fridAY 20 Obstructions near airports must be demolished: new draft rules June, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in In light of the Ahmedabad plane crash, the civil aviation ministry has issued draft rules to ensure structures near airports don’t pose risks to aircraft facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard Height of Buildings, trees to be reduced c l i m at e c h a n g e The rules mandate owners of buildings or trees that obstruct or pose danger to an aerodrome, to demolish them or reduce the height as directed. The owner must abide by the order within 60 days of receiving a notice from civil aviation authorities, the rules state. The draft rules aim to empower authorities to take immediate action against obstructions | p7 likely to double rainfall in Alps Short, intense summer rainfall in Alpine regions is likely to become more frequent and severe in future because of global warming. A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Page 9 l New Delhi l J8.00 l PAGES 12 Air India India plans to evacuate its nationals from Israel land routes, with subsequent arrangements for their air travel to India. The Indian emAs tensions escalate due to Is- bassy in Tel Aviv is coordinatrael-Iran conflict, the Indian ing the operation. government has initiated the Meanwhile, Operation Sindevacuation of its nationhu continues in Iran. On als from Israel under Op- ISRAEL Wednesday, 110 Indian eration Sindhu. The IRAN students were successmove comes a day after war fully evacuated from the bringing home 110 Indian Indian city of Qom to students studying in Iran. Mashhad, then to Armenia beAn external affairs ministry fore being airlifted to New Delstatement said that the Indian hi early Thursday Some evacu. citizens in Israel who wish to ations are also being conducted return would be evacuated via through Turkmenistan. P7 E XPR E SS N E WS S E RV I C E @ New Delhi BEFORE AFTER Israel hits Arak heavy water reactor Israel on Thursday struck Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor. According to the Israeli military, Tehran could have used the facility to support the production of plutonium-based nuclear weapons | x DU admission form triggers outrage over language choice I f r a h M u f t i @ New Delhi Delhi University’s undergraduate admission form sparked widespread outrage on Thursday after discrepancies were found in its “Mother Tongue” section. “Muslim” appeared as a supposed language among the listed language options—an inaccurate categorisation that has left many baffled. What has amplified the anger is the absence of Urdu, a language recognised under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution and commonly associated with cultural and literary heritage, especially among North Indian Muslims. The DU is yet to issue an official statement. Abha Dev Habib, DTF general secretary said, “This is not , just a clerical error. It reflects a deep-rooted communal mindset that reduces an entire community to a religious label, stripping away linguistic, cultural and regional identities. Muslim is not a language. Muslims speak the same languages as others in their regions, be it Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, or Urdu.” Dr Mithuraaj Dhusiya, Executive Council member, said, “It is sad that a premier university like Delhi University is committing such mistakes. These should be rectified immediately Diversities and mul. tilingualism need to be acknowledged and respected.” Social media platforms were abuzz with screenshots of the form, with students and teachers demanding an immediate correction and apology . Other DU professors said omitting Urdu, the mother tongue of millions, is not just a linguistic oversight but a political statement. Varmas controlled room with cash stash: Panel @ New Delhi A three-judge panel found the charges of financial misconduct against High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma valid, as he and his family members had “covert or active control” over a storeroom in his official residence in New Delhi, where sacks of half-burnt cash were found a few months ago. The in-house committee in its re por t went on to suggest his removal from the judiciary. Contents of the 64page report surfaced for the first time on Thursday . Acting on the report, former Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna wrote to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi recommending Justice Varma’s impeachment. Then a sitting judge of the Delhi High Court, Justice Varma was later transferred to the Allahabad High Court. The panel headed by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu of the Punjab and Haryana High Court conducted the inquiry for 10 days and visited the site of the accidental fire that started around 11.35 pm on March 14. While Justice Varma claimed that the door to the storeroom The very existence of judicial office is founded upon the trust of the citizens at large and the quality and quantity of this trust is directly relatable to the behaviour, conduct and performance demonstrated by the judge, not only inside but also outside the courtroom. Any deficiency