DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2025, LUCKNOW, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES `6.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 2021 CASE: TOP COURT SAYS PEOPLE NOT GIVEN ‘REASONABLE OPPORTUNITY’ TO RESPOND TO NOTICES Demolitions in Prayagraj inhuman and illegal, shock conscience, says SC, orders `10-lakh each in 6 weeks Meet the girl who ran with books: 8 yrs, wants to become ‘IAS adhikari’ ‘Girl running away from demolished hut with clutch of books... shocked all’ ANANTHAKRISHNAN G NEW DELHI, APRIL 1 CRITICISING THE demolition of some houses by local authorities in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj in 2021 as “inhuman and illegal”, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said the “high-handed” manner in which this was done “shocks our conscience”. It directed the PrayagrajDevelopmentAuthority topayRs10lakheachtothoseaffected within six weeks. The bench of Justices A S Oka andUjjalBhuyanwashearingan appeal against the Allahabad High Court's decision, on March 8, 2021, to dismiss a clutch of petitions against the demolitions carriedoutthepreviousday.The petitioners included a professor, a lawyer and three others. Saying that the appellants werenotgivena“reasonableopportunity” to explain their position, the SC said: “These cases shockourconscience.Residential premises of the appellants have been high-handedly demolished... Carrying out demolition insuchamannershowsinsensitivity on the part of the statutory developmentauthority...Theauthorities, and especially the development authority, must CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 MAULSHREE SETH LUCKNOW, APRIL 1 A screenshot of a video clip of a girl running with her books during a demolition drive in Ambedkar Nagar, UP, March 21 AHEAD OF APRIL 2, USTR FLAGS BARRIERS IndiafirmsupUStradedealterms; TrumpsaysDelhi‘dropping’tariffs Interventionby PMO helps finaliseTermsof Referenceof bilateralpact Gujarat offer for stents with US FDA nod: Twice the price RAVI DUTTA MISHRA KAUNAIN SHERIFF M A DAY before the US reciprocal tariffskickinonApril2,Indiahas agreedtotheTermsof Reference for the Bilateral Trade Agreement with the US following an intervention from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The ToR outlines the framework of theBTA and typically requires clearance from the highest political office before negotiations begin. “The PMO is keenonaswiftfinalisationof the deal,” a senior government official told The Indian Express. Finalisation of the ToR was still pending on Saturday when US negotiators left India after four days of talks. Both sides are now ready for formal negotiations where India is expected to lower tariffs on American goods in exchange for US concessions, IN AN ORDER being viewed as favouring American businesses, theGujaratgovernmenthasintroduced a differential pricing system for stents to be used to treat patients under the flagship Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme. The order says stents approved by the United States Food and Drug Adminis-tration will be priced at Rs 25,000 per stent, and those cleared by the Indian drug regulatorwillcostlessthanhalf,orRs 12,000 per stent. Currently, all drug-eluting stents (DES), used to treat blockedheartarteries,arepriced at Rs 35,000. Indian medical manufacturers have now raised concerns over the new pricing policy,callingit“discriminatory” and urging the government to NEW DELHI, APRIL 1 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 NEW DELHI, APRIL 1 BSE Sensex fell 1,390.41 points Tuesday. Ganesh Shirsekar Ahead of tariffs today, Sensex plunges 1.8% HITESH VYAS MUMBAI, APRIL 1 THE DOMESTIC stock market came under heavy pressure on Tuesday,thefirstdayofthefinancialyear2025-26,withtheSensex crashing1.8percentandtheNifty tanking 1.5 per cent amid uncertainty ahead of US President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs to be announced on April 2. The BSE’s 30-share Sensex lost 1.8 per cent, or 1,390.41 points, to close at 76,024.51. The broader Nifty 50 fell 1.5 per cent, or 353.65 points, to end at 23,165.7. “Amid heightened global volatilityaheadoftheanticipated CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 FOR EIGHT-YEAR-OLD Ananya Yadav, the schoolbag containing Hindi, English and “ginti ki” (maths)booksishermostprized possession,amediumtooneday become an “IAS adhikari” and “protectthecountry”.So,whena shed close to where the bag was kept caught fire during a demolition drive in Uttar Pradesh’s Ambedkar Nagar on March 21, NEW DELHI, APRIL 1 DAYS AFTER a teachers' association under the University