journalism of courage - aws

DA ILY FROM: AHMEDABAD , CHAND IGARH , DELH I , JA IPUR , KOLKATA , LUCKNOW, MUMBAI , NAGPUR , PUNE , VADODARA

TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2022, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 20 PAGES `7.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMJOURNALISM OF COURAGE

SINCE 1932

New Delhi

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SINCE 1932

New Delhi

4 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,TUESDAY, JUNE28,2022

EEDDUUCCAATTIIOONN

I, KashyapAggarwal S/oPawanKumarAgarwal R/o 115, 2ndFloor, Pocket-9, Sector-24,Rohini, Delhi-110085havechangedmyname toKashyapAgarwal 40618286 -1

ClassifiedsPPEERRSSOONNAALL

PPEERRSSOONNAALL

IInnmy10th-classDocument,myname iswrittenasSheeluPanday&my fatherName iswrittenasDineshChandraPandaywhich is incorrect.Whereas, ourCorrect name isSheeluPandey&DineshChandraPandey. 0070792220-1

II,,ZZOORRIINNEENATHAN,W/oRAVINATHAN, R/o,E-296,Third-floor,Tagore-Garden,West-Delhi, Delhi-110027,declarethat nameofminehasbeenwrongly-writtenasZORANENATHAN inmyminor son’sSHAWNBRYANNATHANaged-17-years in his School-Records.Theactual-nameofmine isZORINENATHAN,whichmaybeamendedaccordingly.

0040620257-9

II,,YYOOGGEESSHHSHANDILIYA,S/ODINESHCHANDERSHARMA,ADD-598-F, KHAJOORIKHASEXTN,GALI.NO-17, DELHI-NORTHEAST-DELHI-110094.Changedmyname toYOGESHKUMARSHANDILIYA,permanently. 0040620256-7

II,,VViikkaassDabas s/oBaljeetR/o:H.NO-75,VillageRasool PurDelhi-110081,have changedmyname toVikasPermanently.

0040620256-9

II,,VVeeeennaaW/o-Manjeet KumarGambhir,R/o 91GroundFloorState-BankColony,GujranwalaColony,Delhi-110009, havechangedmyname toVeenaGambhir 0040620257-3

II,,SSuurraabbhhii Khera,W/oRohitKhera,R/o-216, Ground-Floor,Tagore-Park,G.T.B-Nagar,Delhi,HaveChangedMyNametoSurabhi SachdevKhera,forAll,FuturePurposes.

0040620256-5

II,,SSUUNNIILL,,SS//oo PUSHKARDUTTADD.FLAT.NO.GBG-054,NEWTOWNHEIGHTS,SECTOR-91,GURGAON,HARYANA-122505. Changedmyname toSUNILKUMAR,

0040620288-7

II,,SSUUNNIILLKUMAR,ADD.FLAT.NO.GBG-054,NEWTOWNHEIGHTS,SECTOR-91,GURGAON,HARYANA-122505,changedmyMINORsonnameYANKIT toYANKIT SHARMA. 0040620288-5

II,,SSUUNNIILL KUMAR,ADD.FLAT.NO.GBG-054,NEWTOWNHEIGHTS, SECTOR-91,GURGAON,HARYANA-122505, changedmyMinordaughter nameSRISHTI toSRISHTI SHARMA. 0040620288-6

II,,SSUULLEEKKHHAAKUSHWAH,W/OSURENDRASINGHKUSHWAH,R/o FLAT.NO.FF8, TOWER-4,PALAM-VALLEY, SECTOR-1,GREATER-NOIDAWEST,BISHRAKH,GAUTAM-BUDHNAGAR,U.P 201306,changedmyname to LAXMI. 0040620276-2

II,,RRppiittii Gupta,W/oRajanGupta,Add, Flat.no.35, Pocket.B-8,Sector-4, Rohini,NewDelhi-110085,changedmyname toPriti Gupta. 0040620288-8

II,,RReeeennaaKumari,W/oShravanKumar,R/o-FlatNo.303,SF,Plot.No.7, GyanKhand-2,Indirapuram,Gzb,havechangedmyname toRiyaSingh, forever. 0040620276-3

II,,RRaannjjaannMauryaW/o,No14622806NHAVAbhilashMauryaH.No .1061,KH-105/5/1,Gali.No-9 B-Block,BabaColony,Burari Delhi-84,have changedmyname,toRanjanaMauryavideaffidavit.27/6/2022before.Delhi 0040620288-2

II,,RRaakkhhiiw/oVikasR/O -H.NO -75VillageRasool PurDelhi-110081have changedmyname toRakhi RanaPermanently.

0040620256-10

II,,RRIIZZWWAANNAAKHATOON,W/OMd,FIROZR/O.178/A,J-EXTENSIONLAXMI-NAGARDELHI,HAVECHANGEDMYNAME,FROMRAIZWANAKHATOONTORIZWANAKHATOON,FORALL,FUTUREPURPOSES , 0040620288-9

II,,RRAAJJ KUMAR,S/OMADANLALAGARWAL, R/o.16/332,KALIBARI ROAD, SHEETLAGALI,AGRA, U.P-282003,changedmyname toRAJKUMARAGARWAL.

0040620276-1

II,,PPrriittii Chawla,D/oKrishanKumarChawlaW/o-TarunKukrejaR/o-H-42,Gali No.40,NewGobindpura, ChanderNagar,KrishnaNagarDelhi-110051,have changedmynametoPreetyKukreja,for allpurposes 0040620257-6

II,,PPoooojjaa BhatiaW/oSanjayVashdevBhatia R/oA-201A,Stellar KingsCourt F-32, Sector-50, Noida(U.P) havechangedmyname toPooja SanjayBhatia for all purposes.

0040620218-3

II,,PPAARRMMEEEETT SINGHPURIS/o.Sh.ARVINDERSINGH,R/o.14/40, Geeta-Colony, Delhi-110031,have changedmynametoPARMEETSINGH.

0040620256-1

II,,NNoo 14622806NHAVAbhilashMauryaH.No.1061,KH-105/5/1,Gali.No-9 B-Block,BabaColony,Burari Delhi-84,havechangedmyminor sonname,fromAmit KumarMaurya toAmit KumarMauryvide-affidavit. 27/6/2022before.Delhi

0040620288-3

II Sujeet YadvaS/oSriramYadvaS/O, SriramYadavR/oVill-Raipur Baghpur Post- Kelhi Ps-MardahDist - Ghazipur- 233226have changedmyname toSujeet YadavS/oSriramYadavfor all purposes.

0040620251-1

II,,NNoo 14622806NHAV AbhilashMauryaH.No.1061, KH-105/5/1,Gali.No-9,B-Block,BabaColony,Burari, Delhi-84,have changedmyminor daughter name,fromAmrutaMaurya toAmritaMauryavide-affidavit27/6/2022before.Delhi

0040620288-4

II,,NNeeeellaamm,,WW//ooRaju Sabbarwal,R/o-H.No.12-A,DDA-Flat,CommunityCenter,Mansarover Park, ShahdaraNorth EastDelhi-110032,havechangedmyname toNeelamSabbarwal, for all purposes.

0040620257-8

II,,NNaammeeeett Vaid S/o Jugal KishorVaidR/oB-710, PMOSociety,Sector-62, Noida(U.P) havechangedmyname toNamitVaid for all futurepurposes.

0040620218-1

II,,NNAAKKUULLKUMAR,S/ONARINDERKUMARR/O.A-308NAVINAPARTMENTSECTOR5,PLOT.NO.13,DWARKA,DELHI-110075,Have changedmynametoNAKULKAILEY. 0040620256-4

II,,MMaannjjeeeett Kumar,S/oDeshRajGambhir R/o-91Ground-FloorState-BankColony,GujranwalaColony,Delhi-110009, havechangedmyname toManjeetKumarGambhir 0040620257-2

II,,KKHHUUSSHHAANNTT S/o-MUKESHR/O-C-909,SANGAMVIHAR,SOUTHDELHI, DELHI-110062,havechangedmynameKHUSHALfor all futurepurpose.Bothnameare samepersons.

0040620276-6

II,,IInnddeerrpprreeeett KaurBajajW/oGurvinder SinghBajaj R/oWZ-622A, First Floor, Street-No.19,ShivNagar,NewDelhi-110058,have changedmynameto Inderpreet. 0040620276-5

II,,CChhiirrjjeeeevv SinghGujral,S/o.Satinder Singh,R/o.1/59,First-floor,Jangpura-Extn.Delhi-110014,have changedmyname toChirjeev Singh,for allpurposes. 0040620256-3

II,,CChhaayyaanniikkaaAroraThareja,W/OSukrit Thareja, bornon.17 Jan1986,R/OC-32, BhagwanDasNagar,East Punjabi Bagh,Delhi-110026,have changedmyname toChayanikaArora.

0040620276-4

II,,BBhhaavvaayyaaVaid S/o Jugal KishorVaidR/oB-710, PMOSociety,Sector-62, Noida(U.P) havechangedmyname toBhavyaVaid for all futurepurposes.

0040620218-2

II,,AAmmiittaa RaniW/oSureshKumarSapraR/oB-56, Sector-33,Noida(U.P) have changedmyname toAmita Sapra for allpurposes. 0040620218-4

II,,AANNKKIITT PRAMODKUMARMALIK,S/o-PRAMODKUMARSOMNATHMALIKR/o-A-2204,ATS-HACIENDASAHINSA-KHAND-1, INDIRAPURAMGHAZIABADUP-201014,Changedmyname toANKITMALIK. 0040620257-1

II,, Vikas Sharma, R/o 452, GroundFloor, Shakti Khand-4,Indirapuram,Ghaziabad, U.P.-201014, have changedmyminor son’s name fromRUDRASHARMAtoDHAIRYASHHARMA for all futurepurposes. 0070792207-1

II,, V. PREMPYARI,W/oRandhirTiwary, R/o FlatG4, Plot A3,Rampuri, Ghaziabad-201011,have changedmyname toPREMPYARI TIWARY.

0070792221-1

II,, SushmaChaukiyal, D/oRameshPrasadChaukiyal, R/oRZ-26P/66, Gali No.10, IndraPark, PalamColony, SouthWestDelhi-110045, havechangedmynameandshallhereafter be knownasSushmaMaithani. 0070792156-1

II,, Sonia,W/oTirlok Singh, R/oPocket-1, GurdwaraSri GuruKalgidhar Sabha, PaschimPuri,PaschimVihar,WestDelhi-110063, have changedmynametoMANPREETKAUR for allfuturepurposes. 0070792209-1

II,, SavinderNischal S/oShriMadanLalNischal R/o 7/228,GeetaColony, Delhi-110031haveChangedmyname toSavinderKumarNischal for allPurposes. 0040620294-1

II,, SatishKumarBagai S/oShyamSunderBagai R/o-H.No.2407,First-Floor, Basti-Punjabian,Subzi-Mandi, Ghanta-Ghar,Malka-Ganj, Delhi-110007,havechangedmy-name toSatishBagai. 0040620288-10

II,, Reeta, D/oKaranSinghandW/oManuj Prakash, R/oKusumViharColony, KotwaliRoad,Najibabad, Bijnor, UttarPradesh- 246763, have changedmyname toReetaBhuiyar.

0070792183-1

II,, RajneeshKumawat, S/oMSKumawatR/oM684GF,M2KSymphony, Sec.-51GurugramHR-122018, have changedmyname toRajnishKumawat forall purpose 0040620222-1

II,, R SYadav, S/oBalbir SinghYadav, R/o 408/5AO,Gali N-30,Nai Basti AnandParwat, AnandParwat, Central Delhi- 110005,have changedmynameandshall hereafter be knownasRajbir Yadav. 0070792132-1

II,, Pankhuri VohraW/oMr. VishalVohraR/oB1A/84-C, DDAFlats,Janakpuri, NewDelhi-85. Aftermarriage I have changedmyname fromPankhuri Yadav toPankhuri Vohra for all futureporposes. 0040620257-10

I,SIDDARTHSHANDILIYA, S/O.YOGESHKUMARSHANDILIYA,ADD-598-F, KHAJOORI KHASEXTN,GALI.NO-17,DELHI-NORTHEAST,DELHI-110094,changedmyname toSIDDHARTHSHANDILIYA,permanently. 0040620256-8

II,, AryanGoel S/oRajni Goel, R/o-P-12, 3rd-FloorVijayVihar,UttamNagar, Delhi-110059,have changedmyname toAryanPermanently.

0040620249-1

II,,MohammadAnas, S/o LateImtiazAhmad, R/o-404,DoctorsAparment, JasolaVihar, N.Delhi-110025, havechangedmyname toMohdAnas. 0070792214-1

II,,Manish, S/oDeviramTanwar,R/oDB-192, ShivColony, NearSweetAngel School, Palwal,Haryana-121102, have changedmynameandshall hereafterbe knownasMandevSinghTanwar. 0070792126-1

II,, KantaBhatia,W/o ChandraPrakashBhatia, R/o 120/500D,LajpatNagar, Uttar Pradesh-208005, have changedmynameandshall hereafter be knownasChandraKantaBhatia.

0070792133-1

II,, Kajal Rousha, D/oSarwanRousha, R/oSarakPur, GautamBuddhaNagar, Bilaspur, UttarPradesh - 203131, that nameofmine,my father andmymotherhasbeenwronglywrittenasKajal, SarvanKumar andSarlarespectively inmy10thClassSchool Certificate andMarksheet. Theactual nameofmine,my father andmymotheris Kajal Rousha, SarwanRoushaandSunitaDevirespectively. 0070792178-1

II,, sakir, S/onawab,Address-tehsil nuhdistmewatferozepur namak (156)gurgaonharyana-122107,changedmyname to sakirHussain. 0040620298-2

II,,AASSIISSHHKUMARGHOSH,S/O.MANORANJANGHOSH,R/O.H.NO-281, UNITEDAPTS,PLOT-34,SEC-4,DWARKA,NEW-DELHI-110078 ,HAVECHANGEDMYNAMETOASHISHGHOSH,FORALL,FUTUREPURPOSE. 0040620257-4

II,, KMNameeraaliasNameera,D/oMohdAteek, R/oDr. JummaKiGali, Asalatpura, Near BadiMasjid,Moradabad, UttarPradesh-244001, have changedmyname toAyesha.

0070792188-1

II,, HarshaTulsani, D/oGopal DasandW/oHemant Tulsani, R/oA-5/4, GroundFloor, Rohini Sec-16, NorthWestDelhi- 110089,have changedmyname toHarshaSetiya. 0070792185-1

II,, HarshaTulsani, D/oGopal DasandW/oHemant Tulsani, R/oA-5/4, GroundFloor, Rohini Sec-16, NorthWestDelhi- 110089,have changedmyname toHarshaSetiya. 0070792185-1

II,, ChandramohanSingh, S/oGirishNandanSingh, R/oA-715,JalvayuTowers, Sector-47,Noida, GautamBudhNagar,Uttar Pradesh-201304. I havechanged thenameofmyminorDaughter ShreyaChandramoahnSinghagedabout 15 years andShe shallhereafter be knownasShreyaSingh. 0070792153-1

II,, Chander PrabhaW/OShri AjayVermaH.No 197/B-87, GuruNanakPura, LaxmiNagar,Delhi-110092, have changedmyname toPrabhaVerma.

0040620258-1

II,, Brij bala chadha,W/o-kawalkishor chadha, Address-8,paschimenclavepachim-viharsunder-vihar delhi-110087.Changedmyname tobalachadha. 0040620298-1

II,, Anil Kumar, R/OE-86, GroundFloor, Saket, NewDelhi-110017have changed thenameofmyminor daughterMyra toMyraChaudhary videaffidavit dated23rd June 2022 swornbeforenotary SushmaGupta, Delhi.

0040620219-1

II,, AjayGangwani S/oGurcharanSinghR/o F-171, PrashantVihar, Delhi-110085, havechangedmyname toAjayKumar, for all futurepurposes.

0040620209-1

II,, AasthaNarula Lochab,W/oNeeraj Kumar,R/o-248-249, 1stFloor, Pocket-26,sector-24,Rohini, Delhi-110085,havechangedmyname toAasthaNarula 0040620288-1

II hitherto knownasNarinderKumaraliasNarenderKumaraliasNarenderKumarVermaS/oMulkhRaj residingatD-6/83rd floor RanaPratapBaghDelhi-110007 employedasPharmacist inHealth andFamilyWelfareDepartmentGOVTofNCTofDelhi havechangedmynameandshallhereafter beknownasNarenderKumarVerma. It iscertified that I have compliedwith other legal requirementsin this Connection.

0040620258-2

II hitherto knownasHari ChandS/oShri Nanda, R/oVishunpur,Ghaghasara, Sahjanwa,Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh-273209, presently atDelhi havechangedmynameandshallhereafter be knownasHARISHCHANDRA. 0040620238-1

II VeenaRani W/oShri DiwanChandNarangR/oE-16/386-374-375, Sector-8, Rohini, NewDelhi-110085havechanged myname toVeenaKumari for allfuturepurposes. 0040620220-1

II SuranderKumarBhardwaj S/O,Sh. Jai NarayanBhardwaj R/oWz- 347CNangal Raya JailRoadNewDelhi 110046havechangedmyname toSurenderKumarBhardwaj for allpurposes.

0040620282-1

II SangeetaSharmaW/O, Sh.SurenderKumarBhardwaj R/oWz- 347CNangal Raya JailRoadNewDelhi 110046havechangedmyname toAnuradhaBhardwaj for all purposes.

0040620281-1

I,KAMERAALAM S/O.MUJI BULREHMAN ADD-17B/268,PATHARWALABAGHWAZIRPURJ.J.COLONYASHOK-VIHARNORTH-WESTDELHI-110052.Changedmyname toKAMAREALAM. Permanently.

0040620256-6

II SairoBanoW/oZafiruddinR/oH.No.T-257, IdgahRoad, SherKaPinjara, Delhi-110006 havechangedmyname toSairaBano for all purposes.

0040620213-1

II Anil SaroopBammiS/O, BaldevSarupBammiR/oHNo-c-1a/17-c , JanakpuriWestDelhi-110058 have changedmynametoAnil SarupBammi for allpurposes. 0040620280-1

I,ShashankS/o-ParveenR/oWard.no.8, Punjabi-Colony,Julana,Jind,Haryana-126101,have changedmyname toShashankBansal.

0040620257-7

I,KARAMBIRCHAHAL,S/O.RAHISHSINGHCHAHALADD-D-46B,2ND-FLOORSINGLESTOREYVIJAY-NAGAR,DELHI-110009, Changedmyname toKARAMVIRCHAHAL,forall,futurePurposes.

0040620257-5

I,FirojaD/o-MohammadFarukh,R/oB-128,SahegalBuildingRing-Road,NearMasjid,Kilokari,NewDelhi-110014,have changedmynameto Firoza 0040620256-2

PPUUBBLLIICCNNOOTTIICCEE

LLOOSSTT&&FFOOUUNNDDII Nikhil KhuranaS/oSh. RameshKhuranaR/o 14/72, GeetaColony, Delhi-110031have lostmyOriginal Agreement to Sell&PurchaseandGPAetc.executedon 05.11.2018 byParmodKumar in favour ofNikhil KhuranaW.R.T SecondFloor of PropertyNo.13/307,GeetaColony, Delhi-110031.Findersmaycontact at aboveaddress. 0040620213-2

II,, AchintGoyal have lostmyForm-38bearingNo.-1205949,issuedbyCommercial TaxDepartmentUP, and recordsofsale purchaseof FY 16-17 ofTin. No 09288829437, Add:-62/2/8 Site-4 Industrial Area,SahibabadGhaziabad, FinderContact-9873006037.

0070792217-1

II,, Chanchal Rani D/o Late Sh.ChimanLalNarangR/o 244, 3rdFloor, HakikatNagar,KingswayCamp,Delhi-110009have lostmypropertydocument no. 13188 in addl.BookNo-I VolumeNo-2069regdon 15.11.2008 in theofficeof Sub-registrarVI-A, PitamPura, Delhi. If foundcontact-9711969919 0040620213-3

II,,PPrreemmLataBammiW/o-LateBaldevBammi, Have LostPowerOfAttorney&AllOriginals Property PapersOfPropertyNo:A4C/31,Janakpuri, NewDelhi-58,FinderContact:9811088672.

0040620276-10

MMyyoriginal documentrelinquishmentdeed,document registrationno.11735 inbook.no.1vol.no.4655 onpage 139 to 141on this date-26/11/2012 ofproperty no.313/105G,TULSINAGAR,NEARINDERLOK,DELHI-110035, hasbeen lost.Finder contact:MurtiDevi SharmaW/o,lateSh.Ramjilal SharmaMobile-No.9911961171. 0040620288-13

IInnddiiaann EconomyForUPSCPCSin Layman’s term+syllabus-orientedmode.Online 50hours Starts 1st July Fee-1000(Wtsapp 9718622902)

0050199559-1

33bhkDuplex flat, gr. noida,Living roomdouble heightadvantage. Balcony& terracefor enclosureutilisation. arca1485 Sq.ft 9422046695,9850500592 0040620215-

PPRROOPPEERRTTYYFFOORR SSAALLEE

PUBLIC NOTICEThis is to inform the general publicthat my clients Manu Aggarwal S/olate K.C. Aggarwal and Smt. CharuAggarwal W/o Shri Manu Aggarwal,both R/o D-63, Sector-52, Noida,U.P.-201301 have entered into anAgreement to Sell for purchase ofresidential flat No. F-406, on thefourth floor in Tower-F, at GrandAjnara Heritage, built on plot No.GH-01/B, Sector-74, Noida, U.P.from the owners namely Shri AjayVerma S/o Late Shri Dhruva KrishnaVerma and Shri Shreyas Verma S/oShri Ajay Verma, both permanentresident of 5/865, Vikram Khnad-5,Gomti Nagar, Lucknow, U.P. andpart consideration has already beenpaid by my clients to the said ownersat the time of entering into the saidagrrement to sell for purchase of thesaid flat. That my clients are thebonafide purchasers of the aforesaidflat form the vendors Shri AjayVerma and Shri Shreyas Verma andfor the said purpose, the necessarytitle documents shall be executedand got registered alongwithpayment of the balance saleconsideration amount. The saidprocess for transfer of the said flat infavour of my clients shall take about10 days and during the said period,if any person has any kind ofobjection, he/she/they may give thesaid objections to me within a periodof 7 days.

Sd/-VINAY GUPTA

AdvocateE. No. D-374/88

827, GALI KUNDEWALAN,AJMERI GATE, DELHI-110006

PUBLIC NOTICEIt is informed to the Public at large that myclients Sh. O.P. Sharma and his wife Mrs.Laxmi Sharma r/o H.No. 398, PoliceColony, Ashok Vihar, Phase-I, Delhi-110052, hereby Disown their son namelyMr. Yashasvi Mudgal and his wife Ms.Meenakshi both R/o C-7, 83A,Keshavpuram, Delhi, who got married on20.04.2019 and living separately sincetheir marriage, with immediate effect, fromall of their movable and immovableproperties, as their behavior has becomeout of control, rude, unbearable andthreatening. My clients further severed alltheir relations with them for all purposeswith immediate effect. Any person/s whodeals with them will do so at his/her owncosts, risks and consequences.

Sd/-(Vikas K. Bharti)

AdvocateChamber No. 207, Lawyer's Chamber

Block, Rohini Courts, Delhi-110085

PUBLIC NOTICEMy clients Sh. Ravinder Kumar S/o LateLajpat Rai and his wife Smt. Prem Mehtaboth R/o C-16AB, Second Floor, SingleStory, Vijay Nagar, Delhi-110009 and theirfamily has severed their relations from theirSon Sh. Gaurav Mehta and his wife Smt.Dhara Mehta, from today and disowned/disinherited/ debarred them from inheritingfrom all their movable and immovableproperties for all purposes in future, asrelations, attitude and behavior of theirdaughter in law Dhara Mehta with my clientsis not good and torturous and they becamedisobedient, disloyal and out of control of myclients, if any person deals with both of themshall be doing so at his/her own risk andresponsibilities and my clients shall not beresponsible for the same.

SARIKA JAIN AdvocateEnrl. No. D/222/2010

Chamber: 307, Lawyers Chamber,Rohini Distt. Courts, Delhi.

PUBLIC NOTICEPublic at Large is herebycautioned that my clients 1)Colonel Prem Solanki, 2)Brigadier Raj Singh Solankisons of Late Sh. Badlu Ram &3) Ms. Renu Solanki W/o LateBrigadier Anand Solanki all ofVillage Nasirpur, Delhi nowC/o 728, Sector-23A,Gurgaon-122017, Haryanaare the exclusive owners ofthe land bearing Khasra No.446 Min. Khatoni 115, 114 and113 of Village Nasirpur, Delhito the extent of one Acre each.No one including PardeepSolanki, Sanjeev Solanki bothsons of Late Sh. Dharamvir,J.V. Rana and Rohit Khuranahave any kind of right, title andinterest in the said propertiesof my clients. Variouslitigations including CS (OS)No. 334/2017 and CS (OS)no. 299/2017 are pendingbefore the Hon’ble High Courtof Delhi and also Civil Suitsbearing CS No.412/2018, No.413/2018 and No. 414/2018,pending before the DistrictCourts at Dwarka, New Delhi.Further in one of theproceedings, a partitiondecree has already beenpassed in favour of my clientsand also in one of theproceedings; the Hon’ble HighCourt of Delhi at New Delhihas been pleased to grantstatus quo order. The abovementioned persons claim righton basis of GPA of my clientswhich is fake and forged. Theoffice of Sub-Registrar hasconfirmed through RTI that nosuch registration took in theiroffice. Also, on alleged day ofexecution of alleged forgedGPA, my clients Brigadier RajSingh Solanki and BrigadierAnand Solanki were not evenpresent at Delhi as they wereat active Duty at Bangalorewhich fact is even confirmedthrough Indian ArmyCertification. Hence theprojected claim by the abovestated persons is an act offorgery for which my clientshas even launched CriminalComplaints bearing No.31096/2018, No. 31093/2018and No. 31100/2018 beforethe Ld. MM, Dwarka Courts,Delhi. The Ld. M.M. haspleased to pass directions forregistration of the FIR andnow the revision proceedingsare pending before theSessions Judge, DwarkaCourts, New Delhi. In thesecircumstances, my clients areprosecuting their rights beforethe appropriate adjudicatingauthorities as well as Hon’bleHigh Court. They have notgiven any right, authority,attorney or license to deal withtheir properties to anyone. Ithas come to knowledge of myclients that the abovementioned persons aresuppressing the real facts andtrying to create third partyinterest against the order ofthe Hon’ble High Court ofDelhi. It has also beeninformed that the abovementioned persons arecarrying out illegalconstruction and planning tosell the portions of theproperty to innocent publicunauthorizedly. Hence myclients by way of this presentPublic Notice is cautioning thepublic at large to not to dealwith respect to the abovementioned properties of myclients. Anyone doing so shalldo at his own risks, costs andperil and my clients would notbe liable of responsible for anysuch transaction in anymanner whatsoever. It is alsoclarified that my clients havenot settled any disputewhatsoever with any of theabove mentioned persons anddisputes are still pending. Ifanyone of the above saidpeople deals on the pretext ofsettlement with my clients, heis making a false statement.

Sd/-GAURAV GAUR

AdvocateEn. No. D/2340/2007

Resi-cum-Off. M-161,1st Floor,

M-Block, Vikash Puri,New Delhi-110018

PUBLIC NOTICEPublic at large is hereby informed that myclient Smt. Indu Sharma W/o Late Sh. HariKrishan Sharma R/o A 1/4, Ground Floor,Chacchi Building, Krishna Nagar, Delhi-110051 has severed her relations with herson Mayur Sharma and his wife Smt. MeenalSharma & their son Rudransh; and my clien'thas disowned & debarred all of them from herall the moveable and immoveable propertiesdue to cruel and disrespectful behavior of thesaid Mayur Sharma and his wife Smt. MeenalSharma towards my client. Any persondealing with them shall be doing so at his ownrisk, and my client shall not be responsible fortheir any acts, deeds and things.

Sd/-VISHNU SHARMA

AdvocateChamber No. X-15, Civil Wing,

Tis Hazari Courts, Delhi-110054

PUBLIC NOTICEThis is to inform public at large that myclient Amit Gosain s/o Hargovind Gosainand his wife Shivani Gosain R/o H.No.145Street no 5, new Lahore colony, shastrinagar, Gandhi nagar S.O., East Delhi,Delhi 110031 have cut of their familyrelations and have disowned their elderson named Raghav Gosain s/o AmitGosain aged 16 years from their movable/ immovable properties due to hisdisobedient, Bad Society and bad socialactivities and my clients were not / are not/ shall not be responsible for any act of ShRaghav Gosain in any manner in future.Also not liable for any financial, Civil andCriminal activity done by Raghav Gosain.

SHWETA GARG, ADVOCATED/898/2007

Chamber: B-101, B.G.S. Block,Tis Hazari, Delhi-110052

248 CIVIL WING, Tis Hazari, Delhi

PUBLIC NOTICEI Ramesh Sahni s/o Hem Raj &Madhu Sahni w/o Sh. RameshSahni R/o 2/5, First Floor,Punjabi Bagh East, New Delhi-110026 have lost my Originalcomplete set of Sale Deed ofabove said property bearingno.2, first floor, road no 5, EastPunjabi Bagh, New Delhi-110026, registered videRegistration no.3065, Addl.Book no.1, Volume no.6786,Page 80-90, dated 19.4.95 infavour of Sh Ramesh Sahni &Smt Madhu Sahni. Finders maycontact at above address.Mobile no-9873644041,9811744041

PUBLIC NOTICEBe it known to the general public at large onbehalf of my client Smt Chandra D/o MojiRam R/o House No.-692/693, Second Floor,Gurudwara Road, West Guru Angad Nagar,Delhi-110092, hereby severed all herrelations with her son and two daughters andtheir families namely 1. (Son) Shri Manish S/oSmt. Chandra, her daughter-in-law Smt.Kumkum Kumari & her Grand-Son PiyushKumar. all R/o House No.-692/693, SecondFloor, Gurudwara Road, West Guru AngadNagar, Delhi-110092. 2. (Daughter) Smt.Madhvi W/o Shri Prem Kumar, her son-in-lawPrem Kumar, her Grand-son Ankit, her grand-daughters Neha & Deepa all R/o H.No-110,Kishan Kunj, Laxmi Nagar, Delhi-110092. 3.(Daughter) Smt. Amita Agarwal W/o ShriAnoop Agarwal, her son-in-law Shri AnoopAgarwal & her grand-son Aadarsh Agarwal.,all living in Calcutta. My client have disownedand debarred all of them and their familymembers from her all immovable andmovable properties and her life due to theirrude behavior towards my client. Anybodydeals with them do the same at their ownrisks and responsibilities, as my client shallnot held responsible for their any act oromission in future.

Sd/-DEEPAK RAJ

Advocate(M) 9811360370

PUBLIC NOTICEGeneral public is hereby informed thatmy client Sh. Ravi Gakhar, S/o Sh.Ramesh Lal Gakhar, R/o C-27, RajouriGarden, New Delhi-110027, has lost hisdocuments i.e., Cheques, Per notes, BillBooks, Aadhar Card, PAN Card. Ifanyone finds these documents andattempts to misuse these documents,than the person shall be liable forcriminal action.

Sd/SANJAY AGARWAL

ADVOCATEE.No D/867/90 CH. No 575,

WESTERN WING DISTT. & SESSIONSCOURTS TIS HAZARI,

DELHI-54 (INDIA)

PUBLIC NOTICEIt is for the information of general publicthat my clients Sh. Satya Prakash, S/o JaiPrakash and his wife Sunita Gupta bothR/o H. No. D/1090, Gali No. 8, AshokNagar, Nand Nagri Delhi 110093 hasdebar and disowned his son namelyRahul Gupta and his wife, from all hismoveable and immoveable propertiesand severed all his relations with him due.to their misconduct and misbehavior. Myclients shall not be responsible in futurefor any acts and deeds of his disownedson and his wife.

Sd/-(ANAND MOHAN)

ADVOCATEEnrol. No. D-3629/2010

Ch. No. K-1C, Opp. Police Lock-UpTis Hazari Court, Delhi-110054

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New Delhi

WHILETHESChasgrantedinterimrelief to theSenarebelMLAs, it isnotclearwhathappensnextontheground. If a floor test iscalledbeforethenextcourthearing, it couldtriggeran-otherchainof events.

EXPLAINED, PAGE 16

Nextstepsunclear

BUSINESS AS USUAL

BYUNNY



SINCE 1932

Moving key riot trialsout to indicting state:What Supreme Courtonce said and did

GUJARAT2002CASES

Atonestage, topcourtevenexpungedGujaratHCremarksagainstTeesta

LEENAMISRA&SOHINIGHOSHAHMEDABAD, JUNE27

DISMISSINGTHEappealbyZakiaJafri,wifeofformerCongressMPAhsan Jafri whowas killed dur-ingthe2002Gujaratriots,againstthe Special Investigation Teamcleanchit to thenChiefMinisterNarendraModi and others overallegations of conspiracy in theriots, the Supreme Court, in itsjudgment three days ago, re-ferredtoproceedingsbeingpur-suedto“keepthepotboiling,ob-viously, for ulterior design” andsaid “all those involved in suchabuse of process, need to be inthedock andproceededwith inaccordancewith law”.The bench of Justices A M

Khanwilkar,DineshMaheshwari

and C T Ravikumar underlinedthat “materials collectedduringtheinvestigationdonotgiveriseto strong or grave suspicion re-gardinghatchingof largercrim-inal conspiracy at the highestlevel for causingmass violenceacross the State against themi-noritycommunityandmoreso,indicating involvement of thenamed offenders and theirmeeting ofminds at some levelin that regard”.YetitwastheSupremeCourt

which,throughhearingsandor-ders over the years, called for“fairandimpartialinvestigation”intotheriotscases.Twocases—of the Best Bakery and BilkisBano — were moved out ofGujarat toMaharashtra.At one point, the top court

even expunged remarks of theCONTINUEDONPAGE6

Clampdown & unclear policy, cryptoexchange founders leaving IndiaPRANAVMUKULNEWDELHI, JUNE27

MULTIPLEINDIANentrepreneursand developers in theWeb 3.0spacearemovingoutofthecoun-try in a bid to shift base tomorecrypto-friendlydestinations.The co-founders of India's

largestcryptocurrencyexchangeWazirX, Nischal Shetty andSiddharthMenon, havemoved

to Dubai with their families.Polygon co-founder SandeepNailwalisalsoamongthosewhohaverelocatedtoDubaioverthelasttwoyears.Thisisinadditiontoanearlierroundofdepartures.ZebPay and Vauld shifted toSingapore; CoinDCX nowhas aSingaporearm.This comes amid a progres-

sive clamping down on cryp-tocurrencies, includingactionbyenforcement agencies against

some platforms, new rules andregulatory tweaks being issuedeveryfewweeksevenasthereislack of clarity on policy in thelonger run.Meanwhile, the UAE and

Singapore are among those ac-tivelypromotingtheecosystem,offering policy certainty to in-vestorsand incentives toattractand foster talent pools.According to industry insiders,

CONTINUEDONPAGE6

GOVT&POLITICS

SANGRURLOSS:SGPCWANTSAKALIDALLEADERSTORESIGNPAGE12

16REBELMLAsCANREPLYTODISQUALIFICATIONNOTICEBYJULY12

Tolditcan’t interveneinHousematter,benchsaysjudicialreviewnotbarred

ANANTHAKRISHNANGNEWDELHI, JUNE27

SHIVSENArebelMLAs,whohadbeen asked by MaharashtraDeputy Speaker Narhari Zirwalto reply byMonday evening tonotices on pleas seeking theirdisqualification from theAssembly, got interim reliefwhen the Supreme Court saidthey had time until 5.30 pmonJuly12 tosendtheir replies.

The vacation bench ofJustices SuryaKant and Justice JBPardiwalawhichissuednoticeon twopetitions—one by Senarebel leader Eknath Shinde andanotherby15MLAsofhisfactionwhohadbeenserveddisqualifi-cation notices— fixed July 11 asthenextdateof hearing.“In themeanwhile, as an in-

terimmeasure,thetimegrantedby Deputy Speaker to petition-ers or other similarly placed

CONTINUEDONPAGE6

SAGARRAJPUT&VALLABHOZARKARMUMBAI, JUNE27

THEENFORCEMENTDirectorate(ED) has summoned Shiv SenaMPandspokespersonSanjayRautonTuesday in connectionwithacaseofallegedmoneylaunderinglinked to a redevelopmentproj-ectinMumbai’ssuburbs.Thecallcomesatatimewhen

Raut is trying to rally the Sena’sMLAsandworkersbehindChiefMinisterUddhav Thackeray in abid to overcome an internal re-volt led by rebel leader EknathShindewhohasclaimedthesup-portof39oftheparty’s55MLAs.

