Vol. 67 No. 175 | TUESDAY | APRIL 23, 2024 | 26 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only Quality at Value www.freepressjournal.in Happy Hanuman Jayanti DIBAKAR BANERJEE’S LSD 2 THE FP BULLETIN CID PROBE INTO NEHA’S MURDER T he Karnataka government on Monday ordered a probe by the Crime  Investigation Department (CID) into the murder of Neha Hiremath in her college campus in Hubballi besides deciding to set up a special court to fast track the trial.  Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who was on an election campaign in Shivamogga said that the government will complete the investigation and file the chargesheet in a time bound manner.   CID will also The investigate the claims of Neha's father who had spoken about involvement of four more suspects.    PM MODI’S LAVISH PRAISE FOR YOGI “I t is because of Yogi Adityanath bringing development to UP that it is becoming a hub of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’. I want to tell those who identify Yogi (Adityanath) through bulldozer that the industrial work that has been done is unparalleled since Independence. I feel proud that I have a Chief Minister like him.” STALIN HITS OUT AT PM’S SPEECH Ekta Kapoor insisted that I work on the second part during Covid RELIEF FOR KARNATAKA I n a major moral victory ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka, the Congress government on Monday got a shot in arm with the Centre informing the Apex Court that it would release the drought relief funds in the next one week. On March 24, the Karnataka government in an unprecedented move had approached the Supreme Court seeking direction to the Centre to release financial assistance under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). On Monday, Attorney General R Venkataramani informed the bench of Justice BR Gavai and Justice Sandeep Mehtha that the Election Commission had given permission to release the funds. The issue had become a major bone of contention between the Congress government in Karnataka and the Centre. EDIT WAYANAD TYPIFIES INDIA CONTRADICTIONS GILTS SURGE AS SHORT SELLERS PANIC, COVER BETS Govt bonds worth Rs 32,000 cr to be auctioned on April 26 GUJARAT MODEL: SABSE PEHLE SURAT PAAR ■ BJP BAGS FIRST LOTUS ■ ALL EIGHT CANDIDATES WITHDRAW WHILE NOMINATION OF CONG CANDIDATE IS REJECTED MELVYN THOMAS / SURAT The BJP has won the first Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 elections after all eight candidates withdrew from contest following the rejection of the nomination of the Congress candidate Nilesh Kumbhani by the Returning Officer. The Returning Officer rejected the nomination on the ground of signature discrep- ancies after all three of Kumbhani' s proposers submitted affidavits saying that their signatures had been faked in the nomination forms and that they had not backed him. Thereafter, none of the proposers could be traced, having gone underground. Following the rejection of Kumbhani's nomination, seven candidates in the contest withdrew, save the Bhahujan Samaj Party candidate, Pyarelal Bharati who remained untraceable all of Sunday. He was allegedly visiting his family in Vadodara. He emerged as mysteriously as he had disappeared on Monday afternoon at the district election office (DEO) in Surat and nonchalantly began the process of withdrawing his nomination paper as well. ‘MANGALSUTRA KHATRE MEIN’ ONLINE REPORT / JAMMU A 40-year-old government employee was killed in a targeted attack in Rajouri district on Monday The victim, identi. fied as Mohammad Raziq, was shot at after he came out of a mosque in his village Kunda Top under the Thanamandi police station area. Raziq was immediately shifted to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. His death comes 20 years after his father, Mohammad Akbar, was killed by terrorists. Razaq’s brother is a soldier in the Territorial Army , news agency PTI cited officials as saying. The targeted attack, third in two weeks, comes amid the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Security personnel rushed to the spot and launched a massive cordon and search operation to track down the terrorists, they said. The incident comes less than a week after a  migrant worker from Bihar was shot dead by terrorists in south Kashmir’s Anantnag. A Telegram channel that carries propaganda from The Resistance Front (TRF) — a proxy outfit of the Lashkar-e-Taiba — claimed responsibility for the attack. FPJ NEWS SERVICE / NEW DELHI BISWAJEET BANERJEE / LUCKNOW E ven as the political row over his ‘mangalsutra’ remarks in Rajasthan is simmering, PM Modi reiterated his property redistribution charge in a fiery address at an election rally in Aligarh on Monday but without mentioning Muslims this time. He also refrained from referring to Manmohan Singh or his comment that Muslims have the first right to national resources. "The Congress and the Opposition alliance have their eyes on your earnings and property PM Modi warned, highlight," ing what he said was a nefarious and sinister agenda. "The 'Shehzada' of the Congress says that if their government comes to power, they will ascertain who earns how much and how many properties they possess. Not just this, they will take control of your property and redistribute it. This is what their manifesto says.’’ The prime minister also repeated his 'mangalsutra' remark, alleging that the Congress plans to change the law and take away women's ‘stridhan’ – the gold ‘our mothers and daughters have’. ‘‘Stridhan  considered sacred, even is the law protects it. But now they want to change the law and snatch the property of our mothers and sisters," the prime minister explained. CONTD. ON NATION The Congress has beseeched the Election Commission and asked it to take cognizance of PM Modi's divisive comments that the party if it returns to power, , will redistribute the nation's wealth in favour of Muslims and is even eyeing women's "mangalsutras" for promoting this cause. The party has vehemently criticised PM Modi in  letits ter to the commission and said in its strongest remarks thus far: "While we have objections to the entire tone and tenor of the Prime Minister's speech, in this representation we wish to highlight the completely unprecedented and malicious allegations as well statements which are clearly aimed at creating enmity between groups, far worse than any ever done by a sitting Prime Minister in the history of India. This cannot go unchecked, unanswered and unpunished," the letter said. CONTD. ON NATION The Supreme Court on Monday allowed a 14-year-old rape survivor, more than 29 weeks pregnant, to undergo medical termination of pregnancy (MTP), underlining that continuing the pregnancy may negatively impact the physical and mental well-being of the minor. “These are very very excep, tional cases where we have to protect the children...every passing hour is very crucial for her,” observed a bench led by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and Justice J B Pardiwala. Medical board opines that continuing the pregnancy may negatively impact physical & mental well-being of the child The court has directed the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital at Sion to immediately constitute a team to carry out the procedure. The court conducted an urgent, after-hours hearing at 5.15pm, following a plea by the minor’s mother, challenging the Bombay High Court’s order refusing permission. Her advocates, Shantanu Adkar, Ashley Cusher and Bharti Tyagi, submitted that the minor had been subjected to sexual assault. The FIR was registered on March 20 by Turbhe Police when the girl’s parents realised that she was pregnant. By then, she was more than 24 weeks pregnant, they contended. The SC had then asked Sion Hospital to immediately constitute a medical board to determine whether continuing the pregnancy could endanger the physical or mental health of the girl or the foetus, and submit a report. CONTD. ON NATION In a historic day for Indian chess and the country’s sporting fraternity, D Gukesh clinched the Candidates Chess title and in the process became the youngest ever challenger to the world title, erasing the record of the legendary Garry Kasparov set 40 years ago. Gukesh, who needed just a draw in the final round against American Hikaru Nakamura, will clash with the reigning world champion Ding Liren of China for the world crown later this year. Gukesh caught Nakamura offguard in the opening and quick- 25,753 teaching appointments made in 2016 declared null and void; told to return salaries with interest ARITRA SINGHA / KOLKATA The West Bengal government has suffered a huge setback with the Calcutta High Court on Monday cancelling all 25,753 appointments for teaching and non-teaching staff of State-aided schools, made under the 2016 Recruitment Process of the West Bengal School Service Commission.  These appointments have not only been declared null and void, the teachers have been asked to return the salary they have received thus far with interest. ‘‘The District Magistrate will have to collect the amounts," the court ordered. It further directed the CBI to undertake further investigation in respect of the appointment process, and submit a report within three months. A fresh recruitment process is to be undertaken. A teacher’s salary is Rs. 50000 (average); Group C staff -- Rs. 30000; and Group D staff – Rs. 20000 per month. Over 23 lakh candidates had appeared in the examinations for the 24,000 job vacancies in 2016. It was alleged that most candidates were given jobs after the OMR Sheets were wrongly evaluated. The bench noted that there was no clarity which of the 23 lakh sheets were evaluated properly and, therefore, ordered reevaluation of all. If necessary, the CBI will also undertake custodial interrogation of persons involved (in the scam), reads the court order. CONTD. CONTD. ON NATION Retired Justice Abhijit Ganguly, who had instituted a CBI probe in the case, is contesting as a BJP candidate HC verdict on Bohra legal suit expected URVI MAHAJANI / MUMBAI Court nixes insulin request Also denies Kejriwal private consultation GAURAV VIVEK BHATNAGAR NEW DELHI The court of Special Judge Kaveri Baweja at Rouse Avenue Courts, which is hearing the Delhi liquor policy case, on Monday refused to allow Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal daily consultation from Tihar jail through video conferencing with his doctor and administration of insulin due to his acute diabetes and Gukesh creates chess history at 17 ly reached an equal position. Soon, the Chennai lad had gained a pawn but Nakamura did not risk losing the game and the two players finally agreed to a draw. However, the tension persisted with the Caruana-Nepomniachtchi game yet to be decided. This game was nerve wrecking for both players who were in a must-win situation a chance at first place. Caruana, who was playing white, got into a winning position but then blundered away the advantage. The see-saw continued until the 109th move, when the two players agreed to a draw, Huge scam catches up with Mamata Yuzvendra Chahal became the first bowler to pick up 200 wickets in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The leg-spinner accomplished the milestone in RR’s match against Hardik