DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA ● REG.NO. MCS/067/2018 - 20 RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2025, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES `5.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 BID TO EVOLVE POLITICAL CONSENSUS AHEAD OF MONSOON SESSION 28/05/2025 110 138 171 75 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY Cash at residence: Govt likely to bring motion to impeach Justice Varma Comes after 3-judge probe panel found credence in allegations, then CJI Khanna had recommended impeachment LIZ MATHEW NEW DELHI, MAY 27 FOLLOWING HIS indictment by the Supreme Court in-house inquiry panel, the government is likely to bring an impeachment motion in the upcoming monsoon session against former After pile of complaints, national skill corporation CEO removed RITU SARIN NEW DELHI, MAY 27 AFTER THE receipt of a slew of complaints, the Board of Directors of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)hasterminatedtheservices of its officiating Chief Executive Officer Ved Mani Tewari. The NSDC, meant to engage with industry to upgrade the skilling of an estimated 150 millionpeople,isaunitunderthe Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. Itisunderstoodthatthedecision to curtail Tewari’s tenure — he took over in 2021— comes after a hastily convened Board meeting following which a telltale “notice” was issued informing the “general public” about the decision taken at the special CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ECONOMY DEADLINE FOR FILING INCOME TAX RETURNS EXTENDED TO SEPT 15 PAGE 13 Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma, The Indian Express has learnt. On May 3, a three-member panel, set up by the Supreme Court,hadfoundcredenceinthe allegationsthatwadsof currency notes were discovered at the judge’s official residence when a fire broke out there on March 14. First move by Govt Justice Varma was transferred to Allahabad High Court NO IMPEACHMENT motion against a judge has been successful in Parliament. In 1993, the motion was defeated against SC Judge V Ramaswami; In 2011, Calcutta HC Judge Soumitra Sen resigned after Rajya Sabha passed an impeachment motion. Justice Varma’s case will be the first instance of the government initiating a motion of impeachment. Appointed by the CJI on March 22, the panel, comprising Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab & Haryana; Justice G S Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the HighCourtof HimachalPradesh; and Justice Anu Sivaraman, Judge of the High Court of Karnataka, recorded the statements of a range of witnesses. The Indian Express had reported on May 9 that then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna had forwarded a copy of the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 US pauses student visa interviews, plans social media vetting: Report SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, MAY 27 THE US administration led by President Donald Trump has askeditsembassiesandconsular sections to “pause scheduling new interviews for student visa applicants” as it considers requiring all foreign students to undergo social media vetting as part of their application, Politico reported on Tuesday, citing a diplomatic cable. The cable is dated Tuesday and signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, says the report, adding that such vetting wouldbeasignificantexpansion of previous such efforts. Currently, the visa application (DS-160) does require the applicant’s social media platform and social media identifiers. “Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any additional studentorexchangevisitor(F,M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issuedseptel,whichweanticipate in the coming days,” the report THE WORLD TRUMP MOVES TO CUT FINANCIAL TIES WITH HARVARD P 12 quotes the cable as saying, adding that 'septel' is State Departmentshorthandfor“separate telegram”. While interviews for US student visas started in mid-May, this could severely slow down processing of such visas. The US administration had earlierimposedsomesocialmedia screening requirements, but those were largely aimed at returning students who may have participated in protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza. “The cable doesn’t directly spell out what the future social media vetting would screen for, but it alludes to executive orders that are aimed at keeping out CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 BACK IN PAHALGAM BENGALURU, MAY 27 THE COOLER-THAN-USUAL summer this year is likely to extend to June as well, with plenty of rainfall expected to keep the temperatures in check, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Tuesday. In its second-stage forecast forthemonsoonseason,theIMD predicted eight per cent higher rainfallforJune,comparedtothe long-period average (LPA). It also made an upward revision in its forecast for the four- THE CITY CAUGHT OFF-GUARD, BMC IN WARFOOTING MODE P4 month June-September rainy season.TheIMDsaidthecountry aswholewasexpectedtoreceive rainfall that was 106 per cent of the LPA for the entire season. It hadearlierpredicted105percent rainfall during this period. The month of June usually brings about 166 mm of rainfall over the country . The IMD said this year, the rainfall could