Friday, May 16, 2025 | 27 Pages | `5 & for State (+6 pages) `6 Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL Vol. 68 No. 191 | Leader in E-paper circulation l www.freepressjournal.in ● EDITIONS: ● MUMBAI ● INDORE ● PUNE ● BHOPAL ● NASHIK ● KONKAN ● E-paper ● Member: Audit Bureau of Circulation (July to December 2024) GAMES NATION BJP rejects Trump’s claim that he brokered ceasefire between India and Pakistan. Cinema Tom Cruise’s movie receives 5-minute standing ovation Many SA, Australia and England players will miss IPL play-offs Edit Caste census: A social reform or mere political strategy? ASSERTION AND DENIAL PATTERN | President Donald Trump says India is “literally willing to charge us no tariffs”, and urges Apple to move manufacturing of iPhones to the US instead Trump claim of zero tariff offer refuted Agencies NEW DELHI American President Donald Trump in throwaway remarks in Doha on Thursday claimed that India had offered America a zero tariff deal, a claim which Foreign Minister Dr S Jaishankar hours later seemed to rebuff. Equally significantly, Trump also claimed he advised Apple CEO Tim Cook to desist from moving manufacturing iPhones to India, an advice that the company indicated it had chosen it ignore. "It is very hard to sell in India, and they are offering us a deal where basically they are willing to literally charge us no tariffs," Trump said in a meeting with executives in the Qatari capital Doha. Jaishankar at a press opportunity was quick to downplay Trumps remarks suggesting that it would be better to wait Briefs 3 terrorists killed in J&K Three Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists were gunned down in an encounter with security forces in Pulwama’s Nader Tral area, Jammu and Kashmir, on Thursday. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, forces launched a cordon and search operation that turned into a gunfight when the terrorists opened fire. The slain militants were identified as Asif Ahmed Sheikh, Amir Nazir Wani, and Yawar Ahmed Bhat. Security forces recovered three AK rifles, 12 magazines, grenades, and other warlike stores. Police confirmed their JeM affiliation. IGP Kashmir V.K. Birdi called the operation a significant achievement in counterterrorism efforts. Chinar Corps shared details of the recovery on X. Delhi HC work hours Reacting to the Supreme Court’s criticism over frequent breaks, the Delhi High Court has revised its working hours. From May 14, courts will sit from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm and 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm, with a lunch break from 1:30 to 2:30 pm. The fourth Saturday, earlier a holiday for the registry, will now be a working day. The Supreme Court had questioned judges’ output relative to state expenditure, highlighting complaints about “unnecessary breaks.” Justice Surya Kant had stressed the need for a performance audit of high court judges. The notification aims to ensure judicial accountability and efficiency. SC clears temple path The Supreme Court has cleared the Uttar Pradesh government’s plan to develop a corridor around the Shri Banke Bihari Temple in Mathura. It allowed the use of the temple’s fixed deposits to purchase five acres of land for facilities such as parking, toilets, and holding areas for pilgrims. See, Nation Tim Cook Donald Trump for the finalisation of the deal before revealing details. He said, "Between India and the US, trade talks have been going on. These are complicated negotiations. Nothing is decided till everything is. Any trade deal has to be mutually beneficial; it has to work for both countries. That would be our expectation from the trade deal. Until that is done, any judgment on it would be premature." New Delhi is seeking to S Jaishankar close a trade deal with the US within the 90-day pause announced by Trump on April 9 on tariff hikes for major trading partners. Speaking at a business roundtable at Doha, Qatar, Trump said, “I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday... You are coming up with $500 billion, but now I hear you are building all over India. I don’t want you building in India. You can build in India, if you want to take care of India because India is one of the highest tariff nations in the world,” Trump said. "Tim, we treated you very good, we put up with all the plants you built in China for years ... we are not interested in you building in India, India can take care of themselves, they are doing very well, we want you to build here", Trump recalled himself telling Cook, who was not in the Doha meeting. Later in the day, Apple is reported to have made it clear that its investment plans in India are intact and it proposes to continue to have India as a major manufacturing base. The company plans to make most of its iPhones sold in the United States at factories in India by the end of 2026, and is speeding up those plans. 