Tuesday, July 15, 2025 | 30 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. 242 | 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 Shux performs zero-gravity tricks with water, sets off on return journey to earth as Dragon undocks from ISS Cinema Kussh Sinha on the Nikita Roy factor Eng assistant coach Marcus Trescothick feels cricket has become a much more friendlier game today Edit Green warriors of Aarey Colony DGCA MOVE | Report on locking features to be submitted by July 21 Airlines ordered to inspect Boeing fuel control switches Dhairya Gajara MUMBAI Briefs Retail inflation: 77-month low India’s retail inflation based on the All India Consumer Price Index declined to a 77-month low of 2.1% in June 2025, marking the lowest monthly inflation rate since Jan 2019, according to official statistics released by the National Statistics Office on Monday. The significant decline in headline inflation and food inflation during the month of June is mainly attributed to decline in inflation of vegetables, pulses and products, meat and fish, cereals and products, sugar and confectionery, milk and products and spices,” Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation. Meanwhile the wholesale inflation turned negative in June, and hit a 20-month low of -0.13%. SEE MONEY Two days after the preliminary report of the AI-171 crash highlighted that the transition of fuel supply switches caused the loss of fuel to both the engines, the director general of civil aviation (DGCA) has ordered airlines to initiate inspection of their aircraft fleet’s fuel control switch locking feature. The airlines have been asked to complete the inspection by July 21 and submit the inspection plan and its report to the authority’s regional offices. “Strict adherence to the timeline is essential to ensure continued airworthiness and safety of operations,” read the order issued by DGCA’s director of airworthiness. On Saturday, the preliminary investigation report into the tragic crash of Air India’s AI-171 aircraft in Ahmedabad, that killed 260 people, high- CM Omar scales wall into Martyrs’ graveyard in J&K Trump claim on Op Sindoor President Donald Trump on Monday kept up his narrative of how he prevented the hostilities between India and Pakistan from going nuclear. Speaking at the Oval Office, he said, perhaps for the 20th time or more, “India and Pakistan, that would have been a nuclear war within another week the way that was going. It was going very badly...” Trump once again claimed he used trade as a lever to separate the two sides. “Trade is great for settling wars,” he declared. Row after eggs hurled at rath After a video showing eggs hurled at Rath Yatra in Canada's Toronto surfaced online, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called the incident “regrettable” and “against the spirit of festival”. He added that India has “strongly” taken up the matter with Canadian authorities to hold the people responsible for the act accountable. FPJ News Service MUMBAI Lalbaughcha Raja at Parel, Mumbai's most visited Ganeshotsav venue, has started constructing its pandal, with Anant Ambani, son of Reliance Industries chairman, Mukesh Ambani, sponsoring the air-conditioned interiors. The pandal had started the M Saleem Pandit SRINAGAR On Monday, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his cabinet colleagues successfully bypassed police restrictions to pay their respects at the Mazaar-e-Shuhada (Martyrs’ Graves) in Nowhatta, old Srinagar city. The visit included prominent leaders from the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC), such as President Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Deputy Chief Minister, and Advisor Nasir Aslam Wani. They gathered to honour the martyrs of July 13, 1931, despite the administration's restrictions aimed at preventing gatherings at the site. The chief minister climbed over the main gate and entered the graveyard premises to offer ‘fateha’. His security men and several other National Conference leaders also climbed over before the gate was finally thrown open. These restrictions were imposed due to concerns over potential law and order issues, particularly in the wake of opposition from the Kashmiri Pandit community which views this day as one of tragedy, marking the killings of twenty-two individuals by Dogra police during a trial for freedom fighter Abdul Qadeer. 