Thursday, July 24, 2025 | Vol. 68 No. 250 | 48 Pages Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation NATION RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav hints at possibility of Bihar poll boycott over EC’s SIR FPJ 97ANNIVERSARY TH ASPIRING INDIA As The Free Press Journal completes 97 years of serving readers diligently, we celebrate this milestone with a special anniversary supplement that reflects on past, present, and future. Aspiring India explores how technology, especially artificial intelligence, is reshaping every facet of our lives. Experts from diverse fields weigh in on how this transformative force is redefining the way we work, think, and live. Celebi out of MIAL tender process Urvi Mahajani MUMBAI In a relief for Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), the Bombay High Court on Wednesday permitted the company to finalise tenders for ground and bridge handling services following the termination of Turkish firm Celebi’s contract. Justice Somasekhar Sundaresan set aside an earlier interim order from May that had restrained MIAL from finalising the tender, based on a plea by Celebi. The judge noted that continuing the interim protection was untenable, as the Delhi High Court had dismissed Celebi’s petition earlier this month against a similar contract termination at Delhi airport and the revocation of its security clearance. “It is now clear that holding up the decision to find a replacement is neither possible nor tenable. Continuation of the ad-interim order is no longer reasonable and, hence, stands vacated,” the court stated. 4Contd on | nation Online Report NEW DELHI The Supreme Court is to constitute a bench to hear Justice Yashwant Varma's petition challenging the in-house inquiry committee's report which indicted him in the cashat-residence case. The matter was mentioned on Wednesday before the bench of CJI BR Gavai, Justices K. Vinod Chan- dran and Joymalya Bagchi., report Live Law and the Bar and Bench Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal, Mukul Rohatgi, Rakesh Dwivedi, Sidharth Luthra and Siddharth Aggarwal, Advocates George Pothan Poothicote, Manisha Singh amongst others appearing for Justice Verma submitted, "we have filed the petition on behalf of the Allahabad High Court Judge. Some constitutional issues are there. I request you to constitute a bench as soon as possible. Chief Justice of India (CJI) B R Gavai recused from hearing the plea filed by Justice Yashwant Varma. "This raises some constitutional issues. If it can be listed as early as possible," Sibal said. "It will not be possible for me to take up this matter be- cause I was also part of the committee. We will list it," the CJI said. 4Contd on | nation EC GEARS UP FOR VP POLLS Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI Two days after Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar tendered a surprise resignation, citing health reasons, the Election Commission (EC) announced that it has initiated the process for electing his successor. The EC said on Wednesday it has started key preparatory ac- tivities such as constituting the electoral college comprising elected and nominated members of both Houses of Parliament, and finalising the appointment of the returning and assistant returning officers. A formal schedule for the election will be announced shortly. Dhankhar’s resignation, which came just hours after he presided over the Monsoon Session in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, was swiftly accepted by President Droupadi Murmu the following day. The Ministry of Home Affairs officially notified the vacancy on Tuesday. While Dhankhar cited Disruptions mar Parl proceedings AI-171 CRASH Body mix-up claims in UK health issues for stepping down nearly two years before the end of his term in August 2027, political circles remain abuzz with speculation. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge questioned the rationale behind the resignation, pointing out that Dhankhar appeared to be in good health. 4Contd on | nation Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar FPJ News Service NEW DELHI ■ Constitutional issues involved: Petitioner LONDON/NEW DELHI Parliamentary proceedings in both Houses were repeatedly disrupted on Wednesday as Opposition members staged protests demanding the scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. This marked the third consecutive day of adjournments caused by the ongoing agitation. The protests began as soon as the Lok Sabha convened at 11 a.m., with Opposition MPs raising slogans against the SIR. Speaker Om Birla warned members against displaying placards and disturbing the Question Hour. However, as the uproar continued, the House was adjourned till noon. When the House reconvened, the protests showed no signs of abating. Amid the commotion, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya introduced the National Sports Governance Bill, 2025. The Bill proposes the formation of a National Sports Board, a National Sports Tribunal, and a National Sports Election Panel to enhance accountability in sports governance. The initiative, first envisioned by former Sports Minister Ajay Maken, aligns India with countries like the British families grieving the loss of loved ones in the tragic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad have been left distraught after discovering that the remains repatriated to them were misidentified. In one case, the remains of more than one person were mistakenly placed in a single casket, an aviation lawyer representing the families has said. The news came before the start of a twoday state visit to London