FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. 14 No. 276 | BHOPAL | FRIDAY | MARCH 21, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.in Nation Glorifying invaders is treason, says Yogi amid Aurangzeb, Neja Mela row ALLEGED CENSORSHIP | Social media giant challenges what it called unlawful content regulation Musk’s X sues Centre over IT Act ‘misuse’ PTI BENGALURU Social media giant 'X' (formerly Twitter), owned by US billionaire Elon Musk, has filed a lawsuit in the Karnataka High Court against Government of India, challenging what it called unlawful content regulation and arbitrary censorship. It raised concerns over the Centre's interpretation of the Information Technology (IT) Act, particularly its use of Section 79(3)(b), which 'X' argues violates Supreme Court rulings and undermines free expression online. The lawsuit alleged the government is using the said section to create a parallel content-blocking mechanism, bypassing the structured legal process outlined in Section 69A. 'X' claimed this approach contradicts the Supreme Court's 2015 ruling in the Shreya Singhal case, which established that content can only be blocked through a proper judicial process or the legally defined route under Section 69A. Centre seeks reply over Grok The Central government has reportedly sought an answer from Elon Musk's social media platform X over its AI chatbot Grok using Hindi slang and abuses in responses. Media reports said that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) is currently examining the issue. It has sought a reply from X on the datasets used to train Grok. Our Staff Reporter Bhopal Crime Branch will register a case against a law institute in Jabalpur for issuing degrees to law students despite its affiliation with Bar Council of India (BCI) ended in 2019. Moreover, new admissions were also given to students at the law institute in NEW DELHI Airlines report GPS interference Several airlines have reported cases of GPS interference and spoofing while operating in and around Amritsar, the Parliament was informed on Thursday. The disruptions, which impact aircraft navigation systems, have been frequent in the border regions of Amritsar and Jammu. 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% ‘Uncle’ rapes neighbour’s toddler in Satna, held Our Staff Reporter law institute at Jabalpur had issued degrees to students in violation of rules. The first FIR will be lodged against the institute under the ongoing probe, he added. It is worth mentioning that on March 11, the High Court issued instructions to take action against such institutes, colleges and universities which were giving admissions in unrecognised law courses LLB and LLM in the state. 4Continued on | P8 25 Indians face death sentence in UAE 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 a written response 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 coun- 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 India ranked 118th in the World Happiness Report 2025 published Thursday, up from the 126th position in the previous year but below countries such as Nepal, Pakistan, Ukraine and Palestine. The 13th edition of the annual report, released coinciding with the International Day of Happiness that falls on March 20 each year, focuses on the impact of caring and sharing on people's happiness, including how sharing a meal increases happiness. Finland is ranked as the happiest country in the world for the eighth consecutive year and other Nordic countries - Denmark, Iceland and Sweden - continued to remain in the top four, in that order. The United Kingdom is at NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Humanity triumphs P.6 Cinema Actors who are also poets P.14 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 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 PTI tries, and efforts made by the Indian government to save their lives. "As per the information available with the Ministry, the number of Indian prisoners, including undertrials, in foreign prisons at present is 10,152," he said. The government attaches high priority to the safety, security and well-being of Indian nationals in foreign countries, including those in the foreign jails, the minister said. According to data, the figures stand as 25 (UAE), 11 (Saudi Arabia), six (Malaysia), three (Kuwait), and one each for Indonesia, Qatar, the US, and Yemen. the 23rd position, the US is 24th and China stands at 68th position in the list of 147 countries this year. The State of Palestine is ranked 108th (103 in 2024) while Ukraine is at 111 rank (105 in 2024). The annual report, published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford in partnership with Gallup, the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Net- Ties good, but India has one of highest tariffs, says Trump PTI BIJAPUR/KANKER NEW YORK/WASHINGTON In a fresh offensive against Naxals, security forces killed at least 30 members of the banned CPI (Maoist) in two separate encounters in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region on Thursday, officials said. While 26 Naxalites were killed in Bijapur district, four Maoists were gunned down in Kanker by a joint team of the BSF and District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel of the state police. A police jawan was also killed in the encounter in Bijapur, the officials said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the security forces have achieved another big suc- Another Indian student faces deportation for backing Hamas 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 whom the government accuses of opposing American foreign policy." Security personnel during an encounter with Naxalites, in Bijapur district, Chhattisgarh, Thursday. cess in their march to make the country Naxal-free with the two encounters. "The Modi government is moving forward with a ruthless approach against Naxalites and is adopting a zero tolerance policy against those Naxalites who are not surren- dering despite all the facilities being offered to them, ranging from surrender to inclusion. The country is going to be Naxal-free by March 31 next year," Shah wrote on 'X' in Hindi. 4Continued on | P8 Schools unable to adhere to new RTE regulations Tina Khatri INDORE 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. 