FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLI No. 282 | INDORE | FRIDAY | MARCH 21, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in Nation Glorifying invaders is treason, says Yogi amid Aurangzeb, Neja Mela row RTE | Schools unable to adhere to new regulations Tina Khatri Over 300 schools in Indore district will not admit any new student for the academic session 2025-26. The primary reason behind this alarming number is the mounting regulatory challenges faced by private schools, particularly smaller institutions that form the backbone of the RTE programme. Several newly introduced rules and fees are pushing these schools to their breaking point. The number of schools participating in the RTE programme has dropped sharply from 1,739 in the 2024-25 academic session to just 1,415 in 2025-26, a significant reduction of 324 schools. This sharp decline threatens to limit access to education for children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, undermining the very purpose of the RTE Act. The recent decline in RTE (Right to Education) school allocations in Indore will leave thousands of underprivileged children with fewer options for free SCHOOLS IN PROVISIONAL LIST FOR RTE 2025-26 No of Schools Area 127 Depalpur, Indore 251 Indore Rural 359 Indore Urban 399 Indore Urban 2 146 Mhow, Indore 133 Sanwer, Indore education. Private schools in Madhya Pradesh face several challenges under new regulations. These include a mandate for registered lease agreements to renew recognition, which many rural schools cannot meet. Additionally, a security deposit of Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 for renewal has placed a financial strain on small schools. Stricter recognition standards also make it difficult for longstanding schools to obtain permanent recognition. Finally, a new rule reducing the lifespan of school buses from five years to two years has added further financial pressure, particularly for schools with limited bus routes. 4Continued on | P8 FP News Service MUMBAI LONDON India @118 in happiness index India ranked 118th in the World Happiness Report 2025, up from the 126th position in the previous year but below countries such as Nepal, Pakistan, Ukraine and Palestine. The release of the 13th edition of the annual report coincides with the International Day of Happiness. EDITIONS: INDORE MONEY India’s GDP to expand by 6.7% in FY25: S&P Global V/S The lawsuit, which pits the U.S.-based tech giant against India’s regulatory framework, centers on the government’s use of Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act. X alleges this provision is being weaponised to create a “parallel content-blocking mechanism” that bypasses the structured, transparent pro- Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The Madhya Pradesh High Court principal bench in Jabalpur on Thursday questioned the state government on why it is not implementing the 58% reservation policy when the Supreme Court has already permitted it in Chhattisgarh. The court said that the reservation issue in both states is identical and demanded an explanation. In an interim order, the High Court directed that 13% 25 INDIANS ON DEATH ROW IN UAE PTI NEW DELHI PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Humanity triumphs P.6 Cinema Actors who are also poets P.14 FP News Service M. F. Husain’s Untitled (Gram Yatra)  sold at Christie’s for $13.8 million (over Rs 118 crores) in New York, making it the most expensive work of modern Indian art ever publicly auctioned. Art News reports that the amount, which includes fees, shattered the auction house’s estimate of $2.5 million–$3.5 of the OBC category posts should remain vacant in all ongoing recruitments until a final decision is reached. Moreover, the court instructed the government to submit written details of all recruitments conducted from 2019 to date. The division bench of Chief Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Vivek Jain heard petitions filed by candidates affected by delays in teacher recruitment. Senior advocates Rameshwar Singh Thakur and Vinayak Shah informed the court that despite clearing the pending appointment letters, prompting affected candidates to file fresh petitions. Advocate General Prashant Singh argued that the appointments were on hold due to an interim order passed on May 4, 2022, in a petition filed by Shivam Gautam. However, the High Court said that this petition has already been disposed of, and while the government transferred the matter to the Supreme Court, no interim stay has been granted by the apex court. 4Continued on | P8 30 Naxals, cop killed in 2 encounters in Chh’garh Avdhesh Mallick The number of Indian nationals who have been awarded a death sentence in the UAE, but the judgement is yet to be implemented, stands at 25, the government informed Parliament on Thursday. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said this in aresponse to a query in Rajya Sabha. The Ministry of External Affairs was asked whether many Indians are languishing in prison for years in foreign countries, as also details of Indians who are awaiting capital punishment in foreign countries, and efforts made by the Indian government to save their lives. 4Continued on | P8 cess mandated under Section 69A of the same law. At stake, the company argues, are foundational principles of free expression and due process in the world’s largest democracy. The heart of the dispute lies in conflicting interpretations of India’s IT laws: n Section 69A allows the government to block public access to content deemed a threat to national security, sovereignty, or public order. 