TUESDAY SC SUMMONS COMEDIAN FOR RIDICULING DISABLED, SEEKS PERSONAL PRESENCE 06 The top court terms five influencers’ conduct as ‘damaging’ and ‘demoralising’ and calls for some serious remedial and punitive action MAY, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard ISRAEL TO CAPTURE GAZA UNDER NEW PLAN Directs Mumbai Police chief to ensure appearance Israel on Monday okayed plans to capture the entire Gaza Strip and remain in the Palestinian territory for an unspecified amount of time, officials said. A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9  NEW DELHI  J8.00 Russian President accepts Modi’s invitation to visit India for annual high-level meeting Putin calls PM, supports fight against terror J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi JAPAN ON SAME PAGE Visiting Japanese defence minister Gen Nakatani met his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh and offered “full support” to India’s war against terror PAR PANEL SEEKS INFO A parliamentary panel sought details from two ministries on the action they planned against social media platforms that “seem to be working against national interest” STOP FUND, ADB URGED Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made a strong pitch to ADB to stop giving funds to Pakistan as it backs terror activities RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin on Monday expressed full support to India in its fight against terror, emphasising during a phone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi that those responsible for the heinous attack in Pahalgam —and their supporters— must be brought to justice. The conversation took place ahead of a closed-door United Nations Security Council meeting requested by Pakistan. “He (President Putin) conveyed deepest condolences on the loss of innocent lives and expressed full support to India in the fight against terrorism. He emphasised that the perpetrators of the heinous attack and their supporters must be brought to justice,” Exter nal Affairs Ministry s p o ke s p e r s o n R a n d h i r Jaiswal said. “Both sides emphasised the need for an uncompromising fight against terrorism in all its forms,” said the Relations with India are not readout from Russia. Highsubject to lighting the “strategic naexternal ture of Russian-Indian relainfluence and tions as a special and continue to privileged partnership,” develop President Putin reiterated dynamically that the relationship is not “subject to external influence and continues to develop dynamically across all areas.” Modi invited Putin for the annual summit to be held in India later in the year which was accepted by the Russian leader. Pakistan, currently serving as a non-permanent member of the 15-nation Security Council, called for the meeting amid rising tensions with India. Greece, which holds the Council presidency for May has scheduled the session for the , afternoon of May 5. The meeting is scheduled to start at 12.30 am IST, Tuesday P7 . THE water level in Chenab river at Akhnoor in Jammu and Kashmir has dropped to record lows due to closure of the gates of Salal and Baglihar power projects to stop water flow to Pakistan. “I have never seen such a situation. The Chenab river has dried up. Even our elders have never seen such a situation. It is the first time we are realising that river Chenab’s water can be stopped,” said a resident of Akhnoor. Official sources said that all gates of Salal power project dam on Chenab River in Reasi district are now closed. They said that due to closure of the gates, the downstream flow into Pakistan has come down drastically as the Chenab river is fast drying up. Chenab has dried up barely three days after witnessing a flood-like situation in Akhnoor and Jourian on May 2, when the water level had risen after heavy rainfall. On Monday a large number , of locals, including men, women and children, visited the Chenab in Akhnoor to see the low water levels. Many PAGES 12 No interim order on Waqf Act, matter transferred to next CJI S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi File photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a meeting | ANI U.N. URGES MAXIMUM RESTRAINT UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday expressed grave concern about the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, saying that the relationship between the two countries has reached a “boiling point” and that tensions are at their “highest in years”. He warned that “military confrontation can spin out of control”. In a statement, he urged both nations to exercise maximum restraint. “Make no mistake: A military solution is no solution,” he said HOLD MOCK DRILLS, GOVT TELLS STATES RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Monday chaired a series of high-level meetings with senior government officials after an earlier meeting with Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh amid indications that a military response to the Pahalgam massacre is around the corner. The government has already weaponised the Indus Waters Treaty by shutting a couple of dams on the Chenab after flushing out their silt. The Union home Ministry issued an advisory to several states asking them to conduct mock drills on May 7 for effective preparedness of the civil defence system. The meeting Modi had with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Home Secretary Govind Mohan and senior military officials is learnt to have focused on the final stages of preparedness against the perpetrators of the Pahalgam terror attack