TRAI ASSURES NO DELAY IN OTP DELIVERY AS NEW RULES TO KICK IN FRIDAY 29 The regulator said the new regulations meant to improve message traceability and combat fraud will not affect the delivery of bank OTPs NOVEMBER, 2024 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard XI JINPING AIDE ADMIRAL MIAO SUSPENDED In a sweeping crackdown on graft in the armed forces, a probe into “serious violations of discipline” has been launched, China said on Thursday. PAGE 9 NEW REGULATIONS TO TAKE EFFECT ON DEC 1 A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00 PAGES 12 SC calls ‘abject failure’, says strict pollution curbs to remain till Dec 2 BANGLADESH Buzz on tough talk as Jaishankar meets Modi @ New Delhi PRIYANKA MAKES DEBUT Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi takes pictures of sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra after she took oath as an MP from Wayanad, holding a copy of the Constitution, on Thursday. (Inset) The photo Rahul shot and shared on Instagram. Parliament remained paralysed for the third day over Manipur and Adani row | PTI | P7 THE Supreme Court on Thursday directed that the Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which is currently in effect to address the severe air quality in Delhi, will remain operational till December 2. A two-judge bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih remarked that it was “abject failure” of authorities in implementing the GRAP IV curbs in letter and spirit. The SC was hearing a plea by environmentalist MC Mehta, seeking appropriate directions to control pollution. It clarified that the ban on truck traffic entering the capital will continue under Stage IV of GRAP, although with certain exceptions. Trucks carrying essential commodities as well as LNG, CNG, electric, and BSVI diesel trucks MahaYuti leaders discuss Maha power-share formula with Shah Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar hold talks with the Union home minister S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai FIVE days after the ruling MahaYuti’s thumping victory in Maharashtra, its leaders Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar held talks with Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi amid indications that the final call on chief ministership could be made in a day or two. The meeting is also expected to discuss cabinet berths. Highly placed sources said out of total 42 ministerial slots in the outgoing government, the BJP wants to retain at least 50% while giving the Shiv Sena 30% and the NCP 20%. Sources said the RSS wants a senior party leader elevated as chief minister, adding the message has been conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “RSS was silent in Lok Sabha polls, therefore BJP’s tally crashed from 23 to 9 in Maharashtra. But in the state polls, its cadre was active and that changed the final outcome. We have to promote a strong and young leader, therefore this is the best time to elevate Fadnavis as CM and later project him as the face of the BJP at the Centre,” said sources requesting anonymity . However, the BJP top brass is considering other names as well. “Fadnavis is a Brahmin. In the state elections, OBCs voted unitedly for the MahaYuti as did Marathas in large numbers. So, the BJP leadership is evaluating if they have a suitable OBC or Maratha candidate in the party for the top post, hence the delay in the final call,” said top sources. Ajit Pawar is certain to retain his position as deputy 50:30:20 BJP proposes a 50:30:20 formula for portfolio sharing with Shiv Sena and NCP Ajit Pawar hoping to keep all plum portfolios he had in the outgoing government BJP uneasy with Shinde’s proposal on promoting his son as deputy chief minister chief minister (DCM) and wants to keep the weighty portfolios he held in the previous government. He is pushing for finance, agriculture etc. Shinde wants Home and Urban Development if he is not made the chief minister. “Shinde proposed that his son Shrikant Shinde be elevated as DCM but the BJP is lukewarm, as it would weaken its campaign against dynasts. Shinde, however, argues that it is for the Shiv Sena to decide its DCM candidate, not the BJP. The flux has prompted many senior Sena leaders to enter the DCM ring,” said sources. Sources said many senior NCP and Sena ministers in the last government are unsure whether they will be part of the new dispensation. “Keeping everyone happy this time around will be tough because the number of MLAs is more. The massive mandate is good for stability but it is not easy to keep everyone in good humour,” said a senior NCP leader requesting anonymity . SC collegium proposes CCI launches probe against Google Justice Manmohan’s name as top court judge EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court collegium on Thursday unanimously recommended to the Central government the elevation of Delhi High Court Chief Justice Manmohan to the Supreme Court as a judge. “Justice Manmohan was appointed as a