Thursday, May 29, 2025 | 29 Pages | `5 & for State (+4 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. 202 | 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 Cabinet approves MSP hike for kharif crops; clears key road and rail projects Cinema Abhishek Banerjee on India’s raw storytelling Sheryas Iyer-led Punjab Kings face RCB’s flair in IPL Qualifier 1 clash Edit Will Mumbai deluge impact politics ahead of civic polls? LOKPAL CLEAN CHIT FOR MADHABI BUCH Ashwini Shrivastava NEW DELHI Lokpal on Wednesday disposed of complaints alleging impropriety and conflict of interest against former SEBI chief Madhabi Puri Buch based on a Hindenburg Research report, terming the charges as "presumptions and assumptions" not supported by any verifiable material, PTI reports. It said that the complaints, including the one by TMC MP Mahua Moitra, filed last year were essentially founded on the report "by a known short MANIPUR BJP-LED BLOC SEEKS TO END PREZ RULE FPJ News Service MUMBAI A group of 44 MLAs in Manipur are ready to form a new government, BJP legislator Thokchom Radheshyam Singh said on Wednesday, after leading a delegation of 10 legislators to meet Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla at Raj Bhavan. The visit marks a significant political development in the state, which has been under President’s Rule since February following the resignation of BJP leader N. Biren Singh as chief minister over his handling of prolonged ethnic clashes between the Meiteis and Kuki-Zo communities. “We have informed the Governor that 44 MLAs are ready to form a 4Contd on | nation Briefs U.S. targets global censors The United States will impose visa bans on foreign nationals it believes are involved in censoring Americans, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday. He suggested that the new policy could target foreign officials who regulate U.S. tech companies. Although Rubio did not cite specific cases of censorship, the move signals an escalation in Washington’s response to what it views as growing restrictions. “It is similarly unacceptable for foreign officials to demand that American tech platforms adopt global content moderation policies or engage in censorship activity that reaches beyond their authority and into the United States," Rubio said. Some foreign officials have taken “flagrant censorship actions against U.S. tech companies and U.S. citizens and residents when they have no authority to do so,” he added. SEE WORLD seller trader whose focus was to expose or corner Adani Group of Companies". In its report published on August 10, 2024, Hindenburg Research alleged that Buch and her husband had stakes in obscure offshore funds used in the alleged money-siphoning scandal involving the Adani Group. They had denied the allegations saying the short-seller was attacking the capital markets regulator's credibility and attempting a character assassination. The Adani Group had also termed the allegations as ma- ... the analysis of the allegations (made against former Sebi chief) by us, ended with a finding that the same are untenable, unsubstantiated and bordering on frivolity. –Lokpal licious and manipulation of selective public information. In its Wednesday order, the Lokpal "concluded that the allegations in the complaint(s) are more on presumptions and assumptions and not supported by any verifiable material and do not attract the ingredients of the offences... so as to direct an investigation therefor". Accordingly, these complaints are disposed of, said the order by a six-member bench headed by Lokpal chairperson Justice A M Khanwilkar. Buch, who took over as the chief of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on March 2, 2022, demitted office on February 28, this year after the completion of her tenure. Referring to an earlier order in this regard, the Lokpal said that the Hindenburg report by itself cannot be made the sole basis to escalate action against Buch. "The complainant(s) being conscious of this position advisedly attempted to articulate allegations independent of the stated report but the analysis of the allegations by us, ended with a finding that the same are untenable, unsubstantiated and bordering on frivolity," the order said. The Lokpal had on November 8, last year sought Buch's "explanation" on the complaints filed by Moitra, a Lok Sabha member, and two others. 4Contd on | nation DEFAMATION CASE | Rahul Gandhi files affidavit that says the complainant did not mention in court his blood relations with Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin ‘Savarkar was Godse’s kin, viewed Muslims as traitors’ FPJ News Service MUMBAI Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, in a fresh development in the criminal defamation case filed against him by Satyaki Savarkar, submitted before the Special MP/MLA Court in Pune that Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Savarkar had familial ties with Nathuram Godse, Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin. Gandhi asserted that this relationship had not been disclosed by the complainant, thereby amounting to suppression of material facts from the court reported Live Law. Gandhi’s legal team is contesting the basis of the defamation charge filed by Satyaki From left: Satyaki Savarkar, Himani Savarkar, Gopal Godse