WEDNESDAY 14 MAY 2025 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR AP HIGH IN BUYING GOLD, LOW IN REVENUE GROWTH: NAIDU JAIRAM LEADS CONG ATTEMPT TO TAKE CREDIT FOR BrahMos GLORY P8 P5 SENSEX 81,148.22 q1,281.68 WEATHER PARTLY CLOUDY SKY. SUSTAINED SURFACE WINDS (SPEED 15-25 KMPH) OCCASIONALLY GUSTING TO 35 KMPH. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 40 AND 28 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: 000.2 Mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 57 % TEMPERATURE Max: 40.2 °C (0.7) SUN RISES 05:31 hrs MOON RISES 20:52 hrs NIFTY 24,578.35 q346.35 ` vs $ 85.34 ‘CEASEFIRE AT RISK IF INDIA KEEPS IWT SUSPENSION’ P9 GOLD `97,190 Min: 27.7 °C (+2.3) SUN SETS 19:04 hrs MOON SETS 06:58 hrs THUMBNAILS Students make their way to schools as the administration reopens educational centres following the ceasefire between India and Pakistan in Srinagar on Tuesday. nANI Pakistani official declared persona non grata, told to leave India within 24 hours: India on Tuesday declared a Pakistani official, working at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, as persona non grata for indulging in activities not in keeping with his official status in India, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). "The Government of India has declared a Pakistani official, working at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, persona non grata for indulging in activities not in keeping with his official status in India. The official has been asked to leave India within 24 hours. Charge d’ Affaires, Pakistan High Commission, was issued a demarche to this effect today," read a short statement issued by the MEA. P12 SILVER `97,900 PM’s visit was ‘highly confidential’; district civil & police administration were not informed Refuting the fake claims being circulated by Pakistan about destruction of S-400 and Adampur air force base, Russian made Mig-29 S-400 missile systems were displayed prominently in the pictures shared by the Prime Minister during his visit to the Adampur Air Force Station. NEW DELHI, 13 MAY S ending a strong message that the country would not bow down to threats of terrorism and nuclear attacks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dubbed Operation Sindoor as “the new normal for India.” Giving the powerful statement during visit to the Adampur based Indian Air Force base, the PM said that the operation has not ended and it will be a continuing and decisive action against state-sponsored terror attacks on Indian citizens. In his maiden visit to a military base post the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, Modi visited the AF station located near Jalandhar, Punjab, in a highly secret visit today. As per the reports, Modi landed at the base at 0615 Hrs and spent precisely 50 minutes interacting with the troops and senior officials based there. The visit is being perceived as a message to snub the rumours being circulated as part of Pakistan’s information warfare, about the damage to the base in the aerial strikes and boosting the morale of the troops in the station. In his address, Modi said that Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, to avenge the killings of 26 tourists killed in Pahalgam terror attack, wasn’t just any ordinary move by the Indian defence forces and showed India’s resolve to turn into action, for the whole world to witness. “Operation Sindoor's echo is everywhere. It is not any ordinary act. Operation Sindoor shows our decisive and resolute policy. We will not see terrorists and the government separately. The world has seen how Pakistan's army officers attended the funeral of terrorists. This is big evidence of state-sponsored terrorism,” Modi said. “We will take strong steps to protect India. Operation Sindoor has written history. We displayed our strength in the desert, mountains and showed our potential in new-age warfare,” he added. Highlighting that Pakistan used its civil and commercial airlines as a shield while launching air strikes against India, the Prime Minister said, “Our aim was to hit terror headquarters in Pakistan. But, Pakistan used their civilian aircraft as shields. I am proud of our forces for you responded to Pakistan without any harm to these aircraft.” Asserting that India "will not tolerate any nuclear blackmail" and "will strike precisely and decisively at the terrorist hideouts developing under the cover of nuclear blackmail, Modi said that the ones who dared to challenge us faced the might of our soldiers. “Nine terror hideouts were destroyed. Over 100 terrorists were eliminated. Their leaders now understand--raising eyes towards India only invites ruin," he added. Evoking lines dedicated to Maharana Pratap's horse Chetak, "Kaushal dikhlaya chaalo mai, udd gaya bhayanak bhalo mai, nirbheek gaya vo dhalo mai, sarpat dauda karwalo mai," Modi said, "These words were written for Chetak, but they resonate just as powerfully with the precision and bravery embodied in our modern weapons today." "When our drones destroy the walls of the enemy's fort, when our missiles reach the target with a whizzing sound, the enemy hears 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'. When we light up the sun even at night, the enemy sees 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'. When our armies blow away the threat of nuclear blackmail, then only one thing resonates from the sky- 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'. All of you have made millions of Indians proud, have made every Indian's mother proud, you have created history, and I have come among you this morning to see you," he said. Speaking about the air strikes carried out targeting the India airbased, the Prime Minister said, "Rattled with Operation Sindoor, the