SATURDAY INTELLIGENCE BUREAU, NITI AAYOG GET NEW CHIEFS 25 Parameswaran Iyer, who spearheaded the Cenbtre’s Swachh Bharat Mission, will replace incumbent Amitabh Kant as the CEO of Niti Aayog JUNE, 2022 epaper.morningstandard.in DEKA IB CHIEF, RAW’S GOEL GETS ONE-YR EXTENSION facebook.com/TheMorningStandard twitter.com/TheMornStandard In another appointment, Tapan Kumar Deka, the ‘crisis man’ who was put in charge of the counterassaults during the 26/11 Mumbai attack, was named Director, Intelligence Bureau. Meanwhile, the tenure of Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) head Samant Goel has been extended by one more year FLOOD FURY REASONS FOR ANNUAL MISERY Climate change, poor urban planning, lack of mitigation steps compunds the woes A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 7  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 Gujarat riot: SC upholds SIT clean chit to Modi Sees no larger plot in the 2002 Gujarat riots; talks of ‘devious stratagem to keep the pot boiling for ulterior design’ EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @New Delhi Satyamev Jayate: BJP “Satyamev Jayate” was the unanimous reaction of BJP leaders after the Supreme Court verdict while Tanvir Jafri, son of Jafri, on Friday said he was disappointed THE Supreme Court on Friday upheld a Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) clean chit to then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and 63 others in the 2002 post-Godhra riots in the state and dismissed a petition by slain Congress leader Ehsan Jafri’s wife Zakia Jafri. Bringing the curtains down on the bid to reopen the probe, a bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar said the material collected during the investigation does not ‘give rise to strong or grave suspicion regarding hatching of larger criminal conspiracy at the highest level’ for causing mass violence against Muslims. The inaction or failure of some officials of one section of the administration cannot be the basis to infer a pre-planned criminal conspiracy by the authorities or to term it as a state-sponsored crime against the minority community, the SC said. The bench, also comprising justices Dinesh Maheshwari and C T Ravikumar, termed Zakia’s plea devoid of merit. It spoke of “the devious stratagem to keep the pot boiling, obviously, for ulterior de- sign” and said all those involved in “such abuse of process need to be in the dock and proceeded with in accordance with law”. The court also appreciated the SIT for its ‘indefatigable work’ in challenging circumstances and said it has come out with ‘flying colours unscathed’. The bench said no fault could be found with the SIT’s approach, adding its final report in 2012 is backed by firm logic, “expositing analytical mind and dealing with all aspects objectively for discarding the allegations regarding larger criminal conspiracy”. The bench upheld the decision of a magistrate in accepting the final report submitted by the SIT. Zakia Jafri had challenged the Gujarat High Court’s October 5, 2017 order rejecting her plea against the SIT decision. “We do not countenance the submission of the appellant regarding infraction of rule of law in the matter of investigation and the approach of the magistrate and the high court in dealing with the final report,” the bench said. Congress leader and former MP Ehsan Jafri was among the 68 people killed at Ahmedabad’s Gulbarg Society on February 28, 2002. Rebuild Sena: Uddhav tells cadre in bid to wrest initiative S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai TWO days after vacating his official residence in the wake of a massive revolt, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray sought to take back control by addressing a meeting of the party’s functionaries, invoking Shivaji Maharaj’s spirit to urge the cadre to rebuild the party from scratch. In his emotional address, he also said he was ready to step down as the Shiv Sena president if need be. He said he may have moved out of the official residence of the chief minister, but his determination to fight the crisis was intact. Saying he was pained by the desertion of the MLAs led by Eknath Shinde, he pointed out thet he gave him the plum portfolio of urban development and sent Shinde’s son to Parliament. “Despite this, they blame me for promoting Aditya Thackeray Every father will do . that for his son,” he reasoned. Uddhav also chaired a meet- Back to the roots Of the total 96 Shakha pramukhs of the Sena, 85 attended the meet at Shiv Sena Bhavan at Dadar. Aditya Thackeray addressed them in-person while Uddhav spoke virtually ing of districts collectors and secretaries and asked them continue with development works related to welfare of the people irrespective of the political twists and turns. He also discussed the Covid situation and a possible mask mandate in Mumbai, given that the infection count is going up. In the evening NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar called on Uddhav at his residence. NCP state president Jayant Patil and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar accompanied Pawar for the meeting. As for Shinde, he sought legal advice after Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal approved the appointment of Ajay Chaudhari as the Sena’s legislative party leader replacing him (Shinde), and Sunil Prabhu as the chief whip. The Shinde camp had written to Zirwal seeking the appointment of Bharat Gogawale as chief whip instead of Prabhu. Meanwhile, police authorities