FRIDAY 04 APRIL 2025 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 Pages 16 |` 5.00 | LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR P5 SENSEX 76,295.36 q322.08 Partly cloudy sky. Maximum and Minimum Temperature most likely to be around 35˚C and 27˚C respectively. RAINFALL: 0.0 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Min. 50% TEMPERATURE Max: 34.9˚C (+0.3) Min: 26.3˚C (+1.3) SUN RISES 05:28 hrs MOON RISES 09:09 hrs P13 NIFTY 23,250.10 q82.25 P10 ` vs $ 85.34 P16 SILVER `1,03,000 GOLD `93,180 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 70.01 Parliament clears Waqf Amendment Bill with Rajya Sabha nod WEATHER Max. 92% MUSK MAY EXIT WASHINGTON LSG TAKE ON FELLOW STRUGGLERS MI AFTER TURBULENT TIMES AT TRUMP'S DOGE ‘INDIA'S NORTH-EAST EMERGING AS CONNECTIVITY HUB’ KHARGE, RAHUL SLAM GOVERNMENT OVER U.S. TARIFFS SUN SETS 17:53 hrs MOON SETS 23:26 hrs Full Moon on 13 April THUMBNAILS Jamnagar Jaguar crash: The Indian Air Force has ordered a court of inquiry into the crash of a Jaguar two-seater fighter aircraft in Jamnagar, Gujarat, on Wednesday night that has left one pilot dead while the other escaped with grievous injuries. The illfated aircraft on a night training mission caught fire before breaking into pieces following the crash at around 9.30 pm near Suvarda village in Jamnagar. Videos of the site of the crash show the burning aircraft lying in the open fields. No civilian casualty was reported. In a statement issued on X, the IAF said that the injured pilot is undergoing treatment in the hospital. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 3 APRIL A Bill to streamline the management of Waqf properties, with provisions to safeguard heritage sites and promote social welfare, got Parliament’s approval with the Rajya Sabha passing it late Thursday. The Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 was passed after an almost 12hour-long debate. The contentious Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha a day before after another marathon debate that ran well past midnight. Along with the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2025 was passed in the House after an intense debate on the draft law. Union Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju moved the Waqf Amendment Bill and the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill in the House in the afternoon for consideration and passing. Mr Rijiju said that the main purpose of the Bill is to improve the administration and management of waqf properties in India. Brushing aside the charges made by the Opposition, Mr Rijiju said: “The Bill is not against Muslims... We don't want to hurt anyone's religious sentiments. The Waqf board is set up only to oversee, and not manage, Waqf properties.'' The Upper House witnessed repeated rounds of verbal squabbles as the treasury and opposition benches locked horns over the Bill and other issues. It also witnessed interventions from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who accused the opposition of spreading misinformation over the Waqf Bill and also rebutted charges that the BJP was trying to polarise the electorate with amendments in the legislation. Syed Naseer Hussain, Congress MP from Karnataka, accused the Centre of citing false claims on no In the Lok Sabha, the Waqf Bill was passed early on Thursday morning after a division of votes – 288 MPs voting in favour, including those belonging to the BJPÊs NDA allies, the JD-U and TDP, against 232 opposing it. Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju moves a motion for the consideration of Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Rajya Sabha in New Delhi on Thursday. n ANI legal recourse against the Waqf Tribunal order. “They say that under the existing Act, people can’t move court if they are not satisfied with the decision of the Tribunal. This is completely false. If this is the case, how come there are so many pending cases in the High Court and Supreme Court?” said the Congress lawmaker. Mr Shah stood to deflate the Congress MP’s claims. He stated that there was no provision for a civil suit against the Waqf Tribunal order, and it itself remains ‘discriminatory’ because this dilutes the claimant’s demands and reinforces Waqf’s claims. “In the 2013 Act, there was no provision for civil suit, which has a wider purview. The only provision was of writ petition in the High Court, which has a very limited purview,” Mr Shah pointed out. Making an intervention during the debate, Union minister and Leader of the House J P Nadda accused the Congress of making Muslim women second-grade citizens during its rule at the Centre. He said the Modi government brought Muslim women into the mainstream by banning the practice of triple talaq. He hit out at the Opposition for opposing the Waqf Amendment Bill, saying the basic aim of the legislation is to bring in re- Apex court upholds cancellation of 25,753 school jobs in Bengal forms and proper management of Waqf properties. “The basic mantra of this Bill is to bring transparency and accountability," he asserted, adding, “Because between 2013 and 25, this law was in the wrong direction, it has caused a lot of harm to the Muslim brothers. The land mafia has made a lot of money out of it,” Nadda said. He said throughout the discussion, the Opposition has deliberately attempted to distract and derail the House's focus from the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. The Union minister fur- ther said that from 1913 till 2013, Waqf had 18 lakh hectares of properties. From 2013 till now, 21 lakh hectares of land were added to Waqf properties, he said. "To prevent the misuse of these lands and properties, we proposed an amendment to the Waqf Act of 2013. It is important to recognise that the law is an evolving process," he added. TheBJP’skeyallies,including Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), TeluguDesamParty,andShiv Sena, supported the Bill. Terming the bill “unconstitutional” and “divisive”, the Opposition argued that the proposed changes will be detrimental rather than beneficial to the Muslim community. Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, was divisive and would torment minorities. He added that the new legislation is no different from the 1995 Act, except for a few provisions which would destroy people and their rights. India, Thailand elevate ties to strategic partnership Entire selection process has been vitiated and tainted beyond resolution, says CJI Khanna-led Division Bench Government teachers watch the live telecast of state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's comments on the Supreme Court's decision upholding Calcutta High Court's verdict to cancel 25,753 WBSSC appointments from 2016 in Kolkata on Thursday. n ANI PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 3 APRIL T he Supreme Court on Thursday upheld Calcutta High Court‘s decision to cancel the appointment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff in West Bengal government run schools, stating that the entire selection process was vitiated by “manipulation and fraud". A bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar in a judgment pronounced today upheld the High Court’s judgment cancelling the entire selection process but made certain modifications in the directions issued by the High Court. Authoring the verdict, Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna said: “In our opinion, this is a case wherein the entire selection process has been vitiated and tainted beyond resolution. Manipulations and frauds on a large scale, coupled with the attempted cover-up, have dented the selection process beyond repair and partial redemption. The credibility and legitimacy of the selection are denuded.” “We find no valid ground or reason to interfere with the direction of the High Court that the services of tainted candidates, where appointed, must be terminated, and they should be required to refund any salaries/payments received. Since their appointments were K’taka HC denies interim protection to X Corp STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BENGALURU, 3 APRIL The Karnataka High Court on Thursday refused to grant interim protection to Elon Musk’s social media company, X Corp, that had claimed that the Union government was misusing legal provisions to censor through its take down orders. During the course of proceedings in the Karnataka High Court today, X Corp said that it followed the law of the land in its operations, but alleged that several government functionaries issued take-down orders that were akin to censoring. The Elon Musk company, represented by senior advocate KG Raghavan, alleged that the government “wanted us to join Sahyog portal. The is in effect a censorship portal”, which was countered vehemently by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. Mr Raghavan argued in the court of Justice M Nagaprasanna that X Corp was entitled to interim relief as the law was completely codified in Section 69A of the IT Act. His prayer was to not to take action except in accordance with section 69 A IT Act. How can one say “I will issue blocking orders under Section 79 (3), which was supposed to be done under Section 69A, IT Act, he questioned. Mr Raghavan also claimed that the Centre had threatened to withdraw safe harbour protections unless it accepted the take-down orders. the result of fraud, this amounts to cheating,” the bench said. It further said: “For candidates not specifically found to be tainted, the entire selection process has been rightly declared null and void due to the egregious violations and illegalities, which violated Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution. As such, the appointments of these candidates are cancelled.” However, such candidates not specifically found to be tainted who were already employed need not be asked to refund or restitute any payments made to them. Candidates who do not fall in the tainted category and who have previously worked in departments of the state or autonomous bodies, will be allowed to apply to their previous positions in various government departments or autonomous bodies. More than 23 lakh candidates had appeared for the statelevel selection test conducted by the West Bengal School Service Commission in 2016. The number of vacant posts was 24,640, but 25,753 appointment letters were issued. In an order passed in the April 2024, Calcutta High Court had nullified the appointments after identifying irregularities in the recruitment process. Mamata expresses fear state’s education system will collapse STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 3 APRIL Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday expressed her respect for the judiciary but said she found it difficult to accept the Supreme Court's verdict upholding the cancellation of 25,753 appointments in school jobs in 2016. She questioned who would teach in schools now and suggested that the ruling might be part of a conspiracy by the Centre, CPM, and BJP to undermine the state's education system and push Bengal backwards. At a press conference held at Nabanna, the Chief Minister said: “I have the utmost respect for the judiciary, but I find it difficult to accept this verdict. However, as per the Supreme Court ruling, those still employed will not be required to refund the money they have received.” She added: “I stand with the deserving aspirants who have been deprived of jobs due to this ruling. While I respect the judiciary, I reserve the right to express my opinion and criticise the verdict. Please do not distort my comments." Referring to those affected by the ruling, she said: “They should have been given a chance to defend themselves. Do not forget that they are teaching in schools. How many should be punished for the mistake of one person?” Miss Banerjee further stated: “The verdict specifies that those still employed will not have to refund money. Unfortunately, we