SATURDAY 20 MAY 2023 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC www.thestatesman.com KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR TITANIC TRIBUTE P6 WEATHER MAINLY CLEAR SKY. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 41 & 24 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 78% TEMPERATURE Max: 38.2°C (-2) SUN RISES 05:28 hrs MOON RISES 06:24 hrs P7 P4 Min: 24.4°C (-2) SUN SETS 19:08 hrs MOON SETS 20:02 hrs THUMBNAILS Congress leader Sachin Pilot meets protesting wrestlers in New Delhi on Friday. SUBRATA DUTTA (P2) Union Minister Teni acquitted in 23-year-old y o murder case: Allahabad High Court on Friday upheld the acquittal of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra Teni in the 23-year-old Prabhat Gupta murder case. With this, the bench of Justice Attaur Rahman Masoodi and Justice Om Prakash Shukla dismissed the UP government's appeal against his acquittal (P5) order passed by trial court in 2004. STATESMAN NEW SERVICE TOKYO, 19 MAY SNS & AGENCIES I ndia wants “normal and neighbourly relations” with Pakistan but it is incumbent on Islamabad to create a conducive environment free from terrorism and to take necessary steps, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in an interview with Nikkei Asia. Mr Modi said India wants normal bilateral ties with Pakistan, adding that “it is incumbent upon them to create a conducive environment free from terrorism and hostilities. The onus is on Pakistan to take necessary steps in this regard.” India has repeatedly raised its concern over Pakistan's support to crossborder terrorism and has asserted that terror and talks cannot go together. Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto had attended the SCO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Goa earlier this month but there were no bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. PM Modi's interview to Nikkei Asia, which is part of Nikkei, one of Asia's PM Narendra Modi interacts with members of the Indian ANI diaspora in Hiroshima on Friday. largest independent business media groups, comes ahead of G7 Summit in Japan, happening at a time of increasing global challenges. During the interview, the Prime Minister also answered queries related to ties with China and spoke about India's efforts to amplify the voices and concerns of the Global South. “India is fully prepared and committed to protect its sovereignty and dignity,” PM Modi said. A standoff erupted with China in Eastern Ladakh in the summer of 2020 following actions of the Chinese army and while talks have led to disengagement from some areas, some friction points remain. “Peace and tranquillity in the border areas are essential for normal bilateral ties with China. The future development of India-China relationship can only be based on mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests,” Mr Modi said, noting that "normalising" the ties would benefit the wider region and the world. PM Modi on Friday reached Hiroshima in Japan to attend the G7 Summit. India has been invited as a guest country for the Summit. India has been participating in the G7 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE MUMBAI, 19 MAY The RBI said that citizens will continue to be able to deposit Rs 2000 banknotes into their bank accounts and/or exchange them with banknotes of other denominations at any bank branch up to 30 Sept 2023 was met once banknotes in other denominations became available in adequate quantities. Therefore, the printing of Rs 2000 banknotes was stopped subsequently in 201819, stated the Central bank. About 89 per cent of the Rs 2,000 denomination banknotes were issued prior to March 2017 and are at the end of their estimated life span of four-five years. The total value of these banknotes in circulation has declined from Rs 6.73 lakh crore at its peak as of 31 March 2018 (37.3 per cent of Notes in Circulation) to Rs 3.62 lakh crore constituting only 10.8 per cent of Notes in Circulation on 31 March 2023. “It has also been observed that this denomination is not commonly used for transactions. Further, the stock of banknotes in other denominations continues to be adequate to meet the currency requirement of the public,” the RBI said Friday. “In order to ensure operational convenience and to avoid disruption of regular activities of bank branches, exchange of Rs 2,000 banknotes into banknotes of other denominations can be made upto a limit of Rs 20,000 at a time at any bank starting from May 23, 2023," RBI said. NEW DELHI, 19 MAY Summit since 2003. In a statement before his departure from New Delhi, he said his presence at the G7 Summit there was particularly meaningful as India holds the G20 Presidency this year. “I look forward to exchanging views with the G7 countries and other invited partners on challenges that the world faces and the need to collectively address them. I would also be holding bilateral meetings with some of the leaders attending the Hiroshima G7 Summit,” he added. Asked whether India can play a mediator role in Russia-Ukraine conflict, PM Modi said his country's position on the Ukraine conflict “is clear and unwavering”. “India stands on the side of peace and will remain firmly there. We are committed to supporting those who face challenges in meeting their basic needs, especially in the face of rising costs of food, fuel, and fertilizers. We maintain communication with both Russia and Ukraine,” PM Modi said, adding that "cooperation and collaboration should define our times, not conflict". RBI withdraws `2,000 note from Defence production circulation, to remain legal tender crosses ` 1 L crore The Reserve Bank of India has decided to withdraw the Rs 2,000 denomination banknotes from circulation but they will continue to remain as legal tender. The Central bank has advised banks to stop issuing Rs 2,000 denomination banknotes with immediate effect. The