and their ecosystem. It went on for over an hour. Earlier in the day Modi had , a 40-minute meeting with the defence secretary. Defence chiefs have already briefed the PM individually and jointly on their preparedness for retaliation against rogue elements fostering terror. The home ministry’s advisory to hold mock drills with students and civilians as part of emergency preparedness, indicates India has firmed up some military action against Pakistan that could be executed after May 7, remarked a source. The mock drills include crash blackout measures, evacuation plans, early camouflage of critical installations and plants, and the operation of air raid sirens. Action could happen any day between May 7 and May 23, said another source, hinting at the likely window for retaliation. Chenab water flow to Pakistan down to a trickle F AYA Z W A N I & J I T E N D R A C H O U B E Y @ Srinagar / New Delhi  The SC was hearing a petition filed by an NGO, seeking prohibition on the broadcast of derogatory and denigrating content on the digital media against persons with disability. Regarding FIRs against five influencers, Samay Raina, Vipul Goyal, Balraj Paramjeet Singh Ghai, Sonali Thakar aka Sonali Aditya Desai and Nishant Jagdsish Tanwar, the top court asked the Commissioner of Police of Mumbai to ensure the presence of all the accused persons before it on the next date of hearing. All gates of Salal Dam on the Chenab river in Reasi district, J&K, closed | PTI crossed the river on foot. “History has been made. We are seeing such a situation for the first time. We have always seen Chenab water flowing very fast and now it has dried up,” the locals said. The reduction in water flow is expected to impact both early and late Kharif crops in Pakistan. The early Kharif period in Pakistan runs from May to June, while the late Kharif season begins on June 11 and lasts until September, according to reports. Pakistan’s Indus River System Authority on Monday expressed concern over the reduced water flow from the Chenab river, adding that it could disrupt Kharif crops. It estimated the overall water shortage for the Kharif season at 7-21%. THE Supreme Court on Monday said that a batch of pleas challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act will now be taken up by a bench headed by Chief Justice of India-designate Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai on May 15. During the hearing on Monday the court said that the Cen, tre has raised some points on registration of Waqf properties, which would require detailed hearing. “I do not want to reserve any judgment, or even interim order, at this stage. This matter will have to be heard on a reasonably early date and this will not be before me. If you all agree, we post it before a bench of Justice Gavai,” said, the CJI Sanjiv Khanna, who is set to retire on May 13. All the parties accepted the Senior advocate Salman Khurshid addresses the media in New Delhi | PTI court’s suggestion to fix May 15 as the next date to hear the batch of petitions. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, senior law officer for the Centre, assured the court that it would neither denotify waqf properties, including ‘waqf by user’, nor make any appointments to the Central Waqf Council and boards till further hearing. The Centre had in its last hearing also had assured the court not to denotify waqf Punjab House ups ante, says won’t share a drop of water with Haryana SC PANEL SUBMITS REPORT al proposed the resolution in the Assembly, saying the BJP THE Punjab Assembly on Mon- has been trying to take away day unanimously passed a res- Punjab’s rights through its govolution stating that it will not ernments in Haryana and at spare even a single drop of wa- the Centre as well as through ter from its share to neighbour- the actions of the BBMB. ing Haryana. Also, it The resolution statdemanded the reconstied, “By calling a meettution of the Bhakra ing of the BBMB in an Beas Management unconstitutional manBoard (BBMB) and anner, an attempt is being nulment of the Dam made to forcefully proSafety Act 2021. This vide Punjab’s rightful resolution was passed water to Haryana, during a special onewhich has used all its day Assembly session. share of water till Punjab reaffirmed March 31. Now, BJP BBMB is a white that it will no longer wants to give Punjab’s elephant which accept any decisions water to Haryana.” needs to be made by the BBMB According to the resreconstituted... regarding water distriolution presented, the For years, b u t i o n . H o w e v e r, Punjab’s water population of Haryana has been the 4,000 cusecs of wais three crores, and it ter that is being pro- diverted to other needs 1,700 cusecs of states. vided to the neighbourwater to meet all drinking state for drinking ing and other human Bhagwant Mann, pur poses would be needs. “However, HaryPunjab CM continued on humaniana suddenly claimed tarian grounds. a need for 8,500 cusecs of water. The stand-off began on April Since Punjab does not have ex23, when Haryana sought 8,500 tra water to meet the demand, cusecs of water from the BJP forcibly called a BBMB Bhakra-Nangal project, which meet and passed a resolution is 4,500 cusecs more than its asking Punjab to allocate water current allocation. from its own share. This dePunjab Water Resources mand is not acceptable to us,” Minister Barinder Kumar Goy- the resolution said. H A R P R E E T BA J WA @ Chandigarh Revanth: T’gana’s fiscal position dire, bankers viewing state reps as ‘thieves’ MANDA RAVINDER REDDY @ Hyderabad