FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. XLII No. 177 | INDORE | WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 3, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 FREE www.freepressjournal.in World ‘IMRAN IS ‘FINE’, BUT UNDER MENTAL TORTURE’ P.10 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE UJJAIN MONEY PRESS PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Justice delayed, dignity denied P.6 Rupee breaches 90 mark amid unrelenting dollar demand Cinema Ashnoor reveals why she hit Tanya P.14 15 YRS & 9 DIST JUDGES: VICTIMS’ WAIT FOR JUSTICE CONTINUES Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy victims still await full justice, 15 years after convictions in the case during the tenure of nine district judges. Many are of the opinion that the accused got off with light punishment for a major disaster. Appeal for enhancement of the two-year jail punish- ment is pending in the court of the principal district judge in the District and Sessions Court, Bhopal. In June 2010, a Bhopal chief judicial magistrate (CJM) court convicted seven former executives of Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) in the Bhopal gas tragedy case. The seven Indian nationals, all former employees of UCIL, were sentenced to two years in 41ST ANNIV OF BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY prison and a fine for causing death by negligence under Section 304-A of the Indian Penal Code(IPC). All of them went into appeal and got out on bail. The appeal of the state authorities for enhancement in the quantum of punishment has been pending since then. The conviction came over 25 years after the disaster, with the verdict being seen by some as a minor punishment for a major tragedy. Those convicted included Keshub Mahindra, former non-executive chairman of UCIL, Vijay Gokhale, former MD, Kishore Kam- WINTER SESSION | 10-hour discussion to break the impasse which led to disruption of proceedings of both Houses Oppn gets its way, poll reforms debate on Dec 9 Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI Political semantics dominated Parliament on Tuesday as the Centre agreed to a detailed 10hour debate on electoral reforms on December 9 — but not specifically on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, as the Opposition had demanded. The debate has been formally listed under the broader rubric of “electoral reforms”, with SIR folded into it. After two days of protests that repeatedly stalled both Houses, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju posted the breakthrough on X: “It has been decided to hold discussion in Lok Sabha on 150th Anniversary of National Song ‘Vande Mataram’ on Monday, 8th Dec, and discussion on Election Reforms from 12 fp Briefs NEW DELHI Census in two phases Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases, the first between April and September 2026 and the second in February 2027, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday. Giving details of the exercise in response to a question by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said the two phases will be -- Phase I-House Listing and Housing Census followed by Phase IIPopulation Enumeration (PE). The first phase from April to September 2026 will be conducted in a period of 30 days. NEW DELHI AI under DGCA probe The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched an investigation into Air India after the airline was reported to have operated aircraft in eight revenue sectors with an expired Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC). According to a press note issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Air India is delegated the authority to issue ARCs for its aircraft following an annual review of maintenance records, physical condition, and compliance with airworthiness standards. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, left, arrives as oppostion leaders protest against SIR at Parliament complex noon on Tuesday, 9th December.” The agreement was sealed at an urgent meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) convened by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, where the government and the Opposition settled on December 9 for the electoral reforms debate, a day after the Vande Mataram commemoration. The Opposition has been in uproar since the Winter Session opened, alleging that the SIR process has cost lives and is being used to disenfranchise Dalits, minorities, Adivasis and the poor. Tensions escalated on Tuesday morning when senior INDIA bloc MPs staged a protest at Parliament’s Makar Dwar, unfurling a banner reading “Stop HC junks plea to quash FIR over ‘beef’ message Our Staff Reporter GWALIOR Gwalior bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court has rejected a petition filed by a journalist requesting the cancellation of an FIR lodged against him for allegedly circulating a sevenpage WhatsApp message asserting that beef consumption is essential for being a good Hindu. Justice Milind Ramesh Phadke noted that the case concerns accusations of sharing material that could injure religious feelings or create communal discord. According to the prosecution, complainant Ram Mohan Tiwari reported to Daboh police station in Bhind that on 26.09.2025 at around 10:00 pm, he learnt from another individual that in a WhatsApp group titled “B P Bauddh Patrakar News Group”, the journalist had shared a seven-page message allegedly claiming that "consuming beef was essential to being a good Hindu." The complainant claimed that the post caused serious offence to him and others belonging to the Hindu and Brahmin communities. On his complaint, police registered the FIR. Challenging this, the journalist ap- Case registered over WhatsApp message claiming that eating beef is essential for being a good Hindu proached the High Court to quash the FIR under provisions relating to promoting enmity between groups [Section 196(1)], deliberately outraging religious feelings [Section 299], issuing statements containing false claims to cause mischief [Section 353(1)], and taking part in activities likely to create fear among communities [Section 353(2)] of the BNS. The petitioner’s counsel argued that the message was shared in the legitimate exercise of free speech and was merely an excerpt from scholarly literature, posted without malicious motive. It was submitted that the content cited a book written by Dr Surendra Kumar Sharma (Agyaat), which is not banned by any government authority, and was shared in a private WhatsApp group whose members willingly joined to engage with alternative journalistic viewpoints. 