DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY SINCE 1932 `7.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM CRITICAL MANOEUVRE TO INJECT SPACECRAFT IN ‘HALO ORBIT' AROUND L1 POINT Aditya L1, ISRO’s mission to study Sun, set to be placed in final orbit tomorrow 7 payloads offer comprehensive study of solar phenomena ANONNA DUTT & ANJALI MARAR NEW DELHI, BENGALURU, JANUARY 4 EXPRESS NETWORK HIZBUL MAN WANTED IN 11 TERROR CASES HELD: DELHI POLICE ‘PUNJAB DYSP KILLED BY AUTO DRIVER WITH SERVICE WEAPON’ P 7 The full disc of the Sun captured on December 6, 2023, by SUIT onboard Aditya L1. ISRO ADITYA L1, India’s first mission tostudytheSun,isinchingcloser to its destination, and would be injected into its final orbit on January 6 evening. The spacecraft, launched on September2,wouldgetintowhat is known as a ‘halo orbit’ around the Lagrange Point 1 (L1), one of the five spots in the moving SunEarth system, where the gravitational effects of the two bodies roughly balance each other. These five spotsarerelatively stationary to the Earth and Sun, and offer a somewhat stable location for a spacecraft to view the Sun. The L1 point is about 1.5 million kilometres from the Earth.Thisisjust1percentof the total distance between theEarth and Sun. “Aditya L1 has already reachedtheL1pointandthemanoeuvre(onJanuary6)willputit inthedesiredorbit.Withoutgetting into the orbit, the spacecraft will continue to travel towards the Sun,” an ISRO official said. Though the L1, like the other Lagrange points, is a relatively stable position, it is difficult to keep the spacecraft firmly fixed at that location. It is much better to get into an orbit around this point, called ‘halo orbit'. Moving into this three-dimensional orbit also offers the spacecraft an opportunity to view the Sun from different angles. “Aditya L1 will make it to a halo orbit around the L1 point. As the Earth moves around the Sun, the L1 point will also move. So does the halo orbit,” AnnapurniSubramaniam,director, Indian Institute of Astrophysics,Bengaluru,toldThe Indian Express. Getting intothis orbit is quite challenging, and it is the first time that ISRO is attempting such a manoeuvre. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Cong to focus on 255 seats in LS, signals willingness to make room for INDIA allies In 2019, party contested 421, won 52 GEN NARAVANE’S MEMOIR Army reviews former Chief’s book on Ladakh standoff details Publisher told not to share excerpts until review over; Naravane says gave manuscript many months ago AMRITA NAYAK DUTTA & RITU SARIN NEW DELHI, JANUARY 4 THE INDIAN Army is reviewing the memoir of its former chief General M M Naravane that discloses details of a conversation he had with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the night of August 31, 2020, following the movement of Chinese PLA tanks and troops in Rechin La on the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, The Indian Express has learned. Excerpts from the memoir, Four Stars of Destiny, were publishedbynewsagencyPressTrust of India on December 18. Publisher Penguin Random House has been asked not to shareexcerptsorsoftcopiesofthe book until the review is over. The Ministry of Defence is alsosaidtobeinvolvedintheexercise “at some level”. The memoir provides insight into the military standoff with China in eastern Ladakh in 2020, including the Galwan Valley clashes,andtheAgnipathscheme. Thebookwasearlierscheduledto hit the stands this month. Reachedfor commentby The IndianExpress,GeneralNaravane MANOJ C G NEW DELHI, JANUARY 4 AMIDPULLSANDpressuresfrom allies of the INDIA bloc, the Congress leadership Thursday told state units the party would focuson255seatsintheupcoming Lok Sabha elections, signalling perhaps its readiness to contest in a lesser number of seats than in the 2019 national elections. It also announced that seatsharing talks with INDIA partners would begin immediately. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi along with AICC general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal metmembersof theparty’sfivemember national alliance committeewhichhadheldextensive discussions with state units over the last few days. The committee submitted its report to the leadership and was given the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ADHIR FUMES AT TMC ‘2-SEAT OFFER’ PAGE 5 One-and-a-half days, 107 overs: India win shortest Test in 90 yrs, draw series with SA SRIRAM VEERA MUMBAI, JANUARY 4 IN THE end, it felt like a win-win for both teams. Indian captain Rohit Sharma roared like he has seldom done in the past when the match-winning and serieslevelling hit came in the second TestinCapeTown.Therewasthe relief of not losing the series but the 1-1 result also meant that South Africa still remained Indian cricket's “last frontier”. As for South Africa, they too had reasons to celebrate. Dean