THURSDAY SC to hear challenge to quota beyond 10-yr cap for SC/STs in Lok Sabha SEPTEMBER, 2023 The SC will hear pleas questioning constitutional validity of extending reservation beyond the 10 years to SCs and STs in Lok Sabha and Assemblies 21 facebook.com/TheMorningStandard A five-judge Constitution bench set November 21 to start hearing the plea. The validity of the 104th amendment of the Constitution in 2019 shall be determined to the extent that it applies to the SCs and STs. The amendment had extended the SC/ST quota by 10 years and specified 2030 as the end-year for the provision of reservation. The Centre defended its decision twitter.com/TheMornStandard ISRAELI PM PEACE POSSIBLE WITH SAUDI ARABIA Benjamin Netanyahu said a US-backed deal to normalise ties with Riyadh was possible PAGE 9 Art 334 FIVE-JUDGE BENCH TO HEAR FROM NOVEMBER 21 epaper.morningstandard.in A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 Scope of amendment to extend quota end-date under statute test RIGHT TO CHOICE, EQUALITY VIOLATED: PLEA ■ The bench comprises Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and justices A S Bopanna, M M Sundresh, J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra The petitioner argued that grant of relentless and repeated extension to certain communities resulted in depriving the electorate of their right to choice in candidates and was violative of the right to equality| P7 ■ Indians not safe in Canada, hate crimes up, says MEA Y E S H I S E L I @ New Delhi Home minister Amit Shah (L) and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi participate in the debate on the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday | PTI 454 ayes. 2 nays. Women’s bill gets LS stamp. RS debate today 60 members of the Lok Sabha participate in eight-hour-long debate, 27 of them women P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi THE Lok Sabha on Wednesday made history by passing the Women’s Reservation Bill by an overwhelming majority of 454 votes. Only two MPs voted against the bill that seeks to reserve one-third of seats for women in Parliament and all state assemblies. While supporting the bill, the Opposition made a strong pitch for extending the quota to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and the immediate implementation of the legislation in the upcoming 2024 elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present during voting. “The proposal has been passed with more than twothirds majority of the members present in the House,” announced Speaker Om Birla after the vote. The bill will now go to the Rajya Sabha. Also, at least half of state assemblies have to ratify it to become law. The bill will come into force only after the delimitation exercise which will be preceded by the decadal Census. Several women Parliamentarians participated in the eight-hour-long debate, which TO STAY IN JAIL Sajjan Kumar acquitted in ’84 riots case J A I S O N W I L S O N @ New Delhi THE Rouse Avenue Court on Wednesday acquitted former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar and all other accused in a murder case tied to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Sultanpuri in west Delhi. Special Judge Geetanjli Goel said, “The accused Sajjan Kumar is given the benefit of the doubt and acquitted for various offences under the IPC, including promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race etc. (Section 153A), abetment of any offence (Section 109), murder (Section 302) and rioting (147).” He was also acquitted of rioting while armed with a deadly weapon, unlawful assembly and damage to a place of worship. Though Kumar got bail in the present case, he will still remain in Tihar Jail, where he was lodged after the conviction in another case related to the riots. Besides Kumar, the special court also acquitted two other accused -- Ved Prakash Pial and Brahmanand Gupta -- holding that the prosecution failed to prove the case of murder and rioting against them. Last month, the court had framed charges against Kumar terming him as “principal abettor” in the case. Kumar was a part of a mob with an objective to set ablaze a gurdwara located in Gulab Bagh in Delhi’s Nawada area on November 1, 1984, the court said earlier. It’s a big step. It’s is not a small step... There is one thing in my view that makes this bill incomplete. I would like to have seen the OBC reservation included in this bill For the first time, it has been acknowledged in the House that it was not one particular family that got the bill for reservation for women in local bodies, but the government of Narasimha Rao Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader OBC quota, quick implementation find resonance Smriti Irani, Union minister P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi saw spirited exchanges from both camps. Initiating the debate, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi made a strong pitch for caste census and bringing OBC women in the ambit of the law. She also urged the government to implement the quota immediately as any delay would be “gross injustice” to women. Dispelling the concerns of the Opposition, home minister Amit Shah said the next government will conduct the Census and the delimitation exercise immediately after the elections and set in motion the process of reservation. Hinting that