FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. 14 No. 289 | BHOPAL | THURSDAY | APRIL 3, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.in Sports Yashasvi abandons Mumbai for Goa switch P.13 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL UJJAIN MONEY PUNE INDORE NASHIK Cinema Kalki’s summer elegance P.14 No interference in religious affairs, says Shah as Oppn slams Waqf Bill PTI NEW DELHI fp Briefs RAIPUR Maoists offer peace talks Ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah's scheduled visit to Bastar in Chhattisgarh, the Maoists have expressed their willingness to engage in peace negotiations. Reportedly, a spokesperson of the Maoist central committee issued a pamphlet, printed in Telugu language, in Chhattisgarh capital Raipur. See Nation BJP Minority Morcha supporters thank PM Narendra Modi on the introduction of Waqf Amendment Bill in the Parliament in New Delhi on Wednesday Kiren Rijiju in his opening remarks rejected the allegation that the proposed law was an interference in the constitutionally guaranteed freedom in religious affairs. The bill has nothing to do with religion, but deals only with properties, he said tabling the Bill, which was examined and redrafted by a joint committee of Parliament. "The government is not going to interfere in any religious institution. The changes made in the Waqf law by the UPA government gave it overriding effect over other statutes, hence the new amendments were required," Rijiju said amid noisy opposition protests. "You (opposition) tried to mislead the people on issues which are not part of the Waqf Bill," she said to the opposition. Both ministers asserted that the proposed reforms would ensure the welfare of poor Muslims and women. 4Continued on | P8 PTI Parliament approved a bill to regulate immigration, entry and stay of foreigners in India, with the Rajya Sabha giving its nod on Wednesday. The Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025 was passed in Lok Sabha on March 27, 2025. The Rajya Sabha passed the Bill by voice vote on Wednesday after various amendments moved by Opposition members were negated. Replying to the discussion on the Bill, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai attacked the previous Con- Jail term up to 7 years for entry using forged passport One of the key provisions in the Bill is that anyone found to be using a forged passport or visa for entering India or staying in or exiting from the country will be punishable with a jail term of up to seven years and a fine which could extend to Rs 10 lakh.The Bill also seeks to ensure a close monitoring of everyone who visits India gress government and the TMC dispensation in West Bengal for "aiding" illegal immigrants enter the country and "facilitating" their stay by including their names in voters' list and ration cards. This was strongly objected to by the Congress and TMC members, who along with other opposition parties' MPs, staged a walkout from the Upper House. One of the key provisions in the Bill is that anyone found to be using a forged passport or visa for entering India or staying in or exiting from the WASHINGTON Musk may quit DOGE US President Donald Trump has told members of his Cabinet and other close contacts that his billionaire ally Elon Musk will soon step back from his government role, Politico reported on Wednesday. Trump has tasked the Tesla and SpaceX CEO with leading efforts to cut government funding. Today in IPL MATCH NO. 15 KKR Vs SRH KOLKATA; 7.30 PM (Detail on sports page) It was your (Opposition) insistence that a Joint Parliamentary Committee should be formed. We do not have a committee like the Congress. We have a democratic committee, which brainstorms. Our committee discusses, deliberates on the basis of discussions and makes changes. If the changes are not to be accepted, then what is the point of the committee? n Amit Shah, Union Min The government is not going to interfere in any religious institution. The changes made in the Waqf law by the UPA government gave it overriding effect over other statutes, hence the new amendments were required. n Kiren Rijiju, Union Min SPs won’t get authority Poonam Gupta to post DSPs in districts appointed RBI Deputy Governor Govt disagrees with PHQ proposal Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The superintendents of police (SPs) are unauthorised to post the deputy superintendents of police (DSPs) within the districts. The government has turned down a proposal sent by the police headquarters (PHQ) seeking authority for the SPs for posting the DSPs. The PHQ sent a proposal to the Home Department seeking powers for the SPs to shift DSPs and sub-divisional officers of police (SDOPs) within the districts. The PHQ sent the suggestion seeking power for the SPs on a par with the collectors. In the districts, the collectors divide job assignments among sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs). In the same way, the SPs should have freedom to send officers of their choice to a particular place within the Govt to release transfer list After the rejection of the PHQ’s proposal, the government is going to release a transfer list of officers of state police service. The transfers will be carried out at the government level as has been happening for all these years. districts. The PHQ also pleaded that the authority to choose his team members would provide more control over his subordinates and would help them check the incidents of crime. According to sources, the state government rejected the proposal saying that it disagreed with the PHQ. The government believes that it will lead to political interference in the districts, sources said. 4Continued on | P8 Radical group founder wanted in Jaipur serial blast plot held FP News Service RATLAM Ratlam police arrested the 11th absconding accused involved in conspiracy to