THURSDAY 14 AUGUST 2025 www.thestatesman.com Pages 16 |` 5.00 | LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR INDIA-SINGAPORE TIES: JAISHANKAR PITCHES FOR GOVT-INDUSTRY SYNERGY ‘RAHUL SILENT ON VOTE CHORI IN ANDHRA, IN CAHOOTS WITH NAIDU’ P6 SENSEX 80,539.91 p304.31 WEATHER Generally cloudy sky. Light to moderate rain/ thundershower likely to occur. RAINFALL: 008.6 mm P5 NIFTY 24,619.35 p131.95 Min. 63% ODI RANKINGS: ROHIT OVERTAKES BABAR P11 ` vs $ 87.42 GOLD `1,02,980 New SC bench to hear stray dog issue afresh CJI B R Gavai constituted the three-judge bench to examine the issue in view of conflicting directions from the top court RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 92% USA DEFENDS TRUMP’S OUTREACH TO PAKISTAN P16 SILVER `1,15,000 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 65.02 Jaishankar to visit Moscow, Chinese FM coming to India next week STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 14 AUGUST TEMPERATURE Max: 34.2˚C (+1.8) Min: 28.2˚C (+1.4) PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 13 AUGUST SUN RISES 05:13 hrs MOON RISES 20:52 hrs SUN SETS 18:10 hrs MOON SETS 08:51 hrs New Moon on 23 August THUMBNAILS Special Operations Group (SOG) personnel during full dress reherasals ahead of the 79th Independence Day celebrations, in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday. nANI Finance Ministry issues corrigendum to correct error in I-T Bill: The Finance Ministry has issued a corrigendum to correct a drafting error in the newly introduced Income Tax Bill, 2025 clarifying on the penal interest on shortfalls in advance tax payments. The amendment clarifies that penal interest on shortfalls in advance tax payments remains unchanged at 3 per cent per quarter with 1 per cent per month for three months. A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court will on Thursday hear afresh the contentious issue of regulation of stray dogs in view of confliction directions issued by two different benches of the court on the matter ~ one in May 2024 and another on 11 August 2025. Chief Justice of India B R Gavai constituted a special bench of Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sandeep Mehta and Justice N V Anjaria following a mentioning by advocate Nanita Sharma, representing NGO Conference for Human Rights (India), pointing out the conflicting orders. Ms Sharma pointed out the divergence between a May 2024 order of Justice J K Maheshwari and Justice Sanjay Karol ~ which prohibited indiscriminate killing and mandated compassion in line with existing laws ~ and the recent order Congress’ ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar from 17 August: Venugopal STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 13 AUGUST Congress general secretary KC Venugopal announced Wednesday that his party would launch a massive "Vote Adhikar Yatra" in Bihar on 17 August. "The fight to protect our democracy will take place on the streets! Starting August 17th, LOP Shri @RahulGandhi ji and INDIA parties will embark on a massive Vote Adhikar Yatra across Bihar," Venugopal said in a post shared on social media platform X. The yatra, led by Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi along with leaders from INDIA bloc parties, aims to protest against the alleged manipulation of electoral rolls through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Mr Venugopal said he has met INDIA bloc leaders in Sasaram to assess preparations and coordination for the yatra, which will take place in Bihar to raise awareness and build public opinion against the alleged vote manipulation. The Congress party has been actively protesting against the alleged vote manipulation, with plans to organize various programs, including rallies and signature campaigns. The party aims to make the battle against "Vote Chori" a mass movement, mobilizing public support and demanding accountability from the Election Commission. The Congress-led Opposition’s protest assumes significance in the wake of the upcoming assembly polls in the state. The Opposition claims that the SIR drive is being used selectively and disproportionately, targeting vulnerable sections of society, and potentially leading to large-scale voter list deletions. The Election Commission of India, however, maintained that the SIR drive is a routine process aimed at cleaning up electoral rolls by removing duplicate or fake voters. of Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan directing the authorities in Delhi-NCR to remove all stray dogs from public spaces within eight weeks, house them in shelters, and bar their release back to the streets. The May 2024 ruling relegated stray dog cases to High Courts, stressing that “under all circumstances, there cannot be any indiscriminate killings of canines,” while the 11 August order, issued in suo motu proceedings over rabies-related deaths, called the menace “very disturbing and alarming” and warned of contempt action against anyone ~ individual or organisation ~ obstructing