THURSDAY 26 SEPTEMBER 2024 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR MP KANGANA RANAUT WITHDRAWS HER REMARK ON FARM LAWS ZELENSKYY SEEKS GLOBAL ACTION TO END WAR P9 SENSEX 85,169.87p255.83 Thunderstorms. Rain developing late. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 28°C and 26°C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Min. 92 % New Moon on 3 October THUMBNAILS Leopards seen inside their enclosure, at a zoo in Surat. n ANI TMCÊs Basirhat MP Nurul Islam passes away at 61: Trinamul Congress MP from Basirhat, Haji Sheikh Nurul Islam passed away on Wednesday morning. He is survived by his wife and children. He was 61 years old and suffering from liver cancer for quite some time. He was sick when he was given the Lok Sabha ticket and assured that Party''s chairpeerson that he was fine and would contest in the poll. (Details on Page 3) BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 73.30q1.17 SC cautions courts against misogynistic comments ‘Cong-NC coalition will give top priority to economic uplift, job creation in J&K’ Court also said that no one can call any part of the country ‘Pakistan’ JAMMU, 25 SEPTEMBER Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that a Congress-National Conference government will give top priority to economic uplift and job creation in Jammu and Kashmir. Mr Gandhi, who interacted with more than 300 business owners and professionals here, promised that a Congress-NC alliance government would boost the business environment and reduce tax harassment. He provided a platform for open dialogue on challenges faced by them in J&K. The Congress leader said that the coalition government would take export initiatives and improve access to capital for the micro, small and medium enterprises. Later, Mr Gandhi addressed election rallies in Jammu and Sopore in North Kashmir. Targeting the BJP-led government at the centre, the Congress leader said that the The top court said that in the age of social media, any observations by judges can have a wide impact, and thus, judges should be aware of their predispositions so that they can deliver justice impartially. he Supreme Court on Wednesday cautioned the courts across the country to refrain from making comments during judicial proceedings that may be construed as “misogynistic” or directed towards a particular “gender or community” and said no part of Indian territory can be called Pakistan. With this admonition, the Supreme Court brought down the curtains on the suo motu proceedings initiated against Karnataka High Court judge, Justice Vedavyasachar Srishananda, for his objectionable comments, noting that he has already apologised in an open court for the comments made during the proceedings of a case that were being live-streamed. Noting that Justice Srishananda had rendered an apology in open court on 21 September 2024, a five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, and also comprising Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice B.R. Gavai, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Hrishikesh Roy said that they did not want to pursue it further in the interest of justice and dignity of the institution. “We desist from making any further observations save and except to express our serious concern about both the reference to gender and to a segment of the community,” the five-judge bench said, closing the matter. Stating that social media cannot be controlled, the top court Congress entrenched in corruption, says PM Modi at Haryana poll rally STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 25 SEPTEMBER the Congress is completely entrenched in corruption. He said: "It has only been two years, and just look at the Congress government in Karnataka. The Chief Minister is facing accusations of a land scam. When he appeared in the High Court, his plea was dismissed.” Ten years ago when Haryana was ruled by the Congress, no job could be secured without cheating, and there was no organization free of corruption, the Prime Minister said. It is well known that wherever the Congress took control, corruption and nepotism followed. The Congress always kept marginalised communities in the state out of benefit of gov- Diplomats from 15 countries witness polling in Kashmir STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 25 SEPTEMBER Diplomats from 15 countries visited several polling booths in the Kashmir Valley Wednesday to witness the second phase of the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. A high-level foreign delegation of diplomats from the USA, Mexico, Guyana, South Korea, Somalia, Panama, Singapore, Nigeria, Spain, South Africa, Norway, Tanzania, Rwanda, Algeria, and the Philippines flew to the Union Territory to observe the elections to the 90-member Legislative Assembly. The purpose of their visit is to “observe the polling process and assess how democracy is functioning on the ground,” said