carry out serial blasts in Jaipur, Rajasthan, said SP Amit Kumar during a press conference on Wednesday. He is believed to be the mastermind of the gang. National Investigation Agency (NIA) had announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for the absconding accused identified as Firoz. He was among the five founding members of Alsufa and treasurer of the or- Two women Maoists gunned down in Mandla Carried Rs 28L bounty country will be punishable with a jail term of up to seven years and a fine which could extend to Rs 10 lakh. The Bill also seeks to ensure a close monitoring of everyone who visits India. The proposed legislation also provides for mandatory reporting of information about foreigners by hotels, universities, other educational institutions, hospitals and nursing homes to enable tracking of overstaying foreigners. During the discussion, Rai said, "As many as 26 members expressed their views on the Bill.” 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 A failed romantic relationship need not always mean sexual relations were forced on either party, the Supreme Court noted Wednesday as it heard a plea by a man to quash rape charges levelled by his former fiancee. The woman had claimed she had sex expecting marriage. However, a bench of Justice MM Sundresh and Justice Rajesh Bindal cited an evolving sense of morality in be punishable." The court also observed complaints such as these are sometimes fed by conservative morals and values, in which the blame is apportioned to the man because of a "lacunae" in the system. 4Continued on | P8 HC interim stay on MPPSC mains over cut-off marks plea Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL In a significant development, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has imposed an interim stay on the results of MPPSC State Service Main Examination 2025. The stay follows a petition challenging the commission's failure to release category-wise cut-off marks for the preliminary examination. The issue stems from the preliminary examination results declared on March 5, 2025, for recruitment of 158 posts. Unlike previous exams, where category-wise cut-off marks were provided, this time, MPPSC did not disclose them. Petitioners argue that this move violates established judicial precedents and unfairly reserves all unreserved posts exclusively for general category candidates, instead of allowing meritorious reserved-category candidates to Petitioners argue this move unfairly reserves unreserved posts exclusively for general category candidates compete for them. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Vivek Jain conducted a preliminary hearing on April 2, 2025. Representing the petitioners, senior advocates Rameshwar Singh Thakur, Vinayak Prasad Shah and R.G. Verma informed the court that an interim order had previously barred the release of results without the High Court s permission. However, MPPSC proceeded to declare results on March 5, before the scheduled March 25 hearing, allegedly misleading the court. 4Continued on | P8 ED uncovers Soros-backed funding routes to Indian NGOs PTI IANS JAMMU Online Report The government has approved the appointment of NCAER Director General Poonam Gupta as Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India for a period of three years, according to sources. The post of the Deputy Governor of RBI fell vacant after M D Patra demitted office in January. The sources said the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) approved Gupta's appointment for the post of Deputy Governor in the RBI for three years from the date of joining. Currently, Gupta is the Director General of National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), India's largest economic policy think tank. She is also a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister and Convener of the Advisory Council to the 16th Finance Commission. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesman said on Wednesday that the Pakistan Army intruded into the Indian side and also violated the ceasefire by opening fire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district. “The violation took place at 1.10 p.m. on Tuesday, and the Indian troops responded with controlled and calibrated retaliation,” the spokesman said. The defence spokesman made no mention of any casualties on the Pakistani side of the LoC due to Indian retaliation, but official sources said The Enforcement Directorate has uncovered financial transactions linking billionaire philanthropist George Soros’s Soros Economic Development Fund to the NGO sector in India, raising concerns over possible violations of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act and FDI norms. Investigators have found that SEDF, the social impact investment arm of the Open Society Institute, provided funds to three Indian companies—Rootbridge Services Pvt Ltd, Rootbridge Academy Pvt Ltd, and ASAR Social Impact Advisors Pvt Ltd—under the pretext of FDI or consultancy/service fees. These companies received approximately Rs 25 crore between 2020-2021 and 20232024, despite OSI being under the scrutiny of the Home Ministry since May 2016 for “undesirable activities.” Since then, OSI has required prior government approval to send funds to FCRA-registered organisations in India. According to the ED findings, RSPL alone received Rs 18.64 crore from SEDF through Compulsorily Convertible Preference Shares (CCPS), valued at an inflated Rs 2.5-2.6 lakh per share based on the Discounted Cash Flow method. Authorities suspect this was a “colourable arrangement” to bypass FCRA restrictions, as SEDF is barred from directly donating to NGOs without Home Ministry approval. Similarly, RAPL, a company incorporated in 2019 to provide fundraising services for non-profits, received Rs 2.70 crore as “commission agent services” from