roundingup drives. Authorities were told to prioritise vulnerable localities, create dedicated forces if necessary, and ensure shelters are adequately staffed for sterilisation and vaccination. Issuing a clarification on its 11 August order, the bench of Justice Pardiwala and Justice Mahadevan said its directions were the product of two decades of documented failure by authorities to tackle a public safety threat, not “momentary impulse.” Stressing that the move was in the interest of both humans and animals, the bench noted alarming bite statistics ~ over 37 lakh cases nationwide and 25,201 in Delhi ~ and said the exercise must be humane, with no overcrowding, adequate food, medical care, and adoption permitted only under the Animal Welfare Board’s 2022 protocol. It said that the directions given by it, as a court which functions for the welfare of the people, are both in the interest of humans as well as dogs. "This is not personal," it said. The Court highlighted the vulnerability of visually impaired persons, children, elderly people, and homeless individuals to dog attacks, and said coexistence cannot mean one’s life at the cost of another. It also noted that rabies carriers cannot be visually distinguished from other dogs, complicating selective removal. Several protests took place across the country on Tuesday following the bench’s directive. Expanding number of documents accepted as ID proof is voter friendly: SC in Bihar SIR case STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 13 AUGUST The Supreme Court on Wednesday observed that the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) move to expand the list of documents acceptable as proof of citizenship from seven to eleven for the Bihar Special Intensive Revision (SIR) makes the process more voter-friendly. A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said that asking for only one document would be antivoter, but allowing multiple options benefits electors. “They have expanded the number of documents… it is now 11 instead of 7 by which you can identify yourself as a citizen,” Justice Bagchi noted. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, however, criticised the list, calling it “nothing but a house of cards,” arguing that several of the new documents ~ such as passports, land records, or residents’ ptoof ~ had neg- ligible coverage in Bihar. He emphasised that Aadhaar had the highest reach, but was not being accepted as conclusive proof. “You have given 11 documents and 3 of these… are empty without notice. The other 2 are doubtful,” he said stating “So this impressive list of 11 is nothing but a house of cards.” Appearing for one of the petitioners challenging the SIR, advocate Prashant Bhushan alleged irregularities in the SIR process, claiming booth-level officers filled and signed enumeration forms on behalf of voters, leading to wrongful inclusions and exclusions. He also said the ECI made the draft elec- toral roll non-searchable after a press conference by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on bogus voters. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, for NGO Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), argued that the enumeration form used in the SIR had “no basis in law” and that voters were being removed without due process. He sought a stay on the exercise, warning that West Bengal had also received a similar SIR notice without state consultation. The Bench, however, observed that electoral rolls cannot remain static and require periodic revision. The current dispute stems from the ECI’s 24 June 2025 SIR order for Bihar, aimed at cleansing electoral rolls ahead of state polls. The directive mirrors the Citizenship Act, 1955 in requiring birth-based proof of citizenship and excludes Aadhaar as conclusive proof PM Modi to lead 79th I-Day celebrations with ‘Naya Bharat’ theme STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 13 AUGUST Prime Minister Narendra Modi will spearhead the 79th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort on Friday, where he will unfurl the national flag and address the nation. This year’s celebrations will reflect the theme ‘Naya Bharat’, celebrating the country’s transformative journey through inclusive development, technological advancement, and national pride. Around 5,000 special guests from across the country including achievers in sports, agriculture, entrepreneurship, and social development, have been invited to witness the event at Red Fort. The special invitees include medal winners from the Special Olympics 2025, champions of the Khelo India Para Games, outstanding farmers, entrepreneurs from tribal and SC/ST communities, youth authors, Anganwadi workers, Swachhta workers, and My Bharat volunteers, among many others. According to a statement from the Ministry of Defence, Prime Minister Modi will be received at the Red Fort by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh. He will be for- mally welcomed by Lieutenant General Bhavnish