in Maharashtra have issued an alert across the state as Shiv Sena supporters are likely to stage angry protests following senior leader and minister Eknath Shinde’s rebellion against Thackeray . A couple of incidents of Sena workers targeting the hoardings or boards featuring rebel MLAs who are with Shinde have been reported in the state. A general alert has been issued to all district unit commanders like superintendents of police and police commissioners, asking them to take steps to prevent any untoward incident. In western Maharashtra’s Kolhapur, Shiv Sena supporters came out on the streets in large numbers and staged protests against the rebel leaders. VANDALISED The ransacked office of Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi in Kalpetta on Friday, after a protest march of the students wing of ruling CPM in Kerala, turned violent | EXPRESS POLL MURMU FILES PAPER Reached Parliament with PM Modi and Union ministers, chief ministers of BJP-ruled states, NDA leaders and leaders from other supporting parties | P7 PARAMESWARAN IYER KNOWN FOR EXECUTING LARGE PROJECTS Parameswaran Iyer, a 1981-batch IAS officer of UP cadre, had resigned from civil service in 2009. He came back as Secretary in Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation in 2016 and executed the Narendra Modi government’s flagship sanitation scheme. He resigned from the post in July 2020 and went on to work with the World Bank in the US EX-IAS OFFICER PARAMESWARAN IS NEW NITI AAYOG CEO EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi THE government on Friday appointed IPS officer Tapan Kumar Deka as Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and extended Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) chief Samant Goel’s tenure for one more year. But the most talked about appointment was that of retired IAS officer Parameswaran Iyer as the new CEO of Niti Aayog. He replaces Amitabh Kant, who is set to complete his extended tenure of oneyear by June-end. Kant was appointed as Niti Aayog CEO in 2016. Iyer’s appointment is for a period of two years or until further orders, whichever is earlier, said a notification by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). A former Secretary of the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, the 1981-batch IAS officer took voluntary retirement in 2009 to join water and sanitation initiatives at the World Bank. In 2016, Iyer spearheaded the Centre’s Swachh Bharat Mission but resigned in 2020 and joined back the World Bank in the US. Iyer, 63, was born in Srina- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi ANOTHER tussle seems to be building up between the AAP government and the Delhi Lt- Governor V K Saxena, with the former alleging that the L-G was “sitting over” several important files, including one regarding Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s Singapore visit to attend the World Cities Summit, scheduled on August 2-3. “Smallest of matters pertaining to Delhi are being sat on for a long time due to the L-G’s inexperience which is causing long delays in public interest work in Delhi. These also include many such files on which L-G has nothing to aid or advice. Despite this, the files have been pending with him for a long time,” said a source. The chief minister is sched- Fresh cases Recoveries Deaths 13,313 10,972 38 17,336 13,029 13 L-G VK Saxena, CM Arvind Kejriwal uled to attend the Summit in Singapore to present the Delhi model of governance, but the L-G has withheld the clearance of the file since June 7, the sources said. Singapore High Commissioner Simon Wong had invited Kejriwal to take part in the Summit, which is a platform for government leaders and industry experts to address liveable and sustainable city challenges, share integrated urban solutions and forge new partnerships. This is not the first time DELHI Fresh cases Recoveries Deaths JUNE 23 JUNE 24 1,934 1,233 00 1,447 1,694 01 that Kejriwal’s attendance at an international summit has been in the news. In 2019, the Ministry of External Affairs had denied him permission to attend the Copenhagen C40 World Mayors’ Summit in Denmark. AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said the CM has to leave by the end of July to attend the Summit. “Singapore High Commission officials have asked me several times about his plans and it is so embarrassing for me to tell them that the file is stuck in the L-G’s office,” he said. Urged Saxena to give his clearance to Kejriwal’s visit at the earliest, Bhardwaj said the CM’s participation in the Summit will raise the stature of Delhi as well as that of the L-G before the global community . The L-G office was yet to react to the allegations. JAB-O-METER TAKE YOUR SHOT June 23 11,98,992 doses June 24 13,90,325 doses TOTAL DOSES: 1,96,92,56,476 EXPRESS READ BENGALURU ROADS HARD TRAGEDY US SUPREME COURT SCHOOL EDUCATION Bengaluru: Even as the offices of Prime Minister and chief minister have sought a report on the bad road condition in Bengaluru, civic agencies are blaming each other, exposing their lack of lack of coordination again. Bangalore municipal corporation’s Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath on Friday said the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) should check why there was a seepage on the road that led to its bad condition. To ascertain the exact cause and to set the problem right, the road will be dug open. But BWSSB Chairman N Jayaram said the stretch was inspected and no pipeline leakage or