Thursday, July 31, 2025 | Vol. 68 No. 256 | 30 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 Trial involving ex-minister Senthil Balaji ‘rudderless ship’, says SC, slams Tamil Nadu government Legal property rights for 5L Sindhi families Kalpesh Mhamunkar MUMBAI The Maharashtra government will grant legal property rights to nearly five lakh Sindhi families who migrated from Pakistan during the Partition and settled in various parts of the state, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said on Wednesday. Under the "Special Amnesty Scheme 2025", property cards will be issued to these families residing in 30 settlements across the state, excluding Thane and Ulhasnagar. These properties, both residential and commercial, will be converted into freehold (Occupancy Class-I) status, regularizing long-standing violations of land-use conditions. "They have been demanding rightful ownership of their properties for decades. This fulfills the promise made by CM Fadnavis in the poll manifesto," said Bawankule. 4Contd on | nation Briefs Malegaon verdict likely Almost 17 years after a blast killed six persons and left more than 100 injured in Maharashtra's communally sensitive Malegaon town, a special NIA court is likely to deliver its verdict in the case on Thursday. Seven accused, including BJP leader and former MP Pragya Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit, faced trial in the case for offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code. Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sameer Kulkarni are the other accused in the case. The trial, which started in 2018, got over on April 19, 2025, and the case was reserved for judgement. SEE CITY BNSS no to e-summons The Supreme Court has reaffirmed that summons issued under Section 35 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) cannot be served electronically. Dismissing Haryana's plea to modify a January 2025 directive, the Court held that notices under Section 41A CrPC or Section 35 BNSS must not be sent via WhatsApp or similar platforms. While the BNSS allows electronic service in some cases, Section 35 does not explicitly permit it. Given that non-compliance with such summons could lead to arrest, the Court emphasised safeguarding personal liberty under Article 21 by insisting on proper, legally compliant modes of service. GAMES Cinema KSBKBT season 2 episode 1 goes heavy on nostalgia Shubman Gill-led India look to level the Test series against Ben Stokes-less England Edit Govt needs to realise it’s not a sin to discuss Op Sindoor TRADE WAR? | US Prez draws a bead on India’s energy, defence purchases from Russia; threatens to levy additional penalty TRUMP SLAPS 25% TARIFFS ON INDIA Agencies While India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the World, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country. WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the United States will impose a 25% tariff on goods imported from India starting on Aug. 1. He also said his reciprocal tariff deadline for remaining trade partners will not be extended. "The August first deadline is the August first deadline - it stands strong, and will not be extended. A big day for America!!!" Trump wrote on his social media platform in all capital letters. He said India, which has the world's fifth largest economy, will also face an unspecified penalty on Aug. 1, but did not elaborate on the amount or what it was for, report PTI and Reuters. Donald Trump, US President "While India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the World, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. "They have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia’s largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE — ALL THINGS NOT GOOD!" 4Contd on | nation Govt: Will protect our interest ndia responded sharply to the imposition of a 25% tariff by the US, asserting that it attaches the utmost importance to protecting and promoting the welfare of its farmers, entrepreneurs, and MSMEs. “The government will take steps to secure our national interest, as it has consistently done in previous trade negotiations, including the recently concluded dealwith the UK,” it said in a statement. I Sudden braking of a vehicle in a highway, where vehicles are expected to go fast, can amount to negligence, obseved the Supreme Court, while enhancing the compensation of a young man, who lost his leg in a motor accident, Live Law reports. The man was riding a motor cycle, when the car ahead of him applied the brakes suddenly. This led to the motor-bike dashing The SC has upheld a Bombay HC order to register an FIR in the custodial death case of Somnath Suryavanshi, a 35year-old Dalit law student who died on December 15, 2024, while in judicial custody in Parbhani, Maharashtra. His mother, represented by Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi chief Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of Dr BR Ambedkar, and two other advocates had