DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2024, AHMEDABAD, LATE CITY, 20 PAGES BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY PANNUN CASE Want to see meaningful accountability: US on India’s investigation LALIT K JHA WASHINGTON, OCTOBER 23 THE UNITED States has said it would not be fully satisfied until there is “meaningful accountability” resulting from India’s investigations into the alleged foiled plot to assassinate Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil. The Indian government has denieditsassociationorinvolvement with such a plot to kill an American national on US soil. Following allegations by the US, New Delhi had set up an enquiry committee to probe the matter. “We continue to expect and wanttoseeaccountabilitybased on the results of that investigation, and certainly the United Stateswon’tbefullysatisfieduntilthereismeaningfulaccountability resulting from that investigation,” State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters at a news `5.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 DOVALANDWANGTOMEET early for boundary talks IMPORTANTTOHANDLE differences, disputes: Modi BOTHATKEYPHASEINOUR progress... world watching: Xi Modi-Xi handshake Peace on border our priority: Modi and Xi after their first bilateral meeting in 5 yrs EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 23 NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 23 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 States have power to regulate and tax industrial alcohol: SC in 8:1 majority ruling Phrase ‘intoxicating liquor’ in State list includes industrial alcohol: Court SHUBHAJIT ROY TAKING THE first step to revive bilateral ties frozen ever since Chinese incursions in eastern Ladakh over four-and-a-half years ago triggered a military standoff along the Line of Actual Control,PrimeMinisterNarendra Modi and President Xi Jinping held talks Wednesday and underlinedthat“maintainingpeace onbordershouldbeourpriority” and “mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual sensitivity should be the basis of our ties”. While both Modi and Xi emphasised the “importance of properly handling differences and disputes”, Xi also called for “more communication and cooperation” and said “people in our two countries and the international community are paying great attention to our meeting”. Meeting in Russia’s Kazan on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, the two leaders welcomed the agreement between their countriesonpatrollingalongthe LAC as part of a process they hope will eventually lead to disengagement and de-escalation. Foreign Secretary Vikram MisrisaidSpecialRepresentatives on the India-China boundary ● PM Narendra Modi meets Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan on Wednesday. ANI The first steps THE BORDER patrolling pact and the bilateral meeting between the leaders of the two countries are the first steps aimed at eventual disengagement and de-escalation. At the same time, the two sides hope to revive ties frozen since the start of the standoff. We support dialogue & diplomacy, not war... no double standards on terror: PM SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 23 CALLING FOR “single-minded, firm support of all” to “counter terrorism and terror financing” andmakingclearthat“thereisno placefordoublestandardsonthis serious matter”, Prime Minister NarendraModitoldleadersofthe BRICS grouping Wednesday that India supports “dialogue and diplomacy, not war”. In his statement at the BRICS leaders’ summit in Kazan, Modi framed the challenges of the time: “Our meeting is taking place at a time when the world is facing several pressing challenges such as wars, economic uncertainty, climate change and IN A decision that will boost the coffers of States, the Supreme Court, in an 8:1 majority ruling on Wednesday, held that the phrase “intoxicating liquor” in the State list includes industrial alcohol, and States have the power to regulate and tax it. The majority ruling was delivered by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and Justices Hrishikesh Roy, Abhay S Oka, J B Pardiwala, Manoj Misra, Ujjal Bhuyan, Satish Chandra Sharma and Augustine George Masih. JusticeBVNagarathna,however, dissented. Writing for the bench, the CJI said that analysis of previous judgments on the subject make it“clear”thatthe“meaningof the phrase ‘intoxicating liquor’ in Entry 8 of List II (State list) has been expanded beyond the narrow definition of alcoholic bev- eragesthatproducean‘intoxicating effect’ upon consumption. Liquids which contain alcohol and which can possibly be used (or misused) as intoxicating liquorhavebeenincludedwithin the meaning of the phrase.” “The Constitution uses three distinct expressions relating to alcohol: ‘intoxicating liquor’, ‘alcoholic liquor for human consumption’ and ‘intoxicating drinks’... The expressions ‘alcoholicliquorforhumanconsumption’ and ‘intoxicating drink’ are usedinthecontextof ‘consumption’. However, the provision relating to ‘intoxicating liquor’ is notlimitedtoitsconsumption.It stretches to ‘production, manufacture, possession, transport, purchaseandsaleof intoxicating liquors’ and beyond. The second difference is the use of the expression ‘intoxicating’ instead of ‘alcoholic’ as the adjective to liquor,” the majority ruling said. “It is clear... that the meaning CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE WORLD terrorism. The world is talking about the North-South divide and the East-West divide. Preventing inflation, ensuring food security, energy security, health security, water security are matters of priority for all countries in the world. And in this era of technology, new challenges have emerged such as KILLED POTENTIAL SUCCESSOR OF NASRALLAH: ISRAEL TERROR ATTACK ON TURKISH AVIATION SITE KILLS 4 P 18 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 VALLEY ATTACK IN WHICH 7 WERE KILLED CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CCTV: Militants had AK-47 & M4 carbine, spent 7 mins at camp In Bahraich village that saw violence, bulldozer threat has residents on edge CCTV footage of the two gunmen on October 20 IN CONVERSATION