IS TRUMP A FASCIST? KOLKATA'S RIVER AMBASSADORS 23 MARCH 2025 IPL 2025: CSK, MI SET TO RENEW RIVALRY www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 PAGE 16 SINCE 1818 PAGES 16 |` 5.00 |LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WEATHER Thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. Maximum and Minimum Temperature most likely to be around 29˚C and 21˚C respectively. RAINFALL: 0.0 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 78% Chennai meeting also calls for transparency, clarity from Union government Min. 65% “ M C RAJAN We will become political orphans in our own country. Our culture, identity, progress and social justice face a threat, requiring collective fight since the BJP is always opposed to legitimate rights of States CHENNAI, 22 MARCH TEMPERATURE Max: 29.7˚C SUN RISES 05:37 hrs MOON RISES 00:55 hrs JAC demands 25-year delimitation freeze Min: 21.3˚C SUN SETS 17:48 hrs MOON SETS 11:34 hrs D New Moon on 29 March THUMBNAILS A view of Dargah Hazratbal Shrine and the Hari Parbat fort with a part of the Pir Panjal mountain range in the background, in Srinagar on Saturday. nANI Hindi writer Vinod Kumar Shukla to receive 59th Jnanpith Award for 2024: Renowned Hindi litterateur Vinod Kumar Shukla has been selected for the prestigious 59th Jnanpith Award for 2024, recognising his unique contribution, creativity, and distinctive writing style in Hindi literature. Shukla is the 12th Hindi writer to receive this highest literary honour and the first from Chhattisgarh to achieve the distinction. emanding a 25year-long freeze on populationbased delimitation to redraw Lok Sabha constituencies, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of states, also called for transparency and clarity from the Union government. It was a coming together of several non-BJP Opposition parties, including the AAP, Akali Dal, Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Bharatiya Rashtra Samithi (BRS), AIMIM and Kerala Congress besides the Congress and Left parties. Surprisingly, the Jana Sena Party (JSP) of Pawan Kalyan, a constituent of the NDA, was in attendance following an invite from the DMK, which had taken the initiative for the JAC. With the future of INDIA Bloc hanging in the balance after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the new grouping with a declared purpose has assumed significance. The Trinamul Congress and the YSR Congress gave a miss to the meet. In a unanimous resolution, the JAC which met on MK STALIN TAMIL NADU CM Saturday in Chennai, asked for extension of the freeze on Parliamentary constituencies based on the 1971 population census for the next 25 years. “Any delimitation exercise carried out by the Union government to improve the content and character of democracy should be carried out transparently, enabling political parties of all the States, State Government and other stakeholders to deliberate, discuss and contribute in it,” the resolution stated. The resolution said that while the legislative intent behind the 42nd, 84th and 87th Constitutional amend- Team of Supreme Court judges visits Manipur relief camps STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE IMPHAL, 22 MARCH ments was to protect/incentivise states which have implemented population control measures effectively, the goal of population stabilisation has not yet been achieved. It was also decided to have a core committee of MPs to coordinate strategies in Parliament and submit a representation to the Prime Minister. Further, political parties would make efforts to table and adopt resolution in state assemblies against delimitation. In his opening address, Mr Stalin, pitching for ‘fair delimitation’, said the issue is not only about numbers but about power and rights, India launches new frigate Tavasya under Project 1135.6 NEW DELHI, 22 MARCH A five-member delegation of Supreme Court judges, led by Justice B.R. Gavai, arrived in Manipur and assessed the situation in relief camps housing those displaced by the ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur on Saturday. The delegation includes Justices Vikram Nath, M M Sundresh, K V Vishwanathan, and N Kotiswar Singh. Justice Gavai, serving as the Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), inaugurated several initiatives aimed at providing assistance to the affected population. These initiatives include legal services camps, medical camps, and legal aid clinics, launched virtually from the Churachandpur Mini Secretariat. The delegation visited the Sadbhavana Mandap relief camp in Churachandpur, interacting with individuals who have been residing there since the outbreak of violence in May 2023. They also toured relief camps in Bishnupur district, engaging with displaced persons and assessing their needs. Justice N. Kotiswar Singh, a member of the Meitei community, refrained from visiting Churachandpur following objections from the Churachandpur District Bar Association. The association had advised against his visit, citing public sentiment and safety concerns amid the ongoing ethnic tensions. Justice Singh instead visited relief camps in Bishnupur district. Ethnic violence erupted in Manipur on 3 May 2023, following a rally organised by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur opposing the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe category. The ensuing clashes have led to hundreds of casualties and displaced thousands, severely impacting the state's socio-economic fabric. In a significant milestone for India's naval self-reliance, Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) today launched the second frigate of Project 1135.6 Additional Follow-on Ships, named Tavasya. The launch was officiated by Neeta Seth in the presence of Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth and Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-inC) West, Vice Admiral Sanjay J Singh, at GSL, Goa. The frigate Tavasya is named after the legendary mace of warrior Bhima from the epic Mahabharata, symbolising the indomitable spirit and growing strength