CONTINUEDONPAGE6

ED summons Sanjay Raut,he calls it ‘conspiracy’

REBELMINISTERSLOSEPORTFOLIOSPAGE12

AltNews’ MohammedZubair held by DelhiPolice for 2018 tweetMAHENDERSINGHMANRALNEWDELHI, JUNE27

A CYBER unit of Delhi Police onMonday arrestedMohammedZubair, the co-founder of fact-checking website AltNews, oncharges of allegedly hurting re-ligious sentiments following acomplaintbyasocialmediauserwho referred to a tweet from2018.The police said they filed an

FIRagainstZubairinconnectionwith the complaint under IPCsections 153-A (promoting en-mity betweendifferent groups)and 295-A (malicious acts, in-

tendedtooutragereligiousfeel-ings). They said he has been re-manded in police custody for aday and will be produced incourt for bail hearing afterTuesday.Police sources said the com-

plainant in the case uses theTwitter nameHanuman Bhakt,withanimageofLordHanumanastheprofilephoto.OnMonday

CONTINUEDONPAGE6

SHUBHAJITROYNEWDELHI, JUNE27

INDIA,ALONGwithG7countriesand four invited countries,Monday signed the ‘2022Resilient DemocraciesStatement’ inwhich they com-mittedto“guardingthefreedom,independence and diversity ofcivilsocietyactors”and“protect-ing the freedom of expressionandopiniononlineandoffline”.A four-page statement, after

PrimeMinister NarendraModiparticipated in the G-7 summitin Germany, said, “We, theLeaders of Germany, Argentina,Canada,France,India,Indonesia,Italy,Japan,Senegal,SouthAfrica,

CONTINUEDONPAGE6

PMNarendraModi,USPresident JoeBiden,Canada’sPMJustinTrudeauat theG7meetingatSchlossElmauCastle,Germany,on Monday.PTI RELATEDREPORT,PAGE13

Heldonchargeofhurtingreligioussentiments

India joins G7, 4 others to protectfree speech, ‘online and offline’

WORLD

NATOTOBOOSTRAPIDREACTIONFORCE,UKRAINEMILITARYSUPPORTPAGE18

SCgrants relief to Sena rebels, asks ifDySpeaker candecide onown removal

New Delhi

EXPRESSNETWORK6 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,TUESDAY, JUNE28,2022

Sena rebelsMLAstosubmittheirwrittensub-missionstodayby5.30pmbeex-tendedtillJuly12,2022,5.30pm,”thebenchdirected.TakingnoteoftherebelMLAs’

submission that their life andpropertywereunder threat, thebenchrecordedthestatementoftheMaharashtra standing coun-sel that “adequate stepshave al-ready been taken and the stategovernmentshall furtherensurethatnoharmiscausedtothelife,liberty and property of the 39MLAsortheirfamilymembers”.Itdirectedthatacounter-affi-

davitbefiledbytherespondentswithin five days and that theMLAs could file rejoinder affi-davits,ifany,withinthenextthreedays. It also sought a counter-af-fidavit after theMLAs and theDeputySpeakersoughttocontra-dict each other on the noticeclaimed tohave been servedbythedissidentMLAs, seekingdis-qualification of the DeputySpeaker.The Deputy Speaker con-

tended that thenoticewas sentfromanunregistered email andwasnottakenonrecordasitsgen-uinenesswasindoubt.Thebenchwonderedwhat steps hadbeentaken to check its genuinenessand directed that the develop-ments in this be explained in anaffidavit.SeniorAdvocatesAMSinghvi

andDevduttKamat,appearingfortheDeputySpeakerandotherre-spondents,opposedtheprayerforinterimorders, sayingdisqualifi-cations proceedings bySpeaker/Deputy Speakerwereproceedings of the House andcourtscannotintervene.But the bench referred to a

SupremeCourtrulingwhichsaidajudicialreviewisnotbarred.Atonepoint, thebenchwon-

derediftheDeputySpeakerhim-selfcoulddecideonthenoticeforhisremoval.AppearingfortherebelMLAs,

Senior AdvocateNeeraj KishanKaul referred to the 2016Constitution Bench ruling inNabamRebiavsDeputySpeaker,Arunachal PradeshAssembly toargue that Speaker/DeputySpeaker of anAssembly cannotdecide on disqualification ofMLAswhileamotionforhisorherremovalispending.It “categorically says that till

the issue of removal of theSpeakerortheDeputySpeakerisdecided,tillthentheSpeakerwillnot proceedwith thedisqualifi-cationorconsiderationofthedis-qualificationof anyof themem-bers.”Pointingout that the rebelMLAs had served notice for re-moval of theDeputySpeaker onJune25,evenbeforethedisqual-ification noticeswere issued tothem on June 25, Kaul asked“HowcantheDeputySpeakeratallproceedwiththematterwhena Constitution Bench of the SCsays thatwhenhis own issue ofremoval is not decided, till thenhecannotproceedwithdisqual-ification?”.When the bench askedwhy

can’tthesequestionsberaisedbe-foretheDeputySpeakerhimself,KaulsaidtheSupremeCourtsayshecannotdealwithitatall.To a specific query from the

bench onwhy theyhadnot ap-proached theHighCourt underArticle 226 of the Constitution,Kaul referred thebench to state-ments by Shiv Sena leaders likeSanjayRaut and said the atmos-phereinMumbaiisnotconduciveto their pursuing legal remediesthere.PointingoutthattheShindecampwith39MLAswasthema-jority Shiv Sena, Kaul said “ami-nority of a legislature party to-day… is actually subverting theentire state machinery. Ourhousesarebeingburnt,wearebe-ing physically threatened… apartyspokespersonsays40bod-ieswillarrive fromGauhati, theywillbeslaughteredlikebullsandyouwait and seewhatwill hap-pen in days to come, how they

willbetreated”.“Theatmosphereandtheen-

vironment isnotatallconduciveforus to legitimatelypursueourlegal and constitutional rights inBombayatthemomentbecausethat is the kind of atmospherewhichhasbeenvilified…”hesaid.Singhvi, appearing for Shiv

SenalegislaturepartyleaderAjayChaudhari and chiefwhip SunilPrabhu, said the NabamRebiajudgmentis“inapplicable”totheMaharashtra situation and hasbeen“wronglyinterpretedtothecourt”bythepetitioners.Hesaidtheissuesraisedinthe

petition could verywell be de-cided by the High Court too.Leapfrogging, he said, is allowedbytheSupremeCourtbutonlyinrarecases,andjustbecausesome-thing has been coming in thepressor justbecause ithassomeamountofpubliclifeinit, itisnotareasontoleapfrog.Thepetition-ers, he said, hadgivenno reasonwhytheyshouldnotbeaskedtomovetheHighCourt.“Not one single case in India,

barringtheRajasthanHighCourtinterimorder,whichispendinginthe SC, in no case has yourLordships interdicted or actedwhiletheSpeakerisseizedofthematter,”Singhvisaid.Hepointedto the SC’s February1992 rulinginKihotoHollohan vs Zachillhuand Others to contend that noproceedingswouldliebeforeanycourt on the actions of theSpeakeruntilheorshedecidesanissuebeforethemfinally.Justice SuryaKant sought to

know if Kihotowas also a casewheretheSpeaker’sverycontin-uation or removalwas in ques-tion.No, replied Singhvi, addingthat there was no judgmentwhichhadthatissueuntilNabamRebiawhichhowever “is consis-tentwithKihotoHollohanthatlettheSpeakerdecideevenwrongly”andtheSC“willtheninterfereonafinalorder”.The court wondered if the

DeputySpeakerhimselfcouldde-cideonthenoticeforhisremoval.“Absolutely,hecandecidetheva-lidity of the notice,” repliedSinghvi. The bench said if theDeputySpeaker is claiming thatno notice for his removal wasserved,itwillhavetocallforanaf-fidavitoftheprescribedauthority.

Sanjay RautTaking toTwitter and speak-

ing to reporters later, Raut de-scribed theED'smoveasa “con-spiracy”,saidhewouldnotbeabletoreachitsofficeonTuesday,anddaredtheagencytoarresthim.Thecasepertainstoallegedir-

regularitiesintheredevelopmentof Patra Chawl by Guru AshishConstructionPvtLtd,asubsidiaryof Housing Development andInfrastructure Ltd (HDIL),whichhasbeenunderthescannerofin-vestigating agencies in connec-tionwiththeRs4,300-crorefraudatPMCBank. InFebruary, theEDhadarrestedbusinessmanPravinRaut,who is a formerdirector inGuruAshishConstructionandanallegedaideoftheSenaleader.InApril, the agencyattachedprop-ertiesworthRs11.15crorebelong-ing to SanjayRaut'swifeVarshaRaut, Pravin Raut and SwapnaPatkar,wifeoftheSenaMP’scloseassociateSujitPatkar,intherede-velopmentprojectcase.While top ED officials con-

firmedthatSanjayRauthasbeeninstructedtoappearbeforethemonTuesday, theMP tweeted: “IjustcametoknowthattheEDhassummonedme.Good!Therearebig political developments inMaharashtra.We, Balasaheb'sShivsainiks,arefightingabigbat-tle.Thisisaconspiracytostopme.Even if you beheadme, Iwon'ttake theGuwahati route. Arrestme! JaiHind!”Hewas referringto Shinde and the rebel SenaMLAs who are holed up inGuwahati. Later, Raut said he isnot linked to any of the compa-niesontheED'sscanner.“Iwillnotbe able to go to the EDoffice onTuesdayasthereisarallythatwasalreadyscheduledinAlibaugandIhavetoaddressthepeoplethere.It'sa legalbattle.Arrestmeifyouhave orders from BJP to arrestme,”hesaid.“Iwill not be scared by such

bogus cases. I will prefer to bejailed thango toGuwahati. I amBalasaheb's Shiv Sainik, I haveworkedwithhimfor30yearsandIamtheeditorof 'Saamana' (theSenamouthpiece). Iwill fight forShiv Sena fromwherever I am,”he said. Incidentally, while ad-dressingSenaworkersinDahisaron Sunday, Raut had referred tothe ED case. “The Shinde campMLAsareunderpressurefromtheagencyandhencetheydecidedtorebel.Iamalsounderthescannerof the EDandmywife's proper-tieshavebeenattached,but Iamstill here standing with theThackerays,”hehadsaid.Patra Chawl, also known as

SiddharthNagar, islocatedintheGoregaon area. In 2008, it had atotalof672housesspreadover47acres when the Maharashtra

Housing andAreaDevelopmentAuthority (MHADA) tookup theredevelopmentandrehabilitationproject, andgave the contract toGuruAshishConstruction.According to the ED, Guru

AshishConstructionsignedatri-partite agreementwithMHADAtoprovideflatsto672tenants,de-velop flats for theAuthority andselltheremainingareatoprivatedevelopers. The tenants' societywas also part of the agreement.However, the ED claims, PravinRautandotherdirectorsofGuruAshish Construction allegedlymisledMHADAandsoldthefloorspace index (FSI) to nineprivatedevelopers, collectingRs 901.79crore--withoutconstructingtheportions earmarked for the dis-placedtenantsandMHADA.According to the ED, Guru

Ashish Construction alsolaunched a project calledMeadows and allegedly tookbooking amounts totallingaroundRs138crorefromflatbuy-ers. TheEDalleged that thepro-ceeds of the crimegeneratedbythefirmthroughthese“illegalac-tivities”totalledRs1,039.79crore.The agencyhas claimed that

PravinRautallegedlyreceivedRs100 crore from HDIL and “di-verted” it to various accounts of“close associates, familymem-bers,hisbusinessentities”,includ-ingthefamilyofSanjayRaut.TheEDhasalsoallegedthatin

2010,apartof theproceedsofRs83lakhwastransferredtoVarshaRaut,whoused it tobuya flat inDadar. Apart from this, at leasteightplotsof landwereallegedlypurchased at Kihim beach atAlibaug inMaharashtra in thenameofVarshaRautandSwapnaPatkar,accordingtotheED.As per the original tripartite

agreement, Guru AshishConstructionalsohadtopayrenttoall672tenantseverymonthtillthe completion of the project.However, the rentwaspaidonlytill 2014-15, followingwhich thetenants complained against thedeveloper. On January 12, 2018,MHADAissuedaterminationno-ticetoGuruAshishConstruction.Against this notice, theninepri-vatedeveloperswhohadboughttheFSI filedasuit in theBombayHighCourt,stallingtheproject.TheEDinitiatedinvestigation

under provisions of PMLA2002againstGuruAshishConstruction,HDIL promoters RakeshKumarWadhwan and Sarang KumarWadhwan,andothersbasedonacomplaint filed by MHADA'sExecutiveEngineer.

Riot trialsGujaratHighCourtagainstactivistTeesta Setalvad and others –Setalvad was arrested lastSaturdayby theGujarat police, adayafterZakiaJafri’spetitionwasdismissed.Considerthese:OnApril12,2004,whileor-

deringretrialintheVadodaraBestBakerycaseafter21accusedwereacquitted, the bench of JusticesDoraiswamy Raju and ArijitPasayat said, “Thosewhoare re-sponsible for protecting life andproperties andensuring that in-vestigationisfairandproperseemto have shownno real anxiety.Largenumberof peoplehad losttheir lives.Whether the accusedpersonswere reallyassailantsornot couldhavebeenestablishedbya fair and impartial investiga-tion.Themodernday‘Neros’werelooking elsewhere when BestBakeryandinnocentchildrenandhelplesswomenwere burning,andwere probably deliberatinghowtheperpetratorsofthecrimecan be saved or protected. Lawand justice become flies in thehandsof these‘wantonboys’.”On the investigation and the

trialcourtthatorderedtheacquit-tals, the judges said, “Onegets afeeling that the justice deliverysystemwasbeingtakenforarideandliterallyallowedtobeabused,misused andmutilated by sub-terfuge.Theinvestigationappearsto be perfunctory and anythingbutimpartialwithoutanydefiniteobjectoffindingoutthetruthandbringingtobookthosewhowereresponsible for the crime. Thepublicprosecutorappearstohaveactedmoreas adefence counselthanonewhosedutywastopres-entthetruthbeforetheCourt.TheCourt in turn appeared to be asilent spectator,mute to thema-nipulationsandpreferredtobein-different to sacrilegebeingcom-mitted to justice. The role of theState Government also leavesmuchtobedesired.”Hearing anotherpetition the

samedaybyTeestaSetalvadandothers,thetwojudgesexpungedremarks made by the GujaratHigh Court against her and theothers:“Observationsshouldnotbemade byCourts against per-sonsandauthorities,unless theyareessentialornecessaryforde-cision of the case…There is noneedor justification for anyun-warrantedbesmirchingofeitherthe parties or their causes, as amatter of routine. Courts arenot

expectedtoplaytothegalleryorforanyapplause…”

Earlier, on September 19,2003, when the then ChiefSecretary PK Laheri andDGPKChakravarthiwere summoned,thebenchofChiefJusticeofIndiaVNKhare,JusticesBrijeshKumarandSBSinhaaskedChakravarthiwhat steps he took when helearnt thatwitnesseswere turn-ing hostile. Chakravarthi said, “IdidaskthePoliceCommissionerwhytheyturnedhostile.Answeris theyappear tohavebeenwonover. I havemade enquiry fromthe Police Commissionerwhotoldmethat thesewitnessesap-peartohavebeenwonoverbytheaccused.”Askedwhyhehadnot taken

steps for their re-examination,Chakravarthi said, “I came toknowatamuchlaterdate.”At this, Justice Sinha asked:

“Do youmean to say that youasked the Police Commissioneronlyafterthejudgmentofacquit-talwas passed?”. Chakravarthisaid,“Idonotremembertheexactdate.Ididnottakeanystepsevenafter coming to know thatwit-nesseshavebeenwonoverbytheaccused.”Chakravarthidiedin2020.OnNovember21,2003,the

benchofCJIVNKhare, JusticesSB Sinha and A R Lakshmananstayedtrial in10majorriotcasesonpetitionsseekinganindepend-ent investigation into the casesbesides shifting of trials outsideGujarat.

On August 17, 2004, thebench of Justices Ruma Pal, S BSinha and SHKapadia directedthat a riot cell be formedundertheDGPtoreopencasesclosedbylocalpolicestations,andfilequar-terlyreports.Statingthat itwouldnotpro-

ceedonthebasis“thattheentireinvestigatingmachinery in theState has failed”, the bench said“thereshouldbefurther/moreex-tensive and in-depth investiga-tionintocases,numbering2000,inwhich ‘A’ Summary Reportshave been filed resulting in clo-sureofcasesatthethresholdandthattheStateshouldconsiderfur-ther/extended investigationsthroughitsownhighrankingof-ficers towhichnoneof the con-cernedparties(includingStateofGujarat)hadanyobjection”.In its order, the bench said,

“The Non-GovernmentalOrganizationswhichhave beenparticipating in this entireprocess,willbeatlibertytodrawthe attention of the RangeInspectorGeneraltoanyparticu-lar casewithin theDistrict of aparticular Range InspectorGeneralandtheRangeInspectorGeneralwill consider the samebefore deciding whetherfurther/fresh investigation orwhat action, if any, needs to betakeninconnectionwiththeFIRsfiled.TheRangeInspectorGeneralshallseewhethertheFIRsalreadyfiled are defective/deficient orfaultyinanymanner.”

On March 26, 2008, thebenchof JusticesArijit Pasayat, PSathasivamandAftabAlamsaid,“Communalharmonyisthehall-markofademocracy.Noreligionteacheshatred. If in thenameofreligion, people arekilled, that isessentially a slur andblot on thesocietygovernedbyruleoflaw…Religiousfanaticsreallydonotbe-long to any religion. They arenobetterthanterrorists…Thesearecaseswhere there is anelementofcommunaldisharmony,whichis not to be countenanced. TheStateofGujarathas stated that ithasnoobjection if further inves-tigation is done so that peoples’faithonthetransparencyofactiontakenbytheStateisfortified”.TheCourtcalledforareportin

threemonths on investigationsintothecasesoftheGodhratrainburning, the killings in NarodaPatiya,NarodaGamandGulbergSociety in Ahmedabad,SardarpuraandDipdaDarwajainMehsana district, two cases inOde of Anand district and thekilling of British nationals inPrantij,Sabarkanthadistrict.The Court asked theGujarat

governmenttoissueanotificationto appoint the SITheadedbyRK

Raghavan,retiredDirectorofCBI.

Cryptoseveraldevelopersandengineersworking in this space have al-readymovedor are consideringrelocating to Dubai andSingapore.“Weareinabearmarketright

now, and this is the timewhenproducts and solutions arebuilt.SomeofthebiggestcompaniesintheWeb2.0spacelikeGoogleandFacebookwerealsobuiltduringaslowdown phase. This is whymany peoplewho are buildingcryptoandWeb3.0productsaremoving to jurisdictions withmorepolicyclarity,”saidatopex-ecutive at one of India's biggestcryptotradingplatformswhodidnotwanttobenamed.Another person building a

blockchainplatformsaid that inaddition to seeking an amicableenvironment,thereisalsolackofclarityonthegovernment'sfuturestance froma lawenforcementperspective. Speaking to TheIndian Express, Ashish Singhal,co-founder and CEO ofCoinSwitch, said: “Indiahasbat-tledbraindrain fordecades.Thisis a generational opportunity toreset the odds in our favour --cryptohasmovedawayfromSilkRoad toMain Street. The exam-ples from theUS andotherma-ture economies show institu-tional investors are ready toputcapitalincryptomarketsifthereismoreregulatoryclarity.Indianin-vestorsandinnovatorscanbene-fit fromcrypto capital if there ismoreregulatoryclarity.”India's official recognitionof

cryptocurrency began in 2018,when theRBI directed banks tocutmoneysupplytocryptotrad-ingplatforms--amovethatwasoverturnedbytheSupremeCourtin2020.Lastyear,thegovernmentlistedthe introductionof aBill inParliament toprohibit allprivatecryptocurrencies,but theBilldidnotgettabled.During theUnionBudget for

2022-23,a30%taxonvirtualdig-ital assetswas introducedwithprovisionsdissimilartootheras-setclasses.Later,thegovernmentalsointroduceda1%taxdeductedatsource(TDS)–effectiveJuly1–oncryptocurrencytransferswithanintentionofmaintainingatrailofmoney.Meanwhile,Dubaihasemerged as ahotspot for cryptoinvestments on the back of itsfavourablepolicies.Responding to a query from

The IndianExpressonShetty andMenon relocating to Dubai,WazirX said: “Weare a remote-firstorganisationwithemployeesfrom over 70+ locations. Thisgivesallthecompanyemployeesthe option to work from any-where...WazirXisheadquarteredin Mumbai, and there is nochange in any of our operatingprocedures”.WazirX, which isowned by the world's biggestcryptoexchangeBinance,saidthecurrent regulations on cryptocouldreduceparticipationandin-creaseinefficienciesinsteadofen-couragingmorepeopletojointhebandwagon.InJune2021,theEnforcement

Directoratehadsaidthatithadis-sued a showcause notice toWazirX and its directors Shettyand SameerMhatre under theForeignExchangeManagementAct,1999,fortransactionsinvolv-ing cryptocurrenciesworth Rs2,790.74 crore. According to theED statement, it had initiatedFEMA investigationon thebasisofanongoingmoney-launderinginvestigationintoChinese-ownedillegalonlinebettingapplications.At the time,WazirX had said itwasincompliancewithalltheap-plicablelaws.Earlier this year, Shetty an-

nounced a new crypto project,Shardeum, with a US-basedcryptoinvestorOmarSayed.Multiple queries sent to

Nailwal and Polygon remainedunanswered. An e-mail querysenttotheMinistryofFinancedidnotelicitanyresponse.

G7 meetingtheUnitedKingdom, theUnitedStates of America, and theEuropeanUnion,affirmourcom-

mitmenttostrengtheningthere-silienceofourdemocracies.”“Wehail all courageous de-

fenders of democratic systemsthatstandagainstoppressionandviolence,andwillstepupinterna-tionalcooperationtoimprovetheresilienceofdemocraticsocietiesglobally,”itstated.Thesignatoriessaid that democracies enable“openpublic debate, independ-entandpluralisticmedia”andthe“free flowof information onlineandoffline”,fosteringlegitimacy,transparency, responsibility andaccountability for citizens andelectedrepresentativesalike.Andthattheyarepreparedto

defend these principles and areresolvedto:

Protecting the freedomofexpression and opinion onlineand offline and ensuring a freeand independentmedia land-scapethroughourworkwithrel-evantinternationalinitiatives.

Ensuring an open, free,global,interoperable,reliableandsecureinternet.

Increasing the cyber re-silience of digital infrastructure,includingbyimprovingandshar-ing awareness of cyber threatsand expanding cyber responsecooperation.

Counteringhybrid threats,inparticularinformationmanip-ulationand interference, includ-ingdisinformation.

Cooperating to counter in-formationmanipulation, pro-mote accurate information, andadvocate for our shared demo-craticvaluesworldwide.

Promotingaffordableaccesstodiversesourcesof reliableandtrustworthy information anddata,onlineandoffline,includingthroughamulti-stakeholderap-proach,andbystrengtheningdig-italskillsanddigital literacy.

Enhancing transparencyabout the actions of onlineplat-formstocombatviolent,extrem-istandincitingcontentonline.The statement said that

democracies lay andprotect thefoundations for free andvibrantcivicspaces,enablingandencour-aging civic engagement andpo-liticalparticipation,whichinturnstimulatemeaningfullegitimacy,creativity, innovation, social ac-countability,andresponsibility.Itsaid,“Wecommitto:Guarding the freedom, in-

dependenceanddiversityofcivilsociety actors, speaking outagainstthreatstocivicspace,andrespectingfreedomofassociationandpeacefulassembly.

Building resilience againstmalign foreign interference andacts of transnational repressionthat seek to undermine trust ingovernment, society andmedia,reducecivicspaceandsilencecrit-icalvoices.

Advancingprogrammesforthe protection of human rightsdefendersandallthoseexposingcorruption.Thecountriesalsocommitted

to “protecting freedom ofthought, conscience, religion orbelief andpromoting inter-faithdialogue” and “promoting socialcohesion,solidarityandtheinclu-sionofallmembersofsocietyon-line andoffline,while denounc-ingallformsofdiscriminationandviolence”.

Zubair heldnight,thehandlehadover400fol-lowers.Earlierthismonth,Zubairhadhighlightedcommentsmadeby the then BJP spokespersonNupur Sharma on the Prophet,which triggered condemnationfromahost of countries, includ-ingthose fromtheGulf.Theout-ragepromptedtheCentretodis-tance itself from Sharma’scomments, and the rulingBJP tosuspend her and sack anotherparty spokesperson NaveenKumarJindal.Zubair's arrestwas slammed

by the Opposition, includingCongress, TMC, RJD, AIMIMandthe Left parties, which accusedtheBJP-ledNDAgovernment ofcrackingdownonthosewho“ex-pose its hate speech and fakepropaganda”.CongressleaderRahulGandhi

tweetedthat“arrestingonevoiceof truthwill only give rise to a

thousandmore”. Several otherOpposition leaders expressed“shock”atthearrest,describeditasa“violationofdueprocess”,anddemanded that Zubair be “re-leasedimmediately”.Zubairwas arrestedbyDelhi

Police's IFSO(IntelligenceFusion& Strategic Operations) unit,which comes under the SpecialCell and handles cases of cybercrimeandcyberforensics.DCP (IFSO) K P S Malhotra

said: “DelhiPolicehas registereda case after getting a complaintfromaTwitterhandle,whereinitwas alleged that MohammedZubair had tweeted a question-ableimagewithapurposetode-liberately insult thegodof apar-ticularreligion.Suchtweetsweregettingretweetedanditappearedthat there is a brigade of socialmediaentities,whoindulgeinin-sultmongering thereby leadingtoapossibleramificationoncom-munal harmony and is overallagainst themaintenanceofpub-lictranquility.”Aseniorpoliceofficersaidthe

tweetpurportedlyshowedanim-ageofahotel,withitsboardread-ing “Honeymoon Hotel” re-paintedto“HanumanHotel”.Thecomplainantpostedascreenshot,taggedDelhi Police, and allegedthatthetweetwas“adirectinsultof Hindus”. “Kindly take actionagainstthisguy@delhipolice,”thecomplainanttweeted.“We came across the tweet

lastweek.Zubairhadpostedthistweet in 2018 but people havebeen raising the issue recently.WetookactionandregisteredanFIR,”theofficersaid.Soonafterthearrest,Alt-News

co-founder Prateek Sinhatweeted:“ZubairwascalledtodaybySpecial cell, Delhi, for investi-gationina2020caseforwhichhealreadyhadprotectionagainstar-rest from the High Court.However, today at around 6.45pm,weweretoldhehasbeenar-restedinsomeotherFIRforwhichno notice was given which ismandatory under law for theSectionsunderwhichhehasbeenarrested. Nor FIR copy is beinggiven to us despite repeated re-quests.”ThecaseSinhawasrefer-ring todates back to September2020,when police had bookedZubairunderthePOCSOActafterherespondedtoanabusivemes-sage from a Twitter user. TheDelhiHighCourt had, however,restrainedthepolicefromtakingcoercive action against him inconnectionwiththatcase.PolicesourcessaidBengaluru-

based Zubair andhis advocatesreached IFSO’s office inDwarkaaround 2 pm. “Police startedquestioninghim,andaround3.15pm,anotherinvestigationofficerservedhimanoticeundersection41CrPC(inthepresentcase)andaskedhim to join the investiga-tion. At around5.30pm, hewasarrested,”saidasource.Inanothertweet,Sinhawrote:

“After themedical examination,Zubairisbeingtakentoanundis-closed location.Neither Zubair’slawyersorIarebeingtoldwhere.Weareinthepolicevanwithhim.Nopolice person iswearing anynametag.”DCPMalhotra said in a state-

ment:“InthemonthofJune2022,whenDelhiPolicewasalertedbya Twitter handle thatMohammad Zubair had earliermadeanobjectionabletweetandhis followers/ socialmedia enti-ties had amplified and created aseriesofdebates/hatemongeringin thetread,hewasexamined inthis case andhis rolewas foundobjectionable.Hewasevasiveonthe questions and neither pro-vided the necessary technicalequipmentforthepurposeoftheinvestigation nor cooperated intheinvestigation.”“During investigation, the

conduct ofMohammed Zubairwas foundquestionable,whichwarrantedhis custodial interro-gation tounravel the conspiracyinthismatter,”hestated.The police move was also

slammedbyDIGIPUB,anorgani-sationof digital newsmedia or-ganisations.

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GujaratpolicearrestTeestaSetalvad inconnectiontoGujarat riotscase, sonof adailywager fromKarnatakawinsgold inwrestling,andNordVPNremoves itsservers fromIndia

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TeestaSetalvad’sarrest,Karnatakawrestlerwinsgold,andVPNsexit India

New Delhi

ABHINAVRAJPUTNEWDELHI, JUNE27

ANTI-INCUMBENCYAGAINSTmunicipalcouncillorswasoneof thefactorsthatledtotheBJP’sdefeatinRajinderNagarby-poll,alongwithsupportersnotcomingoutinbignum-bers, said senior leadersduringameeting inNariana,after the resultsonSunday, to introspecton the loss.AAP’sDurgeshPathakwonthebypoll,beatingBJP’s

RajeshBhatiabyamarginof11,468votes.Pathakpolled40,319 votes as opposed to Bhatia’s 28,851, whileCongress’sPremLatawasadistantthirdwith2,014votes.

TheBJPhastwocouncillorsintheassemblycon-stituency, Chhail Bihari Goswami fromNaraina andSunitaKaushik fromInderpuri, alongwithShiromaniAkaliDal’sParamjeetSinghRanafromRajinderNagarwhocontestedinalliancewiththeparty.“Wesawdur-ing the campaign that there was anti-incumbencyagainstourowncouncillorsaswellasAAPformerMLARaghavChadha.However,itcostusmoreastherewereotherfactorsalsowhichdidn’tworkinourfavour,”saidasenior leaderpresent in themeeting.BJPMLAAjayMahvar,whowasalso the in-charge

of the constituency, said the election basically camedown to two slogans. “Our slogan ‘Sthaniya voterchunega sthaniyavidhayak (local voterwill choose lo-cal MLA)’ initially worked. But later AAP’s slogan of‘Kejriwalkisarkar,Kejriwalkavidhayak(Kejriwal’sgov-ernment,Kejriwal’sMLA)’worked for them.”AnotheraspectthatseemstohaveworkedinAAP’s

favourwas trouble in the BJP unit. The BJP hadmanyticket seekers fromtheareaandmanyof themdidnotparticipateinpollcampaign,saidaBJPleader.“This isaproblemwitheverypartybutnotlikewehaveinDelhi.Herepeopledoitopenly,thereisnofear,”theleadersaid.

THECITY 7WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,TUESDAY, JUNE28,2022

CENTRE FOR CULTURALRESOURCES AND TRAINING (CCRT)MINISTRY OF CULTURE,GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

15 A, Sector-7, Dwarka, New Delhi-110075

SCHEME FOR THE AWARD OF SCHOLARSHIPS TO YOUNGARTISTES IN DIFFERENT CULTURAL FIELDS

Online Applications are invited by CCRT, Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India for theaward of scholarships from young artistes of outstanding promise in the fields of IndianClassical Music, Indian Classical Dances, Light Classical Music, Theatre, Visual Artsand Folk Traditional and Indigenous Arts.Please note Applications are invited for the year 2020-21 & 2021-22 with effect from28th June, 2022. There are 400 scholarships available for each year. Details of theschemes, instructions for applicants, eligibility conditions/criteria and ApplicationModule are available on the following websites of the Ministry of Culture Governmentof India and CCRT.

www.indiaculture.nic.in, www.ccrtindia.gov.in27th August, 2022 is the last date for submission of applications.

ONLY ONLINE APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTEDDavp-09127/12/0004/2223

S.12012/01/2022-Proc.-I(EPW)GOVERNMENT OF INDIA /BHARAT SARKAR

MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARENEW DELHI

Dated: 25th May, 2022.RECRUITMENT FOR THE POST OF DIRECTOR GENERAL &

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER ON DEPUTATION BASISApplications are invited for the post of Director General & Chief Executive Officer,Central Medical Services Society (CMSS), New Delhi (an Autonomous Body underMinistry of Health and Family Welfare) on deputation basis in Level 14 (Pay Band-4; Rs. 37400 — 67000 plus Grade Pay Rs. 10000). The Society is engaged inprocurement of medicines and medical equipments.2. Interested candidates may kindly visit Ministry's website www.mohfw.gov.in.Department of Personnel & Training's website www.dopt.gov.in and CMSS'website www.cmss.gov.in for the details of vacancy, educational qualifications,terms and conditions for appointment to the post and the application form. Thecandidates may apply in the given proforma together with self-attested copies ofsupporting documents through proper channel so as to reach Section Officer(EPW),Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Room No. 546-A, 5th Floor, Nirman Bhawan,Maulana Azad Road, New Delhi — 110011" within 45 days from the date ofpublication in the Employment News.

Signed by D V K RaoDate: 25-05-2022 06:58:52

vedDeputy Secretary to the Govt. of India

Phone No. 011 23062791davp 17102/11/0022/2223 (Email: [email protected])

BEFORE DEBTS RECOVERY TRIBUNAL-III, DELHIth

4 Floor, Jeevan Tara Building, Parliament Street, New Delhi-110001Notice under Section 19(4) of the Recovery of Debts Due to Banks and Financial Institutions Act.1993 read with Rule 12 & 13 of the Debts Recovery Tribunal (Procedure Rules) 1993.

In the matter of O.A. NO. 467/2019

BANK OF BARODA Vs M/S BHARAT ENTERPRISES & ORS.

Applicant DefendantsD-1 M/S BHARAT ENTERPRISES

THOUGH ITS PARTNER SHRI SHARWAN KUMARAND MS NEERU

L-22, POCKET-E, SECTOR-2, DSIIDC, BAWANAINDUSTRIALCOMPLEX, DELHI-110039

D-2 SHRI SHARWAN KUMAR S/O SHRI KALEWAR MISHRA

R/O H. NO. 56/3, KISHAN COLONY, PRAHLADPUR BANGAR, LIBASPUR, SAMAIPUR,NORTH WEST DELHI-110042

Whereas the above named applicant has instituted a case against you and whereas it hasbeen shown to the satisfaction of the Tribunal that it is not possible to serve you in ordinary way.Therefore, this notice is given by advertisement directing you to make appearance in this Tribunal06.10.2022 at 10.30A.M.

Take notice that in case of your failure to appear on the above mentioned day before thisTribunal, the case will be heard and decided in your absence.

Due to ongoing Pandemic Situation, all the matters will be taken up through VideoConferencing and for that purpose:-

(i) All theAdvocates/Litigants shall download the Cisco Webex application/Software;

(ii) Meeting ID and Password for the next date of hearing qua cases to be taken byRegistrar/Recovery Officer-l/ and Recovery Officer-II shall be available one day prior to thenext date at DRTOfficial Portal i.e. drt.gov.in under the Public Notice Head.

(iii) In any exigency qua that, the Advocates/Litigants can contact the concerned official atPh. No 23748469.

thGiven under my hand and seal of the Tribunal on this 18 day of June 2022.

By Order of the Tribunal

MAHARAJA AGRASEN TECHNICALEDUCATION SOCIETY (MATES)

Maharaja Agrasen Chowk, Sector-22,Rohini, New Delhi: 110086

Applications are also invited for Demonstrators/Laboratory Assistants (preferably MCA/Diploma -CSE) in MAIT Department of Computer Science.

Applications are invited for the recruitment of Professor /Associate Professor /AssistantProfessor for Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology (MAIT) & Maharaja AgrasenInstitute of Management Studies (MAIMS) in the following Specializations:INSTITUTE DEPARTMENT SPECIALIZATION

MAIMS

MAIMSMAIMS

Law IPR, Corporate Law, Quantitative Techniques,Financial Accounting

JournalismCommerceManagement(MBA & BBA)

Computer Science& Related Branches

MAIT

MAIT

Electronic MediaCommerceOrganizational Behaviour /Human ResourceManagement/Operations & Supply Chain /InformationSystems & AnalyticsArtificial Intelligence, Machine Learning & Data Science

For more details pls visit the Institute www.mait.ac.in; www.maims.ac.in

Interested Candidates to apply in MAIT and MAIMS may send their CV onemail:[email protected], [email protected] respectively

within 15 days of this Advertisement.

FACULTY / STAFF REQUIREMENT

Chairman

INVITING APPLICATIONS FOR INTERNSHIPPROGRAMME-2022

Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi invitesapplications from the eligible Graduate degree holder,candidates for DDCD Internship Programme-2022. forcomplete details please visit the official website ofDDCD i.e https://ddc.delhi.gov.in.careers/

Sd/-Deputy Secretary,

Dip/Shabdarth/0158/22-23 DDCD

DIALOGUE AND DEVELOPMENTCOMMISSION OF DELHI (DDCD)33, SHAM NATH MARG, CIVIL LINES, DELHI-110054

Advt. No. ZHDCE/TS/01/2022

APPLICATIONS FOR THE POST OF ASSISTANT PROFESSORSOnline applications are invited in the prescribed ApplicationForm available at http://colrec.du.ac.in/index.php fromeligible candidates for appointment to the post of AssistantProfessors, in the Academic Pay Level 10, in the College. Thelast date for receipt of applications is within two weeks from thedate of publication of the advertisement in the EmploymentNews. For details, please visit the College websitehttp://zhdce.ac.inAay addendum/ corrigendum shall be posted only on theCollege website.

PRINCIPAL

Zakir Husain Delhi College (Evening)(University of Delhi)

Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, New Delhi-110002

"5-/"00 >OBBOP

Anti-incumbencyto low turnout ofsupporters: BJPanalyses bypoll loss

BJP’sRajeshBhatiapolled28,851votes intheRajinderNagarbypoll,whichAAP’sDurgeshPathakwon.

New Delhi: A 33-year-old PhDstudenthasbeenarrestedforal-legedly cheating people on thepretext of getting them admis-siontogovernmentmedicalcol-leges, said police. The mattercame to light after a Delhi gov-ernment school teacher allegedhewas cheated of Rs 20 lakh bytheaccusedwhopromisedtogethissonadmittedtoacollege.

Theaccused,VikasParas,andhisassociatesallegedlymadefakedocuments and IDs to get bankaccountstocheattheteacherandhisson,policeadded.DCP (Crime Branch) Rajesh

Deo said, “During investigation,we found the calls and emails(fromthecollege’snumbersandID) were done using spoofingsoftware...”ENS

Man dupes people by offeringseat in govt medical college, held

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JUNE27

WITHTHEmonsoon round thecorner,L-GVinaiKumarSaxenahas directed the MunicipalCorporationofDelhi(MCD)andNew Delhi Municipal Council(NDMC) to identify dangerousbuildings under their jurisdic-tionthatarepronetocollapseordamage, and to ensure meas-urestopreventanykindofunto-ward incident.Thecivicagencieshavebeen

directed to take action and sub-mita report in twoweeks.According to sources, theL-

G, invoking section 348 of theDMCAct,1957,andsection258of the NDMC Act, 1994, thatmandates theMCDandNDMCto identify such buildings andtakeremedialmeasures,has is-sued written directions toMCD’s specialofficerandcom-missionerandNDMCchairmanto undertake the exercise.“The L-G has directed the

MCD and NDMC to make suresuch dangerous buildings donot causeanymishapor lossoflife and property or any incon-venience to thepeopleat large.For this, thecivicagencieshavebeendirected to takeappropri-ateactiontodemolishor repairsuchvulnerablebuildings,”saidofficial sources.

L-G writesto NDMC,MCD onmonsoon prep

New Delhi

8THEINDIANEXPRESS,TUESDAY, JUNE28,2022

THECITYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM


THESOUTHWESTmonsoonhasnot yet reached Delhi, and hasmissedits ‘normal’onsetdateinthe city — June 27. The IndiaMeteorological Department(IMD)isyettoconfirmwhenthemonsoonmight reach the na-tional capital.Asked if therewere any up-

dates on when the monsoonmight hit Delhi, IMD senior sci-entist R K Jenamani said therewere none, but the departmentismonitoringtheconditionsandan update is likely to come onTuesday. OnMonday, the IMDsaid the southwest monsoonhadadvancedintomostpartsoftheArabianSeaandGujarat.It has also issued a forecast

for when the monsoonmightreach other parts of northwestIndia.“Conditionsarefavourablefor further advanceof themon-soonintoremainingpartsof theArabianSea,Gujarat,somepartsofRajasthan, remainingpartsofMadhya Pradesh and Bihar,some more parts of Uttar

Pradesh and some parts ofUttarakhand,HimachalPradeshandJammuandKashmirduringthe next three to four days,” itsaid inarelease issuedMonday.Though the monsoon has

missed its date, an east-westtrough over North India andmoisture-ladenwinds from theBayofBengalandtheArabianSeaarelikelytobringlighttomoder-aterainfallorthundershowerstoDelhionJune29and30.With rainfall on the forecast,

the maximum temperaturecould fall to around 35 degreesCelsius on June 30. Cloudy skies

and light rainfall are also on theforecastforJuly1,whileverylightrainfall is likelyonJuly2and3.Thecitycurrentlyhasarain-

falldeficitof59%forthemonth-24.5mmrecordedagainstanor-malof 59.5mmtill June27.The city witnessed another

sultrydayonMonday,whenthemaximum temperature was40.9 degrees Celsius at theSafdarjungweatherobservatory,four degrees above the normalfor this time of the year.Humidityremainedhighreach-ing amaximumof 72%over thepast 24 hours, going by an IMD

bulletinissuedMondayevening.Thehighestmaximumtem-

peraturerecordedonMondayinthe city was 42.1 degrees atNajafgarh.There has not been much

respite from the heat at night,with the minimum tempera-ture settling at 29.4 degreesCelsiusearlyonMonday—twodegrees above normal for thistime of the year.

RAINEXPECTEDTHISWEEK

THE ONSET of theSouthwest monsoon inthe national capital wasdelayed last year, whenthe IMD declared that ithad reached the city onJuly 13, two weeks pastthe‘normal’date. In2020,ithitthecityalittleearlier,on June 25. Themonsoonhit Delhi in the firstweekof July in 2019, 2017 and2016aswell.

