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 | Thursday, 30 July 2026 SPORTS WORLD EDITORIAL At least 20 killed in US-Saudi airstrikes in Iraq After the agitation Page 9 Gulveer wins 10,000m silver PERSPECTIVE Page 12 Sustainability now a business imperative Page 6 Page 7 Govt, Opposition clash intensifies as LS passes anti-paper Rahul demands Shah’s resignation leak Bill amid uproar STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 29 July T he standoff between the ruling BJP-led NDA government and the Opposition INDIA bloc intensified on Wednesday as Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi demanded the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, holding him directly responsible for the police action against student protesters during the “Sansad Chalo” march. Mr Gandhi also called for an independent Supreme Court-monitored inquiry into the alleged use of force by law enforcement agencies. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi shortly after a stormy debate in the Lok Sabha on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, Mr Gandhi accused the Narendra Modi government of suppre- ssing dissent, alleged that he was prevented from speaking in Parliament, and launched a broad attack on the Centre over its handling of the nationwide agitation following the alleged NEET examination paper leak. The press conference came after dramatic scenes in the Lok Sabha, where repeated objections from Treasury benches led to interventions by the Chair and the expunging of portions of Mr Gandhi’s speech relating to the Home Minister. Mr Gandhi said he had convened the media briefing to complete the arguments he was not allowed to make inside the House. “I will never apologise to the BJP, the RSS or anyone connected to them. Raising issues concerning the people is my democratic right and my responsibility as the Leader of the Opposition,” Mr Gandhi asserted. He alleged that his microphone was muted in the Lok Sabha when he named Mr Shah and claimed he had been prevented from placing his allegations on the parliamentary record. “The Home Minister authorised the shooting of our students. He put pellets into the blood of our students. He ordered the students of India to be shot,” Mr Gandhi alleged while displaying photographs of injured protesters. He further claimed that police had used pellet guns, batons fitted with nails and facial recognition technology to suppress peaceful demonstrations. Questioning Mr Shah’s accountability, Gandhi argued that there were only two possible explanations for the police action. “Either the Home Minister ordered the firing or he was unaware of it. In the first case he is guilty; in the second case he is incompetent,” he said. He also questioned why the Home Minister was not present in the Lok Sabha to respond to the allegations. The BJP, responding to Mr Gandhi charges against Mr Shah, accusing the Congress leader of making “false claims” and “shifting the goalposts.” Addressing media persons, twice in the day, BJP spokesperson and MP Sambit Patra rejected Mr Gandhi’s allegation that bullets were fired at protesting students and that Mr Shah had ordered the use of force. Calling the claim “false”, Mr Patra asserted that no firing took place during the protest and said such decisions are taken by the magistrate on the spot, not by the Home Minister. Accusing Mr Gandhi of invoking Mr Shah’s name merely to create a sensation, Mr Patra said: “Rahul Gandhi asks, ‘Where is the Union Home Minister?’ Unlike you, the Home Minister has responsibilities towards the entire nation. Unlike you, he does not disappear on unexplained foreign trips.” (Photo by Subrata Dutta) Rajya Sabha passes Bill to criminalise insults to Vande Mataram: STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 29 July The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 by a voice vote amid noisy scenes, strengthening India’s legal framework against paper leaks and organised examination fraud even as proceedings remained overshadowed by a bitter political confrontation between the Treasury and Opposition benches. The legislation was approved after the House resumed at 3 p.m. following repeated disruptions triggered by an acrimonious exchange during STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 29 July The Supreme Court on Wednesday quashed the Central government’s 2021 office memorandum (OM), which created a protocol for the grant of retrospective environmental clearances (EC) to projects that had commenced without obtaining prior EC, holding that the government can grant such clearances only by issuing a valid legal notification under Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and not through an administrative office memorandum. A Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi clarified that the Central government retains the power to issue an “appropriate, narrowly tailored amnesty notification” to grant ex post facto or retrospective clearances in public interest in exceptional cases. However, the same has to be done through valid amending notifications under Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, and not via office memorandum, the Court ruled. The Court, however, made its ruling prospective, safeguarding environmental clearances already granted under the 2021 OM. It found that the 2021 OM impermissibly supplanted the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification of 2006, which makes it mandatory for the debate, including remarks by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi that sparked strong protests from the ruling side and led to an earlier adjournment. Soon after the House reassembled, Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh moved the Bill for passage. Amid continued slogan shouting and protests, the legislation was passed by a voice vote. The amendment Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha on 27 July, seeks to substantially strengthen the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 in the wake of the nationwide outrage over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak and a series of examinationrelated controversies that triggered widespread student protests across the country. The amended law sharply enhances punishment for those involved in examination fraud. SC accepts CBI clean chit to late PM Manmohan Singh in Talabira coal block case Centre can’t grant post-facto environmental clearance through OM route: Top court projects to get prior ECs. “The 2021 Office Memorandum is an administrative order and envisages a perpetual regime for grant of environmental clearances to projects undertaken without prior EC. It substantially alters the nature of enquiry as well as the criteria for grant of EC under the 2006 Notification. The 2021 Office Memorandum thereby supplants delegated legislation through an administrative instruction, which is impermissible in law,” the Court said. The Court underscored that the prior EC regime under the 2006 EIA Notification is usually mandatory. Unless amended by an