Saturday, February 7, 2026 | Vol. 69 No. 106 | 39 Pages THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation l E-paper edition is not a replica of the print edition GAMES NATION Focus not only on marks but on improving life, PM Modi tells students during Pariksha Pe Charcha RBI freezes rates as trade tides turn Palazhi Ashok Kumar MUMBAI India’s central bank kept interest rates unchanged on Friday, citing an improving growth and inflation outlook after recent trade agreements with the US and the European Union. The Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee voted unanimously to hold the policy repo rate at 5.25% and retain a neutral stance. The standing deposit facility remains at 5%, while the marginal standing facility and bank rate are unchanged at 5.50%. “The conclusion of a free trade agreement with the EU and the prospect of a tariff accord with the US would support exports and improve business confidence over the medium term,” RBI governor Sanjay Malhotra told newspersons. Inflation has stayed within the central bank’s comfort zone, with retail price growth remaining below the upper tolerance band in recent months. The RBI projected consumer price inflation at 4% in Q1 of 2026-27 and 4.2% in Q2, describing the outlook as benign despite higher precious metal prices. Growth prospects were revised higher, with real GDP expected to expand by 6.9% in Q1 of 2026-27 and 7% in Q2, supported by domestic demand Cinema Manoj Bajpayee addresses Ghooskhor Pandat title row Harshit Rana has been ruled out of India’s World Cup opener against USA due to injury Edit Budget 2026: What does the govt offer Indian women? REPRODUCTIVE AUTONOMY| Top court sets aside Bombay HC order, allows 18-year-old to terminate 30-week-old fetus Can’t compel woman to complete pregnancy: SC PTI NEW DELHI GUV’S CALL ■ Framework soon to compensate customers up to `25,000 for losses in frauds ■ Collateral-free loan limit for MSMEs to be doubled to `20 lakh ■ Banks can lend to REITs ■ To exempt NBFCs below `1,000 crore assets from mandatory registration SEE MONEY and improving trade conditions. Officials said deals with the US and EU would strengthen export performance over the medium term. India’s external buffers remain strong. Foreign exchange reserves stood at $723.8 billion at end-January, providing more than 11 months of import cover. The decision signals a steady policy course, as the RBI balances gains from trade diplomacy against risks from global uncertainty. The Supreme Court of India on Friday allowed the medical termination of a 30-week pregnancy of a 18-year-old girl, observing that courts cannot compel a woman, much less a minor, to continue a pregnancy against her will. A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan noted that the minor had become pregnant while being in a relationship with a neighbourhood boy and had sought permission for medical termination of her pregnancy. Setting aside a Bombay HC order, the bench directed Mumbai’s JJ Hospital to undertake the medical termination of the pregnancy while ensuring that all necessary medical safeguards are followed. The court observed that it had considered the right of the minor to continue the pregnancy, which on the face of it was “illegitimate” as she herself was a minor and was facing pregnancy due to an unfortunate situation arising from a relationship. It clarified that the issue was not whether the rela- Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan The issue is not whether the relationship was consensual or whether it was the case of sexual assault. Ultimately the fact is that the child to be is not legitimate and secondly, the mother to be of the child does not want to bear the child. If the interest of the mother is to be taken note of, then her reproductive autonomy must be given sufficient emphasis. The court cannot compel any woman much less a minor child to complete her pregnancy if she is otherwise not intending to do so. tionship was consensual or the result of sexual assault. “What has to be considered in the instant case is the right of the minor child to continue a pregnancy which is ex facie il- legitimate in as much as she is a minor and has to face this unfortunate situation of having the pregnancy owing to a relationship that she had. The issue is not whether the relationship was consensual or whether it was a case of sexual assault. Ultimately, the fact is that the child to be is not legitimate and secondly, the mother to be of the child does not want to bear the child,” the bench said. The top court noted the report of the medical board of the hospital, which stated that there was no threat to the life of either the mother or the child if the pregnancy were carried to full term. However, the bench stressed that the reproductive autonomy of the minor must be given due importance. “If the interest of the mother is to be taken note of, then her reproductive autonomy must be given sufficient emphasis. The court cannot compel any woman, much less a minor child, to complete her pregnancy if she is otherwise not intending to do so,” it said. Justice Nagarathna referred to the difficult moral and legal questions involved in such cases and said that if courts do not allow medical termination, people may turn to quacks and illegal medical establishments, which would be unsafe. 