HowthelastfewyrshavefaredE●EX

PLAINED

RUSH HOURTraffic insidethenewly inauguratedPragatiMaidanunderpass,Monday.AbhinavSaha

Court extends Jain’sjudicial custody for2 weeks in ‘moneylaundering’ case

DUSIB to setup creches,libraries atslum clusters

Withdraw termination notices,demand anganwadi workers


THEDELHIPolicehasregistereda case against the personal sec-retaryof seniorCongress leaderSonia Gandhi for allegedly rap-ing and threatening a woman.Theaccusedhasbeenidentifiedas 71-year-old P P Madhavan,saidpolice,addingthatnoarresthasbeenmadeso far.DCP (Dwarka) Harsh

Vardhan said, “Allegations arelevelled against a 71-year-oldperson. He isworking as PS to asenior political leader. A com-plaintwasreceived...onJune25.A case under IPC section 376(rape)and506(criminal intimi-dation)hasbeenregistered.Weare investigating thematter.”Madhavan told The Indian

Express: “It is a baseless allega-tionjusttodefametheCongressparty. There is no truth in it. It isa completeconspiracy.”According to police, the

woman,aged26, lodgedacom-plaintaccusingMadhavanofal-legedlyrapingandharassingheronseveraloccasionsonthepre-text of offering her a job andmarrying her. Thewoman saidshemet the accused soon aftershe lostherhusbandduring theCovid lockdown in 2020. Herhusband used to work as ahelper at the party office. Shesaid she would often go to theCongressofficeinsearchofajob.“Myfinancialconditionwas-

n’t good and I went to the

CongressofficewhereIgotSoniaGandhi’s PA P P Madhavan’snumber. I toldhimIwasinneedofa jobandhepromisedtohelpme... On January 21 (this year),hecalledmeforaninterview.Heaskedmemany questions andviewed all my documents... Hethen toldme that hewanted tomarryme. I said yes... One day,he calledme tomeet him... Hecame topickmeup in a car... heaskedhisdriver to leave the car.He sexually assaulted me andtried to rape me. When I ob-jected to this, he got angry andleft me on the road alone,” thewomanalleged, asper theFIR.Thecomplainantallegedthe

accused later apologised to herand they started talking again.After a fewdays,heagaincalledher tomeethim.“InFebruary,hecalledmeto

meet him... (and) raped me.Later, he told me that his wifehadseenmymobilenumber... Iwas shocked to hear all this. Iaskedhimabouthiswife,buthekept ignoring me... he thenforced me to have sex withsomeone else. I refused... He

threatened me saying they(party) have been ruling for 70yearsandthathewouldgetmekidnapped. I was scared,” al-leges the FIR.Police said the woman

lodged a complaint on June 25andwassenttoDDUhospitalforamedicalexamination.Basedonherstatementandexamination,a case was registered againstMadhavan.In a statement, Madhavan

said: “As permedia reports, theallegations againstme referredto an event which occurred inFebruary 2022, which is to saymore than fourmonths prior totheregistrationofanFIR.Thisit-self shows the FIR is solely in-tended to vilify me and to castaspersions onmy long and sin-cerecareer. Ireservemyrightstolawfully contest the alleged FIRagainstmeand to take recourseto the available legal remediesagainst the false andmaliciouscomplaintwhichhas been filedagainstme.”“I have evidence to demon-

strate and establish that the al-legedcomplainthasbeenmadeinapre-concertedmannerinor-der to settle a political vendettaandthepresentcomplaintisde-void of merits. I condemn thesmearcampaignrunagainstmebythecomplainantandthepeo-plebehindherandthesameap-pears to be propelled by sickminds in order to vilify the im-age of a reputed 71-year-oldmanknownforhisservicetoso-ciety,”he further said.

Police book personal secy ofSonia Gandhi on rape charges

MadhavantoldTheIndianExpress: “It isabaselessallegationjusttodefametheCongressparty.There isnotruthin it. It isacompleteconspiracy”


ADELHI court extended the ju-dicial custody of AAPministerSatyendar Jain for twoweeks ina case of alleged moneylaundering registered by theEnforcementDirectorate (ED).Jain had appeared through

videoconferencingbeforeSpecialJudgeGeetanjliGoel,whoinitiallyrefused to extendhis judicial re-mandwhenneither Jain nor hislawyerswere present in court.The ED had informed the courtthatJainwashospitalisedfollow-ing which the court asked theagency to produce Jain throughvideo conferencing.Hewas ear-lieradmittedtoLokNayakhospi-talafteradipinhisoxygenlevel.Jainhasbeenincustodysince

May 30. Hewas arrested by thecentralagencyinconnectionwithanEnforcementCaseInformationReport (ECIR) registeredby it onthe basis of a case lodgedby theCBI in August 2017 under thePreventionofCorruptionAct.Jainis accused of having launderedmoney through four companiesallegedly linked to him.HewassenttojudicialcustodyonJune13oncompletionofhisEDcustody.His bail applicationwas re-

cently rejected by the courtwhich said that theaccuseden-joys an influential position andit cannot be ruled out that hecould influence the witnesses.The court had also said that nospecific ground has been takeninthebailapplicationregardingthemedical conditionof theac-cused and no documents havebeen produced to show the ex-tentof themedical condition.According to theED, Jain, be-

tween February 2015 andMay2017,whenhewasaminister,al-legedlyacquiredassetsthatweredisproportionate to his knownsourcesof income.It isallegedbythe ED andCBI that Jain andhisfamilymembershadactive con-trol over at least four companiesthatlaunderedmoneytothetuneofRs11.78croreduringtheyears2010 to 2012 and Rs 4.63 croreduring the checkperiod. The EDalleges that accommodationen-trieswere layered and receivedfromKolkata-basedshellcompa-nies into the companies “ownedby” Jain and agricultural landswerepurchasedfromthosefunds.Senior AAP leader Gopal Rai

Monday alleged the Centre is“shamelessly”misusing the EDagainst opposition parties thatdare to raise their voice againsttheBJP,andsaid it seemsthena-tionisheadingtowardsone-partyrule. “It’s not a secret anymoreandit’snotaboutoneortwoop-positionparties.Thecentralgov-ernmentisnowmisusingtheEDagainst all parties that dare tospeakagainsttheBJP,” Raitoldre-porters while responding to aqueryonJain’s judicialcustody.

(withPTI inputs)

AAPministerSatyendarJainhasbeenincustodysinceMay30


MORE THAN twomonths aftertheirserviceswereterminated,more than a hundred angan-wadiworkers andhelpers helda protest outside the WomenandChildDevelopmentdepart-ment office in Kashmere GateonMondayafternoondemand-ingwithdrawal of the termina-tionnotices.Anganwadi workers and

helpers across the city had be-gun a strike on January 31withthe primary demand of a sub-stantial increase in pay. Alongwith this, they have also beendemanding that they be giventhe status of government em-ployees — currently they areconsideredhonoraryworkers—alongwith the benefits that ac-company it.Many of them had contin-

ued protesting even after the

thenWCDministerRajendraPalGautam on February 24 an-nouncedanincreaseinhonorar-ium in response to the strike.However, the Delhi StateAnganwadi Workers andHelpersUnion,which has beenleadingthisstrike,saidithadnotcalled for a meeting with theminister. The strike was finallysuspendedafter the LieutenantGovernor'sofficeissuedanotifi-cationonMarch9declaringtheservicesprovidedbyanganwadiworkers and helpers as 'essen-tial services' and prohibitingtheir strike for a period of sixmonths by invoking theHaryana Essential ServicesMaintenanceAct.In the days that followed,

884 anganwadi workers andhelperswereissuedterminationnotices, according to estimatesbytheunion.ThematterisintheDelhiHighCourtaftertheunionapproacheditandtheDelhigov-ernmenthadtoldthecourtthat

itwouldnotterminateanymoreworkers.OnMondayafternoon,adel-

egation submitted amemoran-dum to the department de-manding withdrawal of theirterminationnotices.Anotherde-mandisthatallpendingduesbepaid to the terminatedworkersandhelpers.“Ourstrikehadbegunonthe

last day of January andwe haddone our duty for thewhole ofthat month before that. Thereare also pending payments forother things like our work forPMMVY and community pro-grammes. We also haven’t yetreceived the arrears for an in-crease in honorarium an-nouncedby thecentral govern-ment in 2018,” said a35-year-old who had beenworking as an anganwadiworker since2011.Officials in theWCDdepart-

ment did not respond to callsseekingcomment.

DIVYAANEWDELHI, JUNE27

THE HOLOGRAM of NetajiSubhas Chandra Bose hasbeen removed from the GrandCanopy at India Gate, while thefittings for the actual stonestatuehavestarted.Sources told The Indian

Express that the hologramwasswitchedoff late lastweek, andfor the next month and a half,

fittingsfortheactualstatuewillbe carried out, which is sched-uledtobeunveiledonAugust15this year.Mysuru-based sculptor

ArunYogiraj—whohadcreatedthe 12-feet statue of AdiShankaracharyaatKedarnath—was roped in for the 30-feetstatue of Bose to be installed atthe India Gate. A huge block ofblackgranitestonewasselectedfor the statue, which has beentransported toDelhi,where the

carving is underway presently.Work on the Bose statue isslated to be completed beforetheAugust 15deadline, sourcessay, adding that the statuewillweigharound90tonnes.It was in Januarywhen the

PrimeMinister had announcedthat a “grand statue” of Netajiwill be installed beneath thecanopyat IndiaGate.Officials in the Ministry of

Culture had said that Netaji’shologramwill be inplace at the

spot, powered by a 30,000 lu-mens 4K projector, until thegranitestatue iscompleted.Thedimensions of the hologramstatue—whichwasunveiledbythe PM on January 23 tomarkBose’s 125th birth anniversarycelebrations—werethesameas

theactualonebeingsculpted.Thesandstonecanopywhere

Netaji’s statuewill be installedwas built in 1936, and housedthestatueofKingGeorgeV. AftertheIndependence,therewasop-positiontothestatue’scentrallo-cation, but it stood at the siteforanother twodecades,until itwasmoved to Coronation Parkin1968.There have been delibera-

tions during successive govern-ments of installing aMahatma

Gandhi statue where KingGeorge V’s statue stood, or thatof thefirstPMJawaharlalNehru.Several historians were of theviewthat thecanopyshould re-mainemptyasareminderofthecountry’spast.So, formorethanfive decades, the canopy re-mained empty, earning thename ‘EmptyCanopy’.Located at a junction of six

roads, the 73-foot canopy is in-spired by a sixth-century pavil-ion fromMahabalipuram.

MONSOONARRIVAL OVER THE YEARS2012 July72013 June162014 July32015 June252016 July22017 July22018 June282019 July52020 June252021 July13

‘Normal’onsetdate inthecity—June27.AmitMehra

Monsoon yet to reachDelhi,IMD to confirm onset date


OVER 500 mohalla clinics inDelhi will soon function asCovid-19 vaccination centres tomake the drivemore accessibleafter theon-goingdoor-to-doorcampaign.Atpresent,theshotsarepro-

vided at all government hospi-tals, dispensaries, and polyclin-ics. The vaccination centres atschools, where a large chunk ofthepopulationwas immunisedlast year, were closed in Aprilwhen children returned forphysical classes.Thedecisionissignificantbe-

cause with most clinics beingrun with only one doctor, onepharmacist,andamulti-purposeworker, routine immunisationfor childrenwasn’t a part of theservices offered. This was bar-ringafewclinicssuchasthefirstone inaugurated in Peeragarhirun by staff from the National

HealthMission.“Currently,vaccinationisbe-

ingprovidedinamissionmode,but still a cohort is due for thesecond dose and a significantlyhigher cohort is due for thenewly added precaution dose.Addition of vaccination centresat mohalla clinics will help usachieve the higher vaccinationtarget soon,” said Deputy ChiefMinisterManishSisodia.

Sources toldThe IndianExpress that thehologramwasswitchedoff late lastweek.Express

SCHEDULED TO BE UNVEILED ON AUGUST 15

Hologram removed, grand canopy at India Gate readies for Bose statue

GAYATHRIMANINEWDELHI, JUNE27

THE DELHI Urban ShelterImprovement Board (DUSIB) isplanning to set up libraries in JJclusterssituatedonDelhigovern-ment land for use of school andcollege students. It is also plan-ningtosetupcrechesinslumstoprovide a safe space forworkingparentstoleavetheirchildren.TheDUSIBwill firstcarryout

adetailedsurveyofall JJclustersonitsland.Forthis,about50col-lege studentswill be hired for amonth-long internship, whichmay be extended dependinguponthework, and theywill beguidedbyofficials.“Youngscholarswhowill be

hired foran internshipatDUSIBwill be taskedwith surveying JJbastis on DUSIB land to gatherinformationaboutschool-goingchildren and to find suitableplaces where public librariescanbesetup.Theywillalsosur-vey the number of parents/guardianswhoareworkingandthe locationswhere creches areneeded,” saidaseniorofficial.“We have also issued an ad-

vertisement announcing thatDUSIB is hiring young scholarsduring the summer vacation.Thiswill be a great opportunityfor them and will also add totheir resume. Theywill first un-dergoatwo-daytrainingsession.SelectedcandidateswillbepaidRs15,000amonthandwillgetacertificate,” saidanofficial.It has also requested vice-

chancellorsandprincipalsofuni-versities and colleges inDelhi toinformstudents of the opportu-nityandencouragethemtoapply.The internswill also survey

all 195 night sheltersmanagedby DUSIB to know about theneeds, challenges and issuesfacedby itsoccupants.

Thiswillhelpusachievethehighervaccinationtargetsoon, saidDeputyChiefMinisterManishSisodia

500 mohalla clinics willsoon provide Covid shots

RetiredArmymanshotdeadGurgaon:A 37-year-oldman,whohad retired asa havaldar from theArmy,wasallegedlyshotdeadathishouseinBasaiEnclave, Sector 10, lateonSundaynight,saidpo-lice. Police have bookedthe victim’s brother-in-law on charges of mur-der after the victim’snephew filed a policecomplaint.

Twoheldfordupingwomanof lakhsNewDelhi:Twomenwerearrestedforallegedlydup-ing a woman of severallakhs via an SMS link re-lated to a job offer at aleading e-commercecompany. DCP (South-east) Esha Pandey said:“The accused disclosedduring questioning thattheyusedtogeneratelinksandsendthemtorandompeople, promising em-ployment in a major e-commerce company. Assoonasthevictimclickedon the link, they wouldhack the victim’smobileand view anOTP sent tothe victim to initiate atransaction.”ENS

Delhigovttolaunch15-dayplantationdrive:RaiNewDelhi:TheDelhigov-ernmentwilllauncha15-daymegaplantationdriveon July 11 to further in-crease the green cover inthe capital, EnvironmentMinister Gopal Rai saidMonday. ‘VanMahotsav’willstartfromtheCentralRidgeandculminatewiththe plantation of 1 lakhsaplings at the AsolaBhattiWildlifeSanctuaryonJuly25,hesaid.DeputyChief Minister ManishSisodia, Delhi govern-ment ministers, andAssembly Speaker RamNiwas Goel will partici-pate in the drive. MLAswill leadthedriveintheirrespectiveconstituenciesonJuly11.PTI

BRIEFLY

Total VacantHOSPITAL BEDS 9,497 9,194ICU BEDS 2,136 2,061

CORONAVIRUSIN THECAPITAL

VACCINATIONS INLAST24HOURS13,422

NOIDAJune 26 June 27

Cases N/A N/ADeaths N/A N/AGURGAONCases 349 220Deaths 0 0

PATIENTS INHOSPITAL: 299OXYGENSUPPORT 62VENTILATORSUPPORT 19

DELHI TOTALCASES19,32,026

Cases Recoveries Deaths TestsJune26 N/A N/A N/A N/AJune27 628 1,011 3 7,793Total 4,553* 19,01,217 26,256 3,90,13,301*Total active cases inDelhi

New Delhi

From June 23 to 24, 2022, PresidentXi Jinping chaired the 14th BRICSSummit and the High-level Dialogue

on Global Development via video linkand delivered important remarks. OnJune 22, President Xi Jinping also de-livered a keynote speech at the open-ing ceremony of the BRICS Business Fo-rum. Following the summits in Sanyaand Xiamen, China hosted the BRICSSummit for the third time. It is of greatimportance to uphold internationalfairness and justice, revitalise globaldevelopment, and promote the build-ing of a community with a shared fu-ture for mankind. President Xi Jinpingled the BRICS summits to produce a se-ries of pioneering, leading and institu-tional outcomes and demonstrated the

historical responsibility and global visionof a major country's leader and sharedChina's new contribution to world peaceand development.

During this BRICS Summit, PresidentXi Jinping further elaborated on the con-notation and practical significance of theGlobal Security Initiative.

President Xi said:■ As important emerging markets

and major developing countries, theBRICS countries should have thecourage to assume our responsibilitiesand act boldly to inject positive, stableand constructive forces into the world.

■ China will work with all peace-

loving countries to up-hold justice, safeguardpeace and promotethe building of aglobal community ofsecurity for all.

Under the theme of“Foster High-qualityBRICS Partnership,Usher in a New Era forGlobal Develop-

ment”, leaders of the five countriesheld an in-depth exchange of views onBRICS cooperation in various sectorsand major issues of common concernand reached important consensus.TheXIV BRICS Summit Beijing Declarationwas adopted and released atthe event.

THE Global DevelopmentInitiative(GDI) has been warmlyreceived by more than 100

countries and international organi-sations, and more than 50 countrieshave joined the Group of Friends ofthe Global Development Initiative.

At this High-Level Dialogue onGlobal Development, President XiJinping further proposed to foster adevelopment paradigm featuringbenefits for all, balance, coordina-tion, inclusiveness, a win-win coop-eration and common prosperity, andput forth a four-point proposal. Hesaid, we need to jointly:

● Put development at the frontand centre of international agenda,and deliver on the 2030 Agenda forSustainable Development.

● Build an open-world economy,and shape a global governance sys-tem and institutional environmentthat are more just and equitable.

● Promote scientific, technologi-

cal and institutional innovation, witha view to achieving stronger, greenerand healthier global development.

● Forge a global developmentpartnership.

President Xi Jinping also an-nounced China's importantmeasures to implement theGDI:

● Set up the Global Developmentand South-South Cooperation Fund.

● Enhance support for theChina-UN Peace and DevelopmentFund.

● Issue a Global Development Report.● Establish a Global Development

Promotion Center.● Establish a Global Knowledge

Network for Development.China looks forward to working

with the international community toinject strong impetus into the imple-mentation of the 2030 Agenda forSustainable Development. In addi-tion to leaders of the BRICS coun-tries, the political dignitaries who at-tended the dialogue include leadersof major emerging markets and de-

veloping countries:● Indonesia, the rotating presi-

dency of the Group of 20● Thailand, the host of APEC;● Kazakhstan, the rotating chair

of the Commonwealth of Indepen-dent States

● Cambodia, the rotating chair ofASEAN

● Fiji, the host country of thePacific Islands Forum

● Argentina, the rotatingpresidency of CELAC

● Senegal, the rotating chairman-ship of the African Union

● Uzbekistan, the rotating chair-manship of the Shanghai Coopera-tion Organization

● Algeria, the incoming rotatingchairmanship of the League of ArabStates

● Egypt ● Ethiopia ● Malaysia● Iran

The high-level dialogue has widerepresentation and international in-fluence to work for common devel-opment and prosperity.

A list of deliverables composed of32 measures was also released at thethe dialogue.

THE global economic recovery isat a critical juncture, and the re-form of global governance

faces a choice of direction. PresidentXi Jinping's speech answers thecommon call of the developingcountries, and has charted thecourse for the reform of the globalgovernance system and pooledstrength to boost the global eco-nomic recovery.

President Xi noted in hiskeynote speech at the openingceremony of the BRICS Busi-ness Forum. We should:

● Embrace solidarity and coordi-nation and jointly maintain worldpeace and stability.

● Reach out to each other andjointly promote sustainable globaldevelopment.

● Tide over difficultiestogether and jointly pursue win-wincooperation.

● Be inclusive and jointly expand

openness and integration.China will work with emerging

markets and developing countries tostay on the right path of economic

globalization and build a more fair,equitable, inclusive global gover-nance system that benefits all.

At the BRICS Summit, Presi-dent Xi Jinping put forward afour-point proposal for the fu-ture development of BRICS:

● First, we need to uphold soli-darity and safeguard world peaceand tranquility.

● Second, we need to uphold co-

operation to boost developmentand jointly tackle risks and chal-lenges.

● Third, we need to uphold thepioneering spirit and innovation andunleash the potential and vitality ofcooperation.

● Fourth, we need to upholdopenness and inclusiveness and poolcollective wisdom and strength.

In response to the recent expecta-tion of many countries to join theBRICS mechanism, President XiJinping pointed out that BRICS is abig family of mutual support and apartnership for win-win cooperation.Under the new circumstances, it is allthe more important for BRICScountries to pursue developmentwith open doors and boost coopera-tion with open arms.

Ten Highlights of the BRICS’ China YearUnder the leadership of President Xi Jinping, the BRICS’ China Year is full of fruitful results and highlights. China will host over 170 BRICS events in various fields

throughout the year. In the first half of this year alone, more than 20 ministerial meetings were held, and each of the BRICS Plus events attracted more than 50non-BRICS countries. This year, BRICS activities will deliver 37 major outcomes, it can be preliminarily summarised as ‘Ten Highlights’

■ First, send BRICS' strong message ofsafeguarding international fairness andjustice. Release the Beijing Declaration,express the common position onsupporting multilateralism and improvingthe global governance system, and putforward BRICS proposals for safeguardingworld peace.

■ Second, consolidate the BRICS line ofdefense against the pandemic. Launch theBRICS Vaccine R&D Center and build acomprehensive platform for joint research,development and production that reachesout to developing countries to help build acommunity of health for all.

■ Third, play BRICS' part to keep the globaleconomy open. Release the Joint Statementon Supporting Multilateral Trading SystemandWTO Reform of the BRICS countries, putforward the BRICS Initiative on EnhancingCooperation on Supply Chains, and buildBRICS consensus on upholding the multilat-eral trading system and improving the for-mulation of international trade rules.

■ Fourth, highlight BRICS actions to win thefight against corruption. Adopt the BRICSInitiative on Denial of Safe Haven to Corrup-tion, and deepen practical cooperationamong BRICS countries on cross-border cor-ruption governance and pursuit of eco-nomic and corrupt offenders to build a newglobal anti-corruption governance system.

■ Fifth, lay a solid foundation for building a bigmarket for BRICS integration. Sign the Agree-ment Between the Governments of BRICS Coun-tries on Cooperation and MutualAdministrativeAssistance in Customs Matters, and release theBRICS Initiative onTrade and Investment for Sus-tainable Development, to provide new growthdrivers for promoting trade facilitation andachieving economic recovery.

■ Sixth, inject BRICS impetus into global foodsecurity. Reach the first Strategy on FoodSecurity Cooperation of the BRICS Countries, andestablish the Forum on Agricultural and RuralDevelopment, to showcase the five BRICS coun-tries' practical actions to stabilize global foodproduction and the positive contributions toglobal food security governance.

■ Seventh, tap the potential of BRICS forinnovation-driven development. Establishthe BRICS network of technology transfercenters, and host the Forum on Big Data forSustainable Development, to contribute toeconomic transformation, upgrading andhigh-quality development in the five BRICScountries.

■ Eighth, expand BRICS cooperation in newdomains of frontier science and technology.Establish the BRICS aerospace cooperationmechanism, and promote exchanges andinnovation in space science and technology,to set a BRICS model for the peaceful use ofouter space and aerospace technology forsustainable development.

■ Ninth, seize the opportunity of the timesfor the development of the digital economy.Endorse the BRICS Digital Economy Partner-ship Framework, and release the BRICS Ini-tiative for Cooperation on Digitalization ofManufacturing, to achieve leapfrog devel-opment together.

■ Tenth, build a future-oriented pool ofhigh-quality technical talent. Establish theBRICS Technical and Vocational EducationandTraining CooperationAlliance, and holdthe Skills Competition, SDG Solutions Com-petition, and Women's Innovation Contest,to promote connectivity between the talent,industrial and innovation chains of the fiveBRICS countries.

THE OCEAN is vast when it can be inclusive for hun-dreds of rivers. Over the past 16 years, the BRICS co-

operation mechanism has grasped the historic trend ofopenness and development, and embarked on a right-eous course of mutual support and win-win cooperation.From June 22 to 24, President Xi Jinping virtually hostedthe 14th BRICS Summit and the High-Level Dialogue onGlobal Development in Beijing, and delivered a keynotespeech at the opening ceremony of the BRICS Business Fo-rum. President Xi Jinping tapped the gavel, marking theadoption of the Beijing Declaration at the BRICS Summit.And China released the Chair’s Statement of the High-level Dialogue on Global Development.The BRICS cooper-ation has reached a new milestone and made new contri-butions to a better future for mankind.

Today, peace and development remain the theme ofour times. However, various security challenges keepemerging, world economic recovery is losing momentumand global governance faces difficult choices. President XiJinping, with his deep reflection on and a strong senseof responsibility for the destiny of mankind, put forwardthe Global Security Initiative, advocating a vision of com-mon, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable secu-rity. At the BRICS Summit, President Xi Jinping sharedthoughts with leaders of BRICS partners including India,Russia, Brazil and South Africa, drawing a new grandblueprint for BRICS cooperation, and sending out a pow-erful message to the world calling for peace not war, de-velopment not regression, openness not isolation, soli-darity not division, and cooperation not confrontation.

President Xi Jinping pointed out that development isa timeless theme for humanity. Eighteen emergingmarkets and developing countries actively participatedin the High-level Dialogue on Global Development andwere committed to jointly building a high-quality

global development part-nership, which demon-strated the strong vitalityand attractiveness of theBRICS mechanism. BRICScountries should work to-gether with emergingmarkets and developing

countries to support theearly implementation ofthe Global DevelopmentInitiative, and foster adevelopment paradigmfeaturing benefits for all,

balance, coordination, inclusiveness, a win-win cooper-ation and common prosperity.

China and India are both large developing coun-tries and important emerging markets, and have main-tained close coordination and cooperation in a widerange of multilateral institutions and international fora,including BRICS. Last year, India played an importantrole as the rotating Chair of BRICS.This year, Prime Min-ister Narendra Modi attended the 14th BRICS Summit,the High-level Dialogue on Global Development, theBRICS Business Forum and delivered remarks respec-tively, showing that India attaches great importance toBRICS cooperation and lends firm support to China’sChairship. China highly appreciates India’s commitmentand endeavor.Within the BRICS framework, China andIndia have conducted cooperation in multiple areas.TheNew Development Bank has established a regional officein India, which will provide financial support and coop-eration opportunities for infrastructure developmentand sustainable development for India and regionalcountries. China, India, Russia and other BRICS coun-tries strengthened cooperation in the fight against theCovid-19 pandemic and launched the BRICS VaccineR&D Centre, which demonstrated BRICS countries’friendly bonds to come to each other’s assistance andpull together in these trying times. China and India arealso working with other BRICS partners to advancepractical cooperation in science and technologicalinnovation, digital economy, people-to-people ex-changes and sustainable development.

As the tide of the millennium surges, it is time to setsail amid the rising wind. BRICS countries should followthe trend of the times of peace and development, takebold action, and be a positive, stabilising and construc-tive force in the world. Let us make united efforts to up-hold fairness and justice, strengthen solidarity and coop-eration, practise multilateralism and promote globaldevelopment.We should further burnish BRICS’ creden-tials and work together with the emerging markets anddeveloping countries towards the goal of building acommunity with a shared future for mankind.

Safeguard Fairness and Justice and Uphold Justice to Maintain World Peace

Focus on Development and Set the Direction for Global Development Cooperation

BRICS Countries: CreateA Better Future for Mankind

Promote Win-win Cooperation and Help Improve the Global Governance System

ADVERTORIAL

BRICS: Writing a New Chapter of Human Development and Progress

H.E. Sun WeidongAmbassador

Extraordinary andPlenipotentiary of thePeople's Republic of

China to the Republicof India

Ambassador’s Message

9WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,TUESDAY, JUNE28,2022

New Delhi

10WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

Sandip G

Recenteventshaveframedaquestion:CantherebeaShivSenawithouttheThackeraysatthehelm?

THE UNDERDOG TOURNAMENTDespite the riseofmoreglamorous fixtures,Ranji Trophyendures

BEFOREHEBREATHEDhis last, thepater fa-miliasof theShivSena,BalasahebThackeray,addressedamammothmeetingattheiconicShivajiParkinDadar.Heappealedtothemul-titude of his followers to look after his son,Uddhav, and grandson Aaditya, after hisdeath. It was an emotional appeal that pal-pablymovedthemassofhumanitystretchedouton theopengroundbeforehim.There was no doubt in anyone’s mind

thattheSupremeLeaderwantedUddhavtobe his successor, followed by Aditya. ButUddhav is not Balasaheb. His style of func-tioning is different: He relies on a coterie ofclose confidants for advice and execution.But in one core issue, he has been a carboncopy of his father: Uddhavmade no bonesabout his resolve to see his young son,Aaditya,succeedhimastheSupremeLeaderof the Sena and, of course, chief minister ofMaharashtraThat was his Achilles’ heel. When the

Sena abandoned its decades-old alliancewith theBJP to achieve its dreamof leadingthe government inMaharashtra, it joinedhandswith Sharad Pawar’s NCP and its oldbête noire, the Congress, so that UddhavcouldbecometheCM.IamnotverysurethatUddhavwantedthejob.Hewouldhavebeenhappy to install his then 28-year-old son asCMbutbettercounselprevailed,besidestheurgings of his new bedfellows, to assumecommandhimself.Aaditya is a youngmanwith ideas and

theright inclinations.Buthewas inahurry.If hehadstarted fromsomewherenear thebottom of the ladder and worked his wayup, hewould have climbed to the very topinquick time.Hehad it inhimtodo so. Buthe started virtually as the number two inthepartyandthatwasboundtoupsetotherleaders.Anaspirant for the“gaddi”,EknathShinde,wasparticularlymortified.Hebidedhis time and that time coincided with theplans of the BJP’s master strategist in thestate, former CMDevendra Fadnavis, whofelt robbed of his rightful entitlement. Hisparty had fought the elections jointlywiththe Sena. The alliance won, but only, itseemed, tobe tricked into subservienceby

SharadPawar.Fadnaviswasout forrevengefromdayone,buthis initialattempts failed.TheEDallegedlybecamethemaininstru-

ment tobringSainiks in line.Theverymen-tionofitsnamewasenoughtostrikefearintotheheartsandthemindsof thegreatShivajiMaharaj’s 21st-century soldiers. Many (orperhapsmost)hadaskeletonortwotohidefrom the ED’s gaze. They implored theirleader to sever ties with the NCP andCongress and realignwith the BJP to avoidthe attention of the central investigationagencies.Thecognoscentifeelthatthisisthereal reason for the present enmasse deser-tion.That’spossible, evenprobable.Anotherreasonisbeingadvancedforthe

revolt of the Sena legislators. They feel thattheNCPandCongresshavegotall the lucra-tive portfolios in the cabinet, leaving thecrumbs for the Sena. They say Uddhav hascompromised on this to occupy the CM’schair. They also complain that NCP andCongressMLAsget theirMLA funds, aswellasaccesstotheCM,muchquickerthantheydo. The CM is not easily accessible to themand that affects their standing in their con-stituencies.The SenaMLAs are thinking of the next

electionstothestateassembly.Theyfeelthatthe NCP and Congress will have stolen amarchoverthembecauseofthepreferentialtreatment they have enjoyed. All thesepeeves have been highlighted during theirrevolt.TheBJPvirtually rodeontheSena’sback

tofirstbecomerelevantinMaharashtraandthen to gain ascendancy over the party.When its tally of legislators overtook theSena’s,thechiefminister’smantlepassedontothesaffronparty.WhenFadnaviswastheCM there seemed to be less corruption andbetter governance. But the dominantMarathaswerenothappy.TheShivSena’s founding familybelongs

totheforwardKayasthacastebutitsfollow-ers, almost to aman, belong to theOBCcat-egory and are largely from the Konkan re-gion. There is no doubt that Balasaheb’smethods“coaxed”centralgovernmentagen-cieslikethenationalisedbanks,theRailways,

Air India, and theAirportsAuthority to em-ploymoreMaharashtrians in their offices.That was the secret of the rise of the Sena,mainly inMumbai.The foot soldiers of the Sena, even after

Shinde’srevolt,arewiththeThackerays.Theyare, currently, reeling fromtheshock. It is tobeseenhowtheyreactwhenthefull importofwhatwillhappen if theThackeraysceaseto head the Sena kicks in. A Senawithout aThackerayat thehelmwill notbe the same.Theprocessofdisintegrationwillbegin.ThestreetvendorsandalotofthosewhooperateMumbai’sunderbellyareknowntohavetheblessings of the Thackerays. Many of theseyoungmen,hailing fromwhat theMarxiststermthe“lumpenproletariat”,willbeforcedto findnewmoorings.Eknath Shindemay not last long as the

Sena’s head. There are bound to be otherclaimantswiththesameambitionandequaltalent. For instance,NarayanRane,whohasjoined the BJP,would surely aspire for indi-vidualrecognition.Inshort,thechurnwithintheSena’s rank-and-file isgoing tobeshort,but sharpandeventful.Many of the Sena’s karyakartas could

jointheBJP,especially if theyanticipatetheED proceeding against them. Many morewill join the NCP, whose ethos is similar.Ideologyisunlikelytobeasignificant factorin taking sides. Theywerenever guidedbyHindutva, as is now being propagated byEknath Shinde. It is self-interest and thegood life that matters to them. They willbalancetheprosandconsanddecidewhatisbest for them.But theSena, asBalasahebenvisaged it—amediumtochannelise theaspirations of lower-middle-classMaharashtrians to middle-class status --mayhavetobeburied if theThackerayclanis not around.IgrieveforAadityaThackeray.Heisprob-

ablythereasonwhythisrevoltishappening.Hecouldhavebeenagood influenceon theordinarySainiksashisthinkingwasmodern–somethingmostreadersandIcanrelateto.

Thewriter, a retired IPSofficer,wasMumbaipolice commissioner

THE NUMBER of cricketers fromMadhyaPradeshwhohaveplayedforIndia—thoughthe list includes luminaries like CKNayuduand SyedMushtaqAli— cannot comprise afull team. It falls one short of 11. SoMadhyaPradesh upstagingMumbai — record RanjiTrophywinners and the teamthat can fieldmultiple international elevens — for themaidenRanjiTrophytitleisaheart-warmingunderdogstory,scriptedwithoutstartalent,oryearsofaccumulatedknowhow,butstar-ringagenialoldcoachfromMumbaiandhismotleygangofrejects,unknownsandnever-weres.It’s a storyof hopeandoptimism, anex-

ample of how hard work, planning andcourage could overcome a dearth of twin-kling talent. Yet, it’s a story that you couldsoon forget, as you had forgotten the fairy-tale narratives of Vidarbha, Gujarat andSaurashtrainthelastsixyears. It’snofaultofyours — there is a deluge of cricketing fix-turesaroundtheworld, farmoreglamorousand exciting than what unfurled inBengaluru. There was Jasprit Bumrah andViratKolhiduelling,perhapsforthefirsttimein a red-ball game in a warm-up game inLeicester; there are BrendonMcCullum’sred-ball radicals engaged ina seesawtusslewith Trent Boult’s swing and seam heavy-metalchords;aclosely-foughtwhite-ballse-ries justendedinSriLanka.Nottoforget, it’snotevenamonthsincetheIPLfinal.Andbe-foreyouhave the time tocatchyourbreath,theT20WorldCupwouldblast throughthe

windowsof yourdrawingroom.You consumemore than you could re-

member. It’s normal for the brain to elimi-natewhatismoreforgettable.Let’sstripthatveneer of pretence—Ranji Trophy, the pre-mier domestic tournament in name, does-n’t occupy asmuch space in our cricketingconsciousnessasothertournaments. It’snotonyourlistofunmissables—youdon’tbunkclassesorskipofficehourssothatyoucouldwatchMadhyaPradeshtakeonMumbai.Youwatch if youhave time— if there is nothingelseon.It isnotpartof thenationalconversation

ordebates,unlessyou’reared-ballcricketfa-natic, it does not create any buzz. The yearbefore,whentheeditionwasscrappedalto-gether due to thepandemic, Star Sports didnot bang down the doors of the Board, de-manding it is played at all costs. Unlike theinvincible IPL—not thepandemic,notpolls,not a recession, perhaps not evenwar, haspowers tostop it.But the Ranji Trophy exists, providing a

background hum to a busy season, quietlydeveloping the next generation of interna-tionalplayers, sometimesactingasaretreatfor out-of-form international players andprovidingavastcanvastoplayersfromeverycorner of the country. The net the RanjiTrophy casts is three timeswider than theIPL or any other tournament, now that theNortheastern states are also involved. A to-talof38teamscompetedinthetournamentthis year, and almost 750 different players.

Forthenationalteam, it’samorerobustandenduringsupplychain thanthe IPL.Yet, inapainfulirony,theroadtostardom

is easier through the IPL. To tweak that oldVinodKambliquote,“IPLstarstaketheeleva-torwhiledomesticcricketerstakethestairs.”WhereasUmranMalikbecameahouseholdname overnight, Mayank Agarwal had torackupmorethan2,000runsaseasontobe-come half as famous. Only a fewwould re-memberShamsMulaniorKumarKartikeya,thehighestandsecond-highestwicket-tak-ers this season.The IPL is not to blame for the unglam-

orousness of the Ranji Trophy. It is a reflec-tion of the altered cricketingmilieu and itsvalues. It’s the same in England andAustralia, where the 100 and BBL havepushed the County championship andShieldtothebackground.Domestictourna-ments have become truly domestic in thatinternationalplayersbarelyfeatureinthem.ThatBumrahandKohlihaveneverencoun-teredeachotherinared-ball, firstclassgametells the story.Noneofthis,though,willthreatentheex-

istenceof theRanjiTrophy. It is theultimatesurvivor that might live as long as Indiancricket itself. But it might be rememberedonlywhena truly spectacular event occurs,orwhenthereisanunderdogstorytobetold.Such storiesbefit the tournament—under-dog tales fromanunderdog tournament.

[email protected]

The foot soldiers of the Senaeven after Shinde’s revolt arestill with the Thackerays.They are currently, reelingfrom the shock. It is to beseen how they react when thefull import of what willhappen if the Thackerayscease to head the Sena kicksin. A Sena without aThackeray at the helm willnot be the same. The processof disintegration will begin.The street vendors and a lotof those who operateMumbai’s underbelly areknown to have the blessingsof the Thackerays. Many ofthese young men, hailingfrom what the Marxists termthe 'lumpen proletariat', willbe forced to find newmoorings.

The IPL is not to blame forthe unglamorousness of theRanji Trophy. It is areflection of the alteredcricketing milieu and itsvalues. Domestictournaments have becometruly domestic in thatinternational players barelyfeature in them. ThatBumrah and Kohli havenever encountered eachother in a red-ball, first classgame tells the story.

FOUNDED BY

RAMNATH GOENKA

B E C A U S E T H E T R U T H I N V O L V E S U S A L L

§ §

THEINDIANEXPRESS,TUESDAY, JUNE28,2022WORDLYWISE

Death, taxes and childbirth! There’s neverany convenient time for any of them.

— MARGARET MITCHELLTHEEDITORIALPAGE

THE ISRAELI INVASIONISRAEL'S INVASIONARMYwarned thepeo-ple of Beirut to use the two-day-old cease-fire to get out of the city. In leaflets droppedover the encircled capital, the Israeli armysaid itswaragainst thePalestinianswasnotyetover. “The Israelidefence forcesarecon-tinuing their war against the terrorists andhavenotyetusedalltheirmight,”theleafletssaid.“Usethecease-firetosaveyourlife,”theArabic-languageleafletstoldBeirutresidents.In response, the PLO vowed in a broadcastover its Voice of Palestine radio station to“fight to defend Beirut... and exact a heavy,veryheavyprice fromtheenemyforanyat-

tempt tostormthecity.”

PAKISTAN BUYS ARMSPAKISTANHAS SENT high-powermilitaryteams to the United States, Britain, WestGermany and Italy to acquire sophisticatedelectroniccountermeasuresequipmenttofur-ther increase the offensive capabilities of itsarmed forces. Under a recently signed con-tract,Pakistanhasstartedreceivinghighlyso-phisticatedlow-levelmobileradarsandothercommunication equipment from aWestEuropean country. Pakistan has also con-cludedanagreementwith theUnited Statesfor the supply of automatic data handling

equipment.Amajorportionofthisnewwareequipment isnowbeingflownintoPakistan.According tomilitary experts inNewDelhi,Pakistanhasalsodrawnupaveryambitiousprogrammeformodificationof itsair force.

MIZO GUERRILLASINAMOSTbafflingturnofevents,Mizoguer-rillas havedecided to stay clear of the secu-rityforcesintheirrenewedcampaignof ter-ror. Instructions to their cadres are clear:“Securityforcesshouldinnowaybetouchedunlessit'sunavoidable”.Observersinterpretthis as a sign of both the insurgents' weak-nessandcunning.

