WEDNESDAY 10 APRIL 2024 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC Twitter.com/thestatesman Facebook.com/thestatesman INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘BORDERS WELL GUARDED UNDER MODI'S LEADERSHIP’ MY ARREST IS ILLEGAL ’ SAYS K KAVITHA P10 XI'S GAMBLE P4 P6 SENSEX 74,683.7058.80 WEATHER Partly cloudy sky. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 35 °C and 25 °C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 78 % TEMPERATURE NIFTY 22,642.7523.55 GOLD 71,730110 ` vs $ 83.37 SILVER 84,500 Max: 33.5°C (-2) Min: 24.0°C (-1) SUN RISES SUN SETS 05:22 hrs 17:55 hrs MOON RISES MOON SETS 05:35 hrs 18:40 hrs Full Moon on 24 April THUMBNAILS Chief minister Mamata Banerjee during an Iftar party at Nawabab Ali park, in Kolkata on Tuesday.  BISWAJIT GHOSHAL MVA finalises seat-sharing in Maha: The Maha s Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra announced their seat-sharing arrangement for the Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday with 21 of a total of 48 seats going to Shiv Sena (UBT), 17 to Congress, and 10 to Shar- ad Pawar's NCP (SCP). The announcement was made during a joint press conference of the MVA constituents, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, NCP (SCP) president Sharad Pawar and state Congress chief Nana Patole. (Pg 5) P12 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 90.420.20 HC dismisses Kejriwal’s 1,625 candidates in fray for 1st phase of Lok Sabha polls plea against his arrest STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 9 APRIL No contravention of legal provisions in arrest by ED, rules Delhi HC Min. 40 % GUJARAT TITANS LOOK TO END ROYALS’ WINNING STREAK STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 9 APRIL he Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's writ petition challenging his arrest by the Directorate of Enforcement in the excise policy scam linked money laundering case. The court said there was no contravention of legal provisions regarding the arrest. It said the probe agency had enough material which led to the arrest of the AAP national convenor, while the trial court had remanded him in ED's custody through an order which was well reasoned. The verdict was delivered by Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma who also made it clear that it was not dealing with Mr Kejriwal's bail petition, rather with the writ petition against his arrest on some grounds. “The court is of the view that the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal was not in contravention of legal provisions. The remand can’t be T held to be illegal,” Justice Sharma said while reading out her order. On the Delhi CM’s contention regarding the timing of his arrest ahead of the General Elections, she said that law applied equally to all and courts were concerned with "constitutional morality" and not "political morality". “This court observed that political considerations and equations cannot be brought before a court of law as they are not relevant for legal proceedings. In the case at hand, it is important to clarify that the matter before this court is not a conflict between the central government and petitioner Kejriwal. Instead it is a case between Kejriwal and Directorate of Enforcement,” Justice Sharma said. Speaking to reporters, ED's counsel ASG S V Raju said: "The judge gave the verdict after considering all the evidence. The court has mentioned that a money trail was found, and that the arrest is legal." Meanwhile, the AAP said the party is not happy with the court's verdict and plans to challenge it in the Supreme Court. Hitting back, the Delhi BJP said the chief minister has lost all moral right to continue in the office. Mr Kejriwal is currently lodged at Tihar jail. His judicial custody is till 15 April. Delhi High Court, on 27 March, had refused to grant any interim relief to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, observing that while deciding a case, it is dutybound to hear both sides fairly. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had sought time to file a reply to Mr Kejriwal's petition, and court had given time till 2 April for the purpose. Mr Kejriwal had moved the High Court on March 23 challenging the arrest by the Enforcement Directorate and custodial remand by the trial court. He had also moved an urgent plea before the Supreme Court against his arrest, but later withdrew it. The AAP chief was arrested by the federal antimoney laundering agency on 21 March, hours after Delhi high court declined to grant him protection from coercive action by the probe agency. The Election Commission of India onTuesday said 1,625 candidates are in the fray for the first of the seven phase of the Lok Sabha polls to be held on 19 April. The poll panel also said that 1,210 candidates will fight the polls in the second phase, scheduled for 26 April. In violence-hit Manipur, 15 assembly constituencies in Outer Manipur parliamentary seat will go to polls in the first phase and 13 seats will go to polls in the second phase. “Overall, for the first phase, there are 1,625 contesting candidates across 21 states and Union territories with 1,491 male candidates and 1,34 female candidates,” the EC said in a communiqué. In the first phase, polling will be held in 102 LS seats spread across 21 states/ Union territories. According to the poll panel, 1,206 candidates from 12 States and Union Territories along with four candidates from Outer Manipur seat will contest elections in the second phase, scheduled to take A senior citizen casts her vote through postal ballot for the Lok Sabha elections, at her residence in Nanital on Tuesday.  