& 81+ ' 4 4 4 VRGR '%&((!1#VCEB R BP A"'!#$#1!$"#0$"T utqBVQWBuxy( '+$.'(/012 '*'* + '( $) #'(, $- +9 3227&3 6%1 1/$7 -696 /-3:6%123$3 *5@/%5)/6-7$6 1/2#325 :%70 )#7+62)#5)6%/06- #/#70$6% 3%-5$+O3$+/6 #$/%-362 <A3% 7++636236 -6% #3-63+5- #6%13&6-# 1/#-615% #?1/-6)61@3*6?0616 ;2 ,-<=''& >< ;6 / 6 3! 42345456/17 R !! R %/01/2#3 cussing, arguing and even dis- Congress leader, has support- Lecture, organised annually by " sent. Their assertion and belief ed the ongoing protests against the Editors Guild of India in eighing in on the ongo- in the Constitution of India is the CAA and she was detained. 3 December last year, Mukherjee Wing protests across the particularly heartening to see,” This is not the first time had emphasised that a democ- country, former President he said. that he has spoken out on racy without a free press is like Pranab Mukherjee on While Mukherjee did not issues of national importance. a “blank piece of paper”. Thursday said the present wave name the Citizenship Mukherjee had raked up a “Selective, orchestrated, of largely peaceful protests that (Amendment) Act or CAA, in major controversy by visiting 1 one-sided, out of context, or have “gripped” the country his address, his remarks, par- the RSS headquarters in motivated reporting and dis- will once again help deepening ticularly his reference to belief Nagpur two years ago. At that play, aimed at pushing the par- India’s democratic roots. of the youth in upholding the time even people within his tisan agendas of one group or Addressing the first Constitution of India, have own party, the Congress, the other cannot or should not Sukumar Sen Memorial lecture come against the backdrop of criticised him for showing ever be the nature and charac- series at Pravasi Bharatiya protests against the CAA. proximity to the ruling BJP at ter of journalism,” he had said. Kendra on Thursday, former Incidentally, at several the Centre. In October last year, !! %/01/2#3 Supreme Court recently but President said the last few places protesters, mainly On December 19 last year, Mukherjee pressed on the the advocate said Pawan is still months have witnessed people, youths, grabbed headlines by speaking at the second Atal importance of dialogue in a ith nine days left for their left with option to move a cura- particularly the youth, come simply reading the Preamble of Bihari Vajpayee Memorial democracy while delivering Wexecution, the four tive petition in the Supreme out on the streets in large the Constitution. Lecture at the India stable Government and not a tary democracy,” Mukherjee the North East Institute of death-row convicts in the Court. The lawyer also claimed numbers to voice their views The Modi Government has Foundation, Mukherjee had majoritarian one. A numerical said. The former President also Advanced Studies Foundation Nirbhaya gangrape case are that Akshay is also left with on issues “which in their view faced several protests during its cautioned against a “majori- majority in elections gives you pointed out that while people Day lecture in memory of yet to inform the Tihar jail option to file curative petition. are important”. second term across the coun- tarian Government” against the right to make a stable gov- have given “strong majorities” Justice (Retd) KN Saikia in authorities about when they Meanwhile, a senior jail “Indian democracy has try on issues such as CAA/ the backdrop of pan-India ernment. The lack of popular to various parties since 1952, Guwahati, Assam. Mukherjee want to meet their families for official while elaborating about been tested time and again. NRC/NPR, abrogation of protests against the CAA. majority forbids you from not a single one has been elect- stated that the soul of India the last time or whom they the procedure before executing Consensus is the lifeblood of Article 370, and Triple Talaq. “A numerical majority in (becoming) a majoritarian gov- ed with over 50 per cent vote. resides in pluralism and cele- want to will their assets and the death-row convicts said after democracy. Democracy thrives Mukherjee’s daughter the elections only gives a polit- ernment. That is the message Similarly, delivering bration of its diversity. money that they have earned the death warrants were issued, on listening, deliberating, dis- Sharmistha Mukherjee, a ical party the right to form a and essence of our parliamen- Rajendra Mathur Memorial Continued on Page 4 during their incarceration. the convicts were asked when Delhi Prisons authorities they would like to meet their have begun preparations for the respective families for the last execution of the four convicts time and if so, who all do they !