TUESDAY 22 APRIL 2025 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR K’TAKA HM PROMISES DETAILED INVESTIGATIONS INTO EX-DGP’S KILLING ‘EXCEL IN COMBAT SKILLS, REMAIN MENTALLY STRONG’ P5 SENSEX 79,408.50 p855.30 WEATHER MAINLY CLEAR SKY. OCCASIONAL SUSTAINED SURFACE WINDS (SPEED 10-20 KMPH). THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 40 AND 25 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 74 % TEMPERATURE Min: 26.2 °C (+3.5) SUN SETS 18:51 hrs MOON SETS 13:00 hrs THUMBNAILS ` vs $ 85.38 GOLD `99,585.00 P12 SILVER `1,01,000 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 66.45 Pope Francis dies at 88 on Easter Monday The People’s Pope The Pope was admitted to the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital on Friday, February 14, 2025, after suffering from a bout of bronchitis for several days. Francis’ Firsts Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born Dec. 17, 1936, to Italian immigrants in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the eldest of five children. He became archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and elevated to cardinal in 2001. He was elected the 266th pope on March 13, 2013. l The first pope from the Americas. l The first from the Jesuit order to be elected pope. l The first to take the name of Francis, after St. Francis of Assisi. CRPF in a joint operation with Jharkhand police neutralised eight Naxals during an encounter and recovered arms, ammunition and other materials in Lugu hills under Lalpania area, in Bokaro on Monday. nANI JPC meeting on 'One Nation, One Election' to be held today: The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on 'One Nation, One Election' will hold a meeting on April 22 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. In the first session, there will be an interaction with Justice Hemant Gupta, former judge of the Supreme Court. This will be followed by a session with Justice SN Jha, former Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. The next session will include Dr Justice BS Chauhan, former Supreme Court judge and Chairman of the 21st Law Commission of India. l The first to visit Iraq, meeting its top Shiite Muslim cleric in 2021. His last public appearance, a day before his death — to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square and treat them to a surprise popemobile romp through the piazza, drawing wild cheers and applause. Pope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change. As Buenos Aires archbishop, Francis denied himself the luxuries his predecessors enjoyed, riding the bus, cooking his own meals and regularly visiting slums. Deeply pained by the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis. In this hour of grief and remembrance, my heartfelt condolences to the global Catholic community. Pope Francis will always be remembered as a beacon of compassion, humility and spiritual courage by millions across the world. — NARENDRA MODI, PM AGENCIES VATICAN CITY, 21 APRIL P ope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change, died on Monday. He was 88. Bells tolled in churches from his native Argentina to the Philippines and across Rome as news spread around the world after the announcement, which was read by Cardinal Kevin Farrell from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta, where Francis lived. “At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the PM, US VP Vance welcome ‘significant progress’ in concluding trade deal ASHOK TUTEJA NEW DELHI, 21 APRIL: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US Vice President J D Vance tonight welcomed the ‘’significant progress’’ in the negotiations for a mutually beneficial Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA). They also noted continued efforts towards enhancing bilateral cooperation in energy, defence, strategic technologies and other areas. The Indian leader welcomed the American VicePresident J D Vance, his Indiaorigin wife Usha and their three children at the PM’s 7 Lok Kalyan Marg residence here. The two leaders were assisted by their top aides during the meeting. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Adviser P6 He made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday to bless thousands of people in St Peter’s Square Min. 15 % Max: 41.3 °C (+3.6) SUN RISES 05:48 hrs MOON RISES 02:47 hrs P8 NIFTY 24,125.55 p273.90 DC, LSG BATTLE FOR MOMENTUM LIQUIDITY DISCONNECT Ajit Doval were in the Indian delegation while Mr Vance's delegation included representatives from the Pentagon and the State Department. The talks between the two leaders were followed by a dinner hosted by the PM in honour of the American leader. AN official statement issued after the meeting said the PM fondly recalled his visit to Washington in February and his fruitful discussions with President Donald Trump, which laid down the roadmap for close cooperation between India and the US, leveraging the strengths of Make America Great Again (MAGA) and Viksit Bharat 2047. The PM and US Vice President Vance reviewed and positively assessed the progress in various areas of bilateral cooperation. The two leaders also exchanged views on various regional and global issues of mutual interest, and called for dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward. The PM extended his best wishes to the Vice President, Second Lady and their children for a pleasant and productive stay in India. Mr Modi also conveyed his warm greetings to President Trump and said that he looked forward to the latter’s visit to India later this year. Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church,” said Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo, who takes charge after a pontiff’s death. Francis, who suffered from chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was admitted to Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14, 2025, for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. He spent 38 days there, the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy. He made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday — a day before his death — to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square, drawing wild cheers and applause. Beforehand, he met briefly with U.S. Vice President JD Vance. World leaders on Monday extolled Francis’ commitment to the most marginalized members of society. Flags flew at half-staff in Italy, and tourists and the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square. When the great bells of St. Peter’s Basilica began tolling, visitors stopped in their tracks to record the moment on their phones. Francis’ death sets off a weekslong process of allowing the faithful to pay their final respects, first for Vatican officials in the Santa Marta chapel and then in St. Peter’s for the general public, followed by a funeral and a conclave to elect a new pope. (See Page 9) Don’t need our permission to file contempt plea against BJP MP Nishikant: SC to advocate STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 21 APRIL The Supreme Court on Monday told an advocate that he does not need its permission to file a contempt petition against BJP member Nishikant Dubey for his recent controversial remarks against the top court and CJI Justice Sanjiv Khanna. A bench of Justice B R Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih said the petitioner needs to get a sanction from the Attorney General in the matter. The bench said this as the petitioner's advocate referring to the recent media reports about Dubey's comments sought court’s permission to file a contempt petition against him. “You file it. For filing, you Rahul Gandhi questions EC’s impartiality in Maha polls STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 21 APRIL The BJP on Monday labeled Congress leader Rahul Gandhi a "traitor" for questioning the impartiality of the Election Commission of India during an event in the United States. Citing voter turnout figures in the previous Maharashtra Assembly polls, the Gandhi scion on Sunday asserted that there was “something very wrong with the system.” Gandhi, who is currently visiting the United States, made the observation during a talk at Brown University in Boston. “More people voted in the Maharashtra Assembly elections than there are adults in Maharashtra. The Election Commission gave us a voting figure for 5.30pm, and between 5.30 pm and 7.30 pm, 65 lakh voters voted. This is physically impossible to happen,” the Congress leader asserted. Accusing the poll panel of compromising its impartiality, the Congress leader alleged that the Election Commission had refused to provide video evidence of the voting and even changed laws to prevent it. "… it takes (approximately) 3 minutes, and if you do the Math, it would mean that there were lines of voters till 2 AM, but this did not happen...When we asked them for the videography, they not only refused but they also changed the law… .," Gandhi alleged. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday came out strongly against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his comments on the Election Commission of India made during an event at Boston. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra accused Gandhi of insulting the country on foreign soil. Mr. Gandhi, who is currently visiting the United States, made the observation during a talk at the Brown University in Boston that the poll panel was “compromised.” Citing voter turnout figures in the previous Maharashtra Assembly polls, the Gandhi scion on Sunday asserted that there was “something very wrong with the system.” Supreme Court takes exception to statements against it PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 21 APRIL Apparently taking exception to Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar questioning the April 8 Supreme Court judgment on setting a timeline for the President and governors to give assent to the Bills enacted by the state legislatures, the Supreme Court said on Monday that it is being accused of “interfering with executive and legislative functions”, while hearing a public interest plea (PIL) seeking direction to the Central government to frame regulations to prohibit the streaming of alleged obscene content on Over The Top (OTT) platforms. Telling the petitioner that the issue raised by him is a policy matter falling within the domain of the