THE SUNDAY Vol. 37 No. 12 | Sunday, December 14, 2025 29 Pages | `5 & for State `6 | Reg. No. MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 46955/1988 M.p.c.s. office Mumbai-400001 FREE PRESS JOURNAL National energy conservation day INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation GOOD LIFE Weekend Zakir Hussain’s wife and few musicians walk down the memory lane Kalpesh Mhamunkar MUMBAI The Maharashtra government has decided to shift high-frequency radar centres from Dahisar and Juhu to technically suitable alternative locations, CM Devendra Fadnavis said on Saturday. He said the move would unlock redevelopment potential in the surrounding areas, as the existing radar installations impose stringent building height restrictions. Fadnavis said the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Union government and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) have agreed to the relocation of the Dahisar radar. The state government has conveyed its willingness to bear the cost of shifting and to provide alternative land. Land at Gorai will be transferred free of cost to the Centre, while 40 per cent of AAI land at Dahisar will be utilised for public purposes. The government has also proposed an alternative site at Juhu for technical evaluation. Once completed and the site finalised, the approval process for shifting the Juhu radar will begin. Subsequently, redevelopment of buildings in the Dahisar and Juhu (DN Nagar) areas is expected to become feasible, the CM said. Sunday Read Usha Mangeshkar on 50 years of Jai Santoshi Maa KOLKATA CHAOS | Mismanagement, VIP crowding and a fleeting appearance by Messi triggers chaos, police action at Salt Lake Stadium. Organiser held. Probe on. HYPE, HOPE & HAVOC NDA breaks Left citadel in Kerala local body polls K Raveendran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM. PTI/ANI Aritra Singha KOLKATA What was meant to be a oncein-a-lifetime football carnival in Kolkata collapsed into a spectacle of disorder on Saturday, as Lionel Messi’s much-anticipated appearance at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan descended into chaos, vandalism and a police lathi charge, leaving thousands of fans angry, disappointed and stunned. Messi’s visit — his first to the Salt Lake Stadium since 2011 and only his second trip to India — had ignited a frenzy rarely seen even in footballmad Kolkata. Tickets were snapped up at prices ranging between Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000. Hotels were booked weeks in advance. Fans travelled from across the country, some postponing honeymoons, others dipping into savings, all chasing a single moment: a clear glimpse of the Argentine icon widely regarded as the greatest footballer of all time. The build-up bordered on hysteria. Messi arrived in the city late on Friday night to scenes of near-uncontrolled adulation, with crowds lining roads near the airport and outside his hotel despite heavy security. 4Contd on | Nation 4See also | Games Social media Radar move to free Juhu, Dahisar land Live Smart Were childhood games spells in disguise? Truth behind the ‘magic’ of colourchanging lip products Messi in Mumbai | mumbai Fans vandalise Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), also known as Salt Lake Stadium, during Argentine footballer Lionel Messi’s India Tour event, in Kolkata. Inset (L) SRK and son AbRam meet the superstar. The results of the 2025 Kerala local body elections, declared on Saturday, have redrawn the State’s political map, delivering a sweeping grassroots mandate to the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) while simultaneously handing the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) a historic breakthrough in the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram. The verdict has sent shockwaves through the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), signalling deep voter fatigue after nearly a decade of Left rule and setting the stage for a high-stakes Assembly election next year. Across Kerala, the UDF emerged as the dominant force, winning control of four of the State’s six municipal corporations — Kollam, Kochi, Thrissur and Kannur — and registering emphatic gains in municipalities and gram panchayats. The LDF managed to retain Kozhikode Corporation, but its overall performance fell far short of expectations. The NDA, though trailing the two traditional fronts statewide, stole the national spotlight by Mumbai housing Resignation forfeits past service, no pension: SC push amid curbs FPJ News Service NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Tuesday (December 9) ruled that an employee who resigns from service is not entitled to pensionary benefits under the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, holding that resignation results in forfeiture of past service. Ramu Bhagwat NAGPUR Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said the Maharashtra government is working on a new “housing for all” policy aimed at enabling redevelopment in parts of Mumbai where constraints such as nodevelopment zones, defence land and other restrictions have made full-scale redevelopment difficult. Under the proposed policy, a floor space index (FSI) of 300 sq ft will be provided to economically weaker section (EWS) homeowners, while low-income group (LIG) owners will be entitled to free reconstruction of 600 sq ft in funnel zones and areas adjoining defence establishments where building height restrictions apply. The sops, intended to address Mumbai’s long-standing housing crisis, come ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections, with the ruling Mahayuti keen on regaining control of the civic body. Redevelopment in these pockets had become unviable due to stringent height restrictions and defence security norms. Beneficiaries will include residents of funnel zones and areas such as Juhu’s military transmission station and the Kandivali–Malad Central Ordnance Depot belt. Significantly, unconsumed FSI from redeveloped buildings can be converted into transfer of development rights (TDR), while protecting the basic FSI of building owners. Fadnavis said the relief measures are expected to make housing redevelopment projects in Mumbai economically viable. In yet another major decision, the government has decided to implement cluster redevelopment projects on land parcels measuring 50 acres or more across Mumbai. Deputy CM Eknath Shinde announced in the legislative council on Friday that 17 such Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) cluster redevelopment projects have been identified in the first phase. “The only inescapable conclusion is that on resignation by the employee, his past service stood forfeited. Hence, he will not be entitled to any pension,” a Bench of Justices Rajesh Bindal and Manmohan observed, while denying pension to the legal heirs of a deceased Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) employee who had resigned after nearly 30 years of service, Live Law reports. The appeal was filed by the legal heirs of a former DTC conductor appointed in 1985, who resigned from service in 2014 after working for almost three decades. His resignation was accepted by the competent authority, and though he later sought to withdraw it, the request was rejected, making the resignation final. Trump peace touch fails in Thailand and Congo The appellants argued that the resignation letter should be treated as voluntary retirement and not resignation, which would entitle the employee to pensionary benefits. Rejecting this contention, the Court held that resignation and voluntary retirement are “distinct concepts,” and that resignation leads to forfeiture of the entire past service, making the em- Fighting between Thai and Cambodian forces continued early on Saturday, just hours after US President Donald Trump said the two countries had agreed to a ceasefire. In much the same way a peace accord brokered by Trump between Congo and Rwanda in Africa is backfiring. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he told Trump that a ceasefire would only be possible after Cambodia had withdrawn all its forces and removed landmines from the border. He wrote on social media: “Thailand will continue to perform military actions until we feel no more harm and threats to our land A wounded Thai soldier was airlifted for treatment in Surin province, Thailand. and people. I want to make it clear. Our actions this morning already spoke.” Both sides reported continued bombing and artillery exchanges across the border on Saturday. Cambodia’s defence ministry said Thai fighter jets bombed hotel buildings and a bridge, while Thailand said several civilians were injured in a Cambodian rocket attack. 4Contd on | Nation Agencies WASHINGTON California and 19 other US states have filed a lawsuit seeking to block President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas, arguing that the move is unlawful and exceeds presidential authority. The lawsuit, filed on Friday in federal court in Boston, is at least the third legal challenge to the fee announced by Trump in September. The new charge represents a dramatic increase from the current $2,000–$5,000 in fees typically paid by employers to sponsor H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers. In a statement, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Trump lacks the authority to impose such a fee and that it violates federal law, Worker fired for repeatedly showing up early FPJ News Service MUMBAI In an unusual workplace saga from Spain, a 22-yearold office worker found herself fired not for being late, lazy, or absent, but for consistently arriving 40 minutes early. The employee had developed a habit most managers would typically praise: showing up between 6.45am and 7am for her 7.30am shift. But her company had strict rules, she was not allowed to clock in or begin work before her scheduled start time. Despite repeated warnings since 2023, she persisted in her early arrivals, the Daily mail reports. Her boss eventually reached breaking point. According to the company, her “excessive punctuality” wasn’t the issue; it was her refusal to obey instructions. Judges later agreed, describing her behaviour as “serious misconduct” and a violation of “Article 54 of the Spanish Workers’ Statute”. Even after multiple verbal and written warnings, she logged “19 more early arrivals”. On some occasions, she attempted to log in through the company app “before even reaching the office”.  