Wednesday, November 19, 2025 | Vol. 69 No. 38 | 30 Pages Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL WORLD COPD DAY INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation GAMES NATION How Lalu persuaded Tejashwi to take up Leader of Opposition role in Bihar POST FACTO GREEN NODS OKAYED SC makes U-turn on Vanashakti verdict FPJ News Service NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Tuesday recalled its May 2025 Vanashakti judgment and restored the legal route for granting post-facto environmental clearances to projects that began or expanded without prior approval under the 2006 Environmental Impact Assessment framework. The decision was taken by a 2:1 majority, with CJI BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran allowing the review plea, and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan dissenting. The recall comes after real estate developers and other stakeholders argued that the May ruling caused serious hardship to ongoing projects. The CREDAI, which filed the petition, said the earlier judgment had stalled several projects, some worth thousands of crores. CJI Gavai noted that if the Vanashakti verdict continued, public projects valued at around ₹20,000 crore would have to be demolished, adding that such demolitions would themselves increase pollution. 4Contd on | nation SC raps CBI for ‘Wrong train power misuse is no excuse’ FPJ News Service FPJ News Service NEW DELHI NEW DELHI The SC on Tuesday questioned the CBI over its request to conduct a preliminary enquiry into alleged irregular appointments and promotions in the Jharkhand Vidhan Sabha. A bench of CJI BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran told the agency that such applications could not be allowed, asking, “Why do you use the machinery for your political battles? We have told you so many times.” The Supreme Court has held that the Railways cannot deny compensation on the ground that a passenger mistakenly boarded the wrong train, ruling in favour of the parents of a young man who died while trying to get off a moving train. The Court ordered the Railways to pay Rs. 8 lakh compensation along with 9% interest, directing that the amount must be disbursed within three months. 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation Top Maoist Hidma killed in Andhra FPJ News Service RED HITS AMRAVATI In a landmark achievement for counter-insurgency operations, Maoist commander Madvi Hidma was killed in a fierce encounter in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday. The 43year-old guerrilla leader, who headed the CPI (Maoist)'s deadly People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Battalion No. 1, was neutralized along with five other Maoist operatives in what security experts are calling the most significant blow to Left-Wing Extremism. The encounter occurred in the dense Maredumilli forest region of Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district between 6.30 am and 7 am. Elite Greyhounds and Octopus units, supported by local police forces, executed a meticulously planned operation based on precise intelligence about key Maoist leaders hiding in the tri-junction forests. When security forces closed in, Hidma and his associates opened fire, triggering a gunfight that resulted in six Maoist deaths with no casualties among police personnel. Additional DGP (Intelligence) Mahesh Chandra Agencies Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai has issued a stark caution about the global AI boom, urging people not to “blindly trust” artificial intelligence tools even as investment and excitement around the technology reach unprecedented levels. In an interview with the BBC, Pichai, who leads Google’s parent company, Alphabet, said AI models were Delhi bomber’s last video? Alphabet CEO says AI models ‘prone to errors’. AI tools should not be blindly trusted and no firm is immune if the bubble bursts “prone to errors” and stressed that users must learn to use them wisely and alongside other tools. While he acknowledged their usefulness “if you want to creatively write something”, he empha- Hidma was architect of some of the deadliest Maoist strikes: ■ 2010 Dantewada attack: 76 CRPF personnel killed. ■ 2013 Jhiram Ghati massacre: 27 killed, including senior Congress leaders. ■ 2017 Sukma attack: 27 jawans killed. ■ 2021 Tarem-Bijapur ambush: 23 security personnel killed. ■ BIG BLOWS: Hidma's death comes after the killing of senior Maoist commander Basavaraju in May and the surrender of key strategist Bhupati in October. Hidma gunned down 12 days before the November 30 deadline set by Home Minister Amit Shah to eliminate him Laddha confirmed the operation's success, while DGP Harish Kumar Gupta hailed it as "a historic step in the fight against Left-Wing Extremism". Preliminary identification proce- sised that people “have to learn to use these tools for what they’re good at, and not blindly trust everything they say”. 4Contd on | nation Outage Many websites around the world witnessed a series of error messages due to a technical issue which arose with a webinfrastructure firm Cloudflare. The problem began to ease on Tuesday after preventing thousands from accessing major internet platforms, including X and ChatGPT. Metro rebate MAHAYUTI RIFT SPLIT WIDE OPEN? for divyangs Kamal Mishra Kalpesh Mhamunkar MUMBAI M Saleem Pandit SRINAGAR A week after a deadly blast near Delhi’s Red Fort killed 15 people, a video allegedly recorded by the suicide bomber, Umar-un-Nabi, has surfaced on social media. The undated video appears to be self-recorded and shows Dr Umar explaining and justifying his act of carrying out a suicide bombing before detonating his car near the Red Fort on November 10. 