JUNE 28, 1982, FORTYYEARSAGO

Sena in search of moorings

Julio RibeiroFIVE YEAR ITCHGSTfaceschallenges.ThereisneedtobridgetrustdeficitbetweenCentreandstates,upholdcooperativefederalism

F IVEYEARSAFTER the shift to theGoods andServices Tax, the47thmeetingoftheGSTCouncil,scheduledtobeheldinChandigarhonJune28-29, isexpectedtotakeupproposalsaimedatplugging leakagesandshoringupcompliance. Itis also likely to considermeasures for stricter scrutiny andverificationof high

risk taxpayers, and takeacall on the recommendationby theministerialpanelheadedbyMeghalayaChiefMinisterConradSangmato levy28percent taxononlinegaming,casinoandhorseracing. Inadditiontothese, theCouncilwilladdressseveralcontentiousissues. Itwillnotbeeasy,giventhatthismeetingcomesamidstgrowingtensionsbetweentheCentreandthestatesoverthecountry's fiscalarchitecture,andafterarecentSupremeCourt judg-mentwhichemphasisedthatdecisionsof theGSTCouncilarenotbindingonstates.Tobeginwith,thefive-yearGSTcompensationperiod—theframeworkdesignedtopro-

videcertaintytostatefinancesaspartofthegrandbargainstruckbetweentheCentreandthestatestopushthroughGST—iscomingtoanend.Fearingacollapseintheirrevenues,stateshaverepeatedlyaskedforanextensionofthismechanism.Theirconcernsappearlegitimate.Asreportedinthispaper,theall-Indiaaverageshortfallbetweentheprotectedrevenuesandthepost-settlementgrossstateGSTwas27.2percentin2021-22,withonlyfivestatesregis-teringarevenuegrowthhigherthantheprotectedGSTrevenues.However,sofar,theCentrehasshownnoinclinationtoaccedetothestatesrequest.Whileafewdaysago,itdidextendthecompensation levytillMarch2026, it isonly torepaythe loans takenover thepast fewyearstocompensatestatesfortheshortfallinrevenueduringtheCovidperiod—borrowingsstoodatRs1.1lakhcrorein2020-21andRs1.59lakhcrorein2021-22.Alongside,theCouncilwillalsoneedtodeliberateontheissueofraisingtaxrates,consideringthatGSTcollectionshavefallenwellshortofexpectations.AsperastudybytheReserveBankofIndia,theweightedaverageGSTtaxratehasdeclinedfrom14.4percentatthetimeof inceptionto11.6percentinSeptember2019. Incomparison, therevenueneutral ratewasestimatedat15.5percentby theSubramanianCommittee report. There are several options that theCouncil canex-plore, ranging from increasing the lower tax slabs tomergingothers. Reportedly, it is ex-pectedtotakeupaninterimreportontheissueofraterationalisationsubmittedbytheGoMheadedbyKarnatakaChiefMinisterBasavarajBommai.The consultative andconsensual natureof decision-making thathashelpedguide the

Council's decisions so farmust be adhered to. Addressing the contentious issueswill, firstandforemost, requirebridgingthetrustdeficitbetweentheCentreandstates.Thespiritofcooperativefederalism,oftenadvocatedbytherulingdispensation,mustbeupheld.

LONG STEP BACKUpendingofRoevWadereversesprogressmadeonwomen’s

rightsinAmerica,andpossiblyelsewhere

ONJUNE24, theUSSupremeCourt (SCOTUS) struckablowagainstAmericanwomen’s rights over their bodies byoverturning the1973Roe vWade judg-ment,whichensuredthenationwiderighttoabortion.ThejudgmentinthecaseofDobbs v JacksonWomen’s Health Organisation upheld the controversial

MississippiGestational AgeActwhichbans abortions after 15weeksof pregnancy,whileoverrulingRoe,aswellasthe1992PlannedParenthoodvCasey judgment,bothofwhichhadgivenAmericanwomentherighttosafeandlegalabortions.ThecourtheldRoeas“egregiouslywrong”andsaiditwill“returntheissueofabortionto

thepeople’selectedrepresentatives”,clearingthepathforbansin26states.Indoingso,how-ever,itmayhavegoneagainstwhatamajorityoftheAmericanpeoplewant.ArecentGalluppoll foundthat55percentofAmericans identifiedas“prochoice”,with52percentsayingtheyfoundabortion“morallyacceptable”—thehighestevernumbertosayso.Popularma-joritiesmaysometimesprovetransient,butDobbshasirreversiblydamagedtheedificeofin-dividualrightsbuilt,piecebypiece,overtwocenturies,dealingabodyblowtotheevolving21st centuryAmericanunderstandingofwhat liberty and self-determination is, the free-domsitentails.Thecourt’sargumentthattherighttoabortionwasneitherupheldbythecon-stitutionnor“deeplyrootedinthisnation’shistoryandtradition”failstotakeintoaccounthowmuchtheAmericanrightslandscapehaschangedsince1789,whentheconstitutiontookef-fect.WheretheAmericanwomanwasonceinvisibletothosewhodraftedthedocument,sheisnowanequalcitizen.Thedenialofbodilyautonomycantakeanincalculabletollonwomen’sability to fullyparticipate in thenation’s socialandeconomic life—not tomentiontherisktotheirownhealthandlives,asmanywillbeforcedtoseekillegal,unsafeabortions.EvenastheBidenadministrationmovestoensurethatabortionpillsareaccessibleinstatesthatbanthemedicalprocedure,thefutureofotherrightsalsoseemstobeinquestion.Alarmbellsareringingover JusticeClarenceThomas’s concurringnoteurging the “reconsideration”of allcaseswhichguaranteedrightstocontraceptionandsame-sexrelationshipsandmarriage.Bytakingawayaright,thecourthassetadangerousprecedentandtherippleswillbefelt

beyondUSborders.Aroundtheworld,theUShasbeenseentoleadthemarchtowardsgreaterindividualrights.Thestruggletokeeptheindividualattheheartofanexpansiverights-basedframeworkcouldnowgettougher.

A PALER WIMBLEDONThecelebratedtennistournamentwillsorelymissstarplayers–

includingandespeciallyFederer

W IMBLEDON2022 ISN’T like its previous editions. As themost eagerlyawaited tennismajor opened to adiluteddrawand several low-keyfirst-roundmatches, the impact of its vulnerability to geopolitics hithome.InApril,inwhatwasseenasanover-reactioninmanyquarters,

themostcelebratedtennis tournamentbannedRussianandBelarusianplayersbecauseofthewar inUkraine.Themovedidnotgodownwellwiththetennis fraternity, creatingfur-therdivisions inanalready fracturedsport. TheAllEnglandClub’sdecision—not followedbyanyothereventaroundtheglobe—haskeptoutmen’sNo1DaniilMedvedev,No8AndreyRublev, and threeof thewomen’s top20—ArynaSabalenka,DariaKasatkinaandVictoriaAzarenkafromthewell-manicuredgrasscourts.Global tennis bodies—ATP andWTA—haven’t remained silent. Theyhave stripped

Wimbledonofrankingpointsinthestrongestrebukeofaneventinrecenthistory.Thebiggestvictimof theseunfortunate circumstances is oneof thegame’s superstars, SerbianNovakDjokovic,inlinetobecomeonlythefourthmen’splayer(afterBjornBorg,PeteSamprasandRogerFederer) towinafourthconsecutiveWimbledontitle.Becauseof thecomplexrank-ingcalculations,andtheATPdecision,DjokovicissuretolosehisplaceintheTop5evenifhewinshere.JoiningRafaelNadalandRogerFedererintheGOATrace,Djokovicwouldn’tmindexchangingpointsforthetrophybutnoteveryoneisonthesamepageashim.MultipleGrandSlamwinnerNaomiOsakaconsiders theoldestGrandSlamtournament“more likeanex-hibition”minusrankingpoints.Theotherregular featuremissingatWimbledonthisyearwillbeFederer,whoseblend

of elegant andpowerful tennis came todefine the tournament for the better part of twodecades.Thejuniorsingleschampionin1998,Federerhasplayedineverymaindraweventinthe22yearssince.Hemissesoutduetoaninjury.It’stoomuchofachangeforthisancientvenuesteepedincustomstotake.

New Delhi


WHATTHEOTHERSSAY“The US is exceptional in its lack of federal maternity provisions; children aswell as parents will suffer the consequences of unwanted additions to theirfamilies, with poor and black people the worst affected.” —THEGUARDIANTHE IDEASPAGE

WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

While neutrality is thefundamental basis of amarketplace and a levelplaying field is in the fitnessof things, claims of outfitssuch as Flipkart or Amazonto be a marketplace for awide variety of sellers can bequestioned. A few selectsellers, who are generallyaffiliated with the platform,reap the benefits of greatervisibility and better terms oftrade — reducedcommissions and platform-funded discounts. Zomato,like other food aggregators, issaid to run cloud kitchens.The associate companies areprominent sellers on theirplatform. It is alleged thatundue advantage is givenwhile recommending orlisting these products.

THECYCLE,howeverlong,eventuallyturns.And turned it has, in India. The startupecosystemwhichhasbeen inoverdrive forthepastfewyears--propelledbyacombina-tionoffactors,butlargely,bytheeraofcheapmoney—isnowshowingsignsofweakness.Andwiththisturncomestherealisationthatmanyoftheassumptionsthatunderpinnedthestratosphericvaluationswereunhingedfromreality.Itwashardnottobesweptbytheallure

andpromiseofthenewagetechcompanies.Builtonacompellingnarrative—thecombi-nation of accelerated financial inclusion(bank accounts), ease of identification(Aadhaar)andconnectivity(mobilephones)— it is ultimately a bet on the Indian con-sumer,andtheeconomy,notongovernmentregulations/policies. In the era of cheapmoneyandnegative real interest rates, un-comfortablequestionsoverthetruemarketsizeandprofitabilityweresweptunder therug.Highcashburnrateswere thenormasboth startups and investors sought growthbysubsidisingthecustomer.Butprofitabilityisnotjustanarcanecon-

ceptthatbelongstoanothercentury.Amongthestartupsthathavegonepublicinrecenttimes,Paytm’slossesstoodatRs2,396crorein2021-22,whileforZomatoandPBFintech(PolicyBazaar) losseswere Rs 1,222 croreandRs832crorerespectively.Theseeminglyinexhaustiblesourceofcashthatfundssuchlossesisnowbeingsqueezed.Sure,investorswillcontinuetopourmoney.Someearlyagestart-upswillcontinuetobefunded,aswillsomeofthemorematureones.Butinvestorsare likely to bemore circumspect in theirdealings. Thiswill include the entire range—fromearlystageventurecapitaliststoin-stitutionalandretailinvestors—allofwhomhavemademoney,buthavealsoburnttheirfingers.Recently, Alibaba andAnt Financial ex-

ited their entireholdings inPaytmMall forRs42crore,valuingtheventureatamereRs100crore—afarcryfromthe$3billionval-uation ascribed to the company in its lastfund-raisinground.Therearealsoreportsofstartupsindiversemarkets,rangingfromOlatoOYO,planningtoraisefundsatlowerval-uations.Amongthosewhohavegonepub-licinrecenttimes,mostaretradingmuchbe-lowtheir listingprice.During theheadydays,manynumbers,

indicators of the sizeof themarket or TAM(thetotaladdressablemarket),werebandiedabout.One suchnumber thrownaround isthesmartphoneusersinthecountry—somehavepeggedthisat500million.Orthetrans-actions routed through theUPIplatform—inMaytherewerealmostsixbilliontransac-tionsworthRs10trillion.Orthenearuniver-salityofbankaccounts.Butinreality,formostofthesestartups,themarketoreventhepo-tential market is just a fraction of this.Whicheverwayoneslicesthedata,thereal-ityis,therearen'tthatmanyconsumerswithsignificantdiscretionaryspendingcapacity,

and thosewith the capacity aren’t increas-ingtheirspendingasthesecompanieswouldhope.Thisseemstobethecaseacrossstart-upsforarangeforproducts/services.Take Zomato, for instance. In 2021-22,

535million orders for food deliverywereplacedontheplatform.Consideringthatthecompanyhas50millionannualtransactingconsumers, this translates to just under 11orderspercustomerfortheentireyearorlessthanoneorderpercustomerpermonth.Ofthese50millioncustomers,only15milliontransacted at least once amonth,while 1.8million did so once aweek. In the case ofNykaa,theaveragemonthlyuniquevisitorsrangefromaround16millionforthefashionverticalto21millionforthebeautyandper-sonal careproducts.However, thenumberof transacting customers is only1.8millionand8.4millionrespectively.Similarly,whilePolicy Bazaar has around59million regis-teredcustomers,only11.8millionareuniquepurchasingcustomers.Whatisequallyworryingisthecomplete

absenceofanyincreaseinspendingbyeventhese consumerswhowouldhave the ca-pacitytospendmore.In2020-21,theaverageordervalueonZomatowasRs397. In2021-22,itwasRs398.InthecaseofNykaa,theav-erageordervalueinthebeautyandpersonalcare verticalwas Rs 1,732during January-March2022—the lowest ithasbeen in thelasteightquarters.Inthefashioncategory,itwas almost flat compared to the samepe-riodlastyear.InthecaseofPolicyBazaar,thesituationisn'tanydifferent.Whilemore consumers are on-board

digital payment platforms— Paytm hasabout70millionmonthlytransactingusers—thesenumberssuggestthatwhenitcomesto consumerswith considerable discre-tionary spending, the size of themarketshrivels considerably.While these compa-nieshaveseenanincreaseinthenumberoftransacting customers, towhat extent theoverallcustomerbaseforthesestartupscanexpand further is constrainedby thenum-berofhouseholdsinthecohortthathassig-nificantspendingpower.Andifsalesofsmallcars,amarkerofanincreaseindiscretionaryspending,asignof ascendancyto therankstothemiddleclass,aren'tgrowing—salesofMarutiSuzuki’sminiandcompactsegments,whichaccountforroughlytwo-thirdsofthecarmakers domestic sales, actually con-tracted in2021-22—then it is perhaps theclearest indicationthatthemarket just isn'texpanding.Themacrorealityiscatchingup.Tighter financial conditions, a re-rating

of themarket,will impactboth fundraisingefforts and valuations. Several questionsarise.Towhatextentwillinvestorscontinueto subsidise consumers?Will startups stillcommandthesamevaluationstheyhavere-ceived in previous fundraising rounds?Orwillweseedownrounds?Somestartupswillsurvive this period. Manymay not. Andchangesinthedynamicsofprivatemarketswillalsohaveabearingonpublicmarkets.Intriguingly, though, even as questions

over theprospects of startups, consumers,andtheeconomyarebeingraised,valuationsof somecompanies in sectorsmore tightlyregulated,moredirectly influencedbygov-ernmentpolicies, seemtodefy gravity. Forsomeofthesecompanies,theprice-to-earn-ingsratioisevenhigherthantheastronom-icalprice-to-rentratiosofresidentialreales-tateinDelhi.

[email protected]

AS TECHNOLOGY FLATTENS theworld, thewayweoperate our daily lives— travel, en-tertain, educate, shop, communicate andeven obtain food— is undergoing a radicalchange.Thishasimpactedavarietyofstake-holdersinthecountrydifferently–thereareobviouswinners and losers. The nature ofour success indealingwith this changewilllieinthewaysinwhichwedealwiththecon-cernsof all players.The proliferation of a wide range of e-

commerce platforms has created conven-ienceandincreasedconsumerchoice.Butinhindsight, theinitialcashbackanddeepdis-countshaveturnedouttobeaforerunnertoaddiction. The online aggregator platformshave alsodamaged large segments of smallandmediumbusinessesthroughtheirdom-inantpositionandthemalpractices thispo-sition allows them to indulge in. There is aclearpatternthatshowsthedominationofafewbigplatforms.These companies resort to predatory

pricing to acquire customers even as theysuffer persistent financial losses — SEBI isrightlyrevisitingthevaluationnormsofsuchcompanies looking to list on the stock ex-change.Theytakeawaychoice fromsuppli-ersandconsumers.This, inthelongrun,canbe viewed as an exclusionary practice thateliminates other players from themarket.The ultimate loss bearer is the consumerwhowillhaveareducedbargainingpositiondue to less competition andwill be subjecttothearbitrarinessofmonopolisticconduct.Be it e-marketplaces like Amazon and

Flipkart or food service aggregators likeZomatoorSwiggyor travel aggregators likeMakeMyTripandOYO,allhavebeenaccusedof distorting the market. The story of bigtechnology companies like Google,Facebook,andAppleisdifferent,andbestleftforanother time.While neutrality is the fundamental ba-

sisof amarketplaceanda levelplaying fieldis in the fitness of things, claims of outfitssuch as Flipkart or Amazon to be amarket-placeforawidevarietyofsellerscanbeques-tioned. A few select sellers, who are gener-ally affiliated with the platform, reap thebenefitsofgreatervisibilityandbettertermsof trade— reduced commissions and plat-form-funded discounts. Zomato, like otherfood aggregators, is said to run cloudkitchens.Manyof themrunprivate-labelledproducts in categories where other sellershavebeensuccessful. Theassociatecompa-niesareprominentsellersontheirplatform.It is alleged that undue advantage is givenwhile recommending or listing theseproducts.Online travel aggregators are often ac-

cused of cartelisation. The CompetitionCommission of India’s investigation in theOYO-MakeMyTripcollusioncaseresultedinMakeMyTripbeingorderedtorelistproper-tiesof TreeboandFabHotels.Other suchar-bitraryremovalsorsuppressionsof listingofcompeting products and services have alsobeenheardof.

While using these platforms, citizensshare theirdatavoluntarily and involuntar-ily. Theaggregatorsgather shoppinghabits,consumer preferences, and other personaldata.Theplatformsareaccusedofusingthisdata—datathatisneithercreatedbythem(itis created by customers) nor for them (it iscreated for sellersof theproduct/service)—to create and improve their own productsand services, taking away business fromother sellers on their platform. They capi-talise on this data and information aboutotherbrands to launchcompetingproductson their marketplace. This informationasymmetry is exploited by the aggregatorstodevourorganisationstheypromisetosup-port. Theyprovidemoreprominent listingsfortheirprivatelabelsandastheyhavecom-pletecontrolovercustomerreviewsandrat-ingsontheplatform;manipulationandarbi-trary removalhavealsobeenreported.Another issueoftennoticed is the lackof

a fair and transparent dispute resolutionmechanism for sellers on these platforms.Delayed payments, unreasonable charges,and hidden fees are common occurrences.Thepowerof theseplatformsisatthecostofsmallhardworkingbusinesses.Smallrestau-rants complain that food-service aggrega-tors’ inabilitytoserviceacustomerrequestisattributed to the restaurant’s inability.Similarly,hotelslistedontheseplatformsareblamedforcustomergrievancesarisingfromover-committing. Insomecases,restaurantsand hotels are arbitrarily shown as closed.Large restaurants with their own deliverynetworks are forced to use the aggregator'sdeliveryservices.

Unreasonable and one-sided contractsallow travel aggregators to have a disparityclause(intherates)whichallowsthemtoof-ferroomsatamuchcheaperratebutbarsthehotels fromdoing so. Restaurants aremanyatimeforcedtoacceptordersatpricesmuchlower than their agreement. Hotels are de-nied delisting from platforms; other exitclauses are restrictive. Taxis attachedwithaggregators likeOlaandUberarepressuredto use the company’s payment system andare often at the receiving end of arbitrarycharges.Across the world, small businesses are

suffering from the unethical practices andunequal bargaining power of these largeplatforms.It istimethatasetofcomprehen-sive rules and regulations is put together.These regulations need to be inclusive,shouldeliminatetheconflictsof interest in-herent incurrentmarketpractices,andpre-ventanyanti-competitivepractices.Amodelagreementthatisfairandallowsalevelplay-ing field between the aggregators and theirbusiness partners should be implemented.ThereisalottolearnfromtheDigitalMarketsAct of the EU that seeks to address unfairpractices by these gatekeepers. Strong andquick grievance redressal anddispute reso-lutionmechanisms should be established.Therulesshouldallowforpunitivepenaltiesfor unfair practices.Market dominance andsubsequent invoking of fair competitionrules should be triggered at the level ofmi-cro-marketsand forproduct segments.

Thewriter isRajyaSabhaMPand formerdeputychiefministerofBihar

On startups, agravity check

GAP IN BRICSTHISREFERSTOtheeditorial,'BalancingBRICS' (IE, June27).BRICShasnot livedupto the expectations it set a decadeago. Initiatives like NewDevelopmentBankandtheBRICSprogrammeonvac-cines are commendable. Having saidthat,therearemanycomplexitiesinthisgrouping. First, internal imbalance,which largely favours China. Second,strained ties between India and Chinamarrthegroup'sabilitytodeliver.Third,thoughBrazil's president raised the is-sue of UN reforms,and India was alsosupportive of the same, it hasnot seenmuch headway in the last decade.Finally, internaltradeasagroupinghasremained dismal.Considering all oftheseaspects, itseemsthatBRICShasalot todeliveron in times tocome.

DewangGaneshThosar,Raigad

SEEKING JUSTICETHIS REFERS TO the editorial, ‘In SC’sname’ (IE, June27).Withoutgoing intothemerits of the case attributed to ac-tivistTeestaSetalvadandformerIPSof-ficer and whistle-blower R BSreekumar,onecannothelpobservingwhat is perceived to be an overeagerhaste with which an FIR was filedagainst them, accusing themof crimi-nal conspiracy and other offences un-der the IPC. Acting against thosewho

soughtjusticefortheriotvictimsmighthave a chilling effect on the defendersof human rights and leave the victimswith no one to take up the baton ontheirbehalf.

SSPaul,Nadia

WAY FORWARDTHISREFERSTOthearticle, 'Backslidingin America' (IE, June 27). Any democ-racymustworkindetailsofthewayfor-ward before rolling back a constitu-tionalright.TheUS,today,standsatthatcriticaljunctureafteritsSupremeCourtreversedthe1973rulinginRoevsWade,taking away the constitutional right toabortion. The decisionwas imminentwiththecourthavingaconservativesu-permajority. People with unwantedpregnanciesmay,in parts of the coun-try, have to opt formedical assistance.There is also a fear that miscarriagescould be subject to criminal investiga-tions.AlthoughPresidentBidenandhisDemocratic Party have declared thattheywillpushforabortiontomadeintoa federally protected right inNovember’smid-termelections,theef-fort to protect reproductive rightswilllikely have to be carried out in stageswithlegalchallengesatmultiplelevels,alongwithcivilandpoliticalsupporttothose seeking it in Red States andthroughgrass-root level campaigns.

SanjayChopra,Mohali

LETTERS TO THEEDITOR

FORHALF a century,women and pregnantpeople in theUShave relied on the right toabortion tomakedecisions about their lives,health, and well-being. In 1973, the USSupremeCourtdecisioninRoev.Wadeestab-lishedcriticalprotectionsagainstviolationsofindividuals’rightstobodilyautonomy,health,andequality.Roe’s legacywasnotonly felt inAmerica.Aroundtheworld,nationalcourtsre-lieduponRoetoarticulatetheirownconstitu-tional recognitionof reproductive rights andbodilyautonomy,includinginIndia.On June 24, theUS SupremeCourt over-

turnedRoe v.Wade in a6-3vote, eliminatingtheconstitutionalrighttoabortioninthecoun-try and sending thedecision to state legisla-tures.Withinmerehoursof thismomentousdecision inDobbs v. JacksonWomen’s HealthCenter,ninestateshavealreadybannedabor-tion.Overall, 26 states are certain or likely tobanabortionsinthecomingweeks.Inmanypartsof theUS,pregnantindivid-

uals andhealthworkers seeking to provideabortionwillbeincreasinglysubjecttocrimi-nal penalties. The impacts of these criminallawswillbefeltmostacutelybymarginalisedindividualswhohave limitedmeans to seeksafeandlegalservicesandarealreadysubjectto greater criminalisation, including low-in-comewomen andwomen of colour. Somemay be able to travel or accessmedicationabortion, but thatwill not be an option foreveryone.Under international human rights law,

countriesmust repeal discriminatory crimi-

nal laws. As United Nations SpecialRapporteursstatedintheiramicuscuriaebriefsubmitted to theSupremeCourt in this case,‘theUnited Stateswould contradict interna-tionalhumanrightslawbyoverturningitses-tablishedconstitutionalprotections forabor-tion access — both by failing to recogniseabortionaccessasnecessaryforwomen’sau-tonomy,equalityandnon-discriminationandbyretrogressingonhumanrightscontrarytointernational law.’Theserightshavenowbeenstrippedfrom

people in theUS,as thedissentingopinionofthree justices in theDobbsdecision empha-sises:“TheCourttodaysaysthatfromtheverymomentoffertilization,awomanhasnorightstospeakof.AStatecanforcehertobringapreg-nancy to term, evenat the steepest personalandfamilialcosts...Themajority’srefusalevento consider the life-altering consequencesofreversingRoe andCasey is a stunning indict-mentof itsdecision.”Atmyorganisation,PhysiciansforHuman

Rights,wearealarmedthathealthworkersintheUSwill soonbeplaced in thedifficultpo-sitionofhavingtodecidebetweenadheringtonewanti-abortionlawsorfulfillingtheirmed-ical ethics to provide comprehensive, evi-dence-based healthcare to their patients.Violence and threats against healthworkerswhoprovidereproductivehealthserviceswerealreadyrising.Thedeaththreats,violence,andobstructionwill likely increase as abortion isoutlawedinstatesacrossthecountry.A statementbyUNhumanrights experts

emphasises the linkbetween theCourt’s at-tackongenderequalityandbroaderstrugglesfor democracy: “What has happened in theUnitedStates today is aprofound setback fortheruleoflawandgenderequality.Theexces-sive use of the legislative process, executivepower,andjudicialauthorityovertheyearstorestrict and criminalise abortion rather thantoexpanditandensureequitableaccesstosafeabortion services, signals a deeply troublingerosionofdemocraticvaluesandprocess.”Byallowingstatestoeffectivelyforceindividualsto carry pregnancies to term, the Court hasplacedtheUSamongstasmallsetofcountriesthatinrecentyearshavebacktrackedonabor-tion rights: El Salvador, Honduras, Iran,Nicaragua,andPoland.TheCourt’s decision stands in stark con-

trasttotheglobaltrendtowardtheliberalisa-tion of abortion laws and is out of stepwithotherdemocracies.IncountriesfromColombiato Argentina to Ireland to the DemocraticRepublicof theCongo,critical lawreformhasoccurredtoremovebarrierstoabortion.Similarly, India just last year amended its

50-year-old abortion law—passed just twoyears beforeRoe—to further expandaccess.Whiledecisionsarenotuniform,incasesspan-ningissuessuchasmaternalhealth,accesstocontraception, forcedand involuntarysterili-sation, abortion, sexual and reproductivehealthrightsofadolescents,employmentdis-criminationongroundsofpregnancyorchild-care,amongothers, Indiancourtshavedevel-oped robust jurisprudence that not only

reflectsbutalsoadvancesglobalhumanrightsstandards.In themonths andyears to come, the re-

versalofRoemaybecitedasgroundsforretro-gression in the jurisprudenceof other coun-tries.Wemustnot let thathappen.WemustrecogniseabortionjurisprudenceintheUSasthe anti-democratic, idiosyncratic, and anti-healthdevelopment it isand instead,hold itslawmakers accountable for the cruelty, vio-lence,anddevastatinghealthimpactsthatthiscourtdecisionwillcause.Further, all of us,whereverwe live,must

pushbackonthecriminalisationof abortion.Even in countries like Indiawhere therehasbeenrecentprogress,thecontinuedinclusionofabortioninthepenalcode—albeitwithex-ceptions—has beendocumented to have aharmful impact, including onmarginalisedpopulations.Wemust call uponour govern-mentstotreatabortionasanessentialhealthservice. In the face of such an egregious set-backonhumanrights,wecannotbesilent.Wemust act in solidaritywith pregnant peopleandhealthworkers under threat,wherevertheyare.

Thewriterisdirector,ProgrammeonSexualViolenceinConflictZonesatPhysiciansfor

HumanRightsandtheformeractingRegionalDirectorforAsiaattheCenterforReproductive

Rights.SheisalsoaFellowwiththeInternationalProgrammeonSexualand

ReproductiveHealthLaw,UniversityofToronto

Don’t look atAmerica

A skewed playing fieldSmallbusinessesaresuffering fromunethicalpracticesandunequalbargainingpowerof onlineaggregatorplatforms. It is timethatasetof comprehensiverulesandregulations isput together

Sushil KumarModi

Ishan Bakshi

Payal Shah

Allofus,whereverwelive,mustpushbackonthecriminalisationofabortion

Therearen’tthatmanyconsumerswithsignificantdiscretionaryspendingcapacity,andthosewithcapacityaren’tincreasingtheirspending

CR Sasikumar

New Delhi

SHUBHANGIKHAPREMUMBAI, JUNE27

WITH THE Supreme Court ex-tending thedeadline for themtofilea response todisqualificationnotices, the Shiv Sena’s rebelgroup led by Eknath Shinde islearnt to be strategising to ap-proach theGovernor, informinghimoftheirdecisiontowithdrawsupport from the MVA, andthereby,promptingafloortest.Highly placed sources said,

“TheShindefactionislikelytoap-proachGovernor Bhagat SinghKoshyari at Raj Bhawan, inform-ing its decision to distance itselffromMahaVikasAghadi (MVA)government.”Claiming to have 50 plus

MLAs in its fold, Shinde camp’sdecision to step out of MVAwould raise a question on thenumberswithUddhavThackerayled MVA government, which

could find it difficult to prove itsmajorityonthefloorofthehouseiftherebelMLAsweretostickto-gether, thesourcesadded.The development has also

sparkedworriesintheSenawitha senior leader pointing out:“While the SC has given twoweeks’ time to the rebels to re-spondtodisqualificationnoticesserved by deputy speakerNarhari Zirwal, our plea for dis-allowingfloortesttill July11wasnotconsidered.”Shinde camp’s confidence

stemsfromitsbelief thatitholdstwo-thirdmajority in the ShivSena. At present, it is claimingsupport of 39MLAs out of total55 MLAs of the Sena. Besides,there are over 10 MLAs fromsmaller parties/independentswith them. Their total supportbase has risen to over 50, theShindecamphasclaimed.Thetotalstrengthofthestate

legislative assembly is 288

members,whichhasgonedownto 287 with the death of SenaMLA Ramesh Latke lastmonth.The halfwaymark to form thegovernment is 144. WithCongress's 44, NCP’s 53 andSena’s 16 legislators, the aggre-gatestrengthof thealliesstandsat 111 -- 33 short of thehalfwaymark.Thenumberof independ-ents/smaller parties adds up to29members,ofwhicharound11arewith Shinde camp. Sourcessaythatevenifalltheremaining19were to alignwithMVA, thefigure stillwon’t cross130.“Minus Shinde faction,MVA

finds itself confronting thebattlefor survival inMaharashtra,” thesourcesaid.Expressing his happiness,

Shinde said, “It is a victory forBalasaheb’s Hindutva.We havealwaysmaintainedthatwehavenotwalkedoutofSena.Ourfightis for theself respectof Sena.”Sources in the Shinde faction

said,“Alotofdeliberationsareun-derwayonthenextcourseof ac-tion.Weare still fighting for therightstoleadtheSena...WealwayswantedSena towalk away fromtheCongressandtheNCP.”Shinde'ssonShrikantalleged

that the disqualification noticeto his father and 15MLAsweresentunderpressure.

Meanwhile, the BJP, whichconvened its core committeemeetingattheresidenceofoppo-sition leaderDevendra Fadnavis,has decided to adopt “wait andwatch” strategy. State BJP presi-dent Chandrakant Patil said,“WhatishappeningisaninternalmatterofSena.Wearealsocloselymonitoringthedevelopments.”


GOVT&POLITICSWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

DELHICONFIDENTIAL

MISSION MODEWITH THE digital push targeting the youth ahead of UttarPradesh elections finding success, PrimeMinister NarendraModiwantedhisministerstomaketheinitiativesofhisgovern-mentforstart-upsfamiliarwiththeyouth.Thenewmission—NewIndiaForYoungIndia—isalreadylaunchedinpoll-boundGujarat,withUnionminister Rajeev Chandrasekhar visitinguniversities to tell students about the government’s pro-grammesandschemes.Chandrasekharisonatwo-dayvisittothestatetomeetstudentsandisscheduledtovisitfouruniver-sitiesduringthetrip.Theprogrammeistocreateabuzzamongstudentsaboutnewopportunitiessuchasspaceandstart-ups,andChandrasekhar,aformerchipdesigner, isexpectedtocre-ateinterestamongtheyouthtotakeupentrepreneurship.

HABITUAL OFFENCEHEARINGAPLEAforanticipatorybail, JusticeSuryaKant,pre-sidingoveratwo-judgeSupremeCourtbench,remarkedhowsome accused go back to committing offences after gettingbail. Recalling a “personal experience”, the judge saidhehassomeagriculturallandandthereisatubewellinit.Oneday,hesaid,thecaretakercalledandinformedthatsomecopperwiresextendingtothetubewellhadbeenstolen.“Itoldhimnothingcanbedone—yougoandlodgeareportwiththelocalpolice.I went to court and hewent to lodge the complaint. And hetold [thepolice] it’s the landof so-and-soandthefthas takenplace. The first remark the SHOmade, he said, ‘what to do?Yeh jo chor hai, isko parson court ne release kiya thha. Isliyekarli chori isneaatehi (hewasreleasedbycourtonly thedaybefore, so he committed theft as soon as he cameout).” Thebenchhadaheartylaughbeforedenyingthereliefsoughtfor.

Punjab Budget:No new taxes, 300units of free powerKANCHANVASDEVCHANDIGARH, JUNE27

WITHNO new taxes imposed,Punjab FinanceMinisterHarpalSingh CheemaonMonday pre-sented the Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) government’s maidenbudget for 2022-23 fiscal,with atotaloutlayofRs1,55,859.78croreand a revenue deficit ofRs12,553.80crore.Putting emphasis on educa-

tion, health and agriculture, thegovernment’sfocustomopupre-sourceswouldbefromexciserev-enuepeggedatRs9,648croreandfiscalprudence.“Wewillcutcor-nersandexercisefiscalprudence.Previous governments wereknown for their profligacy andwewould ensure not a paisa iswasted... We have saved Rs 20crore of the state exchequer bydoing awaywithmultiple pen-sionsofstatelegislators.Thiswaywewill exerciseausteritymeas-ures to ensure that people’smoneywentbacktopeople.”Whilethegovernmenthasnot

been able to fulfill its pre-pollpromise of giving awayRs1,000per month to women in itsmaidenbudgetforwantoffunds,

it has announced 75 MohallaClinics to be functional fromAugust 15 and has set aside Rs1,800 crore for 300units of freepower tobe rolledout topeoplefromJuly1onwards.The budget has a stamp of

Delhimodel of AAP, and DelhideputyCMManishSisodiawasawitnesstothepresentationashesat in the visitor’s gallery of thePunjab assembly. On the fiscalhealthfront,thestatefinancesarein amess. Cheema blamed theprevious governments for themess as he said that thedebt onthe statewas burgeoning and itwasprojectedtogouptoRs2.84crorebytheendof thisfiscal.This was for the first time

that Punjab presented a paper-less budget. However, as theMLAswerenotabletoaccessthebudget on their phones,Congress’s Sukhpal KhairaprotestedthattheywerenotabletoreaditastheFMdeliveredhisspeech.SpeakerKultarSandhwanlatermade theprinted copies ofthebudgetavailable.Cheema said it was 'Janta’s

budget' as the government con-sultedthestakeholdersandpeo-ple of the state before preparingthebudget.

KAMALDEEPSINGHBRARAMRITSAR, JUNE27

AFTERFINISHINGadistantfifthinthe Sangrur Lok Sabha bypoll,ShiromaniAkaliDal(Badal)isfac-ing calls from within theShiromaniGurdwaraParbandhakCommittee(SGPC),theorganisa-tioninwhichitwieldsalmostab-solute control, for theparty's topleadershipto“admititsmistakes”and“handoveritsresignation”.SGPC general secretary

Karnail Singh Panjoli told TheIndian Express onMonday thatthe“Akali leadershiphasfailed”.He also hit out at the AAP, de-scribing theparty in Punjab as a“slave to the (Arvind) Kejriwalgovernment inDelhi”.Panjoliwasreiteratingthere-

marks he had first made in aFacebookpostonSundayevening.The election in Sangrurwas

wonbySAD(Amritsar)presidentSimranjitSinghMann,a77-year-oldpro-Khalistanleader,whobeatthe AAP candidate by a narrowmarginof5,822votes.SAD(Badal)fieldedKamaldeepKaurRajoanawhoendedfifth.Congratulating Simranjit

SinghMann,PanjolidescribedthewininhisFacebookpostas“avic-toryofPanthicprinciplesandSikhideology”andsaidthe“fall”ofSAD(Badal)was a “result of thepeo-ple’sdistrust in thepresentAkalileadership”.On Monday, he said: “This

electionhasprovedthattheAkalileadershiphas completely failedto lead thePanthand thepeopleof Punjab.NowtheAkali leader-ship should admit itsmistakesandhandover its resignation tothe Jathedar of Sri Akal TakhtSahibGianiHarpreet Singh.”HesaidtheJathedarshouldgivelead-ership of theparty to thosewhocan"lookaftertheinterestsofthePanthandPunjab”. TheSGPCof-fice-bearer also slammed the

AAP'sPunjabgovernment.“Ithinkthebiggestreason(for

AAP's defeat in Sangrur) is be-causetheytriedtolieanddeceivePunjabis. TheAamAadmi Partyhas ensnared Punjab in doubleslavery.TheKejriwalgovernmentisaslavetotheBJPgovernmentattheCentreandAAPinPunjabisaslavetotheKejriwalgovernmentofDelhi...,”hesaid,repeatingpor-tionsofhisFacebookpost.PanjolibecametheSGPCgen-

eralsecretaryinNovember2021,andholds thesecondmostpow-erfulposition in theorganisationafterthepresident.Late onMonday, SAD (Badal)

said in a statement: “NoonehasdemandedtheresignationofSADpresident Sukhbir Singh Badalwhohasbeenelectedtohischairthrough a democratic process.Victories and defeats happen.ShiromaniAkaliDalwillcontinueto uphold its principles andPanthic values at all costs. It ap-pealstothepartyrankandfilenotto be swayedby rumours&dis-playunitytostrengthenthepartyatthisjuncture.”Leaders of AAP inPunjabdid

notrespondtoPanjoli'sremarks.TheSangrurbypollwasneces-

sitated after the incumbentMPBhagwantMann resigned fromthe seat after becoming ChiefMinister inMarch following theAAP’s landslide victory in theAssemblyelections.

YOGESHNAIKMUMBAI, JUNE27

CHIEF MINISTER UddhavThackeray, who is facing a re-bellion in his party led byEknath Shinde, has stripped alltherebelministersof theirport-folios.Thackeraysaid themovewas taken to ensure that workof people didnot suffer.The ministries of Urban

DevelopmentandPublicWorksundertakings, held by ShivSena’s Shinde, have been givento industriesminister SubhashDesai.Notably, Desai, whose term

asanMLCwillsoonbeover,willhave to resign in the next sixmonths.Water supply minister

Gulabrao Patil’s ministry hasbeen given to Transportminis-ter Anil Parab, who is facing anEnforcement Directorate (ED)probe and is repeatedly calledby theCentral agency for ques-tioning.

MinistriesofAgricultureandSainik Welfare held by DadaBhuse,EmploymentGuaranteeservices and horticulture min-istries held by SandipanBhumre, and higher and tech-nical educationministriesheldby Uday Samant will go to theCM’s son and environmentministerAadityaThackeray. Allthree rebels belong to the ShivSena.Minister of state

ShamburajeDesai’sHomemin-istry has been given to SanjayBansode while Desai’s FinanceministryandSkillDevelopmentministry will be given toVishwajeet Kadam of the

Congress. The Excise ministrywill go to Satej Patil of theCongress.Theministries held byMoS

RajendraYadravkar (independ-ent)will alsobedividedamongdifferent leaders. While healthwillbegiventoKadam,medicaleducationandtextileswillgotoPrajakt Tanpure of theNationalist Congress Party(NCP). Similarly, rural develop-mentwill go toCongress’s Patilwhile cultural affairs will behelmed by Aditi Tatkare of theNCP.Ministries held by MoS

Abdul Sattar of Shiv Sena havealso been snatched away withrevenueportfoliobeinggiventoTanpure, rural development toPatil andports to Tatkare.MoS Bachchu Kadu (inde-

pendent)hasalsofoundhimselfdivested of portfolio withschool education going toTatkare, irrigation to Patil,women and child welfare toBansode and OBC ministry toDatta Bharne of theNCP.

