fridAY 23 august, 2024 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard j a k a r ta Panel to solve grievances of farmers soon: SC forced to nix poll rule change The Supreme Court told the Haryana and Punjab governments to inform the agitating farmers that a multi-member panel was being constituted for the redressal of their grievances “for all times”. The SC said that the panel may have the power and authority to make recommendations to the state and, if need be, the Union government on the steps to resolve farmers’ grievances | P7 Plan to tweak candidate age requisites binned after hundreds rallied against what was seen as a move to help the outgoing prez build his political dynasty A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Page 9 l New Delhi l J8.00 l September 2 PAGES 12 Al-Qaeda terror module busted, 14 held SC says justice & U J W AL J ALALI @ New Delhi ATS men at the house of a suspected terrorist Lohardaga on Thursday | PTI Established in 2014 Al-Qaeda Indian Subcontinent, set up in 2014, is active in Pakistan. Afghanistan, Burma and Bangladesh, and wants to wage jihad to establish an Islamic State THE Special Cell of the Delhi Police, in coordination with its counterparts in Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, busted an Al-Qaeda-inspired terror module and detained 14 people, including six who were undergoing training in handling weapons. Al-Qaeda is a banned terrorist outfit listed in the first schedule of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). It is proscribed under Section 35 of the UAPA. A senior police officer said the module, as per the current state of operations, was being led by one Dr Ishtiyaq, working in one of the prominent hospitals of Ranchi. “It was aspiring to declare Khilafat and execute serious terrorist activities within the country the officer ,” said, adding that the members of the module had received “indoctrination” and weapons training at various locations. The police have also recovered arms, ammunition, and objectionable literature. The six individuals who were being trained in weapon handling were nabbed from Bhiwadi in Rajasthan. Eight more people were detained from Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh for questioning. Multiple teams of the anti-terror unit are interrogating the suspects at various locations. “As the interrogation is going on, more arrests are anticipated,” said an official. Last year, a Delhi court had convicted four operatives of AlQaida in Indian Subcontinent for conspiracy to commit terror attacks across the country and recruiting members for the outfit. The convicts, identified by security personnel as Mohd Asif, Mohd Abdul Rehman, Zafar Masood, and Abdul Sami, were convicted under Sections 18 and 18B of the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. No ‘satisfactory replies’ to sharp questions from Waqf bill JPC members P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Amid fierce attack from Muslim bodies, the first meeting of the Joint Committee of Parliament (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill saw dissenting voices from various Opposition members as well as NDA allies on the proposed law. Though the Telugu Desam Party, a key ally of the NDA supported the bill in the Lok Sabha, it called for wider consultations during the JPC meeting, said sources. Early this week, TDP Parliamentary party leader and JPC member Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu told this paper that the party has begun consultations with all communities, including Muslims about their concerns. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board claimed that TDP’s Chandrababu Naidu and JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar have assured Muslim bodies that their parties would oppose the Waqf Bill. It also said it will launch a nationwide movement if the bill is not withdrawn. Another BJP ally, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), said that the Muslim community’s concerns should be ad- dressed and pitched for more consultations. Speaking to this paper, some of the MPs said that the ministry failed to give ‘satisfactory replies’ to the queries raised in the meeting. Though not part of the INDIA bloc, YSR Congress’ V Vijaysai Reddy also raised objections to several clauses of the bill, according to sources. Several opposition members questioned the proposed amendments such as empowering district collectors in deciding on the ownership of a disputed land, and to induct non-Muslim members on Waqf boards. Committee Chairperson Jagdambika Pal described the meeting, which went on for over six hours with a lunch break, as ‘fruitful’. He asserted that voices of different stakeholders would be heard. “We will discuss all 44 amendments and bring a comprehensive bill by the next session,” he said. He said the committee would call various Muslim bodies representing different sects to hear their views. AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi launched a scathing attack terming it as ‘unconstitutional’, said sources. E x p r ess r e a d Cops in SC oppose bail to Bibhav Kumar The Delhi Police on Thursday filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court and opposed the bail of Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar in the Swati Maliwal assault case. The affidavit argued that Kumar, being an influential person, might influence the witnesses and thereby should not be let out on bail. On August 7, the SC had