the bill will become a reality after 2029, Shah said the BJP has given more representation to OBCs than those claiming to speak for them. “Nearly 29% or 85 BJP MPs, 29 Union ministers, and 365 of its 1,358 MLAs, which is over 27%, are from the OBC category “ Shah said. , Several Opposition leaders, including DMK’s Kanimozhi, TMC’s Mahua Moitra, NCP’s Supriya Sule, demanded the immediate rollout of the reservation. While Sule termed the le gislation a “post-dated cheque”, Akali Dal’s Harsimrat Badal targeted the BJP over its leaders being booked for crimes against women. On the demand for immediate implementation, Shah said it could lead to allegations of partiality He said that the mat. ter was best left to the delimitation commission, which would carry out the exercise with transparency Shah said the de. limitation panel was an appropriate forum as it would be chaired by a retired Supreme Court judge and have representation from political parties. THE clamour for quota for the OBC gained momentum with several opposition leaders raising the pitch. While supporting the bill, opposition parties have also stuck to their demand for immediate implementation, which seeks to bring in 33% reservation for women in the lower House and all state legislative assemblies. Several Opposition leaders, including Congress Sonia Gandhi, TMC’s Mahua Moitra and NCP’s Supriya Sule, slammed the government for bringing a bill that cannot come into effect before 2029 elections. According to the bill, introduced by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Wednesday, the provision for implementing reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies will begin after the census and delimitation. DJB ex-CEO vacates ‘official mansion’ Security beefed up around the High Commission of Canada, New Delhi | PARVEEN NEGI KHALISTAN GROUPS TARGET INDIAN MISSIONS Pro-Khalistan groups will stage protests outside Indian diplomatic missions in Canada on September 25. According to sources, the radicals may target the Indian flag and diplomats. They may also attack Indian nationals, accusing them of being RAW agents India in Ottawa or the Consulate General of India in Toronto and Vancouver. The diplomatic row, however, will not affect the military ties between the two countries. Canada’s Deputy Army Chief Major General Peter Scott is scheduled to attend a defence conclave in Delhi next week. Explaining the need to treat political stand-offs in isolation, Major General Abhinaya Rai, additional director general, ABVP Saxena recommended action against Rai for allegedly accepting a `50-lakh bribe to grant “undue favours” to an executive engineer in two corruption cases. As vice-chairman of Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board, Rai “virtually let off ” the executive engineer. THE Medical Counselling Committee on Wednesday said it has slashed the qualifying percentile for NEET-PG 2023 to zero across all categories. The decision was taken following a health ministry recommendation. So, now all those who appeared for NEET-PG entrance will be eligible to participate in counselling. The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association said a large number of students will now fill up the seats, which otherwise went vacant. “Over the past years, we have witnessed a persistent challenge in the form of vacant Counselling for all from top to bottom rank A fresh registration process and choice filling for round-three of postgraduate counselling will be reopened for candidates who have become eligible after the reduction of percentile seats in medical institutions across the nation even after multiple rounds of counselling for NEET-PG,” according to the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association. However, the move ignited fierce debate among the medical associations and practitioners. While some hailed it, others decried it, saying it will bring down the quality of future doctors. Earlier, many medical associations had demanded that the cut-off be reduced to accommodate NEET-PG aspirants, as over 8,000 clinical and non-clinical seats in government and non-government colleges were vacant across the country . Dr Lakshya Mittal of United Doctors Front Association who had petitioned the government on behalf of Persons with Disabilities, who could not partici- 3/10 AISA 3/10 3.5/10 HITESH GULIA ARIF SIDDIQUE AIYESHA A KHAN 2.5/10 Who is the chancellor of Delhi University? Name a few scholarships that DU offers? DON’T KNOW CORRECT DON’T KNOW DON’T KNOW DON’T KNOW DON’T KNOW DON’T KNOW DON’T KNOW 3 DU motto? DON’T KNOW DON’T KNOW DON’T KNOW DON’T KNOW 4 Full form of NOTA? How much is the expenditure limit? When was DU established? DON’T KNOW CORRECT CORRECT CORRECT CORRECT CORRECT CORRECT CORRECT DON’T KNOW CORRECT CORRECT DON’T KNOW 8 How many departments are there in DU? Budget for 2023-24 academic session? WRONG DON’T KNOW DON’T KNOW DON’T KNOW DON’T KNOW DON’T KNOW DON’T KNOW DON’T KNOW 9 Full form of CUET/FYUP? DON’T KNOW HALF CORRECT CORRECT HALF CORRECT 10 No of academic/executive council members DON’T KNOW DON’T KNOW DON’T KNOW DON’T KNOW 5 6 7 Replies of presidential candidates on the questions posed by this newspaper | P4 Ramdev-founded Bhartiya Shiksha Board (BSB) has been designated as a pan-India School Education Board on the lines of other national school boards