FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 12 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR | LUCKNOW SILIGURI | Friday, 03 April 2026 SPORTS WORLD `21, 300 crore ineligible Ladki Bahin payouts spark row in Maharashtra Iran fires at Israel and Gulf neighbours as Trump talks of winding down West Asia war Page 5 Page 9 NATION | PERSPECTIVE War without mandate places world in peril Page 7 IPL 2026: CSK seek turnaround in Chennai against in-form PBKS Page 12 Gherao of judges ‘calculated and motivated’: SC pulls up Bengal govt Customs duty waived on key petrochemicals amid West Asia conflict: The court noted that the gherao of the office of Block Development Officer (BDO), where the judicial officers were working, started around 3:30 p.m. and continued till midnight. It also noted that despite repeated calls from the Calcutta High Court, no action was taken till late evening. It also noted that the senior district officials failed to respond promptly to the situation, and even after the rescue of the judicial officers, there were reports of attacks on their vehicles. Describing the incident as a “calculated and motivated” attempt to demoralise the judicial officers engaged in overseeing the adjudication of claims and objections arising from the list of ‘logical discrepancy’ in the names, the court said that it was a brazen attempt not only to browbeat judicial officers but also challenges the authority of the top Court. New Delhi: The Union government on Thursday announced a full customs duty exemption on a wide range of critical petrochemical products till 30 June 2026 as a temporary measure to support domestic industry amid supply disruptions linked to the West Asia conflict. "This measure has been taken as a temporary and targeted relief in order to ensure continued availability of critical petrochemical inputs for domestic industry, reduce cost pressures on downstream sectors, and safeguard supply stability in the country," said the Ministry of Finance in a statement. The exemption is expected to benefit a wide range of sectors dependent on petrochemical feedstock and intermediates. Bengal CM blames Congress for judges’ confinement: PARMOD KUMAR New Delhi, 2 April T erming West Bengal as the “most polarised state”, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to deploy Central forces for the protection of judicial officers engaged in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, after seven judicial officers including three women judges ~ engaged in the special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in the state ~ were gheraoed for several hours in Malda district on Wednesday evening by people protesting against the deletion of their names from the electoral rolls. Pulling up the Bengal government and the district authorities, including the district magistrate and the superintendent of police for not responding to the situation promptly and rescuing the judicial officers, the top court termed the incident at Malda as “calculated and motivated”. Taking suo motu cognisance of the incident and holding Siliguri: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday blamed a section of Congress leaders for a recent incident in which seven judges involved in adjudication of voter names as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process were allegedly confined till late at night, describing it as a “planned provocation” aimed at maligning Bengal. Campaigning for a Trinamul Congress candidate at Baishnabnagar in Malda, Miss Banerjee said the episode had caused serious embarrassment to the state and damaged its image. “I am deeply hurt. Because of this one incident, Bengal has been insulted,” she said. Even as she criticised the incident, the Chief Minister acknowledged public resentment over the exclusion of names from electoral rolls, terming such anger “natural.” She, however, urged restraint and appealed to people to seek legal remedies instead of resorting to agitation. an urgent hearing, a Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi said that the incident was a “brazen attempt not only to browbeat the judicial officers” but also “a challenge to the authority of the apex court”. The court termed it an abdication of duty by the West Bengal government and its officers. Buzz grows as AAP removes Raghav Chadha as deputy leader in Rajya Sabha VIBHA SHARMA New Delhi, 2 April In a significant political development, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday is said to have removed one of its most prominent faces, Raghav Chadha ~ considered a key planner and strategist ~ from the post of Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha. The party has written to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat seeking his removal and proposing its Punjab MP Ashok Mittal as his replacement, according to sources. Once the request is approved, Mr Mittal will take on the key Foreign Secy representing India in UK-led Hormuz talks STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 2 April Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is representing India at the summit convened by the United Kingdom Thursday to look at political and diplomatic measures to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), confirmed on Thursday. “The UK side has invited several countries, including India, for talks on the Strait of Hormuz. From our side, Foreign Secretary is attending the meeting this evening,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. Around 35 countries were invited to the virtual meeting by the United Kingdom. The talks were billed as the opening efforts towards building a coalition to ensure security in the Strait of Hormuz, once the current conflict ends. Mr Jaiswal stated that six Indian ships carrying products including LPG, LNG and other products have been able to safely cross the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia. role of managing the party’s strategy and participation in Upper House debates, alongside Sanjay Singh, the AAP’s leader in the Rajya Sabha. Notably, the party’s communication reportedly also stated that Mr Chadha should no longer be allotted speaking time from AAP’s quota in the House. While there has been no official explanation for this surprise decision, sources indicate concerns over growing differences and also alleged indiscipline and deviation from the party line. There has also been speculation about his growing closeness to the BJP. Mr Chadha has been maintaining a low profile, refraining from public statements ~ even after the discharge of Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia in the excise policylinked money laundering case ~ which is also being cited as a reason for the perceived distance between him and the top leadership. He was also absent from the party office during Mr Kejriwal’s subsequent press briefing. Amid speculation about Mr Chadha’s political future, including unconfirmed reports of a possible party switch ahead of the Punjab elections, the move interestingly follows the recent joining of former AAP leader H.S. Phoolka~ known for his role as a crusader for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots victims ~ into the BJP. Mr Phoolka had described his association with the Arvind Kejriwal-led party as a “mistake”. No discussion on Iran attack during PM Modi’s Israel visit, says govt in RS New Delhi: The government on Thursday stated in the Rajya Sabha that no discussions took place during PM Narendra Modi’s State visit to Israel in February regarding the subsequent military attack on Iran. In a written reply to an unstarred question by MP Abdul Wahab, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said PM Modi visited Israel on 25–26 February at the invitation of his Israeli counter-part, where both sides held comprehensive discussions covering the full spectrum of bilateral ties and several agreements and Memoranda of Understanding were signed. There was no discussion on the military strike on Iran a day after the PM’s visit.