WORLD Wednesday, August 13, 2025 | Vol. 68 No. 267 | 31 Pages ORGAN DONATION DAY 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 No ‘coercive action’ against owners of old vehicles in Delhi-NCR, says Supreme Court HC: Aadhaar, PAN, voter ID not proof of citizenship Urvi Mahajani MUMBAI 4Contd on | nation Briefs ‘No extra US pharma tariff’ The government on Tuesday said no additional tariffs have been imposed on Indian exports to the US in sectors like pharmaceuticals, and electronics so far. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada said reciprocal tariff at the rate of 25% has been imposed on certain goods exported from India to the US, effective August 7. It is estimated that around 55% of the total value of India's merchandise exports to the US is subjected to this reciprocal tariff. Retail inflation hits 8-yr low India’s headline inflation based on All India Consumer Price Index declined to an eight-year low of 1.55% in July 2025, marking the lowest y/y inflation rate after June 2017, according to official statistics released by the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation on Tuesday. The y/y inflation rate based on All India Consumer Price Index (CPI) indicated a decline of 55 bps as compared to June this year. SEE MONEY Cinema Janhvi, Varun & others condemn SC stray dogs ruling In a landmark moment, Parliament passes the historic National Sports Governance Bill 2025 Edit Rahul’s salvo may galvanize MVA but is that good enough? ROLL REVIEW | Petitioners say EC’s ‘clean-up’ ahead of Bihar Assembly polls has erased millions of genuine voters, many from marginalised communities SC flags deep trust deficit FPJ News Service MUMBAI Merely possessing identification documents such as an Aadhaar card, PAN card, or voter ID does not automatically confer citizenship in India, the Bombay High Court held on Tuesday. The court made the remark while denying bail to Babu Abdul Ruf Sardar, a man allegedly from Bangladesh, who faces charges of illegally entering India and staying here for over a decade with forged documents. Justice Amit Borkar said: “The Citizenship Act of 1955 is the primary law for deciding questions of nationality in India today. Merely having documents such as an Aadhaar Card, PAN Card, or Voter ID does not make someone a citizen. These documents are meant for identification or availing services, not proof of citizenship.” Sardar was arrested for using forged Indian identity documents, including Aadhaar, PAN, Voter ID, and even an Indian passport, to pose as a legitimate Indian citizen. The court emphasised that the allegations were not just about overstaying or entering the country illegally, but involved creating and using fraudulent documents to claim Indian citizenship benefits. “The allegations are serious as they involve the deliberate concealment of identity and the use of fake documents for obtaining citizenship rights unlawfully,” the bench remarked. The court also noted that the verification of Sardar’s documents, especially his Aadhaar card, is still ongoing, with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) conducting checks. The police expressed concerns that Sardar might abscond if granted bail, a fear that the court deemed genuine. GAMES The Supreme Court on Tuesday delivered a sharp hearing on a clutch of petitions assailing the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to carry out a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in pollbound Bihar. Petitioners told a Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi that the ECI had no constitutional or statutory authority to determine citizenship. They alleged that nearly 65 lakh names had been struck off from the draft electoral roll published on August 1—without a single objection having been raised earlier against their inclusion—rendering the move “illegal” and “arbitrary.” The lawyers argued that the purge amounted to “the largest mass disenfranchisement in any democracy” and warned of devastating consequences if the deletions went uncorrected. They maintained that the documents demanded as proof during the SIR exercise were not possessed by large sections of Bihar’s population, making compliance impossible. The Bench, however, was not convinced by the claim that most residents lacked the necessary papers. “This is a case of trust deficiency, that’s all,” Justice Kant remarked, hinting that the dispute was as much about perception as procedure re- ported Bar and Bench. Even so, the Court signalled it would not remain passive if the ECI’s process was found to have unlawfully erased eligible voters. “If crores of citizens have been wrongly struck off,” Justice Kant warned, “the Court will step in.” The battle lines became clearer as Sibal detailed the impossible burden placed on voters. 4Contd on | nation Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar Everyone has some citizenship proof. If Bihar lacks documents, so will others. Errors can be fixed in process. EC CAUGHT OUT BY MINTA DEVI: 35 going FIRST TIME VOTER, 124 NOT OUT on 124 Dheeraj Kumar PATNA Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI The Opposition protest in Parliament against Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar and alleged voter fraud took a new form on Tuesday as several MPs wore T-shirts with the name of 124-year-old ‘first-time voter’ Minta Devi and her image printed on the front and the words “124 not out” written at the back to claim how votes were being made through the exercise. The Congress leaders present during the Opposition protest at the Parliament complex before the start of the day’s proceedings in the two Houses alleged that Minta Devi’s date of birth in the electoral rolls was shown to be 15/7/1900 and her residence was listed in Daraundha, Bihar. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi when asked about the case said “There are unlimited cases like that. Abhi picture baaki hai (there are many more cases to come).” His sister and party general secretary, who also took part in the protest while wearing the specially made t-shirt said, “We are protesting against vote theft. Rahul Gandhi ji has revealed that the voter list contains all fake names and addresses.” TN lyricist sparks Lord Ram furore N Chithra CHENNAI Celebrated yet controversial Tamil poet-lyricist Vairamuthu has ignited a political and religious row with his recent claim that Lord Ram “lost his mind” after Sita was abducted by Ravan. Speaking at a Chennai Kamban Kazhagam event last Friday, in the presence of CM MK Stalin, Vairamuthu argued that Kamban’s Tamil Ramayana portrayed Ram’s killing of Vaali from behind a tree as an act committed in a state of mental instability. The lyricist, who faced multiple sexual harassment charges during the #MeToo movement, said Valmiki, Vaali, and the world refused to forgive Ram for the act, but Kamban “came to his rescue.” Invoking Section 84 of IPC, he suggested “a person of unsound mind can’t be punished for a crime” and concluded: “Ram, who was forgiven by Kamban, became a human and Kamban became ‘God’.” He cited the line “Deviyai pirindha pinnar thigaithanni polum seigai” from Kamban’s work to justify his reading. But, BJP functionary Asuvathaman countered “thigaithal” in Tamil meant “stunned,” not “losing one’s mind.” The Opposition parties have since the start of the Monsoon Session of Parliament been regularly protesting against SIR and have termed the exercise a deliberate one by the Election Commission to disenfranchise lakhs of voters to benefit the BJP and its allies. The party in general and Rahul in particular have also alleged on multiple occasions that the Lok Sabha and Maharashtra and Haryana Assembly elections were rigged through large-scale voter fraud in some segments. Rahul Gandhi 4Contd on | nation 4See also | nation Election Commission There are unlimited cases like that. Abhi picture baaki hai. Minta Devi said her age in the electoral roll was shown as such due to an error in her application form. LS panel set up to probe Justice Varma cash find Minta Devi, a resident of Bihar’s Siwan district, was shocked when she found that her voter card wrongly mentioned her date of birth as July 15, 1900. However, her Aadhar card showed her date of birth as July 15,1990. “I had applied for my voter card through an online system in April with all required information,” she told reporters visiting her house on Tuesday. She asserted, and demanded that it should be rectified immediately. Minta’s husband Dhananjay Kumar Singh, an auto-rickshaw driver by profession, revealed that her wife had applied for a new voter card from her in-laws address as Arjanipur, Siswa Khurd village under Darauda assembly constituency in Siwan district. Minta’s name was earlier listed in the voter card at her parents’ house near Chhapra in Saran district, but she never visited any polling station there to cast her vote. 4Contd on | nation NEW DELHI Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday announced the formation of a three-member committee, comprising two judges and a senior advocate, to probe charges against Allahabad High Court Judge Yashwant Varma in a cash recovery case. Birla told the Lok Sabha that the committee, constituted under the Judges’ Inquiry Act, 1968, would include Justice Arvind Kumar of the Supreme Court, Justice Manindra Mohan Srivastava, Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, and Senior Advocate B.V. Acharya of the Karnataka High Court. He said further action would be deferred until the panel submits its report. The Centre had announced on July 25 that an impeachment Agencies NEW DELHI Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has strongly condemned the killing of five Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza and accused the Israeli state of committing “genocide” against Palestinians. Her remarks have drawn a sharp rebuttal from Israel’s Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, who dismissed the genocide allegations as “deceit.” In a post on X, Priyanka Gandhi described the deaths of the journalists as a “cold-blooded murder” and a “heinous crime” committed on Palestinian soil. She said the courage of those who stand for the truth “will never be broken by the violence and hatred of the Israeli state.” MUMBAI When Taylor Swift does something, it’s never just an announcement - it’s a cultural event. At exactly 12.12 am Eastern time on August 12, after a week of cryptic countdowns, glittering orange website transformations, and Instagram carousel clues, Swift revealed her 12th studio album: ‘The Life of a Showgirl’. Her website crashed Gaza protest green signal The Mumbai Police on Monday informed the Bombay HC that permission will be granted to the CPI(M) to hold a ‘peaceful assembly’ at Azad Maidan on August 20 between 3pm and 6pm. This protest is aimed at expressing concerns over the alleged genocide occurring in Gaza. SEE CITY She added that in a world where much of the media is “enslaved to power and commerce,” these journalists reminded the world of “true journalism.” 