saturdAY Supreme Court rejects Petition to seize Electoral Bond Funds 05 april, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard south Korea 8-0 court ruling chucks president The nation’s Constitutional Court unanimously removed Yoon Suk Yeol from office on Friday, ending his tumultuous presidency. Page 9 `16,518 cr no roving inquiry into electoral bonds A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Congress MP, AIMIM president file petitions Fight against the Waqf bill goes to Supreme Court mentary Committee (JPC) that scrutinised the bill. Hours after the Waqf (AmendWhile the Lok Sabha cleared ment) Bill 2025 received Parlia- the bill 288:232; in the Rajya ment’s approval, the Congress Sabha its was 128:95. Both and the All India Majlis-e-Itte- Houses witnessed 12-hour marhadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) athon debates. The bill will now moved the Supreme Court on go to the President for assent Friday challenging its validity , , before becoming law. arguing that it violates constiEarlier in the day AICC gen, tutional provisions. eral secretary Jairam The development Ramesh said his parAIMPLB came a day after ty will soon challenge knocks Tamil Nadu Chief the constitutionality prez door Minister M K Stalin of the Waqf (Amendannounced in the ment) Bill, 2024, in The All India state assembly that the Supreme Court. Muslim the Dravida MunneChallenging the Personal Law tra Kazhagam (DMK) bill in the top court, Board sought will move the SC to AIMIM president an urgent challenge the bill. Asaduddin Owaisi in appointment In his plea, Conhis plea argued that with President gress MP Mohamit removes various Droupadi mad Jawed held that protections that were Murmu to the bill imposes arbipreviously accorded express their trary restrictions on to waqfs as well as to concern before waqf properties and Hindu, Jain, and her assent to their management, Sikh religious and the Waqf Bill undermining the recharitable endowligious autonomy of ments. “This diminthe Muslim community The pe- ishing of the protection given . tition claimed that the pro- to Waqfs while retaining them p o s e d law disc r im inates for religious and charitable enagainst Muslims by imposing dowments of other religions restrictions that are not present constitutes hostile discriminain the governance of other reli- tion against Muslims and is gious endowments. violative of Articles 14 and 15 Jawed, a Lok Sabha MP from of the Constitution, which proBihar’s Kishanganj, was also a hibit discrimination on the member of the Joint Parlia- grounds of religion.” l New Delhi l J8.00 Rajya Sabha approves legislation 128:95 P r e e t h a Na i r @ New Delhi Ayushman Hosps to get 20% hike in compensation & incentives A s h i s h S r i va s tava @ New Delhi A special tariff is planned for Delhi hospitals under the Ayushman Bharat Yojna, which will begin in the national capital on Saturday. The tariff includes a 20% hike in compensation of treatment rates for hospitals enrolled in the scheme. Also, hospitals with the best performance will receive an incentive of up to 30%. A senior official says, “The treatment tariffs in Delhi are higher compared to other cities. The stakeholders have communicated that enforcing the standard tariff will not be sustainable for hospitals here.” The official says the incentive for top-performing hospitals will be based on multiple parameters, including the turnaround time for surgeries and medical interventions, clearance of bills, and patient feedback. On Saturday Delhi will be, come the 35th state to implement the Centre’s flagship Ayushman Bharat scheme and an MoU will be signed between the National Health Authority and the Delhi government. Ration card holders under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana and citizens above 70 years old will be among the first beneficiaries of the scheme. Verification of senior citizens’ details will be done through the voter list, while ration card holders’ info will be cross-checked via National Food Security Act portal. amount that the plea sought to be confiscated from political parties l A bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra dismissed the review plea filed by Khem Singh Bhati against the court’s decision of August 2, 2024, when the Supreme Court had rejected several pleas, including one filed by Bhati, for a court-monitored probe into electoral bonds and observed it couldn’t order a roving inquiry | p7 PAGES 12 all-party meet Prez refuses nod for TN’s anti-NEET legislation T M u r u g a n a n d h a m @ Chennai Policemen detain a man protesting against the Waqf bill in Ahmedabad on Friday | PTI Protesters hit the streets demanding its withdrawal D i l i p S i n g h K s h at r i ya @ Ahmedabad Protests erupted in parts of the country hours after Parliament passed the controversial Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the wee hours of Friday . In Ahmedabad, protesters poured into the streets, denouncing the bill saying it is an assault on minority rights and religious autonomy They held . placards that read “Withdraw Waqf Bill” and “Reject UCC” and sported black armbands. Police intervened and detained at least 50 protesters. Protests were also reported in pockets of Delhi, West Bengal, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Manipur and Jharkhand. Heavy police presence is sensitive localities of UP ensured the state was peaceful. In Delhi, students of the Jamia Millia Islamia staged a protest in front of the university. They condemned the bill as “unconstitutional and communal” and criticised the university administration for attempting to suppress dissent. In Kolkata, hundreds of Muslims took to the streets to express their opposition to the contentious legislation, with several minority organisations joining the agitation. There were reports of protests in parts of Imphal Valley . They raised concerns about the autonomy and administration of Waqf properties. President Droupadi Murmu has withheld assent to the Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Bill, 2021 which seeks exemption for Tamil Nadu from a common and uniform National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) for admissions to undergraduate medical education courses. Informing the Tamil Nadu Assembly on the development on Friday CM M K , Stalin said the state would continue its struggle to abolish the test and said a meeting of the legislature party leaders has been convened on April 9 to discuss the issue. He said the state would also consult legal experts on the next course of action. The bill was originally adopted by the state Assembly on September 13, 2021, and was returned by Governor R N Ravi on certain grounds. The Assembly re-adopted the bill on February 8, 2022, without any modifications, which the governor forwarded to the Union Home Ministry in the first week of May 2022 for Presidential assent. After 35 months, the Union Home Ministry has now conveyed to the state government that the President has withheld assent to the Bill. Stalin on Friday said, “The TN government had promptly provided all explanations sought by various union ministries, including health, AYUSH, home and higher education.” Want positive, constructive ties with B’desh: PM to Yunus j aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi IN his first meeting with Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus after tensions following Sheikh Hasina’s government exit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised India’s desire to build a positive, constructive ties with Bangladesh based on pragmatism and highlighted New Delhi’s people-centric approach to the relationship. During the 45 minutes meeting on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC summit in Thailand, Modi underscored India’s concerns on safety and security of minorities in Bangladesh, in- Hasina issue Yunus discussed extradition of ousted PM Hasina. “Bangladesh has made a formal request... Saying anything more will not be correct right now,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said cluding Hindus, and expressed an expectation that the Bangladeshi government would ensure their protection, particularly by investigating incidents of atrocities against them, while urging that rhetoric that vitiates the environment should be avoided. “Enunciating India’s peoplecentric approach to the relationship, Prime Minister high- lighted that cooperation between the two countries has brought tangible benefits to the people of both countries. He underlined India’s desire to forge a positive and constructive relationship with Bangladesh based on pragmatism,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said after the meeting. In the context of comments including Yunus’ statement about Bangladesh remaining the ‘guardian of the ocean’ for India’s north eastern states, Modi urged Yunus that “rhetoric that vitiates the environment is best avoided.” Modi also stressed on the need for a strict enforcement of the law and prevention of illegal border crossings. express read ED raids properties of Empuraan producer The ED’s Kochi unit on Friday searched several establishments of Gokulam Group headed by Gokulam Gopalan, one of the producers of recently-released L2: Empuraan, in Tamil Nadu and Kerala for FEMA violations. | P5 3 ‘criminals’ brought back from UAE: CBI The CBI has brought back three fugitives from the UAE, including a minor girl’s rapist from Kerala and an extortionist