ARUNJANARDHANANCHENNAI, JUNE27

ATAmeetingcalledbythedom-inant Edappadi K Palaniswami(EPS) faction here onMondaythe AIADMK came down hardonOPanneerselvam (OPS) call-inghiman“epitomeofbetrayal”and appointed EPS as in-chargeof party's administrative affairsuntil the next general councilmeeting, scheduled for July11.D Jayakumar, the party's or-

ganisational secretary andspokesman,saidthepositionsofOPS and EPS --as coordinatorand joint coordinator respec-tively -- who led the dual lead-ership, areno longervalid.

"Ofthe75districtsecretaries,65ofthemagreedwiththedeci-sion toappointEPS in-chargeofparty administration. Four ofthemwere not there becausethey were sick. Now, only sixpeopleareleft intheOPScamp,"Jayakumar said, when asked ifthemovewas legallyvalid.The meeting held at party

headquarters was chaired byPresidium Chairman TamilMaganHussain ,EPSandseniorleaderKPMunusamy.OPSwasnotpresentatthemeetingashewas away in his hometwon,Theni.Jayakumar said that a deci-

sionaboutthetoppostwouldbemadeatthegeneralcouncil."Butit is confidential, can't be talked

about rightnow,"hesaid.AskedaboutOPSandhisrole

in the party system, Jayakumarsaid,"Section20(7)of thebylawexplainswhytheadministrativecontrol was given to EPS in ab-

senceof coordinators.Thesearesome of themost basic rules ofthe party. I'm not sure if OPSdoesn't know about it or is justpretending tobe ignorant."HecalledOPSthe"mostbla-

tantexampleofbetrayal"."Sincethe beginning, everyone hasknown about several instancesin which he betrayed theparty...,"hesaid.Jayakumar also slammed

OPS's son O P Raveendranath,whoistheonlyMPforAIADMK,referring to the latter's recentmeetingwith Chief MinisterMKStalinandhiscommentsprais-ingtheDMKgovernment's"hardwork".Jayakumaralsomadeitclear

that OPS's namewas taken out

of the founders' column on themasthead of AIADMK'smouth-piece NamadhuAmma for "be-traying theparty's interests".After OPS reached Theni on

Sundaynight, themajority fac-tion decided to call a meetingforMonday."It was a quick answer to

OPS, who tried to get BJP in-volved in our party (affairs/cri-sis) again...,” a senior AIADMKleader said, referring to OPS'sDelhi trip lastweekthatreport-edlyaimedatseekinghelpfromBJP, which is an ally of theAIADMK in the state, to resolvethe crisis in the party. The BJP,however, is seemingly distanc-ingitself fromOPSasthemajor-ity is rallying behindEPS.

OMKARGOKHALEMUMBAI, JUNE27

SEVEN RESIDENTS ofMaharashtrahavemovedaPILintheBombayHighCourt to "con-sider their fundamental rights"anddirect ShivSena rebel leaderEknathShinde,whoison“officialleave”withotherministers,toim-mediatelyreturntothestateandassumeduties.ThePILwasmentionedbefore

a bench led by Chief JusticeDipankar Datta Monday. Thebenchsaiditwilldecideongrant-ingdateofhearingafterperusingthepraecipeorawrittenrequestforurgenthearingmovedby thepetitioners seeking an urgenthearing. It says “willful absence”by saidministers is conduct thataffectstherightsofcitizens,espe-ciallyrelatedtofarmersandurbanissuesduringtherainyseason.

VALLABHOZARKARMUMBAI, JUNE27

THE SUPREMECourt’s order onMonday, extending the time forEknathShindeand15otherrebelMLAs in theMaharashtra StateLegislativeAssembly to filewrit-ten response to the DeputySpeaker’s disqualificationnoticetill July 12,wasdeemedas a vic-tory by the rebel camp. On theotherhand,theShivSenaalsoputupabravefrontstatingthatthein-terimorder hadonlypostponed

the inevitable disqualificationoftherebelMLAs.“Wehavewonthismajorbat-

tleasthecourthasgivenusama-jorreliefandwehavetimetocon-templateonhowtotakethenextstep,whetherwehavetocometoMumbai for floor test or not.Wehavegivenalltheauthorityofde-cision to Shinde sahebwhowilldecideonthefurthercourseofac-tion,”rebelMLABharatGogawale,the chief whip of the Shindecamp,said.When asked if there is any

planonjoininghandswiththeBJP,

Gogawale, said, “We have 51MLAs and we have to go withsomeonetoformanalliance.Wecannot gowith the Congress ortheNCPandthereisonlyoneop-tion,whichistheBJP.”Deepak Kesarkar, the

spokespersonoftheShindecamp,said that the Bharatiya JanataParty(BJP)andShivSenawillformthe government in the state,adding that their leaderwill beUddhav Thackeray and that theCongress and the NCP shouldwalkout of the government “in-steadof asking Thackeray saheb

toresign”.ArvindSawant,ShivSenaMP,

whohas been spearheading thebattle for disqualification for theMVA,however,calledtheinterimorderas“postponementofthein-evitabledisqualification”. “Theyhaveonlygot time…thatdoesn’tmean it is a setback to MVA(MaharashtraVikasAghadi).Theprocesshasjustbeenpostponed.Nowweareinawait-and-watchpositionandwewilldecideonourfurther courseof actiondepend-ing uponwhat they (the rebelcamp)aredoing,”Sawantsaid.

New Delhi: The governmentaskedTwitter toblockmultipleaccountsandsometweetsfromadvocacy group FreedomHouse, journalists, politicians,and supporters of farmers'protest last year, according to adocument filedbytheplatformon June26.The requests from the gov-

ernment were sent betweenJanuary 5, 2021 and December29,2021,according to thedocu-mentfiledwithLumendatabase.Leading internet companies

like Google, Facebook andTwitter file information withLumendatabaseaboutweblinksoraccounts that theyhavebeenasked toblockbyanyentityun-derapplicable laws.However, details about

whether the request to block alink or accountwas fulfilled arenotavailableon thedatabase.An e-mail query sent to the

MinistryofElectronicsandITdidnotelicit anyreply.The document showed that

the government requested toblocktweetsbelongingtomem-bersoftheCongressandtheAAP,includingMLAJarnailSingh.PTI

SAD(Amritsar)presidentSimranjitSinghMannwontheSangrurbypolls.

AAP’SFIRST ‘JANTABUDGET’

SANGRURBYPOLLLOSS

SGPC leader wantstop SAD leaders to‘admit mistakes’, quit

WHILEOPSmaymovethecourt and contendagainstarguments such as expiryof coordinator posts andEPS’s newrole, the factionof the formerCMbelievesMonday's actionwill en-sureOPSdoesnothaveanysupport left in the party.This factionbelieves 69of75 district secretaries ofAIADMKsupport EPS, andOPS is nowonly thepartytreasurer.

ReasonbehinddrasticactionE●EX

PLAINED

AIADMK names EPS in-charge, calls OPS an ‘epitome of betrayal’

EdappadiKPalaniswami

YOGESHNAIKMUMBAI, JUNE27

THERAJ Bhavan secretariat hasasked the state government togivedetailsofthefilesandpropos-alsclearedonJune22,23and24.Thedirectioncomesamidallega-tionsthat followingtherebellionof theShivSenaMLAs,anumberof fileswereclearedandgovern-ment resolutions (GRs) issued inahurryinMantralaya.Last week, Santosh Kumar,

principalsecretarytoGovernorBS Koshyari, hadwritten to chiefsecretaryManukumarSrivastavadirecting for details of decisions,deliberations,GRsandcircularstobesenttotheGovernor.Onreceiv-ingtheletteronMonday,thechiefsecretaryhasaskedtheadditionalchief secretary(organisationandmanagement)tocollatethedata.Accordingtotheletterissued

to theChief Secretary, the infor-mation has to be placed beforethe Governor as mandated bythe Article 167 of the constitu-tionof India.Last week, leader of

Opposition PravinDarekar hadwritten to theGovernor on thespateofdecisions“beingtakenina hurry” and had sought theGovernor’s intervention in thematter.

AadityaThackerayvisitsMGMhospitalatKamothe,NaviMumbaionMondaytomeetShivSenasupporterPrasadSawant,whowasattackedbyrebelMLAs’supporters inRaigad.NarendraVaskar

Shinde camp views SC order as victory;disqualification inevitable, says Sena

Maharashtra CM strips allrebel ministers of portfolios

CMUddhavThackeraysaysworkof peopleshouldn’tsuffer

Raj Bhavanseeks detailsof files clearedfrom June 22to June 24

PIL in HC seeksimmediatereturn of Shinde,rebel ministers

MAYURAJANWALKARPANAJI, JUNE27

OPPOSITIONLEGISLATORSinGoarefusedtoattendatrainingwork-shoporganisedby theAssemblyat a five-star hotel in Panaji onMonday.While the Congress said the

sametwo-daytrainingworkshopcould have been held in theAssemblywithoutburdeningthefinances,theAAPsaidMLAsneednot receive training from theRambhauMhalgi Prabodhini in-stitute,anRSS-affiliate.Leader of the Opposition

Micheal Lobo said they had at-tendedtheopeningceremonyinrespectof theSpeaker'schairbuttheywereoftheviewthattheses-sioncouldhavebeenheldontheAssembly premises in Porvorimthathasallthefacilitiesforacon-ferenceandcatering.The session was aimed at

training and educating MLAsabout the procedures andprocesses of the Assembly.Nineteen of Goa's 40 legislatorsarefirst-timeMLAs.

In ‘waitandwatch’mode,BJPholdscorecommitteemeeting

Shinde faction plans to approach GovernorMAHARASHTRAPOLITICALCRISIS

Supportersof rebelShivSena leaderEknathShindecelebrate inThaneafterSC decisiononMonday.Deepak Joshi

Opp MLAs sayno to trainingevent in hotel

GOAGovt requests forblocking tweets ofgroups, politicians:Twitter document

New Delhi

THEINDIANEXPRESS,TUESDAY, JUNE28,2022

EXPRESSNETWORKWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

13EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JUNE27

YASHWANT SINHA, theOpposition's candidate for theJuly 18 Presidential electionsagainstNDA'sDraupadiMurmu,filed his nomination papers onMonday in thepresence of sen-ior Opposition leaders from 16parties, including formerCongress president RahulGandhi and NCP chief SharadPawar, and said he is contestingto save the country and itsConstitution.Sinha and Opposition lead-

ers framedthecontestasa fightbetweentwo ideologies.“This election is not about

twopeople,”Sinhasaidafter fil-inghisnomination.“Ihavegreatpersonal regard for DraupadiMurmu.Itisnotaboutwherewecome from, or the people thatwerepresent.This isanelectionbetween two ideologies—their(BJP's) ideology is absolutepower with destruction ofdemocracy;ourideologyisfree-domforevery Indiancitizen.”The Opposition got a boost

with the Telangana RashtraSamithi(TRS)officiallyannounc-ing its support to Sinha. SeniorTRS leader and Telanganamin-ister K T RamaRaowas presentduring filingof thenomination.Congress ally Jharkhand

Mukti Morcha (JMM) is yet todecideonitssupport. JharkhandChief Minister Hemant Soren,meanwhile, met Union HomeMinisterAmitShah inDelhi.Many senior Opposition

leaders accompanied Sinhawhen he filed the nomination.

Besides Rao, Pawar and RahulGandhi, among others presentwere Rajasthan CM AshokGehlot, Leader of Opposition inRajyaSabhaMallikarjunKharge,Samajwadi Party presidentAkhilesh Yadav, TMC leadersAbhishekBanerjee and SaugataRoy, SitaramYechury of CPI(M)and CPI's D Raja, DMK's A Rajaand Tiruchi Siva, NationalConference's Farooq Abdullah,Misa Bharti of RJD, RSP’s N KPremachandran, VCK's TholTirumavalavan, Rashtriya LokDal’s Jayant Chaudhary, andMohammed Basheer from theMuslimLeague.The BSP has announced its

support forMurmu,while AamAadmiPartyandJD(S)areyet toannounce theirdecision.Sinhahandedoverfoursetsof

nominationpaperstoRajyaSabhaSecretary-GeneralPCMody,whois the Returning Officer for the

Presidential election.He is likelyto begin the first leg of his cam-paignthisweekfromChennai.HewillsubsequentlytraveltoKeralaandKarnataka.The opposition parties an-

nounced the formation of a 11-member committee to steerSinha's campaign. Among itsmembers are Congress’s JairamRamesh, DMK’s Siva, TMC’sSukhendu Sekhar Roy, Left’sYechury and Raja, SP’s RamGopal Yadav, NCP’s Praful Patel,TRS’s Ranjit Reddy, RJD’sManojJha, Sudheendra Kulkarni and anomineeof theShivSena.“All opposition parties are

unitedly supporting YashwantSinha,” Rahul Gandhi said. “Ofcourse,wearesupportingthein-dividual, but the real fight is be-tween two ideologies. One ide-ology (is) of the RSS….anger,hatred;andtheotherofcompas-sion—of all theoppositionpar-

ties, which are standing to-gether.”Other Opposition leaders

echoedthesentiments.Roysaidthefightisbetweencommunal-ismandsecularism,andauthor-itarianismversusdemocracy.Calling NDA's projection of

Draupadi Murmu as a “tribalface” mere “tokenism”, Rao,TRS's working president, said,“Thiswill not change theworldfor tribals in thecountry.”Addressing themedia, Sinha

launchedascathingattackonBJP,ofwhichhewasafront-lineleaderformorethantwodecades.“TheirideologywantstocrushusIndiansandourdemocracy.Ourideologywants to free us and strengthenourdemocracy. The rulingpartyis contemptuous of ourConstitution,whichlimitsexecu-tive power to its proper place;their(NDA's)goalistoexerciseab-solute,uncheckedpower,”hesaid.

GARGIVERMARAIPUR, JUNE27

DROUPADIMURMU’S nomina-tionasthefirst tribalPresidentialcandidate has put the Congressgovernment intribal-dominatedChhattisgarh in a spot.While itdoes notwant to alienate tribalgroups, it also cannotopenlyde-clareitssupporttoaBJPnominee.Meanwhile, the state BJP is ex-pected to put its fullweight be-hindthedecision.The National Democratic

Alliance (NDA)'s choice of field-

ing Murmu, who is a Santhaltribalwoman fromOdisha,washailedbythestateBJP,whichhasbeen highlighting that a tribalwomanwaschosenforthehigh-est position in the country. In astatement to the press,Dharamlal Kaushik, the state’sBJP’s leader, congratulated thenationalleadershipforpickinganabletribal leader likeMurmu.On June 22, the state’s Janta

Congress Chhattisgarh (Jogi)leaderAmitJogialsoextendedhissupporttoMurmu,recountingthe"respect"hisdeceasedfatherandex-chiefministerAjitJogiheldfor

her."Chhattisgarhisatribal-dom-inated state, hence I request allMLAs inChhattisgarh tovote forMurmudespitepartylinestoup-holdtribalhonour,"Jogitweeted.Withvirtuallynoelbowroom,

CMBhupeshBaghelhasbeentry-ing to counter the BJP by raisingthe case of another tribal leader.

"The BJP ignored (Anusuiya)Uikeywho is also a tribal leaderandhasworkedextensively, justbecauseof herbackgroundwiththe Congress," Baghel said onJune 22 in reference to seniortribal leader and Chhattisgarhgovernor Anusuiya Uikey, whowasearlier intheCongress.SourcesinthestateBJPdenied

this, saying Uikey’s namewasonlyoneamongthemanynamesin consideration.While Baghelmightbehopingtobrazenitout,state Congress leaders, particu-larlyitstribalMLAs,admititisnoteasyforthemtoignoreMurmu's

candidature,andthattheyareun-dermountingpressure fromthetribalcommunityinthestate,es-pecially the organisation SarvaAdiwasiSamaj,whichhasalreadyopenedmultiple fronts againstthegovernment.OnMarch 14, the Samaj had

“gheraoed” theCM’shousewitha 20-point charter. It has in thepast ralliedbehind implementa-tion of PESA or Panchayats(Extension to ScheduledAreas)Act, 1996, andprotested againstmininginHasdeo,policeexcessesinBijapur,andallegedHindu-cen-tricpoliciesof thegovernment.

SREENIVASJANYALAHYDERABADJUNE27

THETELANGANARashtraSamithi(TRS),whichearlier stayedawayfromtheOppositionparties’meet-ingon June15andalso criticisedthemannerinwhichpresidentialnomineeswere considered, de-clared its support toOpposition’sjoint presidential nomineeYashwantSinhaMonday.Thepartyhadnotdeclaredits

intentionsforthepollsuntiltoday.West Bengal Chief MinisterMamtaBanerjee’sletterto22po-litical parties inviting them for ameeting to discuss thePresidentialelectionsupsetpartysupremoKChandrasekharRaoorKCR’splansofleadingathirdfrontoflike-mindedpartiesapartfromtheCongressandtheBJP, an ideahehas been floating since 2018.NeitherKCRnorhispartyminis-tersattendedthemeeting.Since the party is also trying

to distance itself from theCongress,oneofthereasonswhythe party stayed away from themeetingissaidtobebecausetheCongress attended them.AnnouncingthedecisioninNewDelhi,TRSworkingpresidentandStateITandIndustriesMinisterKTRamaRaosaidthepartyhasde-cidedtobackthenomineeasthe“TRS isopposedto thepoliticsofBJP”,adding: “LeaderslikeSharadPawar and Mamata Banerjeespoketous.ToprotectdemocracywewillsupportSinha.”

SHAJUPHILIPTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM,JUNE27

KERALA CHIEF Minister andCPMPolitburomemberPinarayiVijayanMondaymountedanat-tack on the Congress over the2002 Gujarat riots, questioningits“silence”overthearrestof re-tiredDGPRBSreekumarandac-tivist Teesta Setalvad by theGujarat Police a day after theSupremeCourtupheldthecleanchit by the SIT to the state gov-ernment, then led by NarendraModi, in theviolence.“TheCongresscouldhaveor-

ganised at least a nominalprotest. No massive protest isneeded. Why could they notthink so? They (Sreekumar andSetalvad) were arrested on thedayEmergencywasdeclared(in1975). These arrests should beseenasabidtofrightenanti-BJPforces in the country. (That) Ifyou speak against the Parivar,this will be the result. TheCongress ismaintaining silencebeforetheSanghParivar'sthreat.The Congress is crawling on itsknees fearing the BJP. All thoseparties, including the Indian

Union Muslim League, whichstandwiththeCongress,shouldconsider this seriously,’’ he said.On the day of the arrests,

while the Left questioned theGujarat Police'smove, hours af-ter HomeMinister Amit Shahhad questioned the role ofSreekumar and Setalvad in theallegationsagainsttheModigov-ernment for2002, theCongressreactionhadbeencautious.“Wehaveheardofthearrests.

It appears to be in relation to al-legedoffencesofforgeryandfab-ricationarisingoutofeventsthattookplacebetweentheyearsim-mediately following 2002, eventhoughtheFIRregisteredappearsto be dated June 25th, 2022.Wehope and trust that proper andfulldueprocessoflawwillbefol-lowed meticulously,” seniorCongressleaderAbhishekSinghvi

had told The Indian Express,adding: “Furthermore, it standsto reason that the Congress as apolitical party cannot commentonthemeritsofacasewithwhichithasnoconnection.”Vijayancomparedthisstate-

menttothereactionbytheCPM,which strongly condemnedSetalvad's arrest and called her“anindefatigabledefenderofhu-manrights”. It also said thatherarrestwason“dubiousgrounds”anddemandedher release.Vijayanalsoaccusedthatthe

Congresswantedto“forget” theGujarat riots issue. “Did theCongress ever support the legalbattleofZakiaJafri,thewidowofformer (Congress) MP AhsanJafriwhowaskilled in the2002riots? Did Congress presidentSonia Gandhi or any otherCongress leader visit her andcomfort her after the death ofAhsan?After the riot, Soniahadvisited Gujarat. Then, Congressbrains advised Sonia that sheshould not visit Zakia. The rea-son was that Congress wouldlose the Hindu votes. That wasthestandoftheCongress.Duringthe last Gujarat Assembly elec-tions, Rahul Gandhi conductedtempletoursinthatstate.Buthe

did not speak about Jafri or theriots,’’ said theKeralaCM.Countering Vijayan's charge,

senior Congress legislator V DSatheesan said the CM was“spreading lies”without an un-derstandingofthefacts.QuotingwhatCongressgeneralsecretaryRandeep Surjewala had said,Satheesan said Supreme Courtverdictsshouldnotbepoliticised.Atthesametime,theCongress

leaderwentfurtherthantheDelhileadership's response andaskedifonlyacollectororpoliceofficerswere to be held responsible foranyriot intheir jurisdictions,andnot their politicalmasters. "WilltheChiefMinister,Cabinetandthestate government never beheldaccountable, even if the state isthrown into a circle of premedi-tatedviolence and riots?...Whatthen is the Constitutional andmoral responsibility of theChiefMinister and the state govern-ment?”hesaid.Satheesan also stressed that

theCongress had “always stoodwithSetalvad”, pointingout thatsheconferredPadmaShriin2007whentheCongresswasinpowerattheCentre,andin2002,theRajivGandhi National SadbhavanaAwardwasgiventoher.

YashwantSinhawithOpposition leadersoutsideParliamentonMonday.AbhinavSaha

ELECTIONFORPRESIDENT

SHUBHAJITROYNEWDELHI, JUNE27

AT A timewhen India is facingcriticism from theWest for itspurchaseof discountedoil fromRussia amid thewar inUkraine,PrimeMinister NarendraModionMondayinvokedtheneedforthepoor tobeable toaccessen-ergy--asmuchas the rich.Speaking at theG-7 summit

inGermany,duringasessionon‘Investing in a better Future:Climate, Energy, Health’, Modisaid: “All of youwill also agreewith this that energy accessshouldnotbetheprivilegeoftherichonly--apoorfamilyalsohasthe same rights on energy. Andtoday when energy costs aresky-highduetogeopoliticalten-sions, it ismoreimportanttore-member this thing.”“By taking inspiration from

this principle”, Modi remindedtheG-7 countries -- theworld'ssevenrichesteconomies--aboutIndia'scommitmentsonclimatechange.“WedeliveredLEDbulbsand clean cooking gas door-to-door in India and showed thatmillionsof tonsof carbonemis-sions canbe savedwhile ensur-ingenergyforthepoor,”hesaid.The PrimeMinister's com-

mentswere in syncwith India'spositionthatit isbuyingoilfromRussia, which invaded Ukrainein February, tomeet its domes-tic energy demand and controlinflation,whichaffects thepoorthemost.Later,whileaddressingases-

sion on food security, Modi re-ferred indirectly to the Ukrainecrisisandsaid:“Wearemeetingamid an atmosphere of globaltension.Indiahasalwaysbeeninfavourofpeace.Eveninthepres-entsituation,wehaveconstantlyurged for the path of dialogueanddiplomacy."He said: "The impact of this

geopolitical tension is not justlimited to Europe. The risingpricesof energyandfoodgrainsare affecting all the countries.The energy and security of de-velopingcountriesisparticularlyat risk. In this challenging time,Indiahassuppliedfoodgrainsto

manycountries inneed.”Modi thenput forward a se-

ries of suggestions. “First, wemust focuson theavailabilityoffertilizers, and keep the valuechains of fertilizers smooth at aglobalscale.Wearetryingto in-creasetheproductionof fertiliz-ersinIndiaandseekcooperationfrom G7-countries in this re-gard,”hesaid.“Second, India has immense

agriculturalmanpowercomparedto thecountries of theG7. Indianagriculturalskillshavehelpedgivenewlifetotraditionalagriculturalproducts like cheese andolive insomeof the countries of theG7.CantheG7createastructuredsys-tem for thewidespread use ofIndian agricultural talent in itsmembercountries?Withthehelpof traditional talent of India'sfarmers, foodsecuritywillbeen-suredtoG7countries,”hesaid.Atthesessiononclimate,en-

ergyandhealth,ModiaskedtheG-7 countries to invest in re-search and manufacturing in“greenenergytechnologies”andsaid that they can help India totakeinnovationsin“digitaltech-nology in the health sector” to“otherdevelopingcountries”.“Unfortunately, it isbelieved

that there is a fundamental col-lisionbetweenthedevelopmen-tal goals of theworld and envi-ronmental protection. There isalsoanothermisconceptionthatpoor countries andpoorpeoplecausemoredamagetotheenvi-ronment. But India’s history ofover thousands of years com-pletelyrefutesthisview,”hesaid.

“AncientIndiahasseenatimeof immenseprosperity; thenwehave also tolerated centuries ofslavery, and now independentIndia is the fastest-growing bigeconomyinthewholeworld.Butduring thiswhole period, Indiadidnotletitscommitmenttotheenvironment get diluted even asingle bit. Seventeenper cent oftheworld’spopulationresidesinIndia. But our contribution toglobal carbon emissions is onlyfivepercent.Themainreasonbe-hindthis isour lifestyle,which isbased on the theory of coexis-tencewithnature,”hesaid.“When a large country like

Indiashowssuchambition,otherdevelopingcountriesalsogetin-spiration.Wehope that the richcountries of G-7 will supportIndia'sefforts.Today,ahugemar-ketforcleanenergytechnologiesisemerging in India,”hesaid.Asking G-7 countries to in-

vest in research, innovationandmanufacturing in green energytechnologies,hesaid:“Thescalethat India can provide for everynew technology canmake thattechnology affordable for thewholeworld. The core theoriesof the circular economy havebeen an integral part of Indiancultureand lifestyle.”ThePrimeMinister also said

thatG-7countriescanhelpIndiato take innovations in digitaltechnology in the health sectorto other developing countries.“During the pandemic, Indiafoundmanycreativewaystousedigital technology in the healthsector,”hesaid.

TRS backs Sinha;opposed to BJP’spolitics, says KTR

My tribal vs your tribal: Cong tries to find way around Murmu conundrum

DroupadiMurmu

LALMANIVERMALUCKNOW,JUNE27

ADAYafter theSamajwadiParty(SP) lost Azamgarh andRampurLokSabha seats to the rulingBJP,BSP president Mayawati onMonday askedpartyworkers tokeep themomentum intact and“prevent a particular commu-nity”, inanapparentreferencetoMuslimvoters,frombeingmisledinthe2024generalelection.Inatweet,Mayawatisaid,"The

determinationandcouragewithwhichall theBSPworkers, office

bearersandpartycandidateShahAlam alias Guddu Jamali havefought theAzamgarh Lok Sabhabypoll need tobemaintained till2024LokSabhageneralelectionsaspartoftheresolvewhilemain-tainingelectionreadiness."In another tweet,Mayawati

said that not onlyAzamgarhbutBSP's struggleandefforts to con-vertthegroundpreparationsintovoteshavetobecontinuedintheacrossUP till 2024general polls.“Inthissequence,itisalsoimpor-tant to protect a particular com-munity frombeingmisled in allthe upcoming elections,”

Mayawatisaid,inanapparentref-erencetoMuslimvoters.BSPhas alsoplanned to con-

test urban local bodypolls laterthisyearbeforeLokSabhageneralelectionsin2024.MayawatihadonSundaysaid

thattheoutcomeofthebypollhasproved that only BSP has the"groundforce"todefeattheBJPinthestate.InAzamgarhbypoll,BSPnom-

inee Shah Alam alias GudduJamali got 29.27 per cent (2.66lakh) votes and finished third af-ter theBJPandSP. Inamajor set-back for the SP, the BJPwrested

both the Lok Sabha segmentsfrom the Akhilesh Yadav-ledparty. While BJP candidateGhanshayam Singh LodhiwontheRampurLokSabhabyelectiondefeating SPnomineeAsimRaja

with a margin of over 42,000votes,theparty’sDineshLalYadav“Nirahua”bagged theAzamgarhsegmentbyover8,000votes.AccordingtoalocalBSPleader,

Jamali got the votes ofMuslimsbecause of his personal connectwiththecommunityandalsobe-causeMuslimssawinrecentstateAssemblyelectionsthatSPfailedtodislodgeBJPfrompower.SamajwadiParty'sAzamgarh

districtpresidentHawaldarYadav,however,saidMuslimsvotesgotoBSPbutnot in largenumbers. “Intherecentlyheldbypolls,BJPmis-ledMuslimsbycreatingapropa-

gandaamongvoters that its can-didateDineshLalYadav“Nirahua”wasgoingtoloseandhence,theyprefer to vote for BSP.Misled bythatpropaganda,Muslimsgotdi-vided. If Muslim votes had notgone toBSP, SPhadwonthe seatwithbigmargin,”saidYadav.Inthefirstpartymeetingafter

the announcement of assemblyelections results inMarch thisyear,Mayawati had blamed theMuslimcommunityforthepolit-ical lossofherparty.In theUPpolls,outof the403

assembly seats, theBJPhadwon255 seats, while its rival

Samajwadi Partywon111 seats,according to the ElectionCommission (EC)website. TheCongress, showcasing a dismalperformance, won two seatswhiletheBSPofMayawatiwasallbutobliteratedwithjustoneseatdespite polling 12.88 per centvotes.BSPhadfielded88Muslimcandidateswhereas SP-alliancehad fielded only 61 candidatesfromthecommunity.Therewereat least 28 seatswherebothBSPand SP-alliance had fieldedMuslimscandidates.However,allof BSP'sMuslim candidates hadlostintheelections.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEKOLKATA, JUNE27

LEADEROFOpposition inWestBengal Assembly SuvenduAdhikarionMondayhintedattop-plingoftheMamataBanerjee-ledTrinamool Congress (TMC) gov-ernmentinthestatein2024afterdoing the same inMaharashtra,RajasthanandJharkhand.TheBJPleader'scontroversial

statementcameinthebackdropof a political turmoil inMaharashtrawhere the allianceparty government is strugglingstayafloat followingwithdrawalofsupportfromasectionofMLAs.Addressingpartyworkers in

CoochBehardistrictonMonday,Adhikari said, “It won't have tobe in2026(nextstateAssemblypolls).Theousterwill takeplacein 2024. Just wait a little more.Wewilloustthisgovernmentin2024. This has just begun inMaharashtra. Next it will takeplace in Jharkhand andRajasthan. After Maharashtra,Jharkhand and Rajasthan, wewill reachWestBengal.”His remarksdidnotgodown

wellwiththerulingdispensationinWestBengalwiththeTrinamoolCongressslammingtheBJPforitsattempttotoppleelectedgovern-mentinOpposition-ruledstates.“This shows the BJP'smind-

setwhen it comes to respectingdemocratic norms in the coun-try. Theywant tograbpowerbyanymeansandthat'swhat theyhaveplannedforallopposition-ruled states. But SuvenduAdhikari is livinginafool'spara-dise. In2024, theBJPwill gooutof power," said TMC state gen-eral secretaryKunalGhosh.

Sinha files nomination, calls it a battle of ideologies

Suvendu hints attoppling Bengalgovt, draws flak

Pinarayi questions Cong ‘silence’ onGujarat arrests: ‘Not even a protest?’

Keep momentum intact, prevent Muslims from being misled in 2024 LS polls: Mayawati

BSPpresidentMayawati


THREEDAYSafterSupremeCourtdismissed allegations of a largerconspiracy leveledbyZakia Jafri,widowofCongressleaderandfor-mer MP Ahsan Jafri who waskilledin2002Gujaratriots,againstthenGujarat CMNarendraModiandothers incases related to the2002 riots, the Congress onMonday said the judgmentwas“disappointing”, and that thepartystandsbyJafri family.TheCongresshadreactedcau-

tiously to the Supreme Court’sjudgmentonFriday,agreeingwiththe findingsof theSITappointedbyitthattherewasno“largercon-spiracy” behind the riots. Therewasnoofficialstatementfromtheparty expressing solidaritywithZakiaeither.Theparty's firstoffi-cialreactioncameonSaturday,af-ter Home Minister Amit Shahhailed the verdict and accused atriadof political parties opposedto theBJP, some journalists, andsomeNGOsofhavinggivenpub-licityto“theseallegations”.TheCongressthencountered,

with party spokespersonAbhishekSinghvisayingthat theSupremeCourtjudgmentshould

notbepoliticised,andthat“every-body should bow down to aSupremeCourtjudgment”.OnMonday, JairamRamesh,

AICCgeneralsecretaryinchargeofcommunication, put out a state-ment saying that the“SupremeCourtjudgmentinZakiaJafricaseis“deeplydisappointing”andthatmanyfundamentalquestionsstillremainunanswered.“What is the Constitutional

andmoral responsibility of theChief Minister and StateGovernment in cases of large-scale communal riots? Is the re-sponsibility in such cases, onlyever thatof theCollector andDy.Commissioner of Police andnotofthepoliticalexecutive?WilltheChiefMinister, Cabinet andStateGovernment never be held ac-countable,evenifaStateisthrown

into a circle of violence& riots?”hesaid.Rameshstated, “Westandby

ourcolleague,thelateAhsanJafriandhis family in thishour.Whathappenedtohiminamosttragicmannerwastheresultofafunda-mental lapse on the part of thestategovernment.”Hesaid therearesomequestionsthatwillcon-tinuetohauntthePrimeMinister.“...WhywasPMVajpayeesoaf-

fectedbyhis [thenGujaratCM's]lackof action thathehadtopub-liclyremindhimofhisduty,tofol-lowhis‘Rajdharma’?WasitnottheSupremeCourtwhocalledouttheconductoftheModiGovernmentinGujaratasthatof “ModerndayNero’s (who)were looking else-wherewhen…innocentchildrenandhelplesswomenwereburn-ing,andwereprobablydeliberat-ing how theperpetrators of thecrimecanbesavedorprotected?WhydidsectionsofBJP,includingnowmemberoftheModiCabinet,SmritiIrani,protestandcallforhisdismissalasCMifhewasnotguiltyofanywrongdoing?”AlthoughtheCongresshadre-

acted cautiously to the arrest ofMumbai-based activist TeestaSetalvad, RameshandAICCgen-eral secretary Ajay Maken at-tendedaprotestmeetinginDelhi.

KeralaCMPinarayiVijayanJairamRamesh:Partystandsby Jafri family

Poorneedsameenergyrights,accessasrich:PM

G-7SUMMIT INGERMANY

PrimeMinisterNarendraModiwith Presidentof SouthAfricaCyrilRamaphosa, inGermany,Monday. PTI

SuvenduAdhikari

3 days on, Cong calls SC verdicton Zakia plea disappointing

New Delhi

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Last date and timefor Bid Submission

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7th July, 2022upto 2:00 P.M.


7th July, 20222:30 P.M.

S.No.

Tender ClauseNo. & Page No.

Existing Clause Modified Clause

1. ImportantDates, Page

No.3 &Corrigendum-I,

Annexure-A,SI.No.1






7th July, 2022upto 2:00 P.M.


7th July, 20222:30 P.M.

Managing DirectorJanasanyog/CF/1146/22 A.S.T. Corporation, HO

WORKS DEPARTMENTOFFICE OF THE CHIEF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEER, EASTERN CIRCLE (R&B), BALASORE

e-mail: - [email protected] of Odisha "e" Procurement Notice

Bid Identification No.CCEEC-06/ 2022-23 No: 2835/ Dt: 21.6.22Nature of work :- Building WorksNumber of works : - 07 (Seven) No BuildingsAmount put to Tender : - Rs. 309.10 Lakh to Rs. 317.53 LakhClass of Contractor : - “A” Class / “Special”Date & Time of availability of bid document in the portal: - Dt.28.06.2022 at 10:00 AMLast Date / Time of receipt of bid in the portal : - Dt.12.07.2022 up to 05:00 PMDate of opening of bid : - Dt.13.07.2022 at 11:00 AMName & address of the Office inviting bid : - Chief Construction Engineer, Eastern Circle (R&B), BalasoreThe bidders have to participate in ONLINE bidding only. Further details can be seen from the e-procurement portal“http//tendersodisha.gov.in.” All future corrigendum will be available on ONLINE mode only.

B-309

Sd/- R.RoutChief Construction Engineer

Eastern Circle (R&B) BalasoreOIPR-34026/11/0008/2223


ANNOUNCING ITS action planfor2024,whentheorganisationcompletes 60 years of its foun-dation, the Vishwa HinduParishad (VHP)onMondaysaidall state governmentsmust en-act laws to curb illegal religiousconversion, put a stop to hatespeechesagainstHindureligion,andhandovercontroloftemplesto theHindusociety.Addressing the media in

Chennai following its two-daycentral governing councilmeet,the VHP expressed concernsovergovernmentcontroloftem-plesandtheirallegeddemolitionbystategovernments,besidesil-legal religious conversions andgrowing hate speeches againstHindubelief anddeities.VHP joint general secretary

SurendraJainsaid,“Allstategov-ernments should enact law tocurbillegalconversionsandlovejihad (Hindutva organisations'termforinter-faithmarriagesin-volvingMuslimmen).Thegrow-ingmenace of acquisition anddemolition of temples in a dis-creetmannerandhatespeechesagainstHindubeliefsanddeitiesmustalsobestoppedforthwith.”VHP spokesperson Vinod

Bansalsaid:“Apartfromstoppingconversions,wehavetoensurere-conversiontoHinduismthrough'gharwapasi'(homecoming).Wewillinitiateasocialmovementonthese issues.Wherever there isneed toputpressureon thegov-ernment,wewilldothat.”Announcing the action plan

for its60thanniversary in2024,Jain said VHPwill enroll morethan1croremembersandraiseits units to 1 lakh, with 15 lakhkaryakartas(workers)acrossthecountry.“The VHP is of the opinion

that illegal religious conversionisthebiggestcrimeandviolenceagainsthumanity...(otherfaiths)areassumingitastheirreligiousrightsandusingunconstitutionalandunethicalmeans(toconvertHindus),” according to a VHPstatement.“SinceIndependence,ademandhasbeenraisedbydif-ferent sections of the society tostopthisillegalcriminalact.VHPwelcomes state governmentswhichhavemadealawtostopil-legalconversionsintheirstates.”Criticising the DMK govern-

ment in Tamil Nadu, the VHPsaidthatduetothestategovern-ment's“insensitivity”therewereinstances of illegal conversionsandattempts toconvertHindusto Christianity in Christian-runschools inthestate. Itpointedtoa case in Thanjavur district,where a girl died, allegedly bysuicide under pressure to con-vert toChristianity.“Therewerealso instancesof

IslamicfundamentaliststargetingHindu girls in the nameof LoveJihad and finally the girls havebeenusedas sexualobjects,” theVHPstated.“SomeofthegirlshadtocommitsuicideasithappenedinRamanathapuramandMelur-Madurai.TamilNadugovernmentshouldstopsuchactivitiesbypun-ishingtheseinstitutionsandindi-viduals stringently, so that thesekinds of abuses on the HinduSocietymaybestopped,”itsaid.


THESUPREMECourthasagreedtohearonTuesdayapleabytheCentre against the TripuraHighCourt direction summoningUnionHomeMinistryofficialsina PIL challenging the securitycover provided to industrialistMukeshAmbaniand family.A bench of Justices Surya

KantandJBPardiwalaagreedtotheCentre’srequesturgentlyaf-ter Solicitor General TusharMehtainformedittheHChaddi-rectedanofficialfromtheHomeMinistry to be present onTuesdayand thatno furtherad-journmentwill begiven.“One PIL is filed before the

TripuraHC.Theprayeristhatyoudecidethatthethreatperceptionbasedsecuritygiventooneindus-trial family in Bombay iswrong

and withdraw the security,”Mehtasubmittedandcontendedthat“first, (there is)noterritorialjurisdictionandsecond,onefam-ilybeinggivensecuritycanneverbepublic interest”.“WepointedouttotheTripura

HCthatsimilarpetitionwasfiledbefore the BombayHC and re-jected. But theHC has directedthatHomeMinistryofficialbede-puted tomorrowwith record ofthreatperceptionetc,”headded.

SOURAVROYBARMANNEWDELHI, JUNE27

AS INDIA entered thepandemicyear, students in around 61 percent districts of the country hadvery little exposure to digitallearningdue to limitedavailabil-ityofcomputers,Internetfacilitiesand teachers trained to handletechnologicaltoolsinschools,ac-cordingtoaMinistryofEducationreportreleasedonMonday.The Performance Grading

Index for Districts (PGI-D) for2019-20 shows that schoolsacrossIndiaperformedpoorlyun-der the category of digital learn-ing,which threwup the lowestscorescomparedtotheotherpa-rameterswhichwereconsideredwhilecreatingtheindex.In the index, asmany as 180

districts scored less than 10 percentondigital learning,146dis-tricts scored 11 to 20 per cent,while 125 districts had scoresbetween21and30percent.The report also underlines

the clear rural-urban divide inthe area of digital learning. Forinstance,whiledistricts incitieslikeChandigarhandDelhiscoredbetween 25 and 35 out of 50,places like Bihar's Araria andKishanganj scoredas lowas2.Backward districts like

Assam's South Salmara-MankacharandTripura'sDhalaiscored 1. The district-wise per-formanceondigitallearningwasdrawnupbasedon thenumberof schoolswith computers/lap-tops,Internetfacility,student-to-computer ratio and percentageof teachers trained to use andteach throughcomputers.Incontrast, intermsof learn-

ingoutcomes,nodistrict scoredbelow10percent,12scoredbe-tween11and20percent,whileasmanyas309scoredbetween51and60percent.