4Contd on | nation SUICIDE ATTACK IN ISLAMABAD MOSQUE KILLS 31 Pakistani security officials examine the site of of a bomb explosion at a Shia mosque in Islamabad on Friday FPJ News Service MUMBAI Want publicity after voters’ rejection: SC raps PK’s party FPJ News Service BOYS IN BLUE ARE India kicks off T20 WC title WORLD CHAMPION defence at Wankhede today VAIBHAV TANDAV 175 off 80 balls NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a petition filed by the Jan Suraaj Party, founded by political strategist Prashant Kishor, alleging misuse of a state welfare scheme to influence voters ahead of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections. A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi pulled up the party for attempting to use the judicial forum after having lost the elections. The party had contested 242 of the 243 Assembly seats but failed to win a single seat, Bar & Bench reports. “How many votes did you get? Once people reject you, you use the judicial forum to get publicity. Somebody should have challenged the scheme itself then. That is not the prayer before us. You just want the election to be declared null and void,” the Court said. The Bench also observed that the High Court was the appropriate forum to examine the issue since it related to one State. “Since it deals with only one State, please go to that High Court. In some cases, there is a serious issue of freebies, which we will seriously examine,” the Court said. 4Contd on | nation (Highest score in an U-19 World Cup final) 150 off 71 balls (Fastest in U-19) 15 sixes (Highest in an U-19 WC innings) 15 fours 218.75 strike rate 9th highest score in youth ODIs 6th highest score Haridev Pushparaj MUMBAI All roads will lead to the iconic Wankhede Stadium on Saturday evening as Suryakumar Yadav’s India takes on Monank Patel’s USA in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup match. Mumbai will be in the grip of World Cup fever from February 7  until perhaps March 5 as the cricket capital of India will be hosting eight matches of the tournament, including the semifinal on March 5th. The first installment of the World Cup action will get underway as a dominant India SKY FORCE face USA with the defending champions expected to register an overwhelming victory against the minnows from North America. What makes the match even more special is India will be led by a Mumbaikar, Suryakumar Tailpiece 22 sixes in this World Cup Modi ad-age: Batting on 75, 25 years to go P Powered by 14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's blistering knock and some tight bowling, India pummelled England by 100 runs to clinch the Under-19 World Cup in Harare on Friday. The emphatic win marked the Boys in Blue’s sixth World Cup title. SEE GAMES rime Minister Narendra Modi shared a birthday anecdote during Pariksha Pe Charcha, recalling how a leader congratulated him on turning 75. “Twenty-five years are still left,” Modi replied, telling students he counts what remains, not what has passed. The remark came during an interaction with Imota K Shyam, a Manipur student who shares his birthday. Trump shares video depicting Obamas as monkeys, faces flak FPJ News Service WASHINGTON US President Donald Trump has triggered a fresh political storm after sharing a controversial video on his Truth Social platform that depicts former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as monkeys, drawing sharp condemnation from Democratic leaders and allies of the Obamas. The one-minute video, posted on Thursday, largely Mumbai cops find their sole heavy Megha Kuchik For decades, the Mumbai Police officer on traffic duty has been a study in stoicism: starched khaki, whistle poised, one arm slicing the air like a conductor late for rehearsal — and feet encased in unforgiving, heeled leather shoes that looked smart but felt like tools of quiet torture. Style, after all, was mandatory; comfort optional. Now, the shoes are finally 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation in U-19 World Cups boots on ground MUMBAI Yadav, who will be aiming to carry on and sustain the legacy left by another legendary Mumbaikar under whose captaincy India clinched the 2024 T20 World Cup in Barbados. The match is expected to be a full-house at the cavernous Wankhede with home fans rooting for India and their favourite ‘Surya bhau’, who