SC throws out curative petition of vodafone, airtel over mega dues fridAY 20 The court dismissed pleas by Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel and others, seeking correction of alleged errors in the Adjusted Gross Revenue september, 2024 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard bangladesh beaten to death at univ campus Shamim Ahmed was enrolled at Jahangirnagar University in Dhaka and was a top member of the student wing of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party. Page 9 court’s blow could land telcos in the red A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS l New Delhi l J8.00 l The court order will be a big blow to the telcos, especially Vodafone Idea, which analysts warned could face a financial crisis in the absence of AGR relief. The telecom companies had moved the Supreme Court claiming there were several errors in the government’s calculation of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues. The court dismissed the plea in 2021 after which the curative pleas were filed PAGES 12 India rubbishes Pannun lawsuit as unwarranted PM’s meeting with Trump not firmed up yet, says foreign secretary As for the buzz on Modi meeting former US President Donald Trump, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri Misri said it has not been firmed up on Thursday dismissed imputations yet. A couple of days ago, Trump had in a civil lawsuit filed by Khalistani said he was looking forward to meetseparatist Gurpatwant Singh Pan- ing Modi during the visit. “PM Modi nun against the Indian government is a fantastic man and is coming to and National Security Advisor Ajit meet me next week,” he had said. Doval in an American court ahead of “We are currently trying to schedPrime Minister Narendra Modi’s US ule several meetings of the prime visit. The case pertains to the alleged minister, based on the time available. attempt to bump him off by a At this moment I cannot spehired gunman. The court iscifically tell you whether sued summons and sought a meetings have been fixed or response within 21 days. not. We are looking from all The foreign secretary deviewpoints, considering how scribed Panun’s allegations as much time we have with “unwarranted and unsubstanwhom the meetings can be artiated, adding “it doesn’t ranged. We will update once Gurpatwant change our views about the they are fixed,’’ Misri said. Singh Pannun underlying situation.” Misri Regarding the Quad sumsaid Pannun’s antecedants mit, he said, all regional, inare well known. ternational, geopolitical situations “I would also like to underline the will be on the agenda and the essence fact that this person represents an from the discussions will be reflected organisation which is unlawful and in the joint statement. “All key chalhas been declared as such under the lenges confronting the international Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act community on development, peace, of 1967 and it has been done so on ac- security will be discussed.” count of its involvement in anti-naThe PM will depart on September tional and subversive activities 21 and his first engagement is the aimed at disrupting the sovereignty Quad Summit at Deleware. The and territorial integrity of India,’’ White House said China will be high Misri added. on the agenda of the summit. Y e s h i Se l i @ New Delhi hometown glory R Ashwin walked to bat when India were struggling at 144 for six. Along with Ravindra Jadeja he rebuilt the innings and scored his sixth Test century to take India to a strong position at the end of the day one against Bangladesh | ashwin Prasath | P11 Junior doctors agree to join emergency duty from Saturday E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kolkata JUNIOR doctors in West Bengal, who were protesting for the past few weeks over the brutal rape-murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, have decided to resume emergency services from Saturday . However, the doctors stressed that they have not called off their protest seeking justice for their colleague and will not join duty in the out-patient departments across government hospitals. “We are withdrawing our ceasework partially said a ,” protesting doctor. Before partially lifting their sit-in protest, the doctors plan to hold a march from the Swasthya Bhawan, the state health department headquarters, to the CBI office at CGO Complex in Salt Lake. Earlier in the day the doctors , submitted a draft of the key points discussed in the meeting they had with government officials on Wednesday to Chief Secretary Manoj Pant. The draft, detailing the points which were taken up agreed upon by the two sides and also those which weren’t, was sent so that the government may issue directives. Meanwhile, the state government issued a list of directives on the safety security and effi, cient functioning of healthcare professionals, saying that those orders need to be implemented immediately. The directions mentioned the need for “adequate availability of on-duty rooms, washrooms, CCTVs, drinking water facilities in the healthcare facilities.” b i rt h day bas h after partying in pub, 5 DU students hurt in car crash U j w a l Ja l a l i @ New Delhi A birthday celebration turned into a tragedy for five collegegoing teenager