moved the SC. 4Continued on | P19 8.8 earthquake sparks tsunami across Pacific ‘BJP WILL RULE FOR ANOTHER 30 YEARS’ There was no mediation: Jaishankar Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar FPJ News Service Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI MUMBAI In the context of the Operation Sindoor ceasefire, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reiterated in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that “from April 22 to June 16, there was no phone call between PM Narendra Modi and US President Trump” and that “there was no trade linkage in any conversation with the US or other countries”. His remarks came in the context of Trump’s claims -made 30 times since the May 10 cessation of hostilities -- on having got India and Pakistan to agree to a truce by offering them trade deals. He claimed that rather “India gave the message that it is not open to mediation and will not accept nuclear blackmail”. A powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula early Wednesday, triggering tsunami waves that reached Japan, Hawaii, Alaska and the US West Coast. Though initial warnings prompted mass evacuations and advisories across the Pacific, damage was limited and most alerts have since been downgraded. The quake, among the strongest ever recorded, struck at a depth of 21 km, about 120 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Tsunami waves up to 3–4 metres hit Kamchatka, with smaller surges—60 cm in Hokkaido, 2–5 feet in San Francisco, and under 1.5 feet in parts of Alaska and Canada— spotted elsewhere. Hawaii lifted evacuation orders but NEW DELHI Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday declared that the BJP government, which came to power under Narendra Modi in 2014 will rule for at least 30 years and it would also ensure the liberation of Pakistanoccupied Kashmir. Replying to the discussion on Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor in the Rajya Sabha, Shah, who spoke in Lok Sabha on Monday, said the Centre would also ensure a complete end to infiltration and terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. In the last six months, no Kashmiri youth has been recruited as a terrorist and all those being killed were Pakistanis, he said. Shah also attacked the Congress, and especially its MP and former Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, for branding Hindus as terrorists for political gains and insisted that “Hindus can never be terrorists”. Shah asserted that all the cases in which Hindus were implicated have failed before the courts of law. Earlier, the Opposition members walked out protesting against PM Modi not coming to the House to end the discussion, raising slogans like “PM ko bulao.” Leader of Opposition and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge told Shah - who insisted that he was there to “respond and clarify” - that the questions pertain to the PM and that if he is in Delhi and does not come to the House then “it is disrespect of the Rajya Sabha”. The Opposition then walked out in protest. 4Contd on | nation 4See also | nation 4Contd on | nation ALASKA RUSSIA KAMCHATKA 8.8 magnitude earthquake JAPAN Waves strike Japan, Russia, US coast after 8.8 quake off Kamchatka; alerts downgraded but risk remains. One person dead and several injured in Russia and elsewhere maintained an advisory, warning of dangerous currents. At least one person was killed in Japan and several were injured in Russia and elsewhere, mostly during evacuation. A kindergarten under renovation and a hospital in Kamchatka sustained SC reserves ruling CM demands MoS empowerment on Justice Varma Devendra Fadnavis Ravikiran Deshmukh MUMBAI Online Report NEW DELHI The SC on Wednesday reserved its judgment in the petition filed by Allahabad HC Justice Yashwant Varma challenging the recommendation made by former CJI Sanjiv Khanna to impeach him over the recovery of unaccounted cash at his official residence in Delhi. A Bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and AG Masih said his conduct did not inspire confidence since he chose to move the court belatedly after an in-house panel constituted by the CJI arrived at adverse findings against him, reports Bar and Bench. It also hinted at not interfering since removal of judge is currently being considered by Parliament. "The points you are raising are major, but could been raised before, and thus your conduct does not inspire confidence and your conduct says a lot. You don't want something to spill here. Let Parliament decide. Why should we decide whether it is your money or not? That was not the remit of the in-house committee."  