4Contd on | Nation 4See also | Nation POTUS clings to his version of ceasefire Agencies NEW DELHI US President Donald Trump on Thursday repeated his earlier claims he made as many as five times that he had brought about cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan. “And by the way, I don't want to say I did, but I sure as hell helped settle the problem between Pakistan and India last week, which was getting more and more hostile," he said while addressing US military personnel at al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar. "And all of a sudden, you'll start seeing missiles of a different type. And we got it settled. I hope, I hope I don't walk out of here and two days later find out that it's not settled, but I think it is settled," Trump said. 4Contd on | Nation Clear who sought ceasefire: EAM Agencies NEW DELHI External affairs minister S Jaishankar highlighted that India achieved its objectives in Operation Sindoor, targeting and destroying terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and said it was clear that who had called for a ceasefire. His comments came amid the controversy over President Trump's claims that US had brokered peace between the two countries. "Since key goals were achieved, I think we reasonably took the position, because even at the start of the operation, we had sent a message to Pakistan saying we are striking at terrorist 4Contd on | Nation Rajnath wants Pak nukes under IAEA Agencies SRINAGAR Pakistan's nuclear weapons should be brought under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as they are not safe in such a rogue nation, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday. His comments came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India would not tolerate "nuclear blackmail" by Pakistan and would punish cross-border terrorism strongly. Shortly after landing in Srinagar in his first trip to Jammu and Kashmir since Operation Sindoor, Singh said how strong India's resolve against terrorism can be gauged from the fact that it has not even paid heed to Pakistan's nuclear blackmail. "The whole world has seen how irresponsibly Pakistan has given nuclear threats to India several times," he said interacting with troops. "Today, from the land of Srinagar, I want to raise this question before the whole world: are nuclear weapons safe in the hands of such an irresponsible and rogue nation?" Singh asked. "I believe that Pakistan's nuclear weapons should be taken under the supervision of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)," he added. The defence minister described Operation Sindoor as the "biggest" action taken by India against terrorism in its history. "For the last 35-40 years, India has been facing terrorism being carried out from across the border. Today India has made it clear to the whole world that we can go to any extent against terrorism," he said. 4Contd on | Nation Can timelines be SC blow to Rane in Pune land grab case set for assent? PTI NEW DELHI FPJ News Service constitutional offices and could distort the delicate federal balance. In a rare and constitutionally The 14-point reference poses significant move, President critical questions about the Droupadi Murmu has invoked scope of discretion, judicial reher powers under Article 143(1) view, and the limits of judicial of the Constitution to seek the intervention in legislative proSupreme Court’s opinion on a cesses. The reference is widely series of fundamental ques- seen as a pointed response to tions relating the Supreme to the role of Court’s April 8 PRESIDENT Governors and ruling, which MURMU’S POSERS the President had criticised in granting asGovernors for sent to state legislation. This fol- sitting on bills and held that unlows the Supreme Court’s reasonable delay in granting aslandmark April 8 judgment, sent could amount to deemed which introduced the concept assent, thereby allowing a bill of deemed assent—a principle to become law without formal the President described as approval. alien to the constitutional Legal experts say this presischeme. dential reference could mark a In her letter, President turning point in Centre-State Murmu asserted that Articles relations, potentially redefining 200 and 201 of the Constitution the contours of gubernatorial do not prescribe any time power and judicial authority in frame for action by Governors India’s constitutional frameor the President on bills passed work. The Supreme Court’s adby state legislatures. She visory opinion, while not warned that the concept of binding, is likely to carry imautomatic or deemed assent mense persuasive weight. undermines the discretionary 4Prez posers | Nation authority conferred upon these The Supreme Court has held that the allotment of 11.89 hectare of the reserved forest land in village Kondhwa Budruk in Pune for agriculture purposes on August 28, 1998 and subsequent permission given for its sale in favour of Richie Rich Cooperative Housing Society Limited (RRCHS) on October 30, 1999 was "totally illegal". MUMBAI We have no hesitation in holding that the then minister for revenue, government of Maharashtra and the then divisional commissioner, Pune, have acted totally in breach of public trust to illegally cause gain to private individuals at the cost of sacrificing precious forest land. – Supreme Court A bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices Augustine George Masih and K Vinod Chandran referred to a report of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) which pointed to evidence to show that many forest lands were allotted to private persons or institutions for non-forestry purposes. The Bench said, "We also Dhairya Gajara MUMBAI In a decisive move prompted by national outrage, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has revoked the security clearance of Celebi Airport Services India Pvt Ltd, a Turkish company operating ground-handling services at nine Indian airports, including Mumbai. The revocation, effective immediately, has been issued in the interest of "national security," according FPJ News Service MUMBAI In a related development, the Congress-led Karnataka government has directed the police to register an FIR against Shah in connection with his controversial remarks on Colonel Qureshi. tions