seepage was found. Girinath said the potholes, tar peeling off and road caving in are not on the stretches used by the Prime Minister’s convoy, but the roads around the area. Kabul: An aftershock took more lives Friday and threatened to pile even more misery on an area of eastern Afghanistan reeling from a powerful earthquake that state media said killed 1,150 people this week. Among the dead from Wednesday’s magnitude 6 quake are 121 children, but that figure is expected to climb, said Mohamed Ayoya, UNICEF’s representative in Afghanistan. That earthquake struck a remote region already grappling with staggering poverty at a time when the country as a whole is spiralling deeper into economic crisis after many countries pulled back aid in the wake of the Taliban’s takeover. On Friday, Pakistan’s Meteorological Department reported a new, 4.2 magnitude quake that state-run Bakhtar News Agency reported took five more lives in hard-hit Gayan district. Washington: The US Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years in a decision by its conservative majority to overturn Roe v Wade. Friday’s outcome is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states. The decision, unthinkable just a few years ago, was the culmination of decades of efforts by abortion opponents, made possible by an emboldened right side of the court that has been fortified by three appointees of former President Donald Trump. The ruling came more than a month after the stunning leak of a draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito indicating the court was prepared to take this momentous step. It puts the court at odds with a majority of Americans who favoured preserving Roe. P9 New Delhi: The Directorate of Education (DoE) has issued a circular stating that Delhi Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules 2022 has been amended, in a step towards bringing back the detention policy at schools. It will come into force as soon as it is notified in the gazette. Following the gazette notification, the government will release the conditions a child can be held back in his current class. “In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 38 of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, the L-G, hereby, makes the rule to amend the Delhi Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules 2011. The rule may be called the Delhi Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Rules, 2020,” the circular said. Blame game still on even NDA PREZ NOMINEE as PMO, CMO seek report SAMANT GOEL gar and attended Doon School in Dehradun. He later went to St. Stephen’s College in Delhi. He also has a Master’s in Business Administration from the Management Development Institute, Gurugram. Deka, a 1988 batch officer from the Himachal Pradesh cadre, is currently serving as Special Director in IB and handling the operations wing. He was also in-charge of the counter-assault during the 26/11 attack. He, too, will have a tenure of two years. He takes over from Arvind Kumar, who will demit office on June 30 after getting a oneyear extension last year. Deka is considered to be an expert on the affairs of operations, especially in Kashmir as well as the Northeast, and has been serving in the IB for over two decades. Hailing from Assam, Deka was personally sent by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to his home state to handle the volatile situation there during the large-scale violence after the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2019. Goel is the third R&AW chief who has got tenure of more than three years. L-G sitting over file on CM Kejriwal’s Singapore visit to attend meet: AAP NATIONWIDE JUNE 23 JUNE 24 Shiv Sena workers take part in a protest rally against rebel leader Eknath Shinde in Kolhapur on Friday | PTI TAPAN KUMAR DEKA Aftershock in quake-hit Afghan, death toll rises Constitutional protection for abortions ends in US Delhi govt plans bringing back detention policy No arrest of Karti till July 12 bail hearing, ED tells High Court EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi THE Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday assured the Delhi High Court that it will not arrest Congress leader Karti Chidambaram in a case related to alleged Chinese visa scam till July 12, when his anticipatory bail plea in the matter will be taken up for hearing. Appearing for ED, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju made the assurance after the court said t it will not be able to deal with the matter on Friday. Justice Jasmeet Singh then directed the probe agency to file a status report in the matter before the next hearing on July 12. Karti had approached the High Court after his anticipatory bail plea was dismissed by the trial court on June 3 on the ground that the offence was of a very serious nature. “The nature and gravity of the alleged offences, the nascent stage of investigation and also the previous criminal antecedents of the accused Karti P Chidambaram and S Bhaskararaman do not make it out a case for grant of anticipatory bail to the applicants or for any further interim protection to them for joining of the investigation of this case as it will seriously hamper the process and progress of investigation,” the order passed by Special Judge MK Nagpal stated. The ED has registered the money laundering case against Karti and others in the alleged scam pertaining to the issuance of a visa to 263 Chinese nationals in 2011 when his father P Chidambaram was the home minister.