DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE TUESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2024, KOLKATA, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY `6.00 (`12 IN NORTH EAST STATES & ANDAMAN) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 BENCH QUASHES REMISSION, TELLS 11 CONVICTS TO SURRENDER IN TWO WEEKS ‘Abuse of power’: SC scraps release of Bilkis case rape-murder convicts SC:Pardonobtainedfraudulently...Gujarat Govtactedintandemwithconvict... remissionordersstereotyped,cyclostyled ANANTHAKRISHNAN G ADITI RAJA THE SUPREME Court Monday struck down the relief granted by the Gujarat government in August 2022 to 11 men who were sentenced to life for the gangrape of Bilkis Bano and murder of her family members during the 2002 riots, and ordered them to surrender to jail authorities within two weeks. In its order, a bench of Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan said the Gujarat government’s decision to grant remissiontoconvictswas“aninstance of usurpation of jurisdiction and…of abuseof discretion”and that the State “acted in tandem andwascomplicit”withtheconvicts. Remission means a reduction in sentence imposed on a person convicted of a crime. “IT FEELS like a stone the size of a mountain has been lifted from mychest,andIcanbreatheagain. This is what justice feels like.” Hours after the Supreme Court quashed the early release NEW DELHI, JANUARY 8 PAK SC SCRAPS LIFETIME BAN ON LAWMAKERS FROM HOLDING OFFICE OPPENHEIMER TRIUMPHS AT GOLDEN GLOBES PAGE 12 GOVT & POLITICS SETBACK FOR BJP, MINISTER LOSES TO CONG IN RAJASTHAN PAGE 6 VADODARA, JANUARY 8 Justice B V Nagarathna; Justice Ujjal Bhuyan The Supreme Court said Gujarat was not the “appropriate government” to decide on the remission plea of the 11 men convictedforthe“grotesqueand diabolicalcrime...drivenbycommunal hatred”. The bench pointed out that Section 432(7)(b) of The Code of CriminalProcedure,whichdeals with the power of remission, clearly indicates that the State within which the offender is CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE EDITORIAL PAGE AN EXTRAORDINARY JUDGMENT By INDIRA JAISING PAGE 10 ‘I have wept tears of relief’ INSIDE MUMBAI, JANUARY 8 RULE OF LAW vs RIGHT TO LIBERTY: WHAT SC SAID ALL EYES will now be on the Maharashtra government — whether it extends any relief to the 11 convicts. In its order, the Supreme CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Courthasindicatedthattheconvicts can seek remission, but they need to be in prison for this. "We say so for anotherreasoninthe ● event respondent Nos.3 to 13 (the 11 convicts) are E CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ISI tipped off India in 2019 about Qaeda From 6% in 2018, Indian tourists in plot to hit Kashmir: Ex-envoy Bisaria Maldives near double to 11% in 5 yrs SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, JANUARY 8 PAKISTAN’S SPY agency ISI had tipped off India through the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad about an al-Qaeda plot to carry out an attack in Was India’s envoy to Pakistan from 2017 to August 2019 Kashmir in June 2019, which turnedouttobegenuine,former Indian envoy Ajay Bisaria has revealed in his latest book. In his book, titled “Anger Management: The Troubled Diplomatic Relationship between India and Pakistan”, published by AlephBookCompany,Bisariasays CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 SUKALP SHARMA NEW DELHI, JANUARY 8 INDIA HAS emerged as the top source market for tourism for Maldives since the Covid-19 pandemic, highlighting the significant reliance of the latter on ATTACK ON ED TEAM Bengal DGP promises What next? Ball in BJP-led strict action, ED says Maharashtra Govt’s court weak charges in FIR SADAF MODAK MORE REPORTS, PAGES 7, 14 granted by the Gujarat government to the 11 convicts, Bilkis Bano, in a statement released to The Indian Express through her advocate, said: “Today is truly the New Year for me”. “I have wept tears of relief. I smiled for the first time in over a year-and-a-half. I have hugged EXPLAINED THE WORLD Today is my New Year, I can breathe, this is what justice feels like: Bilkis THE EDITORIAL PAGE PULL BACK FROM BRINK Blame for row with India lies with Maldives. But it frames dangers of hypernationalism on both sides PAGE10 Indian visitors. Adiplomaticrowhaserupted following derogatory remarks againstPrimeMinisterNarendra Modi by three Maldivian deputy ministers after his visit to the Lakshadweepislandstopromote tourism there. Under fire, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ED says magnitude of ration ‘scam’ huge, sends report on assault to headquarters EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, JANUARY 8 WEST BENGAL Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar on Monday said that strict action will be taken against those involved in an attack on Enforcement Directorate officialsinSandeshkhaliof 24North Parganas district last week. Interacting with mediapersons in South 24 Parganas’ Gangasagar, the DGP, who spoke for the first time on the incident, said,“Astrongactionwillbetaken against those who took the law intotheirhands.Acomprehensive inquiry will be initiated against those who broke the law." FULL COVERAGE THOSE QUESTIONING LAW & ORDER TRYING TO MALIGN STATE: CM PAGE 3 The ED in a press statement issued on Monday said the state police registered a case only under bailable and non-scheduled offences in the Sandeshkhali incident and has not provided it with a copy of the FIR. “...A police complaint was filed for registering an FIR under Sections 307, 333, 326, 353, 392, 395, 397, 149, 148, 186, 189, 426, 435, 440, 341 & 342 r/w CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Har roz apne passion par kam karna hai zindagi ki SIP Zindagi ke liye SIP Adhik jaankari ke liye apne MFD/RIA se sampark karein ya scan karein SIP ke fayde Market ki timing se azadi Nivesh raashi chunne ki azadi An Investor Education and Awareness Initiative SIP - Systematic Investment Plan. Visit https://www.hdfcfund.com/information/key-know-how to know more about the process to complete a one-time Know Your Customer (KYC) requirement to invest in Mutual Funds. Investors should only deal with registered Mutual Funds, details of which can be verified on the SEBI website (www.sebi.gov.in/intermediaries.html). For any queries, complaints & grievance redressal, investors may reach out to the AMCs and / or Investor Relations Officers. Additionally, investors may also lodge complaints directly with the AMCs, if they are unsatisfied with the resolutions given by AMCs they may raise complaint through the SCORES portal on https://scores.gov.in. SCORES portal facilitates investors to lodge complaint online with SEBI and subsequently view its status. In case the investor is not satisfied with the resolution of the complaints raised directly with the AMCs or through the SCORES portal, they may file any complaint on the Smart ODR on https://smartodr.in/login. Mutual Fund investments are subject to market risks, read all scheme related documents carefully. Kolkata