enemy tried to attack this air base and several of our other air bases multiple times. They targeted us again and again but the nefarious designs of Pakistan failed each time.” "I can proudly say that all of you reached your target with perfection. In Pakistan, it was not just the terrorist camps and their air bases that were destroyed, but their nefarious designs and audacity were also defeated," he added. Meanwhile Jalandhar deputy commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal said that the PM’s visit was “highly confidential” and district civil and police administration were not aware about it. ‘IWT will remain on hold until Pak stops support to cross-border terrorism’ NIKHIL VYAS NEW DELHI, 13 MAY India on Tuesday asserted that there is no change in its position to keep the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism. Addressing the weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "After the CCS (Cabinet Committee on Security) decision, the Indus Water Treaty has been put in abeyance." "I would also like to take you back a little. The IWT was concluded in the spirit of goodwill and friendship as specified in the preamble of the treaty. However, Pakistan has held these principles in abeyance Defence Minister Rajnath Singh holds ECI resolves similar EPIC security review after ceasefire talks number issue; error rectified STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 13 MAY A day after the Director Generals of Military Operation of India and Pakistan had a talk about the ceasefire following the launch of Operation Sindoor against terrorism, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting with the Tri services chiefs to review the ongoing security situation, here today. The high-level meeting was held at South Block, here today. As per the reports, the discussion centred around continuing with the high watch even as Pakistan has agreed to ceasefire. On Monday night a streak of drones was spotted in Samba, Jammu and Kashmir, clearly indicating Pakistan’s failure to hold on to their end of agreement. The closed-door meeting saw the Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari, in attendance. Earlier, in a message posted on X, Singh spoke about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation carried out on late Monday evening. “In his address to the nation today, Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi has put India's policy against terrorism before the whole world with great clarity and firmness. His address is not only an expression of India's sentiment, but it is also a presentation of our country's military, diplomatic and moral strength,” he wrote. “The Prime Minister has also made it clear that if there will be any talks with Pakistan in the future, then the talks will be only on terrorism and POK. He has also openly praised the valour and courage of the Indian forces during #OperationSindoor. The whole country is proud of the Indian forces. I thank the Prime Minister for his strong leadership,” he went on to add. NEW DELHI, 13 MAY To sanitize and update electoral rolls, the Election Commission of India has resolved a nearly 20-year-old legacy issue of similar Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) numbers erroneously issued to genuine electors due to similar series used by different EROs in such cases since 2005, sources said. According to the sources, to resolve this long-pending issue, the entire electoral database of over 99-crore electors was searched by CEOs of all the 36 states/Union Territories and the EROs of all the 4123 Assembly constituencies across the country in all the 10.50 lakh polling stations. On an average, there are about 1,000 electors per polling station, and the number of similar EPIC numbers found were miniscule, that is, averaging to around 1(one) in 4 (four) polling stations. The sources further said that during the field level verification, it was found that holders of such similar EPIC numbers were genuine electors in different assembly constituencies and polling stations. Accordingly, all such elec- tors have since been issued new EPIC cards with new numbers. The origin of the issue has been traced from the year 2005, when various states and union territories were using assembly constituency-wise different alphanumeric series in a decentralised manner. The sources said that these series had to be changed again in 2008, after delimitation of the constituencies. However, during this period, some ACs erroneously continued to use either the old series or because of typographic errors they used the series allotted to some other constituencies. Every voter’s name is in the electoral roll of the Polling station where she or he is an ordinary resident. Chief Justice-designate BR Gavai’s inspiring journey CJI Sanjiv Khanna says no to post-retirement govt assignments PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 13 MAY STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 13 MAY Chief Justice of India, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who demitted office on Tuesday, made it clear that he would not accept any post-retirement position offered by the government — a statement underscoring the institutional integrity he has come to be known for. Speaking informally to a group of journalists on his final day in office, CJI Khanna said, “I will not take any postretirement government assignment. I may do something related to law.” Justice Khanna also briefly spoke about the controversy involving Justice Yashwant Varma, in whose official residence unaccounted cash was allegedly discovered after a BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 65.66 Terror & nuclear blackmail will be met with force: PM PARWINDER SANDHU Min. 30 % AUSTRALIA, SA