Saturday, December 13, 2025 | Vol. 69 No. 59 | 36 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 National Horse Day NATION Four accused of murder as SIT files 3,500-page chargesheet in Zubeen Garg death case Shivraj Patil is no more GAMES Nehra is not amused with criticism that under-pressure Shubman Gill is receiving Cabinet approves 100% FDI in insurance sector Palazhi Ashok Kumar FPJ News Service Veteran Congressman from Maharashtra, ex- Union home minister and former Speaker of the Lok Sabha Shivraj Patil passed away at his home town Latur on Friday morning after a brief illness his family sources said. He was 90. He is survived by his son Sailesh Patil, daughter-in-law Archana and two grand daughters. The funeral will be held at Latur on Saturday. President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and others condoled the death. Always impeccably dressed, Patil was a hardcore loyalist of the Gandhi dynasty because of which he was given the sensitive post of Union home minister. He commenced his political career as president of the Latur municipality from 1966 and 1970 and was later elected twice to the state assembly where he was elected first as the deputy Speaker and later the Speaker. 4Contd on | nation Edit No accountability has made India world’s calamity capital GIANT LEAP | The move will unlock global capital flows and reshape the pricing, competition and innovation Cover for all by 2047 MUMBAI MUMBAI Cinema Check out our verdict on theatrical film releases In a sweeping reform set to redefine the contours of India’s financial services industry, the Union Cabinet on Friday approved a bill allowing 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in insurance companies, opening the doors for complete foreign ownership for the first time in the sector’s history. The move, hailed across industry circles as bold and forward-looking, is expected to unleash a surge of global capital, expertise and advanced ■ Move to heighten competition, sharpen pricing ■ Will allow American, European and Asian firms to establish wholly-owned Indian arms ■ Private equity players will gain direct entry ■ The sector attracted Rs 82,000 cr in FDI, following reforms that raised the ceiling from 49% to 74% in 2021 technology. Analysts say the reform will heighten competition, sharpen pricing and widen product innovation—developments that are likely to benefit policy- KERALA ACTRESS ASSAULT 6 PERPETRATORS GET 20-YEAR JAIL FPJ News Service NEW DELHI A Kerala court on Friday sentenced Pulsar Suni, the prime accused in the 2017 actress gang rape case, and five others to twenty years of rigorous imprisonment (RI). The order came from Ernakulam District and Sessions Court Judge Honey M Varghese, who had convicted the six men on December 8 while acquitting Malayalam actor Dileep. The convicts Sunil NS alias Pulsar Suni, Martin Antony, Manikandan B, Vijeesh VP, Salim H alias Vadival Salim, and Pradeep were heard on the question of sentencing earlier in the day. 4Contd on | nation holders, investors and the broader economy alike. International insurers from the United States, Europe and Asia, who have long sought a fully liberalised regime, are expected to move rapidly to establish wholly owned Indian arms. 4Contd on | nation 4See also | nation PM’s upcoming visit to Oman: CEPA on cards Ashwin Ahmad NEW DELHI Economics is on the agenda with Oman as PM Narendra Modi embarks on a three-nation tour from December 15 to 18. His visit will conclude with trips to Jordan and Ethiopia. Prior to the visit, Oman’s Lower House, Shura Council, approved the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) for which negotiations had begun in November 2023. The Indian cabinet too has approved the FTA. While MEA officials did not confirm if CEPA would be signed during PM’s visit, they said a number of documents had been formalised. 4Contd on | nation 56 ex-judges condemn impeachment move FPJ News Service DGCA suspends 4 FOIs Dhairya Gajara MUMBAI Aviation safety regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday suspended four Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) in the wake of IndiGo’s unprecedented operational meltdown, which triggered the cancellation of thousands of flights this month and left lakhs of passengers stranded across airports nationwide. The action marks the strongest regulatory intervention yet in the crisis that has shaken domestic aviation and raised serious questions about oversight, manpower planning, and compliance with new pilot rostering rules. IndiGo’s troubles continued on Friday when the airline cancelled 54 flights from Bengaluru alone, including 31 arrivals and 23 departures, even as disruptions continued across the network. A day earlier, the carrier had scrapped over 200 flights from Delhi and Bengaluru, compounding the chaos for passengers already grappling with long queues, missed connections, and repeated rescheduling. 4Contd on | nation NEW DELHI Fifty-six ex-judges, including former Supreme Court judges Adarsh Goel and Hemant Gupta and five former Chief Justices of HCs, issued on Friday a statement condemning the move by opposition MPs to initiate impeachment proceedings against Madras HC judge, Justice GR Swaminathan. Calling the step a “brazen effort to browbeat judges who do not fall in line with the ideological and political expectations of a particular section of society,” the former judges said they take “serious exception” to the move and warned allowing it to proceed would “cut at the very roots of our democracy and the independence of the judiciary,” Live Law reports. The impeachment bid came after Justice Swaminathan allowed temple devotees to light a lamp at a stone pillar atop the Thirupparankundram hill near a dargah, and later chided Tamil Nadu government for obstructing the implementation of the order. 4Contd on | nation