SUNDAY www.thestatesman.com 08 MAY 2022 FIND US ONLINE Scan this with your smartphone twitter.com/TheStatesmanLtd facebook.com/thestatesman1875 Pages 12 | `5.00 |LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR MACRON INAUGURATED FOR SECOND 5-YEAR TERM ‘THOSE WHO FIGHT FOR PEOPLE WILL GET TICKETS’ P4 WEATHER MAINLY CLEAR SKY. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 41 AND 24 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max: 81% P10 THUMBNAILS A constable carries her six-month-old daughter during her duty near Hazratganj crossing in ANI Lucknow on Saturday. Delhi court issues bailable warrant against Rujira Banerjee in coal scam case: A court here on Saturday issued a bailable warrant against Rujira Banerjee, the wife of Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee, after she failed to join an Enforcement Directorate investigation despite summons issued by the central agency in a money laundering case related to an alleged coal scam in West Bengal. Within 48 hours, Centre notifies appointment of two judges to SC: The Centre has notified the appointment of Gauhati High Court Chief Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Gujarat High Court judge Justice Jamshed Burjor Pardiwala as judges to the apex court, two days after the Supreme Court Collegium recommended their appointment. SNS Jilted lover may be behind Indore fire STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BHOPAL, 7 MAY The wrath of a jilted lover might have been behind the blaze that cost the lives of seven innocent persons at Indore today, suggest police investigations. Police officials said that CCTV footage pointed towards the incident being that of deliberate arson rather than just an accident. On the basis of CCTV footage evidence, the police identified the suspect as Shubham Dixit alias Sanjay, who is said to be a resident of Jhansi. Police officials said tonight they had registered a case of murder under Section 302 IPC and of setting property afire under Section 436 IPC against Shubham Dixit. Police said the suspect is absconding and teams had been set out to arrest him. Indore Police Commissioner Harinarayan Chari Mishra said today evening that a suspect was seen in the CCTV footage allegedly torching some vehicles parked under the building. The official said that might have led to the fire spreading to the entire building and resulting in the tragedy. Initially police were suspecting that the fire spread due to a short circuit. Mishra said the police have got some clues after scanning the CCTV cameras footage around the building suggesting that a person set afire a vehicle which spread and engulfed the residential complex. The Police Commissioner said police suspect that a person targeted a vehicle in the building parking space due to some love affair. However, he added police were still looking into the leads to unravel the entire issue. The police commissioner's comments came amid some unconfirmed reports that a jilted lover had torched the vehicle of a woman resident of the ill-fated building, who had spurned him. P12 Centre stoutly defends Maha ‘conquers’ Omicron? No cases for past 60 days sedition law in SC Min: 29% Min: 23.8°C (-1) SUN SETS 19:01 hrs MOON SETS 01:24 hrs ‘WARNER HAD DISCIPLINARY ISSUES’ P11 Files affidavit in SC stating the law needed no reconsideration TEMPERATURE Max: 39.4°C (+1) SUN RISES 05:35 hrs MOON RISES 11:16 hrs MAHINDA RAJAPAKSA LIKELY TO RESIGN NEW DELHI, 7 MAY T SNS & AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 7 MAY tutional validity of very same provision,” the Centre told the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court had asked the Centre in its last hearing to make its stand clear in the batch of petitions filed before to challenging the constitutional validity of sedition law falls under 124-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The petitioners in the case challenging the constitutional validity of the Sedition law are: Editors Guild of India (EGI), former MajorGeneral S G Vombatkere, Trinamool Congress (TMC) Member of Parliament- Mahua Moitra, Anil Chamadia, journalist, Patricia Mukhim STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE and many others. The section 124-A (Sedition law) of the IPC deals with any speech that brings or to bring into hatred or contempt or disaffection towards the government established by law in India a criminal offence punishable with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Former Union minister of Information Technology (IT) and veteran journalist, Arun Shourie also moved the Supreme Court in the issue and filed a petition before it and said that sedition law is violative of Articles 14 and 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India. Mohali court issues arrest warrant against Bagga NEW DELHI, 7 MAY STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE CHANDIGARH, 7 MAY ple picked me up, I told them to let me tie my turban. They did not give me the chance to wear the turban and slippers. I was thrown into the vehicle. I was kidnapped by the Punjab police. The local police were also not informed. Nearly 50 policemen came as they do it with a terrorist," he said. "Nearly 10 police vehicles had come which could be seen in the CCTV footage. It is an attempt to give a message that whosoever speaks against Arvind Kejriwal would be the biggest terrorist and not spared," said Bagga. Earlier in April, Bagga had claimed that the Punjab police officials reached his home while he was in Lucknow to arrest him without informing the Delhi police. No delay in NEET PG 2022 exam, letter being circulated