of the Indian Navy. The contract for the construction of two Project 1135.6 followon frigates was signed between the Defence Ministry and GSL in 2019. SNS ECI holding all-party meetings across the country STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE The ECI noted that political parties and their authorised representatives such as Booth Level Agents (BLAs), polling agents, counting agents and election agents have specific roles to play in various electoral processes including the conduct of elections. NEW DELHI, 22 MARCH A total of 4,123 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) across the country are holding all-party meetings to resolve any pending polling booth-level issues in their respective Assembly Constituencies (ACs), the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday. The poll panel said all 788 District Election Officers (DEOs) and 36 Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of all 28 States and eight Union Territories (UTs) have been directed to hold such meetings to resolve any pending issues at the district and State/UT levels respectively, within the legal framework of the Representation of People Act 1950 and 1951, Registration of Elector Rules 1960, Conduct of Election Rules 1961 and the manuals, guidelines and instructions issued by it from time to time. “These meetings have already started with the active participation of national/state level political parties. All such meetings are to be completed in the entire country in each AC, district and State/UT by March 31,” the ECI said. This is in line with the directions of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar during the conference of CEOs of all States/UTs held earlier this month in the national capital, it said. The ECI noted that political parties and their authorised representatives such as Booth Level Agents (BLAs), polling agents, counting agents and election agents have specific roles to play in various electoral processes including the conduct of elections. This grassroots-level engagement has been welcomed by political parties, with their active and enthusiastic participation in meetings across assembly constituencies, districts, and states/UTs, it said. The ECI also appealed to all the national/state political parties to avail this proactive grassroot level engagement with electoral authorities for resolving any pending issue in a timebound manner. for reduction in seats would deprive them of their representation and their voice. “We will become political orphans in our own country. Our culture, identity, progress and social justice face a threat, requiring collective fight since the BJP is always opposed to legitimate rights of States,” he said. There was a rare show of unity between Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy of the Congress and KT Rama Rao of the BRS, adversaries in the state, with both of them advocating a permanent freeze on delimitation and batting for delimitation only for state legislatures. Unaccounted cash: CJI sets up panel to conduct probe PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 22 MARCH Cracking the whip, the Chief Justice of India, Justice Sanjiv Khanna on Saturday constituted a three-member committee to probe into the alleged recovery of a huge amount of unaccounted cash from the official residence of Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma (photo) and asked the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, not to assign any judicial work to Justice Verma. The three-member committee that will probe into the allegations of the recovery of huge amount of unaccounted cash from the official residence of Justice Yashwant Verma on 14 March – the day of Holi – after a fire broke out at his residence in Delhi - includes the Chief Justice of the Punjab & Haryana High Court, Justice Sheel Nagu, the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, Justice G.S. Sandhawalia and a judge of Karnataka High Court, Justice Ms. Anu Sivaraman. A statement issued by the Supreme Court of India late on Saturday evening said: “The Chief Justice of India has constituted a The committee that will probe the alleged discovery of unaccounted cash at the residence of Justice Yashwant Varma (photograph) includes the Chief Justice of Punjab & Haryana High Court, Justice Sheel Nagu, the Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court, Justice G.S. Sandhawalia and a judge of Karnataka High Court, Justice Ms. Anu Sivaraman. three member Committee consisting of Mr. Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab & Haryana, Mr. Justice G.S. Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh, and Ms. Anu Sivaraman, Judge of the High Court of Karnataka, for conducting an inquiry into the allegations against Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma, a sitting Judge of the High Court of Delhi.” CJI Khanna also asked the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court not to assign Justice Verma any judicial work for the time being. “The Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi for the time being has been asked not to assign any judicial work to Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma,” the Supreme Court statement said. Asking the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court not to assign any judicial work to Justice Varma could be an indication that the proposal to transfer him to Allahabad High Court has been put on hold. The Allahabad High Court is the parent High Court of Justice Varma where he was first appointed as Additional Judge and later made a permanent judge. The Allahabad High Court Bar Association has already passed a resolution stating that Justice Verma’s return to the parent High Court is not welcome and it could not be treated as a dumping ground of a judge under a cloud. The statement further said that the report submitted by the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court on the incident, response of Justice Yashwant Varma, and other documents, are being uploaded on the Supreme Court website.