REVEAL SQUADS FOR WTC FINAL fire broke out on March 14, 2025. Responding to queries, he said, “Judicial thinking has to be decisive and adjudicatory… we see the plus and minus and decide them rationally. The future tells you whether what you did was correct.” CJI Khanna, as per the inhouse procedure, had forwarded the report of the threemember inquiry committee — which indicted Justice Varma — to the President and the Prime Minister of India, along with Justice Varma’s response. The outgoing Chief Justice was given a warm ceremonial farewell in Court No. 1, where Justice BR Gavai — the Chief Justice-designate — and Justice PV Sanjay Kumar sat with him on the bench. Senior members of the Bar and the Bench paid rich tributes to CJI Khanna’s jurisprudential legacy, judicial discipline, and moral clarity. Justice Gavai described Justice Khanna as a “gentleman to the core”, noting that his decisions were “marked by clarity, deep reasoning, and unwavering sensitivity to human rights.” He further said, “The decision to upload assets and liabilities of judges is a reflection of his commitment to transparency. His calm demeanour, clarity of thought, and humility have made a lasting mark.” With the retirement of Chief Justice of India, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai is all set to take over as the 52nd Chief Justice of India on Wednesday, May 14. He will be only the second Dalit to occupy the top judicial post, after Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, who served as CJI from January 14, 2007 to May 12, 2010. Justice Gavai’s elevation holds profound symbolic significance for many across India. Coming from a humble background in a semi-slum area of Amravati, Maharashtra, Justice Gavai’s life story is one of perseverance, integrity, and constitutional idealism. In a recent address on April 14, 2025—Ambedkar Jayanti—Justice Gavai remarked: “It is solely due to Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s efforts that someone like me, who studied in a municipal school in a semi-slum area, could attain this position.” His deep admiration for Dr. Ambedkar is evident not just in words but in the philosophy that guides his jurisprudence. Justice Gavai has described the Indian Constitution as ‘Bhimsmriti’, underlining its role as a social revolution for the marginalised. Born on November 24, 1960, Justice Gavai completed his graduation in social sciences and pursued law at Nagpur University. After enrolling at the Bar in 1985, he initially worked under the late Bar. Raja S. Bhonsale, a former Advocate General of Maharashtra and Judge of the Bombay High Court. From 1987 to 1990, he practiced independently before shifting primarily to the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court, focusing on constitutional and administrative law. He served as Standing Counsel for several public bodies including Nagpur and Amravati Municipal Corpo- rations, and Amravati University, besides regularly appearing for public sector undertakings such as SICOM and DCVL. Justice Gavai was appointed Assistant Government Pleader and Additional Public Prosecutor in 1992, and was elevated to Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor in January 2000. He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court on November 14, 2003, and became a Permanent Judge on November 12, 2005. Justice Gavai was elevated to the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019, and will retire on November 23, 2025. In his nearly six-year tenure at the top court, he has authored over 300 judgments, including on matters of constitutional law, civil rights, criminal law, and public accountability. by its promotion of crossborder terrorism for several decades now," he said. "Now as per the CCS decision, India will keep the treaty in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism. Please note that climate change, demographic shifts and technological changes have created new realities on ground as well," Jaiswal said. The MEA spokesperson's comments came even as Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said that the ceasefire between India and Pakistan could be under threat if New Delhi continues to keep the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance and tries to divert Pakistan’s water. Southwest monsoon onset in south Bay of Bengal, Nicobar Islands: IMD STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 13 MAY The India Meteorological Department on Tuesday noted the advancement of southwest monsoon into some parts of south Bay of Bengal, south Andaman Sea, Nicobar Islands and parts of the North Andaman Sea. It said for the past 24 hours, the Nicobar Islands witnessed widespread moderate rainfall and that it would likely continue. Moreover, the strength and depth of westerly wind has increased for the last two days over parts of south Bay of Bengal, Nicobar Islands and Andaman Sea. “Considering all the above satisfied criteria, the southwest monsoon has advanced into some parts of south Bay of Bengal, south Andaman Sea, Nicobar Islands and some parts of north Andaman Sea on Tuesday,” IMD stated in a statement. Additionally, it also stated that the conditions are favorable for further advance of southwest Monsoon over some parts of south Arabian Sea, other parts of South Bay of Bengal, entire Andaman & Nicobar Islands, remaining parts of Andaman Sea and some parts of central Bay of Bengal in the next 34 days. Notably, the weather office had earlier stated that the southwest monsoon will likely set over Kerala on May 27, earlier than the usual date of June 1. If the monsoon arrives in Kerala as per the predicted date, it will be the earliest onset over the Indian mainland since 2009, when it began on May 23, according to IMD data.