fake: Health Ministry AGENCIES CHANDIGARH, 7 MAY The Union Health Ministry on Saturday clarified that the National Eligibility Entrance Test for Postgraduate (NEET PG) 2022 has not been postponed, adding that a letter being circulated in this regard is fake. The Ministry said that the fake letter is being circulated in the name of National Board of Examinations (NBEMS). "The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt of India, has directed that over five thousand interns are ineligible for the exams and due to insufficient time between the counseling of previous NEET PG and exams Thane, who came to Mumbai on November 23 from South Africa via New Delhi, and tested positive on November 27, while his Omicron positive report came on December 4. He was admitted to a hospital India logs 3,805 new Covid cases, 22 deaths Was arrested like a ‘terrorist’: Bagga As Delhi BJP workers staged a protest outside Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence, Delhi BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga on Saturday claimed that the Punjab police had barged into his home in large numbers yesterday and arrested him "as they do it with a terrorist". Notably, Bagga reached his residence in Delhi on the intervening nights of Friday and Saturday after Delhi police brought him back from Haryana where he was en route to Mohali after he was arrested by Punjab Police. Bagga was picked up from his residence in Janakpuri area on Friday, a month after he was booked for his alleged remarks against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the latter's views on the movie "The Kashmir Files". Talking to a news agency on Saturday, Bagga narrated the entire episode of his arrest. "I was not shown any warrant. When nearly eight peo- MUMBAI, 7 MAY In a relief of sorts, Maharashtra has not recorded a single case of the 'Omicron' variant, for the past two months, though Covid-19 infections are again rising gradually, health officials said. On March 6, the state had reported the last 61 Omicron cases - nearly three months after the first one was confirmed on December 4, 2021, sending shockwaves among the health circles. The first victim was a 33-yearold marine engineer of STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE he Central Government today has filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court in the batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of sedition law and stated that the sedition law needed no reconsideration. Filing the affidavit before the Supreme Court, the Central government had said that the judgement in Kedar Nath Singh against State of Bihar is a good law and needs no reconsideration. "We have gone through the entire case. Our reply is this. This judgement in Kedar Nath Singh against State of Bihar is a good law and needs no reconsideration," the Centre stayed in its affidavit filed before the Supreme Court. The affidavit further stated that the judgement must be treated as binding precedent requiring no reference. "A holistic reading of Kedar Nath Singh clearly reveals that the Constitution Bench considered constitutional validity of Section 124-A from perspective of all constitutional principles including test of Article 14, 19, 21 contained in Part III,” the affidavit, further stated, filed before the Supreme Court. The Central government in its affidavit further stated that individual instances of misuse not ground to reconsider Kedar Nath Singh. “No reference, therefore, would be necessary nor can three Judge Bench once again examine consti- SNS & AGENCIES hence conduct of NEET PG 2022 examination scheduled to be held on May 21, 2022 is to be postponed," reads the letter being circulated on social media. It also added that the NEET PG 2022 will commence on July 9. In response to the letter, the Ministry said: "It has come to the notice of NBEMS that some unscrupulous elements are circulating false and bogus information using spoofed notices in the name of NBEMS." It said that all stakeholders have been advised not to be misled by any unverified notice and should cross verify any information regarding NBEMS through its website. In fresh trouble for Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, a Mohali court has issued a warrant of arrest against him. The Court has directed the officer incharge of State Cyber Crime, Mohali, to arrest him and produce him before court. Bagga has been charged under Sections 153-A, 505, 505(2), 506 IPC. The Punjab Police had on Friday arrested Bagga from his residence in Delhi's Janakpuri, but the Delhi police brought him back to the capital from Haryana, saying its Punjab Bagga said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) registered an FIR based against him on the basis of a "trimmed" video from his remarks on a television counterpart did not inform it about the arrest. Bagga was booked on 1 April by the Punjab Police on a complaint of causing instigation, incitement and criminal intimidation by making, publishing provocative, false and communal inflammatory statements through his interview given to media and through his posts on Twitter. The case was registered on a complaint of AAP leader Sunny Ahluwalia, a resident of Mohali. The FIR registered on April 1 referred to Bagga’s remarks on 30 March, when he was part of a BJP youth wing protest outside the residence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. show where he had sought an apology from Kejriwal for his speech on the exodus of Kashmiri pandits in the Delhi Assembly in March. India on Saturday reported 3,805 new Covid cases, a considerable rise against the 