Kumar, General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area, who will lead him to the saluting base where a combined Guard of Honour will be presented. This year, the Indian Air Force is the coordinating service for the ceremonial proceedings. The Guard of Honour will include 96 personnel, comprising contingents from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Delhi Police, led by Wing Commander AS Sekhon. The respective contingents will be commanded by Major Arjun Singh (Army), Lt Commander Komaldeep Singh (Navy), Squadron Leader Rajan Arora (Air Force), and Additional DCP Rohit Rajbir Singh (Delhi Police). Following the inspection, the Prime Minister will ascend the ramparts of the Red Fort, greeted by the Chiefs of the three Services and the Chief of Defence Staff. The national flag will be hoisted by the Prime Minister, assisted by Flying Officer Rashika Sharma, in synchrony with a 21-gun salute fired by the 1721 Field Battery (Ceremonial), using indigenous 105mm Light Field Guns under the command of Major Pawan Singh Shekhawat. As the Tricolour is raised, flower petals will be showered over the venue by two Indian Air Force Mi-17 helicopters, led by Wing Commanders Vinay Poonia and Aditya Jaiswal. One of the helicopters will display the national flag, while the other will carry a flag symbolising ‘Operation Sindoor’, India’s recent military success that will be a key feature of this year’s celebrations. In a strong visual tribute, Operation Sindoor's logo will appear on view cutters, floral decorations, and even on official invitation cards, which also carry a watermark of the Chenab Bridge, representing the rise of a new and modern India. President Murmu to address nation: President Droupadi Murmu will address the nation on Thursday on the eve of Independence Day. According to a press communique from the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the address will be broadcast from 7 p.m. on the national network of Akashvani and telecast over all channels of Doordarshan in Hindi followed by the English version. Broadcast of the address in Hindi and English on Doordarshan will be followed by broadcast in regional languages by regional channels of Doordarshan. Akashvani will broadcast regional language versions at 9.30 p.m. on its regional networks. Against the backdrop of tensions in trade ties with the USA, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on 21 August during which the two leaders will discuss key issues on the bilateral agenda between India and Russia. Mr. Jaishankar’s visit is part of the preparatory consultation for the next Russia-India annual summit for which President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit India later this year. His trip follows National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval's recent visit to Moscow, where he met Mr Putin, Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov and Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu. Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is set to visit India on 18 August for talks under the Special Representative mechanism, reports indicated on Wednesday. The visit is scheduled to take place shortly before Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit scheduled to take place at Tianjin later this month. Mr Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to meet at the SCO summit. According to sources, the Chinese Foreign Minister is expected to take part in SR (Special Representative)-level talks. National Security Advisor Doval serves as the special representative for India. Savarkar case: Rahul tells court that he faces threat to his life STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE MUMBAI, 13 AUGUST Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi told a Pune court on Wednesday that he faces a threat to life due to his recent political battles and the lineage of the complainant Satyaki Savarkar in the defamation case against him. Rahul Gandhi urged the special MP/MLA court, which is hearing a defamation case, to take judicial notice of what he has described as “grave apprehensions” to his safety and to the fairness of proceedings in the case. "Given the documented history of violent and anticonstitutional tendencies linked to the complainant’s (Satyaki Savarkar's) lineage, there exists a clear, reason- able, and substantial apprehension that Rahul Gandhi may face harm, wrongful implication, or other forms of targetting,” Rahul Gandhi's lawyer made a submission before the court. “In view of the grave history associated with such lineage, the defence harbours a genuine and reasonable apprehension that history must not be permitted to repeat itself,” the submission stated. However, the late Vinayak Damodar Savarkar's grand nephew Satyaki Savarkar stated that Rahul Gandhi's statement "is frivolous, and filed with the intention of delaying the trial". "The facts mentioned in the application by Rahul Gandhi have nothing to do with the present case," Satyaki Savarkar told media persons in Pune on Wednesday.