DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2024, KOLKATA, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES Consequences are bound to be drastic: Gyanvapi panel to SC RBIholdskeyrate,lowersgrowth forecast,movestoboostliquidity FY25 GDP projection slashed to 6.6% and inflation forecast raised to 4.8% EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 6 OPPOSING PETITIONS challenging the constitutional validity of the Places of Worship Act, the management committee of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi has approached the Supreme Court, saying that the “consequences” of allowing them “are bound to be drastic”. In an intervention application, the mosque committee pointed to the violence in Sambhal,UttarPradesh,wherea courtpermittedthesurveyof the ShahiJamaMasjidbyallowingan application for the appointment of a survey commissioner, the CRR CUT TO 4%, WILL RELEASE `1.16 LAKH CRORE HITESH VYAS MUMBAI, DECEMBER 6 Mosque committee referred to the Sambhal violence very day the suit was presented, in ex parte proceedings. “The incident led to widespreadviolenceandhasclaimed, as per reports, at least six citizens’ lives. The declaration IN LINE with expectations, the ReserveBankof India(RBI)Friday lowered the cash reserve ratio (CRR) by 50 basis points (bps) to 4percenttoboostliquidityinthe financialsystem,evenasthesixmember Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) left the repo rate — the key policy rate — unchanged at 6.5 per cent for the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 BENGAL CM TAKES DIG AT CONGRESS ‘I can run INDIA bloc… if they can’t run the show,’ says Mamata BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY liquidity stress, it has now been decided to reduce the cash reserve ratio of all banks to 4 per cent of net demand and time liabilities (NDTL) in two equal tranches of 25 bps each with effectfromthefortnightbeginning December 14, 2024 and December 28, 2024.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 E What CRR ● cut means THE MOVE to cut the CRR — the percentage of a bank’s total deposits that it is required to maintain in liquid cash with the RBI as a reserve — will free up Rs 1.16 lakh crore to the banking system, augmenting the lendable resources of banks. REPORTS, PAGE 16 Foreign Secy going to Bangladesh on Dec 9 for consultations: India Visit comes amid strain in ties following violence against Hindus there, protests SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 6 AMID THE strain in ties between the two countries, India announced Friday that Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will be visiting Bangladesh on December 9 for “consultations”. The visit comes days after New Delhi urged Dhaka to ensure the safety and security of Hindus and other minorities there following reports of violence against them. Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, said, “The Foreign Secretary is scheduled to visit Bangla- A protest at West Bengal’s Hili over alleged atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh. PTI desh for Foreign Office Consultations on December 9. This is part of our structured interactions with the Bangladesh side.” Lastweek,Bangladeshpolice arrested Hindu monk Chinmoy CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Uproar in House as Dhankhar says ‘wad of cash’ found on Singhvi seat 19-year-old gets death for minor’s rape and murder; Congress MP says not his money, demands probe Mamata hails ‘swift’ verdict NIKHILA HENRY EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE A SPECIAL court in South 24 Parganas district on Friday sentenced a 19-year-old man to death for raping and murdering a10-year-oldgirl—in62daysafter the crime. The girl's body was found in a pond on October 5. The accused was arrested hourslaterthesameday.Thegirl had gone missing when she was returning home from a tuition class on October 4. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hailed the verdict, calling it “unprecedented in the state's history." EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, DECEMBER 6 NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 6 KOLKATA, NEW DELHI, DEC 6 DAYSafterherMPsuggestedthe same, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said that she was ready to take up the leadership of the INDIA bloc. In an interview to News18 Bangla, Mamata said: "I had formed the INDIA bloc, now it is up to those leading the front to manage it. If they can't run the show,whatcanIdo?Iwouldjust 11th consecutive time. The rate-setting panel, however,slashedtheGDPgrowthestimate to 6.6 per cent in FY2025 from 7.2 per cent projected earlier and revised upwards the consumer price index-based inflation (CPI), or retail inflation, forecast to 4.8 per cent for the current fiscal from 4.5 per cent estimated earlier. RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, while announcing the policy, said, “To ease the potential RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on Friday. PTI EXPLAINED OPPOSES CHALLENGE TO 1991 ACT `6.00 (`12 IN NORTH EAST STATES & `17 IN ANDAMAN) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 EXPRESS NETWORK West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee say that everyone needs to be taken along.” Asked if she would take CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 TEARGAS USED ON FARMERS MARCHING TO DELHI, 15 INJURED HASHIMPURA CASE: SC GRANTS BAIL TO 8 CONVICTS PAGE 7,9 RAJYASABHAChairmanJagdeep Dhankhar announced in the House Friday that “a wad of currencynotes”wasrecoveredfrom a seat allotted to Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi at the closing of the House Thursday, triggeringanuproarandawarof words between BJP and Oppositionmembers,leadingto adjournment of the Upper House. Singhvi termed the “recovery” of cash from his seat as PM Narendra Modi, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, V-P Jagdeep Dhankhar, Speaker Om Birla and former President Ram Nath Kovind at an event at Parliament House to pay tribute to Dr B R Ambedkar on his death anniversary. ANI “bizarre”anddemandedaprobe. Dhankhar said the cash was found during a routine “antisabotage” security check of the Chamber. “Apparently, a wad of currency notes was recovered by CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 On Thursday, the POCSO courtof AdditionalDistrictJudge Subrata Chattopadhyay convicted the accused – Mustakin Sardar – under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita(BNS)sections65(rape), 66 (punishment for causing death or resulting in a persistent vegetative state of the victim), and 103 (murder), besides the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. The court also directed that a compensation of Rs 10 lakh be provided to the victim's family. The court on Friday handed down the death penalty to the convict, describing the case as “rarest of rare”. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Kolkata