4Continued on | P8 million and was more than four times the artist’s previous record of $3.1 million, which was set by his painting  Untitled (Reincarnation) last September at Sotheby’s in London. The previous record for a modern Indian work was $7.4 million (Rs 61.8 crores) , for Amrita Sher-Gil’s The Story Teller  (1937), which sold in September 2023 in Mumbai. 4Continued on | P8 In a major offensive against Naxal insurgents, security forces killed at least 30 members of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) in two separate encounters in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region on Thursday, officials confirmed. The operations, conducted in Bijapur and Kanker districts, mark one of the biggest counterinsurgency successes in recent years. According to security officials, 26 Naxalites were gunned down in Bijapur district in a fierce encounter, while four Maoists were eliminated in Kanker by a joint team of the Border Security Another Indian student faces deportation for backing Hamas PTI NEW YORK An Indian student enrolled as a postdoctoral fellow in the US faces deportation after federal authorities said he was "spreading Hamas propaganda" and has "close connections to a "suspected terrorist", who is a senior advisor to the group. Badar Khan Suri is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. A senior Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said that Suri, a foreign exchange student at Georgetown University, was "actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media". "Suri has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior advisor to Hamas. The Secretary of State issued a determination on March 15, 2025, that Suri's activities and presence in the United States rendered him deportable." A report in Politico said that Suri, who was studying and teaching on a student visa, has been "detained by federal immigration authorities amid the Trump administration's crackdown on student activists. Be Your Own Sugar Daddy Ketan Narottam Tanna MUMBAI CHAHAL’S DIVORCE SAGA BECOMES INDIA’S NEWEST CRICKET DRAMA than a Virat Kohli stare, broke the internet faster than a dropped IPL trophy. Hash- Ties good, but India has one of highest tariffs, says Trump PTI NEW YORK/WASHINGTON offgrid hotter than a peppy butter chicken biryani. The message, cheekier second round of teacher recruitment counselling, appointment letters have not been issued to over a thousand OBC candidates, including the petitioners. No official reason has been provided in writing. When candidates sought clarification, the Directorate of Public Instructions (DPI) cited an interim order dated August 4, 2023, from petition WP/18105/2021 as the reason. However, the High Court had dismissed that petition on January 28, 2025, yet the government has failed to issue the RAIPUR & AGENCIES Husain for Rs 118 cr, most expensive Indian art sale MUMBAI Yuzvendra Chahal, the man who bamboozles batters with googlies, delivered his sharpest spin off the pitch on Thursday. Exiting Mumbai’s Bandra family court after finalizing his divorce to Dhanashree Verma, the cricketer’s T-shirt—emblazoned with “Be Your Own Sugar Daddy”— sent social media into frenzy, UJJAIN Despite SC nod, why 58% quota delay? ELON MUSK V/S CENTRE In a landmark legal battle with far-reaching implications for digital rights in India, Elon Musk’s social media platform  X  (formerly Twitter) has filed a lawsuit in the Karnataka High Court against the Indian government, accusing authorities of enforcing “unlawful content regulation” and “arbitrary censorship” through controversial interpretations of the Information Technology (IT) Act. iii QUALITY @ VALUE MP HIGH COURT TO STATE GOVT 300 schools to have zero intake this yr INDORE ESTD-1983 tags #Chahal and #Dhanashree trended like free liquor at a dry wedding, sparking debates fiercer than a monsoon-season traffic jam. Cricket fans split into factions: Was this a mike drop moment of self-empowerment, or a man subtly roasting his alimony bill? Twitter’s gavel came down swiftly, as it always does. 4Continued on | P8 Security personnel during an encounter with Naxalites, in Bijapur district, Chhattisgarh, Thursday. Force (BSF) and the District Reserve Guard (DRG) of the state police. The Bijapur operation also resulted in the death of a DRG jawan. Union Home Minister Amit Shah lauded the forces, stating that these operations are part of the government’s relentless march towards eradicating Naxalism from the country. “The Modi government is moving forward with a ruthless approach against Naxalites and is adopting a zero-tolerance policy 4Continued on | P8 US President Donald Trump said he has a "very good relationship" with India, but the "only problem" he has with the country is that it is "one of the highest tariffing nations in the world." Trump reiterated his threat to impose reciprocal US tariffs on the country starting April 2. In an interview with Breitbart News, an American news, opinion, and commentary website, Trump discussed the US' relationship with India. Asked about his summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month, Trump said: "I have a very good relationship with India, but the only problem I have with India is they're one of the highest tariffing nations in the world. I believe they're going to probably be lowering those tariffs substantially, but on April 2, we will be charging them the same tariffs they charge us". On the India-Middle EastEurope-Economic Corridor (IMEC), Trump said it was a "group of wonderful nations" banding together "countering other countries that look to hurt us on trade." 4Continued on | P8