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation No mechanical or maintenance issues: AI CEO PTI NEW DELHI Air India CEO-MD Campbell Wilson said AAIB's report on the crash found no mechanical or maintenance issues with the aircraft or engines, and that all mandatory maintenance tasks had been completed. "There was no issue with the quality of fuel and no abnormality with the take-off roll. The pilots had passed pre-flight breathalyser and there were no observations on their medical status," he said in a mail to AI staff. year's celebrations with the 'Ganesh Muhurt Puja' on June 14. The pandal, established by fisherfolk, textile mill workers, and local traders from the Lalbaug market in September 1934, is celebrating its 92nd year. Ganeshotsav will be celebrated from Wednesday, August 27, to Anant Chaturdashi on Saturday, September 6, 2025. FPJ News Service MUMBAI The SC on Monday came down heavily on the growing misuse of free speech on social media, issuing a scathing oral rebuke to Indore-based cartoonist Hemant Malviya. The cartoonist is facing criminal charges over a cartoon allegedly mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the RSS. The bench described the cartoon as "inflammatory" and “immature”, and refused to grant him interim protection from arrest. A bench comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Aravind Kumar made the remarks while hearing Malviya’s special leave petition challenging a Madhya Pradesh HC order that had denied him anticipatory bail. 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation PANDAL INTERIORS COURTESY ANANT LALBAUGCHA RAJA Governor appointments Former civil aviation minister Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju was on Monday appointed as the Governor of Goa and former deputy chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Kavinder Gupta named as the new Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh. Also, senior BJP leader from West Bengal, Ashim Kumar Ghosh, will be the new Governor of Haryana, according to an official communique. lighted that the fuel supply switches for both the engines were disengaged causing the loss of fuel supply, seconds after take-off. However, the cause of the switch trans- mission was not conveyed in the preliminary report. While the aircraft accident investigation bureau (AAIB) did not suggest any recommendations to Boeing, the country’s aviation watchdog issued an order for all the Boeing aircraft to undergo an inspection for the fuel supply switches. The order, passed on Monday, has its history back in December 2018 when the federal aviation administration (FAA) of the US, in a special airworthiness information bulletin (SAIB), highlighted the potential for disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature on multiple Boeing aircraft models. SC flags misuse of free speech online The Ambani family has been associated with the Lalbaugcha Raja mandal for the past several years, and they also take part in the immersion yatra of the deity to Girgaon Chowpatty. During the 2024 festival, Anant had donated a 20-kg gold crown to the deity. 4Contd on | nation NEW DELHI It is not a matter where the government can be asked to do something beyond the defined limit. It is not possible. Attorney General The Centre on Monday informed the Supreme Court that it was doing whatever was "utmost possible" to save an Indian nurse facing execution on July 16 for murder in Yemen, but "nothing much" could be done keeping in view the status of Yemen. "There is a point up to which the Government of India can go and we have reached that point," attorney general R Venkataramani informed a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta. The apex court was hearing a plea seeking a direction to the Centre to use diplomatic channels to save Indian nurse Nimisha Priya, 38, facing execution in Yemen. The top law officer said the government was keen to save its citizens and was doing "utmost possible" in the matter. "Having regard to the sensi- AP President Donald Trump said Monday he would punish Russia with tariffs if there isn't a deal to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days. During a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Trump said, "We're going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal in 50 days." He did not provide specifics. "I use trade for a lot of things," he added. "But it's great for settling wars." Meanwhile, Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia met with Ukrainian President Volody- myr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Monday. "I am very disappointed with President Putin, I thought he was somebody that meant what he said," Trump said. "He'll talk so beautifully and then he'll bomb people at night. We don't like that." Zelenskyy said he and Trump's envoy, Keith Kellogg, FPJ News Service MUMBAI In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court on Monday overruled a Punjab and Haryana High Court decision and held that a spouse's secretly recorded telephonic conversation can be admitted as evidence in matrimonial proceedings. A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma observed that such recordings do not violate the right to privacy, as claimed by the wife in the case. The court clarified that Section 122 of the tivity and status of Yemen as a place, there is nothing much the Government of India can do," he said. He further referred to the Houthis in Yemen, saying it was not even diplomatically recognised. Venkataramani said the government recently wrote to the public prosecutor of the area concerned to find out if the execution could be suspended for the time being. 