● REG.NO. MCS/067/2018 - 20 RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE FRIDAY, JANUARY 5, 2024, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES `5.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 CRITICAL MANOEUVRE TO INJECT SPACECRAFT IN ‘HALO ORBIT' AROUND L1 POINT Aditya L1, ISRO’s mission to study Sun, set to be placed in final orbit tomorrow 72 100 122 7 payloads offer comprehensive study of solar phenomena 84 ANONNA DUTT & ANJALI MARAR NEW DELHI, BENGALURU, JANUARY 4 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY The full disc of the Sun captured on December 6, 2023, by SUIT onboard Aditya L1. ISRO ADITYA L1, India’s first mission tostudytheSun,isinchingcloser to its destination, and would be injected into its final orbit on January 6 evening. The spacecraft, launched on September2,wouldgetintowhat is known as a ‘halo orbit’ around the Lagrange Point 1 (L1), one of the five spots in the moving SunEarth system, where the gravitational effects of the two bodies roughly balance each other. These five spotsarerelatively stationary to the Earth and Sun, and offer a somewhat stable location for a spacecraft to view the Sun. The L1 point is about 1.5 million kilometres from the Earth.Thisisjust1percentof the total distance between theEarth and Sun. “Aditya L1 has already reachedtheL1pointandthemanoeuvre(onJanuary6)willputit inthedesiredorbit.Withoutgetting into the orbit, the spacecraft will continue to travel towards the Sun,” an ISRO official said. Though the L1, like the other Lagrange points, is a relatively stable position, it is difficult to keep the spacecraft firmly fixed at that location. It is much better to get into an orbit around this point, called ‘halo orbit'. Moving into this three-dimensional orbit also offers the spacecraft an opportunity to view the Sun from different angles. “Aditya L1 will make it to a halo orbit around the L1 point. As the Earth moves around the Sun, the L1 point will also move. So does the halo orbit,” AnnapurniSubramaniam,director, Indian Institute of Astrophysics,Bengaluru,toldThe Indian Express. Getting intothis orbit is quite challenging, and it is the first time that ISRO is attempting such a manoeuvre. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Cong to focus on 255 seats in LS, signals willingness to make room for INDIA allies In 2019, party contested 421, won 52 GEN NARAVANE’S MEMOIR Army reviews former Chief’s book on Ladakh standoff details Publisher told not to share excerpts until review over; Naravane says gave manuscript many months ago AMRITA NAYAK DUTTA & RITU SARIN NEW DELHI, JANUARY 4 THE INDIAN Army is reviewing the memoir of its former chief General M M Naravane that discloses details of a conversation he had with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the night of August 31, 2020, following the movement of Chinese PLA tanks and troops in Rechin La on the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, The Indian Express has learned. Excerpts from the memoir, Four Stars of Destiny, were publishedbynewsagencyPressTrust of India on December 18. Publisher Penguin Random House has been asked not to shareexcerptsorsoftcopiesofthe book until the review is over. The Ministry of Defence is alsosaidtobeinvolvedintheexercise “at some level”. The memoir provides insight into the military standoff with China in eastern Ladakh in 2020, including the Galwan Valley clashes,andtheAgnipathscheme. Thebookwasearlierscheduledto hit the stands this month. Reachedfor commentby The IndianExpress,GeneralNaravane MANOJ C G NEW DELHI, JANUARY 4 AMIDPULLSANDpressuresfrom allies of the INDIA bloc, the Congress leadership Thursday told state units the party would focuson255seatsintheupcoming Lok Sabha elections, signalling perhaps its readiness to contest in a lesser number of seats than in the 2019 national elections. It also announced that seatsharing talks with INDIA partners would begin immediately. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi along with AICC general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal metmembersof theparty’sfivemember national alliance committeewhichhadheldextensive discussions with state units over the last few days. The committee submitted its report to the leadership and was given the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ADHIR FUMES AT TMC ‘2-SEAT OFFER’ PAGE 7 One-and-a-half days, 107 overs: India win shortest Test in 90 yrs, draw series with SA SRIRAM VEERA MUMBAI, JANUARY 4 IN THE end, it felt like a win-win for both teams. Indian captain Rohit Sharma roared like he has seldom done in the past when the match-winning and serieslevelling hit came in the second TestinCapeTown.Therewasthe relief of not losing the series but the 1-1 result also meant that South Africa still remained 8 former Navy personnel in Qatar jail: 60 days to file plea, says MEA DIVYA A