4Continued on | P8 Sambhavana Trust pays tributes on the eve of 41st anniversary of Bhopal Gas Tragedy on Tuesday Now, direct election for local body chairman PTI Assembly passes Municipalities (Amendment) Bill NEW DELHI SIR – Stop Vote Chori”. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Mallikarjun Kharge, Kanimozhi and T.R. Baalu demanded that the exercise be Scan & Watch halted. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 PMO complex is ‘Seva Teerth’ now Rs 168 crore GST recovery notice slapped on auto major PTI NEW DELHI The new complex housing the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) will be called 'Seva Teerth', officials said on Tuesday. The new complex, which is in the final stages of completion, was earlier known as the 'Executive Enclave' under the Central Vista Redevelopment project. Besides the PMO, the 'Executive Enclave' will also comprise offices of the Cabinet Secretariat, National Security Council Secretariat and India House, which will be a venue for high-level talks with visiting dignitaries. Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL To hold direct election for the post of chairman of Municipal Councils and Nagar Parishads, the Madhya Pradesh Municipalities (Amendment) Bill 2025 was passed in the state assembly on Tuesday. The next election of local bodies will be direct. Tabling the bill, urban de- Bhopal: In the past two years, 329 FIRs had been registered against police personnel in the state, the government told the state assembly in a written reply in assembly here on Tuesday. Congress MLA Bala Bachchan raised a question about the cases registered against police personnel from Our Staff Reporter INDORE The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Commissionerate has issued a show cause notice of Rs 168.19 crore to Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicles (VECV), a major joint venture between Volvo and Eicher, with multiple manufacturing plants in Pithampur. According to official sources in CGST Commissionerate, Ujjain, additional commissioner under Ujjain Commissionerate issued the notice after the company allegedly failed to reflect credit Behind the hoopla over the promise of artificial intelligence lay difficult realities, including how such technology might affect people already disadvantaged in a data-driven world. A new report by the United Nations Development Programme notes most of the gains from AI are likely to be reaped by wealthy nations unless steps are taken to use its power to help close gaps in access to basic needs, as well as such advanced know-how. The report released Tuesday likens the situation to the "Great Divergence" of the industrial revolution, when many Western countries saw rapid modernisa- 4Continued on | P8 329 FIRS AGAINST COPS IN 2 YRS and debit notes in its tax returns for the financial year 2017-18, despite having issued them. The matter first surfaced through an objection raised by the Gwalior-based Audit Department, which was forwarded to the GST authorities. A subsequent scrutiny of the company’s records revealed discrepancies amounting to crores. In January 2025, the January 1, 2024 to October 31,2025. The police personnel were booked for loot, atrocities, molestation, harassment, damaging public property, hurting public faith and many other crimes against common people. 4Continued on | P8 department sought further details on credit and debit notes issued in the following year, and upon verification of these records with returns filed, the alleged irregularities widened further. VECV challenged the show cause notice before the Indore Bench of the High Court. However, the court dismissed the petition, directing the company to first exhaust the statutory appellate remedies available under the GST law. With this order, the company must now file its appeal before the Commissioner (Appeals) of the CGST Department. Rs 195cr spent on investors’ meet, Rs 34cr on CM’s foreign trips 57, 565 people have got jobs in past two years Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The government has spent Rs 195 crore on the Investors’ Summit, Regional Industries Conclaves and interactive sessions in the past two years. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav gave the information in reply to a question raised by the Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar in the House on Tuesday. A sum of Rs 88 crore was spent on the Global Investors’ Summit held in Bhopal in February last year. The government has spent Rs 107 crore on industrial conclaves and interactive sessions held in different cities across the country. It was also said that a sum of Rs 34 crore was spent on the Chief Minister’s foreign trips. A sum of Rs 10.81 crore was spent on his trips to UK and Germany. Similarly, an amount of Rs 6.64 crore was spent on his Japan trip. The government spent Rs 16.55 crore on his UAE and Spain trips. According to a written reply by the Chief Minister, 746 industries have been set up in the past two years. He made state in reply to a question raised by legislator Chintamani Malviya. These industries generated jobs for 57, 565 people. Do we give red carpet welcome: SC We understand there is pressure over India: questions Rohingyas’ legal status Kremlin on US tariffs PTI NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Tuesday sharply questioned the legal status of Rohingyas living in India and asked whether "intruders" should be given a "red carpet welcome" while the country's own citizens grapple with poverty. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi made sharp observations while hearing a ha- beas corpus (bring the person) petition filed by rights activist Rita Manchanda alleging disappearance of few Rohingyas from the custody of authorities here. Now, the hearing in the case has been adjourned to December 16. The counsel alleged certain Rohingyas were picked up by Delhi Police in May and there was no information about their whereabouts. "If they do not have legal status to stay in India, and you are an intruder, we have a very sensitive border in the north India side. If an intruder comes, do we give them a red carpet welcome saying we would like to give you all facilities" the CJI asked, adding, "What is the problem in sending them back." He said India is a country with a lot of poor people, and we should rather focus on them. "First you enter, you cross the border illegally. You dug a tunnel or crossed the fence and entered India illegally. 4Continued on | P8 AI’s impact could worsen gaps between rich and poor AP velopment and housing minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said that everybody desired direct election to check horse-trading of corporators. In direct election, the chairman would not be under any pressure and could undertake development work. Till now, corporators used to form groups and build pressure on the chairman and due to this, the latter could not work properly, he said. The objective of the bill is to check blackmailing. As a government order to manufacturers to preload a state-run cybersecurity app, Sanchar Saathi, on all phones kicked up a privacy row, Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday appeared to soften the stance, saying users are free to delete it if they so wish, and that it will remain inactive till they register on it. The November 28 order from his ministry directed smartphone makers to pre-install the app on all new devices and push it through updates on older ones. Many opposition leaders and critics saw it as a snooping attempt, as they felt the app could listen to calls and monitor messages. Scan & Watch POLL REFORMS, NOT SIR: Discussions on the 150th anniversary of the national song Vande Mataram will be held on Dec 8, and on election reforms — including the contentious Special Intensive Revision (SIR) — on Dec 9. The agreement was sealed at an urgent meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) convened by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla cused and against Union Carbide s owner Dow Chemical highlight the reality of corporate clout trouncing judicial remedies against corporate crime. If the Indian government is serious about securing justice for the Bhopal disaster it needs to summon the political will necessary to defeat corporate strategies of digression and delay. Not compulsory: Scindia after Sanchar Saathi privacy row UN report BANGKOK dar, ex-vice president, J Mukund, former work manager, SP Chaudhary, former production manager, KV Shetty, former plant superintendent and SI Qureshi, former production assistant. Rachna Dhingra of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action, said, The recent outcomes of the criminal proceedings against the Indian ac- tion while others fell behind. Questions over how companies and other institutions will use AI are a near universal concern given its potential to change or replace some jobs done by people with computers and robots. But while much of the attention devoted to AI focuses on productivity, competitiveness and growth, the more important question is what it will mean for human lives, the authors note. It's an issue for communities where most people are still struggling to access skills, electric power and internet connectivity, for older people, for people displaced by war, civil conflict and climate disasters. At the same time, such people may be "invisible" in data that will not take them into account, the report said. "As a general-purpose technology, AI can lift productivity, spark new industries, and help latecomers catch up," the report says. 4Continued on | P8 Agencies NEW DELHI Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday addressed concerns over India facing high US tariffs for purchasing Russian oil, saying Moscow recognises the challenge but will not intervene in New Delhi's bilateral issues with Washington. Peskov said, "We cannot interfere in the diplomatic relations between the US and India. We understand that there is pressure over India." He noted that this pressure now shapes how Russia approaches its partnership with India. Explaining Moscow's position further, he said, "This is the reason we have to be care- Russia ratifies pact with India Russia's lower house of parliament, State Duma, on Tuesday ratified a key military pact with India ahead of President Vladimir Putin's state visit to New Delhi on December 4-5. The Reciprocal Exchange of Logistic Support signed on February 18, between the two governments was sent to Duma last week ful in creating an architecture of the relationship that must be free of any influence coming from any third country." 4Continued on | P8 S400, SU57 on agenda With Russian President Vladimir Putin scheduled to visit India on December 4 and 5 it will be an opportunity for the leadership of India and Russia to review progress in bilateral relations. Ahead of the Russian President Visit the Kremlin Spokesperson Dimitry Peskov that the sale of additional S400 long-range anti-aircraft missile and SU57 could be on the agenda during the visit.