ANI place on 26 April. “A total of 2,633 nominations were filed for 88 parliamentary constituencies across 12 States and UTs going for polls in the second phase for the LS elections. After the scrutiny 1,428 nominations were found to be valid. The last date for withdrawal of candidature was 8th April,” the ECI said. It added: “Kerala has a maximum of 500 nominations from 20 parliamentary constituencies, followed by 491 nominations from 14 seats in Kar- Rajnath slams China’s renaming Will continue to punish the corrupt: PM of Arunachal Pradesh locations STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BHOPAL, 9 APRIL STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE ITANAGAR, 9 APRIL Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh delivered a sharp rebuke to China on Tuesday, firmly affirming Arunachal Pradesh's status as an integral part of India amidst repeated claims from the neighboring nation. Mr Singh criticised China's recent decision to rename numerous locations within Arunachal Pradesh, asking what the potential consequences would if India were to undertake similar actions regarding Chinese territory. Underscoring that Arunachal Pradesh remains firmly within India's sovereignty despite China's attempts to alter names, Mr Singh emphasised the necessity of maintaining strong relations with neighbouring countries while asserting India's resolve to defend its self-respect. China's recent release of a list containing 30 renamed places in Arunachal Pradesh has further escalated tensions between the two nations. Union Defence MinisterRajnath Singh emphasised the necessity of maintaining strong relations with neighbouring countries while asserting India's resolve to defend its self-respect. However, India has consistently rejected such attempts by China, with the Ministry of External Affairs emphasising that assigning fabricated names will not change the reality of Arunachal Pradesh's inseparable connection to India. In addition to addressing the territorial issue, Defence Minister Singh urged full sup- port for the BJP-led NDA government's vision of transforming India into a 'Viksit Bharat' (Developed India) by 2047. Mr Singh reiterated Prime Minister Modi's commitment to develop India into a prosperous nation by the same year, emphasizing that this vision is not merely a slogan but a concrete pledge. Addressing an election rally at Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that he would continue to punish the corrupt most stringently as he was not scared of the threats from those who filled their coffers with public money. He said he bows down only in front of the janata janaardan (public) and Lord Mahakal. Mr Modi campaigned for the BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Balaghat, Bharti Pardhi, a sitting BJP corporator on Tuesday, on his second visit to tribal-dominated Mahakaushal region of MP in two days. The PM launched his Lok Sabha campaign in MP on 7 April with a mega roadshow in Jabalpur city, which also falls in the Mahakaushal region. Jabalpur, Balaghat, Mandla, Chhindwara, Sidhi, and Shahdol are the six out of the 29 Lok Sabha seats of MP that go to the polls in the first phase on 19 April. Addressing a huge public gathering today afternoon Mr Modi said so much money PM Narendra Modi being felicitated during a public meeting ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, in Balaghat on Tuesday.  ANI is being seized from leaders of dynastic political families that currency counting machines couldn’t count the amount. The Congress and the INDI alliance are shamelessly holding rallies to save the corrupt. “I want action against corruption, they want protection of the corrupt. The INDI alliance members are against me only for this,” he said. Castigating the grand old party, he said: “The Congress and the INDI Alliance do not want to defeat Modi, but they want to defeat progress and development of the country.” “The Congress is stuck in an old mindset and in its 70-year rule, did nothing for the country’s development,” he alleged, and added that the Congress today is not fighting against the BJP but with itself. Its leaders are against each other. “That is why they are abusing Modi, and threatening him. I have given up everything personal to work on a mission to serve the country, for Modi “mera bharat is my parivaar” (my Bharat is my family), he said. He claimed that the BJP had spent enormous sums of money for the development of the country and the welfare of the poor while no previous government had done so. The party had given the rights over forest, land, and water to the tribals by giving them pattas on forest land. The PM listed several progressive schemes and development projects being undertaken in MP and across the country and accused Congress of denying such rights to the tribals. He called the rival party arrogant, as it thinks it got freedom for the country. “A family and a small coterie in the Congress dominated all along and their backward thinking took the country behind in all aspects,” the PM charged. Mr Modi asserted that he is a devotee of Lord Mahakal, and that has given him the strength to bear all the abuses hurled by the opposition at him. The INDI alliance partners made fun of him when he worked for the welfare of the poor or on toilets for women, he said. Balaghat is land connected with Ram’s life in exile in jungle, and when his Pran Pratishtha takes place in Ayodhya, the alliance partners abuse him, he said.This alliance is in the fray to destroy Sanatan Dharma, he said. The poll panel also said that 1,210 candidates will fight the polls in the 2nd phase of the elections, scheduled for 26 April. nataka. Minimum of 14 nominations were received from one seat in Tripura. Nanded parliamentary constituency in Maharashtra received a maximum of 92 nominations.” Z-security for CEC: The Central government has provided Z-category security to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, of