France on ‘right’ track after strong voter turnout Monday 01 July, 2024 Voters across mainland France cast ballots on Sunday in the first round of snap parliamentary elections that could see nationalist, far-right parties emerge victorious epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard 50% us prez race of votes needed to be elected outright in the first round democrats want biden to bow out Several donors, strategists and rank-and-file DNC members are publicly and privately saying they want Biden to step aside for a younger replacement by August Second round of voting on july 7 A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Page 9 l New Delhi l J8.00 l PAGES 12 Voter turnout reached 59.39% by 5.00 pm (local time), some 20 points higher than at the same stage in the 2022 elections. If a parliamentary candidate fails to win 50% of the day’s vote, the top two contenders, alongside anyone else who won the support of more than 12.5% of voters, go forward to the second round on July 7. P9 Mann Ki Baat address, British-era rules Modi resumes for faith in Constitution thanks people end, new criminal laws from today RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi In his first Mann Ki Baat radio address since the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday thanked the people for reposing their faith in the Constitution and the democratic process. “Today, I thank the countrymen for reposing their unwavering faith in our Constitution and the democratic system of the country,” Modi said. He called the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections the biggest in the world. “Such a big election New system gives priority to providing justice rather than meting out punishment for crimes M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi THREE new criminal laws will come into effect across the country on Monday, overhauling India’s criminal justice system and ending Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Indian Evidence Act. These British-era laws will be replaced with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, respectively . The new laws aim to make India’s criminal justice system modern by incorporating provisions such as ‘zero FIR’, online registration of police complaints, summonses through electronic modes such as SMS, and mandatory videography of crime scenes for all heinous crimes. Officials in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs said that preparations have been made to roll out the new laws with a focus on delivering justice to the common man rather than meting out punishment for of fences. The of ficials said the new criminal laws are in sync with the existing social realities and crimes, and provide a mechanism to effectively deal with these, keeping in view the ideals enshrined in the Constitution of India. Justice on fast track Under new laws, verdict in criminal cases must come within 45 days of completion of trial and charges be framed within 60 days of first hearing. Rape survivors’ statement will be recorded by a female officer in the presence of guardian and medical reports have to come within seven days has never taken place in any country in the world. More than 65 crore people voted in the election,” he said. In the nearly 30-minute radio address, he also asked the people to use #Cheer4Bharat to support Indian athletes Extreme rains likely for 4 days in Delhi & North India Panic grips Kedarnath pilgrims after avalanche j i ten d ra c h o u b e y @ New Delhi Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the new laws would give priority to providing justice as opposed to giving primacy to punishment as envisaged by the British-era laws. N ow, p e o p l e c a n re p o r t incidents of crimes by electronic communication, without the need to physically visit a police station. This allows easier reporting, facilitating prompt action by the police. With the provisions of Zero FIR, a person can report a case at any police station, regardless of jurisdiction. The IPC did not have provisions to deal with instances of false promise of marriage, gang rape of minors, mob lynching, chain snatching, etc. These have been addressed in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, officials said. sexual assault on men pg 3 The India Meteorological Department has forecast that very heavy rainfall is likely over northwest, east and northeast India in 4-5 days. Consequently the , IMD has issued a red alert over the northeast region and an orange alert to east and northwest region, including Delhi and NCR, until July 2. The New Delhi Municipal Council has intensified its manpower deployment to address waterlogging complaints, closely monitoring areas under Lutyens’ Delhi using CCTV cameras. India received 11% below-average monsoon rainfall in June since the arrival of monsoon on May 30. Experts say delayed monsoon progression and the absence of monsoon low-pressure systems are among the factors that