FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. 14 No. 343 | BHOPAL | TUESDAY | MAY 27, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.in Sports WE’LL FALL, BUT WE’LL RISE AGAIN P.13 Top court recommends elevation of acting CJ Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The Sup r e m e Court has r e c o m mended the elevation of Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva as the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The recommendation was made during a meeting of the Supreme Court Collegium held on Monday. Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva was earlier appointed as the Acting Chief Justice of the MP High Court following the retirement of Chief Justice Suresh Kait. 3 advocates appointed HC judges Three advocates have been made Madhya Pradesh High Court judges. These advocate are Deepak Khot, Amit Seth and Pavan Kumar Dwivedi. Exercise of power conferred by the Constitution, the President of India, after consultation with CJI, has appointed them as High Court judge. fp Briefs IMPHAL 13 militants held in Manipur In a series of operations in Manipur, army and other central and state security forces have arrested 13 militants of different outfits and recovered 23 arms, grenades, ammunition and other war-like stores, officials said on Monday. Defence spokesman Lt Col Amit Shukla said that the well-coordinated joint operations resulted in the apprehension of 13 cadres from various hill and valleybased extremist groups. JERUSALEM Israel rejects ceasefire deal Israel has rejected a new proposal aimed at halting its offensive in Gaza and securing the release of 10 more hostages, Israel's stateowned Kan TV reported on Monday. A senior Israeli official from the country's negotiation team told Kan TV that US mediators presented the proposal overnight. It included the release of five living hostages and five deceased, the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, a 70-day ceasefire, and negotiations toward a permanent ceasefire, according to the official. ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL WORLD Hamas agrees to US envoy’s plan for ceasefire in Gaza UJJAIN PUNE INDORE NASHIK Edit Disciplining the Lalu scion P.6 Cinema How Akansha's life... P.14 IANS NEW DELHI External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Monday issued a sharp rebuttal to the Congress' accusation that Pakistan was tipped off before India launched Operation Sindoor, the precision military strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on May 7. Setting the record straight at a Consultative Committee Meeting (CCM) of the Ministry of External Affairs, Jaishankar said: “Pakistan was informed 30 minutes after terror hubs were struck.”He added that the Foreign Secretary was briefed post-strike, followed by an official Press Information Bureau (PIB) statement, after which the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) conveyed details of the operation to his Pakistani counterpart. "This is a dishonest misrepresentation of facts," Jaishankar said, referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s claims that India’s foreign policy had “collapsed” and that the country was being "hyphenated with Pakistan". Operation Sindoor was India’s measured and non-escalatory response to the April Pakistan was informed 30 minutes after terror hubs were struck 22 Pahalgam terror attack, where 26 civilians were brutally killed. Nine terror launchpads across PoK and Pakistani territory were neutralised in a 25-minute operation, using precision-guided munitions and drone coordination. The strikes triggered a military response from Pakistan, which attempted to target In- S. Jaishankar External Affairs Minister dian cities using drones and artillery — all of which were successfully repelled by Indian forces. While the two nations agreed to an ‘understanding’ for cessation of military action on May 10, Pakistan violated the pact within hours. India re- STERN WARNING | People of Pakistan must come forward to end terrorism, says PM at Gujarat rally ROTI OR GOLI, CHOICE IS YOURS: PM TO PAK PTI Colonel Sofiya’s family joins PM BHUJ The people of Pakistan should understand that their government and Army are supporting terrorism for their own benefit so they must come forward to end the menace which is ruining their lives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday. On his first visit to Gujarat after Operation Sindoor, the Centre's military response to the August 22 Pahalgam terror attack, he warned that if the people of Pakistan do not choose the path of peace, they will face the wrath of the Indian Army. "Terrorism is a way of making money for your (Pakistan) government and Army. The people of Pakistan must come forward to end terrorism. Live a happy and peaceful life and have your meal. Otherwise, my bullet