average. SLAIN GANGSTER T he Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) on Monday announced that slain gangster Jaipal Bhullar’s father Bhupinder Singh Bhullar will contest from Ferozepur. Bhupinder is a retired inspector of the Punjab Police. His son Jaipal, along with another gangster, was shot dead in an encounter in Kolkata in 2021. Jaipal had over 40 criminal cases against him in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Allu Arjun transforms into a never seen avatar in the teaser LASHKAR THREAT U nion minister and BJP leader Shantanu Thakur claimed on Monday that he had received a letter from the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), warning that if the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is implemented in West Bengal, they will “burn the entire country”. The Supreme Court on Monday restored the bail granted to YouTuber 'Sattai' Durai Murugan, accused of making a derogatory speech against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in 2021, reports Bar and Bench. While restoring the bail, a Bench of Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan remarked, "If before elections we start putting behind bars everyone who makes allegations on YouTube, imagine how many will be jailed? And who decides what is scandalous? Look at the bigger picture." Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi appeared for State of HUSTLED LIKE CATTLE Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday addressed his first Lok Sabha election rally of Maharashtra in Chandrapur at which he made a frontal attack on the Congress and alleged that it was the ``source of all the problems in the country". He compared the Grand Old Party to bitter gourd (karela), whose taste cannot be altered even if deep fried in ghee or mixed with sugar. Vidarbha, which was once a Congress bastion, now has a heavy presence of the BJP The ruling Ma. hayuti led by the BJP is making a determined bid to bag all the ten seats and that is the reason why it got Modi to address the first rally in this region. Senior leaders of the BJP like Nitin Gadkari, Devendra Fadnavis, Sudhir Mungantiwar and Chandrashekar Bawankule all hail from Vidarbha. Modi said the upcoming Lok Sabha elections were a fight between stability and instability and accused the opposition of seeking power only to indulge in corruption. "This is an election between stability and instability On one . side is the BJP which believes in making strong and big deci, sions for the country On the other hand, is the Congress party . and the INDI alliance which says 'jaha bhi satta pao, khoob malai khao' (Reap as much benefits as possible wherever come to power)." "INDI Alliance has always pushed the country into instability How important it is to have a stable government, . who can understand better than Maharashtra," he added. "The Congress is to be blamed for several problems being faced by the country Who was responsible for the Partition . of the country on the basis of religion, Kashmir issue and Naxalism? CONTD. ON NATION ‘Manipur out of the woods due to timely intervention’ FPJ NEWS SERVICE / NEW DELHI In rare remarks on Manipur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that it was because of the timely intervention of the Government of India and efforts made by the Government of Manipur, that there has been a marked improvement in the situation in the State. In an interview, the first part of which was carried online by the Assam Tribune, the Prime Minister said Home Minister Amit Shah stayed in Manipur while the conflict was at its peak, holding 15-plus meetings with various stakeholders to help resolve the conflict. He further said, the Central Government has been consistently extending its support, as required by the State government. The Prime Minister noted that the process of relief and rehabilitation is ongoing. Remedial measures undertaken include a financial package for the relief and rehabilitation of people living in shelter camps in the State. He said, he had already spoken about the issue in the Parliament, and declared that “it is our collective responsibility to deal with the situation sensitively We’ve dedicated our .... best resources and administrative machinery to resolving the conflict.” Asked which problems of the North East he was able to solve in the ten years, the prime minister prefaced his remarks by saying, “For decades after Independence, the Northeastern states were relegated to the margins. CONTD. ON NATION URVI MAHAJANI / MUMBAI T A 10-member delegation of Trinamool Congress, which was staging a protest outside the headquarters of the Election Commission in the Capital, got roughened up and detained by the police. Footage showed the police shoving, jostling and, in some cases, physically lifting the MPs and herding them like cattle onto a waiting bus. The MPs were merely demanding a meeting with the full-bench of the poll body so that they could lodge a complaint of "misuse of central agencies" by the BJP dispensation. The chiefs of the four central investigation committees should also be removed by the commission ahead of the election, they have further demanded. The party said it would continue its 24-hour dharna inside the police station. The delegation was being led by the party's Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien. Among the protesting MPs were Dola Sen, Sagarika