The Centre had released thestate-wisePGI index for theyear2019-20inJune2021.Chandigarhand the states of Punjab, TamilNadu and Keralawere the bestperformersintheindex.“TheCovid-19pandemichas

highlighted the changes re-quired in our existing system interms of the adoption of digitallearning as part of mainstreamlearning to continue education

at home... This necessitated aneed for a domain on digitallearning in PGI-D, which is notthere instatePGI.“Underthedigitallearningcat-

egory,20districtshaveshownover20percentimprovementinscoreand43districtsshowedimprove-mentof over10per cent in scoreduring 2019-20 as compared to2018-19, resulting ingrade-levelprogress,"statesthePGI-Dreport.

OVERALLSCOREPercentage DistrictsOver90% 0*81-90% 371-80% 8661-70% 27651-60% 23841-50% 8731-40% 39*21-30% 3*11-20% 2

PARAMETERSCONSIDEREDLearningoutcomes,Effectiveclassroomtransaction,infrastructure facilitiesandstudent’sentitlements, schoolsafetyandchildprotection,digitallearningandgovernanceprocess

DIGITALLEARNINGSCOREPercentage Districts

71-80% 8

61-70% 41

51-60% 71

41-50% 79

31-40% 83

21-30% 125

11-20% 146

Below10% 180

DISTRICTSCORES

11-20%ShiYomi(ArunachalPradesh),Lawngtlai(Mizoram)

21-30%KraDaadiandLongding(ArunachalPradesh),Mamit(Mizoram)

81-90%Sikar, Jhunjhunu,Jaipur (all inRajasthan)

THEGRADING INDEX

VHP seeks laws tocurb hate speechagainst HindusAsksstategovernments toenact lawstoprevent illegal religiousconversion

Schools poor in digital learning,180 districts score less than 10%

PERFORMANCEGRADING INDEXFORDISTRICTSSC to hear Centre’s plea against HCorder on security cover to Ambanis

KERALA

Thiruvananthapuram:KochicitypoliceonMondayarrestedactorVijay Babu for allegedly rapinganactress.AstheKeralaHighCourthad

grantedhimanticipatorybail inthe case, hewill be released onbail.Kochi deputy city police

commissioner U V KuriakosesaidBabu’sarrestwasrecorded.He would be taken to variousplaces in Kochi, where the al-

leged rape had taken place, aspartof evidencecollection.While granting anticipatory

bail to Babu, the high court hadpermittedthepolicetoquestionhim fromJune27 to July3 from9amto5pm. ENS

Sexual assault case: Vijay Babuarrested, to be released on bail

ActorVijayBabu. File

New Delhi

EXPRESSNETWORK 15WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,TUESDAY, JUNE28,2022

SIDHUMOOSEWALAMURDER

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIANEWDELHI, JUNE27

JAILED GANGSTER LawrenceBishnoi's father on Mondaymoved the SupremeCourt chal-lengingvariousorders, includingthetransitremandorderofaDelhicourt,inthemurdercaseofsingerSidhuMoosewala andalso com-plained that lawyers in Punjabhaveboycottedhissonandarenotwillingtorepresenthim.A vacation bench of Justices

SuryaKantandJBPardiwalawastold by advocate SangramSinghSaron that theyhave challengedthe orders of the Punjab andHaryana High Court and of aDelhi court granting transit re-mand but since no lawyer inMansa court in Punjab is takingup Bishnoi's case, he had ap-proachedthetopcourt.The bench said this is “ab-

solutelyunjustified”andthepeti-tioner can approach the highcourttoprovideBishnoilegalaidcounsel.“Theselegalaidcounselscan-

notrefusethecaseortheywouldbe delisted from the panel,” thebenchsaid,askingthecounseltoapproach the Punjab andHaryanaHigh Court to providethemlegalaidcounsel.Saron submitted that he is

challenging the order of Delhi

court for transit remand as it iscontrary to certain directionspassed by the top court onBishnoi'spetition.The bench said, “Since the

PunjabPoliceisinvestigatingthecase,itisataverynascentstage.Itwouldnotbeappropriateforthiscourtto interfereatthisstage”.Itnotedthemurderhastaken

placeinMansa,Punjabandthere-foreitisthejurisdictionofPunjabPolicetoinvestigatethecaseandthey can very well take him(Bishnoi) on remand. The benchagreed to hear the plea ofBishnoi's fatheronJuly11.On June14, aDelhi courthad

grantedPunjabPolicethetransitremandofBishnoitotakehimtoPunjab in theMoosewala killingcase.The court hadpassed the or-

der as Punjab Police producedBishnoibeforeitafterformallyar-restinghiminthecase.Moosewalawasshotdeadon

May29byunidentifiedassailantsin Punjab'sMansa district, a dayafter the state government cur-tailed his security cover. Hiscousin and a friend, whoweretravellinginajeepwithhim,werealsoinjuredintheattack.Bishnoiisfacingtrialfortheof-

fencecommittedunderstringentMCOCA (MaharashtraControl ofOrganised CrimeAct) here andwaslodgedintheTiharjail.

Lawrence Bishnoi’sfather says lawyersboycotting his son

UPpoliceclaimtohave fresh leadslinkingviolence inKanpur,Prayagraj

ARUNSHARMAJAMMU,JUNE27

FACEDWITH an acute shortageofdoctors,theadministrationinLadakhhasmodifieditsgovern-mentservicepolicyandmadeitmandatoryforthosewhogetad-mission inmedical colleges inJammuKashmir andelsewherein the country against seats re-served for Ladakh to compulso-rily serve in the UT for amini-mumfiveyearsaftercompletingthe five-yearMBBScourse.Otherwise, they are liable to

pay a penalty of Rs 50 lakh, ac-cording to an order issued lastweek by Ladakh’s Health andMedicalEducationDepartment.Tomeet theshortageofdoc-

tors inLadakh, theJ&Kadminis-tration allots certain seats inMBBS/PG degree, DNB/PGdiploma and paramedical inclinicalandnon-clinicalcourses

across Jammu and Kashmir.Besides this, the UT is also allo-cated 6 to 7MBBS seats out ofthe Central pool by the UnionMinistry of Health and FamilyWelfareeveryyear.Illustrating the shortage,

Principal Secretary, Health, DrPawanKotwal said that at pres-ent, 44 per cent positions ofmedical officers in Ladakh arevacant, and less than 100 out of175sanctionedmedical officersareworking in theUT.Toaddressthisshortfall, from

the ongoing academic session,every candidate who avails ofthe Central pool or J&K pool ofMBBS seats meant for Ladakhwill have to execute a compul-sory service bond in favour ofLadakh administration thatshe/hewill serve in theUT for aminimum of five years, failingwhichhe/shewillpayRs50lakh,the order stated. The originalbond will be submitted to the

Director, Health Services,Ladakh, it added.InthecaseofaPGcourse,the

compulsory service period isfixedat threeyears.However, incaseof failuretoservethestipu-lated periodmentioned in thebond, thecandidatewillhavetopayRs50lakhtotheLadakhad-ministration,accordingtotheor-der.Onsuccessfulcompletionofa medical course other thanMBBBSorPG,thecandidatewillhavetoserveintheUTforamin-imumoftwoyears,andifshe/hefails todoso,will have topayRs45 lakh to the administration,theorder stated.Kotwalsaidthiscompulsory

governmentservicebondistobeexecuted only by candidateswho avail the Central and J&Kpool seats that are filled on thebasis of Ladakh-specific meritlist, and not those who get ad-missiononall-IndiaorJ&Kmed-ical entranceexaminations.

ACUTEPAUCITYOFDOCTORS INUNIONTERRITORY

Ladakh makes it must for doctors whostudied under its quota to serve for 5 yrs

Demonsratorspelt stonesandshoutreligiousslogans inPrayagrajonJune10.Express file

Assam flood: 8 more dead, 21.52 lakh affectedPRESSTRUSTOFINDIAGUWAHATI, JUNE27

EIGHTMORE persons lost theirlives in the devastating flood inAssamonMonday,whileover21lakhpeoplecontinuedtoremainin distress under the impact ofthedeluge,officials said.The death toll due to the

flood this yearmounted to 134witheightdeathsreporteddur-ing the day, which include fivefrom Cachar district and oneeach from Kamrup Metro,MorigaonandNagaon,theysaid.One person was also re-

portedmissinginCachardistrict,according to a bulletin of theAssam State DisasterManagement Authority (AS-DMA).There was, however, some

improvementinthefloodsitua-tion,withthetotalaffectedpop-ulationdecliningto21.52lakhin22districts as against theprevi-

ous day's 22.21 lakh in 28 dis-tricts.Most of the rivers showed a

receding trend, thoughKopili atNagaon, Barak at Cachar andKarimganj and Kushiara in

Karimganj were flowing abovethe danger level, the officialssaid.

In Silchar, which has beensubmerged for over aweek, ef-fortsareunderwaytoprovidere-lief in thoseareaswherethead-ministrationisyettoreach,byairdropping packets with food,drinkingwaterbottlesandotheressentials by Indian Air Forcehelicopters.Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

(UAVs) are also engaged inpreparingafloodmapofSilchartownsoasto identify theextentof damage, and help in takingmeasures tomitigate losses infuture, Cachar DeputyCommissionerKeerthi Jalli said.The District Disaster

Management Authority(DDMA), UNICEF and OXFAMhave set up boat-mountedwa-tertreatmentunitstocatertotheneedywithinSilcharand itspe-ripheral areas, sheadded.Meanwhile, Bollywood star

AamirKhanonMondaydonatedRs25lakhtotheChiefMinister'sRelief Fundasassistance.

Adamagedsectionof abridge followingfloods inAssam’sNagaondistrict, PTI

PROPHETREMARKROW

MANISHSAHULUCKNOW,JUNE27

POLICECLAIMED tohave foundfreshleadsintheongoinginves-tigation,indicatingthatthereisalink between the violence inKanpur and Prayagraj that tookplace on June 3 and 10 over theremarks against ProphetMuhammad by a former BJPspokesperson.It has been found in the

probe that Prayagraj-based ac-tivist JavedMohammadwas inregularcontactwithamanfromKanpur's Yateemkhana areawhereviolencehaderuptedfirst,policeofficials said.Theinquiryisontoascertain

if the alleged conspirators be-hindtheviolenceinKanpurandPrayagraj were the same. InPrayagraj, violence had eruptedin the Kareli and Khuldabad ar-eason June10.“We scrutinised the call

recordsof Javed’smobilephoneandfoundthathewasinaregu-lar touchwith a Kanpur-basedmanbetweenJune3and10.Thecall durations of the two in-creased after June 3,” saidPrayagrajSeniorSuperintendentof Police (SSP)AjayKumar.Thetalkedfor10-15minutes

regularlyafterJune3,hesaid,cit-ingcalldetails.TheSSP, however, refused to

divulge details about the

Kanpur-basedman,adding thathe lives around theYateemkhana area where vio-lencebrokeouton June3.Action will be taken on the

basisof theevidence,headded.JavedMohammadwas sent

backtojailafterhistwo-daypo-lice remandendedonSunday.But Kanpur Joint

Commissioner of Police (JCP)Anand Prakash Tiwari deniedhaving any information aboutany probe by the Prayagraj po-lice into a city resident’s role inconnectionwith theviolence.KanpurPoliceCommissioner

Vijay SinghMeena couldnot becontacted.So far, the Prayagraj police

have arrested 105 persons, in-cludingsevenminors,intheJune10violence.Theyarelookingintotheroleof21personswhoserolecameupduringtheinvestigation.Raidsarebeingconductedto

trace them.ThePrayagrajpolicehavede-

clared a reward of Rs 25,000 onthefiveabscondingaccused, in-cluding All India Majilis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen(AIMIM)leaderShahAlam,wantedinthecase.OtherfourareUmarKhalid,corporator Fazal Khan, AshishMittal andZeeshanRehman.Prayagraj SSP Kumar the

Kanpur-based suspect has notbeen named as accused by theKanpur police in the June 3 vio-lencecaseyet.


OPPOSITIONPARTIESonMondaycondemnedthearrestofAltNewsco-founderMohammedZubairandhitoutattheBJP-ledgovern-ment, accusing it of clampingdownon thosewho “expose” itshatespeechandfakepropaganda.The Congress, Trinamool

Congress, Samajwadi Party, theLeft parties, RJD, NationalConference and the AIMIMslammedtheCentreandaccuseditofnotactingagainstthosewhomakehatespeechesand,instead,targeting thosewho report suchhatecampaigns.The Intelligence Fusion &

StrategicOperationsunitofDelhiPolicearrestedZubaironMonday,daysafterregisteringanFIRbasedonacomplaintbyamanwhohadtaggedDelhiPoliceonsocialme-dia, alleging that Zubair hurt hisreligioussentimentsandlegalac-tionshouldbetakenagainsthim.“EverypersonexposingBJP’s

hate,bigotryandliesisathreattothem.Arrestingonevoiceoftruthwill only give rise to a thousandmore.Truthalwaystriumphsovertyranny. Daro Mat,” seniorCongress leader Rahul Gandhitweeted.His party colleague Jairam

RameshsaidAltNewsandZubairhavebeeninthe“forefrontofex-posing the bogus claims of theVishguru,who has struck backwithavengeancecharacteristicofhim.” Ramesh added, “DelhiPolice, reporting to the UnionHomeMinister,has long lostanypretensions of professionalismandindependence.”Trinamool Congress leader

and Rajya Sabha MP DerekO'Brien calledZubair “oneof theworld’sfinestjournalistswhoex-poses BJP’s fake news factory”everyday. TaggingPMNarendraModi andHomeMinister AmitShah,O'Brientweeted,“forallthepoweryouwield, youare essen-tiallyCOWARDS”.Samajwadi Party chief

Akhilesh Yadav tweeted (trans-lated fromHindi), “Thosewhotrade/deal in lies don’t like theoneswho investigate the truth...thosewhohavenurturedpeoplewhospewpoisonofhate.”Demanding immediate re-

lease of Zubair, CPI(M) generalsecretary SitaramYechury saidthat“theModigovernmentis in-secure and threatened by any-thing that exposes the fakehatemachineofmisinformation.”AIMIM leader andLokSabha

MP Asaduddin Owaisi saidZubair’s arrest is highly con-demnable. “He’s been arrestedwith nonotice and in someun-knownFIR.Totalviolationof dueprocess.DelhiPolicedoesnothingaboutanti-Muslimgenocidalslo-gans but acts swiftly against“crime”of reportinghate speechandcounteringmisinformation,”OwaisipostedonTwitter.

RJD leader and Rajya SabhaMPManoj Jha stated: “Makinghate speech is no crime but re-porting/exposing such speechesare criminal activities and that’swhy Zubair has been arrested.And Ironydieshundreddeaths...The great LEADER invokesEmergency...”“Shocked tohear that Zubair

hasbeentakenintocustodybytheDelhi Police. Checking fact fromfictionwas probably his biggestcrime?” Shiv SenaMPPriyankaChaturvediposted.Lok SabhaMP andCongress

leader Shashi Tharoor called thearrestanassaultontruth.“India’sfewfact-checkingservices, espe-cially AltNews, perform a vitalservice inourpost-truthpoliticalenvironment, rifewith disinfor-mation.Theydebunk falsehoodswhoeverperpetratesthem.Toar-rest Zubair is anassault on truth.He should be released immedi-ately,”Tharoorstated.PostingscreenshotsofZubair's

tweetconcernedandonebyaBJPsupporter,NC leader and formerJ&KCMOmarAbdullahtweeted,“Onlyoneofthesetweetswillgetyouarrestedforhurtingreligioussentiments&noprizesforguess-ingwhichone.Thereisn’teventhepretenseofequalityunderlawanylonger."DIGIPUB, an organisation of

digitalnewsmediaorganisations,released a statement “stronglycondemningthearrest”.Itstated,“...Zubair had previously beenbookedbyUttarPradeshPoliceforcalling threeHindutvasuprema-cists‘hatemongers’inatweet.Thisisnotthefirsttimeheisbeingsub-jecttolegalharassment.ThisisthesixthFIRfiledagainstZubairoverthelasttwoyears...”

Opp parties slam Centre forZubair arrest, seek his release

AltNewsco-founderMohammedZubair sent to1-daypoliceremand.ANI

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICELUCKNOW,JUNE27

THE AURAIYA police in UttarPradesh have arrested a dacoit,who was absconding for overtwo decades and carried a re-wardof Rs50,000onhishead.Chela Singh (68), amember

ofthenotoriousLalaramgangin-volvedinseveralheinouscrimes,including kidnapping, wasnabbedwhenhecametohisna-tive place Bhason to meet hisfamilymembersonSaturday.Ayanapolicestationin-charge

Jitendra Singh said, “During thepreliminaryinquiry, itwasfoundthat Chela Singh was living inChitrakootwithafakeidentity.Hewas staying there as BrijmohanDas.WealsorecoveredafakePANcard,voter identitycardandara-tion card in the name ofBrijmohanDasfromhim.”As per the police records,

Chelahas21casesagainsthim,in-

cludingthatofkidnappingforran-som. TheUPpolicehaddeclareda rewardof Rs 50,000onhim in2015,saidanofficial.ThepolicesuspectthatChela

couldalsobeinvolvedinthekid-napping of slain formerMPanddacoit Phoolan Devi before the1981 Behmai incident. Phoolanandher associateswerebookedfor killing 21 Thakurs in theBehmai incident.Thepolice saidafter Lalaram

and other gangmemberswerekilled,Chelafledfromtheravinesandstarted livingat aashraminMadhyaPradesh.Later,heshiftedtoanotherashraminChitrakoot.Chelawasnotfeelingwellfor

the last fewmonthsandhadre-questedothers at theashramtotake him to his native place inAuraiya. When he reachedAuraiya, his family and localsidentifiedhimonlyafterhenar-ratedeverything to them.After a tip, police rushed to

thevillageandarrestedhim.

Dacoit on the run for twodecades arrested in UP

SUSHANTKULKARNIPUNE, JUNE27

THE DEATHS of ninemembersof a family in Mhaisal town ofMaharashtra’sSanglidistrictthatearlier were being investigatedassuicidesarenowbeingprobedasmurders by poisoning, afterpolice arrested two people in-cludinga“mantrik”whohadal-legedly promised to help thefamily “unearth a hidden treas-ure”orguptadhan.On June 20 around 1pm,

brothers Dr Manik Vanmore(49), a veterinarian; and PopatVanmore (52), an arts teacher;their mother, wives, and fourchildrenofthetwocoupleswerefound dead in their houses lo-cated a kilometre apart atMhaisal inMiraj taluka.On Sunday, the police ar-

restedAbbasAhmedaliBagwan(48), a mantrik, and DheerajSuravase (30), his aide anddriver—both residents ofSolapur.Thepoliceare invokingmurderchargesagainst theduoaftertheirallegedroleintheninedeathscameto light.Special inspector-general of

police (Kolhapur range)Manojkumar Lohiya told TheIndian Express, “Earlier, we con-sidered the possibilities of allmembersdyingbysuicideorthebrotherscommittingsuicideandpoisoningothers. Butourprobenowsuggeststhattheninefam-ilymembers were in fact mur-deredandwehavearrestedtwopersons for it. The Vanmorebrotherswereintouchwiththis

mantrikwhoclaimedhewouldhelp them unearth a hiddentreasure. The suspect had takena large sum of money from thefamilyforthisandhecouldhavebeenworriedthattheVanmoreswouldreporthimtotheauthor-ities. Primary investigationsug-gests that thepreviousnight,hewenttotheirhousesand,onthepretextofperformingsomeritu-als,gavethefamilysomethingtoconsume, like a prasad lacedwithapoisonoussubstance.”When asked about the sui-

cide notes recovered from thehouses and who could havewritten them, Lohiya said, “Theprobe still suggests that noteswerewritten by the two broth-ers. But what was suspiciousabout themwas the sequence.Wehaveobservedinmanycasesthatpeoplefirststatethereasonsand then name the persons re-sponsible. Inthiscase, itwasex-actlytheopposite.Also,thenotesdo not categorically say theywere going to end their lives. Itnow seems that the brothersweremisled intowriting thosenotes.We are still probing thatangle.”As for the 25 people booked

earlier, Lohiya said, “The case isnowtakingadifferentdirection.Astheprobeprogresses,wemayfile an application to dischargethesepeoplewhowerechargedwithabetmentof suicide.”Theyarealsotryingtoascer-

tain how the poisonous sub-stancewas administered to thefamily in two houses even astheyhavenot revealed the sub-stance.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICERAJKOT, JUNE27

TWODAYSaftershe issuedano-tice asking students to enrollthemselves asmembers of theBharatiyaJanataParty(BJP),prin-cipal of a women’s college inBhavnagarresignedfromherpostonMonday even as she and thecollegeadministrationweresum-monedby thevice-chancellor ofMaharaja KrishnakumarsinhjiBhavnagarUniversityonMonday.

Apurportednotice issuedbyRajnibalaGohil, inchargeprinci-pal of Shreemati NarmadabaiChatrabhuj Gandhi MahilaCollege, inBhavnagar city, popu-larlyknownasNCGandhicollege,waswidely sharedonsocialme-dia onMonday, inwhich Gohilasked the students tobring theirpassport sizephotos andmobilephonestothecollegesothattheycouldbeenrolledasBJPmembers.“Everygirlstudentof thecol-

lege is hereby notified that: (1)Every girl student of the college

shallbringapassport-sizephotoof hers for her registration asmember of page committee ofthe BJP… (2) It is necessary forevery girl student to carry hermobilephonetocollegeforjoin-ing the (ongoing)member (en-rolment) drive of the BJP,” thenotice issuedonFridaystated.It addedonly students living

in jurisdiction of the BhavnagarMunicipal Corporationwere eli-gibletobecomeBJPmembers.AsthenoticessignedbyGohil

went viral on social media on

Mondayand localmedia outletsstartedreportingit,thecollegead-ministration said she had re-signed.“IcametoknowaboutthenoticeonSundayevening.Iwenttothecollegethismorningtodis-cuss the issuewith the inchargeprincipalwhenshetenderedherresignation. She toldme that itwashermoraldutytostepdownasprincipal afterwhat hadhap-pened,”DhirendraVaishnav, ex-ecutive director of SmtRukshamanibahen DipchandGardi Bhavnagar Stree Kelavani

Mandal,theBhavnagar-registeredcharitable trustwhich runs thecollege,toldThe IndianExpress.VaishnavdefendedGohilsay-

ingsheissuedthenoticeinadver-tentlyafterawomanapproachedherinformingtheprincipalabouttheBJP’smembershipenrolmentdrivethatbeganonJune16.“Asfarasweknow,therewas

nomal-intention.Herbonafidesare very clear. She is in fact pro-fessorofpoliticalscienceandisastraightforward lady,” Vaishnavsaid.

Sangli deaths: Probe onfor murder as cops lookinto role of ‘mantrik’

College principal issues notice asking students to join BJP, quitsROWOVERDIKTAT INGUJARAT

JAMMU&KASHMIR

IntruderfromPakistankilledJammu: BSF troops onMondaykilledaPakistaniintruderinBaquarpurareaofRSPurasector.ABSFof-ficial said troops had no-ticed suspicious move-ment across the fence ingeneralareaofBaquarpurBorderOutPostintheweehours of morning. "Ourdominationpartynoticeda person coming aggres-sively fromPakistan sidetowardsthefencewithanintention to cross it andpaid no attentionwhenasked to stop," he said,adding that the troopsfired three roundsathim.Thebodywasfoundcloseto the fence and nothingwasrecoveredfromhim.ENS

KARNATAKA

Disabled-friendlykids’parkopensBengaluru: Karnatakagotitsfirstexclusiveplayparkfor disabled children,whichwasinauguratedbyGovernor ThaawarchandGehlot. It aims to benefit2.4lakhchildrenwithspe-cialneedsbecauseofcere-bral palsy, autism andotherdisabilities. Built forRs3crore,itisspreadoveroneacreof landprovidedby the state governmentwithinJawaharBalBhavanatCubbonPark.Designedintheshapeofaturtle,thepark consists of differentzones for awide range ofphysical, mental, thera-peutic, leisure,andtouch-and-feelactivities.ItwillbeopentopublicbyJuly-end.

ENS

UTTARPRADESH

ManstrangleswifetodeathMeerut: A 38-year-oldman strangledhiswife atMeerut'sMohanpurilocal-ityMonday. The accused,Ajit Kumar, later surren-dered to police. He hasbeen arrested,while thebody of his wife Seema(34)hasbeenhandedovertoherfamilymembersaf-terthepost-mortem.Theyhave twominor kids. Thepolice said the coupledoubted each other forhavingextra-marital rela-tions, leading to frequentfights. ENS

NEWDELHI

FilmonISROex-scientistNewDelhi:TheMinistryofInformation andBroadcasting onMondayorganisedaspecialscreen-ingofmoviebasedonfor-mer ISROscientistNambiNarayanan called'Rocketry: The NambiEffect' at the Siri FortAuditoriuminNewDelhi.The screening was at-tendedbyformerDirectorCBIDRKarthikeyan, for-mer IG CBI PMNair andsenior government offi-cials,theIBministrysaidina statement. ApurvaChandra, Secretary, I&B,said the film is not onlygripping,butalso touchestheheartsoftheaudience.He added that the filmpays tribute to the thou-sandsofscientists,includ-ing Nambi Narayanan,whohavededicated theirentire life to the achieve-mentsofIndia'sspacepro-gramme. ENS

WESTBENGAL

MukulquitsasPACchairmanKolkata:SeniorTMCleaderMukulRoyonMondayre-signedas thechairmanofthe Public AccountsCommittee (PAC) in theWest Bengal LegislativeAssembly,citingill-health.InalettertoSpeakerBimanBanerjee, Roy wrote, “Iwouldhumblyrequestyouto acceptmy resignationfromthepostofchairmanand as a member of thePAC,WestBengal, as I amunabletodischargemydu-ties owing to ill-health. Ithas been an honour toserve as the chairman ofthe Public AccountsCommittee.” ENS

BRIEFLY

New Delhi

SAURABHKAPOORNEWDELHI,JUNE27

RUSSIAHASpromiseditsallyBelarusdeliv-eryofnuclear-capablemissilestotakeonan“aggressive”West. In a televisedbroadcast,PresidentVladimirPutinsaid:“Inthecomingmonths,wewilltransfertoBelarusIskander-Mtacticalmissilesystems,whichcanusebal-listicorcruisemissiles,intheirconventionalandnuclearversions.”

Themissile systemCodenamed “SS-26 Stone” by NATO,

Iskander-M is a termusedbyRussia tode-fineboththetransporter-erectorlaunchsys-tem and the short-range ballisticmissile(SRBM) it fires. The system can also fireground-launched cruisemissiles (GLCMs).The Iskander-Msystem is exclusively usedbytheRussianmilitary,whereasIskander-Eistheonemeantforexport.

FirepowerTheIskander-Mmissilehasarangeof500

kmanditcancarryapayloadofupto700kg.It is capable of carrying both conventionaland nuclearwarheads. The conventionalwarheads can be equippedwith clusterbombs, electromagnetic pulse (EMP)war-headsandbunker-bustermunitions,accord-ing toUS-basedMissileDefenceAdvocacyAlliance (MDAA). The export variant,Iskander-E,hasarangeof280kmwithare-duced480kgpayload.

DevelopmentWhile the Iskander system was in-

ductedbyRussia in2006, itsdevelopmentpickedpaceinthelate1980saftertheOTR-23‘Oka’ballisticmissilewasbannedunderthe Intermediate-Range Nuclear ForcesTreaty.TheOkawasRussia’s firstattempttore-

placetheSovietScudmissiles.Iskanderwasthesecond.Russia firstusedtheIskander incombatinGeorgiain2008.US-based think tank, the Center for

Strategic and International Studies (CSIS),saysthattheIskandermissilesaredesignedtoconfusemissiledefencesbyflyingatalowtrajectoryandmanoeuvringinflighttostriketargetswithinanaccuracyofaroundtwotofivemetres.

Projectionof powerRussiahasmadetheBelarusannounce-

ment at the timewhen the G-7meets inGermany.ItisalsoonemoretimethatPutinhasraisednuclearweaponsasasortofwarn-ingtotheWestagainstclimbingtheescala-tionladderintheUkrainewar.In the past too, Russia has used the

Iskander system to project power againstEurope,more sobecauseof its ability to befittedwithtacticalnuclearwarheads.In2012,Moscowsaidthattheweaponcouldbeusedto target Europe’smissile defences. TheIskandersystemhasalreadybeendeployedinKaliningrad,aRussianexclave,fromwhereitcanbefiredtotargetNATOforcesinPoland,theBalticStates,andSweden.


THESUPREMECourt onMondaypassed aninterimorderextendinguntil5.30pmonJuly12thetimegrantedbytheDeputySpeakeroftheMaharashtra Assembly, Narhari Zirwal,to16rebelShivSenaMLAstoreplytothedis-qualificationnotices servedonthem.TheMaharashtragovernmentundertook

toprotect the life andproperties of 39 rebelMLAsandtheirfamilies.TheSupremeCourtwill nowhear the petitions— filed by rebelleader Eknath Shinde, and Bharat Gogavaleand14otherMLAsof theShindecamp—onJuly11.It, however, refused to restrain thehold-

ing of a floor test in the Assembly until ithears thepleasnext.

Background of petitionsShinde and Gogavale, whom the rebels

havechosenChiefWhipof theSena legisla-ture party replacing Sunil Prabhu, sought astayonthedisqualificationnoticesissuedonJune25to16SenaMLAswhodidnotattendapartymeetingconvenedbyChiefMinisterUddhavThackeray.They have also challenged the appoint-

ment,onJune21,ofAjayChoudhariasleaderof the Shiv Sena Legislative Party (SSLP), re-placingShinde.Zirwal gave the 16MLAs 48 hours until

Monday, June 27, to respond, failingwhichactionwouldbeinitiatedagainstthem.Inhispetition, ShindeclaimedthatZirwal,who isanNCPMLA, cannotacton thedisqualifica-tionpetition against the 16MLAswhile no-ticeforaresolutionseekinghisownremovalremainspending.

Key arguments before SCZIRWAL'S ALLEGEDBIAS: The post of

Speaker has been vacant since Nana Patoleresigned inFebruary2021tobecomepresi-dent of theMaharashtra Congress. Shindehas argued that ordinarily, amemberwhohas been elected as Speaker or DeputySpeakerresignsfromthemembershipofhisparty—butZirwalhasnotdoneso.According to the rebel camp, since

Zirwal’s party (NCP) is supporting the “mi-nority faction” of the Shiv Sena (that is stillwith Thackeray), his actions are “biased,based onmala fide and considerations to-tallyagainstconstitutionalprinciplesandtohelphispoliticalparty”.WhiletheDeputySpeakerissupposedto

decideissuesobjectively,Shindehassaidhe“does not expect justice at all from Zirwal,who, it seems, isbentuponactingonthedi-rections of the leaders opposed to thePetitioner (Shinde)andhis colleagues”.However,Shindedidnotpressthisargu-

ment in court on Monday, and insteadsoughtastayonthedisqualificationproceed-ingsas immediate relief.

‘ILLEGAL’APPOINTMENT:Thepetitionclaimed that Choudhari’s appointment asleader of the SSLPwasmadebya “minorityfaction” of Sena MLAs — and under theMembers of Maharashtra LegislativeAssembly (Disqualification on Ground ofDefection) Rules, 1986, it was “illegal” and“unconstitutional” forZirwal to ratify it.Also,Shindehassaid,despitebeingfrom

theminority faction of the SSLP, Choudhariand Prabhu unlawfullymade a petition tothe Deputy Speaker under the TenthScheduleoftheConstitution,basedonwhichthe16MLAswereservednotices.Senior advocate Devadatt Kamat repre-

senting theMaharashtra government, ar-gued that while the notice sent by theThackeray factionwas on the official letter-headof theparty, the letter fromtheShindegroupwas “purported to be of Shiv Sena”,claiming tobe themajority faction.

Zirwal had rightly recognisedChoudhari's appointment based on the au-thenticparty letterhead,Kamatsaid.

'UTTER DISREGARD' FOR SC 2016RULING: Shinde has said that a notice tomove a resolution for removal of Zirwal asDeputy Speaker under Article 179(c) of theConstitutionandRule11of theMaharashtraLegislative Assembly Rules, was submittedonJune21,beforethedisqualificationnoticeswereservedontherebels.ThepetitionreferstotheSupremeCourt's

judgment inNabamRebia&Bamang Felix v.Deputy Speaker, Arunachal LegislativeAssembly(2016), inwhichthecourthadheldthatif theSpeakerfacesamotionforhisownremoval first, both the constitutional provi-sions under the Tenth Schedule and Article179(c)wouldhavetheir“independentoper-ational spacepreserved”.Thecourthadruledthatitwouldbe“con-

stitutionally impermissible for a Speaker toadjudicate upon disqualification petitionsundertheTenthSchedulewhileamotionofresolution for his own removal fromOfficeof Speaker ispending”.Accordingtotherebelcamp,thepetition

fordisqualificationwassubmittedtoZirwalafter the notice formoving a resolution forhis own removal was given, and therefore,theDeputySpeaker’sdecisionwas in “utterdisregard” of the 2016 SC ruling and, there-fore, “non-maintainable”.In response, Senior Advocate Abhishek

ManuSinghviforChoudharisubmittedthatthe 1992 Constitution Bench judgment inKihoto Hollohan v. Zachillhu had clearly laiddown that courts cannot interfere until theSpeaker makes a decision, and that theSpeakerhassweepingdiscretionindecidingcasesof disqualificationofMLAs.Singhvi argued that courts can only aid

the procedure that the Speaker or Deputyspeaker is supposed to follow, and thatNabamRebia cannotbemisused to restraintheSpeaker.HesaidthatArticle212barsthecourts from inquiring into the proceedingsof the legislature, and asserted that theSpeakerwascompetenttodecideadisqual-ificationpleaundertheTenthscheduleoftheConstitutionwhen notice of his removal isunderconsideration.Singhvi also questioned the petitioners'

“leap frogging” to the SupremeCourtwith-out approaching the High Court first, and

challenged themaintainability of the plea.Senior advocate N K Kaul for the rebels ar-gued that the apex court had thediscretiontoentertain thepleas.Senior advocate Rajeev Dhawan repre-

senting Zirwal informed that the no-confi-dencemotion against himwas rejected asthe genuineness or veracity of the noticecould not be ascertained. The court askedwhether theSpeakercouldbea judge inhisowncase,andaskedZirwal's lawyertoplacethe newdevelopments pertaining to rejec-tionof thenoticeonrecord.

48HOURRS TORESPOND ‘AGAINSTRULES’: Referring to Rule 7(3)(b) of theMaharashtra Legislative Assembly(Disqualification onGrounds of Defection)Rules,1986,Shindehassaidthatpersonswhoaresoughttobedisqualifiedareentitledtoatleast a 7-day period (further extendable) tosubmit their reply.ButtheJune25noticegavetherebelsonly

48hours,hehassaid.According to the rebels, Zirwal “com-

pletely bypassed” the Rules, and his actionwas“nothingbutaneyewashtoputafaçadeof complianceof the rules”.

WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

MAHARASHTRAHASbeenwitnessingadailyupwardspiralofCovid-19cases.OnJune23,the state reported5,218 cases—thehighestsingle-day count since February. The activecasesinthestatestoodat25,570onMonday—27%ofIndia’stotal.The51deathsreportedso far is the highest toll for ymonth sinceMarch.Althoughtheseverityoftheinfectionis mild with 95% of the patients mostlyasymptomatic,publichealthofficialsarean-

ticipatingafurtherriseincases,indicativeofa“fourthwave”.

Isthefreshsurgebeingfuelledbyanewsub-variantofOmicron?Altogether 99.6% of the samples up-

loadedfromIndiatotheGISAIDregistryoverthe past four weeks have been of theOmicron variant, including sub-lineages.BA.2,referredtoas“stealthOmicron”(lacksthedeletion at position69/70 in the Spro-tein) appeared tobe replacing the existingstrains,andINSACOGreportedthistobethedominant strain across the country. TheBA.2.38 sub-varianthasnowbeen reportedfromMumbai and Pune as the dominantstrainbasedonsamplingandishypothesisedto be the strain driving the present surge.Newer sub-lineages and possible variantswerealwaysexpected,basedonourunder-standingofviraltransmissionandevolutiondynamics, and this comes as no surprise.Whatisreassuringisthatnoneofthesenewer

sub-variantsappearstobemorevirulent.

WhatarethecharacteristicsofBA.2.38?Thesub-variant,similartootherOmicron

strains, appears to evade immunity offered

by vaccinations andpast infections. This iswhywearewitnessingasignificantpropor-tionofbreakthroughinfectionsandreinfec-tions. There is data to suggest that the sub-variant may be more transmissible,explaining thepresentsurge.However,vac-cinationandpriorinfectiondoappeartocon-tinuetoprotectagainstmoderateandseveredisease,andthisisreassuring.

Aretheclinicalsymptomsanydifferent?Fever,sorethroat(oftensevere),nasalcon-

gestion, body ache, loss of taste and amildcoughare thepredominant symptoms thatarebeingreported.Diarrhoeaisalsooccasion-ally reported, but seems less common thanthe frequencywithwhich itwas reportedwithearlierOmicron strains. Formost indi-viduals,symptomsappeartogetbetterinfourdays,withfatigueandamildcoughoftenper-sistinglonger.

Dothecasesofreinfectionindicatethat

theimmunityofferedbypreviousinfectionandvaccinationisnotstrongenough?Immunity canbedefined as the body’s

abilitytocontainaninfectionandnotallowittocausemajordamage.Ifyouusethisdefini-tion,previousinfectionsandvaccinationsdoappear to beoffering individualswith a ro-bust immunity against Covid-19.However,priorinfectionand/orvaccinationmaynotal-waysprotect an individual fromgetting in-fected,asvariantssuchasOmicronareknowntobe“escapevariants”thatcanevadethefirstlineofdefenceagainstinfection.

Doeslowerhospitalisationindicatethatthenewvariantsarebecomingmoretransmissiblebutlessvirulent?This fortunately does appear to be the

case.However,wemustnot ignore the rolethatvaccinationhasplayed,andthe“lessvir-ulence” couldbeacombinationof thevirusbeingmilderandthe immuneresponsebe-

ingalotstronger.Inahigh-risk,unvaccinatedindividualwithnopriorexposuretothevirus,evenmildstrainscouldpotentiallycausese-verediseaseandwemust,therefore,strivetovaccinateeveryone.

Peopleadministeredboosterstooaregettingreinfected.Howrobustistheprotectionofferedbycurrentvaccines?Weneed toconstantly remindourselves

that vaccines aredesigned to create an im-muneresponsethatpreventsseveredisease,andthepresentvaccinesandboostersappeartobedoinganexcellentjob.Weshouldrevisitthe roleof boosters among individualswhohave anormal immune systemanddonothave comorbidities, as frequentboosters insuchindividualsmaynotbenecessary.Studiesclearlyshowbenefitamongindividualswhoareimmunocompromised,andallourfutureeffortsshouldbetargetedtothisgroup.

DrPintospoketoRupsaChakraborty

@ieExplained#ExpressExplainedIf there are questions of current or contemporary relevance that youwould likeexplained, pleasewrite to [email protected]

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Moosewala’s SYL music videoremoved from YouTube. Why?