friends early Thursday On their way back . from Gurugram post partying, their rented vehicle hit a side railing on a flyover in north Delhi, leaving them injured. Two of them are battling for their lives. The injured were identified as Ashwani Mishra (19), Ashwani Pandey (19), Keshav (19), Krishna (18) and Ujjwal (19). The five are receiving treatment at Lok Nayak Hospital where Mishra and Pandey are battling for their lives. Upon impact, the side railing jabbed into the front windshield and pierced into the vehicle’s rear glass. DCP (North) Manoj Kumar Meena said a call was received about Celebration turns into an accident from Shanti Van to Geeta Colony When a po. tragedy; two critical lice team reached the spot, it DCP Manoj Kumar Meena said found mangled remains of when the five were returning the vehicle along the side from a Gurugram pub, at the railing of the road. Geeta Colony flyover, Ashwani T h e p o l i c e s a i d t h at Mishra at wheel attempted to Ashwani Mishra, who is the change a song on his mobile first year student at Dyal phone and, in doing so, lost Singh College, rented a car control of the vehicle. The car for the night for `1,500 from hit the side railings, injuring Shadipur to celebrate his the occupants. The condition birthday along with his of two of them is critical. friends Ashwani Pandey (first year student at Deshbandhu College) and Keshav (second year student at Dyal Singh College). “They picked their friend Krishna (student at Motilal College) from Saket and Ujjwal from Chattarpur and drove to Zee Town, a pub in Gurugram,” Meena said. They celebrated the birthday and had alcohol. They left the club in the early hours of Thursday “On their way back, . at the Geeta Colony flyover, Ashwani Mishra at wheel attempted to change a song on his mobile phone and, in doing so, lost control of the vehicle,” the DCP said, adding the car hit the side railings, injuring them. The police said that prima facie, the car was being driven at a high speed and the driver lost control leading to the crash. The DCP said that a legal action is being taken. He did not specify what course the legal action will follow. No bilateral with Yunus Modi will have a number of bilateral meetings with world leaders, but not with the head of the interim govt in Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus. Besides, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy has not requested a meeting with the prime minister, says MEA Diaspora dialogue On Sept 22, Modi will attend a diaspora event at Nassau Coliseum in New York. Arrangements for this event has been made privately, so there is no clarity on who all will be invited. Next day, Modi will address the Summit of the Future at New York D IPA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi PARIS-based Financial Action Task Force has asked India to reduce the number of pending trials in money laundering cases. In its mutual evaluation report released on Thursday the , money laundering and terror financing watchdog said India must increase conviction-based confiscations. The report notes that the Enforcement Directorate has made non-conviction based seizures to the tune of `16,497 crore from FY19 to FY23, while confiscations based on convictions were worth `39 crore. During the five-year period, the ED started 4,163 investigations, of which 28 cases ended in conviction. In 132 cases, the ED decided to not probe further. According to the report, the Money laundering investigations Category 2018-2019 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-Oct 23 Probe launched 195 562 981 1,180 1,245 Cases where decision was taken not to probe 39 17 12 18 46 Prosecution complaints filed 216 51 130 144 323 Cases convicted 4 4 1 3 16 Cases acquitted 1 0 0 0 0 number of investigations has been increasing but the number of prosecution complaints has not kept pace. To increase the rate of conviction, the FATF suggested that India enhance resourcing for ED and specialised courts to be able to swiftly conclude pending prosecutions and sustain timely investiga- tion, prosecution, and conviction. The evaluation report praises India for its “strong provisional measures for depriving criminals from the benefits of their crimes and helping prevent asset flight through the attachment (seizure) of proceeds of crime”. It also notes that In- express read PM tears into dynastic families in J&K rallies Punjab pvt hosps refuse cashless treatment Tirupati laddoo contain foreign fat, says report A day after the first phase of Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held three dynastic families—NC, Congress and PDP—responsible for failing J&K and putting stones in hands of the youth. Accusing the NC and Congress of following Pakistan’s agenda on Article 370, he said only the BJP government would restore statehood to J&K | P7 The private hospitals and nursing homes in Punjab have refused to provide cashless treatment to patients under the Ayushman Bharat Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojna. While the empanelled private hospitals claim that the government is yet to clear an outstanding payment of `600 crore for treatments under the scheme, the government pegs the amount at `364 crore | P8 A report of the National Dairy Development Board