FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. XLII No. 260 | INDORE | THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 26, 2026 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 FREE www.freepressjournal.in World Immigration, tariff, Iran on top of Trump agenda P.10 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE UJJAIN MONEY PRESS PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit India’s Prahaar on terrorism P.6 Sebi signals stricter and smarter regulations: Tuhin Kanta Pandey Cinema Manushi calls for basic resources P.14 BAD CHAPTER | NCERT had introduced a section on ‘corruption in judiciary’ in its new Class 8 Social Science textbook, marking a shift from earlier editions PM in Israel: Terror Can’t defame judiciary: CJI threats everywhere PTI ‘AT ANY COST, WON’T PERMIT IT’ NEW DELHI Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Wednesday strongly objected to a chapter on judicial corruption in the NCERT's Class 8 curriculum, saying that nobody on earth will be allowed to defame the judiciary and taint its integrity. A three-judge bench comprising the CJI and justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi took suo motu cognizance of the "objectionable" statements about the judiciary in NCERT textbooks after senior advocate Kapil Sibal, alongside Abhishek Singhvi, mentioned the matter for urgent consideration. The NCERT (National Council of Educational Re- fp “I will not allow anyone on earth to taint the integrity of the institution and defame the institution. At any cost, I will not permit it. Howsoever high it may be, the law will take its course. I know how to deal with it," a visibly irked CJI said. ‘WE ARE VERY DISTURBED’ search and Training) social science textbooks for Class 8 say corruption, a massive backlog of cases, and the lack of an adequate number of judges are among the chal- MUMBAI Notification for RS poll issued Notification for the election to seven Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra was issued on Wednesday with polling scheduled for March 16. The last day for filing nominations is March 5, said Returning Officer Vilas Athawale who issued the notification. Members of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly vote in the election. The term of seven Rajya Sabha members from the state including NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar is expiring in April. Pawar has not yet made it clear whether he would seek another term. CHENNAI 200 passengers stuck onboard for 4 hours IndiGo passengers bound for Singapore suffered an ordeal at the airport here due to an unexplained delay on the departure of their flight, sources said. Some of the agitated passengers argued with the crew of the private aircraft. The incident that occurred on February 24, went viral on social media on Wednesday. T lenges faced by the judicial system A section titled "corruption in the judiciary" in the new textbooks states that judges are bound by a code of conduct that governs not only their behaviour in court, but also how they conduct themselves outside it. “I can assure you all that I am fully aware of this,” the CJI said, adding that he re- ceived various calls and messages and many high court judges were "perturbed". 4Continued on | P8 Stray cows off roads within 2 years, says minister WASHINGTON The US has announced steep new tariffs on solar cells and panels from India, Indonesia, and Laos in order to support domestic producers. In a statement on Tuesday, the US Commerce Department set preliminary duties on solar imports from companies in the three Asian nations. The countries have been accused of unfairly subsidizing local manufacturers, according to media. he NCERT has pulled a Class 8 textbook from its website after facing the Supreme Court's ire over a chapter talking about judicial corruption, with sources saying the government has not taken kindly to the inclusion of the controversial topic in the book. The council, responsible for school education curriculum, is also considering the removal of the controversial portions from the books already printed, sources said. Several schools in the national capital, however, said they had no directive yet about whether or not to teach the portions concerned. FPJ News Service MUMBAI the Knesset’s highest honour for strengthening bilateral ties. In a strongly worded address to the Knesset, Israel’s house of representatives, Modi reiterated India’s “consistent and uncompromising policy of zero tolerance for terrorism with no double standards”, while conveying condolences to families of those killed in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. PM Narendra Modi arrived in Israel on Wednesday to a redcarpet welcome that underscored the warmth and growing strategic depth between the two nations. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, personally received Modi at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, embracing him in a gesture that symbolised the close personal rapport between the two leaders. He then held a private meeting with Modi after the welcoming ceremony. It marks Modi’s second visit to Israel in nine years, his first since the 2017 trip that elevated bilateral ties to the level of a strategic partnership and opened new avenues of cooperation in defence, agriculture and water management. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 "We are very disturbed as members of this institution to find that children of Class 8 are being taught about corruption in the judiciary. It is part of the NCERT book. We have great stake in the institution… it (the chapter) is entirely scandalous. We have the copies of the book," Sibal said. Briefs US slaps steep duties on solar imports Netanyahu rolls out red carpet for PM NCERT pulls textbook from website Our Staff Reporter No separate fund for Cheetah food, BHOPAL Top court seeks details on cost, availability of NAT in hosps PTI NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought more details such as costs and availability of the facility to conduct Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing (NAT) in government hospitals across the country to detect Transfusion Transmissible Infections like HIV and hepatitis. The PIL sought an order to the Centre and the states to declare that the “Right to Safe Blood” is an intrinsic facet of the Right to Life under Article 21 of the Constitution Construction of Swamlambi Gaushala will be undertaken within two years, after which not even a single stray cattle will be seen on roads, said Animal Husbandry Minister Lakhan Patel in the state assembly on Wednesday. He was replying to a Call Attention Motion moved by Congress MLA Ajay Singh. Patel said under the Swamlambi Gaushala scheme, tenders have been completed for seven locations, with agreements expected within 10 days. Tenders have even been received from Australia and Dubai. At modern Gaushalas, stray cattle will be housed, with a minimum of 5,000 cattle per says CM Yadav 130 acres. Efforts will be made to ensure that at least half of the seven Gaushalas are completed by June, targeting cattle roaming on national and main highways. hief Minister Mohan Yadav said that no separate sum is allotted for cheetah food at the Kuno National Park, Sheopur. Meat is purchased from the amount allocated for various schemes meant for medical care and wild life management. In the financial year 2024-25, a sum of Rs 1,27,10,870 was spent on goat meat purchase. There are no fixed parameters on how many goats are provided to cheetahs in a day, as per need, goat meat is served (to cheetahs). 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Exam Turns Fatal: Class X student dies during board exam PAK PM WOULD HAVE C 4Continued on | P8 A Class X student died while appearing for her board examinations at an exam centre in Banmore police station area in Morena district on Tuesday. As per reports, the girl, Varsha Kushwaha, had travelled approximately 45 kilometers from her home in Chakunara village along with her brother to reach the exam centre. According to eyewitnesses, she appeared perfectly healthy while entering the exam centre. However, she started feeling uneasy and suddenly collapsed at her desk while submitting her answer sheet. The invigilators and the IANS WASHINGTON exam center staff acted swiftly and rushed her to the primary health centre as her condition deteriorated. US President Donald Trump has yet again reiterated his claim of "ending eight wars" and said that "35 million people said that the Prime Minister of Pakistan would have died" if it were not for his intervention during the recent Operation Sindoor launched by India against the terror infrastructure. Speaking at his State of the Union address at the White House on Tuesday (local time), Trump said, "First ten months, I ended eight wars, including Cambodia and Thailand, Pakistan and India, we would have been a nuclear war. 35 million people said the Prime Minister of Pakistan would have died if it were not for my involvement." 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 FP News Service MORENA A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi asked lawyer A Velan, appearing for PIL petitioner ‘Sarvesham Mangalam Foundation’, to provide details as to how much cost will be incurred in conducting NAT tests and whether the facility was available in government hospitals so that poor can also avail it. The foundation made the union ministry of Health and Family Welfare and all the states and UTs (union territories) as parties to the plea. DIED... : TRUMP Deceased student was identified as Varsha Kushwaha (FP PIC) Epstein ties Huge mistake: Gates says sorry PTI The Microsoft co-founder also admitted that he had two affairs with Russian women NEW YORK American tech entrepreneur Bill Gates has apologised to the staff at the Gates Foundation over his ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein but maintained that he did “nothing illicit,” according to a media report. The Microsoft co-founder also admitted that he had two affairs with Russian women and that he made mistakes that had cast a cloud over the philanthropic group while insisting he did- An image released by the US House Oversight Committee from the Epstein files in December last year n’t