Wednesday, December 17, 2025 | Vol. 69 No. 62 | 29 Pages Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation GAMES NATION All cancelled films will be screened at IFFK, Kerala CM Vijayan says after controversy IMPEACHMENT BID Justice Varma challenges legality of move FPJ News Service NEW DELHI The SC on Tuesday issued notice to the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Secretariats of both Houses of Parliament in a plea filed by Allahabad High Court Justice Yashwant Varma challenging the legality of the Parliamentary Committee constituted against him under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968. Justice Varma has moved the apex court seeking to quash the decision of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to constitute a three-member committee for investigating the discovery of unaccounted cash at his official residence during a fire on March 14. The judge has argued that the Speaker acted unilaterally without awaiting the admission of the impeachment motion by the Rajya Sabha Chairman or holding the mandatory joint consultation prescribed by law, Live Law and Bar & Bench reports. Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Justice Varma, submitted before a bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and AG Masih: "Where the notices of the motion are 'given' to the Houses on the same date, that is the case here, no Committee will be constituted, this is peremptory, mylords, unless the motion is being admitted in both Houses. Cinema Border 2: Sunny Deol roars, gets emotional Pressure on out-of-form Suryakumar as India look to seal T20I series against South Africa Edit At last, a make-or-break civic battle unites the Thackerays NATIONAL HERALD CASE | Reprieve for Sonia, Rahul after Rouse Avenue court says ED’s plaint not maintainable in law Hyderabad angle Delhi court throws to shooter’s origins out ED complaint FPJ News Service NEW DELHI A Delhi court on Tuesday refused to take cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) money laundering complaint in the National Herald case, allegedly involving Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. Special Judge Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Courts pronounced the order, holding that the prosecution complaint filed by the ED was not maintainable in law as it was not based on a First Information Report (FIR) relating to a scheduled offence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), Live Law reports. The court noted that the money laundering proceedings were founded on a cognisance and summoning order passed on a private complaint filed under Section 200 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) by Dr Subramanian Swamy, and not on an FIR. “Since the prosecution complaint pertaining to the offence of money laundering is founded on cognisance and summoning order upon a complaint under Section 200 CrPC filed by a public person, and not upon an FIR, cognisance of the present complaint is impermissible in law,” the judge ruled. While pronouncing the order, the court observed that the Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing has already lodged an FIR in the case. It said that in view of this, it would be premature to adjudicate on the ED’s arguments on merits at this stage. 4Contd on | nation PTI NEW DELHI Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra, co-owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa, where a massive fire killed 25 people, were taken into police custody on Tuesday after being deported from Thailand and landing in Delhi. They arrived on an IndiGo Row erupts over VB-G RAM G bill Court upholds Kokate sentence Agencies NASHIK flight and were immediately handed over to authorities for further legal proceedings, 10 days after the blaze tore through the nightclub in Arpora in North Goa. The Goa Police took Gaurav, 44, and Saurabh, 40, on custody after a Delhi court order. They were questioned at the airport, with the formalities taking several hours. Several reporters and camerapersons were travelling on the same flight. As the plane landed in Delhi, a TV reporter attempted to record the Luthra brothers inside the aircraft, following which accompanying officials tightened security around them and prevented them from speaking to anyone. The brothers are facing a case BENGAL SPORTS MINISTER QUITS Aritra Singha NEW DELHI Opposition members on Tuesday strongly opposed the introduction of the Viksit Bharat Guarantee For Rozgar And Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill in the Lok Sabha, arguing that it weakens the original Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which it seeks to replace. Lawmakers also raised concerns over the deletion of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the new Bill and demanded that it be referred to a parliamentary committee for wider consultation and scrutiny. Congress leader Rahul Gan- 3 Indians hurt in Oz HYDERABAD/MANILA/SYDNEY  The Telangana police have confirmed that Sajid Akram, one of the two gunmen responsible for the deadly terror attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, was originally from Hyderabad, India. In a statement on Tuesday, Telangana Director General of Police B Shivdhar Reddy confirmed Sajid Akram’s Indian roots. “Sajid Akram, 50, completed his B.Com in Hyderabad and migrated to Australia in search of employment in November 1998,” he said. Sajid migrated to Australia 27 years ago and had limited contact with his family in Hyderabad, India and last visited Hyderabad in 2022, the Telangana DGP added. The Telangana police con- Father Sajid Akram was originally from Hyderabad, India. He travelled on an Indian passport to Philippines firmed Sajid had no criminal record in India. His family in Hyderabad reported limited contact over 27 years (he dhi said his party would oppose the Bill, calling it “a direct insult to the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi” and vowing to fight it “from Sadak to Sansad” (roads to Parliament). Introducing the Bill in the Lok Sabha, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “Yah poora Bill Mahatma Gandhi ki bhawana ke anuroop hai, Ram Rajya ki sthapana ke liye hai (This entire Bill is in accordance with the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi, for the establishment of Ram Rajya).” He added that the Centre would “realise Mahatma Gandhi’s dream and establish the Ram Rajya he dreamt of.” 4Contd on | nation In a setback to Maharashtra Sports Minister Manikrao Kokate of NCP, a Nashik court on Tuesday upheld the two-year prison sentence awarded to him in a 1995 cheating and forgery case, holding that he had secured a government-allocated flat by violating prescribed norms. Nashik District and Sessions Court Judge PM Badar upheld the conviction and sentence pronounced earlier by a magistrate’s court, observing the flat obtained under a government quota was not in accordance with eligibility rules and the government had been deceived. KOLKATA The West Bengal government on Tuesday moved to fix accountability over the chaos that marred the Lionel Messi ‘GOAT India Tour’ event at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium) on December 13, accepting the resignation of Sports Minister Aroop Biswas and issuing show-cause notices to senior police and administrative officials. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accepted Biswas’s resignation from the sports portfolio following mounting criticism over crowd mismanagement, security lapses and Biswajeet Banerjee Dense fog continued to disrupt road traffic across Uttar Pradesh, leading to a series of accidents that killed at least 21 people and injured many others. Accidents were reported from Mathura, Unnao and Basti as visibility dropped to near zero on highways during the night and early morning hours. The worst accidents took place on the Yamuna Expressway in Mathura district, where multiple vehicles collided in dense fog, killing 13 people. The first incident occurred around 2 am on the Agra-Noida carriageway near the Baldev police station area. Seven buses and two SIR DELETIONS The Trump administration said on Monday in a court filing that the president’s White House ballroom construction project must continue for reasons of national security. The filing came in response to a lawsuit filed last Friday by the National Trust for Historic Preservation asking a federal judge to halt the project until it goes through multiple independent reviews and wins appro- 4Contd on | nation of UPI and CliQ FPJ News Service MUMBAI Nearly 1 crore voters across Bengal, Raj struck off lists JAIPUR / KOLKATA cars collided at high speed, following which some vehicles caught fire. Several passengers were trapped inside, while others jumped out. Initially, 10 deaths were confirmed, and more than two dozen injured passengers were rushed to hospitals. By evening, the toll hit 13. The Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has redrawn electoral rolls in two key states, deleting over 58 lakh voters in West Bengal and around 41.85 lakh in Rajasthan, triggering political churn and administrative scrutiny ahead of forthcoming elections. The scale of the exercise, described by the EC as provisional, marks one of the most sweeping roll revisions in decades. In West Bengal, the draft electoral rolls published on Tuesday show the electorate shrinking from about 7.66 crore to roughly 7.08 crore voters. The deletions have been attributed to deaths, permanent migration, duplicate enrolments and the non-submission of enumeration forms during the SIR exercise. With the 2026 assembly elections on the horizon, the sharp contraction has injected fresh volatility into the state’s political landscape. 4Contd on | nation PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday pitched a deeper digital and economic partnership with Jordan, proposing the integration of the West Asian nation’s fast payment platform CliQ with India’s UPI and setting an ambitious target of $5 billion in bilateral trade over the next five years. Concluding a two-day visit to Amman, Modi said linking CliQ with UPI would ease crossborder remittances and merchant payments, underlining India’s broader push to export 4Contd on | nation vandalism at the high-profile football event. Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh confirmed that Biswas had written to the chief minister seeking to be relieved of the sports department in the wake of the controversy. 4Contd on | nation ‘Construction is a matter of national security’ WASHINGTON visited India six times, mainly for family matters). Jordan’s Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II personally drove PM Modi to the Jordan Museum and later bid him farewell on Tuesday Manish Godha & Aritra Singha Over 21 dead in UP fog mishaps LUCKNOW of culpable homicide and negligence in connection with the December 6 tragedy. Investigators have alleged that the fire was compounded by the nightclub operating in violation of mandatory fire safety norms, raising serious questions about safety lapses by the Scan & Watch management. val from Congress. In its filing, the administration included a declaration from the deputy director of the US Secret Service saying more work on the site of the former White House East Wing is still needed to meet the agency’s “safety and security requirements”. The administration has offered to share classified details with the judge in an in-person setting without the plaintiffs present. The government’s response to the lawsuit offers the most comprehensive look yet at the ballroom construction project, including a window into how it was so swiftly approved by the Trump administration bureaucracy and its expanding scope. The filings assert that final plans for the ballroom have yet to be completed despite the ongoing demolition and construction work. Belowgrade demolition of the site continues, wrote John Stanwich, the Park Service’s liaison to the White House, and work on the foundations is set to begin in January. Above-grade construction “is not anticipated to begin until April 2026, at the earliest,” he wrote. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded group, is asking the US District Court to block Trump’s ballroom addition until it goes through comprehensive design reviews, environmental assessments, public comments and congressional debate and ratification. 4Contd on | nation its digital public infrastructure to partner countries. India has already linked UPI with fast payment systems in several nations. The PM held talks with King Abdullah II, during which both leaders agreed to expand cooperation across trade and investment, defence and security, renewable energy, fertilisers and agriculture, innovation, IT and digital technologies, critical minerals, infrastructure, health and pharmaceuticals, education, tourism, culture and people-to-people ties. 4Contd on | nation IPL: THE BIG SWEEP IPL 2026 auction saw cricket stars laughing their way to the bank. Cameron Green set a world record becoming the costliest overseas player ever in any franchise competition across the world. SEE P21 KKR SRH LIAM LIVINGSTONE (England) `13 cr LSG CAMERON GREEN (Australia) `25.20 cr JOSH INGLISH (Australia) `8.60 cr RCB VENKATESH IYER `7 cr White House Ballroom PTI Three Indian students were among the 40 people injured in the terrorist attack on Sydney’s Bondi Beach in Australia, according to a media report on Tuesday. Two out of these three students are believed to be receiving treatment in the hospital, The Australia Today news portal reported. The names of the Indian students injured during the attack have not been disclosed yet. Luthra bros deported, taken into cops’ custody PM for integration 4Contd on | nation Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar FPJ News Service & Agencies DC AUQIB DAR `8.40 cr MATHEESHA PATHIRANA (Sri Lanka) `18 cr RR RAVI BISHNOI `7.20 cr CSK MUSTAFIZUR RAHMAN (Bangladesh) `9.2 cr GT JASON HOLDER `7 cr PRASHANT VEER `14.20 cr KARTIK SHARMA `14.20 cr