Judge of the High Court of Delhi on March 13, 2008 and has been functioning as the Chief Justice of that High Court since 29th September 2024. Justice Manmohan stands at Sl. No. 2 in the combined all-India seniority of High Court Judges and he is the senior-most Judge in the High Court of Delhi. While recommending his name, the collegium has taken into consideration the fact that, at present, the Bench of Supreme Court is represented by only one Judge from the High Court of Delhi,” said an official release from the SC. Justice Manmohan was born in Delhi on December 17, 1962. Coldest night of season S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi AMID escalating tensions in Bangladesh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the situation. There is speculation that Jaishankar may make a statement in both Houses of Parliament on Friday if there , are no disruptions. In response to this newspaper’s query on the possibility of the government making a statement on the issue, Jaishankar said, “We haven’t decided anything yet”. Sources said Jaishankar’s meeting with Modi lasted for half an hour. The meeting comes in the wake of the recent arrest of Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das and the increasing attacks on minorities in Bangladesh. Meanwhile, MoS for external affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said in the Rajya Sabha that it is the responsibility of the Muhammad Yunus-led administration to protect the minorities. In a written reply to a question, he said New Delhi has expressed its concerns to Dhaka. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said officials of the foreign ministry will brief the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs on Bangladesh on December 11. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed concerns over the attacks on religious minorities in Bangladesh but said she will abide by the Centre’s decision. In a relief to ISKCON, the Bangladesh High Court on Thursday rejected a petition filed by a lawyer seeking a ban on the group’s activities the country. The petition was moved after a prosecutor was killed in clashes between security personnel and supporters of Chinmoy, who was earlier linked to ISKCON. P9  The new norms, likely to take effect on Sunday, will require telecom service providers to trace the origin of bulk messages, including one-time-passwords. Some reports had said this would delay delivery of messages, including OTPs. “This is factually incorrect. It will not delay delivery of any message,” the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said in a post on X | P10 He did his schooling from Modern School, Barakhamba Road. He earned his B.A. (Hons.) in History from Hindu College of University of Delhi, and later attended Campus Law Centre, University of Delhi, where he received his LL.B in 1987. He enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in the same year, says the court’s website. Practiced primarily in the Supreme Court and High Court of Delhi in civil, criminal, constitutional, taxation, arbitration, trademark and service litigation, Justice Manmohan served as senior panel advocate for the Government of India in the High Court of Delhi and the SC. He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Delhi High Court on March 13, 2008 and as permanent judge on December 17, 2009. He was appointed as Acting Chief Jus tice of D e lh i H C on November 9, 2023 and Chief Jus tice of D e lh i H C on September 29, 2024. THE Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Thursday launched an investigation into Google after online gaming firm WinZo accused the US tech giant of anti-competitive practices. In the order, the regulator asked its director-general to wrap up the probe and submit a report in 60 days. WinZo, an online gaming platfor m, has alleged that Google’s policies for hosting apps on the Play Store are unfair. It says Google’s Developer EXPRESS READ India seeks treaty on plastic pollution After proposing a multilateral fund, India has sought to develop scopes for a legally-binding instrument on plastic pollution. India’s capita consumption is less compared to developed nations. Govt to sell 25 lakh ton wheat to check prices The Centre announced the sale of 25 lakh tonne of FCI wheat till March 2025 to bulk domestic consumers to check “inflationary trend in the food economy”. Distribution Agreement and Developer Program Policies are one-sided, adding that Google restricts hosting of gaming applications that offer Real Money Games (RMP) in India. As a result, customers are forced to download the WinZo app from its website. Additionally, when users download the app on Android devices, misleading warnings are displayed, which WinZo claims tarnish its reputation. The CCI has taken notice of these allegations and ordered an investigation into Google’s business practices, citing concerns over discriminatory conduct. The regulator noted that exclusion from the Play Store is tantamount to