eye THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE At home in her world AHMEDABAD,LATECITY FEBRUARY23,2025 Kani Kusruti on why she is a reluctant actor, how her parents influenced her choices 14+4PAGES,`6.00 DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA INDIA IS TOP-PRIORITY PARTNER FOR THE UK: DIPLOMAT IYER PAGE 3 SURAT‘GANGSTER’ GETSBAILFROM SUPREMECOURT PAGE4 University owner who faced attacks from Himanta held in Assam Mahbubul Hoque, the owner of USTM SUKRITA BARUAH GUWAHATI, FEBRUARY 22 MAHBUBUL HOQUE, the owner of the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya (USTM) – a private educational institutionontheoutskirtsof Guwahati that has been at the receiving end of several attacks by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, including allegations of ‘flood jihad’ — was arrested by the Assam police early Friday morning from his residence in Guwahati. A senior Assam Policeofficial confirmed that Hoque had been arrested in connection with a case registered in the Sribhumi district on Friday. According to police, a "law and order" situation erupted at the Central Public School in the Patharkandi area of Sribhumi district on Friday during the CBSE class 12 physics examination. The school is run by the Education and Research Development (ERD) Foundation founded by Hoque, which also runs the USTM. Videos from outside the school after the examination show a group of uniformed students shouting, “We want justice.”Onestudentisheardclaiming that they had enrolled in a special coaching programme by theERDfoundation,inwhichthe centre head assured them that they would “get help” to clear their board examination. “When we were given admission, we were told that we don’t need to worry about boards,” he is heard saying. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Tickets as gifts to screenings in malls: Dubai braces for a Sunday humdinger EXPRESSAT CHAMPIONS TROPHY VENKATA KRISHNA B DUBAI, FEBRUARY 22 SECURITY GUARDS outside the ICC Academy in Dubai struggled tocontrolhundredsof eagerfans jostling to catch a glimpse of the Indianteam’spracticesessionon the eve of the much-anticipated game against Pakistan. Anyone with a lanyard and an access ID is being asked for passesforthebigICCChampions Trophy match. Tears stream down a child’s face after missing out on a Babar Azam selfie outside the Dubai International Stadium. After a quiet start to the tournament in Dubai, the IndiaPakistan game is generating great excitement. There is a downside though —thecheapestticketforaseatin the 30,000-seater Dubai International Stadium costs Rs 12,000 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 I&B REPLY TO HOUSE PANEL Govtexamines ifnewlawis requiredfor digitalplatforms Freedomof expressionbeingmisused toshowcaseobscenecontent:Ministry The Indian cricket team during a practice session in Dubai on Saturday, a day ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy match against Pakistan. PTI Ex-RBI Governor Shaktikanta Gold heist: Canada Das to be Principal Secy-2 to PM police touch base with ED on suspect ENS ECONOMIC BUREAU NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 22 THEGOVERNMENTonSaturday appointedretired IAS officer and former Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das as Principal Secretary-2 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is probably the first Principal Secretary with experience in both fiscal and monetary policy. “His appointment will be coterminus with the term of the Prime Minister or until further order, whichever is earlier,” said a February 22 note by the Das’s tenure as Governor of RBI ended in Dec 2024 AppointmentsCommitteeof the Cabinet. Das’s appointment is significant — it comes at a critical juncture with the economy facing challenges from trade wars sparked by US President Donald Trump's policies, rupee volatility, and a broader slowing down of the Indian economy. His ex- FOUR-PAGE PULLOUT pertise, both as a manager of fiscal (he served both as Revenue Secretary and Economic Affairs Secretary in the Ministry of Finance) as well as monetary policy, puts him at a vantage positioninsteeringtheeconomyin such challenging times. Withlongtenuresatboththe North Block and the RBI, Das has a good grasp of not just the regulatory aspects of the financial marketsbutalsoof thetrade-offs involved in balancing the government’s growth objectives with the need to keep prices under check. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 VARINDER BHATIA CHANDIGARH, FEBRUARY 22 A DAY after the Enforcement DirectorateraidedtheMohaliresidence of 32-year-old Simran PreetPanesar,oneoftheninesuspects allegedly involved in Canada’sbiggestgoldheistworth $22.5 million, the agency has found that both he and his wife areCanadiannationals,itislearnt. The ED action came days after The Indian Express tracked ED officials raid the suspect’s home in Mohali on Friday. File down Panesar following a month-long investigation in CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 DIVYA A & SOUMYARENDRA BARIK NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 22 AMID COMPLAINTS OF violence and obscenitypertainingtocontent on digital platforms, especially in the backdrop of the recent Ranveer