caused the rain deficiency . The IMD has observed multiple systems lying over different N aren d ra S eth i @ Dehradun IMD says heavy rains may cause disruptions in daily life and lead to flooding | PTI parts of the country which would , trigger extreme and widespread rainfall accompanied with thunderstorm and lightning over northwest, central, east and northeast India in next 5 days. The IMD observed a cyclonic circulation lying over southeast Pakistan adjoining Kutch and north Gujarat. It will bring fairly widespread heavy rainfall over After Kohli & Rohit, Jadeja retires from T20Is Day after India won the T20 World Cup, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja announced that he, too, has called it a day in the shortest format for India. A look... Virat Kohli, Rohit swansong As Virat Kohli said, irrespective of whether India won the WC or not, this could well have been the last the world had seen of him and Rohit Sharma in T20Is. However, such was the destiny that both the former and current India captains finished with a fairytale ending and announced the same shortly after lifting the T20 World Cup. Ravindra Jadeja joins the club Virat Kohli taking part in the Paris Olympics. “The whole country is hoping that our players perform well in the Olympics... winning medals in these games and also the hearts of the countrymen,” he said. Modi also used the speech to highlight the growing reach of Indian culture. “Yoga Day has attained many great achievements all over the world,” he said. He also mentioned about the national radio in Kuwait starting a weekly broadcast in Hindi. Modi’s monthly radio broadcast was suspended in February in light of the elections. Rohit Sharma Ravindra Jadeja Having not won a WC in his career, Jadeja was desperate for one. Despite not doing much, both with the bat and ball, he added to the balance of the Indian side through the 2024 T20 WC. Less than 24 hours after his dream came true, the all-rounder announced his retirement from T20Is while continuing to play the other two formats. P11 central, southern parts and coastal Karnataka, Konkan and Goa. Alerts were issued of localised flooding of roads, waterlogging in low-lying areas and closure of underpasses in urban areas. On monsoon progression, IMD observed that except western Rajasthan and Haryana and south of Punjab, the monsoon has covered the rest of the country P3 . Express read Upendra Dwivedi takes charge as Army chief MVA allies join hands for Maha state polls NIA hunts for Reasi attackers across Rajouri The Indian Army on Sunday got its new chief with General Upendra Dwivedi taking over as the 30th Chief of Army Staff from General Manoj Pande, who superannuated after more than four decades of service to the nation. Dwivedi’s takeover onsets a wheel of change with a larger reshuffling. P7 NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday said his party, Congress and the Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray will jointly contest Maharashtra assembly elections due in October. He said it is the moral responsibility of the major Opposition parties to protect the assembly polls in the interests of smaller allies. P8 The National Investigation Agency on Sunday conducted searches at multiple locations across Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir in connection with its probe into the Reasi terrorist attack, which claimed nine lives. The searches led to the seizure of various items linking terrorists and over ground workers. P7 Five feared drowned in Pune waterfall E x p ress N e w s S er v i c e @ Mumbai Delhi chaos: Wrong-lane driving surges; 2.5K booked exp ress ne ws servic e @ New Delhi highest fines The Delhi Traffic Police has booked more than 2,500 people in the past six months for driving their vehicles on the wrong lane, officials said on Sunday . According to data shared by the traffic police, 2,577 violators have been booked this year for driving on the incorrect lane against 732 challans issued in 2023. “This represents an almost 252% rise in prosecutions over the previous year,” a traffic police official said. He said that in an effort to enhance road safety and reduce traffic jams, stricter measures have been implemented to ensure that motorists adhere to proper lane driving. “The unit has intensified surveillance and enforcement activities across the city, deploying additional personnel to monitor traffic flow and identi- Delhi Traffic Police conducted a comprehensive analysis of the top 10 traffic circles where the highest number of challans have been issued. Maximum challans of 572 were at IGI Airport circle, 344 at Mayur Vihar circle, 339 at Madhu Vihar circle, 215 at Kamla Market, 195 at Civil Lines, 194 at Narela, 178 at Kotwali, 164 at Timarpur, 86 at Kapashera, 59 at Kalyanuri fy offenders,” the official said. Additionally, the Delhi Traffic Police conducted a comprehensive analysis of the top 10 traffic circles where the highest number