DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2024,CHANDIGARH, LATE CITY, 22 PAGES BY UNNY THE WORLD 274 KILLED IN WAVE OF ISRAELI STRIKES ON LEBANON SETS ASIDE MADRAS HC ORDER Viewing child porn punishable under POCSO, IT laws, says SC Possession also punishable even if no dissemination: Bench headed by CJI EXPLAINED BUSINESS AS USUAL ANANTHAKRISHNAN G PAGE 18 NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 23 EXPRESS NETWORK LAAPATAA LADIES IS INDIA’S ENTRY FOR OSCARS PAGE 15 Info on EY employee’s death sought, report in 10 days: Minister AANCHAL MAGAZINE NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 23 THE CENTRE is looking into the recent incident involving the death of a young employee of Ernst & Young (EY) India, Anna Sebastian Perayil, and has sought information from state authorities, Union Minister of Labour and Employment Mansukh Mandaviya said Monday. The report is expected to be submitted in the next 7-10 days, following which the government will take action, he said. “We will have to study the results of the report. We have already sought information from the state officers. We’ll be able to tell more about it when the report comes,” Mandaviya told reporters. When asked about last week’s statement by Minister ofState for Labour and Employment Shobha CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 `5.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 IN A ruling that sets a new benchmark for action in pornography cases, the Supreme Court Monday held that viewing, possessing and not reporting possession of any child pornographic material will constitute offences under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Information Technology (IT) Act even if this is not disseminated further. “We are of the considered view that wherever a person indulges in any activity such as viewing, distributing or displaying etc. pertaining to any child pornographic material without actually possessing or storing it in any device or in any form or manner, such act would still be tantamount to ‘possession’ in E Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Governor Gulab Chand Kataria with newly inducted ministers Hardeep Singh Mundian, Barinder Kumar Goyal, Tarunpreet Singh Sond, Dr Ravjot Singh and Mohinder Bhagat, at the Raj Bhavan, in Chandigarh, Monday. Express ● Not mere storage THE SC ruling is a strict interpretation of Section 15 of the POCSO Act which punishes storage of child pornography. Viewing child porn online without storing is also considered possession. When a link is sent to a person, watching it for a long time would be considered “constructive possession”, the SC said. EXPLAINED, PAGE 20 terms of Section 15 of the POCSO Act, if he exercised…variable degree of control over such material…” the ruling said. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 In his 4th Cabinet rejig, CM Mann Humanity’s success inducts 5 first-timers as ministers lies in our collective Sheds 3 portfolios, gives revenue to Mundian, mines to Goyal KANCHAN VASDEV CHANDIGARH, SEPTEMBER 23 PUNJAB CHIEF Minister Bhagwant Mann Monday shed three key portfolios as allocated departments to five new ministers, minutes after they were administered oath of secrecy and office by Governor Gulab Chand Kataria at Raj Bhawan. This is the fourth cabinet reshuffle of the 30-month-old AAP government. Those sworn in as ministers are all first time MLAs and include Hardeep Singh Mundian, Barinder Kumar Goyal, Tarunpreet Singh Sond, Dr Ravjot Singh and Mohinder Bhagat. With their induction, the strength of the Cabinet, including CM Mann, reached 16. There can be a maximum of 18 ministers in the Punjab Cabinet. Among the new inductees, three are from the Malwa region and two from the Doaba region. Also, among the new ministers are two Dalits -- Bhagat and Ravjot Singh — taking the members of the SC community in the Cabinet to five. The fresh induction comes a day after Chetan Singh Jouramajra (public relations, defence services and horticulture), Anmol Gagan Maan (tourism and investment promotion), Balkar Singh (local government and parliamentary affairs) and Bram Shanker Jimpa (revenue) resigned from the Cabinet on being asked by Mann. On Monday, Mann shed the portfolios of jail, industry and commerce, and housing and urban development. He handed over the jails to Laljit Singh Bhullar but divested the minister CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 DEATHS IN POLICE CUSTODY: MAHARASHTRA, TAMIL NADU & UTTAR PRADESH In TN, gangster killed day after arrest, police say he ‘opened fire’ Thane minors’ sexual assault: Accused killed in encounter with cops VIJAY KUMAR YADAV MUMBAI, SEPTEMBER 23 A 23-YEAR-OLDjanitor, who was arrested last month for allegedly sexually assaulting two fouryear-old girls at a school in Badlapur (Thane district), was killed in “retaliatory firing” when he snatched a police officer's service weapon and opened fire on Monday, police said. Police said the accused was being taken in a vehicle when he snatched Assistant Police Inspector Nilesh More’s pistol and fired at the team escorting him, in a bid to escape from custody. According to police, the ac- cused