saturdAY 11 JAN 13 january, 2025 WHEN THE MAHA KUMBH MELA KICKSTARTS IN PRAYAGRAJ IN UP epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard Understanding the Spiritual Practice Kalpvas is a month-long period of austerity, meditation and selfpurification, deeply rooted in the Sanatan tradition. Practitioners, known as Kalpvasis, renounce comforts, live in temporary tents, and engage in daily worship, including holy dips, spiritual discourses and devotional music. The practice is meant for inner purification and spiritual growth Los Angeles New fire prompts more evacuations Two wildfires have burned at least 10,000 homes, officials said as they urged more people to heed evacuation orders after a new blaze quickly grew. Page 9 A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Heavy rain predicted in city over weekend I f rah M u f ti & jite n d ra C h o u b e y @ New Delhi The Delhi Meteorological Centre has issued an alert for heavy rain in the city over the weekend, January 11 and 12. The region’s temperatures may drop sharply leading to chilly weath, er. Icy winds will accompany the rain. Delhi-NCR nights are becoming colder due to rapidly falling night temperatures, while daytime temp remain stable. After the rain, the night temperature may fip further. As per the Delhi Meteorological Centre, residents can expect a maximum temperature of 20oC degrees and a minimum temperature of 6oC. The maximum temperature in Noida mat be 18oC, and the minimum could be 8oC. In Ghaziabad, the maximum temperature may rise to 20oC, and the minimum will dip to 5 oC. Gurugram’s maximum might reach 19 oC, and the minimum drop to 8oC. Orange Alert IMD predicts intense rain, snowfall, and dense fog in next few days Low visibility caused by thick fog has impacted flight ops at IGIA A massive Western Disturbance and its interaction with easterly winds may bring intense rain over Punjab, Haryana, HP, U’khand, Delhi-NCR and J&K A massive Western Disturbance in North India, and its interaction with easterly winds is likely to trigger moderate to intense spells of rainfall over Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, DelhiNCR and J&K and snowfall at higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand from January 11 onwards. Thunderstorms, lightning and hail will accompany the rain and bring a spell of very dense fog across Indo-Gangetic plains for the next 4-5 days. l New Delhi R A K E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi IN a setback to Elon Musk’s satellite communication company Starlink, India may not allow it to operate in the country due to security concerns. The government will do a thorough risk analysis and look at all aspects before considering the firm’s application for a licence, a senior Department of Telecommunications (DoT) told this newspaper. The government’s decision comes in the wake of discovery of Starlink satellite antennas and routers from Manipur and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the DoT official said, adding: “Incidents like these have prompted the government to scrutinise Starlink’s licence application.” Political slugfest over Purvanchali voters intensifies A shish S ri v asta v a @ New Delhi Caste equations The CEC reportedly deliberated on caste equations as the Poorvanchali population comprises nearly 25% of the Hindu voters and includes 12% Muslims, 17% SCs, 10% Brahmins, and 8% Jats, among others. The BJP CEC also considered feedback submitted to the Core Committee by the Delhi MPs. The names in the list were scrutinised from various angles, including gender, winnability organisational contribu, tions and social and caste factors, to see how they matched the criteria set on the basis of an internal survey . Sources said the CEC reportedly approved four to six names of women candidates. But there was no confirmation on the name of former national spokesperson Nupur Shar ma. Sources said her name might be among others to be brought into the fray . More reports on page 3 & 4 l PAGES 12 Govt may not give any exemption to Elon Musk firm or treat it as a special case BJP readies list of 41 names, announcement likely today The Central Election Committee of the BJP met on Friday evening and finalised candidates for the remaining 41 of the 70 seats for the Assembly election. The names will be released on Saturday . The party issued the first list of 29 candidates on January 4, which included Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma, as the candidate from the New Delhi constituency against AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, and ex-MP Ramesh Bidhuri from Kalkaji, where CM Atishi is in the fray . If sources are to be believed, the CEC stressed the selection of non-controversial