4Continued on | P8 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 The recent decline in RTE (Right to Education) school allocations in Indore will leave thousands of underprivileged children with fewer options for free education. Hollywood vs AI: 400 celebs against OpenAI, Google over copyright issue Online Report competitiveness against countries like China. However, Hollywood signatories firmly oppose this notion. A letter sent this weekend to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy directly challenges recent proposals from major tech companies, which argue that US copyright law should permit AI firms to train their systems on copyrighted content without requiring permission or compensation for rights holders. AI is one of the most amazing technologies so far. However, with its growing pace, the surrounding concerns are also on the rise. These concerns are not just limited to job scares, but also a threat to creative industries. And now, the threat has been felt by celebrities as well. Recently, over 400 Hollywood celebrities took a firm stand against the AI threat. Celebrities, including Ben Stiller, Paul McCartney, Mark Ruffalo and many more have written a letter to the US government against the current AI trends. According to the reports, the step comes after OpenAI and Google proposed easing copyright regulations. According to the proposal, easing these regulations would bolster US AI development Rana requests US Chief Justice to stop extradition MF Husain painting fetches $13.8 million Agencies work ranks the countries according to the self-assessed life evaluations by those polled averaged over the years 2022-2024. Country rankings for the three benevolent acts covered by the Gallup World Poll - donating, volunteering, and helping strangers - vary depending on cultural and institutional differences, the authors of the report said. 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 300 schools to have zero admissions this year PTI WASHINGTON War-torn countries happier than India PTI INDORE 30 Naxals, cop killed in 2 encounters in Chh’garh world happiness report LONDON PUNE BHOPAL 4Continued on | P8 PTI UJJAIN Despite SC nod, why 58% quota delay? 4Continued on | P8 NEW DELHI BHOPAL MP HIGH COURT TO STATE GOVT According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B), Section 79(3)(b) mandates online platforms to remove illegal content when directed by either a court order or a government notification. violation of rules. Bhopal Police Commissioner Harinarayanachari Mishra heads the investigation against 135 such law institutes and colleges in Madhya Pradesh who were illegally issuing law degrees to students. Police Commissioner Harinarayanachari Mishra said a probe made it clear that the EDITIONS: MONEY Crime Branch to register FIR against law institute at Jabalpur BHOPAL iii QUALITY @ VALUE India’s GDP to expand by 6.7% in FY25: S&P Global A monstrous crime shook Satna on Thursday as a twoand-a-half-year-old girl was raped by her 26-year-old neighbour, police confirmed. The accused has been arrested. SP Satna, Ashutosh Gupta, revealed that the assault occurred in the Kuldama police station area. The girl’s parents filed a complaint after she returned home crying. They had initially thought she was just upset from playing with the man, whom she called ‘uncle’. DEGREE WITHOUT BCI AFFILIATION ESTD-1983 NEW DELHI 26/11 accused Tahawwur Rana has filed a request with US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to stop his extradition to India. This comes after the US Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan rejected his review petition earlier this month. The application has been distributed to the Supreme Court judges for a conference scheduled for April 4, 2025, according to the details published on the US Supreme Court website. Rana has renewed his application, seeking a stay on his extradition to India. Legendary painter MF Husain's Untitled (Gram Yatra), billed as one of his most important and sizable works from the 1950s, went for USD 13.8 million (over Rs 118 crore) at an auction, setting the new record for the most expensive work of modern Indian art. The sale, which took place at a Christie auction in New York on March 19, nearly doubles the previous record-holder, Amrita Sher-Gil's 1937 "The Story Teller", which fetched around USD 7.4 million (Rs 61.8 crore) at an auction in Mumbai in 2023. Comprising 13 unique pa- nels that occupy almost 14 feet across a single canvas, Gram Yatra, which means 'village pilgrimage', is widely regarded as a cornerstone of Husain's oeuvre, celebrating the diversity and dynamism of a newly independent nation. "We are thrilled to have been a part of setting a new benchmark value for the work of Maqbool Fida Husain and the entire category. This is a landmark moment and continues the extraordinary upward trajectory of the Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art market," Nishad Avari, head of Christie's South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art, said in a statement. 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. 4Continued on | P8 Philippines wants to include India in ‘Squad’ Online Report NEW DELHI Even as the Quad steadily strengthens its hold across the Indo-Pacific region, India may soon consider being a part of another key multilateral alliance that focuses on the South China Sea. The group in question is the 'Squad' - whose members currently include Japan, Australia, the US, and the Philippines. The group now plans to invite India and South Korea to join it. Philippines and Japan, which face challenges with China's growing military presence in the South China Sea, aim to counter Beijing and keep it in check, said General Romeo S. Brawner, the Philippines' Armed Forces chief. Though Squad is still an informal grouping, member states have conducted joint maritime activities in South China Sea for over a year. "Together with Japan and our partners we are trying to expand the squad to include India and probably South Korea," General Brawner said at the Raisina Dialogue - a multilateral conference in New Delhi. The General's comment came as his counterpart from Japan, the chief of the Indian Navy, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, and Australia's chief of Joint Operations were on stage.