by India’s PM on Wednesday. India has strongly denied the allegations. Responding to the Daily Mail report, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, “All mortal remains were handled with utmost professionalism and with due regard for the dignity of the deceased.” “We have seen the report and have been working closely with the UK side from the moment these concerns and issues were brought to our attention,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. “We are continuing to work with the UK authorities on addressing any concerns related to this issue.” USA, UK, China, and Japan that have formalised sports administration through legislation. Mandaviya also introduced the National Anti-Doping Amendment Bill, 2025. The amendment seeks to grant greater autonomy to the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and bring India’s antidoping framework in line with global standards set by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The Bill removes government control over the NADA Appeals Panel to ensure more independent decisionmaking in doping cases. After the Bills were moved, the Lok Sabha was adjourned till 2 p.m. Following continued disruptions in the afternoon session, the House was adjourned for the day. The Rajya Sabha witnessed similar scenes, with repeated adjournments first till noon, then till 2 p.m., and eventually for the entire day due to ongoing Opposition protests. 4Contd on | nation offgrid India resumes tourist visas for Chinese PTI BEIJING India has resumed the issuance of tourist visas from today (Thursday) to Chinese nationals after a gap of nearly five years, the Indian embassy in Beijing said. India had suspended tourist visas for Chinese nationals in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the restrictions continued because of the ongoing border tensions in eastern Ladakh and the Galwan Valley clashes in June 2020. and India hit back, calling out its support for cross-border terrorism and reaffirming its commitment to peace, multilateralism, and the peaceful settlement of disputes. UNSC Resolution 2788 (2025) calls on member states to settle disputes through dialogue, diplomacy, and cooperation, avoiding the threat or use of force. 4Contd on | nation Trump makes 25th claim Even as the United States claimed it forced “de-escalations” between India and Pakistan in the United Nations Security Council, US President Donald Trump, for the 25th time, reiterated his claim that he prevented a nuclear war between India and Pakistan. Speaking at a reception at the White House with members of Congress, Trump said, “We Edit Illegal immigrants make the SIR exercise necessary ■ Plea filed on behalf of Allahabad HC judge FPJ News Service PTI Cinema Tanushree Dutta alleges harassment at home ■ CJI Gavai recuses himself from the case NEW YORK NEW YORK/WASHINGTON Harmanpreet Kaur feels India will start afresh when they prepare for the women’s ODI WC SC to set up Bench to hear Justice Varma petition INDIA REBUKES PAK AT UNSC The UN Security Council on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution sponsored by Pakistan on “Strengthening Mechanisms for Peaceful Settlement of Disputes.” India, in a sharp rebuttal during the same session, delivered a fiery response to Pakistan, stating that the country remains "steeped in fanaticism and terrorism." The remarks came in direct response to what India described as “juvenile disinformation” spread by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. Dar brought up the Kashmir and Indus water treaty during the discussion on the resolution, GAMES stopped wars between India and Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda.” Trump stated that during the IndiaPakistan conflict, five planes were shot down, and the situation was rapidly escalating. “They shot down five planes, and it was back and forth. I called them and said, ‘Listen, no more trade. 4Contd on | nation Chinese citizens can begin applying for tourist visas at Indian visa application centres in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. The embassy also shared detailed procedures and required documents for applicants. The move comes nearly ten days after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a visit to Beijing for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s foreign ministers’ meet. 4Contd on | nation China: New dam won’t hurt India and B’desh China on Wednesday defended the construction of a dam over the Brahmaputra river in the Tibet region and allayed concerns over its impact in the lower riparian countries such as India and Bangladesh. The project "will not have any negative impact on the downstream regions", Chinese spokesperson Guo Jiakun said. Lodonia ‘Ambassador’ of fraud arrested Biswajeet Banerjee MBA-toting fraudster Harshvardhan Jain ran a fantasy embassy with forged flags, fake photos, and flashy lies. GHAZIABAD When your neighbourhood “diplomat” claims to represent Lodonia, Westarctica and Seborga, it's not international relations—it’s international farce. Meet Harshvardhan Jain, 47, an MBA-holder, compulsive name-dropper and now the dethroned ‘High Excellency’ of Ghaziabad’s poshest scam. Jain wasn’t your average conman. He styled himself like a method actor—decked out with luxury cars bearing bogus diplomatic plates, a rented bungalow-turned“embassy” in Kavi Nagar, 12 forged passports from fan- tasy nations not recognised by anyone except Google, and ₹44.7 lakh in cash nestled between gold-lettered nameplates and fluttering foreign flags. His micronations of choice? Westarctica—a frozen Antarctic fantasy claimed by precisely no one. 4Contd on | nation