and Nathuram Godse Savarkar, which hinges on a speech Gandhi made in London. The complainant alleges that Gandhi defamed Vinayak Savarkar by stating that he had written about enjoying the act of assaulting a Muslim youth. The application, filed by Gandhi through his lawyer Milind Pawar, stated, “Satyaki is the son of Ashok Savarkar, who was the nephew of Vinayak Savarkar. This fact… has been brought on record by the complainant. However, Satyaki has concealed the fact that his mother Himani was the daughter of Gopal Godse, the real brother of Nathuram Godse - both of whom were SC closes MP case against Vijay Shah Maha Govt OKs Dharavi revamp master plan Online Report MUMBAI Top court now seized of the matter seized and statements of witnesses recorded. Investigation still being in initial stage, some more time was sought. Accordingly, the matter was relisted, with a direction that the investigation shall continue and another status report shall be placed on record before the next date.A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta was dealing with two petitions filed by Shah: one, challenging Madhya Pradesh High Court's suo motu order for registration of an FIR against him over his reference to Colonel Sofiya Qureshi as a 4Contd on | nation The master plan for the ambitious Dharavi Redevelopment Project received formal approval on Wednesday during a high-level review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and senior government officials. Adani-Maharashtra JV to spearhead project. Fadnavis emphasises sustainability, resident rights According to sources, numbering has been completed for one lakh tenements, while Lidar surveys have covered more than 94,000 units. Additionally, household surveys have been completed for over 79,000 tenements. 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation Online report NEW DELHI The Supreme Court has restricted the scope of Special Investigation Team Probe into the case lodged against Ashoka University Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad over his social media posts on 'Operation Sindoor'. On Wednesday the court said the probe should be limited to the 2 FIRs lodged against Mahmudabad. "We direct that investigation of SIT shall be confined to contents of the 2 FIRs subject matter of these proceedings. The investigation report, before it is filed before jurisdictional court, be produced before this Court. The interim protection to continue till further orders" a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta said, Live Law reported.Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal (for Mahmudabad) Charul Shah Joshi MUMBAI A 40-year-old Worli resident has been sentenced to four months of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 4,000 by the Metropolitan Magistrate, Dadar, for letting his dog bite a neighbour in the building’s lift on February 1, 2018.  The court said that the accused knowingly failed to take adequate precautions with his pet to prevent any probable danger to human life. PENALISED `5.5 LAKH FOR WALKING DOGS A dog rescuer in Thane has been fined a whopping `5.5 lakh by its housing society for taking his dogs out on walks in the housing complex. The maintenance bill for the month of May worth `5.71 lakh came as a shocker for Subhajit Bhattacharya, a resident of Hawaiian Village Co-Op Housing Society located at Thane’s Ghodbunder Road. SEE CITY Rishab Patel, a resident of Alfa Apartment, was accused by Ramik Shah of disregarding the latter’s son's cynophobia (irrational fear of dogs) and entering the lift accompanied by the dog, a Husky. Shah lives on the building's IndiGo set for NMIA takeoff Dhairya Gajara MUMBAI IndiGo is set to become the first airline to operate from the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), with tentative operations beginning in the second half of August 2025—a major milestone in expanding the Mumbai Metropolitan Region’s aviation capacity. On Monday, IndiGo signed an agreement with Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL), officially becoming NMIA’s inaugural airline partner. The airline announced it would commence operations with 18 daily domestic departures to over 15 cities from day one, marking the first formal commitment by any carrier to the upcoming airport. IndiGo plans to rapidly scale operations: from 18 daily flights initially to 79 daily departures— including 14 international routes—by November 2025. FPJ News Desk MUMBAI When Armed Forces officers advised Bangladesh's then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign on the morning of August 5, 2024 she angrily responded, “Then you shoot me and bury me here, in Ganabhaban.” Ganabhaban was Hasina’s official residence. International Crimes Tribunal’s chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam disclosed the information dur- From left: Obaidul Quader, Tarique Ahmed Siddique and Tajul Islam Ganabhaban between midnight and 12.15 where were several influential ministers, top ruling party figures, and heads of the military and law enforcement agencies were present. There were heated exchanges and disagreements. Tajul Islam said the then 4Contd on | nation defence adviser, Major General (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, raised the issue of Sheikh Hasina’s resignation. Hasina became furious and refused, insisting she would not give up power. She ordered the army chief to stand firm and crush the protests. Tarique Ahmed Siddique then suggested the military shoot some protesters to suppress the movement, and that helicopters be used for the purpose. 