Allahbadia controversy, the Central government is examining the need to create a new legal framework to regulate such platforms. Initscommunicationtoaparliamentary panel, the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministryhassaidthereisagrowingconcerninthesocietythatthe constitutional right of “freedom of expressionisbeingmisusedto showcase obscene and violent content on digital platforms”. It has told the Standing CommitteeonCommunications and Information Technology — headed by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey — that while certain provisions exist under the current laws, there is a growing demand for a stricter and effective legal E E X P L A I NE D GUJARAT WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM The spectre of ● regulation OTT platforms do not fall under a specific regulatory framework. The IT rules require OTTs to implement a three-level grievance redressal mechanism, which is being contested in courts. OTTs have long argued for self regulation. framework to regulate such harmful content. “This ministry has taken note of these developmentsandisintheprocessof examining current statutory provisions and the need for a new legal framework,” it said. Less than 10 days ago, the committee had asked the I&B Ministry on February 13 regarding the amendments needed in the existing laws to clamp down CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Even those against Centre sets ball rolling Cong vote for me… to probe IIM Rohtak that’s what party Director, awaits nod needs: Tharoor To investigate if he lacked educational MINISTRY SEEKS PRESIDENT’S APPROVAL qualification required for the post LIZ MATHEW RITIKA CHOPRA FACING HEAT from within over his remarks praising the Kerala LDF government’s handling of the economy, senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has underlined the need for the party to expand its base to attract new voters and flagged the “absence of a leader in Kerala’s Congress”. He also said the fact that he had been elected four times as Thiruvananthapuram MP showed that the people supported his right to express his views independently regarding thedevelopmentof thestateand NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 22 THE CENTRE has set the ball rolling for a Visitorial inquiry against IIM Rohtak director Dheeraj Sharma, the first such action after amendments to the IIM Act in 2023 gave the Education Ministry greater control over the country’s premier business schools. The Ministry has sought the approval of President Droupadi Murmu (in her capacity as the Visitorof IIMs)toprobeif Sharma IIM Rohtak director Dheeraj Sharma lackedtheeducationalqualificationrequiredforappointmentas thedirectorof IIMRohtakin2017, The Sunday Express has learned. It is awaiting approval from RashtrapatiBhavan,sourcessaid. The move comes almost three years after the Ministry CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 22 The Cong MP was speaking on Varthamanam, a weekly podcast by ieMalayalam the country. He was available for the party, Tharoor said, but if the Congress did not need his services, he had “options”. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 How police ensured happy ending for six couples who were ‘ditched’ by organisers at Rajkot mass wedding PAGE 1 ANCHOR EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE AHMEDABAD, FEBRUARY 22 IT WAS a bright and sunny Saturday morning. As many as 28 couples, and their families, had gathered at a venue in Rajkot. The occasion was a mass wedding ceremony for which each of the 56 people had paid Rs 15,000 in advance to the organisers. Except, the organisers were nowhere to be seen on the premises. After waiting for a few hours, the couples were hit by a realisation: They had been fleeced. Heartbroken, a number of couples, seen crying inconsolably as their families comfortedthem,leftthevenue.Most of them were local residents or from neighbouring districts of Morbi and Junagadh; a few had come down from far-off places such as Chhota Udepur. More than 500 people, including relatives and friends of the couples, had gathered at the venue in Railnagar area of Rajkot. When the organisers re- DCP Sajjansinh Parmar with one of the couples. Express mained untraceable even as the pandal was set up, around 9.30am,theparentsof oneof the brides decided to call the police. TheofficialsinformedSajjansinh Parmar, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) forZone-1inRajkot,whoarrived at the spot. With the help of local residents and NGOs, the police solemnised the wedding of six of the couples. By the evening, a police team had also nabbed three of the organisers. Policesaidtheorganisershad taken Rs 30,000 from each couple on the pretext of holding a “Sarva Gnati Samuh Lagna” (mass wedding). When DCP Parmar reached the site, almost all the attendees had left the venue except for three couples and their families. But when they learnt that the police had stepped in, three other couples returned to the venue. On what drove his decision, DCP Parmar told The Indian Express, “It is the responsibility of the police to help the people when there is a problem. Thus, we decided to get the weddings of the couples solemnised CONTINUEDONPAGE2 Ahmedabad