According to the company she wasn’t contributing anything during those extra minutes and was instead a huge disruption to the office expectations. One employee argued she, “disrupted team coordination.” Her employer further accused her of a separate breach of trust, selling a used company car battery without permission, a detail the court said reinforced her pattern of disloyalty. When she appealed to the Social Court of Alicante, arguing that her dismissal was unjustified, the court sided firmly with the company. 4Contd on | Nation Social court of Alicante 4Contd on | Nation 20 US states file suit against H-1B visa fee Agencies KJHJH ployee ineligible for pension. Justice Bindal, who authored the judgment, referred to Rule 26 of the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972, which applies to DTC employees. “A perusal of Rule 26 of the 1972 Rules clearly shows resignation from service entails forfeiture of past service,” the Court said. which permits immigration agencies to collect only those fees necessary to cover the cost of administering visa programs. Bonta’s office said the $100,000 fee far exceeds the actual cost of processing H-1B petitions, rendering it unlawful.   The H-1B program allows US employers to hire foreign workers in specialty fields, and is heavily relied upon by the technology sector, particularly in California, where many major tech companies are headquartered. Bonta, a Democrat, warned that the steep fee would place unnecessary financial burdens on providers of essential services such as education and healthcare, worsening labor shortages and potentially forcing service cutbacks. 4Contd on | Nation Congress-led UDF sees a resurgence , emerging as a dominant force in the State wresting the prestigious Thiruvananthapuram Corporation from the Left for the first time. In the capital city, the BJP scripted history by emerging as the single-largest party in the newly expanded 101member Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Council. The NDA secured 50 seats, touching the halfway mark, while the CPI(M)-led LDF slumped to 29 seats and the UDF improved its tally to 19. Two seats went to Independents. Polling in one ward at Vizhinjam was postponed following the death of a candidate, but it did not alter the broad outcome. The result marks a dramatic reversal in a city long regarded as a Left bastion. In the outgoing 100-member council, the LDF had held 51 seats, the BJP-led NDA 35 and the UDF just 10. 4Contd on | Nation 4See also | Nation Concern over ED power to seize assets FPJ News Service NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Friday sought the Centre’s response on a plea filed by a sitting Karnataka MLA challenging the powers of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to seize and retain property under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) without judicial scrutiny for 180 days. A Bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and A.S. Chandurkar issued notice on the petition filed by KC Veerendra and tagged it with pending cases questioning the constitutionality of the PMLA’s adjudication framework. The Court also directed that the matter be heard along with challenges to the validity of Section 6 of the PMLA, Bar & Bench reports. During the hearing, Justice Narasimha remarked that there appeared to be “a fault in the Act (PMLA)” and questioned how a nonjudicial member could adjudicate complex issues involving property rights and constitutional safeguards. 4Contd on | Nation Iran seizes oil tanker: some crew Indian Agencies: Iran has seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman for allegedly carrying contraband diesel fuel, Iranian media reported overnight late on Friday night. The vessel had 18 crew members on board, including nationals from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.  According to the Fars news agency, the tanker was intercepted off the coast of the Sea of Oman by Iranian authorities in the southern province of Hormozgan. “An oil tanker carrying six million litres of contraband diesel fuel has been boarded off the coast of the Sea of Oman,” Fars reported, quoting a provincial official. The report added that “the vessel had disabled all its navigation systems.” The ship remained unidentified.  An AFP report citing local media confirmed the seizure and the presence of foreign crew members on board. 4Contd on | Nation