of challans have been issued in 2024. “Maximum challans of 572 were reported at IGI Airport circle, 344 at Mayur Vihar circle, 339 at Madhu Vihar circle, 215 at Kamla Market, 195 at Civil Lines, 194 at Narela, 178 at Kotwali, 164 at Timarpur, 86 at Kapashera, and 59 Kalyanuri,” he said. The offcial added that by identifying the areas with the most frequent traffic violations, the study facilitates targeted enforcement efforts to enhance road safety and ensure compliance with traffic regulations. “The rise in prosecution rates underscores the unit’s dedication to enforcing traffic rules and promoting safe driving practices. Motorists are reminded to maintain lane discipline at all times to avoid penalties and help create a safer and more efficient road environment,” the official said. The traffic police is partnering with various stakeholders, including civic authorities and educational institutions, to raise awareness about the importance of adhering to traffic rules. Public outreach programmes, awareness campaigns, and educational initiatives are being held to instill a sense of responsibility and civic duty among road users. “It is crucial for everyone to respect traffic regulations, follow designated traffic flow directions, and contribute to creating a safer and more orderly environment for all,” the traffic official said. An early morning avalanche on Sunday sent a small group of pilgrims gathered at Kedarnath temple scurrying for cover. The heavy rush of snow, rocks and water from the mountains, visible from a distance, suddenly halted after plunging into a ravine, around 4 km from the shrine, reports said. No damage was reported, district officials said. The temple currently has a significant presence of devotees as the Char Dham Yatra is underway . A huge snow cloud was seen sliding down the mountain with speed and stopped after falling into a deep gorge. The avalanche occurred in the upper region of the Gandhi Sarovar in Chorabari glacier, below the snow-covered Meru-Sumeru mountain range located at the upper end of the Kedarnath valley . Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar said the entire area, including the Kedarnath valley is safe. , Last year, five such incidents were reported in the Chorabari glacier in May and June. Five people, including four children, are feared drowned in a waterfall near Bhushi Dam in Pune’s famous hill station Lonavala on Sunday, police said. The incident occurred at around 1.30 pm due to sudden rise in the waterfall due to heavy rains, following which a rescue operation was immediately launched. The waterfall is located behind the Railway’s rest house near the dam. Pune Rural Superintendent of Police (SP) Pankaj Deshmukh said that a search operation is underway at the site to trace the missing people. “While we have recovered the bodies of a 40-year-old woman and a 13-year-old girl, three children, including two sixyear-old girls and a four-yearold boy are still missing. It ap, pears that they were part of a family and had slipped into a waterfall some two kilometres away from Bhushi Dam and drowned at the reservoir downstream,” Deshmukh added. Continuous rains in Lonavala region since morning led to the overflow of the Bhushi dam. Hizb-ut-Tahrir case: NIA arrests 2 from TN after searches at 10 locations E x p ress N e w s S er v i c e @ Chennai/Thanjavur/Erode The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested two persons from Thanjavur on Sunday in connection with a Hizb-utTahrir (HuT) case after conducting a series of searches at 10 locations across five districts in Tamil Nadu, including Tiruchy, Erode, Chennai and Thanjavur. The searches also led to the seizure of digital devices and several “incriminating” documents such as books and printouts containing ideologies of Hizb-utTahrir, Khilafa, Islamic State, and the proposed Khilafa government and its funding structures, said an official release from the agency . The arrested men have been identified as Abdul Rehman alias Abdul Rahman (26) and Mujibur Rehman alias Mujibur Rahman Altham Sahib (45), both from Saliyamangalam village in Thanjavur. The NIA alleged that they are members of Hizb-ut-Tahrir, an international pan-Islamist and fundamentalist organisation that is work- NIA officials conducted searches at four houses in Thanjavur on Sunday | express ing to re-establish Islamic caliphate and enforce the constitution written by Hizb-utTahrir’s founder Taqi al-Din al-Nabhani. As per the release, investigations found that the arrested men were involved in conducting secret classes to radicalise youth in extremist ideologies, and promoting democracy and the Indian Constitution as antiIslamic. The trainees were taught that India is now Darul Kufr (land of non-believers) and it is their duty to transform it into Darul Islam by establishing Islamic state in the country with the help of violent jihad, the NIA statement said.
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