appropriate notification, it does not accommodate the grant of ex post facto EC or the retention of projects where construction has commenced or operations have begun without a valid EC, the Court said. The Court went on to observe that the “perpetual amnesty scheme” envisaged by the 2021 OM went beyond what is permitted under India’s Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and the 2006 EIA Notification issued under it. The Court, therefore, struck down the 2021 OM as being unconstitutional. “In these circumstances, the Office Memorandum does not satisfy the test of proportionality and reasonableness and is violative of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution. Accordingly, the 2021 Office Memorandum is quashed prospectively, keeping in mind the prevailing confusion regarding the validity of the impugned instruments and the supervening public interest,” the Court ruled. The Court, however, upheld a notification issued in 2017 on the subject of retrospective clearances. The Court explained that the said amending notification was narrowly tailored and a time-bound delegated legislation traceable to Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, read with Section 21 of the General Clauses Act. New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, paving the way to extend the same legal protection to Vande Mataram that is accorded to the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana. The amendment seeks to bring Vande Mataram within the ambit of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, making insults to the National Song punishable with imprisonment of up to three years, a fine, or both. Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said the amendment is not merely a legislative measure but reflects a collective commitment to national consciousness. PARMOD KUMAR New Delhi, 29 July Cat Call Children dressed as tigers participate in events marking International Tiger Day, an annual observance to raise awareness about tiger conservation, in Bengaluru on Wednesday. AGENCIES The Supreme Court on Wednesday accepted the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) decision to give a clean chit to former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in a case relating to the alloation of the Talabira-II coal block in Odisha to Hindalco in 2005, despite the Screening Committee’s recommendation to the contrary. The CBI’s decision to clear the former Prime Minister’s name came more than one-and-a-half years after his death on 26 December 2024. Accepting the investigating agency’s decision to exonerate Dr Singh, a Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohan allowed the former Prime Minister’s appeal challenging the Special CBI Court’s 2015 order summoning him in the case. The Bench observed that there were no compelling reasons for the Special CBI Court to reject the closure reports filed by the CBI and take cognisance of the case. Consequently, it set aside the trial court’s orders, accepted the closure reports filed by the investigating agency, and closed the matter on merits. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, who had earlier represented Dr Singh in the case, submitted that the proceedings could now be disposed of with a clarification that the observations made against the former Prime Minister stood effaced. “I don’t want these observations to be there,” Mr Sibal said. On 1 April 2015, the Supreme Court had stayed the summons issued on 11 March 2015, by the Special CBI Court to Dr Manmohan Singh and Kumar Mangalam Birla. The Court had also stayed further proceedings in the matter. Birbhum raid: Police seize 15 kg gold, crores in cash STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Birbhum, 29 July A massive overnight raid at a residence linked to Trinamul Congress leader Mohammed Nazibuddin, alias Tulu Mondal, has yielded crores in undeclared wealth. The ongoing operations, conducted by the Birbhum Police have so far recovered Rs.5.5 crore in cash and over 15 kilograms of gold biscuits and jewellery. While the search continues, official sources estimate that the total valuation of the seized assets could skyrocket to between Rs 27 crore and Rs 30 crore. Chief Minister Adhikari took to his official X account to share video footage of the raid, commending the police forces for their swift action. “Commendable job by our Law Enforcement personnel for the crackdown on Sand Mafia. Following a precise operation based on source based information, Birbhum Police conducted a major raid under Mohammad Bazar PS targeting the hideout of illegal sand mafia Tullu Mondal alias Mohd Nazibuddin,” Mr Adhikari posted. “The operation has uncovered staggering amounts of illegally amassed wealth: Cash Recovered So Far: Rs.5.5 crore with counting still ongoing. Gold Recovered: 15 kg. I deeply appreciate the @WBPolice, DGP, SP, Birbhum Police and the Birbhum District Police Personnel involved in this operation for their swift, professional and decisive action. “West Bengal Govt's ongoing drive against the corrupt will go on with 'Zero Tolerance Policy against Corruption' as our guiding principle. Let it be unequivocally clear: no person with achequered past who has amassed wealth through the exploitation of public resources and hobnobbing with the then ruling political party will be spared. Public wealth belongs to the people, and those who loot it will face the full might of the law. Vigilance and uncompromising action will continue. Crackdown on mafia syndicates will go on,” the Chief Minister posted. Birbhum Police had zeroed in on a house of Minar Mondal, a relative of Tulu Mondal, a stone chip quarry owner and a very close aide of Anubrata Mondal and had been conducting search operations since last night. Sources said that cash amounting to over Rs 5.5 crores and 15 kilograms of 24 carat gold biscuits and jewellery have been already been seized. The house has been cordoned off by a large contingent of the district armed police, while two large size steel trucks and five numbers of weighing machines have been brought from the local market and taken inside the house. The search operations are likely related to huge losses in revenue collection suffered during the TMC regime from the Mohammad Bazar stone mines areas. During the TMC regime Tulu Mondal was allegedly involved in cattle smuggling, sand mining and stone mining in Birbhum district. According to the police, Tulu Mondal’s agency was responsible for collecting revenue at entry gates to six stone industrial clusters across three districts in the state. Officials alleged that while around Rs 83 crore was expected to be collected every month, only Rs 2 crore to Rs 5 crore was deposited in the government treasury, with the remaining amount allegedly siphoned off. In 2022, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had raided the offices and houses of Tulu Mondal in connection with a cross-border cattle smuggling case. Later first CBI and then the ED had arrested Anubrata Mondal, his daughter and his body guard in that case.