Central government, a bench of Justice B R Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih remarked, “… We are accused that we are interfering with the executive and legislative functions.” It is for the Central government to frame regulations in this regard, the bench told the PIL petition. As advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, appearing for the PIL petitioner Uday Mahurkar and others, urged the bench to hear the matter, the bench asked him to serve a copy of the petition on the counsel of the central government and posted the matter for hearing in May, 2025. Assailing the OTT platforms Netflix, Amazon, Alt Balaji and others for streaming of alleged obscene material, the PIL petitioner has sought direction to put in place regulation for curbing them. The PIL has sought the constitution of an authority/com- mittee headed by retired Supreme Court judge, and consisting of eminent experts in the field to oversee and certify for the publishing, streaming of movies/shows/web series on OTT Platforms and social media on the lines of the CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) until the appropriate legislature enacts a law for regulating such streaming. It has sought the laying down of the guidelines by setting up a National Content Control Authority to prohibit sexually perverted content on OTT Platforms and various social media platforms, it also asked. The petition has also sought direction to the Centre “to take appropriate steps to prohibit the streaming of sexually explicit, pornographic, paedophilic, incestuous and other content of similar nature including nudity, X-rated scenes, etc. on OTT Platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Ullu, ALTT, etc. and social media platforms including X (formerly Twitter), Meta (formerly Facebook), Instagram, YouTube, etc.” If left unchecked, this unregulated spread of obscene material could have severe consequences on societal values, mental health, and public safety, says the PIL, pointing out that they are compelled to raise this matter due to the rampant availability of pornographic, obscene, and sexually deviant content across digital platforms. “The unchecked circulation of such material, including child pornography and softcore adult content, has contributed to a rising trend of crimes against women and children while negatively shaping the psychological development of young minds,” the PIL said. The OTT platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Ullu, ALTT (formerly, ALT Balaji), etc. continue to stream highly explicit content, some of which violates child rights and safety due to such sexually deviant material, the PIL has stated. The petitioner has further sought direction to the central government to stop access to the social media- X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc. as well as OTT platforms until they formulate a mechanism to ensure that all pornographic content is made inaccessible, especially to children and minors in India. don't require our permission,” Justice Gavai said. Dubey has reportedly said that “ The Supreme Court is taking the country towards anarchy” and that "Chief Justice of India, Justice Sanjiv Khanna is responsible for the civil wars taking place in the country”. Some lawyers have also written letters to the Attorney General R Venkataramani, demanding initiation of contempt proceedings against Dubey for his remarks. Letters were written by advocates Anas Tanwir, Shiv Kumar Tripathi and others seeking contempt of court proceedings against Dubey saying that his "grossly scandalous remarks aimed at lowering the dignity" of the top court. ‘India likely to sign bilateral trade pact with US by fall of this year’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 21 APRIL India is in advanced discussions with the United States to finalise a bilateral trade agreement, and the first phase of the pact could be signed by the fall this year, said Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. “The progress of the agreement or the trade agreement that we are working on, at least the first tranche, is something which we hope to conclude positively by the fall this year,” she said. Ms Sitharaman was interacting with the Indian diaspora during a community event in San Francisco, where she added that a reciprocal tariff issue is part of a broader trade negotiation strategy. "The long and short of engaging with the U.S. is not just for this reciprocal tariffrelated matter, but in the interest of... our largest trading partner with whom we need to have an agreement," Sitharaman said. The Union Finance Minister is on a five-day trip to the US, where she will join the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and the meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors, according to an Indian government statement. “I have come here because I also have the IMF and World Bank meeting. I am scheduled to meet the Treasury Secretary, my counterpart here. So the keenness with which we are engaging with the US administration, even as I talk, I think the US Vice-President is in India. He will be engaging with the Prime Minister, hopefully this evening or tomorrow,” she added.