eye THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE Food for the Future JAIPUR,LATECITY APRIL13,2025 As seasons change out of schedule, will traditions last? 10+4PAGES,`6.00 DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA SOUMYARENDRA BARIK NEW DELHI, APRIL 12 THE UNITED STATES government late Friday evening exempted phones, computers and other electronics products from reciprocal tariffs, a decision seen as the first major softening of its stance towards China. The move will spare companies like Apple, Samsung,Microsoft,HPandDell which manufacture these products outside the US, from the high reciprocal tariffs President Donald Trump had announced on April 2. The decision also reflects a potentially growing awareness withintheTrumpcampthatunilaterally escalating the tariff war to target Beijing could have ramifications for some of its most important domestic companies as well as consumers, who may have to pay more for items imported from China, particularly electronics. CompanieslikeApple,which manufacture a large share of US President Donald Trump theirelectronicsoutputinChina, were particularly caught in Trump’stariff crosshairs,hitwith a massive 125 per cent tariff by the US administration following an escalation in tariff rates between Washington and Beijing. Inanotificationissuedbythe US Customs and Border Protection,theUSadministration has excluded 20 product categories including smartphones, laptop computers, hard drives and computer processors, chip making equipment, and certain semiconductor devices like memory chips — a substantial part of which are either made in China, or assembled elsewhere by using Chinese-made parts. The exclusions are retroactive to 12:01 am on April 5. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 National Herald case: ED moves to take possession of assets worth Rs 661 crore SC: President ought to seek our opinion if Governor reserves Bill claiming it is unconstitutional Preventing unconstitutional Bill saves resources: Bench E ANANTHAKRISHNAN G NEW DELHI, APRIL 12 THESUPREMECourtjudgement settling the dispute between Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi andtherulingDMKgovernment over the clearing of Bills — while laying down a specific timeframe for the President and Governor to act in such cases — seeks to give itself a toehold in the law-making process. TheApril8, 2025judgement, by a bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, Justice J B Pardiwala, Justice R Mahadevan says that, invoking Article 143, the President “ought to” seek its opinionwherethe Governorhas reserved the Bill for his/her CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Courtpushes ambitof ● Article143 WHILE SETTING guardrails for Governor, the SC is also being pro-active: setting a time frame for the President; and asking her to seek its opinion on a Bill under Article 143. But it underlines its hands are tied if reference is on policy or politics. AG flags: President not in picture, should have been heard before top court ruled ANANTHAKRISHNAN G & APURVA VISHWANATH No decision on review yet, says Attorney General Venkataramani NEW DELHI, APRIL 12 RESPONDING TO the Supreme Court verdict fixing a threemonth deadline for the President to clear Bills reserved for his/her consideration by the Governor, Attorney General R Venkataramani told The Indian Express Saturday that the President was not heard in the matter — and should have been. Asked about the verdict, the AG said: “The President was not heard. The President should have been heard (before the courtdecidedonherpowersunder the Constitution).” He added: “The President was not inthepictureatall”inthematter. Incidentally, the AG has made submissions on the powers of the Governor in the case. Asked if this could be a CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 NEW DELHI, APRIL 12 EXPRESS NETWORK The Herald House in New Delhi, Saturday. Gajendra Yadav AJL and its assets for a “a mere Rs 50 lakh” against an alleged loan extended by the Congress. Both SoniaandRahulwerequestioned in 2022 as part of the probe. “This is the continuation of the... proceedings where money laundering is alleged with no money movement, no transfers and the mere transfer of shares beingwrongly treatedas money laundering. This is a consequential order based on the earlier CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 NEW DELHI, APRIL 12 EXIT ANNAMALAI, NAINAR NAGENDRAN TAKES REINS OF TAMIL NADU BJP 3 MAOISTS KILLED IN BIJAPUR ENCOUNTER PAGE 3, 5 AT A university in Connecticut, a PhD scholar from India is now withoutfunding, safety,orsleep. Two weeks ago, the student, who was promised five years of full funding by the university, was told that his monthly stipend of $2,600 would be stopped after May. “I’m languishing.” ARUN JANARDHANAN CHENNAI, APRIL 12 IN AN unprecedented move, the Tamil Nadu government on Saturday invoked the Supreme Court order to notify 10 laws, which were stalled by the Governorearlier,ashavingtaken effect without his assent. OnApril8,theSupremeCourt had said Tamil Nadu Governor R NRavi’sdecisiontoreservethe10 Bills for consideration of the President after they had already been reconsidered by the State Assembly was illegal and erroneous. It had also laid down a timeline for Governors to decide on Bills presented to them. TheActs,allre-adoptedbythe TamilNaduAssemblylastyearaftertheGovernordelayedorwithheld assent, were forwarded to thePresidentbutwereultimately deemed passed following the Supreme Court’s order. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Was forced to resign as party chief in December KAMALDEEP SINGH BRAR BORDER REVIEW Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi visits areas on western borders to review operational readiness of frontline troops. PTI JCOKILLEDAS ARMY FOILS INFILTRATION ATTEMPTAT LoC PAGE 3 Pro-Palestine article to speeding ticket, why Indian students in US have their visas revoked ABHINAYA HARIGOVIND & VIDHEESHA KUNTAMALLA In a first, TN Govt notifies 10 laws without Governor nod Sukhbir back as Akali Dal president, flags ‘conspiracy’ against party EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE THEENFORCEMENTDirectorate (ED) on Saturday said it has servednoticestotakepossession of immovable assets worth Rs 661 crore — in Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow — that it had attached as part of a money laundering probe linked to National Herald newspaper and AssociatedJournalsLimited(AJL). The ED had attached these properties earlier by issuing a provisional attachment order in a PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act)caseagainstAJL, which publishes the National Herald, and Young Indian, which owns the newspaper. Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are majority shareholders of Young Indian, which is under the ED scanneroverchargesofacquiring FOUR-PAGE PULLOUT BENCH OF JUSTICES J B PARDIWALA AND R MAHADEVAN EXPLAINED In first softening on China, US exempts phones, laptops, chip machines from tariffs WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM “I haven’t participated in any protests during the Palestinian protests. AllI did waswrite afew pieces on the pro-Palestine movement in 2023 for a few publications, and I feel like I’m being targeted now,” says the scholar, adding he hasn’t informed his family yet. “They’ll worry too much.” “I’ve been trying for options inothercountries…Twohavealready rejected me. It is very difficult to take a transfer now especially with admissions closed,” he says. We gave you visa to study... not to become an activist, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier. Reuters While the 31-year-old suspectshispro-Palestinewrite-ups may have triggered the action, in recentmonths,severalIndianstudents in the United States on F-1 visashavefacedacombinationof rescinded job offers and abrupt fundingcutsoverinfractionsthey sayareminororalreadyresolved –aspeedingticket,drivingunder the influence, alleged shoplifting or other misdemeanours that they say have been dismissed by courts.TheIndianExpressspoketo several students who requested CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 AMRITSAR, APRIL 12 FORMER PUNJAB Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal was on Saturday re-elected as the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president, a post that has been held by a member of the Badal family since 1990. About 500 delegates of the Akali Dal, who were elected by thepartymembersduringitsrecent organisational polls, unanimouslyelectedSukhbirBadalas the party chief barely five months after his resignation from the post. Held at the Teja Singh Samundari hallatthe Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee(SGPC)headquarters in Amritsar, the SAD president's election was among several directions on its organisational changesissuedbytheAkalTakht — the highest temporal seat of Sikhs–afterBadalandotherSAD leaders were found guilty of “religious misconduct” during the Akali Dal-led government’s CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Vehicles torched during the violence following protests over the amended Waqf Act in Murshidabad, Saturday. ANI As Waqf protests spiral in Bengal, father & son among 3 dead; 150 arrested HC orders central forces: Cannot turn blind eye... grave, volatile situation RAVIK BHATTACHARYA KOLKATA, APRIL 12 THREE PERSONS, including a father-son duo, were killed as protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act spiralled into violenceinMurshidabaddistrict of West Bengal on Friday. According to a government statement, over 150 people have been arrested. Appealing for calm, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday asked people not to do “non-religious activity in the name of religion” and said the Waqf law would not be implemented in the state. Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar warned of strong action against miscreants. Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order, Jawed Shamimsaidpolicehadtoresort to firing to control the mob on Friday evening, adding that 15 policepersonnelwereinjured in the violence. The Calcutta High Court, acting on a petition filed by Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Will not implement law in state: CM Mamata Adhikari, ordered the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in the affected areas. Calling the situation “grave and volatile”, the court said it “cannot turn a blind eye”. Amid the growing unrest, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan held a video conference with the West Bengal Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to review the situation. TheHomeMinistryreiteratedits concern over the breakdown of law and order in Murshidabad. AdditionalBorderSecurityForce (BSF) personnel have been deployed in the area. Police said that while protests began in some districts soonafterParliamentpassedthe Bill earlier, protesters turned violent in Murshidabad on Friday. According to police, a father and CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 BREAK-IN AT ACTOR’S HOUSE Had watched Saif film but did not recognise him, accused told cops VIJAY KUMAR YADAV MUMBAI, APRIL 12 MOHAMMED SHARIFUL Fakir, the Bangladeshi national arrested for attacking actor Saif Ali Khan during the break-in at his house on January 16, is learnt to have told the police that while he had seen the actor on screen, he did not recognise him at the time of the incident. Fakirislearnttohavesaidthis during questioning in the presence of witnesses, whose statements are part of theover1,600page chargesheet filed in the case earlier. According to these statements, Fakir told police that he only got to know it was Saif when he watched a newsclipon YouTube later. He said he had watchedSaif’sfilm,butcouldnot recognise him as it was dark and the actor was clean-shaven. He The accused, Mohammed Shariful Fakir alsosaidthathemostlywatched Tamil movies. After the failed robbery attempt, Fakir reportedly got a haircuttochangehisappearance and bought headphones for Rs 50 outside Dadar railway station as he wanted to “release pressure” by listening to songs. This purchase emerged as a key link, as he was caught on CCTV camera,eventuallyleadingtohis arrest a few days later. While on the run, Fakir reportedly kept a tab on the developments and found out that the wrong person had been nabbed from Durg in Chhattisgarh. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 19th century British architect’s notes help reinstate Vadodara varsity dome PAGE 1 ANCHOR ADITI RAJA VADODARA, APRIL 12 AT THE 145-year-old heritage Faculty of Arts building of Vadodara’s Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU), a group of three men stand on the campus grounds,consideringhowbestto send some intricately carved sandstone jaalis to their peers standing on the first floor of the building.Inside,aworkerisbusy polishing heavy wooden door frameswhileanotherispainstakingly painting over a delicately engraved potted plant on the facade on the ground floor. For the last 18 months, the MSU’s 19th Century arts faculty building, with its amalgam of IndianandByzantinearchesand its peculiar marriage of local GaekwadandtheBaroquearchitecture,hasbeenhummingwith activity. Here, 100 workers have been working on a long but ambitious project: to breathe new life into the iconic double-layered masonry dome designed in 1880 by British architect Robert Fellows Chisholm. What makes the project complexyetexceptional,according to experts involved in it, is how it uniquely blends traditional building materials such as lime plaster and sandstone with out-of-the-box ones — such as a mixture of jaggery, urad (black gram), fenugreek, and wheat — to help reinforce its foundation. The renovation work involves a vast amount of work — from painting broken bits of the edifice and restoring paintings and woodwork to mending, and replacing, even the smallest nicks in jaalis — all the while ensuring Renovation work at the 145-year-old Faculty of Arts building of Maharaja Sayajirao University in Vadodara. Express that theworkremains faithfulto the original. For this, conservationists are gettinghelpfromChisholmhimself — specifically, his notes from The Transactions, an 1883 book unveiledbytheRoyalInstituteof British Architects, Rudresh Sharma, chief engineer and MSU's Officer on Special Duty who is overseeing the restoration by the Mumbai-based Savani Heritage Conservation Pvt Ltd, tells The Indian Express, adding that work is now on the home stretch and is likely to be completed by August. This comes after at least two Jaipur failed attempts to reinstate the dome, the last one being in 2018, when the Archaeological Survey of India drilled “more than 100 holes”. “The restoration was called off after that incident... It took us two years of studying the structure and examining documents — through books by Chisholm, records from the Museum of the royal family (the Gaekwads) as well as other sources — to arrive at a restoration plan,” Sharma says. So far, the university has completedsevendomesand the majority of the structural and surfacework.Theestimatedcost of repair, university officials say, is likely to escalate from the initialRs5.5crore—beingborneby the state government. Reinforcing structure, replacing delicate jaalis One of western India’s oldest colleges for education, the MSU was founded by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III — of the Gaekwad royal family of Baroda — in 1881 as Baroda College but was eventually renamed as the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in 1949. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3