FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 16 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA LC | NEW DELHI | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR | LUCKNOW | Golden Boot race heats up as Harry Kane, Erling Haaland close in on Kylian Mbappe, Messi at top Page 11 Page 16 WORLD Page 9 India, Japan unveil ambitious roadmap, PM Modi, Takaichi deepen strategic ties SHAHID K ABBAS IN A WARM PERSONAL GESTURE, MR MODI REFERRED TO PM TAKAICHI AS HIS ‘YOUNGER SISTER’ AS HE WELCOMED HER TO INDIA. New Delhi, 2 July I ndia and Japan on Thursday unveiled an ambitious new roadmap to significantly deepen their Special Strategic and Global Partnership. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced a series of landmark initiatives spanning artificial intelligence, defence co-development, economic security, clean energy, semi-conductors and next-generation mobility during the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit in New Delhi. Following wide-ranging bilateral talks at Hyderabad House, the two leaders adopted three major strategic documents ~ a Joint Declaration on Economic Security, a Joint Statement on Cooperation in the Field of Artificial Intelligence, and a Joint Statement on Energy Resilience ~ while witnessing the exchange of several agreements and memoranda of understanding covering defence, clean energy, critical technologies, research and development, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and resilient supply chains. Addressing a joint Press conference, PM Modi said the India-Japan partnership had become a model of trust and stability in an increasingly uncertain global environment. “At a time when the world is passing through uncertainty and rapid geopolitical changes, mutual trust is India’s and Japan’s greatest strategic asset. Our partnership has fully stood the test of time and emerged as an important pillar for global peace, progress and stability,” he added. In a warm personal gesture, Mr Modi referred to PM Takaichi ECI seeks responses from Mamata, Ritabrata over rival claims in TMC STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 2 July The Election Commission of India on Thursday sought responses from rival factions of the All India Trinamul Congress over competing claims concerning the party's organisational elections and authorised signatories, signalling the poll body’s intervention in the internal dispute. In a Press note, the Commission said it has written separate letters to former West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee and party leader Ritabrata Banerjee regarding the “claims and counter claims by both factions with respect to organisational elections/ authorised signatories of All India Trinamul Congress.” The Commission said both sides have been directed to submit their responses by 5.30 p.m. on Monday, 6 July 2026. The development comes amid a dispute within the Trinamul Congress over the party’s organisational structure and the authority to act on its behalf before the Election Commission. Such disputes are governed by the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, under which the Commission examines rival claims, supporting documents and submissions from the contending factions before taking a decision, where necessary. The ECI has not expressed any view on the merits of the rival claims and has sought written responses from both factions before proceeding further in the matter. as his “younger sister” as he welcomed her on her first official visit to India. He congratulated her on becoming Japan’s first woman Prime Minister and noted that she hails from Nara Prefecture, a historic centre of the shared Buddhist heritage linking the two countries. Recalling his remarks at the recent G7 Summit, Mr Modi said mutual trust had become the most valuable strategic asset in today’s volatile geopolitical landscape, adding that India and Japan had consistently demonstrated the strength of that trust over several decades. He said Japan had played a pivotal role in India’s development journey ~ from automobiles and electronics to infrastructure and manufacturing ~ and that Petrol, diesel price reduction not feasible now: Hardeep Puri New Delhi: Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Thursday said there is no justification for lowering retail fuel prices at this stage. Addressing the issue of fuel pricing, Mr Puri said petrol and diesel prices have remained largely stable despite significant fluctuations in global crude oil markets. He noted that petrol prices have increased by only 5.58 per cent over the past four years, while diesel prices have risen by 6.23 per cent during the same period. The minister said state-run oil marketing companies (OMCs) are still recovering cumulative under-recoveries of around Rs 2.18 lakh crore. SC calls for zero-tolerance for AI-generated, non-existent or hallucinated material during adjudicatory process PARMOD KUMAR New Delhi, 2 July Underscoring its resolve to adopt Artificial Intelligence (AI) in aid of the adjudicatory process while retaining complete human control at every stage of adjudication, the Supreme Court on Thursday called for a zero-tolerance policy towards the production, citation or reliance upon AI-generated fake, non-existent or hallucinated material without verification. The court declared that any decision tainted even by an iota of such material would be liable to be set aside as it strikes at the very sanctity and integrity of the judicial