TUESDAY SC REFUSES TO EXTEND WAQF PROPERTY REGISTRATION DEADLINE 02 The Supreme court on Monday refused to extend the deadline for the registration of all waqf properties under the Waqf Amendment Act 2025 DECEMBER, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard OXFORD UNIV PRESS ‘RAGE BAIT’ WORD OF THE YEAR The phrase refers to online content that is deliberately designed to elicit outrage by being frustrating, provocative or offensive, Oxford said. PAGE 9 Petitioners can approach waqf tribunal A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS For some time now, Parliament has been used as a warm-up arena for polls or as an outlet for frustration after defeat. It is a place for delivery, not drama —Narendra Modi  NEW DELHI  J8.00 PM is saying, ‘enjoy the weather’. What weather should the people of Delhi enjoy? At least take a peek outside... 2.2 mn Delhi kids are suffering lung damage —Priyanka Gandhi PARLIAMENT WINTER SESSION: DAY 1 SIR rumble rocks Lok Sabha Oppn stages walkout in Rajya Sabha; Minister Rijiju seeks time to take call on the matter J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi THE Winter Session of Parliament opened on a discordant note on Monday, with the Lok Sabha repeatedly disrupted and eventually adjourned for the day after Opposition MPs pressed for an immediate debate on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, even as the government proceeded with planned legislative business. As the House met at 11 am, Opposition members rose, raising slogans on the SIR issue. Speaker Om Birla appealed for order, reminding MPs that the House “is not for slogans” and that “there is ample space outside to do that.” The Lok Sabha functioned for only 18 minutes before the first adjournment. Despite the commotion, the government introduced three key bills — the Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025, the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Health Security se National Security Cess Bill, 2025. But protests contin- Vice President C P Radhakrishnan’s first day as Rajya Sabha chairperson | PTI Kharge mentions Dhankar, draws protests Sparks flew in the Rajya Sabha after Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge recalled the “unexpected and sudden exit” of former V-P Dhankhar, saying that the House did not even get time to bid him farewell. The remark made in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, triggered a volley of protests | P9 ued, with Opposition MPs storming the Well and demanding a debate on SIR underway across 12 states and Union Territories, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Puducherry Assam, which goes to . polls in 2026, is conducting a separate revision. In the Rajya Sabha, Opposition parties staged a walkout Farmers alone can’t be blamed for pollution: SC S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Monday expressed doubts about whether stubble burning by farmers can really be treated as the sole cause of the worsening air pollution in Delhi-NCR. “Stubble burning was there during the Covid, but why could the people still see a clear blue sky? The issue of stubble burning should not unnecessarily become a political issue or an issue of ego. If at all a farmer is burning, it is also for an asset; it’s a commodity. Farmers alone can’t be blamed for Delhi’s pollution. There are multiple factors for pollution,” said the Bench led by CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. The Bench asked for a report on the remedial steps being taken to address causes other than stubble burning. The SC was hearing the MC Mehta case, filed by the environmentalist. During Monday’s hearing, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), told the SC that the CAQM has drawn up several action plans to tackle pollution and explained that stubble burning, vehicular emissions, construction dust, road dust, and biomass burning have all been identified as contributing factors. After listening to Bhati’s submissions, CJI Kant remarked that it is often easy to blame farmers—especially when they have no representation before the SC and cannot defend themselves. “We don’t want to comment on stubble burning as it’s easy to pass off the burden on those who are hardly represented before us,” he said. P3 MULTIPLE FACTORS Stubble burning should not unnecessarily become a political issue. If at all a farmer is burning, it is also for an asset; it’s a commodity... there are multiple factors for pollution —SC Bench The SC said stubble burning has occurred in previous years too, but it did not result in the drastic dip in air quality that Delhi is facing now. It asked the Centre and authorities to re-examine their strategies. Concerned over the problem’s recurring nature, the SC said it would take up the air pollution issue at least twice every month and expressed hope there would be a positive improvement after winter. later in the evening. TMC’s Derek O’Brien accused the government of “stonewalling” attempts to take up the matter. Responding, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju insisted the government was open to discussion but opposed being bound by deadlines set by the Opposition. “Please give (us) some time. Don’t presume that the government is not ready to discuss… Please don’t put conditions on timeline.” JD(U)’s Sanjay Kumar Jha, BJP MP Biplab Kumar Deb, and Union minister Chirag Paswan accused the Opposition of disrupting Parliament for political gain. Earlier, at a strategy meeting chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, INDIA bloc parties resolved to continue pressing for a debate. Although the TMC skipped the meeting, its leaders said they would join the protests. The Opposition has called a joint demonstration at 10.30 am on Tuesday at Parliament’s Makar Dwar. Amid the uproar, the Lok Sabha also passed the Manipur GST Amendment Bill, replacing an Ordinance issued on October 7 to implement GST 2.0 reforms in the state under President’s Rule. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the amendment ensures the state’s GST Act aligns with decisions taken at the 56th GST Council, which rationalised rates on nearly 375 items. P7 RUBAIYA CASE The CBI on Monday arrested an absconder carrying a `10 lakh reward for the 1989 kidnapping of Union home minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed’s daughter Rubaiya | P8 THE National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday carried out raids at eight locations in south Kashmir, including the residence of detained cleric and doctors, in connection with the investigation into interstate ‘white-collar terror network” and Delhi blast case. The NIA sleuths assisted by police and paramilitary personnel conducted simultaneous raids in south Kashmir’s Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam districts. Sources said the house of Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather was raided in Kulgam, while residence of Dr Muzamil Ganai was raided at Koil village of Pulwama. The home of cleric Irfan Ahmad Wagay was raided in Shopian, while the PAGES 12 GOING AFTER CYBER CRIME STATE-OWNED APP MANDATED ON YOUR PHONE A R S H A D K H A N @ New Delhi THE Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued a new direction effective November 28, mandating all mobile phone manufacturers and importers to pre-install state-owned fraud reporting app — Sanchar Saathi — on devices used in India. The implementation must be completed within 90 days and a compliance report filed in 120 days. The move, according to the telecom ministry is aimed at pro, tecting citizens from purchasing non-genuine handsets, facilitating easy reporting of suspected telecom misuse, and enhancing the effectiveness of the Sanchar Saathi initiative. Smartphone maker Apple, which had previously pilloried the development of the anti-spam mobile app, along with Samsung, Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi will be affected by the new order. Under the new rules, the SANCHAR SAATHI Sanchar Saathi app must be prominently visible and acA government portal and cessible to users during app to protect mobile users their first device setup, with from fraud and misuse no restrictions on its funcIt lets you check all mobile tionalities. For phones alnumbers registered in your ready manufactured, manuname, block lost/stolen facturers and importers are phones and required to push the app report spam/fraud through software updates. calls (Chakshu) Users won’t have the option The app, launched in Jan to delete the app. 2025, is free and works The Sanchar Saathi initiawith OTP login tive, developed by DoT, combats cyber fraud and telecom security threats by allowing users to verify handset genuineness using the IMEI number. The Central government claimed that the app also helps report suspected fraud, lost or stolen devices, track mobile connections in one’s name, and provides trusted contacts for financial institutions. Government figures show the Sanchar Saathi app, launched in January has helped recover more than 7 lakh lost , phones, including 50,000 in October alone. However, privacy advocates criticised the push, with some calling it “dictatorial”. “Sanchar Saathi is a lost phone tracker, but if it gets embedded with no possibility of removal, it becomes a government tracker on your device…” said Nikhil Pahwa, digital rights activist and founder of MediaNama. SC orders pan-India CBI probe on digital arrest S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Monday asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct a detailed, unified panIndia probe into cases of digital ar rest, expressing concern over the rise in the number of such cases. “The CBI shall have a free hand to investigate the role of bankers under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act wherever they are found involved in the opening of mule accounts used in cybercrime cases,” said a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. The court also asked the Reserve Bank of India why it is not leveraging artificial intelligence to identify mule accounts used by cybercriminals and freeze them. The two-judge bench, also comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi, asked Opposition ruled states like Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Karnataka and Telangana that had withdrawn general consent to the CBI for investigations to grant the consent, so that a comprehensive probe can be undertaken. The court directed all telecom service providers to implement the directions of the Department of Telecommunications on the issuance of SIM cards. “In view of the negligent approach of telecom service providers in issuing multiple SIM cards in one name, we ask the Department to submit a proposal to address the misuse of SIM cards,” the order stated. Yamuna still dirty despite crores spent: Centre tells House E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ New Delhi THE Jal Shakti ministry on Monday said untreated sewage, missing effluent treatment facilities, project delays and a major shortfall in solid waste processing remain the primary reasons the Yamuna continues to run polluted in the national capital. It also disclosed that the Delhi Jal Board spent about `5,536 crore over the past three financial years on efforts to clean the river. In a written reply to the Ra- jya Sabha, MoS for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary said that Delhi had a sewage-treatment gap of 414 MLD as of August 2025, lacked common effluent treatment plants in several approved industrial areas, and continued to face delays in completing and upgrading key sewage-treatment projects. He added that the city generates 11,862 tonnes of solid waste a day but can treat only 7,641 tonnes, leaving a shortfall of 4,221 tonnes. Choudhary noted that the Yamuna enters Delhi at Palla, EXPRESS READ MHA: No new Assembly building for Haryana Nod to Pak plane with aid to overfly India With Punjab going to polls in 2027, the Ministry of Home Affairs has turned down the Haryana government’s plea for a separate Assembly building in Chandigarh. At present, both Punjab and Haryana share the Assembly building located in the Capitol Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where new construction isn’t allowed. Punjab parties are opposed to Haryana’s demand. P3 India on Monday gave a Pakistani aircraft flying humanitarian aid for the cyclone victims in Sri Lanka, permission to use its airspace. Sources said an official request was submitted by Pakistan to India around 1 pm seeking permission to fly over Indian airspace the same day. Since the request pertained to humanitarian assistance, sources said the govt “expeditiously cleared the request”. P5 NIA raids 8 Kashmir locations in Red Fort blast case FAYA Z WA N I @ Srinagar  A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and A G Masih observed that individuals seeking to register properties under Section 3B of the Waqf Act may approach the waqf tribunal for an extension in accordance with the law. Section 3B of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 mandates the compulsory registration of waqf properties on the UMEED portal | P4 Al Falah Univ founder Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, founder and chairman of Al Falah univ, has been sent to 14-day judicial custody in connection with PMLA case probe linked to Delhi blast. P3 home Amir Rashid, who was the last purchaser of the i-20 used in Red Fort blast, was raided at Samboora village of Pulwama. The NIA sleuths also raided the house of Jasir Bilal, the neighbour of Dr Adeel. Jasir’s father Bilal Ahmed Wani, a dry fruit seller, committed self immolation days after his son and brother had been picked for questioning. The dry fruit seller died the next day, and hours after his death, the NIA arrested his son Jasir and brought him to New Delhi. The reasons why In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, the Jal Shakti ministry cited four factors for Yamuna remaining unclean: untreated sewage, missing effluent treatment facilities, project delays and a major shortfall in solid waste processing. where its water quality varies through the year depending on flow and catchment discharge. Between January and July 2025, median Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Dissolved Oxygen (DO) levels stood at 4 mg/l and 6 mg/l, respectively, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. A Delhi Pol- lution Control Committee assessment in September recorded improved figures, with BOD at 2.5 mg/l and DO at 9.5 mg/l— both within healthy limits. The minister said that under the Namami Gang e programme, 35 projects worth `6,534 crore have been sanctioned for Yamuna rejuvenation. Of these, 21 projects have been completed. The state of the river had become a political flashpoint during the Delhi Assembly election in February last year. ED stirs Pinarayi’s masala bond curry further, Kerala cries foul E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ T’Puram THE Enforcement Directorate has served a show cause notice to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, former finance minister T M Thomas Isaac, and the CM’s chief principal secretary K M Abraham over alleged infractions in the issue of masala bonds in 2019 by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB). The Kerala CM is the chairperson of KIIFB, established by the Kerala government to fund infrastructure projects. Isaac was the finance minister and vice-chairperson of KIIFB when it raised `2,150 crore through masala bonds. Abraham is the CEO of KIIFB. The notice alleged that masala bond proceeds worth `466 crore were used to purchase land in violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act. Rejecting the charges, Abraham said the deployment of Re-denominated bond Rupee-denominated masala bonds are issued outside India. Indian entities take this route to raise funds from international investors in rupee while mitigating the risk of currency fluctuation masala bond proceeds was in compliance with FEMA and RBI guidelines. “Only `66 crore, not `466 crore as alleged in the notice, was spent for land acquisition. The RBI has restricted the use of funds in real estate, not for land acquisition. KIIFB’s masala bond was issued in 2019, when the regulatory position was crystal clear: land acquisition for infrastructure projects was permissible; investment in real estate business was not,” he said. He also accused the ED of “fabricating” documents. Isaac termed the show cause notice a ‘gimmick’ orchestrated by the BJP-led government. “Previously the ED sent notic, es and summons on the masala bonds ahead of the 2021 assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Now, another set of summons has been served ahead of the LSG and assembly polls,” he said. The notices sparked a political debate, with LoP V D Satheesan alleging corruption and serious rule violations and Finance Minister K N Balagopal claiming the notices were aimed at creating a controversy during election time.