4Contd on | nation NEW DELHI A civil defence mock drill will take place on Thursday in the four states that have Pakistan on the border — Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat. The Directorate of Civil Defence has issued instructions for the drill. Reports say Haryana government too is set for “Operation Shield” on May 29. To be conducted in all 22 districts from 5 pm onwards, the drill aims to check the emergency preparedness and response third floor while his parents have a flat on the fourth floor. According to the complaint filed at the Worli police station, Shah, his son, and a servant were riding the lift from the fourth floor at around 10.00 am when Patel entered the lift at the third floor with his dog. Shah requested Patel to wait and allow them to leave first, citing his son’s fear of dogs, but Patel refused to comply and instead dragged his dog into the lift. 4Contd on | nation Kamal Haasan’s tongue trips, Karnataka flips Vinay Madhava Gowda BENGALURU mechanisms, testing the operationality of control rooms and air raid warning systems. It will also assess the effectiveness of civil defence services, including warden services, firefighting, search and rescue, evacuations and depot management. Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini said drills like these have not taken place since 1971. It was decided that during the tensions, such mock drills should be conducted to raise awareness among people. 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation ‘Then shoot me, bury me here in Ganabhaban’ Mock drill in 5 states today ing a hearing, painting a picture of a government in freefall, Prothom Alo reported. According to Tajul Islam, then parliament speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury had suggested Sheikh Hasina step down during the uprising. But senior leaders of the Awami League, including general secretary Obaidul Quader, strongly opposed the idea. On the night of 4 August, Tajul Islam told the tribunal, a highly “tense and volatile” meeting was underway at showed apprehension that the SIT might investigate aspects beyond the subject FIRs. The Court then categorically told the Haryana Additional Advocate General that the scope of the SIT probe is limited to the 2 FIRs which are subject matter of the present case and can't be expanded.Sibal also raised the issue of authorities seeking access to Mahmudabad's digital devices. A stray comment by actorpolitician Kamal Haasan on the origins of the Kannada language has snowballed into a linguistic tempest in Karnataka. His claim that Kannada “was born from Tamil” drew rare, near-unanimous condemnation from across the political divide in the state. The ruling Congress, opposition BJP, pro-Kannada organisations, and literary bodies all slammed the remarks At a recent event promoting his film Thug Life, Haasan said, “Tamil gave birth to Kannada,” triggering outrage. Hours later, facing mounting backlash, Haasan attempted to defuse the controversy. “What I said was out of love. Love will never apologise,” he insisted, framing his response as an “explanation” rather than an apology. hasina's last stand FPJ News Service Bail extended for Ashoka University Professor Ali Khan 4-month RI as pet husky bites neighbour Kalpesh Mhamunkar NEW DELHI The Supreme Court continued its interim directions staying the arrest of BJP Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah in the case lodged by Madhya Pradesh police over his "sister of terrorists" remark against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and also as it had taken cognizance of the case, the Court asked the MP High Court to close the proceedings pending before it. During a brief hearing on Wednesday, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed that pursuant to the last order, a Special Investigation Team comprising 3 officers has been constituted to probe Shah's case and the investigation is under way.The Court took note of a status report filed by Deputy Inspector General of Police, Bhopal, which stated inter-alia that the SIT visited the site and conducted investigation on 21 May. Thereafter, some more material was collected, mobile phones etc. convicted for killing Mahatma Gandhi.” According to Gandhi’s plea, Satyaki submitted a paternal family tree along with his complaint but failed to furnish the maternal side, which would show his descent from Gopal Godse. “As per information, his (Satyaki's) mother Himani is originally and by birth from Godse family. Inspite of this, the complainant has deliberately, systematically and very brilliantly avoided and suppressed to disclose the family tree from his maternal side. This is one of the most important issue in the instant case to decide merits finally before commencement to record the plea. The suppression or concealment of a material fact from the court is a serious issue considered as a fraud on the court and can lead to either dismissal of the case or denial of a relief,” the application states. No expanding scope of probe, SC tells SIT