SEDF. TRUMP SET TO ANNOUNCE 'RECIPROCAL' TARIFFS five enemy soldiers were injured in the explosion and the subsequent firing between the two sides. Lt. Colonel Suneel Bartwal, defence ministry spokesman, said in a statement, "On 01 Apr 2025, a mine blast occurred in Krishna Ghati Sector due to The woman's lawyer pointed out the relationship in question was 'arranged' and not 'romantic' in nature, thereby raising the question of 'consent'. "This is not a romantic relationship that went sour. This was arranged. Consent in this case cannot be said to be 'free consent'," Madhavi Divan said, explaining that the breaking of the engagement would amount to "social taboo". After weeks of White House hype and public anxiety, President Donald Trump is set on Wednesday to announce a barrage of self-described reciprocal tariffs on friend and foe alike. The new tariffs, coming on what Trump has called "Liberation Day," are a bid to boost US manufacturing and punish other countries for what he says are years of unfair trade practices. But by most economists' assessments, the move threatens to plunge the economy into a downturn and upend decades-old alliances. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Pakistan Army intrusion across LoC. This was followed by unprovoked firing and ceasefire violation by Pakistan Army. Own troops responded effectively in a controlled and calibrated manner. 4Continued on | P8 HC halts work on land near Hyd univ PTI AP WASHINGTON Today's morality different: SC the world today, pointed out the woman "did accept the relationship with the option it can be broken", and asked if therefore any failed relationship could ultimately be so punished. "You are a major... it cannot be you were hoodwinked to believe you will get married, etc. With due respect, today the concept of morality, virtues is different with the younger lot. If we agree with you, then any relationship between a boy and girl in college, etc., will and bomb-making material including timers, cells, wire and other materials on March 30, 2022. During interrogation, they confessed to being associated with Alsufa organisation. They along with eight other members of the organisation including Amin Fawda, Amin Haji, Mazhar alias Chhotu, Imran Pathan, Yunus Saki, Imran Matka, Aqib Maharashtra and Firoz had planned to carry out a terrorist attack by through serial blasts in Jaipur. NEW DELHI offgrid Online Report ganisation. As per reports, during the checking by Nimbahera police, Rajasthan, a suspicious car (MP 43 CA 7091) was stopped and searched. Three persons including Zuber, Saifullah alias Saif Khan and Altamash, all residents of Ratlam were found with explosives Pak troops cross LoC, violate ceasefire; Army retaliates HYDERABAD NEW DELHI Firoz was among the five founding members of Alsufa and treasurer of the organisation Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL In a major breakthrough against left-wing extremism, two armed and wanted women Maoist cadres were shot dead in an early morning anti-Maoist operation by police in the dense jungles of Mandla district on Wednesday. The slain Maoists, identified as Mamta and Pramila, hailed from Chhattisgarh and were part of the Kanha-Bhoramdev (KB) division, a notorious Maoist outfit operating inBalaghat,Mandla and Kawardha districts of MP and Chhattisgarh. Both the women carried a bounty of Rs 14 lakh each, amounting to a collective reward of Rs 28 lakh, said Special Director General of Police, Anti-Maoist Operations, Pankaj Srivastava. Parl passes Immigration and Foreigners Bill NEW DELHI E-paper Edit 75 years of bonhomie? P.6 INDICES RECOVER AHEAD OF US TARIFF DECLARATION BILL TABLED IN LS | NDA launches feisty defence of Waqf (Amendment) Bill amid opposition's charge that it was unconstitutional and targeted Muslims The ruling NDA on Wednesday launched a feisty defence of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha amid the opposition's charge that it was unconstitutional and targeted Muslims, as Home Minister Amit Shah asserted that the government had no intention of interfering in their religious matters and was solely driven by the aim of transparent administration of Waqf properties. Shah's intervention came during the day-long debate that witnessed a fierce exchange between the two sides, with Congress Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi alleging that the bill was an attempt to attack the basic structure of the Constitution, defame minorities, disenfranchise them and divide the society. Minorities Affairs Minister MUMBAI The Telangana High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to suspend all work on the 400-acre land parcel adjacent to the University of Hyderabad (UoH), which has become a bone of contention, for a day-until April 3. A bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara was hearing a batch of PILs seeking a directive from the court to stop the uprooting of trees and land clearing at the Kancha Gachibowli site. The petitioners also challenged the state government's decision to allot the land to the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC), claiming it violated the Forest Conservation Act. On March 30, the TGIIC initiated development work at the Kancha Gachibowli site as per a government order. While posting the matter for further hearing on April 3, the court directed that all work at the site be stopped. This decision followed a plea from S Niranjan Reddy, counsel for one of the petitioners, who requested the court to intervene, stating that tree-cutting was continuing unabated. Advocate General Sudarshan Reddy argued that the petitions were based on Google images, which, according to Supreme Court rulings, are not admissible as evidence. He further contended that the land in question lies outside the HCU and has always been earmarked for industrial purposes.