SATURDAY 29 MARCH 2025 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00 X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR PUTIN CLAIMS U.S. PUSH FOR GREENLAND ROOTED IN HISTORY ‘WATER, BY NATURE, IS DIVINE’ P9 KERALA HC DISMISSES PLEAS SEEKING PROBE AGAINST CM, HIS DAUGHTER P7 P8 SENSEX 77,414.92q191.51 WEATHER PARTLY CLOUDY SKY. STRONG SURFACE WINDS (SPEED 20-30 KMPH) OCCASIONALLY GUSTING TO 40 KMPH. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 33 AND 15 DEGREE CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 65 % TEMPERATURE 23,519.35q72.60 ` vs $ 85.49 Min: 20.9 °C (+2.8) SUN SETS 18:37 hrs MOON SETS 18:39 hrs THUMBNAILS Devotees offer prayers on the last Friday of the month of Ramadan at the Jama Masjid, in Delhi on Friday. n SNS SC asks Chief Justice of Allahabad HC not to assign judicial work to Justice Verma: The Supreme Court asked the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court not to assign any judicial work to Justice Yashwant Varma, when, upon transfer, he assumes charge as a Judge of the Allahabad High Court. His transfer comes amidst allegations of the recovery of unaccounted cash from his official residence in New Delhi. “ Free expression of thoughts and views by individuals or group of individuals is an integral part of a healthy civilised society. Without freedom of expression of thoughts and views, it is impossible to lead a dignified life guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution. S tressing on the importance of protecting the freedom of thought, views and speech and stating that there could be no “fanciful and oppressive” restriction to “trample” the free speech, the Supreme Court on Thursday quashed the criminal proceedings initiated by Gujarat police against Congress Rajya Sabha member Imran Pratapgarhi over a social media post with a poem 'Ae khoon ke pyase baat suno' playing in the background. Holding that no offence is made out against Congress Rajya Sabha member Imran Pratapgarhi, a bench of Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan in a judgment said: “Free expression of thoughts and views by individuals or group of individuals is an integral part of a healthy civilised society. Without freedom of expression of thoughts and views, it is impossible to lead a dignified life guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution.” NIKHIL VYAS NEW DELHI, 28 MARCH In a censure of the Gujarat police for the way it acted in the case, the top court said: “When an offence punishable under Section 196 of BNS is alleged, the effect of the spoken or written words will have to be considered based on standards of reasonable, strong-minded, firm and courageous individuals and not based on the standards of people with weak and oscillating minds.” It further said: “The police officers must abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals…” and “… the police officers being citizens, are bound to abide by the Constitution. They are bound to "Equi-Closeness" policy. He underscored the fact that the global community now values India's opinions, innovations, and efforts like never before. He emphasised that the world is keenly observing India today and is eager to understand "what India thinks today". Reflecting on the global context post-World War II, noting how most international organisations were dominated by a few nations, Mr Modi remarked that India's approach has always prioritised humanity over monopoly, striving for an inclusive and participatory global order. The PM added that in line with this vision, India has led the way in establishing global institutions for the 21st century, ensuring collective contribution and cooperation. He said the world is recognising and accepting India's development model. "India is no longer just a ‘nation of dreams’ but a ‘nation that delivers’,” Mr Modi added. He noted that India, which was the 11th largest economy in the world after 70 years of independence, rose to become the 5th largest economy in a span of 7-8 years. Citing a report of the IMF, Mr Modi said India was the only major economy in the world that had doubled its GDP in the last 10 years. Emphasising that India had added USD two lakh crore to its economy in the last decade, he said that doubling of the GDP was not just about numbers but had major impacts like moving 25 crore people out of poverty forming a ‘NeoMiddle Class’. honour and uphold freedom of speech and expression conferred on all citizens.” Section 196 of BNS provides for punishment for promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc , and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony. Holding that no offence is made out against Congress Rajya Sabha member Imran Pratapgarhi , the top court set aside the 17 January 2025 order of the Gujarat High Court refusing to quash the FIR. The top court also set aside the FIR and the further pro- PM Modi to visit Thailand, Sri Lanka next week; attend BIMSTEC Summit NEW DELHI, 28 MARCH Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on April 3 leave for a four-day visit to Thailand and Sri Lanka as part of India's commitment to its ''Act East'' and ''Neighbourhood First'' policies, officials said on Friday. At the invitation of Prime Minister of Thailand Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the PM will visit Bangkok from 3-4 April to participate in the 6th BIMSTEC Summit to be hosted by Thailand, the current BIMSTEC Chair, and for an official visit. This will be Mr Modi's third visit to Thailand. At a media briefing here on the PM's visit, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and MEA Joint Secretary Jaideep Mazumdar said there is nothing to indicate at this stage that the devastating earthquake in the Southeast Asian nation will impact the BIMSTEC Summit. SNS India closely monitoring atrocities against minorities in Pakistan: EAM Jaishankar STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 28 MARCH External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said India is closely monitoring atrocities against the Hindus and other minorities in Pakistan and also raising the issue at the international level. Responding to a question on ''crime and atrocities against minorities in Pakistan'' in the Lok Sabha, he referred to 10 cases of atrocities on the minorities which were