of Allahabad publicly alleged administrative delays in the ViceChancellor's office, the institution has issued a circular asking teaching and non-teaching staff to“strictlyrefrain”frompublishingarticlesandairingtheirviews in the media, and warning of “strict action”. The circular, dated March 29 and issued by Registrar Prof 22 INDIA bloc parties decide to take part in discussion, voting on Bill she rushed to save it. Little did Ananya know that a video of her running with the bag would catch the attention of the country’s top court. During a hearing on Tuesday, a Bench of JusticesASOkaandUjjalBhuyan cited the video that is viral online and said it had “shocked everyone.” “There is a recent video in which small huts are being demolished by bulldozers. There is a small girl running away from CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Teachers’ body criticises V-C’s office, Allahabad varsity gags all its staff SHYAMLAL YADAV Govt to introduce Waqf Bill in House today, Opp says ‘bulldozing’ agenda Ashish Khare, states that “all the teaching and the non-teaching staff members of the University of Allahabad must strictly refrain from publishing articles, news, comments and views in print or digital media, which explicitly or implicitly tarnish the image of the University of Allahabad”. It also warns that “failure to comply will result in appropriate action against the erring staff member, as per the provisions laid out in the Act, Statutes and Ordinances of the University”. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Opposition members protest in Lok Sabha on Tuesday. PTI LIZ MATHEW NEW DELHI, APRIL 1 THEGOVERNMENTwillbeintroducing the contentious Waqf (Amendment)BillonWednesday, two days before the Budget Session concludes on April 4, ignoring the Opposition’s protests. Accusing the government of “bulldozing” through its agenda andignoringissuesthey wanted to raise in Parliament, a united Opposition walked out of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting which was held Tuesday to decide allocation of time for discussions in the Lok Sabha for the rest of the session. TheOppositionpartiescalledthe EXPLAINED LAW THEWAQFBILL DEBATE PAGE 9 Bill an “assault” on the Constitution. However, later in the evening, a meeting of 22 INDIA bloc parties decided to take part in the discussion and voting on the Bill on Wednesday. “All the 22 parties in the INDIAblochavedecidedtotakepart inthediscussionandvoteagainst theBill.Wehopethegovernment does not do any mischief and CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Delhi Law and Justice Minister Kapil Mishra 2020RIOTSCOMPLAINT Court orders FIR against Delhi Minister NIRBHAY THAKUR NEW DELHI, APRIL 1 A CITY court Tuesday directed the registration of an FIR against BJP leader Kapil Mishra, now the Delhi Law and Justice Minister, on a complaint alleging he had a role in the 2020 riots in Northeast Delhi. Additional Chief Judicial MagistrateVaibhavChaurasiaallowed the application of the complainant, Yamuna Vihar CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY GUEST FROM SANTIAGO Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chile President Gabriel Boric Font ahead of their meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Tuesday. Praveen Khanna REPORTS,PAGES8,13 PRESIDENTS, PMs EXCHANGE MESSAGES ON 75 YEARS OF RELATIONS Path forward may be difficult, we are prepared to walk: Misri on China ties SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, APRIL 1 SETTING THE stage for a “path forward” after a bitter military standoff along the Line of Actual Control, Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages with President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday, the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and India. Premier Li Qiang also exchanged congratulatory messages with Prime Minister The Tianjin window THE MEETING between Xi and Modi in Kazan last year set the stage for disengagement at two key points along the LAC, and all eyes now are on a possible meeting this autumn during the SCO summit in Tianjin. Narendra Modi. The messages were released byBeijing,notDelhiwherethere is cautious optimism — the Chinese outreach is the latest ever since Modi and Xi met last October on the sidelines of the BRICSSummitintheRussiancity of Kazan. Thetwoleadersareexpected to meet on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in Tianjin in China later this year. These congratulatory messages are intended to create a positive atmosphere for the two leaders to meet though the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Lucknow