eye THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE Food for the Future LUCKNOW,LATECITY APRIL13,2025 As seasons change out of schedule, will traditions last? 12+4PAGES,`6.00 DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA In first softening on China, US exempts phones, laptops, chip machines from tariffs SOUMYARENDRA BARIK NEW DELHI, APRIL 12 THE UNITED States government late Friday evening exempted phones, computers and other electronic products from reciprocal tariffs, a decision seen as the first major softening of its stance towards China. The move will spare companies like Apple, Samsung,Microsoft,HPandDell which manufacture these products outside the US, from the high reciprocal tariffs President Donald Trump had announced on April 2. The decision also reflects a potentially growing awareness withintheTrumpcampthatunilaterally escalating the tariff war to target Beijing could have ramifications for some of its most important domestic companies as well as consumers, who may have to pay more for items imported from China, particularly electronics. CompanieslikeApple,which manufacture a large share of US President Donald Trump theirelectronicsoutputinChina, were particularly caught in Trump’stariff crosshairs,hitwith a massive 125 per cent tariff by the US administration following an escalation in tariff rates between Washington and Beijing. Inanotificationissuedbythe US Customs and Border Protection,theUSadministration has excluded 20 product categories including smartphones, laptop computers, hard drives and computer processors, chip making equipment, and certain semiconductor devices like memory chips — a substantial part of which are either made in China, or assembled elsewhere by using Chinese-made parts. The exclusions are retroactive to 12:01 am on April 5. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EXPRESS NETWORK EXIT ANNAMALAI, NAGENDRAN TAKES REINS OF BJP’S TAMIL NADU UNIT P 7 3 MAOISTS KILLED IN BIJAPUR P 4 FOUR-PAGE PULLOUT BENCH OF JUSTICES J B PARDIWALA AND R MAHADEVAN SC: President ought to seek our opinion if Governor reserves Bill claiming it is unconstitutional Preventing unconstitutional Bill saves resources: Bench E EXPLAINED BIG WIN FOR APPLE, MICROSOFT WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM ANANTHAKRISHNAN G NEW DELHI, APRIL 12 THESUPREMECourtjudgement settling the dispute between Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi andtherulingDMKgovernment over the clearing of Bills — while laying down a specific timeframe for the President and Governor to act in such cases — seeks to give itself a toehold in the law-making process. The April 8, 2025 judgement, by a bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, says that, invoking Article 143, the President “ought to” seek its opinionwheretheGovernorhas Justice J B Pardiwala, Justice R Mahadevan reserved the Bill for his/her considerationonthegroundof “perceived unconstitutionality.” Article 143 deals with the power of the President to seek the SC’s opinion on important questions of law or fact. Acknowledging that it’s not ● Court pushes ambit of Article 143 WHILE SETTING guardrails for the Governor, SC is also being pro-active: setting a time frame for the President; and asking her to seek its opinion on a Bill under Article 143. But it underlines its hands are tied if reference is on policy or politics. mandatory for the government to accept its opinion, the SC added that the same “holds high CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 AG flags: President not in picture, should have been heard before top court ruled ANANTHAKRISHNAN G & APURVA VISHWANATH NEW DELHI, APRIL 12 RESPONDING TO the Supreme Court verdict fixing a threemonth deadline for the President to clear Bills reserved for his/her consideration by the Governor, Attorney General R Venkataramani told The Indian No decision on review yet, says Attorney General Venkataramani Express Saturday that the President was not heard in the matter — and should have been. Asked about the verdict, the AG said: “The President was not heard. The President should have been heard (before the courtdecidedonherpowersunder the Constitution).” He added: “The President was not inthepictureatall”inthematter. Incidentally, the AG has made submissions on the powers of the Governor in the case. Asked if this could be a CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 In a first, TN Govt notifies 10 laws without Governor nod ARUN JANARDHANAN CHENNAI, APRIL 12 IN AN unprecedented move, the Tamil Nadu government on Saturday invoked the Supreme Court order to notify 10 laws, which were stalled by the Governorearlier,ashavingtaken effect without his assent. OnApril8,theSupremeCourt had said Tamil Nadu Governor R NRavi’sdecisiontoreservethe10 Bills for consideration of the President after they had already been reconsidered by the State Assembly was illegal and erroneous. It had also laid down a timeline for Governors to decide on Bills presented to them. The Acts, all re-adopted by the Tamil Nadu Assembly last year after the Governor delayed or withheld assent, were forwarded to the President but were ultimately deemed passed following the Supreme Court’s order. The government’s move, formalised via the official