FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLII No. 102 | INDORE | FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 19, 2025 | Pages 18 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in Sports SACHIN 4TH AS NEERAJ FINISHES 8TH IN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS P.13 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE MONEY CONSTRUCTION ALLOWED IN PACHMARHI, SAYS SC The original ban was imposed in 2000. In March 2018, a Supreme Court-appointed committee recommended allowing G+3 construction Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL fp Briefs NEW DELHI Single-login EPFO services area. The original ban was imposed in 2000. In March 2018, a Supreme Court-appointed committee recommended allowing G+3 construction. ‘Tariffs solution likely in eight to 10 weeks’ PTI KOLKATA Retirement fund body EPFO's over seven crore subscribers will now get all key services and access to their 'Employees' Provident Fund' account details using a single login on the members' portal, Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Thursday. Talking to reporters, Mandaviya on Thursday highlighted key reforms undertaken by the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to ensure provision of efficient, transparent and user-friendly services to its members. Tankha tweeted that the decision would bring relief to Pachmarhi residents. Lovekesh Sahu, office superintendent of the Cantonment Board, said the SC ruling resolves long-standing challenges faced by residents in small plots. he board had filed an intervention application in 2008 against restrictions imposed by the SC’s empowered committee, initially formed to monitor illegal constructions in national parks. Chief Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageswaran on Thursday said he expects that a solution to the tariff issues with the US is likely to come in the next eight to ten weeks. The US had imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian products in August, citing India’s purchases of Russian oil. With this, the total levy on Indian goods rose to 50%. He told an event organised by the Bharat Chamber of Commerce: “Underneath the surface, conversations are going on between the two governments. My hunch is that in the next eight to ten weeks, we will likely see a solution to the tariffs imposed by the US on Indian goods.” He cautioned that if the tariffs continued, exports to the US would fall. Later in the day, at an event organised by the Merchants Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he added, “I hope that the penal tariff would possibly be removed by the end of November,” while clarifying that this was only his intuition. Nageswaran described India as an aspirational lower-middleincome economy and noted that real GDP growth in the first quarter of the current financial year was 7.8%. He said that after the COVID-19 pandemic, India’s economy grew faster than many countries. Growth in manufacturing, services and agriculture would contribute significantly to progress in the next two years, while consumption and investments would continue to anchor growth. He said India’s debt-to-GDP ratio was healthy, as it generated more GDP per US dollar of debt than many other nations, showing efficient use of capital. Rural demand, he noted, remains resilient, while urban demand is gaining traction. The relief in GST rates would also raise disposable income, boosting urban consumption. 4Continued on | P8 PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Fight smog, not farmers India moved to fewer GST slabs, but not yet ready for one rate: FM RELIEF | Apex Court overturns 25-year-old ban, allows ground plus three rule for benefit of 12,000 residents in Cantonment area The Supreme Court has lifted the 25-year-old ban on construction in Pachmarhi cantonment, allowing houses up to ground plus three (G+3) floors. The move is expected to benefit around 12,000 residents living in the 1,000-hectare cantonment area. Senior advocate Vivek Tankha, representing the Cantonment Board, argued that small plot sizes, sometimes as little as 200–300 square feet, made construction impossible under earlier restrictions. The Court directed implementation of the G+3 plan for all new constructions in the UJJAIN P.12 Cinema Shining beyond the spotlight P.18 HINDENBURG FILES SEBI GIVES CLEAN CHIT TO ADANI Rahul in voter deletion charge Markets regulator Sebi on Thursday cleared billionaire Gautam Adani and his group of stock manipulation allegations made by US short-seller Hindenburg Research, saying it found no evidence that the conglomerate used related parties to r o u t e funds into its listed c o m panies. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in two separate detailed orders said the allegations of insider trading, market manipulation, and violations of public shareholding norms were found to be unsubstantiated after a detailed investigation. Hindenburg, which has since shut down, in January 2023 published a damning report against the Adani Group. 4Continued on | P8 Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI PTI NEW DELHI EC REJECTS CONGRESS ALLEGATIONS Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday escalated his campaign against alleged “voter fraud”, this time accusing the Election Commission of shielding those responsible for mass voter deletions in Karnataka’s Aland assembly constituency. Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters, Gandhi claimed that 6,018 voter deletion applications were autofiled using software and mobile numbers from outside the state, ahead of the assembly polls. These deletions, he alleged, specifically targeted Congress voters and booths where the party was winning. insisted. “We have our people inside the EC, and we are now receiving information from within about ‘vote theft’,” Gandhi said. He said the Karnataka CID, which is investigating the case, had written 18 letters over 18 months to the EC seeking information such as destination IP addresses, device ports, and OTP trails, but received no satisfactory response. “Why is the EC not giving this data? Because it will reveal who orchestrated this operation,” he asserted. Gandhi alleged that the deletions were carried out “in a centralised manner and at scale” through software and call centres. 4Continued on | P8 SHOUT OUT TO STUDENTS, GEN Z There was one category Rahul Gandhi mentioned along with youth and students that looks set to invite controversy: "Gen Z" -- the generation that spearheaded the protests in neighbouring Nepal that upended the ruling government The Election Commission on Thursday rejected Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of mass voter deletions in Karnataka’s Aland constituency, calling them “incorrect and baseless.” In a post on X, the EC said, “No deletion of any vote can be done online by any member of the public, as misconceived by Rahul Gandhi. No deletion can take place without giving an opportunity of being heard to the affected person.” The EC clarified that in 2023, “certain unsuccessful attempts” were made to delete voters in Aland, after which EC itself filed an FIR for probe. It also pointed out Aland was won by BJP’s Subhadh Guttedar in 2018 and Congress’s BR Patil in 2023. The EC said the allegations made by Gandhi against CEC Gyanesh Kumar are baseless and incorrect. The response came as Gandhi accused Kumar of stonewalling Karnataka CID’s request for information held by the poll body that could help identify the culprits who sought illegal deletion of around 6,000 votes in Aland. 4Continued on | P8 IB initiated my actions: Yasin Malik M Saleem Pandit One of the charges that led to his conviction, a meeting with Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed, was initiated by IB special director VK Joshi, Malik claimed. He said Joshi asked him to engage Hafiz Saeed to strengthen then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s peace process in Kashmir SRINAGAR Jailed Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front’s (JKLF) former militant leader Mohammad Yasin Malik flaunted his associations with Prime Ministers, Intelligence chiefs, National Security Adviser, Industrialists, and powerful politicians and claimed his actions in getting in touch with Pakistan was initiated by the Intelligence Bureau. Malik, currently lodged in Tihar jail, in an affidavit before the Delhi High Court said this state-sanctioned engagement continued over successive changes in government. Situating his trial in the aftermath of the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, Malik alleged that the move unleashed “fear, intimidation, and arrests of thousands of political leaders, activists, teachers, lawyers and journalists.” He recalled how in the early 1990s, he was taken from Mehrauli sub-jail to a bun- galow in Maharani Bagh, where Home Minister Rajesh Pilot, IAS officer Wajahat Habibullah, and senior IB officers pressed him to surrender arms. 4Continued on | P8 NEW DELHI Online Gaming Act from Oct 1 Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday said that the rules under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Games Act, 2025, will take effect on October 1. After the bill was passed by the Parliament, the government resumed talks with stakeholders, such as banks, gaming companies, and other organisations, the minister said. UNITED NATIONS US vetoes Gaza resolution The United States once again vetoed a UN Security Council resolution Thursday that had demanded for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages after saying that the effort did not go far enough in condemning Hamas. Respect all religions: CJI clarifies remark on broken idol Missing youth killed by Maoists, body found FP News Service Couple, 2 kids killed as Baneshwari Travels’ bus hits motorbike INDORE action has a disproportionate social media reaction.” Senior advocate Kapil Sibal agreed, noting that lawyers too suffer from misleading portrayals on social media. Justice K Vinod Chandran, on the bench with the CJI, called misinformation “antisocial media” and shared his own experience of being misjudged online. The body of a 22-year-old youth, Devendra Yadav, who was reported missing from September 16, was found late Wednesday night, the police said. Some villagers found Yadav’s body 500 metres away from the spot from which he was abducted. He was a resident of Posera village. Maoists abducted the youth from a forest near the village and murdered him, suspecting him to be a police informer. The incident indicates the Maoists are active in the area. When some villagers were passing from Chini to Kukra Marg under Paraswara police station and saw posters and banners put up by Maoists, they informed the police about it. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Agencies NEW DELHI CJI B R Gavai on Thursday clarified that he respects all religions, after his remarks in court on a plea concerning a damaged Lord Vishnu idol at Khajuraho drew sharp reactions on social media and from the VHP. Responding to the criticism, Gavai said during a post-lunch hearing that things are often blown out of proportion online. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, present in court, defended the CJI, saying he has known him for ten years and that the CJI visits all religious places. He added, “Newton’s law says that every action has an equal reaction. Now every BALAGHAT Delhi lens on Pakistan’s defence pact with Riyadh Agencies NEW DELHI A day after Pakistan and Saudi Arabia inked a strategic defence pact, India on Thursday said it will study implications of the move for its national security as well as for regional and global stability. The agreement states that "any aggression against either of the two countries shall be considered as an aggression against both", according to a PakistanSaudi Arabia joint statement. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi remains committed to protecting India's national interests and ensuring "comprehensive national se- The deal states any aggression against either of the two countries shall be considered as an attack against both curity in all domains". The "Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement" was signed by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Sharif was on a visit to Saudi Arabia. The sealing of the pact came over four months after a four-day military conflict between India and Pakistan. "We have seen reports of the signing of a strategic mutual defence pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan," Jaiswal said. "The government was aware that this development, which formalises a long-standing arrangement between the two countries, had been under consideration," he said. Jaiswal said India will "study the implications of this development for our national security as well as for regional and global stability." "The government remains committed to protecting India's national interests and ensuring comprehensive national security in all domains," he said. 4Continued on | P8 Police under pressure: Cong A couple and their two minor children were killed after a speeding bus belonging to a private travel firm hit their motorcycle in Sanwer police station area late on Wednesday night. Indore (Rural) SP Yangchen Dolkar Bhutia told media persons that the accident occurred around 10:30 pm near Ringnodiya village on the Indore-Ujjain road when the bus of BJP MLA Rakesh 'Golu' Shukla’s firm hit the motorcycle, killing Mahendra Solanki (35), his wife Jayshree Solanki (33) and their sons Jigar (5) and Tejas (14). Two of them died on the spot, while another succumbed on the way to the hospital. The youn- MP Congress spokesperson Santosh Singh Gautam alleged that police invoked weaker legal provisions against the bus driver under pressure from the ruling BJP."The driver should be booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder," he said."Serious accidents have been caused by high-speed buses of this travel firm earlier also on the Indore-Ujjain road," he alleged. Rejecting the allegation, MP BJP spokesperson Alok Dubey said, "The state government always acts impartially. The Congress is making an ugly attempt to politicise this unfortunate road accident." Our Staff Reporter AI crash victims’ kin sue Boeing Agencies DELAWARE The families of four passengers who died in the June Air India crash have filed a lawsuit in the United States against aerospace giants Boeing and Honeywell, alleging negligence and faulty design contributed to the disaster that killed 260 people. The complaint, filed Tuesday in Delaware superior court, claims that the crash was linked to a faulty fuel cutoff switch installed and manufactured by Boeing and Honeywell. The plaintiffs said the locking mechanism for the switch “could be turned off inadvertently or missing, causing a loss of fuel supply and loss of thrust needed for takeoff.” gest son succumbed to his injuries on Thursday morning during the course of treatment. Sanwer police station incharge G S Mahobia said that Mahendra, riding the bike, was returning home in Devguradia with his family when the bus collided head on with his bike. 4Continued on | P8 US troops can return to Af base: Trump WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Thursday suggested that he is working to reestablish a US presence at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, four years after America's chaotic withdrawal from the country left the base in the Taliban's hands. Trump floated the idea during a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as he wrapped up a state visit to the UK and tied it to the need for the US to counter its top rival, China. "We're trying to get it back," Trump said of the base in an aside to a question about ending Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While Trump described his call for the US military to reestablish a position in Afghanistan as "breaking news," the Republican president has previously raised the idea. Rare black tiger shot graces Nat Geo cover PTI NEW DELHI Indian photographer Prasenjeet Yadav's image of a black tiger from Odisha's Similipal National Park has featured on the cover of National Geographic magazine's upcoming October 2025 edition. The striking photograph, captured after months of patient tracking in the dense forests, showcases one of the world's rarest big cats. Known as pseudo-melanistic tigers, these black tigers are found only in Similipal, where almost half of the reserve's 30 tigers possess rare genetic mutation. "Being out in the forests of Similipal as a National Geographic photographer and Explorer has been a true privilege. I saw firsthand the Odisha Forest Department's dedicated, on-ground management and the commitment of its officers to safeguarding the future of these majestic tigers. "Photographing T12 was intense and humbling, with days and months of patience distilled into a single moment. Now to see that story on a National Geographic Magazine's international cover is an honour and a reminder of why we document India's extraordinary wild heart," Yadav said in a statement. National Geographic editor-in-chief Nathan Lump said the story illustrated the complex realities of conservation. "(It) is a surprising corollary to that success story: the tale of a great male tiger with a rare genetic mutation, which has highlighted what happens when an 4Continued on | P8