lack information about those identified as tainted. These individuals are teaching in schools ~ what will happen to the schools? Is this the BJP's plan to derail Bengal's education system and push the state backwards? How much will Bengal be targeted?" She compared the situation to the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh, where 50 people linked to the scam died, asking how many were punished. She noted that Bengal's former education minister remains in jail, but questioned whether many should suffer for the misdeeds of one. “The SSC is an autonomous body, and we do not interfere in its decisions. We have reviewed the rulings and will complete the recruitment process within three months as directed by the Supreme Court. I have instructed the education minister to convey our concerns to the SSC. Their decisions will be their own, and we will not intervene. However, the recruitment process must be completed within three months in adherence to the verdict," she said. (More reports on Pg 3) STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 3 APRIL India and Thailand on Thursday decided to elevate bilateral ties to a strategic partnership as Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that India believes in the policy of development and not expansionism. ''India supports ASEAN unit and ASEAN centrality. India and Thailand support a free, open, inclusive, and rules-based order in the IndoPacific,'' he said after wideranging talks with his Thai counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra in Bangkok. The two countries also exchanged memorandums across a range of sectors, including one on the establishment of an India-Thailand strategic partnership. "India and Thailand's centuries-old relations are connected through our deep cultural and spiritual ties. The spread of Buddhism has connected our people. From Ayutthaya to Nalanda, there has been an exchange of intellectuals. The tales of Ramayana are a part of Thai people's lives. The influence of Sanskrit and Pali is reflected in language and traditions even today,'' the Indian leader said. He said he was grateful to the Thai government that during his visit, a commemorative stamp, based on Ramayana mural paintings from the 18th century, was issued. Earlier, the PM arrived in Thailand to attend the 6th Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Summit, saying BIMSTEC has over the past decade emerged as a significant forum for promoting regional development, connectivity and economic progress in the Bay of Bengal region. Mr Modi was accorded a warm welcome on his arrival by top Thai officials and the large Indian diaspora at the Bangkok Airport. Trump rolls out reciprocal tariffs, hits India with 27 pc tax STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 3 APRIL US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday far-reaching new tariffs on nearly all trading partners, including a 27 per cent tax on goods imported from India. Mr Trump, in a Rose Garden announcement on Wednesday local time, imposed a baseline rate of 10 per cent on all imports and higher individualised rates for dozens of countries, including 27 per cent for India, 34 per cent for China and 20 per cent for the European Union. The levies are half of what the USA deemed the trading partner countries imposed on goods from America, a combined total of tariffs and non-monetary barriers. Other countries hit with higher rates are the UK, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, the EU, Vietnam, Cambodia, Switzerland, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Many of the targeted countries are treaty allies of the USA, but Mr Trump said friends have been more unfair to the USA on matters of trade than foes, reiterating his long-running beef with countries with high trade surpluses with the USA or those that he has perceived levy high import duties on American goods. “India, very, very tough," Mr Trump said on Wednesday, reading out the new levies from a chart brought up to him by Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick at the presentation. “Very, very tough. The Prime Minister just left. He's a great friend of mine, but I said, ‘You're a friend of mine, but you're not treating us right’. They charge us 52 per cent. You have to understand that we charge them almost nothing." The Indian levy on imports from the USA, is calculated by the USA in this instance, following a formula that includes both monetary and non-monetary levies and barriers. The new American levy on imports from India was put at half, 27 per cent. Pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, copper, or energy products from India are said exempt from the elevated tariff. On the other hand, Indian textiles, engineering goods, electronics, and gems and jewellery sector exporters are expected to be hit hardest by the tariffs. In New Delhi, the Ministry of Commerce said the Department of Commerce is carefully examining the implications of the various measures announced by Mr Trump on reciprocal tariffs. The Department is engaged with all stakeholders, including Indian industry and exporters, taking feedback of their assessment of the tariffs and assessing the situation, it said. The Department is also studying the opportunities that may arise due to this new development in the US trade policy, it said. The Union Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary, also said that India will review and assess the impact of reciprocal tariffs. While talking to reporters Mr Chaudhary said: “For Donald Trump, it's America First, and for Modi ji, it's India First. We will analyse it first, then assess its impact and see how to deal with it." Mr Modi, and Mr Trump had announced on 13 February 2025 ‘Mission 500’ which aims to double the bilateral trade to US $500 Billion by 2030. Accordingly, discussions are ongoing between Indian and US trade teams for a multi-sectoral bilateral trade agreement. (Another report on Pg 10)