the basis of threat assessments by security agencies. Amidst claims he met with BJP leader, NIA SP called to Delhi STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 9 APRIL Amidst the allegations levelled by the Trinamul Congress that BJP leader Jitendra Tiwari met the NIA superintendent of police Dhan Ram Singh in Kolkata, the agency has summoned the officer to New Delhi and also appointed a new DIG-ranked officer at its Kolkata office today. IPS officer Rakesh Roshan will replace him. The Trinamul Congress has alleged that Mr Tiwari met the SP at the latter’s home in Kolkata in the last week of March and handed him a list of TMC leaders, whose houses should be raided. Trinamul Congress tweeted: “With our relentless pressure@ NIA _India has been forced to call SP Dhan Ram Singh, caught in the cahoots with BJP's@ JitendraAsnansol back to Delhi. Looks like the tainted officer is being transferred. BJP's stooges like him have no place in Bengal. NIA-BJP= 0, Bengal= 1!" (Details on Page 3) India to see normal monsoon in 2024: Skymet Candidate need not disclose every movable asset owned by him or his dependents: SC STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE The Monsoon rains are expected to be 102 per cent of the longperiod average of 868.6 mm for June to September with a model error of plus and minus 5 per cent. Monsoon rains within 96-104 per cent of LPA is considered normal. NEW DELHI, 9 APRIL Private weather forecasting agency Skymet on Tuesday said India is likely to see a normal monsoon in 2024, promising some relief to the fight against inflation. This could be a major respite from the predictions of a severe heatwave in North India.As per the forecast, the Monsoon rains are expected to be 102 per cent of the long-period average (LPA) of 868.6 mm for June to September with a model error of plus and minus 5 per cent. The nationwide LPA for the four-month period is around 87 cm. Cumulative monsoon rains nationwide between 96-104 per cent of LPA is considered as 'normal'. "In its earlier foreshadow released on January 12, 2024, Skymet assessed the monsoon 2024 to be ‘normal’ and retains the same," Skymet said in a statement. The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), another factor influencing southwest monsoon in India, is also expected to remain positive this year. "A preliminary forecast of positive IOD this season will work in tandem with La Nina for better monsoon prospects.Also, the rainfall distribution is likely to be diverse and equitable for the season, as a whole," Skymet said. Speaking on the report, Jatin Singh, managing director of Skymet, said: "El Nino is swiftly flipping over to La Nina. And, monsoon circulation tends to be stronger during La Nina years. Also, transition from Super El Nino to strong La Nina has historically tended to produce a decent monsoon.” “However, monsoon season may start with risk of impairment, attributable to the remnant effects of El Nino. The second half of the season will have an overwhelming edge over the primal phase," he added. Giving the area-wise breakout of the monsoon this season, Skymet said it expects sufficiently good rains in South, West and Northwest India. Core monsoon rainfed zones of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh will also receive adequate rainfall. The eastern states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Bengal may get deficit rainfall during peak monsoon months of July and August. North-east India is likely to observe less than normal rains during the first half of the season. In terms of the month-wise pattern of rainfall, the Skymet said there is 45 per cent likelihood of cumulative national monsoon rainfall in June to be normal and 25 per cent chance of it being below normal or deficient. AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 9 APRIL The Supreme Court on Tuesday observed that a candidate need not disclose every movable asset owned by him or his dependents unless they constitute high-value assets having a substantial impact on his candidature. A bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Sanjay Kumar made the observation as it upheld the 2019 election of the Independent MLA Karikho Kri from the Tezu Assembly constituency in Arunachal Pradesh. The court said that there is no absolute right for any voter to delve deep into the private life of a candidate and to know every minute information unless such information has some substantial CMYK A bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Sanjay Kumar made the observation as it upheld the 2019 election of the Independent MLA Karikho Kri from the Tezu Assembly constituency in Arunachal Pradesh. value. The court, however, also clarified that its finding should not be treated as precedent as it was based only on the facts and circumstances of the matter. Earlier, Gauhati High Court had declared the election of Karikho Kri as null and void on the election petition filed by Congress candidate Nuney Tayang accusing the former of making false declarations in his election nomination paper. Mr Tayang contended that Mr Kri did not disclose details of vehicles owned by him and his family and a plot of land owned by his mother. Further, he claimed that Mr Kri did not disclose that he was in occupation of a government accommodation and did not submit ‘No Dues Certificates’ towards the rent, electricity charges, water charges and telephone charges. In a detailed judgment passed in July last year, the Itanagar bench of Gauhati High Court declared the election of the returned candidate as void to safeguard the purity of the election process and to see that people do not get elected by flagrant breaches of the law. Later, the top court in an interim direction stayed the conduct of fresh elections to the subject constituency.