eye MCS/204/2020-22RNINO.MAHENG2002/21899 THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE Keepers of Lost Cities MUMBAI,LATECITY SEPTEMBER22,2024 The science behind the discovery of the Indus Civilisation 14+4PAGES,`6.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA Hate-speech FIRs gather dust year after Maharashtra assured SC of action Officers say at least 19 FIRs await govt nod; Fadnavis says moving as per law MOHAMED THAVER MUMBAI, SEPTEMBER 21 IN APRIL last year, responding to a petition against alleged hate speech in rallies conducted by Sakal Hindu Samaj (SHS) across Maharashtra, the state government had denied any “lapse” on its part and had assured the Supreme Court that it was taking action in these cases. It listed 25 FIRs registered in JanuaryApril 2023, including 16 related to Samaj rallies. Theaffidavitfiledbythestate said that the DGP had “directed” all Commissioners and SuperintendentsofPolice“to(suo motu) initiate action” as and whenanysuchspeechtookplace. More than a year later, that assurancedoesnotseemtohave gone beyond those FIRs, according to information obtained by The Indian Express, including recordsaccessedundertheRight to Information Act. These show that police are yettofileachargesheetinatleast 19 of the 25 cases, including all CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW E AN XPRESS RTI APPLICATION AWAITING GREEN SIGNAL 19 hate speech FIRs submitted in January-April 2023 await sanction for prosecution from the Maharashtra government. 4: Mira Bhayander Vasai Virar Commissionerate 2: Solapur City 2: Buldhana 2: Nashik City 1 each: Navi Mumbai, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Nanded, Pune Rural, Jalna, Latur, Thane City, Mumbai, Ahmednagar WILL DEEPEN INDIA-US STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP: PM Biden,ModimeetaheadofQuad; China,Ukraine&Israelontable White House officials meet Sikh activists, ‘assure more safeguards’ Announcements expected on health, maritime security, climate, emerging tech SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 21 US PRESIDENT Joe Biden welcomedPrime MinisterNarendra Modi Saturday at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, on the margins and ahead of the 6th Quad summit. This was the eighth time the two have met in person in the last four years and Saturday’s meeting is seen as Biden’s “farewell” Quad as US President. Attending the summit are Japan PM Fumio Kishida and Australian PM Anthony Albanese. Welcoming them, Biden said that these “leaders aren't just essential to ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific – they are friends of mine and friends of our nation”. The leaders are expected to discuss China’s assertive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific, the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 LALIT K JHA WASHINGTON, SEPTEMBER 21 US President Joe Biden with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence in Delaware ahead of their bilateral meeting on Saturday. @MEAIndia After SC flagged delay, Kerala man in Norway appointment of 8 HC ‘linked’ to pager blasts, Chief Justices gets nod family says no contact 22/09/2024 98 126 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE 155 74 PRIME MINISTERS’ MUSEUM & LIBRARY In letter to Sonia, member seeks access to Nehru papers DIVYA A NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 21 IN THE backdrop of the Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library (PMML), earlier this year, discussing the reclaiming of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's private papers by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 21 A DAY after the Supreme Court flagged the issue of pending Judges’ appointments, the Centre on Saturday notified the appointmentof eightHighCourt Chief Justices. These included the Jharkhand HC — the Jharkhand SHAJU PHILIP MoS Law Arjun Meghwal government had filed a contempt petition in the Supreme CourtagainsttheUnionMinistry CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, SEPTEMBER 21 THE FAMILY of Rinson Jose — a 36-year-old Indian-born entrepreneur and Norwegian citizen, whose name emerged in the investigation surrounding the recent pager explosions in CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 BJP counts on PM, and separatists in Valley fray, for boost in Jammu MANOJ C G JAMMU, SEPTEMBER 21 FROM JAMMU to Kathua, and from Rajouri to Doda, huge billboards featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi stare at you — contrastingthe“situation”inthe Jammu division before and after 2014. “Ashanti (strife)” before 2014 and “shanti(peace)” now, say some of them. “Nidar (fearless)” has DECISION replaced “dar 2024 (fear)”, claim J&K others. Hoardings with pictures of the BJP’s candidates are few and far between. TheBJP,whichcreatedhistory by winning 25 seats in the Jammu region (out of 37 seats then)inthe2014Assemblyelections,ispullingoutallstopstorepeat or better its performance in thecurrentJammuandKashmir Assembly polls being held after 10 years. While relying once again on Modi's popularity, the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 WHITE HOUSE officials met a group of Sikh activists to assure them that the US government is committed to protecting Americans from any acts of transnational aggression on its soil, a community leader said. The meeting comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's three-day visit to the US during which he will attend the Quad summitinDelawareandaddress the ‘Summit of the Future’ at UN General Assembly in New York. Held inside the White House complex Thursday, the meeting was attended by Pritpal Singh of the American Sikh Caucus Committee and representatives from the Sikh Coalition and Sikh American Legal Defence and CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Polls ahead, EC set to visit Jharkhand, Maharashtra next week DAMINI NATH NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 21 Rinson Jose, 36, is a Norwegian citizen DECISION 2024 SELJA ABSENCE FROM CONGRESS POLL CAMPAIGN SPARKS BUZZ PAGE 6 THE ELECTION Commission will likely visit Jharkhand and Maharashtra next week to review preparations for Assembly elections in the two states, EC sources said Saturday. The panel, comprising Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election CommissionersGyaneshKumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, is scheduled to visit Jharkhand on September 23-24, before headingtoMaharashtraforatwo-day visit on September 27 and September 28, said the sources. While the Jharkhand Assembly’stermendsonJanuary 5, 2025, the Maharashtra Assembly’stermistillNovember 26, which means elections have tobecompletedbeforethatdate. While the EC is yet to take a decision, the sources said there CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 MAKE KEJRIWAL CM AGAIN: CM ATISHI Delhi Chief Minister Atishi seeks blessings from AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal after taking oath of office along with five cabinet ministers, in New Delhi on Saturday. LG Vinai Kumar Saxena was present at the swearing-in. The new CM said: ‘We have only one objective for the elections — to make Arvind Kejriwal CM of Delhi again.’ ANI Manipur faultlines deepen, tussle over Unified Command takes centrestage SUKRITA BARUAH JIRIBAM, SEPTEMBER 21 LEAKED INTELLIGENCE reports, a fresh flare-up in violence and, most importantly, the issue of who oversees the Unified Command is behind the relationship between the Manipur government and the state’s security establishment becoming more strained than ever, top security officials and government functionaries have told The Indian Express. The Unified Command is meant to ensure coordination between the different forces present in the state, including the police, Army, Assam Rifles, and the various Central Armed Police Forces. Also tasked with taking key security decisions, it is currently headed by Kuldiep Singh, a retired IPS officer and Security Advisor to Chief Minister N Biren Singh. Within the government, top functionaries say the CM not being in charge renders him “completely powerless”. E E X P L A I NE D NO CHARGESHEET IN MOST CASES FOUR-PAGE PULLOUT Power ● play THOUGH THE Manipur CM has maintained a studied silence on the issue of the Unified Command, those close to him have been more vocal. With no let-up in violence in the state, the demands from within the government might only grow louder. “Even inputs on the security situation sent by the Chief Minister’s Office are not taken seriously by the DGP and the SecurityAdvisor.Thetruthisthat he (the CM) is currently completely powerless in this regard. Thisisnotsomethingthathecan communicate directly to the Centre because that will be seen asinterferingintheCentre’swisdom,” said a top source in the government. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 17 yrs on, kidnap victim gives closing argument in own case — as lawyer PAGE 1 ANCHOR MANISH SAHU LUCKNOW, SEPTEMBER 21 ONE EVENING, nearly 17 years ago, seven-year-old Harsh Garg was sitting in the medical shop run by his father and uncle in Kheragarh, around 40 km from Agra. Around 7 pm, a gang of dacoits entered the shop and grabbed Harsh. His father tried to intervene, but was shot in the right shoul- der. Before dragging the boy inside their car, the dacoits instructed the two men to start collectingmoneyinexchangefor Harsh’s release. This was on February 10, 2007. CuttoSeptember17thisyear. Harsh, now 24, presented the nearly hour-long closing argument in his kidnapping case — not as a victim, but as a lawyer. Eight of the 14 accused in the case have been awarded life imprisonment by the trial court. Harsh says his regular presence at the trial, whichstarted in 2015, led to his decision to become a lawyer. In 2022, he got FROM KIDNAPPING TO WINNING COURT CASE FEBRUARY 10, 2007: Harsh Garg, 7, is kidnapped from Agra MARCH 6, 2007: Rescued from Shivpuri district, MP 2007-2008: All 14 accused in the case arrested 2022: Harsh gets law degree SEPTEMBER 17, 2024: Harsh Garg (second from right) with his (from left) uncle Mahesh, father Ravi Kumar and mother Kavita. Express Delivers closing argument in the case. Eight dacoits given life imprisonment his law degree from an Agrabased college. “Withthecourt’spermission, I argued for 55 minutes during the final stage of the case and evenrespondedtotheobjections raised by the defence counsel,” Harsh told The Indian Express, addingthatheappearedincourt with the government counsel. Additional District GovernmentCounselNaharSingh Tomar said the court sentenced eight of the dacoits to life imprisonment under Sections 364A (kidnappingforransom),307(attempt to murder) and 368 (wrongful confinement) of the Indian Penal Code. Most of the eightconvictsbelongtoRajasthan. Four other accused were acquitted due to lack of evidence, thecounselsaid,addingthattwo other accused died during the trial. Defence counsel Tejender Rajput said he will file an appeal against the judgment. After earning his law degree in 2022, Harsh says he started tracking his kidnapping case closely, including maintaining a detailedrecord.“Iattendedevery hearing and even started assisting the government counsel in the case, including travelling to otherstatestolocatesomeof the witnesses. I ensured that all witnesses appeared on their scheduleddates.Itrackeddownretired police personnel and made sure they appeared in court to give their statements,” he says. The courtexaminedatotalof 15 prosecution witnesses and one defence witness. Of the prosecution witnesses, seven had retired by the time their statements were recorded. In his testimony, Harsh, the primary victim, told the court that six men got out of the car to kidnaphim,whiletwoothersremained inside. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2