UNABLE TO RAISE ANY FRESH LOANS, SAYS CM Telangana’s financial situation is in the “doldrums” and the state is not able to raise any fresh loans as bankers are not believing the government, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said on Monday. Reddy said that the state government has paid `9,000 crore to `10,000 crore on an average towards debt servicing in the last 16 months for the loans raised at higher interest rates by the previous BRS government. COMING down heavily on leaders of employee unions over reports that they have declared a “war” against the government, Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy on Monday asked them if they had any responsibility towards the people. The CM said, “The previous BRS government left the state bankrupt. Even if you cut me into pieces, the revenue of the state government will not cross `18,500 crore per month. I am asking leaders of the employees association to explain what they will do to me. Will you cut me, cook and eat? Don’t you have any responsibility towards people?” The CM pointed out that in order to save money, he was travelling in economy class during his foreign tours. He said that no one was coming forward to extend loans to the state. “Bankers are treating the representatives of the state like one treats a thief, if we ask for loans. No one is giving appointments to me in Delhi. No one is believing Telangana in the market. Self-regulation is only the solution for this problem,” he said. Pointing out that the system will collapse if the employees go on strike, he asked the unions to engage in dialogue with the state government. “In 2014, when the state was formed, the government used to pay `500-`600 crore per month towards interest and principal for the loans taken. Now, we are paying `7,000 crore per month... We are taking new loans to repay those taken by the previous government,” he said. properties, including “waqf by user”, nor make any appointments to the Waqf bodies till further hearing. The court was hearing five petitions—out of more than 100 filed before it—after noting that it was impossible to hear all the pleas in the matter, as more or less, the prayers were strikingly similar. The Centre on April 25 defended the Waqf Amendment Act, 2025, as valid, lawful exercise of legislative power. While filing a detailed reply in the Supreme Court, the Union requested it to dismiss the batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of it. “It is a settled position in law that the constitutional courts would not stay a statutory provision, either directly or indirectly, and will decide the matter finally,” said, the Centre, in its reply filed before the top court. ON CASH HAUL The three-judge panel probing the cash recovery at Justice Yashwant Varma’s Delhi residence on March 14 has submitted its report to Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna | P7 EXPRESS READ Top court makes asset details of judges public The Supreme Court on Monday uploaded statements of assets of most of its judges on its website, in accordance with a full-court decision to place the details in the public domain. It also placed the complete process of the appointments to the higher judiciary on its website. CM, L-G meet Shah over 3 criminal laws in capital Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday chaired a meeting with L-G V K Saxena and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to review the implementation of three new criminal laws in the national capital. The meeting reviewed the new provisions related to police, prisons, courts, prosecution, and forensics, sources said. | P3 Haryana ex-Cong MLA held in laundering case AT MANEKSHAW CENTRE Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with CDS General Anil Chauhan, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, IAF chief Air Marshal AP Singh and Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi at a function in New Delhi on Monday. | SHEKHAR YADAV The ED on Monday arrested former Haryana Congress MLA Dharam Singh Chhokar from a five-star hotel in Delhi in connection with `1,500 crore money laundering case. Chhokar has been under the ED scanner for some time over illegal land dealings and duping common people by fraudulent means. Notice to auction house on sale of Buddhist relics PA R V E Z S U LTA N @ New Delhi FOLLOWING public outcry over the proposed auction of sacred Buddhist relics from Piprahwa, scheduled to take place in Hong Kong on Wednesday, India has taken strong steps to stop the sale, with the Ministry of Culture issuing a legal notice to Sotheby’s — an auction house — demanding the immediate withdrawal of the auction, ‘The Piprahwa Gems of the Historical Buddha, Mauryan Empire, Ashokan Era, circa 240– 200 BCE’. The auction includes relics excavated from the Piprahwa Stupa in 1898 by British engineer William Claxton Peppé. A notice has also been sent to Clax- ton Peppé’s descendants. Responding to the notice, Sotheby’s Associate General Counsel Ivy Wong told Indian officials that the matter has their “full attention,” sources said. The ASI has requested the Consulate General of India in Hong Kong to urge local authorities to stop the auction. The relics in question include bone fragments believed to belong to Gautam Buddha, housed in soapstone and crystal caskets, a sandstone coffer, and ceremonial offerings such as gold ornaments and gemstones. These artifacts were discovered in Piprahwa, a village in UP’s Siddharthnagar district, close to Lumbini, Nepal—the birthplace of Buddha.