PRANAVMUKULNEWDELHI, JUNE27

GOOGLE-OWNEDYouTubehasremovedanewsongbydeceasedPunjabisingerSidhuMoosewala from its platform in India cit-ing a “legal complaint from the govern-ment”. The song, SYL, is available in othercountries on YouTube, and on audiostreamingplatformssuchasSpotify,Gaana,JioSaavnwithin India.WHY&HOW: The only reason cited

by YouTube for removing the video is thelegalcomplaint fromthegovernment. Inastatement, a YouTube spokesperson said:“We have clear policies for removal re-quests from governments around theworld.We...also review content for viola-tions of our Community Guidelines. And,where appropriate, we restrict or removecontentinkeepingwithlocal lawsandourTermsof Serviceaftera thoroughreview.”Thegovernment'srequestsaremadeei-

ther formally throughwebforms etc., orthroughinformalchannelssuchasGoogle’spublicpolicyteam.Somerequestsmayal-lege infringement of intellectual propertyrights; othersmay claim violation of lawsthat prohibit certain types of content ongroundssuchasdefamation.THESONG:SYL, thesong's title,stands

for the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal. Itwas recorded weeks before the singer’smurder, andwas releasedon June23. The

canal lies at theheartof a40-year-olddis-pute between Punjab and Haryana oversharingof thewatersof theRaviandBeas.Moosewala’ssongmentionedtheanti-

Sikh violence of 1984, and the videoshowed theSikh flagbeinghoistedon theRedFortduring the farmers' agitation.The video got 27million views and re-

ceived3.3million likesonYouTube in lessthan threedays.HOW OFTEN? As per the Google

Transparency Report, during 2021, therewere1,670governmentrequeststoremovecontent from YouTube on a range ofgroundsincludingdefamation,criticismofthegovernment,violence,causingreligiousoffence, national security, hate speech,copyright, privacy, security, etc. In 2020,1,538suchrequestsweremade.

THE ISKANDER-MMISSILESYSTEMRUSSIAHASPROMISEDTOARMBELARUSWITH

EXPLAINED HEALTH

THE EXPERTDRLANCELOTPINTOisepidemiologistandpulmonologistfromHindujaHospital,Mumbai.Hespecialises inthetreatmentofsleepapnea, insomnia,andothersleep-relateddisorders,withtheaimofpreventingcomplicationssuchashighbloodpressureandheartdiseasethatareoftenaconsequenceof suchdisorders.Healsospecialises inthemanagementofCOPD.

DrLancelot PintoFromThe IndianExpresspanelof specialists, exclusive insight

EXPERTEXPLAINS

Takeaways fromMaharashtraCovid surge:more transmissible, not so virulent

Sena crisis: issues before SCSIMPLYPUT

Inpetitions, theMaharashtrarebelshaveraisedfourkeyissues, involvingprovisionsof theConstitutionandAssemblyRules.ArgumentsonMondayreferredtotwomajor judgments, from1992and2016.

EVERYDAY GLOBAL

E EXPLAINEDTHEINDIANEXPRESS,TUESDAY, JUNE28,2022

16

Hissongremovedfollowinga ‘legalcomplaint fromgovernment’. File


THE POLITICAL crisis inMaharashtra hasgivenrisetothequestionwhethertheShivSenarebelscanavoiddisqualificationun-der theanti-defection law.

Law and exceptionUnder theanti-defection law,amem-

berofalegislaturecanbedisqualifiedifheor shehas voluntarily givenupmember-ship of their political party; and if he/shevotesorabstainsfromvotingintheHousecontrary to any direction issued by theirparty (or by any person or authority au-thorisedby theparty).There isaprovisiontoprotectsuchleg-

islatorsfromdisqualification.Iftwo-thirdsofthemembers agree to amergerwith an-other party, theywill not be disqualified.Under the 91st Amendment to theConstitution in2003, the exemption fromdisqualificationifone-thirdofthemembersformaseparategroup(therulepriortotheamendment)wasremoved.

How courts have ruledInFebruarythisyear, theHighCourtof

BombayatGoaheldthat10CongressMLAsandtwotwoMGPMLAs,whohaddefectedtotheBJP in2019,areexemptedfromdis-qualificationandheldthatamergerofthisgroupof CongressMLAs is “deemedtobeamerger” of the original political partywith the BJP (Girish Chodankar v Speaker,GoaLegislativeAssembly).InRajendraSinghRanavSwamiPrasad

Maurya (2007), a Constitution Bench ofthe Supreme Court interpreted the term“voluntarily giving upmembership of apolitical party”, and held that "a personmay be said to have voluntarily given upmembership of an original party eventhoughheorshehasnottenderedresigna-tion frommembership of the party” andthataninferencecanbedrawnfromcon-ductof themember.

The two-thirds ruleSomeexpertsbelievethatevenif two-

thirdsoflegislatorshavebrokenaway,theywillbeprotectedfromdisqualificationonlyif theymergewith another party or be-

comeaseparategroupinthe legislature.Senior advocate Devdatt Kamat, rep-

resenting Shiv Sena, said that until theMLAs rebel campmerges with anotherparty, disqualificationunder the anti-de-fectionlawwillstillapplytothem.Hesaidthere are court judgements including intheRaviNaik case (1994) in theSupremeCourtwhichheld thisview.SenioradvocateShrihariAney,aformer

AdvocateGeneralofMaharashtra,saidtherearedebatablepositions about the anti-de-fectionlaw."Variouscourtshavepassedver-dictsasperspecificfactsofthecaseandIamof theviewthat theEknathShinde factionhasalreadycrossedthetwo-thirdsmarkandthus they cannot be subjectedunder thislawand they areprotected from the anti-defectionlaw.Theyareentitledtobeiden-tified as a separate group or a 'gat' in the

houseandtoparticipateintheproceedings."

Disqualification noticesAnother issue that has arisen is

whether the disqualification noticesserved on 16 rebel MLAs can stand thescrutinyof law.ExpertssaidthataspertheMaharashtra Legislative Assembly(DisqualificationongroundsofDefection)Rules and other stipulations, the DeputySpeaker'sdecisioncannotbeupheld.Aney said, "Inmyopinion, thenotices

disqualifyingsomeMLAsarevoidabinitio.The orders are premised on the groundthattheseMLAsdidnotattendtheofficialmeeting and did not adhere to thewhip.But,awhipis limitedonlytothebusinessof thelegislature…Hereitwasforameet-ing called by their president UddhavThackeray.”

EknathShinde(onthechessboard)andotherShivSenarebelsat theGuwahatihotelwheretheyarestaying. PTI

THE 2/3rds RULE IN ANTI-DEFECTION LAW

New Delhi

17SENSEX: 53,161.28 ▲ 433.30 (0.82%) NIFTY: 15,832.05 ▲ 132.80 (0.85%) NIKKEI: 26,871.27 ▲ 379.30 HANG SENG: 22,229.52 ▲ 510.46 FTSE: 7,253.13 ▲ 44.32 DAX: 13,208.30 ▲ 90.17


ECONOMYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

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GOLD`50,822

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OIL$109.78

SILVER`60,231

Note:Gold, silverratesatDelhi spotmarket,goldper10g, silverper1kg;Crudeoil (Indianbasket)asof June24

GST cuts ‘not passed on’: L’Oreal told to pay upENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,JUNE27

THENATIONALAnti-profiteeringAuthority(NAA)hasaskedL’OrealtopayRs186crorealongwith18percentinteresttotheConsumerWelfare Fund for not passingonGSTratecutbenefits.

Theauthoritydirected thedi-rectorategeneralanti-profiteeringtoinitiatefurtherinvestigationstofindoutwhetherL’Orealpassedontax reductionbenefits in thepe-riodafterDecember31,2018.MostproductssoldbyL’Orealattracteda28percentGSTbetweenJuly1,2017andNovember14,2017.Theratesontheseitemswerereduced

to18percentfromNovember15,2017. L’Oreal had said it reducedrates after theGSTCouncil deci-sioninNovember,2017byincreas-ingquantity in thecaseof sham-poos, conditioners and colournaturals. The companypointedout that thegovernmenthadnotgivenanyguidelinesormethod-ologytopassonbenefits.FE

AANCHALMAGAZINECHANDIGARH,JUNE27

AS THEGoods and Services Tax(GST) regimenears five years ofcompletionandushersintheendof the compensation regime forstatestocoverrevenuegap,meas-urestoboostrevenuessuchasraterationalisation,reviewofexemp-tionsandsystemreformswillturnout to be the key contentiouspointsbetweenstatesandCentreas they converge for the GSTCouncilmeetingonJune28-29.With high inflation rate, any

major rejig of tax slabswill notfind favour innear term, insteadtheCouncil is likely to relyheav-ily on a series of othermeasurestoboostrevenues—correctionofinverteddutystructureforitemssuch as LED lamps,printing/drawing ink, knives,spoons,power-drivenpumps,so-larwaterheater, finishedleathercompositeworksandwithdrawalof exemption for items such aspre-packaged and labelled fooditemssuchaswheatflour,puffedrice,curd/lassi/buttermilk,paneer

andchilledmeat/fish.States,especiallyOpposition-

ruled ones, are expected to raisedemand for extension of thecompensation regime to bridgerevenue shortfall beyond June2022. Under GST, as per theGoods and Services Tax(Compensation to States) Act,2017,thestateswereguaranteedcompensation at the com-poundedrateof14percentfromthe base year 2015-16 for lossesarising due to implementation.Lastweek, the FinanceMinistrynotifiedtheextensionofthelevyand collection of compensationcess tillMarch2026, in linewithan earlier approval accorded bytheGST Council last year for re-paymentof loansmeanttocom-pensate states for the five-yearperiodsinceJuly2017rolloutandnotforanyextensionofcompen-sationtostatesbeyondJune2022.“GSThasbeenagoodideabut

badlyimplemented.Micro-levelmanagementinimplementationdidnothappen.Becauseof that,states are in a verybadposition.Extension of compensationscheme should happen,” Delhi

FinanceMinisterManishSisodiatoldThe IndianExpress.“Centre is notbeingasked to

payfromitsresources.Thecom-pensation fundsweresupposedtocomefromlevyofcess.Tillef-fective implementation of GSThappens, theway it was envis-aged, the compensation regimeshouldbecontinued.States sur-renderedmost of their taxationrights,VATwasoneofthebiggestcomponents for them. 14 percent growth was promised,which isnotbeingachievedandit’s coming to anend. This is notdone,”headded.TheCouncilisalsoexpectedto

discuss interim recommenda-

tionsofaministerialpanelonraterationalisation including levyingtaxof12percentonhotel roomscostingbelowRs1,000/daywhicharepresently exempt, increasingrateonmanufacturingservicesofleather goods, claybricks from5percentto12percent,hikingGSTonLEDlamps,ink,knives,blades,power driven pumps, spoons,forks, dairymachinery from12percentto18percentandbring-inginpre-packagedfooditemsin-cludingrice,atta,curd,lassi,puffedrice at par with branded fooditemswithataxrateof5percent.Additionally, it will discuss theFitmentCommittee’sproposaltolevy taxonthemarginsmadebytour operators at a suitable ratealongwith a suggestion tomakee-way billmandatory for intra-statemovement of gold above athresholdofRs2lakh.

ThewayforwardMoremeasures for compli-

ancetoplugrevenueleakagesareintheoffingwithagreaterscrutinytobeoverhigh-risk taxpayers.Atthetimeofregistration,measuressuchasbetterverificationthrough

useofmandatorybiometric au-thenticationforhigh-risktaxpay-ers,inclusionofelectricitybilldata,realtimevalidationofallbankac-counts against a particular PANandgeo-tagginghavebeen sug-gestedbyaministerialpanel.“Broadening the base is the

only option, you cannot raiserates. Compliance has to be in-creased using technology toidentify revenue leakage, bogusreturns, which is not gettingcaughtinthesystematpresent,”Sisodia, whowas amember oftheGoMonsystemreforms,said.Identifyingriskybehaviourof

thenewregistrants/applicantsus-ingartificialintelligenceandplacetheinformationonthebackofficefor the field officer to carry outmandatory physical verificationofthesetaxpayersalongwithrealtimevalidationof bankaccountsthroughintegrationofGSTsystemwithNPCI and inclusionof elec-tricitybillmetadata (CANo.) as adata fieldduring registrationbynew taxpayers are some of themeasuresgoingtobediscussedintheCouncilmeeting.Fullreporton

www.indianexpress.com

SOUMYARENDRABARIKNEWDELHI,JUNE27

INANattempttoincreasepartic-ipationofwomeninthegigecon-omy,theNITIAayoghasproposedfiscalincentivesliketaxbreaksorstartup grants for companieswith about one-third of theirworkforceaswomenandpeoplewithdisabilities(PwDs).“Fiscalincentivessuchastax-

breaks or startup grantsmaybeprovidedforbusinessesthatpro-vide livelihood opportunitieswherewomen constitute a sub-stantialportion(say,30percent)oftheirworkers.Likewise,aplat-formwith high accessibility orhigh degree of participation ofPwDstoomayberewardedwithfiscalincentives,”NITIAayogsaidinareporttitled‘India’sBoomingGigandPlatformEconomy’.Basedonasurveyconducted

acrossurbancentresof India,thereport also said thatwomenaremore likely to take up platformjobs after their education andmarriage.Thereportalsosaidthatfemalelabourforceparticipationin Indiahas remained low,oscil-latingbetween16per cent to23per cent in the last few years.Similarly, personswith disabili-ties,whomake up for 2.11 to 10per cent of India’s population,havea labour forceparticipationrateof36percent.‘Structuralbar-rierslikeaccesstoeducationandlackofskillinghavehinderedpar-ticipation of the two demo-graphic groups in the country’slabourforce,” thereportsaid.The report estimates that

more than 7.5millionworkerswereengagedinthegigeconomyin 2020-21. This could grow to

23.5millionworkers in thenexteightyears,makingupfor4.1percent of total livelihood in India.According to the report, at pres-ent about 47 per cent of the gigwork is inmedium skilled jobs,about22percent inhighskilled,and about 31 per cent in lowskilled jobs. Gigworkers can bebroadly classified into platformand non-platform workers.Platform workers are thosewhosework is based on onlinesoftwareappsordigitalplatformswhile non-platformgigworkersare generally casualwagework-ers, working part-time or full-time.Whileplatformcompanieshavecreatedavenuesofemploy-ment,ithasoftenbeenmarredbylowwages, unequal gender par-ticipation, and a lack of possibil-ityforupwardmobilitywithinanorganisation.The report also recom-

mended that businesses have ahighershareofwomenmanagersand supervisors in the organisa-tion to ensure that communica-tion toworkersdoesnotperpet-uate gender stereotypes. “Toencouragemorewomen, plat-formsmaydevelopbetter infra-

structure andwork design, en-hance skill development, assetownership,accesstodigitalskillsand technology, undertake gen-der sensitisation and accessibil-ity awareness programmes forworkers and their families,”SakshiKhurana,consultantatNitiAayog’sskilldevelopment,labourand employment vertical, andpart of the research teamfor thereport, toldTheIndianExpress.To encourage increased and

equal participation in the gigeconomy, the report said socialsecurity benefits be extended toworkers in a partnershipmode,asenvisagedintheCodeonSocialSecurity, 2020. It also said thatbusinessesofferpaidsickleavetotheirworkers apart from insur-ancecover.Gigworkersaretypi-cally hired by companies on acontractualbasisandarenotcon-sideredtheiremployees.Asare-sult, theydonot receive someofthe benefits that an on roll em-ployeeofthecompanymayhave— thismeans that they often donotreceivebenefitslikepaidsickand casual leaves, travel andhousing allowances, and provi-dent fund savings, among otherthings. The report also recom-mendedthatfirmsadoptpoliciesthat offer old age or retirementplans andbenefits and other in-surance cover for contingenciessuchas injuryarising fromworkthatmay lead to loss of employ-ment and income. NITI Aayogaddedthataccesstoinstitutionalcreditcouldbeenhancedthroughfinancialproductsspecificallyde-signed forplatformworkersandthose interested to set-up theirownplatforms. Full reporton


OPPNSTATESLIKELYTORAISEDEMANDFORCOMPENSATIONREGIMEEXTENSION

GIGWORKERSaretypi-callyhiredbycompaniesonacontractualbasisandarenotconsideredem-ployees.Theydonotre-ceivesomeofthebenefitsthatanon-rollstaffdoes.

LackofbenefitsE●EX

PLAINED

NITI Aayog pitches forincentives to draw morewomen into gig economy

Moscow: Russia rejected claimsonMondaythat ithaddefaultedon its external debt for the firsttime in more than a century,tellinginvestorstogotoWesternfinancial agents for the cashwhichwassentbutbondholdersdidnotreceive.TheWhiteHouse saidRussia

hasdefaultedonitsinternationalbonds. “Statements of a defaultare absolutely unjustified,”Kremlin spokesperson DmitryPeskov said. “The fact thatEuroclearwithheld thismoneyanddidnotbring it to the recipi-entsisnotourproblem.Thereareabsolutelynogroundstocallsuchsituationadefault.”Eurocleardidnotimmediatelyrespondtoare-questforcomment.REUTERS

Russia deniesUS claims ofdebt defaultTells investors togotoWesternagents

■Withhighinflationrate,anymajorrejigoftaxslabswillnot findfavour innearterm,insteadtheCouncil islikelytorelyheavilyonothermeasurestoboostrevenues.

MEETING TODAY

Rationalisation, reformsmaytestCentre-staterelationsatGSTmeet

VULNERABLESECTORS:Transportoperators,edibleoil,gemsandjewelleryarethemostvulnerabletooperatingprofitlossesowingtowaferthinmarginof lessthan3%andlimitedinputcostpass-throughofunder60%

‘Essential’segmentMSMEslikepharmaceutical/agriculturalmillershardly lostanymarketshare

SECTORSWHEREMSMEsGAINEDMARKETSHARE:■Steelpig iron,whereonlySMEscouldcapitaliseonrevival ininfrastructuredemand,aslargeplantsconsumedtheiroutput■Tobaccounits

Source:Crisil/PTI

‘25% of MSMEs lost marketshare to big corporations’A fourth of IndianMSMEs lost 3% ormore of theirrespectivemarket share to big corporations during theCovid pandemic, a Crisil report said

Survey details: MSMEs from69 sectors and 147 clusters with revenue of `47 lakh crore or a fourthof India’s GDP analysed to arrive at details on how small businesses fared during the pandemic

50%Shareofsurveyedmicro,

small&mediumenterprises(MSMEs),thatlostmarketshare,whichalsosawacontractionintheiroperatingprofit

NMDC Limited

CONTRACTS DEPARTMENT

(A Government of India Enterprise)'Khanij Bhavan', 10-3-311/A, Castle Hills, Masab Tank, Hyderabad -500028

Corporate Identity Number (CIN) - L13100TG1958GOI001674

NMDC Limited, A “NAVARATNA” Public Sector Company under Ministry of Steel, Govt.of India, invites online bids from experienced domestic bidders for the work of“Installation, Testing and Commissioning Of Cables or Overhead Lines fromOutgoing Feeders (33 KV, 6.6 KV, 3.3 KV) Of Dhobighat Substation to the LoadPoints or Receiving Substations at BIOM, Kirandul Complex, Kirandul, Dist:Dantewada, State: Chhattisgarh”. The detailed NIT and Bid documents can be viewedand /or downloaded from 28-06-2022 to 28-07-2022 from following website links;1.NMDC website - http://tenders.nmdc.co.in2.Central Public Procurement portal - http://www.eprocure.gov.in/epublish/app and3.MSTC portal-https://www.mstcecommerce.com/eprochome/nmdc/buyer_login.jspFor accessing the bid document from NMDC website, the bidder has to register as “NewUser” at NMDC’s website link https://nmdcportals.nmdc.co.in/nmdctenderFor accessing the bid document from MSTC portal, bidder has to register as ‘New Vendor’at MSTC website link https://www.mstcecommerce.co.in/eprochome/nmdc/buyer_login.jsp and search Tender Event No. NMDC/HO/32/22-23/ET/200. For further helprefer to ‘vendor guide’ given in MSTC website. The bidders are requested to submit theirbids online through MSTC Limited website. The details of submission of bid throughonline are given in NIT. The Bidders, on regular basis are required to visit the NMDC’swebsite/CPP Portal/ MSTC website for corrigendum, if any, at a future date.For further clarification, the following can be contacted - Chief General Manager(Contracts), NMDC Limited, Hyderabad, Fax No. 040-23534746, Tel No. 040-23532800,email: [email protected] Chief General Manager (Contracts)

Tender Enquiry No.:HO(Contracts)/BIOM KC/ITC OF C OR OH LINES/2022/839 Dated:28.06.2022MSTC Ref. No.: NMDC/HO/32/22-23/ET/200

E-Tender Notice (Open Tender Enquiry for Domestic Bidding)

NewDelhi:SeniorofficialsfromIndiaandthe European Union (EU) resumed themuch-awaitednegotiationsfor a proposed free tradeagreement (FTA) hereMonday,afteragapofaboutnineyears.Bothsidesaresetto focus on “deliverables”firstduringthecourseof thenegotiations,beforemovingon to contentious matters,sources said.Duty-freeaccesstotheEU

market for labour-intensive industries,mainly textiles and garments, will be

amongIndia’skeydemands.Thenegoti-ationsrestartatatimetheUSandtheEU

arestaringata recession.Before the talks began,

Commerce and IndustryMinister Piyush GoyalmetEuropean CommissionExecutive Vice PresidentValdisDombrovskis on June17 and “discussedways tofast track negotiations”.FormalnegotiationsbetweenthetwosidesfortheFTAwere

stuckoverstarkdifferencesafter16roundsof talksbetween2007and2013. FE

‘India, EU resume FTA talks’

PIYUSHGOYALCommerce Minister PTI file

COMPANY TOPAY

■Amountthat theNAAhasaskedL’Oreal topay,alongwith18%, interest

`186cr

BRIEFLYCBDTchiefNewDelhi:NitinGupta, anIRSofficerofthe1986 batch,hasbeennamedasthenewCentralBoardofDirectTaxes(CBDT)Chairmanand tookchargeMonday.He is serv-ingastheMember(investi-gation) intheBoardandsettoretirenextSeptember.

BajajbuybackNewDelhi:BajajAuto’sboardclearedbuybackoffullypaidupequityshareswithafacevalueof`10eachfromexist-ingshareholdersfromopenmarketfor`2,500crore. PTI

CreditSuisseSwitzerland: Credit Suissewas convicted bySwitzerland’s FederalCriminalCourt for failing topreventmoney-launderingbyaBulgarian cocaine traf-fickinggang,inthecountry’sfirst criminal trial of one ofitsmajorbanks. REUTERS

PSBfoundationNewDelhi: Punjab & SindBank (PSB) observed115thFoundationDay last Friday.MD-CEOSwarupKumarSa-hasaiditwillmovetowardsdigitaltransformation. ENS

Cityof Lysychansk,Ukraine,underRussianattack.Reuters

OFCD issuance: 2 Sahara groupcos, Roy, 3 others fined `12 crENSECONOMICBUREAUMUMBAI, JUNE27

THE SECURITIES and ExchangeBoardof India(Sebi)onMondayimposedpenaltiestotallingRs12croreontwoSaharaGroupfirms— Sahara Commodity ServicesCorporationLtdandSaharaHou-singInvestmentCorporationLtd— as well as Subrata Roy andthreeothersforviolatingregula-torynormsintheissuanceofop-tionallyfullyconvertibledeben-tures(OFCDs)in2008and2009.Inanorder,SebiAdjudicating

OfficerSureshBMenonsaidthe

finesneedtobepaid jointlyandseverallywithin45days.Thepe-nalised individuals are AshokRoy Choudhary, Ravi ShankerDubeyandVandanaBharrgava.The case relates to issuance

of OFCDs by Sahara India RealEstate Corporation Limited(SIRECL), nowknownas SaharaCommodity Services Corporat-ionLimited,andSaharaHousingInvestmentCorporationLimited(SHICL).Thetwocompanieshad

issued the OFCDs in 2008 and2009andwereallegedlydoneincontravention of the provisionsof Sebi’s ICDR (Issue of Capitaland Disclosure Requirements)Regulations and PFUTP(Prohibition of Fraudulent andUnfairTradePractices) rules.

AurobindoPharmawarnedMeanwhile, Sebi issued a

warning letter to AurobindoPharmafordisclosing“verylim-itedandrestrictedinformation”toboursesaboutaUSFDAauditof its APImanufacturing unit inHyderabad. Full report on


Sebisaidthefineneedstobepaidwithin45days

New Delhi


THEWORLDWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

UNITED STATES

AIRLINESCANCELOVER 700 FLIGHTSAirlines canceled over 700 flights in the US on Monday, as adverse weather and ashortage of staff hurt their ability to keep up with a surge in summer travel demand.

ITALY

Ray-BanownerDelVecchiodiesaged87LEONARDODELVecchio,who rose fromchildhoodpoverty to build the eye-wear empire that ownsbrands such as Ray-BanandOakley,hasdiedattheageof87,hiscompanysaidonMonday. Fashion de-signerGiorgioArmaniwasamongthosetopaytributetoDelVecchiowithwhomhehadworked since the1980s. “Together, we in-vented a phenomenonthat didnot exist:we im-mediately realised thatglasses,fromsimplefunc-tional objectswould be-come indispensable fash-ion accessories,” Armanisaid. “His story, fromor-phanagetoleadershipofabusiness empire, seemslike a story fromanothertime. But it is an examplefor today and tomorrow.RIP,” European EconomyCommissioner PaoloGentilonisaidonTwitter.

REUTERS

LeonardoDelVecchio

TOPOFTHEWORLD

NEPAL

Budgetleakrow:Ministersayswon’tstepdownMAOIST LEADER andNepal FinanceMinisterJanardan Sharma, whohasbeenaccusedof leak-ingtheBudgetdocumentbyallowingtwooutsidersduring a preparatorymeetingwith high rank-ing officials, barely hoursbefore its presentation inParliamentMonday, re-fused to step down.Speaking in the upperhouse of Parliament,Sharma said he hadbrought a pro-peopleBudget and that he willnot be obliging "anyone"demanding his resigna-tion. Meanwhile, theUnified Socialist Party , amajor constituent inNepal's five-party rulingcoalition replaced four ofitsmembersinCabinet.

YUBARAJGHIMIRE

TwoIndiansamongthreetouristsrescuedTHREE STRANDEDtourists, including twoIndians, have been res-cued from a forest inNepal, a day after theywentmissing,policesaidon Monday. Police saidthetouristswererescuedfrom Chandragiri Forest,some15kilometresWestof Kathmandu. The twoIndian nationals wereidentified as NawapritDhillion,30,andMadhavGupta. PTI

CENTER OF CASE THAT SAW RULING OVERTURNED

With Roe v. Wade upended, the final days of Mississippi’s last abortion clinicRICHARDFAUSSETJACKSON,JUNE27

A YOUNGwoman entered theparking lot of the only abortionclinic inMississippi, her shoul-ders hunched. Shewas accom-panied by an olderwoman andastone-facedyoungmanwithahandgun on his hip. She ap-peared terrified.All around them, the noise

was deafening. It was earlySaturday morning, and a manwith a powerful PA systemwaspreaching about Jezebel beingeaten by dogs. Dozens of evan-

gelical Christians had come topray. Volunteer clinic escorts,sweatinginthesummerheat,di-rectedpatients’carsthroughthethrong and blastedmusic theythought the evangelicalswouldhate. Posters of aborted fetuseslined thestreet.A pastor named Doug Lane

huddledwith the olderwomanandencouragedhertopersuadethe younger woman not to gothroughwith the procedure. “Iwantedhertohavethebaby,”thewomansaid,hervoiceunsteady.Soonallof this—thepreach-

ing, the frightened patients, therockmusic,thebloodyposters—

willdisappear.Butbeforeitdoes,thereareguaranteed tobea fewmoredaysof roaring,passionatecrescendo, as the JacksonWomen’s Health Organization,the pink-painted clinic at theheartoftheSupremeCourtdeci-sion overturning Roe v.Wade,tries to see asmany patients aspossiblebeforeitisforcedtoclose.There is alreadymuch talk

about what will come next.Outside the clinic, abortion op-ponents discussed how theirchurchesmight do a better jobspreading themessageof absti-nenceinastatewiththenation’shighest teen pregnancy rate.

Supporters of abortion access,meanwhile, areworking to cre-ate a network of donors, volun-teers, educators and evenpilotsto help women in the nation’spoorest state travel to placeswhere the procedure will re-mainlegal.Similareffortsareun-derway across much of thecountry,instateswhereabortionwill now be forbidden and inplaces hoping to accommodateout-of-statewomen inneed.“Abortion is our business,

andthat’swhatwe’regoingtodo—tomakesurewomenhaveac-cess,” said Diane Derzis, theowner of the Jackson clinic.

“We’renotgoingaway.”Abortion bans have already

gone into effect in nine statessince Friday’s ruling in Dobbs v.Jackson Women’s HealthOrganization, with at least 12more bans or restrictions, in-cluding inMississippi,expectedtotakeeffectsoon.Thatlawcan-notgointoeffectuntil10daysaf-ter the state’s attorney general,LynnFitch,certifiestheSupremeCourtdecision.OnSaturday,thebattleoutside

thepinkcliniccontinued,muchasit has for years. As the tempera-turesoared,thefrustrationoftheclinic escorts was palpable.At

onepoint,DaleGibson,53,avol-unteer, began screaming andcursing at a protester namedZachBoyd,whohadbeenhold-ingasmallrubberfetusdollaloftevery timeapatientdrove in.As the last of the patients

rolled in, Gibson, who stood inthe entrance to the parking lot,was sweat-drenched and ex-hausted. An anti-abortion pro-tester,MadisonGass,21,askedifshewantedabottleofwater.“All I want,” Gibson said, “is

fory’all tovamoose.”Boydoverheardher.“Wewill

inninedays,”hesaid.“PraisetheLord.” NYT

Theclinic,knownasthePinkHouse,willkeepperformingabortionsuntil thebantakeseffect ina fewdays.NYT

AGENCIESBRUSSELS,KYIVJUNE27

NATO SECRETARY general JensStoltenberg said Monday themilitaryalliancewillincreasethesize of its rapid reaction forcesnearly eightfold to 300,000troops as part of its response toan“eraofstrategiccompetition".The annoncement came as

UkrainianPresidentVolodymyrZelenskyy Monday urged G7leadersmeeting in Germany tosupplyanti-aircraftdefencesys-tems tohis embattlednation asRussian forces assaultedLysychansk, the last big city stillheldbyUkrainiantroopsineast-ernLuhanskprovince.The NATO response force

currently has about 40,000 sol-diers.Coupled with other meas-

ures including the deploymentof forcestodefendspecificallies,Stoltenbergsaidthemoveispartof the “biggest overhaul of col-lective defence and deterrencesince the ColdWar". Hemadethe remarks at a press confer-ence ahead of a NATO summit

later thisweek inMadridwhenthe30alliesareexpectedtoalsoagree on further support toUkraineinitswaragainstRussia.Stoltenberg said he expects

alliestomakecleartheyconsiderRussia “as themost significantanddirectthreattooursecurity."Over the long term, he said

alliesaimtohelpUkrainetransi-tionfromSoviet-eraarmamentstomodernNATOequipment.

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIACOLOMBO,JUNE27

THE SRI Lankan government onMondayannouncedonlyessen-tial services will operate frommidnighttill July10andallotheroperationswill be temporarilysuspendedasthecrisis-hitnationfacesacute fuelshortage.The move came days after

Prime Minister RanilWickremesingheonWednesdaysaid the debt-laden economyoftheislandnationhas“collapsed”aftermonthsofshortagesoffood,fuel and electricity, and cannotevenpurchase importedoil.Sri Lanka's Cabinet of

Ministersdecidedonlyessentialservices will operate fromMondaymidnight to July10.“Fuel will be issued only to

health, defence, power and ex-portsectorsfrommidnighttodayuntilJuly10,”Cabinetspokesper-son Bandula Gunawardena toldreporters. The state-run CeylonPetroleum Corporation (CPC)will issue diesel andpetrol onlyforessentialserviceswitheffectfrommidnight, it said.Theseservicesincludeports,

airports,health,fooddistributionand agriculture, a report said,quoting transport minister

Gunawardena.“Allothersectorsmust prepare fromwork fromhomeprogramme,”hesaid,urg-ingthepublictosupportthegov-ernment'smovetolimitthecon-sumptionof fuel.While the government said

talkswere heldwith India for afresh credit line, a ministerialdelegation is to visit Russia fortalks to buy discounted oil, thegovernmentsaid.

US teammeetsPresident RajapaksaA high-level US delegation onMondaymetPresidentGotabayaRajapaksa anddiscussedmeas-ures to help the island nationcope with an unprecedentedeconomic crisis and severeshortagesof essential supplies.US Ambassador Kelly

Keiderling, Deputy AssistantSecretaryof theUSDepartmentof State, and Robert Kaproth,Deputy Assistant Secretary oftheUSTreasuryaccompaniedbyAmbassador to Sri Lanka Julie JChungmet thePresident todis-cussSriLanka'seconomiccrisis.“It's a challenging time, butwecontinue to deliver assistanceand long-term partnership tohelpSriLankaachieveaprosper-ous,secure&democraticfuture,”tweeted theUSAmbassador.

Toxic gas leakin Jordan: 10 dead,251 hurt, rescueplanes rushed

Seoul urgesChina, Russiato preventNorth Koreannuclear test

G7COUNTRIESPREPARENEWAIDTOKYIV

Elmau (Germany):President JoeBidenissettoannouncethattheUSisprovidingadvancedansur-face-to-air missile system toUkraine,aswellasadditionalar-tillery support, according to apersonfamiliarwiththematter,in the latestassistancemeant tohelpthecountrydefendagainstRussia’s invasion.TheUSispurchasingNASAMS,

aNorwegian-developedanti-air-craftsystem,toprovidemedium-to long-rangedefence, accordingto theperson,who spokeon theconditionofanonymity.NASAMSisthesamesystemusedbytheUSto protect the sensitive airspacearound theWhiteHouse andUSCapitol inWashington.Additionalaidincludesmore

ammunition for Ukrainian ar-tillery,aswellascounter-batteryradars, to support its effortsagainst theRussianassault. AP

UkrainePresidentVolodymyrZelenskyyaddressesG7leadersviavideo linkduringtheirworkingsessionatCastleElmauinKruen,Germany,onMonday.AP

NATO to increase rapid reaction force to300,000,moderniseUkraine armament

US to providesurface-to-airmissile systemto Ukraine

PARISAHAFEZI&ANDREWMILLSDUBAI, JUNE27

QATARWILL host indirect talksbetween Iran and the UnitedStates in coming days, Iranianmedia reported on Monday,amid a push by the EuropeanUnion to break amonths-longimpasse innegotiations to rein-statea2015nuclearpact.“IranhaschosenQatartohost

the talks because of Doha’sfriendly ties with Tehran,”MohammadMarandi, amediaadvisertoIran'stopnuclearnego-tiator,toldtheISNAnewsagency.A source briefed on the visit

said that US Special Envoy forIran,RobertMalley,wasexpectedtoarriveinDohaonMondayandmeet with the Qatari foreignminister. An Iranian official toldReuters that Iran's chief nuclearnegotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani,wouldbeinDohaforthetalksonTuesdayandWednesday.Iran'sforeignministrywasnot

immediately available for com-mentandtheQatarigovernmentdidn’t comment. Later, however,Iran'sTasnimnewsagencycitedasource at Iran's foreignministry

assayingthat“BagheriwilltraveltoDohaonTuesday”.The pact appeared close to

beingsecuredinMarchwhentheEUinvitedforeignministersrep-resenting the accord's parties toVienna to finalise an agreementafter 11monthsof indirect talksbetweenTehranandtheUS.Butthetalkshavesincebeen

suspended,chieflyoverTehran'sinsistence thatWashington re-movetheIslamicRevolutionaryGuard Corps (IRGC), its elite se-curityforce,fromtheUSForeignTerroristOrganization list.Last week, one Iranian and

one European official said Iranhaddropped its demand for theremoval of the IRGC's FTO sanc-tions,butstilltwoissues,includ-ing one on sanctions, remainedtoberesolved.“Nothingisagreeduntileverythingisagreed,”Iran'sForeign Ministry spokesman,Saeed Khatibzadeh, said onMonday. REUTERS

Qatar to host indirectIran-US discussion onreviving nuclear deal

Iran’schiefnuclearnegotiator,AliBagheriKani. File

CRASHING DOWNFourpeoplewerekilledandhundredswere injuredafter thewoodenstandsof astadiuminElEspinalcity incentralColombiacollapsedonSunday.Spectatorshadgatheredat thestadiumtowatchabull fightingmatch,officials said. AP

KIMTONG-HYUNGSEOUL, JUNE27

ATOPSouthKoreanofficial saidMonday that North Korea is in-creasingly targeting the Southwith its nuclear arms program,and urged China and Russia topersuade the North not to con-duct a widelyexpected nu-clear test.Unification

Minster KwonYoungse’scom-mentscameaf-ter NorthKorean leaderKimJongUnre-emphasizedhisnuclear ambi-tions in a keymilitarymeet-ing lastweek and approvedun-specifiednewoperationaldutiesforfront-linearmyunits.Kwon, who oversees South

Korea’s relations with NorthKorea, said at anews conferencetheNorthisexploitingafavorableenvironmenttopushaheadwithweaponsdevelopmentandover-turntheregionalstatusquoastheU.S.-ledWest remainsdistractedoverRussia’sinvasionofUkraine.HesaidNorthKorea’snuclearam-bitions pose a “very serious andfundamental threat” to SouthKoreaandthatSeoulispreparingstern countermeasures in re-sponsetoapossibleNorthKoreannucleartest.Hedidn’telaborate.“North Korea’s transition in

weapons development fromlong-range ballistic missiles toshort-range ballistic missiles,fromstrategicnuclearweaponsto tactical nuclear weapons, isobviouslytargetedtowardSouthKorea,”Kwonsaid.“It seems clear that North

Koreaissimultaneouslypursuinganability to attack theUSand toattackSouthKorea,”hesaid. AP

SKoreaministerKwonYoungse.APYaounde: At least 26 villagers

were killed in an attack onSaturday in the Akwaya districtof Cameroon's South-West re-gion,whereseparatistinsurgen-cieshaveaddedfueltolong-run-ning inter-ethnic conflicts overland, local sourcessaidMonday.Anglophone insurgents be-

gan fighting the Cameroonianmilitary in the South-West and

North-West regions in 2017 af-ter civilian protests calling forgreater representation for thecountry's English-speakingmi-noritywereviolentlyrepressed.TheAkwayadistrictmedical

officer, Enow Daniel Kewong,said 26 bodies had been foundsofarandpeoplewerestillmiss-ing after Saturday's attack onBallin village, near the border

withNigeria.Themember of parliament

forthedistrict,AkaMartinTyoga,said hehadbeen told 32peoplehadbeenburiedinamassgrave,includingsixNigerians.Twolocalsourcessaidtheat-

tackwaslinkedtoafesteringlanddispute between Ballin's UgareethnicgroupandtheOlitis fromthevillageofMavass, REUTERS

JILLLAWLESSLONDON, JUNE27

BRITAIN IS ramping up a feudwith the European Union bypressingonwithaplantoripupparts of the post-Brexit tradedeal it signedwith thebloc.Legislation that rewrites

trade rules forNorthern IrelandisscheduledtogetitsfirstmajorHouse of Commons debate onMonday, the first step onwhatcouldbearockyjourneythroughParliament.The legislation, if approved

by lawmakers, would remove

checks on goods enteringNorthernIrelandfromtherestoftheUK, thereby scrappingparts

of a trade treaty that PrimeMinister Boris Johnson signedbeforeBritainlefttheEUin2020.Johnson said he thought the

plan could be approved “fairlyrapidly” if Parliament cooper-ates, and that the measurescouldbecome lawby theendoftheyear. “Whatweare trying todoisfixsomethingthatIthinkisvery important to our country,which is the balance of theBelfast/GoodFridayAgreement,”Johnsontoldreportersat theG7summit inGermany.The British government says

the rules are burdening busi-nessesandunderminingpeacein

Northern Ireland. It argues theunilateralmoveisjustifiedunderinternational lawbecause of the“genuinelyexceptionalsituation.”Johnson’s opponents, how-

ever, say themove is illegal andwill shredBritain’s internationalreputation. The EU has threat-ened to retaliate, raising thespecter of a tradewar betweenthe twomajor economic part-ners.The bloc’s ambassador to

Britain, Joao Vale de Almeida,said Britain’s plan was “illegalbecauseit isabreachof interna-tionallaw,abreachofEUlaw,UKlawand international law.” AP

UK pushes for Brexit rules rewrite, EU fumes

TheBill isbeingdebated inHouseofCommons.AP file

REUTERSJUNE27

TENPEOPLE died and 251wereinjuredinatoxicgas leakfromastorage tank at Jordan's Aqabaport,statetelevisionreportedonMonday,asauthoritiescalledonresidents to shutwindows andstay indoors.The leak came after a tank

filledwithtoxicgasfellwhilebe-ing transported, news agencyPetra said, citing the spokesper-sonofpublicsecuritydirectorate.Avideopostedonstate tele-

vision’s Twitter page showed astoragetankfallingfromawinchandslammingintothedeckof aship, followed by yellow-colouredgas rising into theair.Specialised teams are still

dealing with the leak, the CivilDefence service said on itsFacebook page. Evacuationplanes were being sent intoAqaba, state televisionsaid.Prime Minister Bisher al-

Khasawneh was headed toAqaba,stateTVreported.Healsoformed an investigation teamchairedby the interiorminister,state TV cited the informationministeras saying.