4Contd on | nation US, China in SHINDE WAIVES `799 CRORE US designates ninety-day FOR ILLEGAL CONSTRUCTIONS Balochistan separatists trade truce HOME ADVANTAGE Agencies WASHINGTON Ravikiran Deshmukh The US and China have extended their trade truce for 90 days, avoiding a planned tariff hike just hours before it was due. The pause, in place until November 10, will keep US tariffs on Chinese imports at 30% and China’s tariffs on American goods at 10%. The US said the extension allows more time to address trade imbalances, unfair practices, and market access issues, citing its $300bn trade deficit with China in 2024. 4Contd on | nation MUMBAI The Urban Development Department (UDD), headed by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has decided to waive an estimated Rs799 crore in penalties imposed on illegal constructions in Thane up to March this year. Thane is Shinde’s hometown, where he has significant influence. The waiver will reduce the Thane Municipal Corporation’s (TMC) penalty income, but the UDD has directed the civic body to start a property survey. owners had been avoiding penalty payments for illegal constructions, hoping for a waiver. As a result, the recovery of the original penalty amount stood at only Rs 145 crore. The state believes the waiver will encourage payment of at least this basic penalty amount. The UDD clarified that the waiver does not mean the illegal constructions will be regularised. It also stated that the state will not compensate the TMC for the revenue loss. The decision was formalised in a government resolution issued on Monday. ades. Every date, color, and silhouette becomes a potential lyric, tracklist hint, or hidden storyline. And this time, the storytelling is full circle. Fans couldn’t help but notice the poetic symmetry: Travis Kelce, Taylor’s boyfriend, once publicly shared on his New Heights podcast that he went to her Eras Tour in hopes of meeting her. Fast forward, and here we are Taylor announcing her brand new album on that very podcast. During the reveal, she opened a briefcase to show a blurred vinyl, declaring, “This is my brand new album, The Life of a Showgirl,” while co-host Jason Kelce, representing all swifties screamed in disbelief. The 35-year-old is among the world’s bestselling musicians, selling an estimated 200m records globally and holds the record for most No 1 albums in the US by a female artist in history. Her global Eras tour became the first billion-dollar tour in his- ‘terrorists’ Agencies WASHINGTON tory, selling 2.4m tickets in a single day, and made more than US$2bn over 21 months. Forbes estimated Swift earned $10m-$13m (£8m£10m) a night. Her last album, 2024’s The Tortured Poets Department, set a streaming record on Spotify - 300m in one day and 1bn in five - and made her the first artist in history to secure the top 14 spots on the Billboard Hot 100. Pakistani officials on Tuesday welcomed a move by the US State Department to designate the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its fighting wing, the Majeed Brigade, as a foreign terrorist organisation, citing their role in deadly attacks in Balochistan province. The announcement coincides with a visit to the United States by Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and comes less than two weeks after Washington and Islamabad reached a trade agreement expected to allow US firms to help develop Pakistan’s largely untapped oil reserves in resource-rich Balochistan and lower trade tariffs for Islamabad. Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, noting that the BLA was banned domestically in 2024, hailed the designation. “Pakistan remains a steadfast bulwark against terrorism. Our sacrifices have secured critical counterterrorism successes, not only for the country, but for regional stability and global security,” it said in a statement. The BLA was first designated as a terrorist group in 2019 by the US Treasury Department after several attacks. 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation The aim is to implement property tax collection under the current ratable and capitalbased tax systems. According to the state department, this survey could help increase revenue from property taxes, considered the civic body’s most reliable income source. Officials said property 4Contd on | nation 12th album announced, Swifties in frenzy immediately following the announcement. For Swifties, this wasn’t simply a new album - it was an Easter egg masterclass. Taylor Nation’s post of 12 Eras Tour images paired with the teasing caption, “Thinking about when she said ‘See you next era…’” sent fans spiraling into theory mode. The Swiftie community thrives on decoding these breadcrumbs or easter eggs as they call it, a tradition Taylor has perfected over nearly two dec- 4Contd on | nation Priyanka slams Delhi silence on ‘genocide’ offgrid Deeksha Pandey motion against Justice Varma would be initiated in the Lok Sabha after a huge pile of burnt notes was recovered from his official residence following a fire call in March this year. The Opposition had also moved separately in the Rajya Sabha, submitting a notice of impeachment with 65 signatures to then Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 21. Dhankhar announced the move in the House. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju later clarified, after a Business Advisory Committee meeting of the Lok Sabha, that the motion would be taken up there. “We shouldn’t remain in any doubt — proceedings to remove Justice Yashwant Varma will begin in the Lok Sabha,” he said.