3,545 infections registered the previous day, the Union Health Ministry said. In the same period, there were 22 additional Covid fatalities, taking the nationwide death toll to 5,24,024. The active caseload also increased to 20,303 cases, accounting for 0.05 per cent of the country's total positive cases. The recovery of 3,168 patients in the last 24 hours took the cumulative tally to 4,25,54,416. Consequently, India's recovery rate stands at 98.74 per cent. Meanwhile, India's daily positivity rate stood at 0.78 per cent and the weekly positivity rate at 0.79 per cent. Also in the same 24hour period, a total of 4,87,544 tests were conducted across the country, increasing the overall to 84.03 crore. As of Saturday morning, India's Covid-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 190 crore, achieved via 2,35,96,683 sessions. Over 3.01 crore adolescents have been administered with a first dose of Covid-19 jab since the beginning of vaccination drive for this age bracket. in Kalyan-Dombivali and discharged after 11 days of treatment for Omicron. Since then, the state continued to notch regular incidence of Omicron cases with the final tally standing at 5,726, the highest in India. FACT FILE TOTAL CASES 4,30,98,743 ACTIVE CASES 20,303 NEW CASES 3,805 NEW RECOVERIES 3,168 TOTAL DEATHS 5,24,024 UNION HEALTH MINISTRY FIGURES AS OF 8.00 A.M. SATURDAY 07 MAY 2022 Delhi recorded 1,407 fresh cases and two deaths PM: Participate in logo design contest for G20 presidency STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 MAY Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked people to participate in the Logo Design Contest for India’s forthcoming G20 Presidency. Responding to a tweet by the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the PM tweeted: "A special competition that celebrates the creativity of our youth. Do take part in this contest!" India will hold the Presidency of the G20 from 1 December 2022 to 30 November 2023. It will host the G20 Summit in 2023. The G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation that plays an important role in global economic governance. With the G20 Presidency, New Delhi will set the agenda for the meeting. The MEA earlier today announced the launch of a logo design competition, asking for ideas that "uniquely represent Indian G20". Taking to Twitter, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted: "Delighted to announce the launch of a Logo Design Contest for India's forthcoming G20 Presidency. Share with us your idea of what represents a uniquely Indian G20. We are open for entries till 07 June 2022." The G20 Presidency undertakes a wide range of activities to help members discuss and coordinate policy on matters of common interest. The G20 comprises key advanced and emerging economies. The members of the G20 are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union. More Chinese presence in northern sector: Rajnath r ee r e e r e e r STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE 'Due to their (Chinese) proficiency in construction in mountainous areas, they manage to reach different places very quickly' NEW DELHI, 7 MAY Noting that the Chinese presence has increased in the Northern sector in the recent past, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today expressed the government's firm resolve to develop infrastructure in the border areas as part of a comprehensive defence strategy, ''Due to their (Chinese) proficiency in construction in mountainous areas, they manage to reach different places very quickly,'' he pointed out while addressing all ranks of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) on the occasion of the 63rd Raising Day of the organisation. His comments came amid the ongoing military stand-off between India and China in eastern Ladakh. Rajnath called upon the BRO to further enhance its capability through optimum use of technology and strive to strengthen the infrastructure of the border areas at a faster pace. The government, he said, was making all efforts to provide the required support to the BRO to develop border areas. The minister developing border areas would bolster the security apparatus of the country and bring a positive change in the lives of people residing in remote areas. He stated that people's participation was also a key part of the defence strategy. “The more empowered the people of border areas become, the more aware and concerned they will be about the security of those areas. Citizens are the greatest power of a nation. Therefore, with changing times, we are committed to moving forward with the development of our border areas. It is our top priority to provide maximum facilities to those who work round-theclock for our security,” he said. Rajnath lauded the BRO for opening new doors of security and prosperity not just in the areas where it was undertaking a project but for the entire country. Underlining the impor- tance of roads, bridges and tunnels in the progress of a nation, he said the projects completed by the BRO have enhanced the operational preparedness of the armed forces and improved the socio-economic conditions of the people living in farflung areas. “Infrastructure development in border areas is an indicator of the government’s unwavering commitment to building a strong, secure and self-reliant ‘New India’ as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he added. Rajnath highlighted that border areas have emerged as new centres of development and the regions like the North-East were not only developing themselves but have also become a gateway for the all-around progress of the country.