DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2024, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 20 PAGES BY UNNY AFFIDAVIT IN SC Govt flags wife consent, but says too harsh to make marital rape criminal ANANTHAKRISHNAN G NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 3 SPELLING OUT its stand for the first time on the marital rape exception in law, the Centre told the Supreme Court Thursday that while “a husband certainly does not have any fundamental righttoviolatetheconsentof the wife”, calling such a violation as “rape” is “excessively harsh and, therefore, disproportionate”. A49-pageaffidavitfiledbythe Ministry of Home Affairs stated: “It is submitted that a husband certainly does not have any fundamentalrighttoviolatetheconsentofthewife,however,attractingthecrimeinthenature“rape” asrecognisedinIndiatotheinstitutionofmarriagecanbearguably consideredtobeexcessivelyharsh and therefore, disproportionate. This Hon’ble Court has further adopted a balancing approach in order to reconcile in the perceivableengagementbetweenfundamental rights.” This is the first time that the government has, on record, opposed striking down the marital rape exception. In 2022, in the Delhi High Court, it had said that the“issueneedswiderconsultations” and that a review of existingcriminallawswaspendingat that time. Delivering a split verdict, a two-judge bench of the HC had CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EXPRESS NETWORK 2.5-ACRE FARMHOUSE HAS SEIZED CARS, TRAINING CENTRE ED runs Gurugram office from farmhouse it confiscated, PSU bank challenges it in court Not handing over to realise public money defeats PMLA purpose: Union Bank; ED says as per rules RITU SARIN NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 3 THE FAÇADE of the farmhouse has a big “ED” painted on it, with the “D” fast fading. The indoor swimming pool is empty, the space used as a waste yard for discarded sarkari furniture; there is even a twin lock-up and interrogation centre inside. A family of strays, with a litter of puppies, has free run of the 2.5acre property, fed by staff near the “canteen” which was once a plush dining room. For the past two years, Farm No 22 in the Greens, Rajokri, in south Delhi, serves as the Gurugram Zonal office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), with its very confiscation being challenged by the bank to which Clockwise from top: The farmhouse where ED has set up its office; seized vehicles parked inside; the swimming pool area with discarded furniture. Gajendra Yadav, Ritu Sarin Challenge is to maintain UK cedes Chagos Islands’ J&K peace, not in favour sovereignty to Mauritius, of dilution of grid: GOC keeps base; India hails deal NAVEED IQBAL SHUBHAJIT ROY TERMING THE last two years in Kashmiras“peacefulandstable”, General Officer Commanding of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps, Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, Thursdaysaidthatrecruitmentto militantrankshasdroppedtosingledigits,andthechallengeahead is to “maintain” this peace. Regarding the possibility of a phased withdrawal of troops from the Valley, the GOC, who is set to take over as Director General of Military Operations BRITAIN ON Thursday agreed to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands — an archipelago of over 60 islands in the Indian Ocean — to Mauritius, in a deal to secure thefutureof thestrategicallyimportant UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, the largest in the chain of islands. For the first time in over 50 years, the status of the base will be undisputed and legally secure, following a political agreement between the UK and SRINAGAR, OCTOBER 3 NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 3 Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai. ANI next week, underscored that whetherit’sthecounter-infiltration effort on the Line of Control or the counter-terrorism one CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Abducted Meitei men freed, Kuki-Zo prisoners shifted out of Imphal jail SUKRITA BARUAH GUWAHATI, OCTOBER 3 JAISHANKAR TO MEET NEW LANKA PRESIDENT TODAY CABINET NOD FOR CLASSICAL STATUS TO FIVE LANGUAGES PAGE 7 DAYS OFhectic parleys led to the releaseof twoyoungMeiteimen Thursday, who had been held hostage by Kuki groups since September 27. The men, who were abducted when they strayedintoanareainManipur’s Kuki-Zomi majority Kangpokpi district, were released in the early hours of Thursday and The two men were held hostage since Sept 27 taken to Imphal. The two men, Oinam Thoithoi Singh and Thokchom Thoithoiba Singh, were handed over by Kuki groups to the Superintendent of Police of Kangpokpi district at around 5 am. On the other hand, 11 Kuki-Zomi men lodged in an Imphal jail were taken to Kangpokpi. Officially, senior police officialS Ibomcha saidthe release of the two young men and the transportation of the 11 Kuki inmates were unrelated. “The CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Mauritius, a British government statement said. India “welcomed” the agreement, saying