WEDNESDAY 23 JULY 2025 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00 X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘UDDHAV GOVT FELL AFTER FADNAVIS HONEY-TRAPPED MLAs’ THOUSANDS PAY TRIBUTE TO FORMER KERALA CM P9 SENSEX 82,186.81 q13.53 WEATHER GENERALLY CLOUDY SKY. LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN ACCOMPANIED WITH THUNDERSTORM/LIGHTNING. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 31 AND 25 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: 000.0 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 100% TEMPERATURE Max: 32.6°C (-2.6) SUN RISES 05:39 hrs MOON RISES 04:44 hrs Min. 83% Min: 26°C (-1.3) SUN SETS 19:18 hrs MOON SETS 18:25 hrs THUMBNAILS The British Royal Navy's F-35B Lightning II fighter jet, which had been stranded in Kerala for five weeks after making an emergency landing on 14 June, finally took off from the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport at 10.50 a.m. on Tuesday. n ANI IAF to phase out MiG-21s by September: The Indian Air Force will be phasing out phasing out its MiG 21 fighter jet aircraft by September 2025, and replace them with the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mark 1A, defence officials said on Tuesday. First inducted in 1963, these jets will be retired after 62 years of service with the indigenously developed Tejas aircraft replacing them in all the current squadrons. NEW DELHI, 22 JULY The Election Commission of India (ECI) in a detailed affidavit in the Supreme Court has defended its ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, asserting that the process aims to ensure inclusion ~ not exclusion ~ of eligible voters ahead of the October–November Assembly elections. In response to petitions alleging that the exercise may disenfranchise a large number of rural and marginalised groups, the ECI listed six key grounds for its action, asserting that constitutional and statutory powers fully back the process. The poll panel has stated P8 NIFTY 25,060.90 q29.80 ` vs $ 86.41 GOLD `1,02,395 Oppn leaders question timing and circumstances of the Vice-President’s decision President Murmu accepts Dhankhar’s resignation STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 22 JULY J agdeep Dhankhar's unexpected resignation as Vice President of India on 21 July, citing health reasons, has sent shockwaves through India's political landscape. The move, coming on the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, has led to intense speculation, and prompted swift strategic huddles among the political fraternity with many opposition leaders and political pundits questioning the timing and circumstances of his decision. Mr Dhankhar's consideration of an Oppositionsponsored resolution on the impeachment of Justice Yashwant Varma is being touted as one of the major reasons that might have triggered his resignation. Mr Dhankhar had acknowledged the Opposition-sponsored impeachment motion brought against Justice Varma. Sources say that by accepting the Opposition's notice, Mr Dhankhar may have run afoul of the that under Article 324 of the Constitution, the superintendence, direction, and control of electoral rolls rest solely with the Commission, and “denial of this authority would result in inclusion of illegal immigrants and foreigners” in the electoral rolls. Countering petitioners’ objections to document verification for establishing citizenship, the ECI said that Section 3 of the Citizenship Act, 1955 forms the basis for its declaration form, and not any arbitrary executive action. “The ECI, being a constitutional body, would have constitutional authority to determine whether the constitutional requirement of citizenship has been fulfilled by a person claiming the right to be included in the electoral roll,” the affidavit said. On the burden of proof being shifted on the individuals, the poll panel has said that citizenship is a threshold qualification, and its proof lies within the special knowledge of the individual claiming to be a citizen of India and, therefore it is incumbent on the said individual to provide such proof. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 22 JULY Centre's plan to target corruption in the judiciary. Sources indicated that Mr Dhankhar had received calls from senior ministers condemning his actions as unacceptable after he accepted the Opposition's notice, leading to a heated argument. His strict adherence to norms is being interpreted as having led to a clash with the government. Also, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh hinted at "far deeper reasons" for Mr Dhankhar's resignation beyond health concerns. Mr Ramesh commented that Mr Dhankhar's resignation "speaks highly of him but poorly of those who got him elected." According to Mr Ramesh, Mr Dhankhar was upset over ministers JP Nadda and Kiren Rijiju's absence from a reconvened Business Advisory Committee meeting without any prior notice. However, JP Nadda clarified that he and Kiren Rijiju couldn't attend the meeting due to other parliamentary engagements and that his "only what I say will go on record" comment was directed at interrupting Opposition MPs. Mr Nadda had made the remark "only what I say will go on record" during the course of his speech in the Upper House on Monday when the Opposition parties were on their toes trying to disrupt his address. Amidst Opposition protests, both Houses of Parliament adjourned for the day STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 22 JULY Both Houses of Parliament were Tuesday adjourned for the day without transacting any business amidst unabated disturbances as Opposition parties kept demanding discussions on the issues of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls being undertaken by the Election Commission in Bihar ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections and the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor. The proceedings in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were marked by several mid-proceeding adjournments due to disruptions caused by the Opposition parties before the two Houses called it a day to meet again on Wednesday. The Lok Sabha witnessed a series of adjournments, initially being adjourned until 12 p.m. shortly after convening. Upon reconvening amidst fervent Opposition protests, the Lower House was adjourned once again until 2 p.m. In response to the tumultuous proceedings, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju censured the Opposition for fomenting disorder within the Parliament. Mr Rijiju asserted that the government stands prepared for meaningful discourse, whilst the Opposition's