MONDAY 03 MARCH 2025 www.thestatesman.com SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR NEW SEBI CHIEF SHARES 4-POINT MARKET MANTRA MAYAWATI RELIEVES NEPHEW OF ALL POSTS P10 P8 ‘Duplicate voter ID numbers does not imply fake voters’ The ECI said it will ensure allotment of unique EPIC number to registered electors Irrespective of the EPIC number, any elector can cast a vote only at their designated polling station in their respective constituency in their State/UT where they are enrolled in the electoral roll and nowhere else, it said. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 2 MARCH T he Election Commission of India on Sunday categorically said duplication in Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) does not imply duplicate or fake voters. The poll panel made the statement while taking cognisance of certain social media posts and media reports flagging the issue of electors of two different states having identical EPIC numbers. In a statement in this regard, the ECI stated that while EPIC numbers of some of the electors may be identical, the other details including demographic details, Assembly constituency and polling booth are different for the electors with the same EPIC number. Irrespective of the EPIC number, any elector can cast a vote only at their designated polling station in their respective constituency in their State/UT where they are enrolled in the electoral roll and nowhere else, it said. The ECI said the allotment of identical EPIC number/series to some electors from different States/UTs was due to a decentralised and manual mechanism being followed prior to shifting of the electoral roll database of all States/UTs to the ERONET platform. This resulted in certain State/UT CEO offices using the same EPIC alphanumeric series and leaving a scope for the possibility of duplicate EPIC numbers being allotted to electors in different Assembly constituencies in different States/UTs, it said. The poll panel, however, said to allay any apprehensions, it has decided to ensure allotment of a unique EPIC number to registered electors. Any case of duplicate EPIC number will be rectified by allotting a unique EPIC number, it said. The ECI said the ERONET Mumbai court orders FIR against ex-Sebi chief Buch, 5 others for stock market fraud STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 2 MARCH A special court in Mumbai has directed the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to register an FIR against former Sebi chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch and five other officials in connection with alleged stock market fraud and regulatory violations. “There is prima facie evidence of regulatory lapses and collusion, requiring a fair and impartial probe,” the special ACB court judge, Shashikant Eknathrao Bangar, said in the order. The order came after Ms Buch's tenure as the regulator's chief came to an end recently. She faced a slew of allegations of impropriety during the final few months of her term. According to reports, the order was issued on the basis of a complaint of lapses in dealing with various irregularities of the stock market. The allegations are related to the fraudulent listing of a company on the stock exchange with the active connivance of regulatory authorities, particularly the Sebi. The complainant claimed that the Sebi officials failed in their statutory duty, facilitated market manipulation, and enabled corporate fraud by allowing the listing of a company that did not meet the prescribed norms. Ms Buch, during her tenure, faced conflict of interest allegations from Hindenburg. The US-based shortseller accused Ms Buch and her husband Dhaval Buch of investing in offshore entities that were allegedly part of a fund structure in which Vinod Adani – the elder brother of Adani group founder chairman Gautam Adani – also had investments. India's first woman Sebi chief, Ms Buch completed her three-year tenure on Friday. Although Ms Buch in her tenure made significant strides in areas like faster settlements in equities, enhanced FPI disclosures and increasing mutual fund penetration through Rs 250 SIP, the last year of her tenure saw heightened controversy, when she battled a series of allegations by Hindenburg and the Congress party, while simultaneously dealing with inhouse employee protests against "toxic work culture". In August last year, Ms Buch faced pressure to resign after Hindenburg Research accused her of having conflict of interest that prevented a thorough examination of manipulation and fraud claims at the Adani Group. 2.0 platform will be updated to aid and assist in this process. The ECI response came days after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of attempting to manipulate the electoral process by adding fake voters from other states. On Saturday, West Bengal's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) dismissed CM Mamata Banerjee's allegations of electoral manipulation, saying that the voter roll update process follows established legal protocols. Death toll in Uttarakhand avalanche reaches eight STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE DEHRADUN, 2 MARCH The death toll in the Chamoli avalanche reached eight as rescuers on Sunday recovered four more bodies near Mana village near the Badrinath shrine. Army personnel engaged in the rescue operations found the body of the last missing worker on Sunday afternoon, hours after day, three more bodies were found earlier in the day. “All 54 persons have now been rescued or recovered. This marks the culmination of the Mana Village Rescue Operation," said Lt Col Manish Shrivastava, PRO (Defence), Dehradun. The search operation resumed on Sunday morning to locate four missing workers believed to be trapped under the snow after an avalanche hit a BRO project site in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on 28 February. 58th edition of The Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally mesmerises Delhiites NIKHIL VYAS/SANTU DAS NEW DELHI, 2 MARCH Indian Oil Corporation Ltd Chairman Arvinder Singh Sahney along with HUDCO Chairman Sanjay Kulshrestha, Special Commissioner of Delhi Police Madhup Tiwari, Joint Commissioner of Police Deepak Purohit and Veedol Corporation Ltd Senior Vice-President Naresh Sharma on Sunday flagged off the muchawaited 58th Edition of The Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally in the national capital, in presence of The Statesman Ltd Chairman RP Gupta, Managing Director Ravindra Kumar, and Director Vineet Gupta. The rally was flagged off from The Statesman House at Barakhamba Road in Delhi at a glittering ceremony. Before flagging off the car Rally, the dignitaries, accompanied by Mr R P Gupta, had a look at the classic beauties and also posed for photographs with their proud owners. Over a hundred cars including classic saloons, luxurious Rolls Royces, Chevrolet Impala, the popular VW Beetle, Jeeps, Land Rover, FIATs among other unique cars were seen in the rally. Aniruddha Mittra, marshal from the panel of judges of the Rally, said that these vehicles are categorised into vintages, classics, post-war ones and others. There were also women participants in the Rally. The Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally is an annual event that takes place in Delhi and Kolkata. It’s one of the oldest continuously run events in India and the sub-continent. Commenced in 1964 in Delhi, the rally was taken to Kolkata in 1968. The 1914 John Morris fire engine, owned by the Rail Museum, smaller vintage and classic cars and outstation cars were among the other highlights of the event. Another key attraction was the women bikers. Soon after the flag-off ceremony, the participating vintage and classic cars headed to JP Hospital, Greater Noida via Mahamaya Underbridge to reach the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium near India Gate. Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Manjinder Singh Sirsa, New Delhi Municipal Council Chairman Keshav Chandra, National Buildings Construction Corporation Chairman KP Mahadevaswamy and Manoj Kumar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Law and Justice were among the other key dignitaries who were present at the prize distribution ceremony, which was held at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium. X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875