FRIDAY 21 JUNE 2024 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR CONGRESS ENTITLED TO L.O.P . POST, SAYS PAWAR KERALA CPI-M GIVES CLEAN CHIT TO CM VIJAYAN P4 SENSEX 77,478.93141.34 WEATHER Generally cloudy sky with Rain or Thundershower very likely to occur. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 35 °C and 27 °C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 87 % TEMPERATURE Max: 34.4°C (+0.6) SUN RISES 04:53 hrs MOON RISES 16:59 hrs P5 NIFTY 23,567.0051.00 NEET row: SC stays proceedings in 3 HCs Fresh plea in top court to scrap NEET-UG 2024 exam, conduct afresh PARMOD KUMAR Min. 72 % Min: 28.2°C (+1.4) SUN SETS 18:24 hrs MOON SETS 02:57 hrs Full Moon on 22 June THUMBNAILS President Droupadi Murmu celebrates her 66th birthday with specially-abled staff members of MITTI Cafe, at the President's Estate in New Delhi on Thursday.  ANI Bangladesh PM arrives today for talks with Indian leaders: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will arrive on a two-day state visit to India on Friday at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This will be the first incoming bilateral state visit of a foreign leader after the formation of the new government led by Mr Modi. During the visit Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to call-on President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. Strict action will be taken, says Pradhan NEW DELHI, 20 JUNE he Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the proceedings before the Bombay, Calcutta and Rajasthan High Courts relating to alleged paper leak and other irregularities in the conduct of the National Eligibility-cum- Entrance Test - Undergraduate 2024 (NEET-UG 2024) exam on the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) plea. Staying the proceedings in the NEET-UG 2024 related cases before three High Courts and issuing notice on their transfer to itself (top court), a vacation bench of Justices Vikram Nath and SVN Bhatti asked the advocate appearing for the NTA to inform the High Courts that notice has been issued on the transfer of matters to the top court. “In the meantime, the further proceedings before the High Court shall remain stayed,” the court ordered. The bench tagged the NTA’s transfer plea with the other pleas seeking the cancellation of the NEETUG 2024 on the grounds of T STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 20 JUNE Police detained members of the All India Students Association who were protesting over the NEET issue outside Shastri Bhawan, in the Capital on Thursday.SUBRATA DUTTA the alleged paper leak and other irregularities that are listed for hearing on 8 July 2024. However, the bench refused to put on hold the counselling for admission to various medical colleges scheduled to commence on 6 July, stating: “No stay on counselling. If examination goes after final hearing, then counselling also goes.” The court also refused to stay the re-test scheduled on 23 June for the 1,563 candidates who were granted grace marks in the NEET-UG 2024 exam. There are more than 30 petitions before the SC, J&K’s people will soon choose their own govt: PM in Srinagar S P SHARMA SRINAGAR, 20 JUNE Stating that he was constantly endeavouring to remove “Dil ki doori and Dilli ki Doori” between Kashmir and Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here on Thursday that preparations for Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir have begun and the people would soon choose the government through their vote. Indicating that the statehood of J&K will be restored, he said: “The day will also come soon when Jammu and Kashmir will once again make its future better as a state”. In a warning to perpetrators of terrorism sitting across the Line of Control (LoC), Mr Modi said: “The government has taken the recent terror attacks very seriously. I assure you that we will not hesitate to teach a lesson to the enemies of peace in Jammu and Kashmir.” On holding of the Assembly elections, Mr Modi said; “You’ll choose your government through your vote soon. As a state, very soon Jammu and Kashmir will make a better future”. “Through the elected representatives you will find ways to solve the problems, what can be better than this, " he added. Mr Modi was launching projects worth Rs.1,500 crore and a Competitiveness Improvement in Agriculture and Allied Sectors Project (JKCIP) worth Rs 1,800 crore during his first visit to J&K after being sworn in as PM for the third successive term.He struck a chord with the people when he recalled the famous phrase of the former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee “Insaniyat, Jamhooriat and Kashmiriat”. He said it was his endeavour to remove the distances between the hearts and the distance between Kashmir and Delhi. He said the people of Kashmir are victorious in keeping the flag of democracy flying high by overwhelmingly participating in the recent Lok Sabha elections. “I have come here to thank you for keeping the flag of democratic process flying high. It would have been encouraging had the opposition also praised this development”. “The whole world is witnessing the changes in the Kashmir Valley...Humara Kashmir kitna aage badh gaya hai'...You will see that the InternationalYoga Day celebration will also become an attraction for tourists,” he said. TN hooch tragedy claims 38 lives, Opp corners DMK govt M C RAJAN CHENNAI, 20 JUNE A pall of gloom has descended on Karunapuram locality in Kallakurichi town, 244 km from Chennai, where 29 of 38 people who died in Wednesday’s hooch tragedy hailed from. With the condition of 24 people who are undergoing treatment in hospitals remaining critical, the toll is expected to go up. The deceased, including two women and a transgender, and those hospitalised had consumed spurious liquor since Tuesday and the first three deaths were reported on Wednesday. The massive toll has rocked the state and chief minister MK Stalin on Thursday ordered a judicial enquiry headed by retired High Court Judge, B Gokuldas, besides entrusting the probe to the CB-CID police. While the District Collector of P8 GOLD 72,440220 ` vs $ 83.62 Tamil Nadu Youth Welfare minister Udhayanidhi Stalin pays his last respects to the victims of the Kallakurichi tragedy on Thursday.  