RBI said that citizens will continue to be able to deposit Rs 2000 banknotes into their bank accounts and/or exchange them with banknotes of other denominations at any bank branch up to 30 September 2023. The Rs 2,000 denomination banknote was introduced in November 2016 after the sudden demonetisation of all Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 banknotes in circulation at that time. The banknote was introduced primarily to meet the currency requirement of the economy of the time in an expeditious manner, the RBI stated. The objective of introducing Rs 2000 banknotes The Supreme Courtappointed expert committee constituted to look into the Adani-Hindenburg row has said it would not be possible for it to conclude that there has been a regulatory failure around the allegation of price manipulation. “At this stage, taking into account the explanations provided by SEBI, supported by empirical data, prima facie, it would not be possible for the Committee to conclude that there has been a regulatory failure around the allegation of price manipulation," the expert committee said in its report submitted to the apex court earlier this month. The committee noted that it was submitted by Sebi that while the price of shares of Adani Enterprises Ltd. (AEL) rose, no evident pattern of manipulative contribution to price rise could be attributed to any single entity or group of connected entities. The committee said it is apparent that Sebi was actively engaged with developments and price movements in the market. “It would not be possible to return a finding of regula- SNS & AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 19 MAY ty and competence of eligible chief justices and senior puisne judges of the high courts and also accommodating a plurality of considerations, the collegium finds Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra, Chief Justice, Andhra Pradesh High Court (PHC: Chhattisgarh) to be more deserving and suitable in all respects for being appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India. “The collegium is conscious of the fact that the present Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court who was appointed as a judge on March 31, 2009, is drawn from the parent High Court of Chhattisgarh and ranks senior to Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra. However, having considered all relevant factors, the collegium is of the view that Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra is worthy of appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court." The collegium said at present there is only one member from the Bar directly appointed to the Supreme Court bench, and in their considered opinion, Mr Viswanathan is eminently suitable for being appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court.” Justice Viswanathan was born on 26 May 1966, he would serve as a judge until 25 May 2031. On the retirement of Justice Jamshed Burjor Pardiwala on 11 August 2030, Mr Viswanathan would be in line to assume office as the Chief Justice of India till his retirement. tory failure...since SEBI has an active and working surveillance framework to take notice of high price and volume movements and has applied itself to the data generated by such surveillance, applying objective criteria, to consider if the integrity of the natural price discovery process has been manipulated,” noted the committee. The report said in the case of the Adani stocks, 849 alerts were generated by the system, and were considered by stock exchanges resulting in four reports to Sebi, two well prior to the Hindenburg Report and two after 24 January 2023. “In all the four reports, the stock exchanges considered the factors...and prima facie, found no evidence of any artificiality to the price rise and did not find material to attribute the rise to any single entity or group of connected entities," said the report. It also said that empirical data showed that retail investors' exposure in the group has increased after 24 January 2023, when the Hindenburg report came out. The committee also concluded, based on empirical evidence, that the Indian market as a whole was not "unduly volatile". “The volatility in the Adani stocks was indeed high, which is attributable to the publication of the Hindenburg report and its consequences,” the committee said. The market has re-priced and re-assessed the Adani stocks, it noted. “While they may not have returned to the pre-January 24, 2023 levels, they are stable at the newly re-priced level," the committee added. On 2 March, in the wake of the publication of the Hindenburg report, which led to a sizable wipeout of the Adani Group's market value, the apex court directed capital market regulator SEBI to investigate any violations of securities law by the Adani Group. The Court set up an expert committee on the issue arising from the Hindenburg Research report on Adani Group companies. The committee was headed by former apex court judge Justice AM Sapre. GO VEGAN mark for first time STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 19 MAY The value of defence production in the Financial Year (FY) 2022-23 has crossed the figure of Rs 1 lakh crore for the first time ever due to some of the major initiatives taken by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The value currently stands at Rs 1,06,800 crore and it will go further up once data is received from the remaining private defence industries, the MoD said today. The current value of defence production in FY 2022-23 is an increase of more than 12 per cent over FY 2021-22 when the figure was Rs 95,000 crore. “The government is continuously working with defence industries and their associations to remove the challenges faced by them and promote defence production in the country. A number of policy reforms The value currently stands at Rs 1,06,800 crore and it will go further