4Contd on | nation Ashish Jaiswal M Bordikar Madhuri Misal Indraneel Naik Pankaj Bhoyar Yogesh Kadam In a sharp rebuke to his Cabinet colleagues, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis has issued a clear directive: allocate departmental work to the Ministers of State (MoS) attached to each ministry. The instructions on Tuesday come amid growing tensions, particularly a spat between MoS Madhuri Misal and her senior, Shiv Sena minister Sanjay Shirsat. Shirsat had objected to Misal convening review meetings, prompting both to lodge complaints with the CM’s Office. In response, Fadnavis asserted that MoS have every right to call Signal must before stopping on highway: SC Online Report FPJ News Service MUMBAI 4Contd on | nation ROAD REALITY NEW DELHI SC BACKS BOMBAY HC against the car and the appellant falling on the road. A bus, which was coming from behind, ran over his leg. His leg was theraftr amputated. The appellant was a 20-year-old engineering student at the time of the accident(2013). The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) initially awarded Rs 91.62 lakhs but deducted 20% on account of the appellant's contributory negligence (including riding without a valid license), reducing the compensation to Rs 73.29 lakh. The Madras HC, in It was hearing the case of a bike rider who lost his leg as the driver of a car ahead of him applied brakes suddenly appeal, reduced this figure to Rs 58.53 lakh, modifying both the quantum and liability distribution, placing 40% negligence on the car driver, 30% on the bus driver, and 30% on the appellant himself. The bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Aravind Kumar enhanced the car driver's liability from 40% to 50%. The bus driver, who ran over the appellant's leg, was held 30% liable. The appel- lant's contributory negligence, including failure to maintain a safe distance and not possessing a valid driving licence was limited to 20%, reduced from the 30% attributed by the High Court. Partially modifying the Madras High Court's ruling, the Court granted Rs. 91,39,253/- compensation to the appellant, holding that the sudden and unanticipated braking by the car driver was the proximate and primary cause of the accident. 4Contd on | nation says no one’s indispensable, and many aspirants are waiting in the wings review meetings, saying many of them are seasoned legislators and should not be sidelined. In the 42-member Cabinet, only six are MoS — Ashish Jaiswal, Madhuri Misal, Pankaj Bhoyar, Meghna Sakore Bordikar, Indraneel Naik, and Yogesh Kadam. Despite their legislative experience, most have not been assigned clear responsibilities by their sen- iors. According to sources, only the CM and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar have set a precedent by properly delegating work. Fadnavis warned that withholding powers from MoS — such as conducting hearings or managing officer transfers — reflects poorly on the Cabinet. Some ministers, sources said, have assigned work with strings attached, bypassing MoS even in routine matters by directing secretaries to handle them. Referring to controversies involving ministers like Manikrao Kokate, Shirsat, and Kadam, Fadnavis is believed to have asserted that no one is indispensable — and many aspirants are waiting in the wings. Engineers accountable for potholes: Kerala HC Online Report THIRUVANANANTHAPURAM The Kerala High Court on Tuesday warned that engineers will be held accountable for every pothole found on public roads, and ordered them to compile a comprehensive audit report identifying all potholes and defects on roads under their charge within two weeks. Justice Devan Ramachandran, hearing a case concerning public road safety, The citizens are not asking you to keep international standards for the roads, we are only asking for roads that won’t kill us. Justice Devan Ramchandran observed that road accidents caused by potholes or reckless driving could no longer be treated as isolated incidents. 4Contd on | nation 4See also | edit minor damage. Power was cut off in Severo-Kurilsk after waves flooded its port. A dramatic video from a Kamchatka cancer clinic showed doctors continuing surgery as the quake rocked the room. 4Contd on | nation PAHALGAM ATTACK TRF named in UNSC report Agencies NEW YORK In a major diplomatic victory for India, the UN Security Council has named The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of Pakistan-based Lashkar-eTaiba, for its role in the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgamthat left 26 civilians dead. The development came through the latest report released by the UNSC’s 1267 Sanctions Committee’s Monitoring Team on July 24. The report states: “On 22 April, five terrorists attacked a tourist spot in Pahalgam. Twenty-six civilians were killed. The attack was claimed that same day by TRF, who in parallel published a photograph of the attack site.” The report further mentions that TRF repeated the claim the next day, but later, on April 26, retracted it. No other group claimed responsibility afterward. The Ministry of External Affairs sources said the mention of TRF in the report, despite Pakistan chairing the UNSC in July and attempting to remove such references, “punctures” Islamabad’s strategy of plausible deniability and exposes its terror proxy network in J&K. 4Contd on | nation