will bring in the much-loved local flavour to go with the overriding national sentiment as India chase their third T20 World Cup title to add to the wins in 2007 and 2024. A suicide bomber blew himself up at a Shia mosque during Friday prayers in Islamabad, killing at least 31 people and injuring 169 others in one of the deadliest attacks on the community in recent years. Some media outlets, however, have reported the death toll in three figures. The powerful blast rocked the Khadijatul Kubra mosquecum-imambargah in the Tarlai area of Islamabad, with the explosion heard from a considerable distance, police said. According to officials and eyewitnesses, the attacker was stopped at the gate of the imambargah but detonated himself there, causing widespread carnage. A district administration spokesperson confirmed on X that at least 31 people were killed and 169 wounded. Television footage showed bodies strewn across the prayer hall amid shattered glass and debris, underscoring the scale of the devastation. No group immediately claimed responsibility. However, police sources said the attacker was a foreign national with links to Fitna al Khwaraji, the term used by authorities for the Tehreek-eTaliban Pakistan (TTP). Citing eyewitnesses, Geo News reported that the assailant first opened fire before triggering the explosion. Police and Rescue 1122 teams rushed to the spot, while army troops and Rangers cordoned off the area and launched security operations in and around the blast site. changing — and Mumbai, predictably, has opinions. The trigger was cinematic. Actor Akshay Kumar, never one to shy away from playing protector of the uniform, publicly wondered why cops were still expected to sprint after criminals in footwear better suited to colonial-era parades. He spoke of back pain, awkward running, and the sheer impracticality of heels on asphalt. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis not only agreed but went a step SHOE TIME: OLD AND NEW further, inviting the actor to help redesign the footwear — a moment when Bollywood, bureaucracy and biomech- anics briefly held hands. Quietly, and without drumrolls, the Mumbai Police introduced high-ankle, flat safety shoes for traffic personnel in mid-January, starting with Marine Drive and DB Marg divisions. The shoes are serious-looking: black leather, thick soles, metal eyelets, padded ankles — less “heritage constable” and more “urban tactical unit”. Built for grip, toe protection and long hours, they are meant to handle from sudden sprints to nearmisses with reckless tyres. 4Contd on | nation revisits debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 US presidential election, falsely claiming that Dominion Voting Systems played a role in manipulating the vote against Trump. Near the end of the clip, the faces of Barack Obama and Michelle Obama briefly appear superimposed on the bodies of monkeys, accompanied by the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”. 4Contd on | nation Urvi Mahajani This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as King of the Jungle & Democrats as characters from The Lion King. Please stop the fake outrage Karoline Leavitt White House Press Secretary Leave Iran now, US tells its citizens FPJ News Service MUMBAI Amid rapidly escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran, the US has issued an urgent warning asking its citizens in Iran to leave the country immediately. The advisory was released by the Virtual US embassy in Iran as protests, security crackdowns and travel disruptions continue across the West Asian nation. The Indian government is Kamra moves HC against new IT rules, Sahyog portal closely monitoring the situation, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday told Parliament. The embassy in Tehran is in regular contact with Indian nationals, he informed. In the advisory, the US government told American nationals to “leave Iran now. Have a plan for departing Iran that does not rely on US government help.” 4Contd on | nation 4See also | world MUMBAI Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra and senior advocate Haresh Jagtiani have approached the Bombay High Court, challenging the Centre’s Sahyog portal and a recent amendment to the Information Technology Rules, arguing that the framework gives government officers sweeping powers to block online content without proper legal safeguards. The petitions, filed on February 4, seek directions to immediately disable and dismantle the Sahyog portal, a digital system designed to fast-track takedown requests to social media intermediaries. The petitioners have also challenged the amendment to Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, which requires intermediaries to remove objectionable content. The High Court is likely to hear the matter on March 16. 4Contd on | nation