committed in Pakistan in February. These included seven cases related to abduction and forcible conversion. "I sympathise with the sentiments expressed by the honourable member. There are two parts to the question. One, whether we follow what are the crimes and atrocities against the minorities in Pak- P12 SILVER 1,14,000 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 73.18q0.16 At least 150 killed as 7.7 magnitude earthquake shakes Myanmar, Thailand Top court quashes FIR against Cong MP Imran Pratapgarhi over poem PARMOD KUMAR India's policy has changed from ‘equi-distance to equi-closeness’, mantra is India First: PM Asserting that 'India First' has become the mantra of the country’s foreign policy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that now, the nation is not just participating in the world order but also contributing to shaping and securing the future. He emphasised the importance of realising the dream of a developed India by 2047 reiterating his statement from the Red Fort that collective efforts are essential to achieve this vision. The prime minister was speaking at an event organised by a private TV news channel here. “Today, the world’s eyes areonIndia,” hesaid,highlighting that people around the globe are curious about India. Mr Modi further said that while India once followed a policy of maintaining equal distance from all nations, the current approach emphasizes being equally close to all—an GOLD 91,655.00 SC says no to restrictions 'trampling' free speech NEW DELHI, 28 MARCH Min. 16 % Max: 32.3 °C (0.3) SUN RISES 06:13 hrs MOON RISES 06:35 hrs NIFTY IPL 2025: MUMBAI INDIANS, GUJARAT TITANS BATTLE FOR FIRST WIN istan. And secondly, what are we doing about it internationally? So, the first part of it is yes, sir, we follow very closely, we track very closely the treatment of minorities in Pakistan. "And as an example, I would like to apprise the House that just in February, there were 10 cases of atrocities against the Hindu community, seven of them related to abduction and forcible conversion, two related to abduction, one related to police action against students who were celebrating Holi," the minister said. He said that there were three incidents related to the Sikh community in Pakistan and two cases about the Ahmadiyya community. He stated that a Christian person, who reportedly was mentally unstable, was charged with blasphemy in Pakistan. Mr Jaishankar said: "There were three incidents relating to the Sikh community in Pakistan. In one case, a Sikh family was attacked. In another case, a Sikh family was threatened because of the reopening of an old gurdwara. There was also an abduction and conversion issue with one girl from that community. There were two cases pertaining to the Ahmadiyya community. "In one case, a mosque was sealed and in another case, 40 graves were desegregated and there was one case about the Christian community, where a Christian person who reportedly was mentally unstable was charged with blasphemy." He said that India takes up these issues at the international level and cited the remarks of India's representative at the UN Human Rights Council and India's Ambassador in the UN General Assembly. ceedings based on it. Taking a dim view of the way police acted in the matter, Justice Oka, pronouncing the judgment, said: “75 years into our republic, we cannot be seen to be so shaky on our fundamentals that mere recital of a poem or for that matter, any form of art or entertainment, such as, stand-up comedy, can be alleged to lead to animosity or hatred amongst different communities. Subscribing to such a view would stifle all legitimate expressions of view in the public domain which is so fundamental to a free society.” Noting that the High Court did not give any relief to the appellant Imran Pratapgarhi while holding that the investigation was at a nascent stage, the top court said: “There is no absolute rule that when the investigation is at a nascent stage, the High Court cannot exercise its jurisdiction to quash an offence by exercising its jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution of India or under Section 482 of the CrPC equivalent to Section 528 of the BNSS.” AGENCIES BANGKOK, 28 MARCH A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand on Friday, destroying buildings, a bridge and a dam. At least 144 people were killed in Myanmar, where photos and video from two hard-hit cities showed extensive damage. At least eight died in the Thai capital, where a high-rise under construction collapsed. The 7.7 magnitude quake, with an epicentre near Mandalay, Myanmar ‘s second largest city, struck at midday and was followed by a strong 6.4 magnitude aftershock. The head of Myanmar’s military government said in a televised speech on Friday evening that at least 144 people were killed and 730 others were injured. “The death toll and injuries are expected to rise,” Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said. Myanmar’s government said blood was in high demand in the hardest-hit areas. Near Bangkok’s popular Chatuchak market, a 33story building under construction, with a crane on top, crumpled into a cloud of dust (photo). At least three people were killed in the building collapse and 90 were missing, according to Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai. In Mandalay, the earthquake reportedly brought down multiple buildings, including the Ma Soe Yane monastery, one of the largest in the city, and damaged the former royal palace. Christian Aid said its partners and colleagues on the ground reported that a dam burst in the city, causing water levels to rise in the lowland areas in the area. In the Sagaing region just southwest of the city, a 90-year-old bridge collapsed, and some sections of the highway connecting Mandalay and Myanmar’s largest city, Yangon, were also damaged. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured Myanmar and Thailand of India's full support, stating: “Concerned by the situation in the wake of the earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand. Praying for the safety and well-being of everyone. India stands ready to offer all possible assistance. In this regard, asked our authorities to be on standby. Also asked the MEA to remain in touch with the Governments of Myanmar and Thailand.”