Elgar, their most pugnacious batsman of the last decade, was retiring after this game. Indiawashumbledinthefirst Test but would, at least, leave South Africa without being embarrassed,andalsowithasliceof history,registeringtheirfirstTest wininCapeTownaftertryingfor years. A game that was done and dusted in one-and-a-half days, SPORT BUMRAH, SIRAJ BOWL INDIA TO HISTORIC WIN PAGE 17 that lasted just 107 overs — less timethanneededtobinge-watch aseasonofanOTTshow.Interms of deliveriesbowled,thiswasthe shortest Test match in 90 years. After the game, Rohit talked about the challenge of winning on these shores. “When you cometothispartof theworld,it's alwaysdifficultbutwetakepride in our performance outside of India. South Africa always challenges us, and for us to come out here and win, we can take pride in this performance,” he said. Though India, in the fourth inning, needed to cross the 79run target for a win, it wasn't CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 8 former Navy personnel in Qatar Punjab Cong MLA gets bail, held jail: 60 days to file plea, says MEA in new case; party calls it vendetta DIVYA A NEW DELHI, JANUARY 4 DAYS AFTER the appellate court in Qatar commuted the death sentences of eight former Indian Navy personnel, handing them prison terms ranging from 3 years to 25 years, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday that their legal team has been given 60 days to file an appeal in the Court of Cassation, the highest court there. “Thelegalteamhasnowgota PAGE 1 ANCHOR copy of the court order, which is confidentialinnature,”saidMEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. “Further,thelegalteamhasgot60 daystofileanappealintheCourt of Cassation,whichisthehighest court in Qatar. Our legal team is working on this issue, to decide the next courseof action, andwe areintouchwiththefamiliesand the legal team,” he said. Asked whether the 60-day period would be counted from the day of the appellate court's order, which was December 28, Jaiswal said: “I would assume it would start from December 28 or the day after... but it's for the legal team there (in Qatar) to look into these aspects.” Underlining that the matter is pending in the Qatari court, Jaiswal said he would not share the detailed judgment since it is a“sensitive”and“legal”issue.He said while the death penalty has beencommuted for all, theeight men have been awarded “varying prison sentences”. Last week, The Indian Express reported that among the seven CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 JAGPREET SINGH SANDHU & KANCHAN VASDEV CHANDIGARH, JANUARY 4 HOURS AFTER he was granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in a case under the NDPS Act and Arms Act, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Congress MLA from Bholath, was arrested Thursday by Punjab Police in a fresh case. The new case against Khaira was registered Thursday at Sukhpal Singh Khaira represents Bholath Subhanpur police station in Kapurthala under IPC sections 195A (threatening any person to give false evidence) and 506 (criminalintimidation).Itwason the complaint of Ranjit Kaur, wifeof KashmirSingh,aresident of Dograwal and the com- plainant in the earlier case against Khaira. In her complaint, Ranjit Kaur stated that five persons came to her house with their faces covered, and threatened her with dire consequences if she gave a statement against Khaira. Khaira’s son Mehtab Khaira alleged that the new case had been registered as part of a conspiracy to arrest his father. “If Khaira was still in jail, how could hethreatenanyoneorintimidate anyone?” he said, adding they CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Former Army Chief Gen M M Naravane On the ● ground GENERAL NARAVANE’S memoir with details on the standoff in Ladakh comes at a time when India and China are still holding military and diplomatic talks to resolve the situation along the LAC. The last disengagement was in September 2022 in the Gogra-Hot Springs area. Indian troops continue to be denied access to traditional patrolling points and the issue of PLA presence in the Depsang Plains and Demchok remains. did not respond to specific questions on whether official clearance had been obtained before CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE WORLD Jasprit Bumrah celebrates the wicket of Keshav Maharaj. Bumrah took 6 for 61 in South Africa's second innings in Cape Town on Thursday as India drew the two-match series. India's seven-wicket win was their first at Newlands. AP Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge with Y S Sharmila, who joined the party in New Delhi. Anil Sharma REPORT,PAGE5 E E X P L A I NE D JOURNALISM OF COURAGE FRIDAY, JANUARY 5, 2024, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES CLINTON TO TRUMP, EPSTEIN FILES NAME RICH & FAMOUS, BUT NO ‘CONSPIRATORS’ PAGE 12 ALLEGED PLOT TO KILL PANNUN SC declines Gupta kin plea for intervention: It is for Govt to decide EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, JANUARY 4 THE SUPREME Court Thursday declined a plea by family members of Indian national Nikhil Gupta to intervene in his detentionintheCzechRepublicoveran alleged plot to kill US-based Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a designated terrorist under the Unlawful Activities(Prevention)Act(UAPA). Gupta, who is lodged in a prison in Prague, has been accused by US authorities of plotting to kill Pannun at the behest of an Indian official. He was arrestedinJunelastyearandCzech courts are considering his extradition, as requested by the US. While presiding over a twojudge bench, Justice Sanjiv Khanna said it is a “sensitive” matter and that it is for the “government to take action”. “This is a sensitive matter for the government also. It has its own ramifications. We will not, in this court, make any statement. It is for the government to do what they want,” he said. The bench, also comprising Justice Dipankar Datta, said, in the order, “We have examined the prayers made in the present writpetition.Keepinginviewthe principlesof publicinternational law and sovereignty and comity of courts, we don’t think any of the prayers can be granted.” The bench noted that the petition by family members of Gupta said that he had already been granted consular access. Hours later, Randhir Jaiswal, spokespersonforthe Ministryof External Affairs, responding to a question, said, “We are yet to see the formal order of the Supreme Court. We will take things as it comes. Once we see the order, we will see what are the next steps forward.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Two farmers with Rs 450 in a/c, ED summons and case closure Tamil Nadu farmer brothers blame local BJP leader over land dispute, party says he has filed counter complaint ARUN JANARDHANAN CHENNAI, JANUARY 4 IN JULY 2023, when an envelope containing summons from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was delivered to brothers Kannaiyan,72,andKrishnan,66, Dalit farmers in Tamil Nadu’s Salemdistrict,inacaseof alleged money laundering, the two brothers merely had Rs 450 in their bank account, their lawyer Dalit G Pravina said. What made the ED summons odd, besides the fact that theseniorAtturresidentsowned just6.5acres,wasthattheywere engaged in an ongoing dispute over agricultural land with G Gunasekhar, a senior leader of the BJP’s Salem East wing. BJP state spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy said both Gunasekhar and the brothers have filed complaints against each other on charges of land grab. Gunasekhar was unavailable for comment. Despite ED now closing the case — following widespread criticism and outrage after the summons resurfaced on social media last week — the brothers’ troubles are far from over. Speaking to The Indian Express on Thursday evening, Krishnan said he had filed a police complaint against Gunasekharforharassinghimin the morning (January 4). “This morning, he and his team abused us, including using casteist slurs. We have been Kannaiyan, Krishnan with lawyer Pravina (centre). Express fighting a case against Gunasekhar since 2020 over attempted land grab. He and his men did not let us farm our land for three years,” Krishnan said. He added that his elder brother Kannaiyan and he were forced to survive on a meagre pension of Rs 1,000 per month and the free ration rice all these years. Their lawyer Pravina added,“The brothers were unable to farm on their own land for years due to threats from BJP leaders. They started ploughing their land for the first time in years today and still, there was resistance from the land mafia.” The brothers were booked formoneylaunderingbasedona 2017 incident despite their acquittal in the same case by a trial court in 2021. The 2017 case pertains to the brothers setting up unauthorised electric fencing around their farm that resulted inthedeathsof twoIndianbison. ED sources told The Indian Express that the brothers’ 2021 acquittalhadbeen“overlooked”. BJP’s Thirupathy told The Indian Express, “The party’s Salem leaders say the BJP has no role to play in the entire episode. The ED summons have nothing to do with the land dispute between Gunasekhar and the farmers.Infact,bothpartieshave filed multiple cases against each other, including both civil and criminal. The ED case was registeredagainstthebrothersinconnection with the killing of two bison. The agency had collected details of the farmers from the stateforestdepartmentandsent them summons.” Meanwhile, refusing to talk about why a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, had been registered against the elderly farmers, a top ED source in Chennai said, “It was a lapse onourpart. Thewholeissuewas CONTINUED ON PAGE 2