Monday, August 18, 2025 | 22 Pages | `5 & for State `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. 271 | www.freepressjournal.in ● EDITIONS: ● MUMBAI ● INDORE ● PUNE ● BHOPAL ● NASHIK ● KONKAN ● E-paper ● Member: Audit Bureau of Circulation (July to December 2024) NATION Mallikarjun Kharge questions role of RSS in India’s freedom movement P.11 GAMES Cinema Honouring Gulzar saab: 91 years of magic P.21 Ravichandran Ashwin clarifies his statement made on Dewald Brevis’ IPL signing by CSK P.17 ‘VOTE CHORI’ | Submit affidavit, or apologise, no third option: CEC’s ultimatum to Gandhi 7-day challenge Edit Economic reflections as we celebrate our Independence P.13 Rahul: Why is EC asking only me for oath? FPJ News Service NDA’s veep pick: Maha Governor Radhakrishnan N Chithra & Kalpesh Mhamunkar NEW DELHI CHENNAI/MUMBAI R ead how a group of women stopped Rani Bagh's redevelopment and saved Mumbai’s only heritage botanical garden. Turn to the Mumbai page to find out how. SEE P3 CJI opens HC bench in Kolhapur, lauds govt Agencies MUMBAI Chief Justice of India BR Gavai on Sunday said Maharashtra government was always at the fore to provide infrastructure for the judiciary in the state. He was speaking after inaugurating the Bombay High Court's new circuit bench in Kolhapur district. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde were also present on the occasion. "There was some remarks made by certain persons, I do not want to take their names, that Maharashtra government is behind when it comes to providing infrastructure for the judiciary," Gavai said. "This is wrong. I am of the opinion that Maharashtra is not behind when it comes to judiciary's infrastructure. Government is always behind the judiciary when it comes to infrastructure," the CJI said. The state government has made the impossible possible by ensuring that the building for the Kolhapur's bench was set up within a short span of time, he added. The CJI said people who made remarks that the state government was lagging when it came to judicial infrastructure do not know about Fadnavis and Shinde. 4Continued on | P12 Uncle Sam is watching ‘US’ New York/Washington: The US keeps “an eye” on what’s happening between India and Pakistan “every single day” as ceasefires can fall apart very quickly, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. “The only way to have a ceasefire is for both sides to agree to stop firing at one another. And the Russians just haven’t agreed to that. Beyond that, One of the complications about ceasefires is they have to be maintained, which is very difficult. Every single day we keep an eye on what’s happening between Pakistan and India, what’s happening between Cambodia and Thailand,” Rubio said. “Ceasefires can fall apart very quickly, especially after a three-and-a-half-year war (in Ukraine) like what we are facing now, but I don’t think anyone disagrees the ideal 4Continued on | P12 In a sharp rebuttal to Rahul Gandhi's allegations of "vote theft" in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Congress leader: either submit a signed affidavit substantiating the claims or apologise to the nation. Addressing his first press conference since Gandhi accused the Election Commission of allowing electoral fraud, Kumar said unequivocally: “Give an affidavit or apologise to the nation. There is no third option. If an affidavit is not submitted within seven days, all allegations will be deemed baseless and invalid.” Kumar was flanked by fellow Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi during the press conference, which coincided with the launch of the opposition’s ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar—a protest campaign highlighting alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the poll-bound state. Kumar dismissed the opposition’s claims as mis- Dheeraj Kumar PATNA EC is standing like a rock with voters. How can EC discriminate between parties? EC does not distinguish between the opposition and the ruling party. Political parties firing from EC’s shoulders. EC will not shy away from its constitutional duty. information and warned against “firing from the Election Commission’s shoulder.” He stressed that legal protocol mandates submission of an affidavit for any serious elec- Cloudburst, landslide hit Kathua; 7 killed toral complaint. “If someone believes the Election Commission will act on a PowerPoint presentation filled with incorrect data, that’s not how the law or Constitution works,” Kumar said. On July 31, Rahul Gandhi had accused the EC of facilitating "vote chori" (vote theft), citing alleged discrepancies in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura assembly segment. Presenting a detailed breakdown, Gandhi alleged that over one lakh votes were stolen through five kinds of manipulation, including duplicate entries, invalid addresses, and mass registrations from single addresses. 4Continued on | P12 City drenched again, orange alert stays for 3 more days Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday questioned why the Election Commission (EC) was singling him out to submit an affidavit on his vote theft allegations, while the BJP, which had made similar claims recently, was not being held to the same standard. Speaking at the launch of the 1,300-km ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Sasaram, Bihar, Gandhi said the EC’s demand that he verify data — which he claims originates from the poll body itself — was unjustified. “Why is the EC asking only me for an affidavit? The data I used is from the Election Commission. Why isn’t the BJP being asked the same when it made similar allegations just days ago?” he asked. 