released on July 23 this year has raised alarm over the poor quality of ghee used in Tirupati laddus, suggesting potential adulteration with foreign fat. The report pointed to presence of foreign fats such as soya bean, sunflower, palm kernel fat or even lard and beef tallow. It, however, says the cows’ fodder could have led to the results | P5 Addressing Lankan democracy deficit, graft as important as economy Award-winning journalist and lawyer, founder and director of the Colombobased Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s economic crisis is directly linked to its governance crisis, and unless accountability issues, including corruption and democracy deficit, are addressed, the island may not be in a position to overcome its current challenges, subject experts say . As Sri Lanka goes to polls on September 21, poor governance remains a key concern. To restore public trust and to change the country’s trajectory a few measures must , be taken in the first 100 days of a new presidency, including the abolition of executive presidency steps to return to , a parliamentary system and create the post of independent public prosecution, says Dr Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, internationally renowned rights advocate, Execu- tive Director of the Colombo-based Centre for Policy Alternatives and Co-Convenor of the Center for Monitoring Election Violence. Addressing gover nance concerns are as critical as economic reforms and relief to the people, he says. “The 2024 presidential election is not about selecting the best formula for economic revival. The IMF diagnostic report and a Sri Lankan civil society study have both identified systemic corruption as a Bittu booked for calling LoP Rahul ‘terrorist’ E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ B’luru An FIR has been lodged against Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu for calling Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi as “terrorist”. The case was registered by following a complaint by a KPCC member on Wednesday . The police have also booked BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal for making derogatory remarks against Rahul. Bittu, MoS for Railways and Food Processing Industries, had reportedly called Rahul as the “number one terrorist”, following the Congress leader’s remarks on the Sikhs during his recent visit to the US. Ravindra MV the complain, ant, stated that during the inauguration of a Vande Bahrat train in Bihar on September 15, Bittu had said that “Rahul appeases Muslims, but it is Sikhs who are protecting the borders of the country”. “The minister has further said that Rahul Gandhi’s family hates Sikhs... and that Rahul is the biggest enemy and terrorist of the country,” the complainant said, adding the statement creates rift between religions. FATF red-flags India’s low conviction rate Ear to the ground Dilrukshi Handunnetti union minister significant malaise. The 2022 people’s movement was not just a reaction to the economic crisis but more of a reaction to the governance crisis. People called for an end to corruption, to drive corrupt politicians home, to create a meritocracy. Curbing corruption is at the centre of any future solution,” adds Dr Saravanamuttu. Saliya Peiris, PC, former president of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, says, democracy and governance are tied to sustainable development. Continued on P7 National People’s Power’s presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayaka (3L), greets Buddhist monks during a rally in Colombo ahead of the Sept 21 poll | AFP dia seizes large amounts of proceeds and instrumentalities associated with crimes that are not prioritised for money laundering investigations. Vivek Aggarwal, additional secretary (revenue) in the Ministry of Finance, said India has been placed in ‘regular followup’, which is the highest rating category by FATF. The UK, France and Italy are the only other G-20 countries that have been placed in this category . According to the report, India has fully complied with 37 out of 40 recommendations for curbing money laundering and terror financing. FATF mutual evaluations are in-depth country reports analysing the implementation and effectiveness of measures to combat money laundering and terror financing. 5 ministers to take oath with Atishi on Sept 21 A n u p Ve r m a @ New Delhi Chief Minister-designate Atishi and her cabinet will be sworn in on September 21. Mukesh Ahlawat, MLA from Sultanpur Majra, is the new face in the cabinet. The AAP has announced it will retain four ministers—Gopal Rai, Kailash Gehlot, Saurabh Bharadwaj, and Imran Hussain. The CM and her cabinet colleagues will take oath on the same day . The new CM will prove her majority in the Assembly whose session has been called on September 26-27. The Delhi cabinet can have a maximum of seven ministers, including the CM. The AAP has so far named six ministers. Ahlawat, who belongs to the Dalit community is a first-time , MLA. He will fill the vacancy left by Raaj Kumar Anand, who quit the AAP in April and joined the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. In the 2020 elections, Ahlawat defeated BJP’s Ram Chander Chawriya by 48,042 votes.
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