from Rajasthan.The CBI has so far brought back more than 100 wanted criminals to India. Heatwave likely over next 6 days in capital home turf Despite captain Hardik Pandya’s 5-wicket haul, Lucknow Super Giants beat Mumbai Indians by 12 runs at the IPL match in Lucknow on Friday. With this win, LSG moves to sixth place while MI goes to seventh spot. | pti | p11 The Met department on Friday predicted heatwave conditions in Delhi over the next six days, with the mercury likely to soar to 42oC. On Friday, the city recorded a maximum temperature of 38.4oC, 4.4 notches above normal. | P3 India has got a China problem from US tariffs DIPA K MOND A L @ New Delhi AS US President Donald Trump’s new tariff regime takes off, Indian businesses are facing a dragon-sized threat. India has a $100-billion trade deficit with China. With the US imposing a 54% tariff on Chinese imports, India could become a dumping ground for surplus Chinese goods. In 2024, China exported goods worth $440 billion and maintained a trade surplus of $295 billion with the US. With the additional tariff, Chinese goods will become uncompetitive in the US market. China’s usual back-channel exports through Vietnam and Bangladesh may not work this time, as they too have been tariffed. China’s top exports to the US are electrical China hits back with and electronics items, 34% tariff on US machinery toys, appar, el, etc. India imports Beijing: In a tit-for-tat response, electrical & electronics China on Friday slapped a 34% items, heavy machin- additional tariff on all imports ery, and iron & steel from the US, effective April 10. from China. Beijing also announced export According to the In- controls on certain rare earth dian Steel Association, metals, aiming to hit American as the US shuts its doors defence, computer, and to global steel, surplus smartphone industries | P9 steel from China— the world’s largest steel producer—could be redirected to India, leading to market distortions. Electronics, apparel and footwear sectors may also be hit similarly . “In 2024, Directorate General of Trade Remedies registered 43 anti-dumping cases against China. Chinese manufacturers may now escalate dumping,” said Debopam Chaudhuri, chief economist, Piramal Enterprises. “While we negotiate with the US, we must also guard against China’s reaction,” said Madhavi Puri, chief economist at Emkay Global Financial Services. Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets Muhammad Yunus in Thailand | PTI MARKETS IN TURMOIL Incendiary comments made by Sheikh Hasina in India was raised during the meeting with Modi FTSE DAX CAC -4.95% -4.95% -4.26% Nasdaq -4.52% S&P 500 -4.40% Dow Jones -4.11% Nikkei -2.75% Hang Seng -1.52% BSE Sensex -1.22% (Early trade figures for U.S./European markets) Shafiqul Alam, Yunus’ press secy Cabinet nod to `500 cr elevated road in Sonia Vihar to ease traffic hurdles A n u p V e r m a @ New Delhi THE Delhi government has announced plans for a 6-km elevated road in the Pushta Sonia Vihar area, with an estimated cost of `500 crore. The first capital project of the newly formed BJP government in the city aims to ease traffic congestion and improve connectivity in the trans-Yamuna area. According to officials, the elevated road will stretch from Nanak Sar Gurudwara to Shani Mandir (UP border), relieving thousands of daily commuters. The move was initiated considering the long-pending demand of trans-Yamuna residents for a solution to the traffic problems in Sonia Vihar. Considering the severe congestion in the area, the Public Works Department (PWD) has decided to construct this flyover, which will provide relief to local residents, they added. The stretch, currently under the jurisdiction of the flood department, will be transferred to PWD, which will prepare the Detailed Project Report and commence work soon. According to the officials, the people of Sonia Vihar have been struggling with severe traffic congestion, making this project essential. However, due to the large number of trees in the area, it was now decided to build an elevated flyover. On Thursday, CM Rekha Gupta and PWD Minister Parvesh Verma discussed this, and the project got approval. “The Nanak Sar Gurudwara Chowk area, a locality in Wazirabad, has been a priority for the government due to its significance as a community hub,” Verma said. In the Budget, `28,000 crore has been allocated for capital expenditure, a dedicated sum of `3,843 crore has been set aside for improving roads and bridges to ensure smooth commuting and connectivity . Length: 6 km Pillars: On both sides of the road Executing Agency: PWD Result: Relief for lakhs of commuters `500 cr Estimated Cost Salient Features Approval authority: Irrigation and Flood Control Department