is there for you (sukh chain ki zindagi jio, roti khao. Varna meri goli to hai hee)," No cause of worry: ICMR on Covid cases DHANKHAR URGES LOCAL MPs, MLAs TO ADOPT VILLAGES New Delhi: Amid an uptick in Covid cases in some parts of the country, Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Dr Rajiv Behl Monday said the severity of infections as of now is generally mild and there was no cause for worry. Speaking about new Covid variants being traced, he said genome sequencing of samples in the west and south have shown that the new variants are not severe and are Omicron sub-variants. These are LF.7, XFG, JN.1 and NB. 1.8.1. See Nation PM Narendra Modi in Vadodara on Monday. The family of Indian Army officer Colonel Sofiya Qureshi also seen. said the PM in a message to people across the border. "Post-Pahalgam attack, I waited for 15 days hoping Pakistan will take action on terrorism, but it seems it is their bread and butter. On the night The family members of Indian Army officer Colonel Sofiya Qureshi joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi's roadshow in Gujarat's Vadodara on Monday. Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, hailed as one of Vadodara's most distinguished daughters, recently addressed the nation regarding Operation Sindoor. of May 9 when Pakistan tried to attack civilians, our military attacked with double force and decimated their air bases," he told the gathering. 4Continued on | P8 Governor hails CM FP News Service BHOPAL/NARSINGHPUR Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has appealed to local MPs and MLAs to adopt villages and help the farmers become farm entrepreneurs. Dhankhar made the state- ment at the inaugural function of the three-day Agri-Industry Summit-2025 in Narsinghpur on Monday. Besides Dhankhar, Governor Mangubhai Patel and Chief Minister Mohan Yadav were present at the summit. Patel appreciated Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s efforts to promote farmers’ welfare. He acknowledged the crucial partnership between hard-working farmers and scientists to strengthen India’s food security. 4Continued on | P8 Two killed Shah’s statement over liquor enrages Modi, SC hearing tomorrow smuggling FP News Service MORENA Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The statement of minister Vijay Shah on Colonel Sofia Qureshi after Operation Sindoor has reportedly enraged Prime Minister Narendra Modi. At a meeting with the NDA chief ministers on Sunday, Modi appealed to all party leaders not to make any statements on Operation Sindoor. Modi, however, did not mention anybody’s name in his speech. He advised the party leaders against speaking on every issue. Modi said he had advised the chief ministers and deputy chief ministers to keep away from making unnecessary statements. Shah’s statement sparked anger against the BJP across the country. Modi met the family members of Colonel Qureshi during a rally in Vadodara on Monday. Her family members participated in the rally and hailed the Prime Minister. Modi’s annoyance with At a meeting with the NDA CMs on Sunday, Modi appealed to party leaders not to make any statements on Operation Sindoor Shah may cause trouble for him in the future. The Supreme Court is going to hear Shah’s case on Wednesday. The government will submit a report on the basis of the apex court’s directives. The court directed the government to set up an SIT to probe Shah’s case. The Director General of Police set up an SIT which has to submit a preliminary report to the court. Shah has been apologising for his statement. The court’s order will decide Shah’s future. Two youths were shot dead on Monday morning while attempting to prevent illegal liquor smuggling. The attackers, who arrived in a luxury vehicle, opened fire indiscriminately before fleeing the scene. The incident was reported at Bhai Khan Ke Pura, under the Sihoniya police station area limits. The deceased Saurabh Bhadoria and  Mahendra Bhadoria were engaged in management work for licensed liquor contractors in the area. The incident unfolded when the youths attempted to stop a vehicle suspected of transporting illegal alcohol, and were shot at. They were taken to a hospital but were declared dead on arrival. Police officials quickly arrived at the scene and initiated a manhunt for the miscreants. A murder case was registered. MP Shivmangal Singh Tomar visited the post-mortem house to console the grieving families. RAINS BATTER MUMBAI 4Continued on | P8 TOP BRASS IN ACTION: Forces chiefs tracked Op Sindoor live YouTuber Jyoti sent to 14-day judicial custody IANS Hisar: YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan, was on Monday sent to 14 days of judicial custody by a court in Haryana's Hisar following the completion of her police remand. Malhotra was earlier in nine-day police custody, during which she was interrogated intensively by the local police and central intelligence agencies in connection with alleged espionage activities. This was her third round of remand since her arrest. See Nation NEW DELHI DK Tripathi, and Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh standing shoulder-toshoulder, while monitoring real-time updates of the operation in a high-security command centre. Another senior officer of the Army is also vis- ible along with them.The top brass of the Indian armed forces are seen monitoring the coordinated and multi-branch offensive against Pakistanbased terror infrastructures. 