participate in Epstein’s crimes, The Wall Street Journal said in an exclusive report on Tuesday. Gates was among the scores of celebrities, politicians, leaders and tech entrepreneurs shown having connections with the sex offender as was evident in the tens of thousands of documents, including emails, 4Continued on | P8 FPJ News Service MUMBAI Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday declared that “terrorism anywhere threatens peace everywhere” as he addressed the Israeli Parliament, firmly backing Israel in its fight against terror while also endorsing the Gaza peace initiative as a pathway to a “just and durable peace” in the region. He was later conferred FAKE VIDEO USED TO ‘FLEECE’ INDORE FAMILY ‘Deepfake’ tech used for extortion Our Staff Reporter INDORE Probably in the first deepfake case in the state, cyber c r i m i na l s allegedly used a fake kidnapping video of a “missing” class X student to demand Rs 1 lakh from his family, the police said on Wednesday. THE CASE The class X student lives in the MIG area of the city. On February 2, he left home for coaching classes but did not return home. As hours passed, his anxious parents started looking for him. When they could not locate him, the family shared his photograph and phone number on social media, hoping for help. Later, they also lodged a missing complaint at the  MIG police station. On February 3, the parents received a video call from an un- India abstains in UN vote on immediate ceasefire between Ukraine & Russia PTI UNITED NATIONS India on Tuesday abstained in the UN General Assembly on a draft resolution that called for an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. The draft resolution, ‘Support for lasting peace in Ukraine,’ coming on the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion of its neighbour, was adopted by the 193-member UN General Assembly, with 107 nations voting in favour, 12 against and 51 abstentions. India was among the 51 member states abstaining from the resolution, introduced by Kyiv, along with Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, South Africa, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates and the United States. The resolution reiterated its call for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in line with international law, including the Charter of the United Nations. known number. The caller’s face was partly hidden and during the call, they saw a boy ( w h o looked like their son) appeared to be held captive, while the caller made stabbing gestures with a knife and threatened to kill him if money was not paid. Fearing for their child’s life, the parents paid Rs 1.02 lakh to the accused. TRUTH REVEALED  On February 4, when the boy contacted a friend and informed him about his whereabouts, his parents came to know that they were duped. The harassed family approached the crime branch.    Additional DCP (crime) Rajesh Dandotiya said a probe has been initiated on a complaint made through the cyber helpline 1930. 4Continued on | P8 ED attaches Anil Ambani’s ‘Abode’ worth Rs 3,716 crore PTI NEW DELHI The Enforcement Directorate attached Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani's Mumbai house, 'Abode', worth Rs 3,716 crore under the anti-money laundering law, official sources said on We d n e s day. The luxurious house, which is 66-metre high with 17 floors, is located in the Pali Hill area of Mumbai. A provisional order has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to attach the multi-storeyed house in the case linked to an alleged bank fraud by his group company Reliance Communications (RCOM), according to the sources. 4Continued on | P8 MP HC FLAGS MAFIA THREAT SEEKS BAR’S SUGGESTIONS TO PROTECT GOVT LAND Atul Gautam INDORE Madhya Pradesh High Court on Monday took serious note of the growing menace of land grabbing of government property and misuse of legal processes to legitimise such acts, while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) on the issue. A Division Bench comprising Justice Anand Pathak and Justice Anil Verma observed that the issue of encroachment on government land requires a comprehensive institutional and procedural response. During the hearing, courtappointed amicus curiae submitted a detailed concept note proposing a comprehensive institutional, procedural and technological framework to deal with land mafia activities. The Court recorded that the work done by the amicus curiae appeared to be “comprehensive”. The Bench directed the state government to examine The PIL, filed by Deepak Kumar and others, alleges systematic grabbing of government land and abuse of the judicial process to secure validation of illegal occupation existing policies and place on record all relevant notifications and litigation policies aimed at curbing unnecessary litigation in civil courts, particularly in cases involving government land. The HC emphasized the need for a coordinated policy approach to safeguard public property. Advocate Abhishek Singh Bhadoria, appearing in a connected writ petition, also undertook to submit a concept note in line with the Court’s discussion. 4Continued on | P8