Ansoldier tries tocalmdownpeoplewaitingtobuyfuel inColombo,Monday.Thearmedforceshavebeendeployedtodistribute tokenstopeoplequeueingfor fuel.AP

Sri Lanka has fuel leftonly for days, to runonly essential services

18

26 killed in Cameroon attack: official

Biggestpolicyoverhaul

NATO'SNEWStrategicConcept, itsmost importantdoc-ument, is expected toaddress for the firsttimethesecurity challengesposedbyChina.

TheAlliance’smem-bercountriesarealsogrowingwaryof thegrowing influenceofRussiaandChina in

theregion’s “southernneighborhood”.

New Delhi

SHIVANINAIKJUNE27

ITHADfelt awkwardwhenboysatheracad-emydidn’tknowwhyAditiMutatkarcameforbadmintontraining,wearingdarkshortsafewdaysof themonth.Anddoublyembarrassingwhen they finally figured outwhy. Becausethey giggled. And it grated on her alreadyjumpynerves.Theformerinternationalshuttlerremem-

bersthatfeelingofannoyance,andthinksbacktothetimesshewantedtoshootbackandsay,“Chupbaitho,periodpehoo(keepquiet, Iamonmyperiod)”, hoping those fivewordswillsomedaybenormalisedinasportssettingandpreventlife-longscarring.AsWimbledonawakensfromitslongpris-

tine-white slumberwithmyriadvoices rais-ingquestionsaboutSW19’spedanticwhite-onlyclothingrule,unrelentingevenforwomenplayers on their periods, sport is in for a seri-oussartorialreckoningofitsage-oldtraditions.ChineseQuinwenZhangkickstarted thedis-cussionspeakingofhowmenstrualcrampsaf-fected her in her loss to Iga Swiatek at theFrenchOpen.Over a summer of discontent,headingintothewhite-clothingSlamquaintlydressedup as ‘tradition’, tennis broadcasterCatherineWhitaker has beenquoted in TheTelegraph asking “if a tradition that affectedmenthesamewayaswomengoingintotheirbiggestdayonaperiod, forcedtowearwhite,wouldlast.”Whitaker also raised flags onpolicing of

women’s toilet break durations, while RioOlympic championMonicaPuigwasquotedinthesamepublicationspeakingofthe‘men-talstress’ofwearingwhiteatWimbledonandhavingprayedpreviouslythatshewouldn’tgetherperiodat that time. BritishhopeHeatherWatson told The Sunday Times she’d had tocomeoffthecourtonceinthepast,whilewor-rying,“OhmyGod.Ihopeyoucan’tseethatinanypictures,”whileAustralianRennaeStubbsspokeofhowitwassomethingplayersdidtalkaboutinthelockerroom,whilehopingextra-largetampons,andadditionalpadding,didthejob.Visionsinwhite,glidingforexquisiteserve-and-volleying on idyllic green grass,Wimbledonmightwell be. But theuniformcanbea ‘whitemare’ forwomen.TheSundayTimesquotedCanadianRebeccaMarino,prep-pingforherfirstWimbledonouting,assaying,“It’severyone’sworstfearthatyougetyourpe-riodatWimbledonandyoudon’tknowthatitis coming. It shouldn’t be embarrassing, butwhitemakes itso.”Mutatkarsayseventrain-ing days used to be something young girlswantedtogetoverwith.

LackofunderstandingWhile badminton let go of thewhite

shorts rule midway through her teens,Mutatkarrecallsherfirst instanceof fallinginlinewiththediktat.“ThismustbeU10andwewoulddutifullyfollowthecoach’sinstructionsof turningupinironed,crispwhiteshirtsandshorts even in training to set the discipline.Then at one point, coaches pulled the girlsaside, asked theboys to leave and toldus on“thosedays”youcanwearcolouredshortsbe-cause there canbe staining and embarrass-

ment. Boysweren’t explained anything, sowhen“rules”werebroken, theywouldwhis-peramongstthemselvesanddemandtoknowwhywewere allowed to come in colouredshorts. It becameembarrassing and aweirdspace“unndinonmein (onthosedays).”Thenthey figuredsomethingwasoff for fourdays,and then she switches back towhite, andstarted to giggle. I wish thiswas addressedopenly and the giggling had stopped,”Mutatkarsays.TheWimbledonrules,ironically,hadcome

aboutaccordingtoTheSundayTimespiece,tominimise sweat stains on coloured clothesbackinthe1800s.“Look,noonewantstostain.But bloodwill come. And as it is, sweat and

bloodisickytodealwithwhenyouareplayingsport, without having to additionallywearwhite,”Mutatkarsays.According to The Telegraph’sWomen’s

Sports,RussianTatianaGolovinfacedabarrageof downright idiotic headlines like “CheekyGolovinrefusestodropherredknickers”whensheturnedupincolouredunderpantstowhichorganisershad responded in2014byclamp-ingdownoncolouredundergarments.“It’s something always on themind. No

one’sspokenbecausewomenhave justdealtwith it,” ST quoted her.Whites have beenviewedasclassyandstickingtotradition,andtheAllEnglandClub,whichisotherwisecom-mitted to “prioritisingwomen’s health and

providingwith anything they require” - in-stallingsanitaryproductdispensersinchang-ing rooms, has surprisingly not shown thealacrity to offer leniency in cases ofwomengettingtheirperiods.Mutatkarwondershowmanywomenare

actuallypartofthedecision-making.“Becausemenwillneverevenbegintounderstandwhatthis issue is about or get that perspective.Traditionisfine,butif50percentofyourplay-ersarenotcomfortable,youshouldbelisten-ingtothem.Wimbledonandallthesefedera-tionsarewhattheyarebecauseoftheplayers,andshouldexistaroundtheathletesandtheirperformance.Traditionisnotgreengrassandwhiteclothes. It’splayers”shesays.

SPORT/CALENDAR 19WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,TUESDAY,JUNE28,2022

‘Whitemare’ forwomenWimbledon’s age-old tradition of strictwhite-only dress code, something Indian badmintonplayers

of an earlier era had to dealwith, is tough to follow for thewomenduring their periods

ADITIMUTATKARFORMER INTERNATIONALSHUTTLER

Becausemenwill never evenbegin to understandwhat thisissue is about or get thatperspective. Tradition is fine, butif 50percent of your players arenot comfortable, you shouldbelistening to them.Wimbledonandall these federations arewhat they are becauseof theplayers, and should exist aroundthe athletes and theirperformance. Tradition is notgreengrass andwhite clothes.It’s players

Boysweren’texplainedanything,sowhen“rules”werebroken, theywouldwhisperamongstthemselvesanddemandtoknowwhywewereallowedtocome incolouredshorts. Itbecameembarrassingandaweirdspace“unndinonmein(onthosedays).”Thentheyfiguredsomethingwasoff for fourdays,andthensheswitchesbacktowhite,andstartedtogiggle. Iwishthiswasaddressedopenlyandthegigglinghadstopped

Overasummerofdiscontent, tennisplayershave raisedvoicesover thewhite-onlyclothing rule.Reuters

Cricket hasits own issuesFormerAustraliancricketinternationalandcurrentUSAcoach, JuliaPrice,50, toldTheIndianExpress thatcricketposeschallengesof itsownlikelongbattinghours inTestmatches,andwomenneedinglonger“drinksbreaks”toscampertothewashroomtocheckif allwasfine.“Sure, inourtimes,we’djustdealwithit thoughwhitesweren’talwayscomfortable.Andevenwhenweworeyellow, itwouldbeanabsoluteconcernsowemadesurewetookextraprotectionwithadditional layers,”shesays.Women’scricket inheritedthe

men’sallwhites,butthesport is inanadditionalculdesacbecausethered/pinkballmandates lighterclothingforvisibility,andmuchlikeWimbledonanditscharmingtraditions,Testmatch‘whites’aremuchaspiredto.Price isbluntwhenshesayswomencricketersarerelievedtheyaren’texpectedtoplayinwhiteculottes likeinthe1970s–“werelittlemoreexposedthanlongpants”–andcricketersroutinelywear ‘skins’under longpantswithsportstechrapidlyadvancingtoaccommodatethoseneeds.Cricketfacedanotherproblemof ‘see-throughwhites’ inearliertimes,whichwasresolvedwithdenserfabric,andacoupleofotherreasonswhythere’snotmuchofakerfuffle inthesport.“Australianheatandsuncanbeuncomfortable, sowhitemadepracticalsense.Butwecancontinuetoimproveandhavetheconversationwithplayers if theywantchange.Ofcourse,womenarestill just fightingtoplaymoreTestcrickettostartwith,”shesays.PricereckonstheWimbledon

traditionofall-whiteclothingisfantastic,butrecalls theresistanceMartinaNavratilovafacedwhenwantingtowearshorts insteadofskirts,andaversthatprofessionalteamswillalwaysprioritiseperformanceandcomfortofathletes,goingpasttaboos.

SHIVANINAIK

Djokovic makesmore historywith win atWimbledonASSOCIATEDPRESSJUNE27

THESEDAYS,NovakDjokovicmakeshistoryjustabouteverytimehewinsanothermatch.OnMonday,thetop-rankedSerbdidjustthatatWimbledon. Djokovic, a six-time cham-pionattheAllEnglandClub,beatKwonSoon-woo 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Centre Court, his80thvictoryatthegrass-courtmajor.Withit,he became the firstman orwoman towinthatmanymatchesateachof thefourGrandSlamtennistournaments.Djokovicwasplay-ing for the first time since losing to RafaelNadal lastmonth in the FrenchOpen quar-terfinals.It didn't all gohiswayonMonday,how-

ever.Withtheroofclosedbecauseofsporadicrain,Kwonwasabletopickhisspotswithhisbooming forehand in thematch. It all cametogether in the second set, andevencontin-uedintothethird,butDjokovicsteppeditupandplayedlikeheusuallyplaysinsouthwestLondon—unbeatable.Djokovic has won the last three

Wimbledontitlesandisgoingforhisseventhoverall. Thatwould put him in a tie for thesecondmostwithPeteSamprasandWilliamRenshaw.OnlyRogerFederer,witheight,hasmore.Anothermajortitlewouldalsogivehim21 for his career. Nadal has 22, and Federerhas20.MostofDjokovic'sGrandSlamsingleschampionshipshavecomeat theAustralianOpen,whereheisanine-timechampion.Buthe was unable to defend his title inMelbournethisyearafterbeingdeportedbe-causeofAustralia'svaccinationprotocols."Atthis stage ofmy career, I try to playmybesttennis at theGrand Slams and really deliveronthemostsignificantcourtsinhistory.Nowthat we have gotten to 80 (wins atWimbledon),let'sgettoa100,"Djokovicsaid.“This sport has givenme everything. I

owealottothissportandIloveitstillwithallmyheart.IhavealotofpassionforitandIamas dedicated as anybody out there. I amnotone of the youngsters anymore and a lot ofthings have changedbut the love and flamefor this sport still burns inme. I'vesaid thisafew times before, but this court has alwaysbeenspecialforme.It'salwaysbeenthecourtwhereIdreamedofplayingandwinningandallmy childhood dreams came true on thiscourt," he said. "It's an absolute honor andpleasuretocomeback(here)."Thefirstplayertoreachthesecondround

wasAlisonRiske.The28th-seededAmericandefeatedYlena In-Albonof Switzerland6-2,6-4. Other seededwomenwho advancedwereNo. 3Ons Jabeur of Tunisia andNo. 29Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine. KalininawillfaceanotherUkrainian,LesiaTsurenko,inthesecondroundlater intheweek.

CROSSWORD4779

ACROSS1Evergreencreeper? (5,5)6Whistleahit? (4)10Onecomparativelyunusedtowork(5)11SourceofpowerthatmadeNerogreat (9)12Hecauses trouble inawashingmachineperhaps (8)13Foreigntonguesomewhat richindialects (5)15Cheatat falselypresentingacase (7)17Takingsteps in time(7)19MadHatter’smenaces (7)21Aconclusive flourishofnotes(7)22Pick forcourage(5)24Landontheshelteredside (3,5)27Aptphrase todescribepartywear (5,4)28Musicplayedwithspiritbyhalftheband(5)29 It’snotwelldone.Someextrarehearsal required(4)30Theywill takeorders fromanybody(10)

DOWN1Courageneededon icyroads(4)2Reptilegivingagirl a lotoftrouble (9)3Takevainsteps toprovidesupport (5)4Garmentshortened-afterdarkthat is (7)5Relativelygentlecolour? (7)7Forcenturies itwas the languageof themasses (5)8Eighthours,butnotonthenightshift (7,3)9Achildwillbe if hisparentsarelate (8)14Appearswetperhapsbutmaybesalvaged(5,5)16Nuts?You’llneedthese (8)18Heknowsnothingamusingoroutof place (9)20Productof a fruitfulharem?(7)21Lightbasket (7)23Superiorkindof cut (5)25Gymnasticanimal (5)26Permit togoby(4)

ARIES(Mar21-Apr20)There isvery littlechange inyourstars fromyesterday,whichmeans

quitesimply thatyoumayextendanddevelopallexistingplans. Inparticular,youshouldtaketravelarrangementsor foreigncontacts to theirconclusion.Youcanalso takeadvantageof anewromanticoffer.

TAURUS(Apr21-May21)Partnersareboundtobesympathetictoyour interestsandaspirations

sogatherwhatsupportyoucanandpresson.A long-termstrategy isnecessary inmattersof theheart, sodon'tlayyourcardsonthetableuntilyou're ready.Patienceisavirtue.

GEMINI (May22- June21)Theforecastoverthenext twomonthsisverymuch infavourofdomestic

improvements,decorationsandthe like.Butdoplanaheadanddon'tbe fazedbytemporarysetbacks, it'sallpartof thecosmicplan.Evenatemporarydiversionmaycarryyou intonewareasof opportunity.

CANCER(June22- July23)TheSunadjusts itspositionandplanetaryrelationships, so

this isanappropriate timetopause for thought, reflectonthepastandmeditateonthe future.Onthematerialplane, renewedextravaganceisontheway.That'swhyyou'dbettercheckuponyourbankbalance.

LEO(July24-Aug23)It isbecomingincreasinglyimportant thatyougetyourpoint

across,buthow?Youcancharmpeople if necessaryand,if youaresominded,youmaybully themjusta little.Butthere's still somethingmissing,soyoumightwishtodelayimportantannouncementsa little longer.

VIRGO(Aug24-Sep23)Astrologersall agreethatyoutendtokeepyour feelings toyourself, yet there

are timeswhenyoucanhanglooseandbeeverybitaswildandemotionalasanyoneelse.This isagreat timeforunrestrainedpassion, so let rip,withinreason,of course.

LIBRA(Sep24-Oct23)Just to turnourattentionto theromantic sphereforamoment, it

looksverymuchas if youarekeepingcertain feelingstoyourself. Thismaybeawisemove.However, fullandfreediscussion isabsolutelyvital inallordinarydomesticarrangements.

SCORPIO(Oct24-Nov23)The intuitiveScorpiowillbe thinkingaheadandformulating long-

rangeplans.Butdon'tbetooconcernedbydetails,anddomakeapointofbroadeningyourhorizons.Lateafternoon isbest foran importantprofessionalchoice,perhapsbecauseitwill takeyouthat longtowakeup.

SAGITTARIUS(Nov24-Dec22)Unexpectedcircumstancesofferyouachanceto turnthetables,oronan

individualwhohasbeenbuggingyou.Emotionaltensionsarerarely farbelowthesurfaceandyoucannever tellwhenapartnerwill explode. It'sbest to treadcarefully.

CAPRICORN(Dec23- Jan20)Youmayhavehada financialshockrecently,butdon'tpanic.The

relevantplanetarysymbolismindicates thenecessityof abrief crisisbeforeyoucanabandonthehabitsof alifetimeandembarkonanewprosperouscycle. Itcouldwellbea lovedonewhocomes forwardwith thebestadvice.

AQUARIUS(Jan21-Feb19)It's a fine timetoconsidernewfinancialpartnerships,even if

onlyoversomerathersmalljointpurchase. If you'reconsidering investments,howaboutsomethingartisticor justplainself-indulgent?Andif you'repursuingromanticdreams,don't count thecost.

PISCES(Feb20-Mar20)Yourconfidencecomesandgoes,butnowyoumustbepreparedtopromote

yourself and insist thateveryonepaysyoutherespectyoudeserve.People inallwalksof lifewillbe impressed if youshowthatyouareperfectlyhappytotakecontrol.

SUDOKU4879

DifficultyLevel5sInstructionsTosolveaSudokupuzzle,everydigitfrom1to9mustappear ineachofthenineverticalcolumns, ineachoftheninehorizontalrowsandineachofthenineboxes.

DifficultyLevel1s=Veryeasy;2s=Easy;3s=Medium;4s=Hard;5s=VeryHard;6s=Genius S

OLU

TIONSUDOKU4878

Givenbelowarefour jumbledwords.Solvethejumblestomakeproperwordsandmovethemtotherespectivesquaresbelow.Selecttheletters intheshadedsquaresandjumblethemtogettheanswerforthegivenquip.Lifecanbepulledby___justassurelyasitcanbepushedby____.-ViktorE.Frankl(5,.,6)

SOLUTION:FERAL,DISCO,ISLAND,GROVELAnswer:Lifecanbepulledbygoalsjustassurelyasitcanbepushedbydrives.-ViktorE.Frankl

FLARE AINDLS

CDIOS ELORGV

SolutionsCrossword4778:Across: 1Recants,5Nears,8Andromeda,9Lam,10Taps,12Celerity,14Airing,15Issued,17Adhesion,18Bell,21Nun,22Diplomacy,24Tuned,25Speaker.Down: 1React,2Cod,3Noon,4Scenes,5NearEast,6Atleisure,7Samoyed,11Parthenon,13One-sided,14Against,16Coupes,19Layer,20Nose,23Ask.

JUMBLEDWORDS

OVERTHEHEDGE byMichael Fry&TLewis

CALVIN&HOBBES byBillWatterson

MARVIN byTomArmstrong

DAYTODAY BYPETERVIDAL

New Delhi

VolXC-196Regd.No.DL-21046/03-05R.N.I.No.506/57. PrintedandPublishedbyR.C.MalhotraonbehalfofTheIndianExpress(P)LimitedandPrintedatTheIndianExpress(P)LimitedPress,A-8,Sector-7,Noida-201301andDBCorpLtd,DainikBhaskarVillageUnanTola,NearDanapurCantt,ShivylyaRoad,PostKhagaul,Shahpur,Patna(Bihar)andPublishedatTheIndianExpress(P)Limited,MezzanineFloor,ExpressBuilding,9&10,BahadurShahZafarMarg,NewDelhi110002.Editorialoffice:TheIndianExpress(P)Limited,MezzanineFloor,ExpressBuilding,9&10,BahadurShahZafarMarg,NewDelhi-110002.Phone:0120-6651500.Advertisingoffice:TheIndianExpress(P)Limited,B1/B,Sector-10,Noida-201301.Phone:01206651291.ChairmanoftheBoard:ViveckGoenka,ChiefEditor:RajKamalJha,Editor:UnniRajenShanker,Editor(Delhi):RakeshSinha****

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SPORTWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

PLAYING TODAYWIMBLEDON3.30pm onwards, Live on Star Sports NetworkSECONDT20I: IRELANDVSINDIA9pm, Live on Star Sports Network

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEJUNE27

AS INDIA faced Ireland in the first T20I onSunday,alleyeswereonIndia’sfast-bowlingsensation UmranMalik, whomade his de-but.However, hehad a rather nervous starttohis international career.The speedster gave away 14 runs in the

only over he bowled. He, though, got thebacking of Hardik Pandya, who captainedIndia inthefirstT20Iagainst Ireland.Pandyasaid he is hopeful of Umran getting anotheropportunityinthesecondT20Itoprovehim-self. “Umranwaskeptbackafter Ihadachatwith him, he'smore comfortablewith theolder ball and they batted fantastically. So,hopehegetsanopportunity.WhenyouplayforIndiaforthefirsttime,andthejourneyhehastaken,it'simportanttogivesuchabowlerand such a talent time.” the skipper said inthepost-matchpresentationceremonyafterIndiawonthematchbysevenwickets.HarryTector,whomPandyagiftedhisbat,

slammeda33-ball64lacedwithsixbound-aries and three sixes to single-handedly liftIreland from 22 for three to past the 100-mark after rain reduced thematch to a 12-overasidecontest.Indiathenreturnedtooverhaulthetarget

in 9.2 overs, scoring 111 for three, riding onDeepakHooda’s unbeaten 29-ball 47. IshanKishan(26off11balls)andHardikPandya(24off 12balls) alsochipped inwithuseful con-tributions. For India, Bhuvneshwar Kumar(1/16in3overs)andYuzvendraChahal(1/11in3overs)werethestandoutbowlers.“Great to start the serieswithawin, for-

tunatewegotagame. It is important forourteam to start with a win. Umranwas keptback after I had a chatwith him, he’smorecomfortablewiththeolderballandtheybat-ted fantastically,”Hardik said.BRIEFSCORES: Ireland108/4in12overs

(Tector64;Chahal1/11,Bhuvneshwar1/16)lost to India 111/3 (Hooda 47*, Kishan 26;Young2/18)bysevenwickets

Agarwal to join India squadPTI:OpenerMayank Agarwal has been

calleduptojointheIndiansquadintheUKascoverforskipperRohitSharma,whohasbeenrendered doubtful for the Edgbaston TestagainstEnglandaftertestingpositiveforCovid-19. Rohit competed on the first day of thedrawnwarm-upgameagainstLeicestershirebeforebeingplacedunderisolation.Agarwalhadmissedoutonmakingthe15-mansquadfor the game but an opportunity has comehiswayasKLRahulgotinjuredjustaheadofthe South Africa series and now Rohit hascontracted infection."The All-India Senior Selection

Committee has addedMayank Agarwal toIndia's Test squad for the rescheduled fifthTest as cover for captainRohit Sharma,whotestedpositiveforCOVID-19.MayankhasleftfortheUKandwill linkupwiththesquadinBirmingham," said theBCCI inastatement.

Important togive such talenttime: Pandya onUmran’s debut

CHANGING STYLE

ANILDIASMUMBAI, JUNE27

SO STUNGwas G Sathiyan by his second-roundexitattheTokyoOlympicsthathewentintoadeepintrospectionmode,watchingthevideos of his defeat ‘endless times’with hiscoachSubramaniamRaman.“Maybe,theoc-casionandthenervesgottome,” India’s top-rankedmen’ssinglestabletennisplayersays.“I’veonlylearnt lessonsfromit.”Almost a year on, Sathiyan is a changed

player. “We're going into a 2.0 version ofSathiyan,”hedeclares.Sathiyan 2.0, he says, is a culmination

of a myriad of small changes, including amore aggressive mindset and curbing hisnatural conservative instincts. But inessence, the player who never tired of in-dulging in a long rally now targets a quickend to the point, even if it means doingsomething risky and audacious.The outcome is visible. Last November,

whenhewasstill introducingthechangestohisgame,SathiyanhadlostrathertimidlytoSlovenia’s Jorgic Darko in a World TableTennis Contendermatch. In a re-match be-tweenthetwolastweek,theIndianstunnedtheworldnumber6andreigningEuropeanchampion to recordoneof thebiggestwins

of his career.Sathiyan, in his Twitter post after the

win, called it a ‘huge upset’. But he wasbarely surprised by the result. “He (Darko)hasoneof thebestbackhands in theworldsowewere focusingon the forehand. I hadtostartaggressively toputhimunderpres-sure,” Sathiyan tells The Indian Express. “Iwent fortheshotstakingsomerisks.That isthe only way out when you play a topplayer. When I won the second game, Icould see themomentumshift. I started tohit theballsmuchbetter. I felt Iwasamuchbetter player than when I played him inSlovenia (lastNovember).”When Raman and Sathiyan, following

their post-mortem of the Tokyo defeat, re-alised that the 29-year-old had to getmoreaggressiveandtakerisks, they facedasmallhurdle: aggression, Sathiyan says, didn’tcomenaturally tohim.“BeingfromaSouthIndianfamily, Icome

froma safe setup,” he laughs. “Itwas a verypersonal trait to bemore consistent, to notmisstheball.That'showI'vebeengroomed.Mychildhoodcoachusedtosayif theoppo-nentplays100balls,youplay101balls. Itwasgoodat thatpoint in time,of course.”Theapproachisdifferentnow–Sathiyan

is training to keep rallies short, be morecounter-attacking and not be scared of go-

ing forawinner. The focus,headds, is tokilltherallyinthefirstthreeorfourshots.“We’retraininginsuchawaythatIhavetoplayonly3balls andmake sure the4thdoesn't come

back,”hesays.“I'vebecomeamorecounter-attackingaggressiveplayernow.”It’s oneof the ‘biggest changes’ Sathiyan

is trying tomake to his style; a realisation

that dawned upon him post-Olympics.Sathiyan had always been good in long ral-lies, a style he adopted for a long time andone that also yielded results as testified byhis rapidgrowth in the last fiveor soyears.“But to get to the next level, the top-20,

top-10, I need to crack that serve and re-ceive,”theworldnumber35says.“It'saboutbeing aggressive there. You need to havebetterqualityaggressionwithconsistency.That's the key.”To be more aggressive, one needs the

physicalstrengthtobackituptoo,somethingSathiyanwas lacking. The pandemic, how-ever, changedthat.“In general,we'veworkeda lot onphys-

ical stabilityand improvedmystrengthandpower. I've been very goodwith speed andagility but packing it upwith power inmystrokeswasneededandIwasabletodothatthanks to thepandemic,”hesays.

Strong support teamBack in2012whenhewas ranked in the

400sandhadbeguncoachingunderRaman,Sathiyansayshewouldlaughwhenhisnewcoachtoldhimhistargetwastobeinthetop50.HeachievedthatinthenextsixyearsandSathiyan says it’s onlybecausehis teamhascatered toall aspectsof hisgame.“WhileRamansirisbrilliant,Ihaveanex-

cellent fitness coach in Ramji Srinivasan.We’ve alsoworked tremendously onmen-tal conditioning thanks to coach VaibhavAgashe.Wealsohaveadieticianapart fromthephysios.”Yoga is also somethinghe’s added tohis

trainingregimenthathesayshashelpedhima lot. “I do about1.5hoursof strength train-ing, then an hour of yoga and five hours ofskill training on a daily basis. Yoga is some-thingIaddedduringthepandemicandithasgivenmygameamassiveboost,”hesays.

Focus on BirminghamCWGThere’sbeenalotofnegativepublicityfor

India’s table tennis team ahead of nextmonth’sCommonwealthGameswithplay-ers going to court, challenging their exclu-sion fromthesquad.Sathiyansayshe’sunperturbed.“Myper-

formance in Zagreb shows that I don’t letwhat’s going on around affectmy focus onthe table. I’m only focusing on the control-lable,”hesays.Doesthenegativityaffecttheteaminany

way, though? “Wehavepressure and that’sbecauseeveryoneexpectsustoperformwell.Thispressureisaprivilege.Frankly,asateam,we’remoremature.PlayingEnglandathomeisgoingtobeinterestingandwe’rereadyforthechallenge.”

Englandareridingacrestundernewmanagement,aswhitewashofNZshows,andareadifferentproposition

SHAMIKCHAKRABARTYJUNE27

THATWAS the only time Jamie Overtonlookednervy,aftermovingintothe90sinhisdebutTest.Eventuallyhefellfor97,gotabearhugfromJonnyBairstowandleft toastand-ingovationfromtheHeadingleycrowd.Thenewcomerwasallowedtobenervousasheapproachedthemomentofhiscricketinglife.Ninety-sevenpercentofhisinnings,though,oozedboldness that ‘Bazball’ demands.ToparaphraseTheBeatles,Brendon‘Baz’

McCullumtooka sad songandmade it bet-terveryquickly.IthasbeenaJunetosavourfortheEngland

cricket teamand its band of long-sufferingsupporters.Comingintothethree-Testserieswith onewin in their last 17 attempts, onecouldarguethattheonlywayleftwasup.Andup they certainlywent, in the space of a fewweeks as the newdispensation got towork.Chasing fourth-innings targets between275and300 are stiff asks in Test cricket, but thehostsdevouredtheminamannerthatwouldhave donemanywhite-ball teams proud. Itwas a complete contrast to the dour and in-sipidstyleprevalentpreviously.Themantraseemstobe‘foottothefloor’,

eveninthedirestofsituations,asthefollow-ingexampleswill show.Exhibit 1: A year ago at Lord’s, New

Zealand had declared their second inningsandsetEnglandatargetof273in75oversonthefinalday.Thehosts,withskipperJoeRootand head coach Chris Silverwood in charge,optedtoplayout foraboringdrawinstead.AtTrentBridge,England’sfourthinnings

target against New Zealandwas 299 in 72oversonthefinaldayofthesecondTest.WithBenStokesandMcCulluminthesaddle,theyromped home in 50 overs, winning by fivewickets, asBairstowgot in the ‘zone’.Exhibit2: InthethirdTestatHeadingley,

England’s toporderwasatseaagainstTrentBoult’s swing-bowling masterclass. Thatfirstspell fromtheleft-armpacemanwouldhave rattled any top order and the hostsslumped to 17/3 andthen, 21/4, when TimSouthee removed Rootwithabeauty.Bairstowand Stokes counter-at-tackedtheNewZealandfast bowlers and eventhough the Englandcaptainperished tryingto force the pace, histeamdidn’t shed its at-tacking intent. At 55/6,OvertonpairedupwithBairstowanda241-runpartnership followed,off just 274 balls. It wasexhilarating cricket. And forget Bairstow’sback-to-backhundredsscoredwithaseem-inglydevil-may-careattitude,whenadebu-tant can play in such fearless manner un-der pressure, he typifies a team’s positiveculture shift.It resulted in a 3-0 series whitewash of

the reigning World Test champions asEnglandchaseddown296inunder55oversinadisplayofsupremeconfidenceandgung-hoaggression.

Tougher assignmentIndia will face a new England at

EdgbastonstartingFriday.ThisEnglandteamdoesn’tgetbundledoutinonesession;does-n’t retreat in the face of opponents’ aggres-sion.AndIndiawillcarrytheirownproblemsto the pending fifth Test of the series thatstartedlastyearandstoodat2-1infavourof

the touristswhen it sufferedaCovid-forcedpostponement.ViratKohlihasn’tscoredaninternational

centuryfortwo-and-a-halfyearsnow,aver-agingashadeover30inTestsduringthispe-riod.Forthefirsttimeinnearlyfiveyears,hiscareer average has dropped below 50. Lastyear,when India touredEngland, Kohliwastheteam’sundisputedleaderacrossformats.Muchhaschangedsince.England,too,haveanewcaptaininStokes

buthispredecessor,Root,hasn’t losthisrun-scoringmojo.HeistheNo.1Testbatsmanin

the world, with amatch-winning hun-dred in the first Test atLord’s followed by an-otherworld-classoffer-ing at Trent Bridge. TheYorkshireman then an-chored the fourth-in-ningschaseasBairstowwent berserk again tosealaseven-wicketwinontheirhomeground.Billing the fifth Test

as Kohli versus Root isfraught with risk, forthe latter is operating

on a different run-scoring stratosphere,while, Kohli, 33, is seemingly heading to-wards the twilight zone unless there’s asecondwind.Skipper Rohit Sharma has contracted

CovidandmaymisstheTest.Andmorethanthecaptaincyissue–JaspritBumrahislikelytostandin–itcreatesaseriousbattingvoid.Rohitwasimmensefor India inEnglandlastyearandalthoughhehadapoorIPL,he,alongwithKohli, istheteam’sbattingroyalty.Also,now India have lost both their first-choiceopeners.ShubmanGillisaverygoodreplace-mentforKLRahul,butRohit’sabsencecouldhaveanadverseeffecteventhoughMayankAgarwalhasbeencalledupascover.Cheteshwar Pujara has returned to the

Test fold by dint of his 720 runs in eight in-nings for Sussex, including four centuries.Buthewouldstillwalkatightrope,knowing

thata failureatEdgbastoncouldbecurtainsforhim.AndnobodyknowswhichRishabhPantwould turn up. His sublimity is India’sasset.Butattimes,Pantcanbemessyaswell.Bowling hasn’t been India’s problem.

Bumrah and company are guaranteed per-formers irrespective of conditions. But theteam’s batting, especially themiddle orderwhen Kohli is not in form, doesn’t inspireconfidence.BattingfailurescostIndiathese-ries in South Africa in the winter and inEnglandthistime,theirchallengeissteeper.

TransformationLastyear,Englandlookeddefeatists,abat-

ting line-upthatgotbulliedbyBumrah,andwhentheywentDownUnderfortheAshes,theywerebatteredbyPatCummins’stroops.England have risen from the ashes, under

RobKey, themanagingdirectorof thecoun-try’s men’s cricket team, who showed thenous to hand over the Test team reins toMcCullum,pickinghimoutof theIPL.StokestakingchargefromRootwasaformalityandithas liberated the formercaptain.Englandwill take the confidence of their

serieswin against the Kiwis to Edgbaston.TheirbowlersareinformandJamesAndersonwouldbefreshafterawell-earnedrest inthethirdTest.Theirbatsmenarerevellingintheirnew-found resolveandenterprise, though itremainstobeseenwhethertheall-outattackgospelworksagainsttheIndians.England are in themiddle of their Test

season.Indiaareshortofred-ballgametime.TheIndianbroadcaster’s ‘abhogipooridhu-lai (time to complete the hammering)’taglinesoundsa littleover-the-top.

India face ‘Bazball’ challenge

England’s JoeRootandJonnyBairstowcelebrateafterbeatingNewZealandinthethirdTestonMonday.Reuters

Umranwas kept back after I had achatwithhim, he’smorecomfortablewith the older balland theybatted fantastically. So,hopehegets anopportunity.Whenyouplay for India for thefirst time, and the journeyhehastaken, it’s important to give suchabowler and sucha talent time.”

HARDIKPANDYAONUMRANMALIK

Leeds: A dominant England swept NewZealand3-0 inthetestserieswithanag-gressiveseven-wicketvictoryinthethirdand final testonMonday.Afterthefirstsessionwaswashedout

duetorainonthefinalday,Englandmo-tored to 296-3 in themiddle session af-terresumingon183-2.“A3-0winagainstthebestteamintheworld, it'sabsolutelyphenomenal,” Ben Stokes said after histeam beat theworld test champions inhisdebuttestseriesascaptain.“It'saboutthechangeof themindsetof the lads to-wards test cricket. To say that we havedone it so quickly is unbelievable. Hugecredit to (coach) Brendon (McCullum)andthebackroomstaff.”Joe Root (86 not out) and Jonny

Bairstow(71notout)flayedNewZealandbowlers at Headingley, hitting bound-aries atwill in ablistering111-run standas England cruised to the target in justoveranhouronthe fifthday.Bairstow,whosemasterful 162 lifted

England from a precarious 55-6 in thefirst innings, played yet another aggres-siveknockasheregisteredEngland'ssec-ondfastest-evertesthalf centuryoff just30 balls. Bairstow finished off the gamein style when he belted off-spinnerMichael Bracewell for a four and a six inasuperb44-ballunbeatenknock.“Itwaslikesomeofthe50-overstuff,”

Root saidwhile describingBairstowasa“phenomenal player” after Englandknocked off the remaining 113 runs in15.2oversonthelastday.“He(Bairstow)hasbeenhittingtheballreallywell…it'sgreat to see himdo that, to batwith theconfidenceand freedom.”Thecompletetransformationwillgive

England confidence going into the testmatchagainst India. “Indiaareadifferentopposition,butwewillcomeoutwiththesame(aggressive)mindset,”Stokessaid.BRIEF SCORES: NZ 392 & 326 lost toEngland360&296/3 (Root 86*, Pope82Bairstow71*)by7wickets

Root, Bairstow power England home

SathiyanGchangedhisstyleafteranearlyexit fromtheTokyoOlympics.

Indiawill faceanewEnglandatEdgbastonstartingFriday.ThisEnglandteamdoesn’tgetbundledout inonesession;doesn’t retreat inthefaceofopponents’aggression.AndIndiawill carrytheirownproblemstothependingfifthTest

ChamarideniesIndiacleansweepasSLwin

Dambulla: Skipper ChamariAthapaththu struck a counter-attack-ing 48-ball 80 as Sri Lanka outplayedIndiabysevenwicketsinthethirdandfinalT20ItoavoidawhitewashhereonMonday. The 32-year-old Chamarismashed 14 boundaries and one sixand in the process became the onlycricketer fromthe islandnationtogetto the 2000-run mark in T20Is.TillakaratneDilshan(1889)isthehigh-est run-scorer among themale crick-etersfromSriLanka.Chasingamodest139 to avoid a clean sweep by theIndians,SriLankanbattingfinallycamegood as the hosts hunt down the tar-getwiththreeoverstosparetoclaimaconsolationwin.Thethree-matchT20Iseriesthusended2-1infavourofIndiaBRIEF SCORES: India 138/5(Harmanpreet 39*, Rodrigues 33,Ranasinghe 1/13) lost to Sri Lanka141/3 (Athapaththu 80*, de Silva 30)bysevenwickets

Sindhu,PrannoyleadIndia’schallengeKuala Lumpur:PVSindhuwill look toquickly recover fromher first-roundexit at Indonesia, while HS Prannoywill eye another consistent show asthe duo spearhead the Indian chal-lengeattheMalaysiaOpenSuper750tournamentstartinghereonTuesday.Sindhu will face PornpaweeChochuwong in the opening round.Saina Nehwal also stars in the samehalfof thedrawandwillopenagainstUSA's IrisWang. Prannoywill be pit-ted againstMalaysian veteranDarenLiew, who had defeated him at theThailandOpeninMay.Amongothers,TokyoOlympianBSaiPraneethwillbeup against sixth seeded AnthonySinisukaGinting,whileSameerVermatakes on another Indonesian JonataChristie, seededseventh.

Twojudokas,coachcalledbackfromtourNew Delhi: Two Indian judokas, in-cluding a former junior AsianChampionshipsmedallist, and theircoach were onMonday called backfrom an exposure trip in Spain afterit came to light that they were in-volved in an unsavoury and "severeincident" that involvedwomenath-letes from the host country. A na-tional coach, attached to the SportsAuthorityof India(SAI), claimedthatone judokawas involved ina "brawlwith a women group and later onefemale was found inside his hotelroom".A30-member Indiancontin-gent, includingCWG-boundjudokas,is currently inAlicante.

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIA

BRIEFLY

Indiawontheseries2-1.BCCI/Twitter

NewDelhi:Selecting sportspersons torepresentthecountrycannotbeassim-ple as comparing individual perform-ancescoresandlitigationsarisingfromtheselectionexercisemaydisruptandimpact thepreparationandperform-anceoftheplayers,theDelhiHighCourthassaid.Thecourt,whiledismissingpe-titionsby table tennisplayersManushShahandSwastikaGhoshagainsttheirexclusion from the country'sCommonwealthGamessquad,empha-sisedthataplayermustpossessphysi-cal aswell as greatmental and emo-tionalstrengthandagilitytorepresentanationandtoparticipateandexcelanditisthuspivotalthatthereshouldbenouncertaintyintheirminds.

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIA

Delhi HC quashesplea by TT players

Sathiyan 2.0: More aggression, quicker points, power, maturity

New Delhi

journalism of courage - aws

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