candidates to a great extent, giving equal consideration to women belonging to OBCs and other sections. PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP president JP Nadda were part of the CEC that went through the recommendations of the Delhi BJP Core Committee, which met earlier in the day to prepare the tentative list of candidates. The list of candidates was handed over to Modi soon after the meeting began. A source said: “PM Modi heard every detail related to the candidates, asking if all equations were considered. Since the Delhi election has emerged as a key challenge, the meet discussed the candidates’ backgrounds.” J8.00 India cagey about Starlink licence after Manipur breach d e l h i d a n g al R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi l In the high-stakes battle for Purvanchali votes, the Congress has promised to build a Chhath Puja ghat, akin to the Maha Kumbh structures, on the Yamuna riverbank, if it comes to power. The party said a new district will be named after celebrated Bihari folk singer Sharda Sinha, who died in November at AIIMS. Making the announcement, BPCC president Akhilesh Prasad Singh slammed the AAP and BJP for allegedly neglecting the contributions of the Purvanchali community to Delhi’s growth. “Purvanchalis are the backbone of Delhi’s development, yet they are treated as mere vote banks, only to be insulted post-elections,” he said. Singh accused the AAP government of abandoning the community during the Covid-19 crisis, forcing them to walk home in dire conditions. Meanwhile, the BJP launched an attack on AAP after Arvind Kejriwal’s alleged remark labelling Purvanchalis as “fake voters.” In a bid to contain the damage, Kejriwal blamed the Centre for the lack of development in unauthorised colonies. The Musk-owned firm has been seeking certain exemptions to enter the Indian market, citing technical limitations. Sources said the Centre was earlier open to easing some conditions for Starlink as a special case, but it is now treading very cautiously . Till date, the government has granted licences to Bharti Groupbacked OneWeb and the Jio-SES joint venture Jio Satellite Communications to provide satellite communication services in the country Musk’s Starlink and Ama. zon’s Project Kuiper have also applied for licences but neither has been approved by the government. In 2021, Starlink courted controversy when it accepted preorders from Indian consumers before obtaining the licence to operate in the country Follow. ing this, the DoT asked it to refund the pre-orders. Fresh problems for Starlink emerged in December 2024, when the company’s routers and antennas were discovered in ethnic strife-torn Manipur. Additionally, police in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands found that drug smugglers were using Starlink Mini—a portable satellite communication device with an integrated WiFi router—to communicate. Although Musk claimed that Starlink had “turned off ” its services in India, security agencies suspsect the devices were used in sensitive areas like Manipur, providing internet access to militant groups. Hence the government’s rethink on Starlink. SC junks pleas seeking speedy implementation of women’s quota Mistakes are inevitable, I’m human, not God: Modi R ajesh kumar thakur @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi in his debut podcast described himself as a person for whom designation holds no significance in his dedication to serving the nation. In a candid tete-a-tete hosted by Zerodha cofounder Nikhil Kamath, the prime minister said that his designations and s i t u a t i o n s m ay h ave changed but he still remains the same individual who once used to sit on the floor. Modi said he is always willing to abandon old ideas and adopt new ones if they align with his core ideology of “Nation First.” In a reply to a question if he had planned for the future beyond his tenure, focusing on training people he trusts for the next 20-30 years, Modi said, “I can see people with a lot of potential. When I was in Gujarat, I would say that I want to prepare a team for the next 20 years. I am doing it. My success lies in how I prepare my team who will be able to deftly handle things. This is my benchmark that I’ve set for myself.” Stressing the need for participation of youth in politics, he said that the country needs young leaders who are driven by a mission rather than ambition for top positions. When asked about his early approach to leadership, Modi said, “When I became CM, I said I will not do anything for myself. I will not do anything wrong out of bad intentions. I have made it a mantra of my life. Mistakes are inevitable. I must have made mistakes. I am a human too, not a god.” He also reiterated his commitment to reserving one-third of seats for women in legislative assemblies and the Lok Sabha in the near future. Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks to Zerodha’s Nikhil Kamath in a podcast | PTI The American entrepreneur and widow of Steve Jobs is set to observe an ancient spiritual practice of austerity at Maha Kumbh Maha kumbh: A Spiritual Gathering The Maha Kumbh, organised every 12 years, is a religious gathering of Sanatan devotees attracting millions from around the world Laurene is liekly to stay at the camp of Swami Kailashananda (pic), the Mahamandaleshwar of Niranjani Akhara. She will be there till the third Amrit Snan (royal bath) on Mauni Amavasya on Jan 29 | P8 hush money case Don gets felony sentence without any punishment A g e n cies The government is taking the suspected use of Starlink devices in Manipur very seriously and is carefully considering all aspects before granting licence to the Elon Musk company DoT official Gauri Lankesh murder accused out on bail 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 Friday dismissed two public interest litigations (PILs) against the 2023 Nari Shakti Vandan Act, popularly known as the Women’s Reservation Act, which reserves one-third seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The petition filed by the National Federation of Indian Women, the women’s wing of the Communist Party of India, challenged the constitutional validity of the clause that stipulates delimitation of constituencies as a prerequisite to implementing the Nari Shakti Vandan Act. The SC said NFIW can approach the high court if it wants to challenge the constitutionality . The other plea by Congress leader Jaya Thakur said the Constitution amendment for the women’s reservation law can’t be withheld indefinitely for the Census and delimitation. “We don’t find any merit in the batch of pleas filed before us. The same are rejected,” a bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and P B Varale said in its order. On November 3, 2023, the top court while hearing Thakur’s plea had said it would be “very difficult” for the court to strike down a part of the women’s reservation law which would come into effect after the census. The Constitution amendment bill to implement women’s reservation in legislature got parliamentary nod on September 21, 2023. The law will be implemented only after conducting a fresh census followed by a delimitation exercise — redrawing of Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies. Laurene powell Jobs to observe kalpavas at kumbh A Bengaluru court granted bail to Sharad Bhausaheb Kalaskar, citing delay in trial. With this, all the 17 accused persons facing trial in the case are now out on bail | P5 US President-elect Donald Trump was on Friday sentenced in the hush money case without any punishment. It will make him the first person with a felony conviction to serve as president. In a post online after the sentencing, Trump called the trial a “despicable charade” and said he will file an appeal. Trump’s sentence was his first-ever so far. Manhattan Judge Juan M Merchan awarded him an unconditional discharge on all 34 counts, doing legal gymnastics since he is president-elect. He was charged with 34 felonies and convicted by a jury on every count in May last year, yet he got full discharge. Trump was found guilty of fudging his business’ records to conceal a $130,000 payoff to porn actor Stormy Daniels. She was paid in 2016 not to tell the public about her sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier. Trump, however, rejected the claim. And the allegations didn’t have an impact on voters, who elected him to a second term. Judge Merchan could have sentenced the 78-year-old accused to up to four years in prison. Instead, he chose a sentence that sidestepped thorny constitutional issues by effectively ending the case. Merchan said when facing any defendant, he had to consider any aggravating factors before imposing a sentence. But the legal protection that Trump will have as president is a factor that overrides all others. “Despite the extraordinary breadth of those legal protections, one power they do not provide is that they do not erase a jury verdict,” Merchan observed. Briefly addressing the court virtually Trump , said, “It’s been a political witch hunt. It was done to damage my reputation so that I would lose the election, and obviously that didn’t work.” , The prosecution requested no prison, probation or fine as a sentence. Judge Merchan obliged. He called it an extraordinary case and a paradox with a lot of attention but ordinary court proceedings. Prosecutors, however, criticised Trump’s fierce attacks on the legal system.  P9