$ " on February 1 and have con- wish to meet. But none of tracted Pawan, the hangman them have responded yet. from Meerut who would be The official said the con- paid 15,000 for each hanging. victs were also asked if they % Meanwhile, the counsel for would want to prepare their the convicts, AP Singh told The will, but they have not respond- Pioneer that options are there ed yet. “The families of all the before him as Akshay Singh four convicts are allowed to )/3*3%& tims’ average age was 73, with and Pawan Gupta’s curative meet them twice a week but the the oldest 89 and the youngest " %/01/2#34 Trump said the US was watch- petitions are yet to be filed last date of meeting has not hina on Thursday locked 48. So far 631 cases have been 5%3/1%637% ing the developments related to before the Supreme Court. been fixed because they still Cdown five cities, including confirmed in 25 provincial- Kashmir “very closely” and Once the petitions are filed, the have not responded,” he said. Wuhan, suspending all public level regions in the country. rushing aside Prime repeated his offer to “help” hanging will be stayed till the “Dummy execution of the transport in an unprecedented The Government has BMinister Imran Khan’s plea resolve the matter. petitions are decided. four death-row convicts was move to contain the coron- sealed Wuhan and Huanggang, for global intervention to pre- Reacting to Khan’s call to The four convicts, Vinay performed in the prison last avirus that has infected over a prefecture level city with ! 2 1 / vent a showdown between “two the global community, the Shrama (26), Akshay Singh week. The officials recorded the 630 people and left 17 others over 7.4 million people, in an 2 1 nuclear armed” nations, New External Affairs Ministry (31), Mukesh Kumar (32) and weights of the convicts and dead, dampening the celebra- unprecedented effort to curb Delhi on Thursday rejected Spokesman Raveesh Kumar Pawan Gupta (25), who are then prepared the dummies tions of the Lunar New Year. the spread of the deadly novel President Donald Trump’s offer said Pakistan efforts would be lodged in separate cells of Jail accordingly with sacks filled On Thursday evening, coronavirus. The other three #$$%&#'%$&(%)*+( of “ help” to resolve the matter better spent in taking verifiable No 3 where the execution will with debris and stones,” a Chinese officials announced cities too have substantial pop- insisting that Kashmir issue action against terror groups on take place, are scheduled to be senior jail official said. suspension of public transport ulation. From 10 am on New Delhi: An Indian nurse Muraleedharan said. was a bilateral issue. its territory than trying to “dis- hanged at 6 am on February 1, The execution will take in five cities — Huanggang, Thursday, all public trans- working at a hospital in Saudi In a tweet, he said, “Update India also asked Pakistan to tract” the global community. in case they fail to file the cura- place in Jail No 3, the offi- Ezhou, Zhijiang, Qianjiang and portation, including city buses, Arabia tested positive for the from @CGIJeddah: About 100 take verifiable action against In an interview on the tive petition. cial said, adding that the Wuhan in Hubei province — subways, ferries and long-dis- coronavirus when she and Indian nurses mostly from terror groups active there and sidelines of the Davos meet, According to AP Singh, Uttar Pradesh Prison official media reported. tance coaches in Wuhan were nearly 100 of her Indian col- Kerala working at Al-Hayat blamed it for “spewing venom Imran Khan had urged inter- Pawan and Akshay still have authority has confirmed Wuhan, the city of 11 mil- suspended, and outbound leagues, mostly from Kerala, hospital have been tested and and false narratives” in the national powers — including options to file curative petitions that Pawan jallad from lion people where the virus is channels at airports and railway were screened, the none, except one nurse, was United Nations, saying it takes the UN and the US — in the Supreme Court. Pawan Meerut will be sent to believed to have first emerged, stations closed until further Government said on Thursday. found infected by coronavirus. to hate speech like ‘a fish takes to help de-escalate tensions and Akshay are yet to request hang the four convicts. has no trains or planes in or notice. The city officials have The nurse is being treated Affected nurse is being treated to water” on the Kashmir issue. between India and Pakistan for the “Presidential pardon”. All the four are out. Nationwide, a total of 17 asked people in both the cities at Aseer National Hospital and at Aseer National Hospital and Addressing the media before things get to a point of A petition of Pawan claim- likely to hanged people have died, all of them in not to leave.