such as CBSE and ICSE. In its recent circular, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), a national-level council for technical education, said BSB is a pan-India School Education Board. The circular was addressed to all vicechancellors of technical varsities and directors and principals of AICTE-approved institutions. Zero in NEET-PG exam no bar for higher edu seat K A V I TA B A J E L I - D AT T @ New Delhi SFI 2 1 School Education Board: AICTE nod to Ramdev’s Bhartiya Shiksha Board partment issued a show-cause to Rai for allegedly demolishing the monument located in Jal Vihar, near Lajpat Nagar. The officer’s wife Shilpi Udit Rai in July challenged the DJB notice to vacate the premises within 15 days. In August last year, L-G VK NSUI TUSHAR DEDHA SCORE CARD EXPRESS READ Udit Prakash Rai built house allegedly by demolishing a 15th Century monument strategic planning, pointed out that India still engages with China despite differences. Reacting cautiously to the India-Canada face-off, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said both countries are close friends of the US. “Canada is an ally, a dear friend, trading partner and happens to share our border. Moments like this don’t define our relationship but slow down the progress,” he said in New Delhi. Know your candidates in DUSU polls EXPRESS A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi FORMER CEO of Delhi Jal Board Udit Prakash Rai, who allegedly constructed his official mansion by demolishing a 15th century monument, has vacated the premises. The 2007-batch IAS officer of AGMUT cadre was earlier served a notice to start the eviction process under The Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act 1971. The monument, a mahal dating back to 1418, finds a mention in the ASI’s list of Mohammdan and Hindu monuments. Rai was allotted a bungalow in Jal Vihar when he was the DJB CEO between October 18, 2021 and May 31, 2022. He is currently under suspension. On April 26, the vigilance de- STEPPING up its diplomatic offensive against Canada, India on Wednesday issued an advisory for its citizens living in Canada and those planning to travel there “to exercise utmost caution”. The strongly worded communique came a day after India expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move and rubbished that country’s prime minister Justin Trudeau’s charge that Indian agents killed Canada-based Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. “In view of growing anti-India activities and politically condoned hate crimes and criminal violence in Canada, all Indian nationals there and those contemplating travel are urged to exercise utmost caution,’’ read a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs. The advisory cautioned that there has been a notable rise in threats targeting Indian diplomats as well as the Indian community. “Indian nationals are therefore advised to avoid travelling to regions and potential venues in Canada that have seen such incidents,” the statement said, asking Indian workers and students to register with the High Commission of pate in the ongoing NEET-PG counselling session due to high cut-off, said it was a “big victory” for NEET aspirants. FAIMA (Federation of All India Medical Association) Doctors Association chairman Dr Rohan Krishnan said the decision will “kill merit”. “This is a very worrying trend,” he said. He said reducing the cut-off to zero is making a mockery of medical education in India and bringing down the healthcare standard in the country “This . will promote corruption and high fees in private medical colleges,” he said. Many doctors took to social media to raise objections to the cut-off mark. PERSONALITY RIGHTS ‘JHAKAAS’: ACTOR GETS PROTECTION ON NAME, IMAGE J A I S O N W I L S O N @ New Delhi THE Delhi High Court on Wednesday passed an interim order protecting the personality rights of actor Anil Kapoor while restraining the misuse of his name, image, voice, and other attributes of persona, including the ‘jhakaas’ catchphrase for commercial gain on the Internet in an illegal manner. A single-judge bench of Justice Prathiba Singh noted that a celebrity’s right of endorsement could in fact be a major source of his livelihood, saying any form of misuse or commercial use of a celebrity’s name, voice, persona, or likeness has been shunned by the Supreme Court. The court also barred “other unknown persons” from disseminating various videos, links, while directing internet service providers to remove them immediately . “Defendants are restrained from any manner utilising Anil Kapoor’s name, likeness, image, voice or any other aspect of his persona to create any merchandise, ringtones or any MEITY told to act The HC directed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to take steps to block the pornographic videos uploaded using morphed images of the actor. other manner by using technological tools like AI, machine learning, deep fakes and face morphing in a manner either for monetary gain or otherwise. They can’t create any videos or photos etc, for commercial purposes in violation of the plaintiff ’s rights,” the court ordered. Advocate Pravin Anand, appearing for the actor, pointed out the misuse of Artificial Intelligence (AI) like technology tarnishing his client’s image. “I am able to show these people are making money,” he said.