an official. The diplomats visited a couple of polling booths in Srinagar and also in the Budgam district. Although P12 SILVER 99,990 GOLD 77,610.00 T Min: 26.8˚C SUN SETS 17:28 hrs MOON SETS 13:41 hrs Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the Congress and said the “royal” family of the party is the country’s most corrupt family and it was under Congress rule corruption took roots in the government system and gained strength. Addressing an election rally in Sonipat, Haryana, he said people in Haryana cannot forget how the State was “looted” when the Congress ruled the State. “Lands of the farmers were looted, and the State was handed over to dalals (middlemen) and damaads (sons-in-law),” he said. When the top leadership is corrupt, cadres below get an easy license to loot, the Prime Minister said. Drawing attention to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's alleged role in the MUDA (Mysuru Urban Development Authority) scam, the Prime Minister said that ` vs $ 83.60 NEW DELHI, 25 SEPTEMBER TEMPERATURE Max: 28.4˚C SUN RISES 05:26 hrs MOON RISES 23:33 hrs P5 PARMOD KUMAR WEATHER Max. 93 % P4 NIFTY 26,004.15p63.75 RISHABH PANT BACK IN TOP 10 OF TEST RANKINGS ‘J&K ON CUSP OF CHANGE’ ernment schemes and programmes, Mr Modi said. The Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) did not enjoy benefit of governance. Babasaheb Ambedkar, the father of the Indian Constitution, gave reservation to Dalits, otherwise they too would have had to wait for the defeat of the Congress to get reservation benefits like the OBCs, Mr Modi said. “Whenever the Congress has been away from the government, the poor, SC/ST/OBC have got their rights. Whenever Congress has been in the government, it has snatched the rights of Dalits and backward classes,” the Prime Minister said. Mr Modi said the BJP has been in power in Haryana for the last 10 years, and no one has heard of any corruption charges against the BJP government. The BJP has put an end to all corruption in government interface with the public, he said. said that in the age of social media, any observations by judges can have a wide impact, and thus, judges should be aware of their predispositions so that they can deliver justice impartially. The court said that one can't call any part of the country as Pakistan as such comments hit the territorial integrity of the country. It also said that the judges should be careful during the court proceedings and refrain from using "misogynistic or prejudicial comments". It said that casual India-China ties key to Asia’s future, says EAM Jaishankar STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 25 SEPTEMBER External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that the India-China relationship is key to the future of Asia, adding the ties between these two neighbouring countries will not only influence the future of this continent but the entire world. “Asia is very much at the cutting edge of change and within Asia India is part of leading that change,” he said while addressing the Asia Society at the Asia Society Policy Institute in New York on Tuesday night. “But that change is today stretching the fabric of the global order...I think the IndiaChina relationship is key to the future of Asia. In a way, you can say if the world is to be multipolar, Asia has to be multipolar. And therefore, this relationship will influence not just the future of Asia but, in that way, perhaps the future of the world as well,” he said. India, he said, has to prepare to rise amid volatility and unpredictability. “India, which is rising, has to prepare to rise amidst volatility and unpredictability. Typically, when countries rise, when big powers rise, they hope for congenial circumstances,” he added. To describe today's world, Mr Jaishankar said, the word "rebalancing" is an obvious choice and said that Asia played a key role in that process. The minister said the other word is “multipolar”, as it is a consequence of the rebalancing as it overlaps and converges the international politics impacting the global architecture that was there during the initial years of the United Nations. India overtakes Japan to become third most powerful Asian nation STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 25 SEPTEMBER visiting J&K to watch the elections is not new for foreign diplomats, the ongoing elections are being held after a gap of ten years and the bifurcation of J&K into two Union Territories. In 2002, 20 foreign diplomats visited here during the elections. After the abrogation of Article 370 on 5 August 2019, a 15-member foreign delegation visited Srinagar in January 2020 to meet political leaders. In May 2023, another foreign delegation visited Srinagar for the first-ever G20 Tourism Working Group event. (54.11 pc polling: Page 5) observation may indicate certain bias, particularly when they are directed against a certain gender or a community. The