FRIDAY 04 OCTOBER 2024 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR BORDER TENSIONS IMPACTED TIES WITH CHINA: EAM KOREAN MUDDLE P6 SENSEX 82,497.10q1,769.19 WEATHER Thunderstorms. Storms could contain frequent lightning. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 30°C and 27°C respectively. P5 NIFTY 25,250.10q546.80 ` vs $ 83.93 PARMOD KUMAR Min. 84% NEW DELHI, 3 OCTOBER Min: 27.8˚C SUN SETS 17:21 hrs MOON SETS 18:08 hrs I Farmers thresh paddy in a paddy field at Handwara, in Kupwara on Thursday.n ANI Jamaican PM carcade not stopped, LS Secretariat clarifies: Media reports regarding the carcade of Jamaican Prime Minister Mr Andrew Holness being stopped at the gates of Parliament House premises are factually incorrect, the Lok Sabha Secretariat clarified on Thursday. The Jamaican leader was accorded due protocol and facilitation, the Secretariat said. SILVER 99,990 GOLD 77,920.00 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 75.59p1.69 PANDAL INAUGURATION SC stays police action against Isha Foundation TEMPERATURE THUMBNAILS P12 Apex court directs removal of caste column from jail registers Max. 91% Full Moon on 17 October HARMANPREET EXPECTS TEAM TO PLAY WITHOUT BAGGAGE IN T20 WC P4 SC bans caste-based discrimination in jails RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max: 30.4˚C SUN RISES 05:29 hrs MOON RISES 06:32 hrs ‘MUSI PROJECT WILL CONTINUE’ n a significant ruling, the Supreme Court on Thursday prohibited caste-based discrimination and work allocation in prisons nationwide. The court ordered the deletion of the caste column from prison registers for both undertrials and convicts. Declaring provisions in jail manuals perpetuating caste discrimination and segregation as "unconstitutional", Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, speaking for the bench also comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, ordered: "The impugned provisions are declared unconstitutional for being violative of Articles 14, 15, 17, 21, and 23 of the Constitution. All States and Union Territories are directed to revise their Prison Manuals/Rules in accordance with this judgment within a period of three months." The top court also directed the Central government to "make necessary changes ... to address NEW DELHI, 3 OCTOBER caste-based discrimination in the Model Prison Manual 2016 and the Model Prisons and Correctional Services Act 2023 within a period of three months." In addition to the directives for amending jail manuals, the court took suo motu cognizance of discrimination within prisons based on caste, gender, disability, or any other ground. It directed its registry to list the suo motu matter after three months, and said all states and the Central government shall file a report on compliance with the directions issued on the first date of hearing. The court also clarified that references to "habitual offenders" in prison manuals must align with the definition provided in the Habitual Offenders Act in force in the respective state. Any other references or definitions of "habitual offenders" were declared unconstitutional. The court further stated that in case there is no habitual offender law in a state, the Central and the state governments are directed to make necessary changes in the manuals/rules in line with the judgment of the court, within three months. Furthermore, the top court directed the police across the country to adhere to guidelines relating to arrest issued in its 2 July 2014 Arnesh Kumar v. State of Bihar judgment. The Supreme Court on ThursdayrestrainedTamil Nadu Police from taking any further action against the Isha Yoga Centre run by Jaggi Vasudev at Coimbatore pursuant to the Madras High Court’s directions, and transferred the case from the High Court to itself. The SC order came in the wake of a plea by the Isha Foundation, which complained that a 150-strong police team raided the Ashram after the high court's directions. Madras High Court, on 30 September, while hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by a father alleging that his two daughters were being held captive in the Ashram and being brainwashed there, had sought a report from police on all criminal cases against the SNS foundation. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee interacts with a child during the inauguration of (See Page 2) Tala Prattoy Durga Puja pandal, in Kolkata on Thursday. n BISWAJIT GHOSHAL India rejects US panel’s report on religious freedom STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 3 OCTOBER India on Thursday rejected the latest report of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) which alleged a “deteriorating and concerning trajectory” for religious freedom in this country this year. 'We would urge the USCIRF to desist from such agendadriven efforts. The USCIRF would also be well advised to utilise its time more produc- Jaishwal said India's views on the USCIRF, said to be a bipartisan congressional advisory body, are well known. tively on addressing human rights issues in the United States," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. He said India's views on the USCIRF, said to be a bipartisan congressional advisory body, are well known. ''It is a biased organisation with a political agenda. It continues to misrepresent facts and peddles a motivated narrative about India. We reject this malicious report, which only serves to discredit USCIRF further,'' Mr Jaiswal added. The USCIRF recommended that the US Department of State designate India as a “Country of Particular Concern,” or CPC, or engaging in systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom.