Vol. 67 No. 187 | TUESDAY | MAY 7, 2024 | 28 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 TAHA SHAH BADUSSHA’S HEERAMANDI I was grateful when I entered the sets of the show High-stakes in 11 state seats today Mahayuti tweaks campaign, sensing strong undercurrent THE FP BULLETIN S UNITA SPACE-BOUND: Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams is ready to fly into space for the third time on Tuesday as a pilot on board Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, in its the first crewed test flight. Boeing's Starliner will blast off for the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The scheduled lift-off is set for 22:34 local time on Monday (8:04 am IST on Tuesday). P M HELPED PREVENT WORLD WAR III: Actorturned-politician Kangana Ranaut said PM Modi's guidance to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine helped prevent World War III. Addressing a recent election rally, the BJP candidate said, "Starting from Putin to the people of Ukraine, they keep looking up to him (PM Modi) to provide them with guidance. And because of this, perhaps it is why the Third World War is not happening today." T HREAT TO T20 WORLD CUP: In light of intelligence input regarding a potential terror threat to the Men's T20 World Cup, the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Cricket West Indies have doubled down on their commitment to safeguard the tournament. Rajeev Shukla, Vice President of the BCCI, meanwhile, has underscored that the responsibility for security arrangements lies with the respective host boards. MFS STAKE IN NSE-LISTED COS AT ALL-TIME HIGH IN JANUARY-MARCH QTR REWIND RHETORIC MARKS CAMPAIGN 0 0 35 c. 28 c. Sunrise : 06:07 am Sunset : 07:03 pm Delhi L-G seeks NIA probe into allegation that $16mn was received in funds GAURAV VIVEK BHATNAGAR NEW DELHI The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Vinai Kumar Saxena, has recommended to the Union Home Ministry that a probe by the National Investigation Agency be instituted against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly receiving “a staggering amount of $ 16 million from Khalistani groups between 2014 and 2022”. Saxena made the recommendation on May 3 on the basis of a complaint he received on April 1 from national general secretary of the World Hindu Federation India, Ashoo Monia, as also the printouts of social posts on ‘X,’ put out by a former Aam Aadmi Party activist, Munish Kumar Raizada. The letter from Delhi L-G’s office said, “The complainant had referred to the contents of a video (in enclosed pen drive), purported- ly featuring Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, (Khalistan terrorist and founder of banned organisation Sikhs For Justice)”, wherein he has alleged that AAP led by Arvind Kejriwal had received the funds. Incidentally Pannun, who used , to organise referendums on Khalistan, has been in the news since last year when the United States had accused India of plotting to assassinate him through a hired hit man. The letter also noted that “it has also been alleged that a clandestine meeting occurred in 2014 between Sh. Kejriwal and proKhalistani Sikhs at Gurudwara Richmond Hills, New York,” and that during this meeting, “Kejriwal purportedly promised to facilitate the release of Devender Pal Bhullar, in return for substantial financial backing from Khalistani factions to Aam Aadmi Party”. CONTD. ON NATION No RTE quota waiver for pvt schools: Court PAK DOES NOT WEAR BANGLES, SAYS FAROOQ URVI MAHAJANI / MUMBAI TWO-MONTH MEDICAL BAIL FOR NARESH GOYAL URVI MAHAJANI / MUMBAI In a much-sought after relief, Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal has been granted interim bail for two months by the Bombay High Court on medical grounds in an alleged money laundering case. The high court has directed Goyal’s release on bail on finishing a surety of Rs one lakh. He has also been directed not to leave Mumbai without permission from the special court. “The applicant (Goyal) shall be released on interim bail for a period of two months. He shall abide by all conditions,” Justide NJ Jamadar said. He has also been asked to surrender his passport. CONTD. ON NATION PTI / SRINAGAR In “overwhelming public interest”, the Bombay High Court on Monday stayed the government notification of February 9 wherein private unaided schools — having a government-run school within a one-km radius — were exempted from admitting children under Right to Education (RTE) quota. The notification exempted private, unaided schools in the vicinity of government-supported schools from having to reserve their 25 per cent seats for economically weaker and disadvantaged children. Prior to this amendment, it was mandatory for unaided and private schools to have a 25 per cent quota for students from socio-economically backward sections. The court noted that such a move by the government was in contravention of the main RTE Act and hampered free elementary education being provided to children which is otherwise guaranteed by the Constitution of India. “ Any subordinate legislation Responding to Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's remark that "PoK will be merged with India," Jammu and Kashmir National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah said that Pakistan is not wearing bangles and has atom bombs in its arsenal that can be dropped on India. “If the defence minister is saying so, then go ahead. Who are we to stop? But remember, they [Pakistan] are also not wearing bangles. It has atom bombs, and unfortunately that atom bomb will , fall on us [India]," he said. Earlier, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh asserted that considering the development that was taking place in India, the people of Pakistanoccupied Kashmir (PoK) will themselves demand to assimilate in India. CONTD. ON NATION cannot be made in contravention of the principal Act; even otherwise by appending impugned proviso to the RTE Act,” a bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor said. “The right of children to get free elementary education is being hampered, otherwise guaranteed by the Constitution,” the bench added while staying the notification, terming it as prima facie ultra vires. The HC was hearing a batch of petitions, including a PIL challenging the notification contending that the change in rules violates the constitutional right to education for children aged six to 14. CONTD. ON NATION BJP Odisha dream sequence SRIMOY KAR / BHUBANESWAR Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday announced the expiry date of the BJD-led Naveen Patnaik dispensation. ‘‘Come June 4 and BJD will