be eight per cent higher. But not all regionsarelikelytogetmorerainfall.Thenorthernparts,including JammuandKashmirandLadakh, and the North-East region, are likely to receive below-normal rainfall during the month. June being the monsoon onset month, summers usually continue over north and north CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 RAVI DUTTA MISHRA NEW DELHI, MAY 27 INDIA’S GOODS exports worth at least $775 million to the UK continue to face the risk of higher duties under its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) despite the conclusion of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) earlier this month, a UK official said Tuesday. A policy that was first proposedbytheEuropeanUnionand later by the UK, CBAM seeks to putatariff of upto35percenton carbonintensiveproductssuchas iron, steel and aluminium. During negotiations, India had sought to secure a carve-out for MSMEs from the CBAM policy after exporters told the Ministry of Commerce and Industry they were not in a position to meet its extensive data requirements. Exporters had also raised concerns that complying with carbon tax could compromise confidential trade data of manufacturers. Confirming that CBAM was notpartof the India–UK FTA, the UK official said these types of mechanisms usually don’t form part of the deal. Arguing that CBAM is not WTO-compliant, India had also proposed a ‘rebalancing mechanism’ which would require UK to compensate Indian industries for losses incurred due to the policy. Trade experts said under the trade deal, the UK has agreed to EXPLAINED ECONOMICS HOW FTAs COULD IMPACT INDIA’S AGRI TRADE PAGE 11 allow 99 per cent of India’s exportstoenterduty-free.Thisconcession could, however, be undermined as select Indian goods mayfacetariffsof 20–35percent, equivalent to the CBAM charges. Earlier this month, an Indian governmentofficialsaidIndiareserves the right to retaliate against losses caused by CBAM. The official said if India were to tax these products domestically, the industry could avoid paying the UK tax, and the revenue could support India’s own sustainability initiatives. The carbon tax negotiations aresignificant,astheUK’sCBAM —settotakeeffectin2027—will initially target carbon-intensive products such as iron, steel, aluminium, fertilisers, hydrogen, ceramics,glassandcement,with scopetoexpandthelistinfuture. According to the think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), the carbon tax could impact $775 million worth of Indian exports. “By not securing a carve-out or exemption clause on CBAM, India lost a vital opportunity to protect its carbonintensive exports. From January 2027, the UK can impose carbon taxes on Indian steel and CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 After holding a Cabinet meet in Pahalgam Tuesday, J&K CM Omar Abdullah cycles around the tourist hub along with sons Zahir (left) and Zamir (behind him) to send the message that the Valley is safe. On April 22, terrorists killed 26 people, mostly tourists, in Pahalgam. Express P6 Execution model for 5th gen fighter jet ‘Ruining her life’: HC grants bail to gets nod, HAL to bid student held for social media post with private firms OMKAR GOKHALE MUMBAI, MAY 27 GRANTING BAIL to a 19-year-old student from Pune, who was arrested and rusticated over a socialmediapostduringOperation Sindoor, the Bombay High Court on Tuesday pulled up the state authorities and the institute for the “absolutely shocking” action taken against her and ordered her immediate release. Following the court’s orders, the student was released on Tuesday night. The Sinhgad Academy of Engineering in Pune had rusticated the Second Year InformationTechnologystudent on May 9, after an FIR was registered against her at the Kondhwa police station in Pune. She was arrested the same day andsenttoYerawadaCentralJail. The Pune police had said the student “shared a post on Instagram account on May 7 regarding the war between Bharat andPakistan,whichhasallegedly causedtensionbetweentwodifferent religions and was likely to adversely affect public peace”. A vacation bench of Justices Gauri V Godse and Somasekhar Sundaresan on Tuesday passed orders on two pleas filed by the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Above-normal rainfall to keep Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra June heat in check, says IMD CM, is guest at Express Adda today ANJALI MARAR Exports to UK carry tariff risk as carbon tax left out of FTA EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE MUMBAI, MAY 27 JUST OVER six months ago, after significant losses in the 2024 generalelections,hebecamethe architect of a remarkable victory in the Maharashtra Assembly polls that saw the BJP and its alliescrossthetwo-thirdmarkand the BJP secure close to a majority on its own. KeytoBJP’sstrategyof wresting power from the Maha Vikas Aghadi in June 2022, Devendra Fadnavis has over the past Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Associate Partners CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 The Aeronautical Development Agency will lead the project in partnership with the Indian industry. PTI AMRITA NAYAK DUTTA NEW DELHI, MAY 27 BOOSTING INDIA’S plans for a fifth-generation fighter aircraft, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Wednesday approved the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme execution model. State-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will have to bid independently or in partnership with other firms to get the contract for manufacturing the aircraft. This is a departure from the past because such projects used to be handed over directly to HAL for manufacturing — it did not have to compete with others to bag the project. Onlyaselectgroupof nations possess fifth-generation aircraft. The US has the F-22 Raptor and F-35A Lightning II, China the J20 Mighty Dragon and Russia the Sukhoi Su-57. The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under the Defence Research Development Organisation, the agencythatwilldesigntheAMCA, is set to execute the programme through industry partnership. A statement from the Ministryof DefencesaidtheADA will shortly issue an Expression of Interest (EoI) for the AMCA Development Phase. The Ministry said the execution model approach provides CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 As Lalu’s family gets another son, the one who never escaped eclipse — Tej Pratap PAGE 1 ANCHOR SANTOSH SINGH PATNA, MAY 27 THE CONTRAST was stark. Two days after Lalu Prasad expelled elder son Tej Pratap Yadav from the party and family, a decision that had been some time coming, the family of the RJD president huddled around younger son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav in Kolkata Tuesday to welcome his newborn son, his second child. If Tejashwi’s photos flooding social media were a picture of family bliss, Tej, 37, is contending with images that have landed him in the doghouse, the fallout of a marriage that went wrong from the start. It was yet another controversy for the seventh child of LaluandRabriDevi,borninApril 1988, after six sisters. That was a joyous time for the family. Having started off from the peon quarters in Patna, Lalu was now a two-term MLA from Sonepur. The RJD chief is fond of recalling how strong winds were blowing the day Tej (meaning fast) was born, which is how he got his name. Lalu and Rabri had two more children after Tej, son Tejashwi and daughter Raj Lakshmi, in 1990. If Tejashwi means ‘illustrious’, Raj Lakshmi’s name marked Lalu becoming CM for the first time. He stayed in the post till 1997, followed by wife Rabritill2005(minussevendays in 2000, when Nitish Kumar took over as CM). This meant that Tej spent his formative years in the sprawling official residence of the CM — 1, Anne Marg. Sisters Misa Bharti and Rohini Acharya, both of whom would become doctors, were much older and not much company. Tejashwi, just over a year younger, had been sent awaytoDelhitostudy.Admitted to a school in Patna, Tej was virtually left to his own devices. Growingupincloseproximityto power, he — by all accounts — was sucked in. Visitors to the CM’s House in the 1990s recall Tej, when barely in his teens, pulling pranks that often went out of hand. Says a politician close to Lalu: “At this time, Tej’s father was the most powerful person in the state. He would hover around Lalu. Once, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee visits the hospital where RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav’s son was born Tuesday. PTI (Top) Tej Pratap he misbehaved with some senior ministers who had come to the house, and an embarrassed Lalu had to make excuses for him.” A senior journalist talks about Tej throwing stones at the media or snatching their cameras when they came to cover the CM. Lalu tried to laugh this away initially. “Once Tej struck a journalistwithabat,andLalugot very angry. It got to a point that the RJD leader would urge visitors to counsel Tej.” A lonely youth Towards the end of his teen years, Tej developed an interest in sports bikes and learning how to fly. “Once, he insisted that his father take him on a round of Patna in a helicopter. Lalu had to oblige,”saysasourceclosetothe family. During the recent conflict with Pakistan, Tej put up photos of himself dressed in the uniform of a pilot and sitting in the cockpit of a small plane, offering his“services”tothegovernment. In 2006, came a turn in the RJD’s fortunes, with the party losing power to former Lalu comrade Nitish Kumar. Sources say it was Tej who dragged his feet over vacating the CM’s bungalow, for four months. A source close to the family says Tej, 18 by then, could barely hide his disappointmentatmovingout.“He would ask where he would play cricket now or take his bike out for rounds.” By then, the family had reconciled to the fact that Tej, who had cleared Class 12 with difficulty and dropped out of college within a few months, was not going to study further. Meanwhile Tejashwi was enjoy- ing some spotlight already, having been picked up by the Delhi Daredevils IPL cricket team. Tejashwi spent four seasons with them, though without taking the field once. Amemberof Lalu’sextended family says: “The RJD chief always found it difficult to tackle Tej. Rabri Devi had a soft corner for him and would play peacemaker between her two sons.” Left behind If Tejashwi was finding his feet in Delhi, Misa was expanding her political role. She helped Rabriwithpartyandgovernance affairs when she was CM and alsolater,withLaluembroiled in court cases and in and out of jail. In2010,Laluindicatedforthe first time that Tejashwi would CONTINUED ON PAGE 2