process. Terming the citation of such fabricated precedents without verification as professional misconduct on the part of an advocate, a Bench of Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe, in a judgment delivered on Thursday, said that judicial reliance on such material would amount to an equally serious lapse. “It is necessary for Courts to adopt a zero-tolerance mode for producing, citing or using AI-generated precedents without verification. It is a misconduct on the part of an advocate to cite such judgments without verification. Equally, it is a serious lapse if a judge relies on such a fake or hallucinated AIgenerated material as precedents in support of the determination”, the judgment said. The observations came while setting aside the judgments of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) and the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) after finding that the Tribunal had relied upon a non-existent AI-generated precedent as though it were a genuine Friday, 03 July 2026 Iran warns oil tankers to use approved routes in Hormuz Pakistan’s water woes precede IWT abeyance Digital dividend Page 8 | SPORTS PERSPECTIVE EDITORIAL SILIGURI judicial authority. The Court held that such orders could not be sustained as they undermined the integrity of the adjudicatory process. The Court emphasised that adjudication must always remain under “a human in the loop at every stage.” “More than the inevitable consequence of setting aside such judgments, what is significant for our decisionmaking is our resolve to adopt AI technology in aid of adjudication, while at the same time asserting and declaring total and absolute control over adjudication, with a human in the loop at every stage,” the judgment said. Declaring a zero-tolerance approach for both the Bar and the Bench in relation to the presentation or reliance upon fake or hallucinated material as if it were a court precedent, the Court observed that advocates are duty-bound to verify every precedent before citing it and judges must equally ensure that the authorities relied upon are genuine. The Court held that any judgment founded, even to a minimal extent, on fake or hallucinated AI-generated material is “no decision in the eyes of law” and is liable to be set aside, irrespective of whether such material directly or indirectly influenced the outcome. PM Takaichi’s visit marked the beginning of a new chapter in the bilateral partnership. Positioning technology at the centre of future cooperation, PM Modi announced a Joint Statement on Artificial Intelligence, saying AI would become the strongest pillar of bilateral collaboration. “Technology partnership will become the strongest pillar of our cooperation in the coming years. Today, we have adopted a Joint Statement on Artificial Intelligence, which will open new avenues of collaboration between our innovation ecosystems,” he said. Several leading institutions from India’s AI ecosystem also signed agreements with Japanese counterparts, with Mr Modi saying the combination of Japan’s precision engineering and India’s software capabilities would provide new momentum to global AI development. (Photo by Subrata Dutta) • Related reports: Page 5 Govt sets up panels to draft investment white paper, attract new businesses STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Nod for UCC Bill review panel Kolkata, 2 July The West Bengal Cabinet today constituted two high-level committees to prepare separate white papers on investment and promote Bengal as a business destination. The decisions were taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at the state secretariat, Nabanna. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Agnimitra Paul said a fivemember Cabinet committee headed by Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta had been constituted to prepare the investment white paper. which would present a comprehensive account of funds received by the state, particularly from the Centre. The whtie paper would identify the sectors that had attracted investment and detail the employment generated through those projects. The document would be placed in the public domain to promote transparency and provide a clearer picture of the state’s investment landscape. She said a separate Cabinet Committee on Investment, chaired by Industry Minister Tapas Roy, has also been formed to focus on attracting big ticket industrialists to the state, including Kolkata. “We don't want to focus on negative aspects. We want to attract investments and move ahead with positivity. Last 15 years have been mired in corruption. Investigations will take place but whether these committees will probe corruption has not been decided in the Cabinet yet,” Ms Paul said. She said the Investment Committee would work to Kolkata: The West Bengal Cabinet on Thursday cleared the setting up of a committee headed by retired Supreme Court justice Ranjana Prakash Desai to scrutinise the draft Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill. Briefing mediapersons, state minister Agnimitra Paul said the panel has been given a four-week time frame to scan the draft law. Based on the recommendations of the committee, the draft legislation would be introduced in the state Assembly, she said. attract greater domestic and overseas investment, adding that investors from across the world were keen to invest in Bengal but the state had lagged behind in attracting investment in recent years. • Related report: Page 2