Pandya’s MI on Monday, at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Chahal was 1 wicket short of the landmark, and he got there after picking up the wicket of Mohammad Nabi. BECOMES YOUNGEST EVER CHALLENGER TO THE WORLD TITLE, ERASING THE RECORD OF GARRY KASPAROV FPJ NEWS SERVICE / MUMBAI candidate in a constituency shall be declared duly elected immediately after the withdrawal deadline. This, of course, saves the people of the Surat Lok Sabha constituency the trouble of venturing out to vote on May seven, in the third phase of polls when 25 other constituencies of Gujarat will vote. CONTD. ON NATION CHAHAL FIRST TO PICK 200 WICKETS SC allows MTP for minor rape survivor URVI MAHAJANI / MUMBAI Following the en masse exit from the political battle ground, leaving the BJP candidate Mukesh Dalal as the sole candidate from Surat, the Returning Officer had no choice but to declare him elected unopposed. The Election Commission of India's handbook for returning officers outlines the protocol for "unopposed returns," stipulating that a single contesting Local shot 20 yrs after father was gunned down PM Modi repeats his charge but without mentioning Muslims LIVID CONG MOVES EC D MK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday strongly condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election campaign in which he claimed the Congress would take away the wealth and distribute it to “those who produced more children” and the “infiltrators,” in an obvious reference to the Muslims.  “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s toxic speech is vile and highly deplorable,” Stalin said.  According to the DMK leader, fearing public anger against his failures, Modi has attempted to whip up religious sentiments and resorted to hate speech to avoid what seems to be an imminent defeat.  “Hate and discrimination are the real guarantees of Modi,” he said. “In turning a deaf ear to the PM’s blatant hate speech, the ECI has shamelessly abandoned even a semblance of neutrality,” Stalin added.  MEMBER: AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATION JANUARY TO DECEMBER 2023 EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Nashik, Konkan, Indore, Bhopal, E-paper making Gukesh the clear leader at the end of the last round. “I am so happy and so relieved,” Gukesh is reported to have said when the Caruana-Nepomniachtchi game ended The 17-year-old Chennai-lad broke Kasparov’s record by five years as the Russian was 22 when he emerged as the challenger for the world title against countryman Anatoly Karpov. Gukesh has also become the second Indian after fellow Chennaiite and the iconic Viswanathan Anand to lift the Candidates Chess title. Anand had won the title in 2014. CONTD. ON NATION fluctuating blood sugar level. Kejriwal had also demanded that his wife, Sunita, be allowed to attend these consultations that should last 15 minutes each day . At the same time, the court directed the Tihar jail authorities to ensure that all necessary treatment is provided to the Delhi CM and to consult the medical board to be constituted by Director of AIIMS in case he requires special consultation. Since Aam Aadmi Party leaders and Kejriwal had also demanded that he be provided insulin in jail, the court held that the medical board will decide on this aspect and also prescribe a diet and exercise routines for the Delhi CM. It added that the ED and jail authorities never spoke about Kejriwal requesting that he be administered insulin. CONTD. ON NATION The Bombay High Court is likely to pronounce its verdict in the suit challenging Syedna Muffadal Saifuddin’s position as the ‘Da’i al-Mutlaq’ — spiritual head of the Dawoodi Bohra community -- on Tuesday Justice Gautam Patel, . who concluded the trial, had reserved the order on April 5, 2023. The court had begun the final, day-to-day hearings in the suit in November 2022. Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin, the 52nd Da’i al-Mutlaq, passed away in 2014 and his son, Mufaddal Saifuddin, succeeded him. The late Syedna’s halfbrother, Khuzaima Qutbuddin, had challenged the succession in the Bombay HC. He sought a declaration that he was the leader of the community based on a secret  ‘nass’ (conferment of succession) by the deceased leader on December 10, 1965. He claimed that the late Syedna had asked him to keep the private ceremony a secret. He claimed that he had abided by the oath of secrecy given to him by the 52nd head till his death. CONTD. ON NATION TAILPIECE / BANNED RECENTLY IN SINGAPORE AND HONG KONG FSSAI to test spices brands FPJ NEWS SERVICE / NEW DELHI A fter Singapore and Hong Kong banned the sale of MDH and Everest spices in their country India's food regula, tor Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has decided to test samples in India. Top government sources told ANI that FSSAI team is inspecting and lifting samples from major manufacturing units. "We do have regular inspections but banned substance or pesticide has not been found in any of the spices," sources added. Hong Kong's food safety watchdog has banned four spices prod- ucts of Indian brand MDH and Everest after they found they contained cancer-causing chemicals. The Centre for Food Safety of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region announced on April 5 that routine surveillance programs had uncovered the presence of ethylene oxide in three spices from MDH Group, Sambhar Masala Powder, and Curry Powder. "The CFS collected the abovementioned samples from three retail outlets in Tsim Sha Tsui respectively for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme. CONTD. ON NATION