in this regard erodes public trust which ought to be viewed stringently Probe panel report was always open, the panel cited witness accounts to establish that it was almost always locked. Also, only those who were part of the judge’s staff got to enter the room. The panel arrived at the conclusion after examining 55 witnesses, 10 of whom said they found partially burnt `500 notes in the storeroom. “Keeping in view the direct and electronic evidence on record, this committee is firm- E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Chennai SC: Act against those obstructing ‘Thug Life’ Tigers outside reserves project in 17 states soon Amid reports that 30% of India’s tiger population moves outside notified reserves, accentuating human-tiger conflict, the Centre has proposed Tigers Outside Tiger Reserves project to give a support system in areas outside tiger reserves. The environment ministry will launch the project in 80 forest divisions across 17 states. | P8 honouring legends Former India captain Sachin Tendulkar and ex-England pacer James Anderson with the new Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy | BCCI | p11 New Era begins Shubman Gill-led India will take on England in the first Test of Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in Headingley on Friday. A look... Gill faces litmus test Gill, the new Test captain, who will bat at No 4, has a big challenge ahead without Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. And he will be looking to make a statement with the bat India vs Who will be the No 3? It seems clear that Karun Nair is playing the first Test, but where he bats will depend on whether Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir prefers B Sai Sudharsan at No 3 or not England, 1st Test, Leeds Live on Sony Sports and JioHotstar, 3.30 PM DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran has sent a legal notice to his brother Kalanidhi Maran, who owns the Sun media empire, alleging him of taking over the company through fraudulent and illegal transfer of shares just before and after the death of their father and former DMK leader Murasoli Maran in 2003. Contending that the entire earnings through the ownership of the Sun Group by Kalanithi amounted to “proceeds of US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he will decide whether to strike Iran within the next two weeks. Trump said he wants to allow diplomatic efforts to proceed before making a final decision on US military action. “Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” Trump said in his statement, which was read out by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi File photo of Khalistani radicals protesting in front of the Indian Consulate in Toronto, Canada, on July 8, 2023 | AFP Canada wakes up to its own Khalistani problem viduals are considered Khalistani extremists because IN a first, Canada’s premier they continue to use Canada i n t e l l i g e n c e a g e n cy, t h e as a base for the promotion, Canadian Security Intelligence fundraising or planning of vioService (CSIS), has lence primarily in Inofficially acknowldia,” it said. Patnaik may edged that Canada- be new envoy This is a rare but based Khalistani excandid admission tremists pose threat Dinesh K Patnaik is by Canada’s top intelto global stability, es- set to take charge ligence body, reflectas the next High pecially in India. ing mounting conCommissioner to In its 2024 annual cerns that Canadian report submitted to Canada, following soil is being exploited a decision by PM the Canadian Parliato support foreign ment, CSIS identified Narendra Modi and extremist agendas, these individuals as Canadian PM Mark especially for targetCarney to restore part of a broader cating India. diplomatic egory known as poThe report notes litically motivated representation in that since the 1980s, each other’s violent extremism Canada has witnessed capitals | p7 (PMVE). According sustained efforts by to the agency, PMVE Khalistani actors encompasses actions aimed at seeking to carve out an indecreating new political systems pendent Sikh state, Khalistan, or radically altering existing from Punjab and that some ones through violence. among them are willing to use “Only a small group of indi- violence to achieve their aim. J AYA N TH J AC O B @ New Delhi Dayanidhi Maran flags fraud, slaps legal notice on brother express read Taking strong stand against those criminal elements who obstruct the screening of Kamal Haasanstarrer ‘Thug Life’ in the state, the Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Karnataka government to take strict acations against them. “We cannot allow this to happen. Just because of an opinion, should a movie be stopped,” asked SC. P5 ly of the view that there is sufficient substance in the allegations raised in the letter of the Chief Justice of India dated March 22, and the misconduct found proved is serious enough to call for initiation of proceedings for removal of Justice Varma,” the report said. The whole case got strengthened because the Delhi fire department took photos and videos of the burning notes, which the then CJI Khanna made public. While