FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLII No. 185 | INDORE | THURSDAY | DECEMBER 11, 2025 | Pages 16 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 Day www.freepressjournal.in Sports Princedeep the Wall, India the Warriors P.14 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE MONEY Talks raise hopes of an imminent India–US trade breakthrough UJJAIN PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK Cinema Gaurav Khanna reveals personal side P.16 Vote chori tu tu main main CHORI PE CHARCHA NEW DELHI Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi clashed in the House on Wednesday during Shah’s reply to the discussion on electoral reforms after Gandhi objected to his citing a certain portion of his press conference on alleged vote theft during the Haryana Assembly elections and challenged him to hold a separate discussion on all his three press meets on “vote chori”. Shah lashed out at him saying he would “decide the chronology of his speech and would not be In Phuket for work: Luthras inform court NEW DELHI: Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, owners of the Goa nightclub where 25 people died in a fire, have told a Delhi court on Wednesday that they flew to Thailand for “work-related reasons”. "Post Independence, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was backed by 28 persons while Jawaharlal Nehru by two persons and yet Nehru became the PM, this was vote chori," Amit Shah said adding the second "vote chori" was by Indira Gandhi, when she granted herself immunity after court set aside her election. He said the dispute of third "vote chori" has just reached civil courts on how Sonia Gandhi became a voter before becoming citizen of India. dictated” in the matter. During his address, Shah had sarcastically referred to Gandhi’s claims saying, “Rahul Gandhi ji dropped a ‘nuclear bomb’ on November 5, 2025 when he claimed that 501 votes were cast from a single house in Haryana. The Election Commission later clarified that House Number 265, he referred to, was not a small house but a joint residence spread over an acre in which several families resided. Since they had not been allotted separate numbers they all had the exact same address”. Amazon’s $35bn pledge for digital leap E-paper Edit Challenge, not obstruct, SIR P.6 TO SIR, WITH EMOTIONS | Home Minister Amit Shah and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi slug it out in Parliament over chronology, fake votes and more Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar MUMBAI As Shah said that this demonstrated that “it was neither a fake house nor a case of fake votes” and that he would “reveal what actual vote chori was”, Gandhi stood up and said he had raised a question in his address on Tuesday about Election Commissioners being granted full immunity and demanded that the Minister reveal the thinking behind it. When Speaker Om Birla allowed him to speak, Gandhi said, “they have spoken about Haryana citing one example while there were many which established that there were 19 lakh fake voters there.” SC: Only writ petitions can challenge Lok Adalat orders Indore–Ujjain metro to miss Simhastha deadline Our Staff Reporter INDORE Our Staff Reporter 4Continued on | P8 Four bomb squad cops killed in Sagar 4Continued on | P8 The Supreme Court has set aside Madhya Pradesh High Court orders that had refused to entertain a writ petition challenging a Lok Adalat decree arising from a disputed property transaction in Jabalpur. The Court held that a Lok Adalat award, which is treated as a decree under Legal Services Authorities Act, can be challenged only before High Court under Articles 226 and 227, and not through execution proceedings or any ordinary civil remedy. The bench clarified that executing courts have no jurisdiction to annul or reopen a Lok Adalat award, and objections filed to prevent dispossession cannot be termed an “alternative remedy.” The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the proposed Indore–Ujjain metro corridor has been completed, and initial findings indicate that operating the metro before Simhastha 2028 will not be possible. Sources reveal that the report clearly states the timeline is too short to complete the large-scale infrastructure needed for the 45 km corridor. The DPR will be presented in Bhopal later this month. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav was keen to extend the Indore Metro, which is under trial run, up to Ujjain before Simhastha. In line with this, the Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation conducted an extensive survey. 4Continued on | P8 BHOPAL Govt eases UMC sanction powers Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The state government granted rights of sanction for Simhastha-related works to Mayor in Council (MiC) and President in Council on Wednesday. These powers are provided under Municipal Corporation’s rule 251 and Nagar PalikaParishad/Nagar Parishad rules 237 and 239. If Mayor in Council or President in Council does not approve a sanction proposal within a month of it being tabled, the Commissioner, Urban Administration and Development, may grant the necessary permission. Separate financial powers have been issued to authorities of Ujjain Municipal Corporation (UMC). 4Continued on | P8 FP News Service Our Staff Reporter MUMBAI BHOPAL DGP restricts night travel Deepavali in UNESCO’s list Global ecommerce titan Amazon on Wednesday unveiled a bold $35-billion investment blueprint for India through 2030, marking one of the largest foreign commitments to the nation’s digital future. The fresh infusion builds on the company’s nearly $40 billion deployed over the past decade and a half, placing Amazon at the forefront of India’s technology, export, and job-creation story. Four constables of a bomb detection and disposal squad were killed and another officer was seriously injured in a head-on collision in Sagar early Wednesday morning, police said. The injured constable was airlifted to Bhopal. DGP Kailash Makwana has instructed police units across the state to avoid night travelling whenever possible. The directive comes after a tragic accident in Sagar in which four police personnel died and one was airlifted to New Delhi for better treatment. PTI/ NEW DELHI 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 CM mourns loss CM Mohan Yadav condoled the deaths, saying in a post on X that four policemen returning from an anti-Naxal operation were killed in a road accident in Sagar district. India clinch Jr WC bronze CHENNAI: India delivered a breathtaking final-quarter turnaround to claim the bronze medal at the FIH Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup 2025, defeating Argentina 4–2 on Wednesday. (Detail on Sports Page) Deepavali, the festival of lights, was on Wednesday inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, sparking celebrations at the Red Fort, where the 20th session of the Intergovernmental Committee is underway. Chants of “Jai Hind” and traditional performances marked the historic announcement, as visuals of Deepavali lit up the venue. Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the development, saying it would enhance the festival’s global appeal. Responding to UNESCO’s post, he said people in India and around the world were thrilled. Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat delivered India’s official statement and called Deepavali a timeless festival celebrated across continents. With this, India now has 16 elements on UNESCO’s intangible heritage list, including Kumbh Mela, Durga Puja and Garba. Shekhawat said the inscription honours values of renewal, peace and the triumph of good. 4Continued on | P8