Gazette, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Vehicles torched during the violence following protests over the amended Waqf Act in Murshidabad, Saturday. ANI Waqf protests turn violent in Bengal, father & son among 3 dead; 150 arrested HC orders Central forces: Cannot turn blind eye... grave, volatile situation RAVIK BHATTACHARYA KOLKATA, APRIL 12 THREE PERSONS, including a father-son duo, were killed as protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act spiralled into violenceinMurshidabaddistrict of West Bengal on Friday. According to a government statement, over 150 people have been arrested. Appealing for calm, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday asked people not to do “non-religious activity in the name of religion” and said the Waqf law would not be implemented in the state. Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar warned of strong action against miscreants. Will not implement law in state: CM Mamata Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order, Jawed Shamimsaidpolicehadtoresort to firing to control the mob on Friday evening, adding that 15 police personnel were injured in the violence. The Calcutta High Court, acting on a petition filed by Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, ordered the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in the affected areas. Calling the situation “grave CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 National Herald case: Have watched Saif film ED moves to seize but did not recognise assets worth Rs 661 cr him, accused told police EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE BREAK-IN AT ACTOR’S HOUSE VIJAY KUMAR YADAV MUMBAI, APRIL 12 MOHAMMED SHARIFUL Fakir, the Bangladeshi national arrested for attacking actor Saif Ali Khan during the break-in at his house on January 16, is learnt to have told the police that while he had seen the actor on screen, he did not recognise him at the time of the incident. Fakirislearnttohavesaidthis during questioning in the presence of witnesses, whose statements are part of the over 1,600- NEW DELHI, APRIL 12 The accused, Mohammed Shariful Fakir page chargesheet filed in the case earlier. According to these statements, Fakir told police that he only got to know it was Saif when he watched a newsclip on YouTube later. He said he had watchedSaif’sfilm,butcouldnot CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THEENFORCEMENTDirectorate (ED) on Saturday said it has servednoticestotakepossession of immovable assets worth Rs 661 crore — in Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow — that it had attached as part of a money laundering probe linked to National Herald newspaper and Associated Journals Limited (AJL). The ED had attached these properties earlier by issuing a provisional attachment order in a PMLA (Prevention of Money LaunderingAct)caseagainstAJL, The Herald House in New Delhi, Saturday. Gajendra Yadav which publishes the National Herald, and Young Indian, which owns the newspaper. Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 US visas revoked over Palestine piece to drunk driving, Indian students despair: ‘Not told family’ ABHINAYA HARIGOVIND & VIDHEESHA KUNTAMALLA NEW DELHI, APRIL 12 AT A university in Connecticut, a PhD scholar from India is now withoutfunding,safety,orsleep. Two weeks ago, the student, who was promised five years of full funding by the university, was told that his monthly stipend of $2,600 would be stopped after May. “I’m languishing.” “I haven’t participated in any protests during the Palestinian protests. All I did was write a few pieces on the pro-Palestine movement in 2023 for a few publications, and I feel like I’m being targeted now,” says the scholar, adding he hasn’t informed his family yet. “They’ll worry too much.” We gave you visa to study... not to become an activist, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier. Reuters “I’ve been trying for options inothercountries…Twohavealready rejected me. It is very difficult to take a transfer now especially with admissions closed,” he says. While the 31-year-old suspectshispro-Palestinewrite-ups may have triggered the action, in recent months, several Indian students in the United States on F-1 visas have faced a CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 A 19th century British architect’s notes help reinstate Vadodara varsity’s iconic dome PAGE 1 ANCHOR ADITI RAJA VADODARA, APRIL 12 AT THE 145-year-old heritage Faculty of Arts building of Vadodara’s Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU), a group of three men stand on the campus grounds,consideringhowbestto send some intricately carved sandstone jaalis to their peers Renovation work at the 145-year-old Faculty of Arts building of Maharaja Sayajirao University in Vadodara. Express standing on the first floor of the building.Inside,aworkerisbusy polishing heavy wooden door frameswhileanotherispainstakingly painting over a delicately engraved potted plant on the facade on the ground floor. For the last 18 months, the MSU’s 19th Century arts faculty building, with its amalgam of IndianandByzantinearchesand its peculiar marriage of local GaekwadandtheBaroquearchitecture,hasbeenhummingwith activity. Here, 100 workers have CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 Lucknow