SATURDAY INDIAN EMBASSY EMERGENCY HELPLINE 29 The Indian Embassy in Bangkok on Friday issued a helpline number and asked all Indian nationals to contact it in case of emergency. “After powerful tremors recorded in Bangkok and in other parts of Thailand, the embassy is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with Thai authorities. So far, no untoward incident involving any Indian citizen has been reported,” the embassy said in a post on ‘X’. MARCH, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard VENEZUELANS TRUMP SEEKS SC NOD TO DEPORT Donald Trump on Friday sought the SC’s permission to resume deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador under an 18th century wartime law. A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9  J8.00 DEAD & COUNTING AS 7.7 QUAKE FLATTENS MYANMAR, THAILAND A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand on Friday, destroying scores of buildings, a bridge and a dam. At least 144 people were killed in Myanmar, where photos and videos from two hard-hit cities showed extensive damage. At least eight died in the Thai capital, where a high-rise under construction collapsed. The 7.7 magnitude quake, with an epicentre near Mandalay Myanmar’s second largest , city struck at midday and was , followed by a strong 6.4 magnitude aftershock. The full extent of deaths, injury and de- struction was not immediately clear — particularly in Myanmar, one of the world’s poorest countries. It is embroiled in a civil war and information is tightly controlled. The head of Myanmar’s military gover nment said in the televised s p e e c h o n F r i d ay evening that at least 144 people were killed and 730 others were injured. Photos from Naypyidaw showed multiple buildings used to house civil servants destroyed, and rescue crew All of a sudden the whole building began to move. A lot of screaming, a lot of panic, people running the wrong way down the escalators , total chaos — Fraser Morton, tourist from Scotland in Bangkok Bench says CJI can order FIR after inquiry ‘Allahabad HC turned into dumping ground’ Allahabad High Court Bar Association president Anil Tiwari said they will boycott Justice Varma’s swearing-in. “I don’t know what compelled the government to issue this transfer notification. We have called an emergency meeting tonight with senior advocates to decide our next course of action. This is injustice, and the Allahabad High Court has been turned into a dumping ground.” Cash row: 1991 SC order back in focus The Supreme Court rejecting a plea for FIR against Justice Varma has brought into focus its 1991 verdict virtually granting immunity to judges. A five-judge Constitution bench in the K Veeraswami case directed no criminal case should be registered against a judge unless the Chief Justice of India was consulted in the matter. pulling victims from beneath the rubble. Myanmar has declared a state of emergency . Near Bangkok’s popular Chatuchak market, a 33-storey building under construction, with a crane on top, crumpled into a cloud of dust, with onlookers screaming and running in a video posted on social media. The sound of sirens echoed throughout central Bangkok and vehicles filled the streets, leaving some of the city’s already congested streets gridlocked. The elevated rapid transit system and subway shut down. While the area where the quake struck is prone to earthquakes, they are usually not so big and it is rare for them to be felt in the Thai capital, which sits on a river delta and is at moderate risk for quakes. The US Geological Survey and Germany’s centre for geosciences said it was a shallow earthquake that causes more damage. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post on X, said, “Concerned by the situation in Myanmar and Thailand. India stands ready to offer all P9 possible assistance.” Allahabad Bar Association protests transfer No FIR for now against Justice Varma, says SC S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi CALLING it “premature”, the Supreme Court on Friday rejected a PIL seeking Delhi Police to register an FIR against Delhi High Court’s Justice Yashwant Varma over the alleged discovery of burnt wads of cash from his official residence on March 14. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan said an in-house inquiry was in progress and there would be several options open to the Chief Justice of India after the probe’s conclusion. The bench, therefore, refused to examine the plea of advocate Mathews J Nedumpara and three others. “We have seen the prayers. After the in-house inquiry is over, several options are open. If the report indicates something is wrong, the chief justice (of India) can direct the register of the FIR or refer the matter to the Parliament after examining the report,” the CAG raises red flag on AAP govt’s finances; PAC probe ordered planned properly, the amount could have been used for the THE Comptroller and Auditor welfare of the people. The General (CAG) reports on the Speaker said that in the year finance and appropriation 2021-2022, it found that `432.42 accounts of the previous AAP