it “completes the decolonisation of Mauritius”. Sources in New Delhi said India “played a quiet but important role in the background”. “It firmly backed the principled Mauritian position, supporting itsstanceontheneedtodoaway with the last vestiges of colonisation. At the same time, it CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EXPLAINED PAGE 17 E E X P L A I NE D BUSINESS AS USUAL ● The silver lining SECURITY OFFICIALS said the release of the Meitei men should be seen as an “opportunity”. “There were negotiations and the men were released without conceding to any unreasonable demands. This can be seen as a good opportunity, a starting point for all to come together for talks,” an official said. How a mother’s failed dream spurred rise of Wayanad as nursery for women’s cricket PAGE 1 ANCHOR SANDIP G NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 3 ITALLstartedonatraintripfrom Kochi to Kozhikode in early 2000, after K M Elsamma’s daughter Anumol Baby failed a selection trial. On that journey, Elsamma, a physical education teacher in Wayanad, decided to turn the disappointment of the trials into an opportunity, help- `7.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 ing shape the district, Kerala's popular tourist destination, into anunlikely nursery for women's cricket. Twoof Kerala'sthreewomen cricketers to have represented thecountryarefromthisremote district and one of them, allrounderSajanaSajeevan,isinthe India squad for the Women’s World Cup. As for the state's women's team, at any point in time, Wayanad players account for half the team. “When my daughter failed the trials, Wayanad did not have adistrictteam.Mydaughterwas Coach K M Elsamma with her ward and India player Sajana Sajeevan and daughter Anumol Baby a wanderer of sorts, turning up for different districts, and thus never got a real opportunity to express her skills. So we decided to form a team for our district,” recollects Elsamma, a justretired physical education teacherfromthe Mananthavady Government Vocational Higher Secondary School in Wayanad who once represented her college cricket team. “I called up the association secretary, Nazar Machan, who readily acknowledged the need for a team. But the bigger CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 the property was mortgaged. A visit shows that, including casual employees, there is a staff of almost 100 working inside. The sprawling central lawn of the farmhouse, with a market rate estimated by local property dealers to be worth Rs 120 crore, lined with fir trees and silver palm, serves as a parking lot for seized cars. There were about 40 carsonThursday,some pricedat Rs 1 crore plus. Officers say when ED headquarters in New Delhi is short of spaceforparkingpriceycarsconfiscatedasproceedsofcrime,they linethem upatthissprawlingED “office” in Rajokri. Besides a yard for seized cars, one large living room also doubles up as the agency’strainingcentrebytheED. This very farmhouse has been the subject of ample litigation,earlier intheDebtRecovery Tribunal (DRT) and the Delhi HighCourtand, atpresent,inthe Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Panchkula, where the Union Bank of India (earlier Corporation Bank) has challenged the ED’s attachment and confiscation of the property as a “proceed of crime.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 DECISION 2024 ASHOK TANWAR TURNS AGAIN, BACK IN CONG PAGE 6 FPIs PULL OUT `15,243 CR Sensex,Niftyfall over2%onnew F&O,WestAsia Investors lose ` 9.78 lakh crore in a single day THE WORLD HITESH VYAS MUMBAI, OCTOBER 3 DOMESTIC STOCK market indices Sensex and Nifty crashed Thursdaybyover2percenteach, their biggest fall in almost two months,duetoescalatinggeopolitical tensions in West Asia and a surge in crude oil prices. Recent norms announced by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to curb speculative trading in the Futures and Options (F&O) segment and continued outflows ISRAEL CALLS FOR EVACUATIONS FROM SOUTH LEBANON P 16 from foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) also spooked the market, resulting in heavy selling. The30-shareSensexplunged 1,769.19points,or2.1percent,to end at 82,497.1, while the broader Nifty slid 546.8 points, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Household ownership of equity surges to 21.5% GEORGE MATHEW MUMBAI, OCTOBER 3 INDIANHOUSEHOLDSarenotas conservativeintheirfinancialinvestments as many believe. The household sector, which includes individuals and nonprofitinstitutionsservinghouseholds directly, owned 21.5 per cent of India’s listed equity market as of June 2024, much higher when compared to other devel- oped markets, excluding the US, according to a research report. This ownership has remained within a very narrow range of 21-22 percent sincethe beginning of the calendar year 2021,followingamorestableperiod of almost five years when it was between 18 per cent and 20 per cent prior to that, and between 16 per cent and 17 per cent during 2011 to mid-2016, the report prepared by Motilal CONTINUED ON PAGE 2