4Contd on | nation 4See also | nation Tensions within Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti coalition sharpened on Tuesday after ministers from the Shinde-led Shiv Sena pointedly absented themselves from the weekly cabinet meeting chaired by CM Devendra Fadnavis. The boycott — timed as the state gears up for local body elections — reflects deepening irritation within the Shinde faction over what it sees as the BJP’s relentless recruitment drive targeting its cadre and former corporators. Though deputy CM Eknath Shinde attended, not a single minister from his faction joined the cabinet meeting. All of them were present at the customary pre-cabinet briefing, but then stayed away from Ministers of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena escalated tensions within the Mahayuti govt by skipping Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, prompting a sharp reprimand from CM Devendra Fadnavis MUMBAI the main session. Later, they marched to the CM’s office to convey their grievances. As per sources, their anger was triggered by BJP’s alleged attempts to lure away leaders from the Shinde Sena, especially in the Kalyan–Dombivli Municipal Corporation. Differently‑abled passengers will be able to get a 25% concession on Mumbai Metro Line 3 starting 23 November. “The 25 % concession announced earlier for passengers with disabilities is currently in its final testing phase, with technical integration work progressing as planned,” said an official. “Once the testing is complete, the concession will be activated on Sunday, 23 November, across the system. This move aims to provide a more inclusive transit experience for all passengers, including those with disabilities,” he added. 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation ‘Word of the year’ Parasocial, a ’50s word, gets ’25 twist PTI NEW DELHI 'Parasocial', defined as involving or relating to a connection that someone feels with a famous person they do not know, has been named the Word of the Year for 2025, the Cambridge Dictionary announced on Tuesday. According to Cambridge of- ficials, the year was marked by interest in one-sided parasocial relationships that people form with celebrities, influencers and AI chatbots.  When Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced their engagement, many fans felt a deep connection to the singer and the American footballer, even though most had never met them. Millions of fans related to Edit Snapshot of the state of higher education institutes in India MANHUNT ENDS | Forces call it a historic step in war on LWE. Initial identification process confirms deaths of Naxal leader & his 2nd wife Pichai pitches AI bubble warning NEW YORK Cinema Ranveer promises global level, ‘massy’ Indian cinema Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel wear only single pad during batting in nets to counter SA spin threat Taylor Swift's confessional lyrics about dating, heartbreak and desire, leading to what psychologists describe as "parasocial" bonds with stars. Lily Allen's "breakup album" West End Girl leant into parasocial interest in her love life. The spontaneity, imperfection and confessional nature of podcast hosts have been said to replace real friends and to catalyse parasocial relationships.The emergence of parasocial relationships with AI bots saw people treat ChatGPT as a confidant, friend or even romantic partner. These led to emotionally meaningful - and in some cases troubling - connections for users, and concerns about the consequences. 4Contd on | nation dures confirmed Hidma's death, with officials believing his second wife, Raje alias Rajakka, was also killed. 4Contd on | nation US throws out Anmol Bishnoi Poonam Apraj MUMBAI In a major development, the United States has expelled Anmol Bishnoi, the younger brother of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is wanted in the high-profile murder conspiracy of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddiqui, firing incident outside actor Salman Khan’s residence and other offences. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) formally informed NCP leader and former MLA Zeeshan Siddiqui via email that Anmol Bishnoi the alleged mastermind behind the conspiracy to kill Siddiqui’s father, Baba Siddiqui has been ``removed'' from American soil. Anmol was lodged in Ohio central jail. The interrogation of Anmol is likely to reveal the identity of the person/s who allegedly gave “supari” to the gang to eliminate Baba. Wanted in connection with the murder of Baba Siddique, Lawrence Bishnoi’s brother has been deported 4Contd on | nation MMR for better living Ravikiran Deshmukh MUMBAI At a time when the central and state governments are devising a development roadmap under Viksit Bharat and Viksit Maharashtra by 2047, citizens of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) are aspiring for an improved standard of living through various initiatives. An analysis of the digital survey, undertaken as part of public consultation while finalising the sustainable goals, reveals that the major thrust is on Ease of Living and Quality of Life. A total of 3.88 lakh responses were received for the survey conducted by the government. Pune topped the list with 30,121 WISHLIST: Maharashtra government survey shows key aspirations relate to employment generation, addressing traffic congestion, road safety, affordable housing, pollution control and green spaces. repsonses, followed by Mumbai City (21,389) and Mumbai Suburban (20,189). The MMR, which covers Mumbai City, Mumbai Suburban, Thane and Raigad, shows key aspirations tied to jobs generation, addressing traffic congestion, road safety, affordable housing, pollution control and green spaces. 4Contd on | nation