4Continued on | P12 4See also | P11 FPJ News Service Devashri Bhujbal Agencies JAMMU Five children were among seven members of four families who perished in two separate incidents of cloudburst and landslide in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir early Sunday, officials said. The calamity struck Jodh Ghati village of Rajbagh and Bagra village of Janglote amid heavy overnight rains in the district, leading to increase in the level of water bodies and submerging many low-lying areas, they said. The cloudburst in Kathua came three days after flash floods triggered by cloudburst struck Chisoti village in Kishtwar district, leaving 60 people dead and more than 100 injured. Officials said while five persons, including a man and his two minor sons, lost their lives in Jodh Ghati which was hit by the cloudburst, snapping access to the village and causing damage to several mud houses, a mother-daughter duo lost their lives in landslide triggered by rains at Bagra village of Janglote. The Army has evacuated six injured persons to hospital from Jodh Ghati. "Indian Army columns on the ground in Kathua -- rescuing families, giving hope, food & care after the cloudburst," Rising Star corps said in a post of X. The officials identified the deceased as Surmu Din (32), his sons Fanu (6) and Shedu (5), Zulfoon (15) and Tahu (2), all residents of Jodh Ghati; and Renu Devi (39) and her daughter Radhika (9) of Janglote. The Maximum City was lashed on Sunday with heavy downpour on the third consecutive day. The weather conditions are expected to remain similar for the next three days at least, as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has continued its alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall for Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad. The region is under Orange Alert, with Red Alert (extreme heavy rainfall) for Raigad on August 18 and for Palghar on August 19. The other districts in the state which are under Red Alert in the next couple of days include Ratnagiri, ghats of Pune, Satara and Kolhapur. The Marathwada, Vidharbha region and North Maharashtra are also under alert for heavy rainfall with thunderstorms. As per the local weather forecast for the next 48 hours for Mumbai city and suburbs, moderate to heavy rain is expected, with possibility of very heavy rainfall accompanied gusty winds towards nights. The maximum and minimum temperatures will be around 27°C and 24°C, respectively. 4Continued on | P12 4Continued on | P12 PM Modi on Sunday said the Centre has circulated the draft of the next-generation GST reforms among states and sought their cooperation to implement the proposal before Diwali. He said the reform in GST would benefit poor and middleclass people, as well as small and big businesses. The PM had announced the reform proposal during his Independence Day speech on August 15. The Centre intends to make the GST law simpler and revise tax rates, Modi said. "For us, reform signifies the advancement of good governance, which is why we place a strong emphasis on continuous improvement. In the near future, we are set to implement reforms aimed at making life and business operations smoother and more convenient. Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, popularly called Shux, returned to India early Sunday to a rousing reception at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, where a large crowd waving the tricolour and beating drums gathered to celebrate his historic journey to the International Space Station (ISS). Shukla, who became the second Indian to undertake a spaceflight, was part of the Axiom-4 private space mission. He was welcomed at the airport by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and Isro Chairman V Narayanan, alongside a sea of wellwishers. "Thank you sir. Surely feels good to be back home," Shukla posted on X (formerly Twitter), responding to Minister Singh’s message welcoming him on his return. His wife Kamna and son Kiash were also present to greet him after his year-long stay in the United States for mission training. The Axiom-4 mission launched from Florida on June 25, docked with the ISS on June 26, and returned to Earth on July 15. During the 18-day mission, Shukla and his crewmates — Peggy Whitson (USA), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary) —conducted over 60 scientific experiments and held 20 outreach sessions. 4Continued on | P12 Represented Coimbatore in Lok Sabha for 2 terms Nomination comes ahead of TN election next year The Election Commission issued a notification on 7 August for the 9 September election to the vice president's post, kickstarting the nomination process. The last date of filing the nomination for vice presidential election is 21 August. The opposition INDIA bloc is yet to announce its candidates even as the numbers favour the NDA. His choice - coming ahead of the next year's election in Tamil Nadu - is expected to send a signal to the people of the state where the BJP is yet to make a build a niche for itself. 