ANI Kallakurichi, Sravan Kumar Jatavath, has been transferred and the Police Superintendent, Samay Singh Meena, suspended, a host of police personnel, including two DySPs, in the Prohibition and Enforcement wing have been placed under suspension. The Chief Minister has also announced a solatium of Rs 10 lakh each for the victims’ families and Rs 50,000 for those undergoing treatment. Most of the victims and those battling for life at hospitals are daily wagers. Some of them had consumed the illicit liquor while attending the funeral of a relative. Even as Tamil Nadu Highways Minister EV Velu and Health Minister Ma Subramanian are camping at Kallukurichi to monitor the situation, the state Sports Minister and the CM’s son, Udhayanidhi, rushed to Kallakurichi. After visiting the families of the victims and handing over the solatium, he visited those being treated at the hospital. The Opposition parties have cornered the DMK government on the issue. AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Edappadi K Palaniswami, said the CM should own moral responsibility for the deaths and step down from his post. including a fresh petition by a group of 20 students, who had appeared in the NEET-UG 2024, seeking a direction for scrapping of the exam and an top court monitored probe by the CBI or any other independent agency into the alleged irregularities in conducting the exam held on 5 May. The fresh petition by 20 students has also sought that the NEET-UG 2024 should be held afresh.The plea also sought a direction for a court-appointed committee, or any independent agency to conduct a postexam analysis, including academic background check, Patna High Court scraps Bihar govt’s quota hike AGENCIES PATNA, 20 JUNE In a major setback for Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, Patna High Court on Thursday set aside the state government's decision to increase reservations for Backward Classes, Extremely Backward Classes, Scheduled Tribes, and Scheduled Castes in jobs and educational institutions from 50 to 65 per cent. A division bench of Chief Justice K Vinod Chandran and Justice Harish Kumar set aside the Bihar Reservation of Vacancies in Posts and Services (Amendment) Act, 2023, and The Bihar (In admission in Educational Institutions) Reservation (Amendment) Act, 2023 as ultra vires and violative of the equality clauses under Articles 14, 15 and 16 of the Constitution of India The Bihar government had in 2023 amended both Acts and increased the reservation from 50 per cent to 65 per cent in jobs and higher educational institutions. Based on the findings of the caste survey in the state, the state government increased the quota for SC to 20 per cent, Scheduled Tribes to two per cent, Extremely Backward Classes to 25 per cent, and Backward Class to 18 per cent. With the enactments, Bihar had one of the highest reservation percentages among larger states, reaching a total of 75 per cent. This included 20 per cent for SCs, 2 per cent for STs, 25 per cent for Extremely Backward Classes, 18 per cent for Other Backward Classes (OBC) and 10 per cent for Economically Backward Classes (EWS) among the upper castes. Notably, at that time Nitish Kumar's Janata DalUnited was part of the Mahagathbandhan, comprising Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress party. CMYK CRICKET OVERDOSE CONTINUES AS BCCI UNVEILS SCHEDULE ‘INDIA’S FINANCIAL SYSTEM IS IN STRONGER POSITION’ Amid allegations of rigging in the 2024 NEETUG exam, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday said the government is committed to protecting the interests of students and added that strict action will be taken against any culprits. Addressing a Press conference, the Education Minister, while referring to the NEET examination row, also informed that the government will constitute a high-level committee which will give recommendations to further improve the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA). (Details on Page 5) forensic analysis, and investigation of all such candidates who have scored 620 and above, under the supervision of the top court. P12 SILVER 92,5001,500 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 82.740.19 Slackness in stopping encroachment will not be tolerated, says CM Court grants bail to Delhi CM Kejriwal STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 20 JUNE For the second time in a fortnight, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday pulled up senior officials, including top police officers, for their alleged negligence in monitoring of and slack enforcement of the law against illegal land encroachments and other irregularities. At an administrative review meeting held at Nabanna Sabhaghar on Thursday, Miss Banerjee, according to sources, particularly pulled up top officers of Kolkata police over their alleged lackadaisical attitude when it comes to enforcing the law to stop the alleged encroachment of government vested lands, including a vast swath of lands in the Bhangar area of South 24-Parganas, which at present falls under the city police. In this connection, the secretary of the state land and land reforms department too is said to have come under fire from the chief minister for alleged negligence in proper monitoring of the alleged irregularities. The CM is said to have done some tough talking STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 20 JUNE while asking for the complete report of the lands which are allegedly under the glare of land sharks. The CM, according to sources, said encroachment was rampant in some areas, including in the city proper, right under the nose of the department concerned and the city police. Miss Banerjee was particularly severe on the alleged encroachment in the city proper, which, she is reported to have said, proved to be costly for the ruling party in many wards in the just concluded parliamentary elections. With the alleged poor show by the party in various wards under the KMC and other wards in other civic bodies in mind, Miss Banerjee has convened a meeting of the mayors and chairmen of various civic bodies where the party had done badly on Monday at Nabanna. A court on Thursday granted bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam. The Directorate of Enforcement's counsel had requested a stay of the order; however, the court refused to allow it. The order granting bail to Mr Kejriwal on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh was passed byVacation Judge Niyay Bindu of the Rouse Avenue Court after reserving it earlier on Thursday. The bail bond is to be produced before the duty judge on Friday. AAP legal team Advocate Rishikesh Kumar, in a video message, said that the order granting bail to Delhi CM was pronounced at Rouse Avenue court at 8 p.m. on Thursday. On Friday morning, the bail proceedings will be carried out and by afternoon, the Delhi chief minister will likely come out of jail, he added. The court had on Wednesday extended Mr Kejriwal's judicial custody in the excise policy case till 3 July after hearing arguments at length on his regular bail plea.