Vol. 68 No. 144 | Saturday, March 22, 2025 | 36 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 www.freepressjournal.in ● EDITIONS: ● MUMBAI ● INDORE ● PUNE ● BHOPAL ● NASHIK ● KONKAN ● E-paper ● Member: Audit Bureau of Circulation (July to December 2024) GAMES NATION US Embassy in Delhi files FIR against fake visa and passport agents Cinema Check out our verdict on OTT and Film releases The 18th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) kicks off in Kolkata with KKR taking on RCB Edit The Maha Kumbh story: Facts, fiction and formulations WHODUNNIT | SC clarifies Justice Varma’s transfer unrelated to cash recovery; in-house inquiry underway; media report had cited firefighters as saying they found cash at the Justice’s residence after a fire when he was out of town JUST A SMOKESCREEN FPJ News Service QUESTIONS REMAIN NEW DELHI The Indian judiciary is no stranger to controversy, but the unfolding saga surrounding Delhi High Court’s Justice Yashwant Varma is raising more questions than answers. At the core of the matter is the reported claim in a national daily that the Delhi Fire Services had uncovered a significant stash of cash (allegedly Rs 15 crore) at the official residence of Justice Yashwant Varma while responding to a fire distress call. It was alleged that while Justice Varma was out of town, his family members alerted the fire brigade, which, upon extinguishing the blaze, reportedly found the cash. Upon receiving information about the incident, Chief Justice of India If everything is to be taken at face value, then too, several nagging questions remain: ■ If no cash was found, why did the Delhi High Court initiate an in-house inquiry? ■ Why was the news of Justice Varma’s transfer made public on the same day as the alleged cash recovery? Sanjiv Khanna reportedly convened a collegium meeting, where it was unanimously decided to transfer Justice Varma back to the Allahabad High Court, where he had previously served until October 2021. What started as a routine fire emergency has now spiraled into a high-stakes drama involving the Supreme Court, the Delhi High Court, and the Allahabad Bar Association. NO LINK: After allowing the controversy to play itself out all day, the Supreme Court on Friday evening clarified that the transfer of Justice Varma to the Allahabad High Court is not connected to the alleged recovery of cash. 4Contd on | Nation ■ Why did the Allahabad Bar Association reject the transfer outright without first ascertaining the facts? ■ Is this part of a larger battle over seniority and judicial appointments at the Delhi HC? ■ Could this controversy be tied to behindthe-scenes maneuvering regarding Supreme Court elevations? The judiciary has long been seen as the last bastion of integrity in India’s democracy, a system riddled with political maneuvering and corruption. Continued on Nation DEPORTATION BLOCKED TRUMP UNVEILS F-47 President Trump has unveiled the F-47 fighter jet, dubbing it the most advanced aircraft ever. Secretly tested for five years, the stealth jet will work with autonomous drones to counter China’s air power. WASHINGTON: A US district court judge on Thursday blocked the deportation of Indian researcher Badar Khan Suri, following the arrest and threat of expulsion of the Georgetown University scholar for alleged Hamas ties.According to a report by news agency AFP, the judge at District of Virginia Court ordered Suri "shall not be removed from the United States unless and until the court issues a contrary order.” The detention of Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University Washington DC, came as fears mount in the academic world that freedom of research and speech is being challenged two months into US President Trump’s new term. Suri's lawyer demanded his release and denounced the arrest as a "targeted, retaliatory detention" that was intended "to silence, or at the very least 4Contd on | Nation Disha father moves Court Seeks probe into her death; Salian was the manager of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput  FPJ News Service MUMBAI The father of Disha Salian has filed a petition in Bombay High Court, seeking a probe into the mysterious circumstances under which she was found dead in June 2020. Salian was the manager of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput.  Her father, Satish Salian, has urged the registration of an FIR against Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray and sought that the case be handed over to the CBI. The Free Press Journal had reported on March 20 that the father would move the high court, seeking an independent probe into his daughterʼs death.  The plea, filed through advocate Nilesh Ojha, alleges that Disha Salian was “brutally raped, murdered, and subjected to a politically orchestrated cover-up”. The petition claimed it sought to expose the web of lies, corruption and suppression of facts behind the murder only to protect certain influential persons. 4Contd on | Nation MEA APPEAL The Centre expects Indian nationals abroad to follow local laws, just as India expects foreigners to do the same. This follows reports of one Indian student self-deporting and another facing deportation from the US over alleged pro-Hamas links. Ranjani Srinivasan, 37, a Columbia University PhD student, self-deported after her student visa was revoked on March 5 for alleged Hamas support. Badar Khan Suri, a Georgetown University postdoctoral fellow, was detained for alleged antisemitism and Hamas ties, according to US authorities. SNIPPETS DEAD PASSENGER: A passenger was found dead onboard an Air India flight (AI2845) after the plane landed in Lucknow from Delhi on Friday. The deceased has been identified as Asifullah Ansari. After the flight landed at Lucknow's Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport at 8.10 am, the crew members tried to establish contact with the passenger but did not get any response. BAIL REJECTED: A Delhi court on Friday dismissed the bail application of the Lok Sabha MP from Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla, Engineer Rashid, in a terror funding case. "The bail plea is dismissed," Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh was quoted as saying by news agency PTI in its report. Rashid has been in Tihar jail since 2019 after his arrest by the National Investigation Agency. SEBI TARGETS FRAUDS: SEBI has mandated that intermediaries seeking to advertise on social media must register using their email and mobile number linked to the regulator’s portal. This move aims at curbing rising securities market frauds on platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and X.