directed the cops to file its detailed response. Tension in Shahbad Dairy as 4-yr-old assaulted Communal tension erupted in the Shahbad Dairy area on Thursday after a mob tried to torch the house of a man, who was arrested for kidnapping a four-year-old girl and sexually assaulting her on Wednesday. The accused was arrested within 12 hours of the incident, the cops said, adding that heavy police deployment averted the tension from flaring up. P4 ties Polished Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk ahead of their summit meeting in Warsaw on Thursday | P7 1 2 3 Strategic partnership Defence production action plan announced India and Poland upgraded ties to the level of a “strategic partnership” and inked a social security pact to promote the mobility of skilled workers Donald Tusk expressed Poland’s eagerness to be a key partner in India’s aim to boost domestic defence production and modernise its armed forces 5-year action plan announced for strategic partnership in defence, trade, agri-tech, energy, green technology, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals and mining med can’t stop, urges end to stir CBI status report says crime scene at RG Kar where doctor was killed, was tampered with S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi The CBI in a status report on its probe into the rape and murder of a trainee doctor on August 9 at the RG Kar Medical and College Hospital in Kolkata, told the Supreme Court on Thursday that the crime scene was altered and tampered with. Initially the Kolkata police told the parents that it was suicide, but later they said she was murdered. Taking the CBI report on record, a threejudge bench led by the Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud appealed to the protesting doctors to return to work, saying justice and medicine cannot afford to be stopped. “We earnestly appeal to all doctors. We are here to ensure their safety and protection. Please trust us, that is why we have not left the matter to the (Calcutta) High Court,” the bench said. It also directed a Sealdah court to pass its order on the CBI’s application for a lie detector test on accused Sanjoy Roy by Friday . The court directed the states not to take any coercive steps and adverse action against the protesting doctors. “How can public health infrastructure function if doctors don’t return to work?” the court wondered. It asked the health ministry to convene a meeting with the Chief Secretaries of states and Directors General of Police to ensure the safety of the doctors willing to return to work. The meeting should be completed within a week and states shall take remedial measures within two weeks, the court said. While directing states not to disrupt peaceful protests, it said, “the order should not be misconstrued to mean that the authorities are precluded from exercising their regulatory powers in accordance with law.” The bench, however, categorically said peaceful protests should not be disrupted. Justice J B Pardiwala, a member of the bench, expressed concern at the manner in which the police handled the case. The postmortem was conducted on August 9 between 6.10 pm and 7.10 pm though the case of unnatural death was registered at 11.30 pm and the FIR recorded at 11.45 pm. Autopsy means unnatural death, yet the case was recorded later. “The entire procedure followed by the police is something I have not come across in my 30 years of career,” he remarked. P4 & 8 What is the reason the FIR is lodged almost 14 hours after the discovery of the body? The most important thing is that the principal of the college should have come straightaway to the college and directed the filing of the FIR. Who was he in touch with? What was the purpose? SC bench to WB counsel consider all suggestions National Task Force formed by the SC will take note of the suggestions of all stakeholders while formulating a national protocol for the safety of healthcare professionals portaL to pool ideas The bench directed the govt to open a portal for stakeholders to submit their suggestions for the task force the court will take up the matter for further hearing court direction Restore woman wrestler security with immediate effect, cops told Shekhar Singh & U J W AL J ALALI @ New Delhi A city court on Thursday directed the police to immediately reinstate the security of a female wrestler who has accused former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment. The order was issued by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Priyanka Rajpoot of the Rouse Avenue Court, who emphasised the need for the wrestler’s safety as she is scheduled to appear in court on Friday to provide her statement in the ongoing investigation. The court’s decision came after senior advocate Rebecca John filed applications on behalf of three wrestlers, alleging that their security had been abruptly withdrawn on Wednesday night. Vinesh Phogat on Thursday alleged that the Delhi Police has revoked the security cover of those women wrestlers who are about to testify against Brij Bhushan in a sexual harassment case. “Delhi Police has withdrawn the security of the women wrestlers who are going to testify against Brij Bhushan in the court,” Phogat wrote on ‘X’ tagging the state and national women commissions along with cops. Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik also posted a similar charge on ‘X’. However, the Delhi Police denied removing the security , claiming that the security officers were called for routine firing and training practices. DCP (New Delhi) Devesh Kumar Mahla said the security cover was not withdrawn; it was decided that Haryana police should take over the responsibility since the protectees live in that state. Congress, NC finalise seat-sharing for J&K polls F AYA Z W ANI @ Srinagar the Congress and National Conference on Thursday finalised seat-sharing for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls. The announcement came after the meeting of top Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi with NC leader Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah. “The Congress leadership deliberated with the Abdullahs on forging a pre-poll alliance for the Assembly polls. Both parties discussed the issue in detail and decided that forging alliance is a must to keep divisive forces away,” a Congress Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge at a press meet in Srinagar on Thursday | Zahoor Punjabi leader told this paper. While the exact number of seats allocated to both parties was not revealed, sources said the Congress will fight from most of the 43 seats in Jammu while NC will focus on the Valley . The three-phase elections to the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly will be held on September 18, September 25 and October 1. The results will be declared on October 4. Of the 90 seats, 47 are in Kashmir and 43 in Jammu. Kharge and Rahul arrived in Srinagar on Wednesday. On Thursday they visited the Gup, kar residence of Farooq to meet him and Omar. During the meeting, Rahul stressed on the restoration of J&K’s statehood. Taking a dig at the Modi government for downgrading J&K state into a Union Territory he said it was , the first time in the country’s history that a state was converted into a UT. After the meeting, Farooq Abdullah told reporters that the Congress, NC and CPM are on the same page and will fight the Assembly elections together. According to sources, CPM leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami is likely to contest from Kulgam in south Kashmir. This seat will be spared for him by the NC. ASSAM bill to repeal Muslim marriage act To end child marriage, the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led govt on Thursday tabled a bill in the Assembly to repeal a British-era law to register marriages and divorces of Muslims Taxi, auto drivers begin 2-day stir, commuters suffer HC seeks report on tree-cutting P r a b h at S h u k l a @ New Delhi Commuters across DelhiNCR faced significant disruptions as taxi and autorickshaw drivers began a two-day strike on Thursday, pressing for improved compensation from ridehailing companies. In some places, cab and autorickshaw drivers were threatened and told to deboard passengers. The drivers’ unions argue that inadequate earnings, coupled with the introduction of bike taxi services by aggregators, have severely impacted their livelihoods. Kishan Verma, president of the Delhi Auto Taxi Transport Commuters face surge prices and booking delays for app-based rides | shekhar yadav Congress Union (DATTCU), claimed that nearly 80% of autorickshaws and taxis in the national capital were off the streets. He also announced that a protest would take place at Jantar Mantar. Commuters reported their difficulty in hailing rides. “I have never faced such difficulty in getting across the city None , of the apps I use on a regular basis was able to provide a taxi. I had to postpone an important meeting,” said Shantanu Agarwal, a commuter. Another commuter, Shikha Singh, said, “As I live far from metro, I use an auto to commute to and from the metro station. However, despite trying for close to an hour today I was , unable to book a ride,” Verma reiterated the union’s demand for the government to ban the operation of private vehicles by cab aggregators. “We will also be holding a protest at Jantar Mantar to demand a ban on plying of private vehicles by cab aggregator companies,” Verma said. near Nizamuddin heritage sites S h e k h a r S i n g h @ New Delhi The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought an urgent status report from the forest department about the alleged illegal cutting of trees near the historic Mazar-e-Ghalib and Chausathh Khamba monuments in the Hazrat Nizamuddin area. Justice Sanjeev Narula issued notices to several authorities, including the forest department, MCD, Delhi Police, and the Superintending Archaeologist, instructing them to submit their findings within two weeks. The case has been scheduled for further hearing on September 17. In the interim, the HC has directed the authorities to protect all trees in the area and prevent any further cutting. The matter was brought to the court’s attention by the Hazrat Nizamuddin Welfare Association, an NGO, which filed a petition seeking immediate action against those responsible for the illegal tree-cutting and calling for removal of unau- thorised high-rise tin sheds in the area. These sheds, the petition claims, were set up to facilitate illegal construction. The petitioner said the unlawful activity began in May when anti-social elements targeted a piece of land adjacent to the protected monuments. The area is home to several mature trees, including neem, banyan, and peepal, with rich environmental and cultural value. Despite complaints, the petitioner alleged no action was taken to stop deforestation, which continued even after a fresh complaint was filed on July 28.
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