propensity for protest amounts to an egregious squandering of public funds. In the Rajya Sabha, Opposition members vociferously demanded a discussion pertaining to the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, their impassioned pleas manifesting in vociferous slogans. As the Question Hour commenced, Ghanshyam Tiwari of the BJP made a formal announcement regarding the resignation of Vice-President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar, as conveyed via notification from the Ministry of Home Affairs. Despite this announcement, Opposition members persisted vociferously with their demands for the discussions leading to subsequent adjournment of the House. SC issues notice to Centre, States in Presidential reference case PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 22 JULY The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Union government, and all state governments, on a Presidential reference seeking clarity on whether courts can prescribe timelines for the President and State Governors to act on Bills passed by State legislatures. A five-judge constitution bench comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai (photo), Justice Surya Kant, Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Atul S Chandurkar posted the matter for further hearing on Tuesday, 29 July. It also asked Attorney General R Venkataramani to assist the court in the matter. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta will represent the Central government in the P10 Speculation runs rife after VP’s shock exit ECI defends Bihar voter roll revision on six key grounds PARMOD KUMAR U.S. RELEASES FBI RECORDS INDIA AIM TO BREAK ON MLK JR. DESPITE HIS MANCHESTER JINX FAMILY’S OPPOSITION hearing of the reference by the President Droupadi Murmu invoking powers under the Article 143(1) of the Constitution of India. “There are issues of interpretation of the constitution. We have requested the learned Attorney General to assist us. Issue notice to the Union and all state governments. The Learned Solicitor General will appear for the Union. All State governments be served through email. List it next Tuesday. Notice be also served to all standing counsels," the Court said in its order. The Presidential reference ~ titled “In Re: Assent, Withholding, or Reservation of Bills by the Governor and President of India”~ stems from the Supreme Court’s 8 April 2025 ruling in the Tamil Nadu case, which laid down timelines for both Governors (Article 200) and the President (Article 201) to decide on Bills passed by state legislatures. The top court bench of Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice R. Mahadevan in their 8 April 2025, landmark judgment had ruled that Governors cannot delay assent indefinitely, despite the absence of a prescribed timeline under Article 200. The President must act on reserved Bills within 3 months of receipt from the Governor under Article 201. Any further delay must be explained and conveyed to the concerned State. The verdict came in response to a writ petition filed by the Tamil Nadu government challenging the Governor’s prolonged inaction on important bills. President Droupadi Murmu accepted the resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar from the post of Vice President of India on Tuesday. Mr Dhankhar’s letter of resignation has been forwarded to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), & soon an official notification will be issued. This was announced during the Rajya Sabha proceedings on Tuesday, when BJP MP Ghanshyam Tiwari, who was in the Chair, said that Mr Dhankhar's resignation as the Vice President has been accepted. Earlier, PM extended good wishes to Mr Dhankhar. The PM wrote on X: “Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar Ji has got many opportunities to serve our country in various capacities, including as the Vice President of India. Wishing him good health.” P12 SILVER `1,18,000 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 68.64 FTA, defence cooperation high on agenda of PM’s UK visit NIKHIL VYAS ‘India has brought Khalistani extremists issue to attention of partners in UK’ NEW DELHI, 22 JULY Formalising the muchawaited and historic IndiaUK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and defence cooperation will be high on the agenda during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's twoday visit to London, starting Wednesday. Mr Modi will leave for the UK on Wednesday and on the second leg of his visit, he will undertake a state visit to the Maldives from 25 to 26 Kuly. During his visit to the UK, the prime minister will highlight the issue of cross-border terrorism, the Pahalgam terror attack, and India’s response through Operation Sindoor. Addressing a special briefing by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on the Prime Minister’s visit to the United Kingdom and Maldives, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Tuesday said this would be PM Modi's fourth visit to the UK. "This visit, though a short one, will give both leaders the opportunity to review the entire gamut of the bilateral relation- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 22 JULY ship," Mr Misri said. He said the visit to the UK is at the invitation of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, while the state visit to the Maldives is at the invitation of President Mohamed Muizzu. On a media query on the India-UK Free Trade Agreement, Mr Misri said: "There was a conversation on the sixth of May, between the Prime Minister Modi and the Prime Minister of the UK, where an announcement had been made that the two sides had concluded negotiations on Free Trade Agreement and other issues. Since then, the two sides have been in very close touch with each other...We will update you on the final details related to this at the appropriate time." Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United Kingdom beginning tomorrow, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has said India has brought the issue of the presence of Khalistani extremists in that country to the attention of partners in the UK. Addressing a special briefing by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Foreign Secretary on Tuesday said: "The issue of the presence of Khalistani extremists, bodies close to these people, is something that we have brought to the attention of our partners in the UK. We will continue to do so." "This is a matter of concern not only to us but should be a matter of concern to our partners as well because this impacts social cohesion and social order in these other countries as well," he said.