Justice Varma disputed the authenticity of the stills and videos, the forensic department found them genuine, the report added. “By way of strong inferential evidence, it is established that the burnt cash was removed from the storeroom during the wee hours of 15.03.2025 from 30 Tughlak Crescent, Delhi (the official residence of Justice Varma,” the report found. It recalled the “Restatement of values of Judicial Life” adopted by the Supreme Court in its full court meeting in 1997, which laid down parameters for judicial probity . It said probity is an indispensable attribute of a person holding judicial office. Such persons must be of unimpeachable character and conduct inside and outside the courtroom. Trump gives diplomacy another chance, to wait for two more weeks For once, Don says India, Pak themselves ended conflict Three-member committee upheld charges of judge’s misconduct SUCH I TRA K A LYA N M O HA N T Y Suspends long-haul Boeing 787/777 flights from June 21 to July 15 crime” since the transfer of shares itself was illegal, Dayanidhi threatened to initiate criminal complaints with competent authorities, including the SFIO, SEBI, and the Enforcement Directorate, for offences of cheating, conspiracy , misleading the stock exchanges through falsification of information, and money laundering, against Kalanithi, his wife Kaveri Maran, and six others closely associated with the group of companies, including its company secretary . To avoid such actions, Dayanidhi, in the notice sent through his lawyer on June 10, 2025, has demanded his brother to restore the entire shareholding position of SUN TV Network Ltd and all other related companies to their original state as it stood on September 15, 2003, the day when Kalanithi first became the shareholder by allotting 12 lakh equity shares of SUN TV Private Limited (as it was called at that time) to himself illegally . Continued on Page 5 For the first time in weeks, US President Donald Trump refrained from taking credit for preventing a potential war between India and Pakistan, instead saying the two “very smart” leaders had themselves decided to avoid escalation. The remarks came after a rare luncheon meeting with Pakistan army chief Asim Munir at the White House—a diplomatic gesture usually reserved for heads of states or governments. “The reason I had him here, I want to thank him for not going into the war; ending the war. And I want to thank, as you know, Prime Minister Modi,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “We’re working on a trade deal with India. We’re working on a trade deal with Pakistan.” The US president also recalled his meeting with Modi in the White House in February . Trump said he was “happy” that “two very smart people decided not to keep going with that war... That could have been a nuclear war. Those are two nuclear powers, big ones, big, big nuclear powers, and they decided that (to end the conflict).” Hours before hosting Munir, Trump claimed credit for ending the conflict, but he did not repeat it in his media remarks after the meeting. In his phone conversation with Trump on Tuesday Prime Minister Modi , told Trump that India and Pakistan halted their military actions following direct talks between the two militaries without mediation by the US. Trump’s comments were a shift from his earlier stance. Over the past few weeks, he had claimed more than a dozen times that he personally brokered the Indo-Pak truce. Trump also said the Oval Office discussion with Munir touched on broader regional issues. “Well, they know Iran very well, better than most, and they’re not happy about anything,” he said when asked about Iran. “It’s not that they’re bad with Israel. They know them both, actually… but he [Munir] agreed with me.” UPSC to link top talent with pvt sector employers E x p r e ss N e ws Se r v i c e @ New Delhi The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has launched a scheme that allows verified employers, including those from the Central government and the private sector, to connect with top talent from India’s most competitive exams, officials said on Thursday . The UPSC has launched “Pratibha Setu”, which was earlier known as the Public Disclosure Scheme, providing access to the details of nonrecommended willing candidates who cleared all stages of exams conducted by it but didn’t make it to the final merit list, they said. The ‘Pratibha Setu’ will serve as a platform for employers to select non-recommended, willing candidates who are almost as meritorious as the recommended candidates while providing a second gateway for UPSC aspirants to shine beyond the exam, the UPSC said in an official note. Earlier, the list of non-recommended willing candidates for the selected examinations— candidates who qualify for the written examinations but are not recommended after the interview—was released under the Public Disclosure Scheme on the website. Now, the commission provides login IDs to organisations for the voluntary selection or recruitment of non-recommended candidates. Furthermore, private organisations can also register through their portal using the commission’s portal, it added.