NEW DELHI, JANUARY 4 DAYS AFTER the appellate court in Qatar commuted the death sentences of eight former Indian Navy personnel, handing them prison terms ranging from 3 years to 25 years, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday that their legal team has been given 60 days to file an appeal in the Court of Cassation, the highest court there. “Thelegalteamhasnowgota PAGE 1 ANCHOR copy of the court order, which is confidentialinnature,”saidMEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. “Further,thelegalteamhasgot60 daystofileanappealintheCourt of Cassation,whichisthehighest court in Qatar. Our legal team is working on this issue, to decide the next courseof action, andwe areintouchwiththefamiliesand the legal team,” he said. Asked whether the 60-day period would be counted from the day of the appellate court's order, which was December 28, Jaiswal said: “I would assume it would start from December 28 or the day after... but it's for the legal team there (in Qatar) to look into these aspects.” Underlining that the matter is pending in the Qatari court, Jaiswal said he would not share the detailed judgment since it is a“sensitive”and“legal”issue.He said while the death penalty has beencommuted for all, theeight men have been awarded “varying prison sentences”. Last week, The Indian Express reported that among the seven CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Indian cricket's “last frontier”. As for South Africa, they too had reasons to celebrate. Dean Elgar, their most pugnacious batsman of the last decade, was retiring after this game. Indiawashumbledinthefirst Test but would, at least, leave South Africa without being embarrassed,andalsowithasliceof history,registeringtheirfirstTest wininCapeTownaftertryingfor years. A game that was done and dusted in one-and-a-half days, SPORT BUMRAH, SIRAJ BOWL INDIA TO HISTORIC WIN Rashmi Shukla appointed DGP of Maharashtra MTHL toll fixed at Rs 250 for single trip Shukla was heading the Sashastra Seema Bal MOHAMED THAVER MUMBAI, JANUARY 4 AFTER SEVERAL delays, the Maharashtra government Thursday appointed 1988 batch IndianPoliceService(IPS)officer Rashmi Shukla as state director general of police (DGP). CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 PAGE 15 that lasted just 107 overs — less timethanneededtobinge-watch aseasonofanOTTshow.Interms of deliveriesbowled,thiswasthe shortest Test match in 90 years. EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE MUMBAI, JANUARY 4 FOLLOWING DELIBERATIONS over the toll charges to be levied on the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), India’s longest sea bridge, also known as Atal Setu, Maharashtra cabinet on Thursday decided to charge Rs 250 for a single trip instead of Rs 350 as proposed earlier by the state’s Urban Development Department (UDD). The Mumbai Metropolitan After the game, Rohit talked about the challenge of winning on these shores. “When you cometothispartof theworld,it's alwaysdifficultbutwetakepride in our performance outside of India. South Africa always challenges us, and for us to come out here and win, we can take pride in this performance,” he said. Though India, in the fourth inning, needed to cross the 79run target for a win, it wasn't CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Region Development Authority (MMRDA) had initially fixed Rs 500 as toll for a single trip. The ratewasfixedbasedonestimates made by Japan International Cooperation Agency, which is providing development loan assistance for the project. The amount was reduced to Rs 350 by the UDD. According to sources, the amount was further reduced to Rs 250 with a condition to reviewitafterayear.Thereturntoll will be one-and-a-half times of CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Former Army Chief Gen M M Naravane On the ● ground GENERAL NARAVANE’S memoir with details on the standoff in Ladakh comes at a time when India and China are still holding military and diplomatic talks to resolve the situation along the LAC. The last disengagement was in September 2022 in the Gogra-Hot Springs area. Indian troops continue to be denied access to traditional patrolling points and the issue of PLA presence in the Depsang Plains and Demchok remains. did not respond to specific questions on whether official clearance had been obtained before CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE WORLD Jasprit Bumrah celebrates the wicket of Keshav Maharaj. Bumrah took 6 for 61 in South Africa's second innings in Cape Town on Thursday as India drew the two-match series. India's seven-wicket win was their first at Newlands. AP Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge with Y S Sharmila, who joined the party in New Delhi. Anil Sharma REPORT,PAGE8 E E X P L A I NE D DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA CLINTON TO TRUMP, EPSTEIN FILES NAME RICH & FAMOUS, BUT NO ‘CONSPIRATORS’ PAGE 12 MARATHA RESERVATION Maharashtra ropes in govt staff to complete survey within a week ALOK DESHPANDE MUMBAI, DECEMBER 4 IN A bid to stop social activist Manoj Jarange-Patil from entering Mumbai on January 20 for his scheduled protest demanding Kunbi (OBC) status for Marathas, the state government hasdirectedofficialstocomplete the survey work to fix social and educationalbackwardnessof the community within seven days. The state government on Thursday issued a government resolution authorising district collectors to enrol as many human resources as available. “Talathis, police patil, kotwals have been directed to work along with enumerators to collectthedata,”saidtheresolution. Thesurveywillbeundertakenof all communities falling under the open category. “The survey work to check social and educational backwardnessof Marathasshouldbe completed within seven days. Thedistrictcollectorsconcerned are authorised to increase the numberof enumeratorsasmany as required,” it said. The district collectors are being empowered to seek services of officials and employees at the government and semi-government offices, local civic bodies and any resource that is found necessary. Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune has prepared the questionnaire which has over 100 questions. It has also prepared the mobile applicationwheretheanswerswillbe recorded. The institute has prepared the questionnaire which has social, economic and educationaldimensionwitheach having nearly 35 questions. Sources within thegovernment said that the over one to one-and-a-half lakh employees will be working across the state as enumerators. Despitethestategovernment's rush to complete the survey, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Two farmers with Rs 450 in a/c, ED summons and case closure Tamil Nadu farmer brothers blame local BJP leader over land dispute, party says he has filed counter complaint ARUN JANARDHANAN CHENNAI, JANUARY 4 IN JULY 2023, when an envelope containing summons from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was delivered to brothers Kannaiyan,72,andKrishnan,66, Dalit farmers in Tamil Nadu’s Salemdistrict,inacaseof alleged money laundering, the two brothers merely had Rs 450 in their bank account, their lawyer Dalit G Pravina said. What made the ED summons odd, besides the fact that theseniorAtturresidentsowned just6.5acres,wasthattheywere engaged in an ongoing dispute over agricultural land with G Gunasekhar, a senior leader of the BJP’s Salem East wing. BJP state spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy said both Gunasekhar and the brothers have filed complaints against each other on charges of land grab. Gunasekhar was unavailable for comment. Despite ED now closing the case — following widespread criticism and outrage after the summons resurfaced on social media last week — the brothers’ troubles are far from over. Speaking to The Indian Express on Thursday evening, Krishnan said he had filed a police complaint against Gunasekharforharassinghimin the morning (January 4). “This morning, he and his team abused us, including using casteist slurs. We have been Kannaiyan, Krishnan with lawyer Pravina (centre). Express fighting a case against Gunasekhar since 2020 over attempted land grab. He and his men did not let us farm our land for three years,” Krishnan said. He added that his elder brother Kannaiyan and he were forced to survive on a meagre pension of Rs 1,000 per month and the free ration rice all these years. Their lawyer Pravina added,“The brothers were unable to farm on their own land for years due to threats from BJP leaders. They started ploughing their land for the first time in years today and still, there was resistance from the land mafia.” The brothers were booked formoneylaunderingbasedona 2017 incident despite their acquittal in the same case by a trial court in 2021. The 2017 case pertains to the brothers setting up unauthorised electric fencing around their farm that resulted inthedeathsof twoIndianbison. ED sources told The Indian Express that the brothers’ 2021 acquittalhadbeen“overlooked”. BJP’s Thirupathy told The Indian Express, “The party’s Salem leaders say the BJP has no role to play in the entire episode. The ED summons have nothing to do with the land dispute between Gunasekhar and the farmers.Infact,bothpartieshave filed multiple cases against each other, including both civil and criminal. The ED case was registeredagainstthebrothersinconnection with the killing of two bison. The agency had collected details of the farmers from the stateforestdepartmentandsent them summons.” Meanwhile, refusing to talk about why a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, had been registered against the elderly farmers, a top ED source in Chennai said, “It was a lapse onourpart. Thewholeissuewas CONTINUED ON PAGE 2