came as Shah moved the apex court, challenging the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s May 14 order directing the police to register an FIR against him under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 4Contd on | Nation Turkish firm loses footing in 9 airports Set up special to an official order released on Thursday. The action follows widespread condemnation over Turkey’s open support to Pakistan after India launched Operation Sindoor in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 civilians. Celebi’s presence in strategic In- dian airports had come under sharp scrutiny, particularly after BJP-backed Andheri East MLA Murji Patel raised concerns and demanded the cancellation of the company's contract. Patel, who led a protest at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) along with Shiv Sena workers earlier this week, stated, “These Turkish companies earn money from India and support our enemies. (BNS) for promoting enmity and hatred. Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, presiding over a bench alongside Justice Augustine George Masih, did not mince words. “What sort of state- ments are you making? You should show some sense of sensibility. Go and apologise in the High Court,” the CJI said sternly. “When the country is undergoing such a situation, every sentence or word uttered must be measured. Constitutional office-bearers are expected to show restraint,” the court observed. 4Contd on | Nation Poonam Apraj & Prajakta Pol MUMBAI In a significant move to address manpower shortages in the police force, the Maharashtra Home Department has issued a government notification allowing police head constables and certain qualified constables to be appointed as FPJ News Service The unemployment rate in India stood at 5.1% in April 2025, according to the firstever monthly job data released by the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation on Thursday. The data collected in current weekly status showed that the unemployment rate for persons of all ages (individuals aged 15 years and above) during April 2025 worked out to 5.1% in April 2025. The pace of joblessness among men stayed slightly higher at 5.2% compared to that of women at 5%. Joblessness among those in the age group of 15-29 was 13.8% across the country. The rate of unemployment in urban areas stood at 17.2%, while it was 12.3% in rural areas. Across the country, a total of 7,511 first-stage sampling units have been surveyed during April 2025.  The number of households surveyed was 89,434 (49,323 in rural areas and 40,111 in urban areas) and number of persons surveyed was 3,80,838 (2,17,483 in rural areas and 1,63,355 in urban areas. PTI NEW DELHI The study revealed that the unemployment rate among women in the age group of 1529 was 14.4% across the country (rural and urban), while it was 23.7% in cities and 10.7% in villages. Joblessness among men aged 15-29 years was recorded at 13.6%, while it was 15% in cities and 13% in villages. 4Contd on | Nation 4Contd on | Nation 4Contd on | Nation investigating officers and assist in criminal investigations. The notification, issued under Section 180(1) of the BNSS, states that Any Head Constable and above can act on requisition to assist the investigating officer. Police constables may also be designated for this role, provided they 4Contd on | Nation It’s official: New data shows 5.1% Indians jobless MUMBAI POCSO courts urgently: SC The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Centre to set up on "top priority basis" dedicated POCSO courts to exclusively deal with cases of sexual offences against children. A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and P B Varale said due to the inadequacy of the number of exclusive courts for the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act cases, the timelines mandated under the law for completion of trials weren't adhered to. "It is therefore expected that the union of India and the state governments shall take appropriate steps to sensitise the officials associated with the investigation of POCSO cases, and also to create dedicated courts to try POCSO cases on top priority basis," the bench said. It directed filing of chargesheets within the mandatory period stipulated in law besides completing trials within the given time. The apex court noted while majority states, with the funding from the Centre, complied with the directions for setting up exclusive courts for POCSO cases, in Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Orissa, Maharashtra, and a few other states, more POCSO courts were required given the pendency of such cases. The top court had earlier directed senior advocate and amicus curiae V Giri and senior advocate Uttara Babbar to submit state-wise details on the status of POCSO courts. SC raps MP minister over Col Sofiya slur CONSTABLES CAN PROBE CRIMES Karnataka FIR The Supreme Court on Thursday reprimanded Madhya Pradesh Tribal Affairs Minister Vijay Shah for his derogatory remarks against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, stressing that every word spoken by a minister during a national crisis must be marked by responsibility and restraint. The court’s sharp observa- have no hesitation to hold that the then minister for revenue and the then divisional commissioner, Pune, have given a total go-bye to the doctrine of public trust inasmuch as, valuable forest land was allotted to the 'Chavan family' de hors the provisions of the law," it said. Narayan Rane was Maharastra's Revenue Minister between 1996-1998 before he became Chief Minister.