Ghosh, Saket Gokhale and Shantanu Sen. TAILPIECE PK’S BIG PREDICTION “T hey (the BJP) will either be first or second in Telangana... which is a big thing. They will be No 1 in Odisha for sure. Also, you would be surprised... my to mind the BJP is going to be number one in Bengal. In Tamil Nadu, the party may hit double-digit vote share. The BJP will feel the heat only if the opposition, especially the Congress, can ensure it loses around 100 seats in the north and west. ADVICE TO CONG Y our fight is in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh... but you are touring Manipur and Meghalaya. If you do not win in UP, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, there is no benefit if you win from Wayanad. For the Opposition, the key is to ensure each party has a clear "narrative, face, and agenda". Opposition needs to watch out for missed opportunities. If you drop catches, the batter will score a century…especially if it is a good batter. he Bombay High Court, on Monday asked the police commission, ers of Mumbai and Mira-Bhayandar to personally review the recordings and transcripts of the alleged hate speeches delivered by MLAs Nitish Rane and Geeta Jain, and legislator T Raja and inform the court if an FIR was going to be registered by the police themselves. A division bench of Justices Revati MohiteDere and Manjusha Deshpande has also directed the police to take necessary preventive action to ensure there is no communal disharmony and law-and-order situation on Ram Navami, which falls on April 17. The HC was hearing a petition by five residents from Mumbai and Mira Road, including Aftab Siddiqui, seeking action against the MLAs for allegedly delivering hate speeches in January at Mira Road, Govandi, Ghatkopar and Malvani. If timely action was not taken against those violating the law, citizens would lose faith in the police, the bench observed. CONTD. ON NATION SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER MOVES HC AGAINST CP Seeks action against 7 police officers for not acting on her complaint against cricketer Prithvi Shaw FPJ NEWS SERVICE / MUMBAI Social media influencer Sapna Gill on Monday moved the Bombay High Court seeking disciplinary proceedings against seven police officers, including Mumbai commissioner Vivek Phansalkar, for not registering an FIR on her complaint against a city cricketer. The influencer had accused the cricketer of molesting her at a pub in suburban Andheri following an argument over clicking of selfies. She was arrested in connection with the incident on February 23 and is currently out on bail. Her plea seeks action against seven police officers for not registering a case based on her complaint. Following her release, she had filed a complaint against the cricketer and his friends with the Airport Police Station at Andheri, alleging molestation and outraging of modesty . When the police did not register a case against the cricketer, she approached the magistrate court, which on April 3 this year directed the Santacruz police station to probe her complaint and file a report by June 19. The magistrate court, however, dismissed her complaint seeking action against the police, following which she moved the HC. In her petition, filed through advocate Ali Kashil Khan Deshmukh, she contended that the police officers, as public servants, were required to record the information given about a cognizable offence under section 354 (molestation) of the Indian Penal Code and take necessary cognizable action. CONTD. ON NATION BJP’s ideological forebears had warmed up to Muslim League SC QUERY: If all those who make allegations on YouTube before polls are put behind bars, how many will be jailed? Tamil Nadu. The prosecution had alleged that Murugan and other members of the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) party gathered in violation of COVID-19 norms after they were denied permission to stage a protest. During this gathering, Murugan allegedly made derogatory remarks with an intention to breach public peace and tranquillity CONTD. ON NATION . Court goads cops on hates speeches Will police register FIRs on their own, HC asks Mumbai, Mira-Bhayandar top cops FPJ NEWS SERVICE / MUMBAI Bail granted to YouTuber restored ONLINE REPORT / MUMBAI Sensex and Nifty hit fresh peaks on firm global cues, foreign fund inflows Modi in Chandrapur, Likens the grand old party eyes all 10 Vidharba to bitter gourd (Karela), says Lok Sabha seats it will always taste bitter he head of a prominent Lingayat math in Karnataka has decided to contest against Union Parliamentary Affairs and Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi as an Independent in the forthcoming Lok Sabha election. Fakira Dingaleshwar Swamiji of Shirahatti Fakkireshwar Math, a prominent Veerashaiva Lingayat Math in Gagad, about 300 km from Bengaluru, on Monday announced that he will contest as an Independent to protect the interests of the community. The Math has a sizeable following that could alter the outcome of the LS election. DP supremo and former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu has promised that his government would offer quality liquor at reasonable prices, if his party is voted to power in Andhra Pradesh in the forthcoming Assembly election. Simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are scheduled in the southern state on May 13. MCAP OF BSE-LISTED COS HIT RS 400 LAKH CR MILESTONE KARELA STORY T T THE TERROR FACTOR IN ELECTIONS PM TELLS A CONG SEER TO CONTEST CHEAP LIQUOR EDIT Brothel visitor can’t be booked for trafficking OUR BUREAU / NEW DELHI Millions of people across North America readied for a total solar eclipse on Monday - some gazing anxiously at wayward clouds - as the moon began creeping across the face of the sun in western Mexico before it blocks it out completely. The sight in Texas and Mexico at 11.33 pm (IST). The Congress on Monday tore into PM Modi's claim that the Congress manifesto has an imprint of the Muslim League and it also complained to the Election Commission for action against him. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also asserted in a post on X that "ModiShah's ideological ancestors opposed Mahatma Gandhi's call for 'Quit India' in 1942, which was the movement chaired by Maulana Azad." Everyone knows how Shyama Prasad Mukherjee formed his governments in Bengal, Sindh and the North-West Frontier Province in the 1940s in coalition with the Muslim League, the Congress chief said. "Everyone knows that your ancestors formed their government in Bengal, Sindh and NWFP in the 1940s along with the Muslim League. Didn't Syama Prasad Mookerjee write to the then British Governor about how the Quit India Movement of 1942 by the country and Congress should be suppressed? And for this, he was ready to support the British?" the Congress president said. "Today Modi-Shah and their nominated president are spreading false rumours about the Congress manifesto. Modi ji's speeches smack of RSS agenda. With the BJP's electoral situation worsening day by day so much, the RSS has started remembering its old friend -Muslim League!" Kharge said. CONTD. ON NATION LAST WORD SC breather for ex-cop in encounter case CHARUL SHAH JOSHI / MUMBAI The former encounter specialist cop Pradeep Sharma got a breather from the apex court on Monday in the mat, ter of his surrendering to the court in the Lakkhan Bhaiyya fake encounter case. Admitting his appeal against his conviction on Monday the , Supreme Court issued notice to the Govemnment. Sharma has challenged the verdict of the Bombay High Court convicting him and sentencing him to life imprisonment for his role in the said encounter case. The apex court said on Monday that he need not surrender until further hearing, which would be scheduled after four weeks. On Monday, Sharma’s lawyers – senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi, Subhash Jadhav and Siddharth Luthra – contended that the presence of the appellant at the place of occurrence was not attested to any of the by witnesses. But Sharma entered the picture since the empty shell and the bullet that killed the deceased, was attributed to his service revolver. The prosecution, however, contended that Sharma was heading a police team against which serious allegations were made and though the trial court had acquitted him, the high court had held him guilty. The prosecution also pointed out the charges against Sharma –that he was convicted for the formation of an illegal squad, abduction, wrongful confinement and the eventual killing. Therefore, the prosecution said, bail for the appellant should not be lightly considered. The division bench of Jus- tice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra, however, exempted Sharma from surrender to undergo the punishment awarded to him and issued notice to the prosecution to respond on his bail plea within four weeks. In his appeal filed through his lawyer, Sharma has pleaded that the high court has, ‘‘without any cogent material, drawn a misplaced inference to attribute one of the fired bullets to be that of the Appellant and being fired from the service revolver of the Appellant (Sharma)’’. CONTD. ON NATION Chennai Super Kings' Ravindra Jadeja with Rachin Ravindra celebrates after taking the wicket of Kolkata Knight Riders batter Venkatesh Iyer during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 T20 cricket match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders, at MA Chidambaram Stadium, in Chennai, Monday. – PTI URVI MAHAJANI / MUMBAI Observing that a customer visiting a brothel cannot be prosecuted under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 370 which relates to trafficking and pushing minors into flesh trade, the Bombay High Court granted bail to a man arrested from a brothel in 2021. Apart from the said provision, he was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) and Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Acts. The man has been incarcerated for more than three years. Along with the applicant, four others were caught for running the sex trade and charged for forcing minors into prostitution. Representing the man, Advocate Prabhanjay Dave argued that his client was unaware that the girl was a minor. He presented a judgment of the Calcutta HC, which categorically held that the person who is found in an alleged brothel as a customer cannot face charge under the IPC section 370 in the absence of any evidence that he is living on the earning of sex worker and/or that he is habitual visitor to such a place. “It is categorically held that a customer would not fall within a purview of the said section,” said Justice Bharati Dangre on April 4. Also, the co-accused, who are accused of actual trafficking, have been granted bail by the sessions court. CONTD. ON NATION