be out of power,’’ he thundered. Patnaik instantly countered, saying that the BJP was “daydreaming” about coming to power. Paradoxical as it may seem, the two leaders, who were once two facets of the same coin, are after each other’s throats. The intention is obvious: to capture power. While Naveen is looking for the sixth straight term in the Assembly the BJP , has started the countdown to the expiry of the BJD government and is proclaiming that it would make Odisha the `5 cr worth jewellery is stolen from bank vault PRASHANT NIKALE / NASHIK In a daring burglary two , hooded men in PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) kits decamped with gold jewellery worth Rs5 crore on May 4 from a safe vault of ICICI's Juna Gangapur Naka branch in Nashik. The branch dealt in home finance. The police accessed the CCTV footage which showed the two hooded thieves entering the bank and opening the vault with a key which they had picked up from the premises. The jewellery belonging to 222 customers was separately kept in pouches in the vault. While one of the burglars can be seen taking out the jewellery piece by piece, , his partner is seen holding a bag for collecting the booty . According to the bank's administrative manager Jayesh K Gujarati's statement to the police, the theft was discovered when branch manager, Chandrakant Muthekar, opened the branch. Around 5.45 p.m. a customer came to deposit gold jewellery and approached the gold loan services associate Kiran Jadhav. When they opened the vault, they were shocked to find it empty . Gujarati was informed about the incident and immediately the CCTV footage was scanned. It showed two individuals aged about 25 to 30 years entering through the window near the branch manager's table between 2.30 a.m. and 3 a.m. CONTD. ON NATION number one state in five years. The run-up to the forthcoming polls is at an interesting junction, as the war of attrition in full swing in spite of the professed ‘friendly relationship’. No matter how much PM Modi exhorted Odia voters in Berhampur and Nabarangpur on Monday coaxing them to , shun a government which has delivered ‘nothing’ in the last 25 years and vote for the BJP , his party has done little in the last five years to counter this claim. CONTD. ON NATION Russia to hold nuke drills, for the first time AP / MOSCOW Russia has announced it plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons amid rising tensions following comments by senior Western officials about the possibility of deeper involvement in the war in Ukraine. The announcement came on the eve of President Vladimir Putin's inauguration to a fifth term in office. The drills are a response to "provocative statements and threats of certain Western officials regarding the Russian Federation," the Defence Ministry said in a statement. It is for 0the first time that Russia has publicly announced drills involving tactical CONTD. ON NATION LAST WORD `25 cr seized from domestic help’s house DHEERAJ KUMAR / RANCHI The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday conducted simultaneous raids at a dozen locations in the state and recovered over Rs 25 crore in cash from the residence of a domestic help, allegedly associated with the state rural development minister Alamgir Alam’s personal secretary Sanjiv Lal. ED conducted the raids ahead of Lok Sabha election starting from fourth phase on May 13 in Jharkhand. The election will be held in the last four phases and con- The increase was on the back of a huge inflow of `1.08L crore KHALISTAN SLUR ON KEJRIWAL FPJ POLITICAL BUREAU MUMBAI / The BJP-led Mahayuti and the Maha Vikas Aghadi are locked in a high-stakes political battle in the 11 constituencies of Maharashtra going to the polls on May 7. A total of 258 candidates are in the fray in Raigad, Baramati, Dharashiv, Latur, Solapur, Madha, Sangli, Satara, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Kolhapur and Hatkanangale. Realising the strong undercurrent against the ‘ b ki baar 400 paar’ agenda and A the possible change to the Constitution, the Mahayuti has tweaked its poll strategy by making the ongoing elections a battle between PM Narendra Modi vs Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and also by raking up the India-Pakistan and Hindu-Muslim issues. Interestingly the BJP and its partners , Shiv Sena and NCP have also dropped the , mention of Mission 45-plus, realising that it may further spoil their poll prospects. On the other hand, the MVA, comprising the Shiv Sena UBT, NCP SP and Congress, cornered the Mahayuti and the BJP in particular, targeting them on the politically sensitive reservation issue. The MVA thereby set the agenda blaming BJP and Mahayuti for its plan to wind up quota, especially for SC, ST and tribals, thereby jeopardising their existence. CONTD. ON NATION EDIT clude on June 1. In view of the seriousness of the matter, an additional director-ranked officer of ED, Kapil Raj, was supervising the entire operation, sources informed. ED started conducting raids at 6 am. As many as eight cash counting machines were reportedly used for the purpose. Sources said that substana tial sum of "unaccounted cash" amounting to Rs 25 crore had been recovered during raids. The 70-year-old Alamgir Alam is a Congress leader and represents Pakur seat in the Jharkhand Assembly . Sources said that the process of counting the seized cash was still underway at the residence of the domestic worker, and the unaccounted cash could amount to more than Rs 40 crore. The residence is located at Sayed Residency near Ranchi CONTD. ON NATION Hill. 2 city students among top 10 scorers in India Both from Bombay Scottish School scored a whopping 99.80% KRISHA BHATT & CHAITALI DHARAMSHI / MUMBAI Two out of ten students in India, who have topped the ICSE and ISC exams, the results of which were announced on Monday are from Mumbai. , The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) declared the Class 10 (ICSE) and Class 12 (ISC) results for 2023-’24 on May 6, 2024. Sukrit Khanna and Karan Philip, both from Bombay Scottish School, scored a whopping 99.80%. Of the 2,43,617 students who took the ICSE exam, 2,42,328 passed – a success rate of 99.47 per cent, while 98,088 of the 99,901 students who took the ISC 2024 exam Sukrit Khanna, ICSE topper Akshat Jain, ISC topper passed – a success rate of 98.19 per cent. 128,131 boys and 109,500 girls took the Class 10 exam while 51,781 boys and 46,724 girls appeared for the ISC Class 12 exam. The Board does not to declare the names of toppers; however, the FPJ managed to talk to several high-scorers from the ICSE category . CONTD. ON NATION