denial of market access. As for the disclaimer that pops up while downloading the app, the CCI said the warning is peculiar to the Google-operated Android OS and is completely illegal. An anti-smog gun near Parliament The city recorded its coldest night of the season. The minimum o temperature dipped to 10.1 C on Thursday, according to IMD. The second coldest night of the season was recorded on Nov 21, with the temperature settling at o 10.2 C, while the third coldest night was on Nov 27. will be allowed entry. The SC said, therefore if any authority has issued any instruction which runs contrary to above, the same will not be binding on the police and other staff stationed at the entry points. On November 22, the Supreme Court directed the Delhi government and police to establish checkpoints at all 113 entry points to monitor truck entry in light of increasing pollution levels. The court ap- pointed 13 members as commissioners to visit these entry points at various locations in Delhi to ensure compliance with its directives. While expressing serious displeasure over the lack of adherence to GRAP IV measures, the SC previously noted that despite its orders, there has been a failure on the part of the Delhi government and police to comply with various clauses mandated under Stage IV of GRAP . Low intensity blast near crime branch office in Rohini U J W A L J A L A L I @ New Delhi SECOND BLAST IN 40 DAYS This was the second blast in Rohini’s Prashant Vihar area in the past 40 days. On Oct 20, a blast had taken place near CRP school in Rohini. It is probably similar to what was found last time outside CRPF school. Its composition will be examined thoroughly FSL official A low-intensity explosion at the entrance of a park near Delhi Police’s Crime Branch office in Rohini on Thursday cocked a snook at the security apparatus in the national capital at a time when Parliament is in session. This was the second blast in Rohini’s Prashant Vihar area in the past 40 days. On October 20, a mysterious blast had taken place near Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) school in Rohini. Its probe is still underway . Thursday’s blast took place just 2 km away from the site of the earlier explosion outside the CRPF school. It left the driver of a milk distribwution van injured. He was identified as Chetan Khushwaha, 27. There was no damage to his van, though. “He was taken to Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital from where he was discharged after first aid,” a senior officer said. A Delhi Fire Service officer said a call regarding an explosion near Bansi Sweet Shop, Prashant Vihar, Rohini was received at 11.48 am following which four fire tenders were rushed to the spot. Senior police officers also reached the site followed by multiple security agencies, including the bomb disposal squad of the National Security Guard (NSG) and National Investigative Agency (NIA). Investigators gathered fragments of ‘white powder’ from the site and sent them to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). They also recovered small wires, which indicate that they could have been used to detonate the bomb. P3 NSG personnel at the site of the blast Rohini on Thursday | PARVEEN NEGI Newborn flushed down in K’taka hosp’s toilet EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru IN a horrific incident, a premature baby was found flushed down the toilet of a private hospital in Harohalli, Ramanagara district of Karnataka. The newbor n’s body was found in the ground floor toilet in the neurology department of Dayananda Sagar Hospital, part of Dr Chandramma Dayananda Sagar Institute of Medical Education & Research, when the staff no- ticed a blockage on Wednesday morning and called sweepers and plumbers to fix the clogged commode. A senior police officer told this newspaper that the toilet, although part of the hospital, was open to the public. “The toilet on the ground floor was used by outsiders and treated like a public washroom. We are investigating whether the accused was a patient or an outsider who came on the pretext of using the restroom and flushed the body police said. ,” The cleaning staff noticed something obstructing the water flow and initially assumed it was cloth or waste. They were horrified to find the body of a newborn, which was removed using equipment typically used to clear toilet blockages. It is believed that the infant was one or two days old. The police sent the body for post-mortem, and suspect that the accused may have attempted to conceal the baby’s birth. The police are reviewing CCTV footage from the hospital to gather clues about the suspects. They said that no complaint had been filed about a missing newborn and suspect the mother may be involved, or the baby was brought from elsewhere. The hospital management refused to comment on the incident. The Harohalli police registered a case under BNS Section 94 — concealment of a child’s birth by burying or disposing of the child’s body in a secret manner.