up once data is received from the remaining private defence industries, the MoD said have been taken to achieve the objective of ease of doing business, including the integration of MSMEs and startups into the supply chain,” a Press note said. Due to these policies, industries, including MSMEs and start-ups, are forthcoming in defence design, development and manufacturing and there is almost a 200 per cent increase in the number of defence licenses issued to the industries in the last 7-8 years by the government. These measures have given a boost to the defence industrial manufacturing ecosystem in the country and generated tremendous employment opportunities. PETA India and Aashray Foundation supporters wear life-size inflatable Dinosaur costumes while holding a sign saying: “Stop Eating to Extinction. Go Vegan!” to make an appeal for the upcoming G20 working group to go vegan, at Horniman Circle Garden, in Mumbai on Friday.  ANI SC gets 2 new judges, apex court Gyanvapi mosque: SC defers at full strength for brief period scientific survey of ‘Shivling’ Andhra Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and senior advocate K.V. Viswanathan were swornin as Supreme Court judges on Friday. The oath of office was administered by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud. With the appointment of two new judges, the apex court's strength rose to 34, which is its sanctioned strength. The appointments were announced by new Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Twitter on Thursday. However, the full strength of the apex court will last only for a brief period. Justices K M Joseph, Ajay Rastogi and V. Ramasubramanian will retire on 17,18 and 30 June respectively. The Supreme Court collegium, in a resolution on Tuesday, said: “After carefully evaluating the merit, integri- P12 Want normal bilateral Adani issue: SC panel says no sign of regulatory failure ties with Pak, says PM Modi says onus is on Islamabad to create a conducive environment Min. 25% KNIGHTS UP AGAINST SUPER GIANTS KCR DISMISSES CONGRESS WIN IN KARNATAKA ‘NO COORDINATION WITH CENTRE’ SNS & AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 19 MAY The Supreme Court on Friday deferred the ‘scientific survey’, including carbon dating, of a ‘shivling’ said to have been found at the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi during a videographic survey last year. A Bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and KV Viswanathan put on hold the carbon dating of the ‘Shivling’saying that the implementation of the directions contained in the Allahabad High Court's order shall stand deferred till the next date of hearing. “Since the implications of the impugned order merit closet scrutiny, the implementation of the directions concerned in the order shall stand deferred till the next date,” said the Bench. The Bench also issued notice to the Centre and Uttar Pradesh government on the appeal of the Gyanvapi mosque management committee against the High Court's recent order for scientific investigation by ASI to determine the age of the purported ‘Shivling’. Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, appearing for the Gyanvapi mosque management committee, told the bench that the carbon dating and the survey will commence on Monday. Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, appearing for the State of Uttar Pradesh, submitted that there should be no damage to the structure which one side claims is a ‘Shivling’ and the other calls a fountain. Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, appearing for the Hindu petitioners in the case, said that experts of the ASI have already informed that no damage will be caused to the structure. A structure ~ claimed to be a ‘Shivling’ by the Hindu side and a ‘fountain’ by the Muslim side ~ was found in the mosque premises on 16 May last year during a court-mandated survey of the mosque located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple. The High Court on 12 May set aside the Varanasi District judge's order which had rejected the application for a scientific survey and carbon dating of the "Shivling" on 14 October 2022. The High Court directed the Varanasi District judge to proceed, in accordance with the law, on the application by the Hindu worshippers for conducting a scientific probe of the "Shivling". Petitioners Laxmi Devi and three others had filed a plea in the High Court, challenging the lower court’s order. Cong invites 19 like-minded parties for K’taka swearing-in SNS & AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 19 MAY The Congress had sent out invites for its Karnataka government's swearing-in ceremony to 19 like-minded parties, while it has left out 10 parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) among others. The Congress had triumphed in Karnataka by winning 135 out of 224 seats in the southern state while the ruling BJP was reduced to 66 seats. According to party sources, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge sent invitations to 19 parties to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the party's government in Bengaluru on May 20. The party source said that Kharge had sent invites to the Farooq Abdullah-led National Conference, Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP, Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party, Jayant Chaudhary-led RLD, Hoardings of Karnataka CMdesignate Siddaramaiah are put up on the eve of his oathtaking ceremony, at Sri Kanteerava Outdoor Stadium, in Bengaluru on Friday.  ANI Janata Dal-United, Rashtriya Janata Dal, the CPI-ML, the CPI-M, the CPI, the Trinamul Congress, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, the Shiv Sena-UBT, the DMK, the MDMK, the NCP, Tamil Nadu-based VCK, Kerala Congress, the IUML, and the RSP. The source said that the party has not invited Mayawati's BSP for the swearing in ceremony.