FRIDAY 10 MAY 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 ‘COME WHAT MAY, 4 PC MUSLIM QUOTA WILL CONTINUE’ MACRON'S VISION P6 SENSEX 72,404.171,062.22 WEATHER Generally cloudy sky. Rain/Thundershower with gusty surface wind 50-60 kmph very likely to occur towards Evening/Night.Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 32 °C and 22 °C respectively. RAINFALL: 56.9mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY P4 NIFTY 21,957.50345.00 Enforcement Directorate files affidavit against interim bail to Kejriwal The ED contended that around 123 elections have taken place in the last five years and if interim bail is to be granted for campaigning, no politician can be arrested or sent to judicial custody since elections are all yearround phenomena. Min. 72 % Max: 32.0°C (-3.7) SUN RISES 04:59 hrs MOON RISES 05:36 hrs Min: 26.2°C (-0.6) SUN SETS 18:7 hrs MOON SETS 19:37 hrs TEMPERATURE Full Moon on 23 May THUMBNAILS President Droupadi Murmu presents the Padma Vibhushan in the field of Art to Vyjayantimala Bali at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday. ANI TMC complains to ECI: Days after a purported video of a BJP leader claiming that the sexual harassment complaints by women in Sandheskhali were filed at the behest of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari surfaced, the TMC filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India against him and other BJP leaders accusing them of fabricating rape allegations against “innocent individuals”. (Pg 2) GOLD 72,160110 No fundamental right to campaign: ED to SC NEW DELHI, 9 MAY Max. 98 % P5 ` vs $ 83.14 AGENCIES day before the Supreme Court is set to pronounce its order on the interim bail plea moved by jailed Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday opposed the grant of interim relief, saying that a politician cannot claim a “special status” higher than that of an ordinary citizen and is as much liable to be arrested and detained for committing offences as any other citizen. The affidavit filed by the ED’s Deputy Director stated that there is no principle that justifies giving differential treatment to a politician for campaigning over a farmer or a businessman who wishes to pursue his vocation. “If the right to campaign is treated as a basis for grant of interim bail, it would breach the principles of Article 14 for the reason that harvesting for a farmer would be an equally important factor for A The affidavit filed by the ED’s Deputy Director stated that there is no principle that justifies giving differential treatment to a politician for campaigning over a farmer or a businessman who wishes to pursue his vocation. seeking interim bail as would a board meeting or an annual general meeting for a director of a company who commits a crime, as these are their respective vocations or professions,” says the affidavit. The agency said that the right to campaign for elections is neither a fundamental right nor a constitutional right and not even a legal right. No political leader has been granted interim bail for campaigning, the affidavit said. Pointing out Mr Kejriwal is not a contesting candidate, it said even a contesting candidate is not granted interim bail for his own campaigning if he is in custody. Further, the ED contended that around 123 elections have taken place in the last five years and if interim bail is to be granted for campaigning, no politician can be arrested or sent to judicial custody since elections are yearround phenomena. “In a federal structure, no set of election is more significant than another and therefore, every politician at every level would argue that if he is not let out on interim bail, he would suffer irreversible consequences,” read the affidavit. On Wednesday, a bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna said that it will deliver its decision on the question of granting interim bail to Mr Kejriwal on 10 May. Earlier, the bench, also comprising Justice Dipankar Datta, indicated that it may consider granting interim bail to the AAP leader in view of the ongoing general elections. It said this is an extraordinary situation and it is not that Mr Kejriwal is a habitual offender. The federal probe agency opposed the grant of interim relief, saying that it would set a wrong precedent and that politicians have no special rights as compared to normal citizens. Mr Kejriwal had moved the apex court against the Delhi High Court's 10 April judgment, which dismissed his plea challenging the ED arrest. He was arrested on 21 March and has been in custody since then. Meanwhile, Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court has extended Mr Kejriwal’s judicial custody till 20 May on the expiry of his previously granted 14day judicial remand. ‘Attempt to complicate LS polls’: Russia charges Stalemate ends; AI Express to USA with interfering in India’s internal matters take back termination letters STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 9 MAY Russia has accused the United States of interfering in India's internal affairs, saying Washington is making attempts to "complicate" the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, including by making “regular unfounded accusations” on threats to religious freedom in this country. Reacting strongly to a recent report released by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Wash- ington not only “groundlessly” accuses India, but also many other states. "Regular unfounded accusations by the United States against New Delhi~ we see that they groundlessly accuse not only India but also many other states ~of violating religious freedoms are a reflection of the United States' misunderstanding of the national mentality, the historical context of the development of the Indian state and disrespect for India as a state," she said in Moscow. "I am sure that this also comes from the neocolonial mentality, the mentality of the colonial period, the period of the slave trade, and imperialism...This does not only apply to India.” “The reason is the desire to unbalance the internal political situation in India to complicate the general parliamentary elections taking place in the country. Of course, this is part of interference in India’s internal affairs,”added the Russian MFA spokesperson. According to her, the reason behind the US accusations is to unbalance the internal political situation in India and complicate the general elections. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 9 MAY After two days of widespread flight disruptions due to mass sick leave by cabin crew members, the crew members withdrew the strike on Thursday evening, while Air India Express has agreed to withdraw termination letters issued to over 25 protesting staff.The airline management also agreed to look into the issues raised by the cabin crews, according to sources. The decisions come after a conciliation meeting between the cabin crew rep- resentatives and the airline representatives at the Office of the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) in New Delhi earlier in the day. The Tata Group-owned airline has cancelled over 170 flights sinceTuesday night amidst the crisis. Over 80 flights were cancelled on Thursday. Around 25 senior cabin crew members were sacked by the airline following the mass sick leave by over a hundred senior cabin crew on Wednesday. The airline had set a deadline of 4 p.m. on Thursday for the other protesting cabin crew members to resume work. Muslim population up 43.15 pc, Hindus decline 7.82 pc between 1950 & 2015: Report The study says the share of the Christian population in India rose from 2.24 pc to 2.36 pc ~ an increase of 5.38 pc in its share, over the period 1950 to 2015. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 9 MAY The share of the Hindu population in India decreased by 7.82 per cent between 1950 and 2015 (from 84.68 per cent to 78.06 per cent), while that of the Muslim population, over the same span of 65 years, rose from 9.84 per cent to 14.09 per cent, showing an increase of 43.15 per cent in its share, according to a study done by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM). The study “Share of Religious Minorities – A CrossCountry Analysis (19502015)”, was released by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister as part of the EAC-PM Working Paper Series, conducted by Dr Shamika Ravi, Member of the EAC-PM, along with Consultant KOHLI SURELY DESERVES ANOTHER WC: YUVRAJ SINGH CHAUTALA OFFERS CONG SUPPORT TO BRING DOWN BJP GOVT IN HARYANA Apurv Kumar Mishra and Young Professional Abraham Jose. The study says the share of the Christian population in India rose from 2.24 per cent to 2.36 per cent – an increase of 5.38 per cent in its share, over the period 1950 to 2015. The share of the Sikh population increased from 1.24 per cent in 1950 to 1.85 per cent in 2015 – a 6.58 per cent rise. The share of the Buddhist population also witnessed a noticeable increase from 0.05 per cent in 1950 to 0.81 per cent in 2015. On the other hand, the share of Jains in the population of India decreased from 0.45 per cent in 1950 to 0.36 per cent in 2015. The share of the Parsi population in India too witnessed a 85 per cent decline, going down from 0.03 per cent share in 1950 to 0.004 per cent in 2015. The EAC-PM study has not gone into the causes of the population changes but says that the nature and extent of change in the share of the minority population in a country is a strong indicator of its relative wellbeing within a country. CMYK P12 SILVER 85,200200 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 84.190.61 Our ties depend on reciprocal sensitivity & mutual interests: EAM to Maldives counterpart ‘Our govt has not permitted Chinese vessel for research in Maldivian waters’ NEW DELHI, 9 MAY STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 9 MAY Amidst tension between India and the Maldives over the operation of Indian aviation platforms in the archipelago, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, on Thursday, held talks with visiting Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer on bilateral issues as well as regional developments. “As close and proximate neighbours, the development of our ties is obviously based on mutual interests and reciprocal sensitivity,” Mr Jaishankar told the Maldivian minister. He said as far as India is concerned, it has already articulated its commitment to “The Neighbourhood First'” policy and the SAGAR vision. India, Mr Jaishankar said, has been a key provider of development assistance to the Maldives. “Our projects have benefited the lives of people of your country; contributed directly to the quality of life. They range from infrastructure projects and social initiatives to medical evacuation and health facilities. We have also extended financial support on favourable terms in the past. India has been a First Responder on numerous occasions for Maldives. Our cooperation has also enhanced the security and well-being of your country through shared activities, equipment provisioning, capacity building and training,” he added. Noting that the world today is passing through a volatile and uncertain period, the Indian minister said that in such times, as was noticed during Covid, natu- Emphasising that "peace and security" of the Indian Ocean is important for countries in the neighbourhood including India, Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer on Thursday said that his government has “not permitted the Chinese vessel” for research purposes in the Maldivian waters. The statement by the Maldivian Foreign Minister came in the wake of the Chinese marine research vessel XiangYang Hong 3returning to Maldivian waters, marking its second visit to the archipelago nation within two months. AGENCIES ral disasters and economic difficulties, close partnerships with neighbours are of great value. The Maldivian minister said he discussed with the Indian leader the possibility of a visit by Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu to India. MEA: No relevant evidence shared by Canada on arrest of three Indians AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 9 MAY Days after three Indians were arrested in Canada for the killing of ‘Khalistan’ separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, New Delhi said Ottawa has not shared any specific or relevant evidence on the matter with India. Briefing the media on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said there are "political interests at work" in the matter and reiterated the government’s position that separatists and extremists have been given political space in Canada. Mr Jaiswal said India has been informed about the arrests by Canada, but not at a diplomatic level. “Canada has informed us about the arrest. But we have not got any formal communication... No specific or relevant evidence or information has been given to us in this matter,” he said. According to Canadian police, Karan Brar (22), Kamalpreet Singh (22) and Karanpreet Singh (28), all Indian nationals residing in Edmonton, have been charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the killing of Nijjar in June 2023. Diplomatic ties between India and Canada have remained tense since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed in the country's Parliament in September last year that his government had credible allegations linking the killing of Nijjar with the "agents of the Government of India".
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