Vol. 68 No. 130 | Wednesday, March 5, 2025 | 29 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL Leader in E-paper circulation l www.freepressjournal.in ● EDITIONS: ● MUMBAI ● INDORE ● PUNE ● BHOPAL ● NASHIK ● KONKAN ● E-paper ● Member: Audit Bureau of Circulation (Jan to June 2024) GAMES NATION Centre using data protection law to weaken RTI, says Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge Briefs $2.81 BN CALL ON RELIANCE Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) on Tuesday said that the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas has raised a demand of $2.81 billion (about Rs 24,500 crore) in the Krishna Godavari (KG) basin gas migration dispute case. (There was alleged migration of natural gas from ONGC blocks to RIL’s KG-D6 block in the Krishna Godavari basin. The Ministry had claimed that RIL extracted gas that rightfully belonged to ONGC.) Simultaneously, the government has slapped a penalty on a unit of Reliance Industries Ltd for failing to meet the deadline for setting up a battery cell plant for which it was granted production-linked incentives. In a stock exchange filing, Reliance has admitted to receiving "a letter from the Ministry of Heavy Industries levying liquidated damages at the rate of 0.1 per cent of the performance security (Rs 50 crore) for each day of delay since January 1, 2025." MIYAN-TIYAN: Calling someone 'Miyan-Tiyan" or "Pakistani" may be in poor taste but does not amount to the offence of hurting religious sentiments, the Apex Court has ruled. It has closed a case against a man accused of calling a government servant 'Pakistani' while the former was discharging his official duties. NURSE ASSAULTED: A 67-year-old Indian-origin nurse, who was brutally beaten by a patient in the Palms West Hospital in Florida, US, may end up permanently losing her eyesight due to the severity of her injuries. Leelamma Lal, 67, was brutally attacked by a psychiatric patient in the hospital and was admitted to intensive care. The accused, 33-year-old Stephen Scantlebury, has been charged with attempted second-degree murder and faces a hate crime enhancement. DISTURBING | Yields to political pressure and public outrage over brutal killing of Sarpanch Munde first to exit Fadnavis cabinet Kalpesh Mhamunkar MUMBAI Maharashtra’s Food and Civil Supplies Minister, Dhananjay Munde, has resigned following intense political pressure and public outrage over the brutal murder of Santosh Deshmukh, a BJP supporter and sarpanch of Massajog village. Munde, a senior NCP (SP) leader, submitted his resignation to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis through his personal secretary on Tuesday. Munde’s resignation comes after shocking photographs of Deshmukh’s torture surfaced, sparking widespread anger and demands for accountabil- ity. The opposition had been demanding his resignation for the last three months, particularly after his close aide, Walmik Karad, was arrested in connection with Deshmukh’s murder. Announcing his resignation on social media platform X, Munde stated: “Since the beginning, I have maintained that those responsible for Santosh Deshmukh’s murder must face the harshest punishment. 4Contd on | Nation tag for mosque over the ruins of a Hindu temple—Harihar Mandir—allegedly razed on the orders of Mughal emperor Babur. Tensions erupted last November when a court-mandated survey of the site triggered largescale unrest in Sambhal, with demonstrators opposing what they saw as an encroachment on religious heritage. At the heart of Tuesday’s hearing was a petition filed by the mosque committee challenging an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) report, which stated that whitewashing the structure was unnecessary at this stage. FPJ News Service MUMBAI The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday ruled that the Sambhal Jama Masjid must be referred to as a “disputed structure” while hearing a petition from the mosque management committee seeking permission to whitewash the centuries-old building. The directive, issued after demands from the Hindu side, injects fresh legal weight into an already fraught battle over the mosque’s origins and ownership. The dispute hinges on claims that the 16th-century Shahi Jama Masjid was built 4Contd on | Nation Yogi sets eyes on Masjid the ongoing dispute over Sambhal’s Jama Masjid. His remarks were widely interpreted as a direct endorsement of Hindu outfits’ claims that the mosque was constructed after demolishing an ancient Harihar Temple during the Mughal era. FPJ News Service MUMBAI As political temperatures soared in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's statement in the state assembly on Tuesday set off a fresh wave of controversy. "We should get what belongs to us," he declared, referring to 4Contd on | Nation PTI M Modi has lauded Vantara, a sprawling wildlife rehabilitation centre in Gujarat, as a “vibrant example” of India’s deep-rooted ethos of protecting animals. During his visit on Tuesday, Modi shared glimpses of rescued and rehabilitated wildlife, commending the centre's efforts in caring for injured and abandoned animals. Among the animals receiving treatment was an elephant, a victim of an acid attack, and another blinded by its own mahout. Modi also encountered a lioness recovering from spinal injuries after a road accident and a leopard cub abandoned by its family. FPJ News Service LONDON Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is ready to work under Trump's 'strong leadership.' He added that he is also ready to sign a minerals and security agreement with the United States. Regarding his meeting with Trump in Washington, at the Tariffs: It is US v/s Rest of the World FPJ News Service WASHINGTON Stock markets felt the jitters as they opened on Tuesday, responding to mounting anxieties about the global economy, after President Trump imposed tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, and Beijing and Ottawa announced swift retaliation. The escalating trade war added to global uncertainty that was reinforced by the Trump administration’s decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine. Trump's new 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada took effect on Tuesday, along with a doubling of duties on Chinese goods to 20%, launching new trade conflicts with the top three US trading partners. The tariff actions could upend nearly $2.2 trillion in two-way annual U.S. trade. ‘‘No room left for Mexico or for Canada," Trump said at the White House on Monday. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded: "Canada will not let this unjustified decision go unanswered." Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly told reporters that Ottawa planned to impose retaliatory tariffs against 4Contd on | Nation offgrid HC stays FIR against ex-SEBI chief Urvi Mahajani In a major relief to the former SEBI chairperson and five others, the Bombay High Court on Tuesday stayed the special court’s order directing the registration of an FIR against them in connection with an alleged stock market fraud and regulatory violations dating back to 1994. “It appears that the learned judge (special ACB judge) has passed the order Edit Conscience or convenience? Aurangzeb FIR slapped on Azmi BADLAPUR! FPJ News Service Haridev Pushparaj MUMBAI MUMBAI An FIR has been registered against Maharashtra Samajwadi Party (SP) chief and MLA Abu Azmi over his remarks defending Mughal ruler Aurangzeb Alamgir, asserting that he was "not a cruel leader." His statement has sparked widespread controversy, drawing sharp criticism from political leaders across the spectrum. The issue rocked both Houses of the Maharashtra legislature on Tuesday, with the ruling Mahayuti members demanding Azmi’s suspension and charging him with treason. Under the dazzling Dubai lights, Team India took a collective deep breath, stepped onto the field, and rewrote history. With that, the ghosts of 2023 have been exorcised? The lingering pain of that fateful night against Australia has been avenged. In a game that had all the makings of a classic, India overpowered their old nemesis by four wickets, sealing their place in the ICC Champions Trophy final in the most emphatic fashion. When India set out to chase Australia’s tricky 265-run target, all eyes were on one man—Virat Kohli. He has spent years crafting master- India avenge 2023 defeat, storm into CT final PTI 4Contd on | Nation 4See also | Mumbai Virat Kohli excelled in the middle but Rohit Sharma is the first skipper in the world to reach the final of all four ICC events pieces in chases, and tonight was no different. The maestro played an innings of patience, precision, and pure grit, crafting a crucial 84 off 98 balls. He ran like a man possessed, turning ones into twos, and twos into “are-you-kiddingme” threes, pushing the Aussie fielders to their limits. Yet, just when it seemed like Kohli would guide India home with another signature century, he attempted an uncharacteristic hook over midwicket, only to find the safe hands of Marnus Labuschagne. 4Contd on | Nation Disputed shrine US turns aid tap, Zelenskyy falls in line Paw-litics at play P MUMBAI Cinema We never thought this would happen! Sunil Gavaskar has backed Rohit Sharma stating mental strength is what matters High Court says special court passed order mechanically without going into details and without attributing any specific role to the applicants. Reply scheduled to be heard in four weeks mechanically, without going into the details and without attributing any specific role to the applicants. Hence, the order is stayed till the next date,” Justice Shivkumar Dige ordered. The High Court stayed the order while hearing petitions filed by Buch, three current whole-time SEBI directors — Ashwani Bhatia, Ananth Narayan G, and Kamlesh Chandra Varshney — and two BSE officials — Managing Director and Chief Executive Of- ficer Ramamurthy, and its former chairman and public interest director, Pramod Agarwal. On March 1, the special court had directed the AntiCorruption Bureau to register an FIR against the six individuals. They approached the High Court on Monday, seeking to quash the special court’s order, contending that it was “unjust” and “harsh.” 4Contd on | Nation White House on Friday, Zelenskyy said it did not go the way it was supposed to be. ‘‘It is regrettable that it happened this way. It is time to make things right. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive,’’ he added. The discernible U-turn came a few hours after President Trump directed a "pause" in US military assis- tance to Ukraine. The decision to pause military aid means that it is now the responsibility of Europe to do everything possible to ensure that Ukraine is able to hold the frontline against Russia, France’s foreign minister said on Tuesday. France also said that US president’s decision to suspend weapons’ deliveries in the middle of a war signalled that the US was abandoning Kyiv and letting Russia win. Ukraine’s allies were not told in advance of Trump’s  decision to pause military aid, Poland’s foreign ministry has said. A White House official on Monday said Trump is focused on reaching a peace deal to end the more than three-year war sparked by Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine, and wants Zelenskyy "committed" to that goal. The official added that the US was "pausing and reviewing" its aid to "ensure that it is contributing to a solution." The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the assistance. 4Contd on | Nation