Shuttered shops in Bahraich’s Maharajganj village, which witnessed communal violence on October 13. Manish Sahu MANISH SAHU BAHRAICH, OCTOBER 23 INTHEBahraichneighbourhood that witnessed communal violence on October 13, the threat of bulldozers looms large. Days after the violence, 23 residents of Maharajganj village received a demolition notice from the Uttar Pradesh Public Works Department (PWD), askingthat“illegalconstructions”on the Kundasar-Mahasi-Nanpara road,classifiedasamajordistrict road (MDR), be removed. Among those in the crosshairs is Azizur Rehman (58),whose22-year-oldsonwas arrested on October 14 in connection with the violence. On October 18, the notice was postedoutsidethewoodendoor of his single-storey house and cosmetics shop. The notice, which he claims incorrectly names him as Shamshuddin, said he had three days to remove the constructions, failing which the structures would be demolished. OnWednesday,theLucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court, where the demolitions werechallenged,postedthecase for hearing on November 4. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 MAHENDER SINGH MANRAL Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya Scindia in conversation with Vandita Mishra, National Opinion Editor, The Indian Express, and Rishi Raj, Executive Editor, The Financial Express, at the Express Adda in New Delhi. Renuka Puri NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 23 MVA allies strike seat-sharing deal: 85 seats each, talks on remaining 33 constituencies to continue ALOK DESHPANDE & VALLABH OZARKAR MUMBAI, OCTOBER 23 WITHLESSthanaweektogobefore nominations close in Maharashtra for next month’s Assembly polls, the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) al- liance on Wednesday anThere is still no decision nounced a compromise on33seatsaftertwodays formula to keep conof marathon meetings. tentious seats aside for BoththeCongressand now and declared a seatthe Shiv Sena (UBT) of sharing agreement for DECISION Uddhav Thackeray have 2024 255 of the 288 con- MAHARASHTRA staked a claim to more stituencies in the state, than 100 seats each. “No with each of the three parties in consensushasyetbeenreached. the coalition getting 85 seats. Theissueof Vidarbhaisstilltobe CCTVFOOTAGEoftheOctober20 terror attack on employees of a construction firm in Kashmir’s Ganderbal district shows two militants, carrying an AmericanmadeM4carbineassaultrifleand anAK-47,spendingaroundseven minutesattheworkers’campbefore fleeing the spot, it is learnt. sorted out. In addition, Mumbai seats are being renegotiated. No matter has been resolved, irrespective of what people are saying in public,” said a senior Congress leader, adding that the ShivSena(UBT)was“creatingissues” during negotiations. A senior Sena leader said Officialssaidthefootagesuggests they were aware of the topography of the area. Sevenmen—sixfromoutside Kashmir and a local doctor — were killed in the attack. They were working for infrastructure company APCO Infratech, which is constructing the Z-Morh tunnel on the Srinagar-Sonamarg highway. The attack took place at the camp around 7.25 pm, when CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EXPRESS NETWORK WITH 100-120 KMPH WIND SPEED, CYCLONE DANA TO MAKE LANDFALL IN ODISHA TONIGHT P 15 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 How luck ran out for man running ‘arbitration centre’ in Gandhinagar PAGE 1 ANCHOR BRENDAN DABHI AHMEDABAD, OCTOBER 23 ON WEDNESDAY, a bevy of mediapersons gathered outside the Metropolitan Court-5 in Ahmedabad. A few minutes later,astocky,middle-agedman, wearing a crisp white shirt and blue trousers, stepped outside. “What I said was right,” he an- nounced to the reporters before he walked towards the police van stationed on the premises. TheChief JudicialMagistratehas granted Karanj police an 11-day remand,untilNovember9,tointerrogate him. Until recently, 46-year-old Morris Samuel Christian was working as a self-styled quasijudicial arbitrator on the premises of a Gandhinagar court, handingoutjudgmentsonahost of matters, most of them landrelated. Some of the cases even involved offices of the state gov- ernment. His cover was blown on October 21 when an officer of the City Civil and Sessions Court in Ahmedabad filed a complaint of cheating against him. He was arrested the same day. First produced in court on Tuesday, he accused the Ahmedabad Police of “custodial torture”.Amedicalexamination, though, has found only one injurymarknearhisfingernail,according to sources. Thecasehasleftmanybefuddled,notleastduetothefactthat the so-called arbitration centre Morris Samuel Christian in the Ahmedabad Metropolitan court, on Wednesday. Bhupendra Rana was running on the premises of a Gandhinagar court. A resident of Gandhinagar, Christian insisted that the “court” premises had been allotted to him. He also claimed that he had been given membership by at least one association of arbitrators. Both claims are currentlyunderinvestigationbythe police. Before this, Christian’s latest brush with law was in June last year when the International Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ICADR) had threat- enedtostriphimof membership for practising as an arbitrator for one party, instead of showing an unbiased approach. The issue also came up during the hearing of a matter challenged by the State government-owned Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC) before the Gujarat High Court. According to the latest FIR lodged against him in Karanj policestationof Ahmedabad,registrar of the City Civil Court in Bhadra, Hardik Sagar Desai, alleged that Christian had partici- patedinacriminalconspiracyby impersonating as an arbitrator in a land matter before Court-19 at Bhadra. He was booked for forgery, cheating and criminal conspiracy. The FIR stated that Christian had represented himself as an arbitrator in the case of a petitioner, Thakor Babuji Chhanaji, despite neither having an arbitration contract nor possessinganypowerstoadjudicate over matters of conflict resolution under The Arbitration and Conciliation Act of 1996. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Ahmedabad