🚨 Big Story The Supreme Court has rejected demands for a court-monitored probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation or a Special Investigation Team into allegations raised against the Adani Group companies by US-based short seller Hindenburg Research in a January 2023 report. Following the Supreme Court ruling, Hitesh Jain, the Managing Partner of Parinam Law Associates and Vice President of Mumbai BJP, opined: “The Supreme Court’s ruling on this matter has become a landmark in India’s legal and financial governance, highlighting the resilience of the country’s institutional frameworks against manufactured sensationalism and unsubstantiated reports.” 👉 Only in the Express On what makes sports bodies so lucrative that leaders like Brij Bhushan cling to power at all cost, our National Sports Editor Sandeep Dwivedi writes: “To understand this absurd pull that can drag someone from a spouse’s hospital bed to the stadium, one needs to understand the dog-eat-dog world of administrators where playing the cards correctly could lead to a life of unquestionable power and endless perks.” The Congress has dusted off “NYAY” — the centrepiece item of its 2019 manifesto — in the run-up to the 2024 general election later this year with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge saying that if voted to power, the party would implement the scheme under which women would be given “at least Rs 60,000-70,000” annually. However, there are several questions here: What is the charm of such schemes? Are they the same as Universal Basic Income? Aren’t such cash transfers counter-productive to poverty alleviation? Aren’t they doles or freebies or revadis? Can a country such as India afford them? Udit Misra explains. 📰 From the Front Page Underlining that “Nari Shakti” is the “biggest guarantee” for Viksit Bharat though “there is a lot of discussion in the country on Modi’s guarantee”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a frontal attack on the Congress and Left parties, major constituents of the Opposition, during his rally in Kerala. Listing the schemes which his government has rolled out for women in the last 10 years, Modi said the governments under Congress and Left considered women power as weak and, therefore, did not implement the women’s reservation Bill. A day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that he is committed to the “liberation” of the centuries-old Haji Malang Dargah, which right-wing groups claim is a temple, the off-grid shrine in Thane district was abuzz with activity with Chandrahas Ketkar, one of the two trustees of the three-member trust of the dargah, whose family has been managing it for the past 14 generations, saying: “Anyone claiming that the dargah is a temple is doing it for political mileage.” 📌 Must Read Could Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal be arrested today? Well, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) seems to think so. Several party leaders tweeted late last night that the ED is likely to raid Kejriwal’s residence and arrest him on Thursday. Following the social media posts, security arrangements have been made outside the ED headquarters in the National Capital. More than two decades after tigers disappeared from Bengal’s Buxa National Park, the big cat was spotted crossing a dry river bed on December 28. Experts are now hopeful that the tiger has returned for good. What led to the re-emergence of the big cat? What does this mean for villages located in and around the park? Read our report. The upcoming inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya is being seen as the second “Ram Mandir Andolan” by the Sangh Parivar, which is looking to use the opportunity to bring the Hindu society, cutting cross caste lines, together. The carefully crafted guest list includes representatives of over 150 communities from each district and a majority of the blocks across the length and breadth of the country. We take a look at who all are invited. 🔴 And Finally India vs South Africa, Cape Town Test | What’s the best thing to have happened to India on a day when they lost 6 wickets for zero runs? That South Africa batted worse in their first innings to be shot out for 55 and had yielded a 98-run lead on a dramatic day’s play that could prove the difference in the end. Read the full match report. Delhi Confidential: BJP’s Muslim face and senior leader Shahnawaz Hussain seems to have stepped in for championing the construction of the Ram Temple. Hussain, who visited the national capital for the first time since his angioplasty in September, invited mediapersons and some party leaders and gifted them a miniature replica of the Ram Temple. In today’s episode of the ‘3 Things’ podcast, the Indian Express' Diplomatic Affairs Editor Shubhajit Roy sheds light on the biggest geo-political challenges India faced in 2023. Until tomorrow, Rounak Bagchi and Rahel Philipose