fired three rounds, injuring More and two others. The incident reportedly occurred near the Mumbra Bypass, in Thane district. The accused was being taken to Thane by a Crime Branch SIT set up to investigate a sexual assault case filed by his former wife in 2021, a senior police officer told The Indian Express. Police said the accused left Taloja Central Jail, where he was lodged, at around 5.30 pm. The incident occurred “between 66.15 pm”, a police statement said. Police said API More sustained a bullet injury on his left thigh and was rushed to a hospital in Kalwa along with two other SUMMIT OF THE FUTURE At the encounter site in Unnao on Monday. PTI ARUN JANARDHANAN CHENNAI, SEPTEMBER 23 ACCUSED IN ROBBERY CASE KILLED IN U.P. THE UTTAR Pradesh Special Task Force gunned down a second accused, identified as Anuj Pratap Singh, in the Sultanpur jewellery store robbery case on Monday. Earlier this month, another accused, Mangesh Yadav, was killed in a police encounter, triggering a political row. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ‘SEIZING’ RAJA,a history-sheeter named in over 30 criminal cases, was shot dead in a police encounter early Monday morning on Chennai’s East Coast Road. Police said that Raja, arrested the previous day from a hideout in Andhra Pradesh, was killed in self-defence when he “opened fire” at police personnel. Raja had long been on the police’s radar, with cases of murder, attempted murder, and extortion stacking up against him across Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Police have also investi- ‘Seizing’ Raja, named in murder, extortion cases gated him in connection with the murder in July of BSP’s Tamil Nadu president K Armstrong, but clarified on Monday that they had no evidence linking him to the case. Starting out as a vehicle repossession agent, which gave N Raja the moniker ‘Seizing’ Raja, he became a key figure in Chennai’s underworld and one of the most CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 strength, not in the battlefield, says PM Says reforms in global institutions are essential for peace and development SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 23 UNDERLINING THAT the “success of humanity lies in our collective strength, not in the battlefield”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said reforms in global institutions are essential for global peace and development. Addressing the Summit of the Future at the United Nations in New York, Modi flagged “cyber, maritime and space” emerging as “new theatres of conflict”, apart from terrorism. He pitched for “global digital governance” to ensure that national sovereignty and integrity are upheld. “On behalf of India, the world’s largest democracy, and 1.4 billion Indians, greetings to all of you. In the largest election in human history, held recently in June, the people of India have given me the opportunity to serve them for the third consecutive term, and today, I bring the voice of this 1/6 of humanity to you,” he said. “When we are discussing the global future, we must accord the highest priority to a humancentric approach,” he said. “While prioritising sustainable development, we must also ensure human welfare, food and health security. By lifting 250 million people out of poverty in PM Narendra Modi with Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas in New York on Sunday. PTI INSIDE MODI MEETS ABBAS: ‘DEEP CONCERN’ ON GAZA SITUATION PM PITCHES INDIA GROWTH AT MEETING WITH TECH CEOs PAGES 14, 19 India, we have demonstrated that sustainable development can be successful,” he said. “We are ready to share this experience of our success with the entire Global South,” he said. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Nearly half of all posts in pollution Sita, Hanuman, Bharat, As V-C inspection of girls’ hostel boards vacant, some for decades vacant chair: For AAP, triggers protests, Punjab NLU shut Over 60% vacancies in 11 states, 100% in Sikkim: CPCB to NGT Ram the refrain DIVYA GOYAL GOPAL LUDHIANA, SEPTEMBER 23 AJOY SINHA KARPURAM NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 23 NEARLY HALF the sanctioned posts in the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and Pollution Control Committees in Union Territories (PCCs) across the country are lying vacant. While 11 states have over 60% vacancies, Sikkim tops the list with all posts yet to be filled. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) submitted these details in an affidavit to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on September 6. STATES WITH OVER 60% VACANCIES STATES Sikkim Jharkhand Andhra Pradesh Madhya Pradesh Manipur Chhattisgarh Uttarakhand Haryana Gujarat Karnataka Rajasthan SANCTIONED 11 271 291 1,228 119 328 130 450 430 723 808 VACANCIES 11 (100.00%) 198 (73.06%) 204 (70.10%) 783 (63.76%) 75 (63.02%) 204 (62.19%) 79 (60.76%) 273 (60.67%) 260 (60.46%) 437 (60.44%) 488 (60.39%) CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 PAGE 1 ANCHOR GAYATHRI MANI NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 23 TAKING CHARGE as the Delhi Chief Minister on Monday, Atishi placed a chair next to hers as she likened her predecessor Arvind Kejriwal to Lord Ram. She said she would run the government for four months, just like Bharat did by placing Lord Ram’s sandals on the throne for 14 years. This was the latest in a series of instances when the Aam Aadmi Party invoked Lord Ram and Ramayana to draw parallels with its leaders and government. Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Monday. Praveen Khanna “Today I have taken over as the Chief Minister of Delhi... I have the same pain in my heart CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE RAJIV Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL) in Patiala was shut until further orders on Monday, a day after students began a protest demanding the Vice-Chancellor's resignation for allegedly entering the girls' hostel without prior notice, and making sexist remarks. Denying the allegations, V-C Jai Shankar Singh said he visited the girls' hostel to inspect and “identify students who smoke and drink alcohol after midnight” as he had received complaints. The protests erupted Sunday evening — a couple of hours after Students protest outside the V-C’s residence. Express Singh's surprise inspection around 3.30 pm — with the students staging a dharna outside the V-C's residence on the campus. In a representation to the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, the ex-offi- cio Chancellor of RGNUL, the students alleged that during the inspection, Singh entered the rooms of some girls despite the rule that no man is allowed inside, even if accompanied by CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Amid cadaver shortage, why a campaign by PGIMER holds out hope PARUL & ANKITA UPADHYAY CHANDIGARH, NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 23 JUST OUTSIDE the anatomy department of PGIMER, Chandigarh, a wall is lined with photographs of people who donated their bodies for medical research. Among them is Ajmer Singh, a former Olympian, and Rama Bhanot, the mother of Neerja Bhanot, the air hostess who saved passengers from hijackers on a Pan Am flight in 1986 and was shot dead. Doctors call it a “memory lane” to honour everyday people who decided to forego funerary rites so that doctors could use their cadavers, train better and save more lives. Seeing this, last year, on his 77th birthday, Professor Dina Nath Jauhar, former ViceChancellor of Agra-based Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University, his wife, brother and friend pledged their bodies for research. “It is the best gift I could give myself, give back to society,” Prof Jauhar says. Thanks to the PGIMER’s awareness campaign, linking cadavers to organ donations as a noble cause, 4,700 people from Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula, have pledged their bodies for research, a positive step in meeting the cadaver shortage at teaching hospitals in the country. Over the last two weeks, two donor families chose donation over cremation. Amteshwar Sandhu and Ayesha Sandhu donated the body of their father, 72-year-old Major Adesh Pal Singh Sandhu, as did the children DECODING THE DONATION PROCESS How to register for body donation ■ Fill up a form at any government hospital ■ Submit ID proofs ■ Get two witnesses What about legalities? ■ Inform your next of kin about your pledge, or make a will. Relatives can prevent donation without concrete steps from the donor. The process ■ A donor card is issued to the applicant. ■ After the donor’s death, relatives have to contact the hospital within three hours. ■ The body is embalmed for preservation. ■ After four months, it is ready for use by students. of 82-year-old Bhagwant Virk. Cadaver donation has been in focus ever since CPI(M) veteran Sitaram Yechury’s body was donated to the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, for medical research. Since cadavers are needed for precise surgical and anatomical training, a shortage means students now make do with synthetic dummies instead. Even at AIIMS, it is mostly former doctors who donate their bodies. Yet, as Prof Kamran Farooque, Jai Prakash Narayan Trauma Centre Chief, AIIMS, argues, ca- davers are needed more than ever before, given the evolving nature of surgical technologies which need to be tested before use on a patient. “The cadaver is closest to human anatomy. It gives a surgeon/doctor the near actual experience before he or she finally operates on the patient,” he says. Although there’s no national registry on the total number of bodies donated, The Indian Express reached out to medical colleges in Delhi and Chandigarh for data on such donations. PGIMER, Chandigarh, re- ceives around 25 to 30 cadaver donations annually. At the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, Dr Rima Dada, professor, department of anatomy, says 70 bodies were donated in the last two years. In comparison, Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital and its affiliate Vardhman Mahavir Medical College (VMMC) received 24 donor cadavers in five years. The Ram Manohar Hospital and the associated Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences (ABVIMS) in Delhi received 18 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2