controversy is rooted in two video clips that went viral on social media platforms, wherein Justice Srishananda in one of the videos was heard making genderinsensitive comments against a woman lawyer, while in another video the judge referred to a Muslim- dominated locality in Bengaluru as “Pakistan". However, Justice Srishananda said that he has been quoted out of context in both the video clips. India has overtaken Japan to become the third most powerful nation in Asia, as per the 2024 edition of Asia Power Index (API). According to it, India now stands third on the index after the USA and China. Launched by Australia's Lowy Institute in 2018, the Asia Power Index is an annual measure of power dynamics in the Asia-Pacific region. It evaluates 27 countries across the Asia-Pacific, on eight parameters including military capability, defence networks, economic capability and relationships, diplomatic and cultural influence, resilience, and future resources. In a press release issued here, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting said the current edition of the report offers one of the most comprehensive assessments of power distribution in the region to date. Timor-Leste has been included for the first time, reflecting its growing importance in Southeast Asia. Stating that even though India’s “clout remains below the potential promised by its resources,” the report said that the country has overtaken Japan to become the thirdranked power in Asia. “However, the gap between the expectation of 'India rising' and reality remains pro- nounced. The API shows that New Delhi still has limited ability to project power and influence east of the Malacca Strait. But the fact that its influence remains well below the level promised by its resources suggests it still has ample potential for further growth as a major power,” it said further. Attributing the success of India on its resources, the report said that the country’s strength lies in its huge population, landmass, and economy. Observing that India’s youthful population may well deliver a demographic dividend in the years ahead, as compared to the rapidly ageing and contracting workforces in many other countries in Asia, including rival China, the report stated that postCovid economic growth saw India increase its Economic Capability by 4.2 points. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE INDIA alliance will use its full force within the Parliament and even hit the roads if the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir is not restored after the ongoing Assembly elections. Addressing rallies in support of the party candidates whose constituencies will go to polls in the third and the final phase of the assembly election in J&K, Mr Gandhi said injustice has been done with the people as Jammu and Kashmir was the first state that was downgraded into a Union Territory in the history of independent India. He said splitting J&K into two UTs was a grave injustice with the people of Jammu and Kashmir. "It should have never happened and I guarantee you that if the BJP does not restore the statehood, we will use our full force in Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and even come on the streets for the restoration of statehood to J&K. He alleged that the statehood was snatched from J&K to benefit "outsiders" through the Lt. Governor. “As long as the Lt. Governor is there, outsiders will benefit and the locals will be sidelined. This was the reason that statehood was snatched from J&K. They wanted J&K to be run by outsiders and not locals,” he said. Mr Gandhi said there was a systematic attack on small and medium businesses in the rest of the country as well. “This government runs for Ambani and Adani. And the GST and demonetisation were weapons used to clear the road for them.” MUDA case: Special Court gives nod for probe by Lokayukta against K’taka CM Siddaramaiah AGENCIES BENGALURU, 25 SEPTEMBER The Special Court for MLAs/MPs in Bengaluru on Wednesday gave the nod for an investigation against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam case. Judge Santhosh Gajanana Bhat passed the order and designated the Superintendent of Lokayukta, Mysuru district, to probe the case. The court has asked Mysuru Lokayukta to submit the report in three months, by 24 December. The court said the case would be investigated under the provisions of 156 (3) of the CrPC. Snehamayi Krishna, one of the petitioners against CM Mr Siddaramaiah, had submitted a private complaint in the MUDA case with the court. Following the order, an FIR will be lodged against Mr Siddaramaiah and an investigation will be launched. The investigation officer will have the power to question and arrest Mr Siddaramaiah. Mr Krishna had also submitted a petition to the Governor, who gave his sanction for the prosecution of the CM. Karnataka High Court upheld the order of the Governor. (Another report on Pg 4)