4Continued on | P12 4See also | P11 Cheaper cars? 4See also | P15 Accused of bias, bribery, HC judge bins recusal plea FPJ Online MUMBAI Relief is in the offing for those looking to buy vehicles, especially smaller cars. Under proposed GST overhaul, small cars below 1200cc could attract a lower rate of 18%, down from current 28% plus cess, while bigger cars above 1200cc would remain in a higher-tax bracket. SEE P9 sar par rakh kar naachte hain na, woh samvidhan ko kaise kuchalte the, woh Baba Saheb (Ambedkar) ke bhavna ko kaise daga dete the, woh sachai main batane jaa raha hoon. 4Continued on | P12 4Continued on | P12 4Continued on | P12 ‘Oppn trampled statute, and now dancing with it’ Wang to call on Modi tomorrow FPJ News Service NEW DELHI FPJ News Service NEW DELHI Taking a swipe at Opposition leaders, PM Narendra Modi on Sunday said that those “who dance with a copy of Constitution on their head” had maintained unjust and regressive laws while in power, trampling the spirit of the statute. Addressing an event after inaugurating two expressways, he said the opposition parties have not been able to digest the success of BJP in Delhi and its adjoining states of Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. He said: “Ye jo log samvidhan US President Donald Trump on Sunday claimed “big progress” had been made on Russia, following his ummit in Alaska with President Putin that focused on finding a way to end the conflict in Ukraine. "BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA. STAY TUNED! President DJT", Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, without elaborating. The post has fueled speculation that the US President may be referring to possible security guarantees for Ukraine, as it coincided with reports from Trump envoy Steve Witkoff revealing that during the talks, Putin signaled that he would be open to allowing the US and its European allies to offer Ukraine a NATO-style security guarantee. “We got to an agreement that the US and other European nations could effectively offer Article 5-like language to cover a security guarantee,” Witkoff said, adding that it marked the first time Putin had shown openness to such an arrangement. The TrumpPutin meeting had ended without any deal to stop Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who will visit India for a three-day trip on Monday, will call on PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday at his official residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, at 5.30 pm, according to a schedule released by the Ministry of External Affairs. Wang's visit seeks to lay the ground for Modi's visit to China to attend the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on August 31 and September 1. 4Continued on | P12 Good to be back: Shux comes home FPJ News Service Hails from Tamil Nadu, headed state BJP unit Agencies WASHINGTON Justice Milind Jadhav of the Bombay High Court has refused to recuse himself from hearing a set of writ petitions filed in 2016, in which the petitioner levelled charges of corruption, bribery and bias against two sitting judges of the HC, including Jadhav himself. Dismissing an interim application seeking his recusal from the matters, Justice Jadhav also imposed a cost of Rs 50,000 on the petitioner for attempting to 'browbeat' the court and indulge in 'forum shopping', LiveLaw reported. Rejecting the argument that pendency of a complaint before higher authorities warranted recusal, the Court said last week: "Such allegations are nothing but an attempt to browbeat the Court into submission. A person threatening the Court, stating that he has filed a complaint against the Judge and therefore the case should be avoided by that Judge, cannot be accepted at all". The petitions were earlier listed in March and May 2025 before Justice Sandeep Marne and later before Justice Jadhav in June 2025. offgrid NEW DELHI Tamil Factor PM NUDGE TO STATES FOR GST DIWALI GIFT NEW DELHI MUMBAI The BJP-led NDA has picked Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan as its candidate for the vice presidential election. BJP chief and Union Minister JP Nadda made the announcement during a press conference in New Delhi on Sunday. "At the parliamentary board meeting, we all unanimously decided on the VP candidate, CP Radhakrishnan. We also discussed the VP candidate with all our alliance parties earlier. We will discuss our opposition party as well to smooth the VP election..." Nadda said. "He has a 40-year experience in politics and wore many hats," Nadda said. “Radhakrishnan is considered a statesman, commands respect in all sections of society in Tamil Nadu.” This development follows the BJP parliamentary board meeting, which was attended by top party leaders, including PM Narendra Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah. The candidature comes almost a month after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned as Vice President on 21 July. Dhankhar, 74, assumed office in August 2022, and his tenure was till 2027. TRUMP’S ‘BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA’ POST SETS OFF BUZZ ‘Unfettered’ EC powers: Ex-CJI Khanna on ONOE Agencies NEW DELHI Former Chief Justice of India Sanjeev Khanna has told a parliamentary committee scrutinising the simultaneous election bill that the constitutional validity of a proposal in no way amounts to a pronouncement upon the desirability or necessity of its provisions. In his written opinion to the committee, Khanna, however, said that arguments related to the dilution of the country's federal structure may be raised about the constitutional amendment bill, as he listed the various claims made supporting and criticising the concept, sources said. Most of the experts, who have shared their views with the committee headed by BJP MP PP Chaudhary, have rejected the charge that the proposals are unconstitutional but have flagged some issues with the current provisions of the bill. 4Continued on | P12