crore was outstanding due to government have revealed the various departments’ non-subnon-submission of bills and mission of bills. This indicates utilisation certificates that there was no way worth hundreds of to confirm whether crores of rupees and the amount was actuthe risk of fund misally spent as approved use, Speaker Vijender CAG has expressed by the Assembly, the concern over nonGupta said on Friday . Speaker said. submission of Gupta referred the The report for the utilisation reports to the Assemyear 2022-23 revealed certificates for bly’s Public Accounts that concerning old `9.3K cr as of March 31, 2023, Committee (PAC) for loans, repayment of which poses a investigation. In the `1,55,805.74 crore was serious risk of Appropriation Acin arrears as of March fund misuse counts for the year 31, 2023. Of these, 2021-2022, the CAG loans amounting to Vijender Gupta, reported a total saving `1,49,468.97 crore are Speaker of `10,539 crore, of more than 10 years old, which `5,458 crore lapsed due the Speaker said. This amount to delayed surrender. Similarly, was `574.89 crore in 2022-2023. in 2022-2023, there was a total Gupta added that the CAG saving of `14,115.71 crore, out has also expressed concern of which `7,557.47 crore lapsed over the non-submission of utidue to delayed sur render, lisation certificates for `9,314.85 Gupta said. crore as of March 31, 2023, He added that this implies which poses a serious risk of that if the government had fund misuse. Yashwant Varma court said. Petitioners Mathews J Nedumpara, Hemali Suresh Kurne, Rajesh Vishnu Adrekar and Mansha Nimesh Mehta had submitted that their plea pertained to a larger public interest and sought a direction from the court for registration of an FIR. A fire at Justice Varma’s official residence on March 14 led to the alleged discovery of wads of burnt cash in an outhouse of the judge’s residence. Justice Varma was not in New Delhi at the time of the fire, and has denied all charges. Subsequently, CJI Sanjiv Khanna formed a three-member in-house panel, consisting of Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana, Justice G S Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh, and Anu Sivaraman, Judge of the High Court of Karnataka. The panel has been mandated with an inquiry into the allegations against Justice Varma, the second senior-most Judge of the HC of Delhi. In a related development, the Union government Friday notified the transfer of Justice Varma to his parent Allahabad High Court. The Law Ministry issued a notification announcing the transfer of the judge. Strongly opposing the transfer of Justice Varma to the Allahabad High Court, its Bar Association president on Friday called it the “darkest day for India’s judiciary” and announced they will boycott his swearingin ceremony . The Supreme Court on Friday said the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court was asked not to assign any judicial work to Justice Varma. MONEY MATTERS Cabinet POLLS IN MIND, BIHAR GETS 4 approves Based ADDED CABINET ATTENTION Nutrient(NBS) Subsidy M3,712.40 cr 1 Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approves construction of 4-lane greenfield and brownfield Patna-ArrahSasaram corridor in Bihar on hybrid annuity mode for road infra. COST A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi M6,282.32 cr COST A G E N C I E S @ Bangkok COST 152 NEW DELHI  3 M22,919 cr Electronics component manufacturing scheme approved for making India Atmanirbhar in the electronics supply chain. Projected to attract investment of `59,350 crore, result in production of `4,56,500 crore worth of goods. Scheme promises to generate additional direct employment for 91,600 people. 2 CCEA approves inclusion of Kosi Mechi Intra-State Link Project in Bihar under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana. Cost includes `3,652.56 crore Central assistance. To be completed by 2029 rates for Kharif crops on phosphatic and potassic (P&K) fertilizers. Budgetary requirement for Kharif season 2024: 37,216.15 crore Cabinet approves release of 2% additional installment of Dearness Allowance to Central government employees and Dearness Relief to Pensioners from Jan 1, 2025 | P7 5  PAGES 12 1,500 EARTHQUAKES HAVE HIT MYANMAR SINCE 1950 TILL THE PRESENT DAY WHY ARE SHALLOW QUAKES LETHAL? The earthquake that hit Myanmar and Thailand on Friday was shallow, as per the US Geological Survey. Shallow earthquakes are more dangerous than deeper ones due to their greater energy release closer to the Earth’s surface, causing stronger impact that leads to ground shaking and increased damage to structures and casualties. Seismic waves from deeper quakes lose part of their energy by the time they reach the surface. Judiciary steps up to safeguard free speech SC junks FIR against HC grants interim Imran Pratapgarhi bail to Kunal Kamra S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi R S I V A K U M A R @ Chennai THE Supreme Court on Friday quashed the FIR and criminal proceedings initiated by Gujarat police against Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi over a poem in a video clip uploaded by him on social media. The 46-second video clip showed the Rajya Sabha MP being showered with flower petals as he walks, with the poem playing in the background. The FIR alleged the poem contained provocative lyrics that pitted communities against one another aside from hurting religious sentiments. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan said the poem had nothing to do with religion, caste, community, or any particular group, adding that the police must first understand the meaning of written or spoken words before lodging FIR in such cases. “The poem’s words do not bring about or promote disImran Pratapgarhi harmony or feelings of hatred or ill-will. It only seeks to challenge the injustice made by the ruler. It is impossible to say that the words used by the appellant disturb or are likely to disturb public tranquillity the bench said. ,” The court observed that different forms of art including poetry, drama, music, satire make human life more meaningful and people should be granted the freedom to express through such art forms. “The Constitution says reasonable restriction can be imposed on the freedom of right to speech and expression, but the reasonable restriction should not be unreasonable and fanciful to trample the rights of citizens,” the apex court added. The bench had reserved the verdict on Pratapgarhi’s appeal on March 3. THE Madras High Court on Friday granted interim anticipatory bail till April 7 to comedian Kunal Kamra in a case registered against him by Khar police in Mumbai over his jokes on Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde. “The petitioner has satisfied this court as to why he is unable to approach the courts in Maharashtra immediately for protection,” Justice Sunder Mohan said in his order. In his petition, Kamra said he has been a resident of Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district since 2021 and that he fears arrest and physical harm if he travels to Maharashtra in response to the summons by Khar police. While granting interim protection, the HC directed Kamra to execute a bail bond before the judicial magistrate. Justice Mohan also issued notice to Khar police and posted the matKunal Kamra ter to April 7. The comedian was booked by the Khar police on a complaint by Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel for his alleged defamatory remarks against the deputy CM in his comedy show. Kamra was booked for offences under Sections 353(1)(b), 353(2) (public mischief), and 356(2) (defamation). The contentious stand-up gig was performed at the Habitat Comedy Club in Khar, Mumbai. The caustic comments in the show triggered a strong backlash with Shinde’s supporters vandalising the venue. Kamra’s counsel V Suresh said his client received around 500 phone calls threatening to harm him. Besides, several persons close to Shinde, including a sitting minister of Maharashtra, issued open threats that they will “teach him a lesson in Shiv Sena’s style”. EXPRESS READ FIR against Kejriwal over defacement The Delhi Police on Friday apprised a city court that an FIR has been lodged against AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and others following allegations of violating the Defacement of Public Property Act in the Dwarka area. | P4 WAQF BILL TO BE INTRODUCED IN ONGOING SESSION Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025 will be taken up during the current session of Parliament. | P7 Trump offcial dials Misri to talk ties US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on Friday spoke with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to discuss various aspects of the growing partnership between the two countries. A key part of their discussion centered on the Indo-Pacific region. Govt plans to bring in law on cow shelter mismanagement & stray cattle menace A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi ASHWINI VAISHNAW A videograb of onlookers near the 33-storey high-rise in Bangkok that collapsed on Friday after the earthquake | AP THE BJP government has proposed to enact a law with penal provisions on the alleged mismanagement of cow shelters and curb stray cattle menace, Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood said on Friday . Responding to a private member resolution moved by BJP MLA Ashok Goel for setting up more chow shelters, Sood said that the government would bring a bill involving all stakeholders and MLAs to make it foolproof. The resolution was adopted by a voice vote in the Assembly, paving the way for the upcoming legislation. Sood said that the proposed legislation would include stringent enforcement mechanisms to check exploitation of cows and curb illegal cattle trade. “We will bring a law for cow protection after due deliberations. We will make sure that there is no misunderstanding between different departments and will study relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS),” Sood said. On Wednesday, CM Rekha Gupta’s convoy was stopped for 15 minutes on the Haiderpur flyover in northwest Delhi after a group of cattle strayed on the road.