4Continued on | P8 Did French prez get slapped by wife? French first lady Brigitte Macron appeared to push her husband away with both hands on his face just before they disembarked from their plane to start a tour of Southeast Asia this weekend. President Emmanuel Macron dismissed the gesture -caught on camera -- as just sponded with a firm warning -- any future violation would be met with fierce retaliation.Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Mann Ki Baat address, showcased satellite images of the destroyed terror camps, calling the strikes "a picture of India's resolve, courage, and changing mindset". To counter international narratives, India has also deployed seven all-party delegations to key global capitals, clarifying its stance on crossborder terrorism and Operation Sindoor. He said India’s firm response to terrorism under Prime Minister Narendra Modi was historic. offgrid AP E-paper Dishonest Cong: EAM says Pak informed after attack In a rare and striking release, a few images have emerged from the Indian Army’s war room, offering a behind-thescenes look at ‘Operation Sindoor’, precision military strike by the Indian forces against terrorist infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) on May 7. The pictures show the Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, Navy Chief Admiral PARIS MUMBAI horseplay, but it caused a stir back home. French media on Monday tried to decipher the interaction that cameras spotted through the just-opened door of the plane. The headline of a story on the website of the daily Le Parisien newspaper asked: "Slap or squabble'? The images of Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron disembarking in Viet- nam trigger a lot of comment." Macron later told re- porters that the couple -married since 2007 after meeting at the high school where he was a student and she was a teacher -- were simply joking around. "We are horsing around and, really, joking with my wife," he said, adding that the incident was being overblown: "It becomes a sort of geo-planetary catastrophe." His office earlier offered a similar explanation. "It was a moment where the president and his wife were decompressing one last time before the start of the trip by horsing around. It's a moment of complicity. It was all that was needed to give ammunition to the conspiracy theorists," his office said. 4Continued on | P8 People wade through a waterlogged road amid rains at in Mumbai on Monday T he southwest monsoon has set in over Mumbai 16 days before the usual date, making it the earliest since 1950, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday ast year, the monsoon reached Mumbai on June 25. In preceding years, it arrived on June 11 in 2022, June 9 in 2021, June 14 in 2020, L 1 person died in a lightning strike, while 48 people were rescued from inundated areas as heavy rains battered several places in Maharashtra HC upholds probationer civil judge’s termination for misbehaviour FP News Service JABALPUR The Madhya Pradesh High Court upheld termination of a civil judge junior division on probation period and dismissed his petition challenging termination from services on September 5, 2024 for misbehaviour with advocates, police personnel and the court staff. The court turned down the argument of the petitioner that the decision of the administrative committee and the Full Court was punitive and Court turned down the argument of the petitioner that decision of the administrative committee and Full Court was punitive not simply to discharge him from service. A division bench of Chief Justice SK Kait and Justice Vivek Jain held ‘the petition being devoid of merits, deserved to be and stands dismissed’. ‘The specific language of Rule 11(d), it is clear that for a probationer to seek confirmation, it is necessary that he should have successfully completed the period of probation and found suitable to hold the post’, the court observed. The High Court recommended termination of civil judge junior division Kaustubh Khera who was on probation under provisions of Rule 11(c) of M.P. Judicial Service (Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Rules of 1994 on account of unsuitability for the post. 4Continued on | P8