4Contd on | nation had "a productive conversation" about strengthening Ukrainian air defences, joint arms production and purchasing US armss in conjunction with European countries, as well as the possibility of tighter global curbs on Russia. Haridev Pushparaj MUMBAI In a remarkable show of crosscultural storytelling, Pakistani drama group Mauj. has stirred audiences and critics alike by staging an Urdu adaptation of the Hindu epic Ramayana at the Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi this weekend. The play, directed by Yogeshwar Karera and produced by Raana Kazmi, reimagines the ancient tale of love, exile, and the triumph of good over evil through an innovative blend of Pakistani troupe stages Hindu epic with AIpowered flair, sparking praise and quiet cultural shift theatre and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The stage visuals — digitally generated in real time — transformed scenes from lush forests to grand palaces, captivating the packed auditorium night after night. Karera, unbothered by poten- 4Contd on | nation Indian Evidence Act — which bars disclosure of marital communications without consent — must be interpreted in light of its exception clause, especially in proceedings between spouses reported Live Law. “We do not think there is any breach of privacy in this case. Section 122 does not recognise such a right in this context. Rather, it allows an exception in cases of legal proceedings between spouses,” Justice Nagarathna said while pronouncing the verdict. 4Contd on | nation IT raids @ 150 locations: Fake TDS claims Dhairya Gajara & Ashish Singh MUMBAI The income tax (IT) department conducted raids at over 150 locations across the country against false tax deduction disguised as political donations as well as educational and medical expenses. The investigation has revealed that employees of government bodies, public sector undertaking (PUS), multinational companies, academic institutions and entrepreneurs were a part of these organised rackets. 4Contd on | nation CSMT to get ‘grand’ statue of Shivaji MUMBAI Indian fans as the longest format of the sport gave cricket fans an unforgettable heartstopping game. England won by 22 runs against an Indian side, whose batting imploded on the day it mattered the most with the top-order struggling to deliver the goods. The drama began after they had lost eight wickets with India’s score on 112 with 81 still to get and Ravindra Jadeja and the talismanic Jasprit Bumrah coming together. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis informed the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Monday that the Union government is set to install a grand statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the premises of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) as part of an ongoing redevelopment project at the historic railway station. Speaking during the Question Hour, Fadnavis said, “Redevelopment of the CSMT building is underway, and a big, iconic station is being built there. As part of this plan, a grand statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will be installed at the site. 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation Ramayana stuns Karachi theatre crowd tial backlash, said, “I never feared staging Ramayana. I knew this story could resonate beyond religion — and the warm reception proved it.” He sees the production as evidence that Pakistani society is more nuanced and tolerant than it's often credited for. Kazmi, who also plays Sita, called the experience “intensely moving” and described the storytelling as a way to create “a living, breathing version of the Ramayana — one rooted in humanity, not dogma.” 4Contd on | nation Kalpesh Mhamunkar 4Contd on | nation offgrid FPJ News Service I Secret recordings are admissible: SC Trump’s severe tariffs threat on Russia India lose a thriller as Test cricket triumphs WASHINGTON: n a related matter, another Supreme Court bench comprising Justices BV Nagarathna and KV Viswanathan heard a plea by Kolkata resident Wazahat Khan, who faces multiple FIRs across West Bengal, Assam, Maharashtra, and Haryana for allegedly offensive social media content. Khan’s counsel requested consolidation of the FIRs, arguing that the complaints were retaliatory, following a complaint Khan had filed against influencer Sharmistha Panoli. MARITAL DISPUTES Govt throws up its hands over Nimisha execution PTI ‘Curb abusive tendency’ MUMBAI Whoever said good old fashioned Test cricket in its truest sense was long dead should’ve been present at the Lord’s on the fifth day of the third Test for the sheer drama and theatre on display. Falling short by 22 runs can be agonizing in Test cricket and the manner of India’s No 11 Mohammad Siraj’s dismissal, the ball veering off the face of the bat to head back and knock off one bail, triggered wild English celebrations shattering