BHUBANESWAR  FRIDAY  OCTOBER 04, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 12  JEYPORE EDITION ISRAEL STEPS UP AIR STRIKES ON BEIRUT, SAYS HEZBOLLAH INTEL HQ HIT Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters and other buildings linked to the group in Beirut, killing 15 fighters MORE LEBANON RESIDENTS TOLD TO EVACUATE MARKETS TANK; NO ATTACK ON IRAN TODAY A source close to Hezbollah said one of the attacks hit an “evacuated” building housing the group’s media relations office. Earlier in the day, a rare Israeli attack on central Beirut hit a residential building, killing nine. In the south, the Israeli military asked residents in 20 areas to evacuate northward, signaling that it may widen a ground operation launched earlier this week ■ ■ Suspense continued over Israeli response to the Iranian missiles attacks. US President Joe Biden said he is discussing with Israel about striking Iran’s oil facilities. “There is nothing going to happen today,” he added Amid the spiralling conflict in West Asia, domestic equity markets fell sharply. Sensex and Nifty tanked more than 2% each on Thursday 1,974 PEOPLE KILLED IN ISRAELI ATTACKS ON LEBANON SINCE LAST OCTOBER CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOGGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Majhi invites 34 nations to explore biz opportunities in Odisha EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bhubaneswar A diplomat greets CM Mohan Charan Majhi at the meeting in New Delhi | EXPRESS SC outlaws caste discrimination in jails across India read down discriminatory laws and file compliance reports before it. IN a landmark verdict, the SuThe verdict came on a plea preme Court on Thursday held filed by Sukanya Shantha, a nathat there should not be any tive of Kalyan in Maharashtra, caste discrimination in prisons alleging that prison manuals of across the country and all some states encourage castepresent provisions in jail manu- based discrimination. al perpetuating such discrimiThe order dealt with certain nation must go. The apex court discriminatory provisions of also registered a suo motu case jail manuals of 10 states—Uttar to monitor the issue. Pradesh, West Bengal, No caste A three-judge bench Madhya Pradesh, Anddetails to led by the Chief Justice hra Pradesh, Odisha, D Y Chandrachud di- be entered Kerala, Karnataka, Marected all states and Un- The CJI-led bench harashtra, and Himachion territories to revise al Pradesh—and set also ordered their prison manuals to them aside. the deletion of end caste-based allotThe court held that caste details of ment of work. “Distriassigning cleaning and prisoners from bution of manual work prison registrars. sweeping tasks to inamong prisoners on the mates belonging to the “Caste column basis of their caste hiermarginalised sections in convict or undertrial archy is discriminatory and allowing the higher and unconstitutional,” registrars shall be castes to do cooking is a said the bench, also deleted,” it said in clear violation of Artiits order comprising Justices J B cle 15(1). “Such indirect Pardiwala and Manoj uses of phrases which Misra. target so called lower castes canIt also ordered the Centre to not be used within our constitumake necessary changes accord- tional framework. Prison manuing to the judgment to address als are only reaffirming such caste-based discrimination in discrimination,” the CJI said. the Model Prison Manual, 2016 Observing that right to live and the Model Prisons and Cor- with dignity extends even to the rectional Services Act, 2023. incarcerated, the bench said: The apex court gave the Cen- “Criminal laws of the colonial tre and states three months to era continue to impact the postamend their prison manuals to colonial world.” S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi CHIEF Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday said the Utkarsh Odisha: Make-in-Odisha Conclave 2025, scheduled to be held in Bhubaneswar on January 28 and 29 next year, will lay a solid foundation for a prosperous Odisha by 2036 and a developed Odisha by 2047. Speaking to mediapersons after holding a meeting with ambassadors, diplomats and busi- ness communities of 34 countries in New Delhi and inviting them to the signature investment summit of Odisha, Majhi said the discussion with the representatives of various countries and industries was successful. “I am confident that the conclave will be a grand success. We will see massive industry participation and more investments in the fields of semiconductors, IT, green energy, petrochemicals, electronics and food processing, etc.,” he said. Addressing the ambassadors meet, the chief minister said Odisha has emerged a favoured destination for investments from diverse sectors and geographies. Highlighting the state’s abundant natural resources and skilled workforce, he said, “We are a state with immense natural wealth. Rich deposits of minerals like iron ore, bauxite, nickel, chromite and coal along with vast forest and water resources, have made Odisha a key player in India’s mineral and metal-based industries.” Over the past few years, the chief minister said, the state’s economy has been evolving at a rapid pace. While it continues to rely on minerals and metals, the focus now shifted actively to diversifying into new, fastgrowing sectors such as apparel, technical textiles, food processing, chemicals, petrochemicals, IT, renewable energy, green fuels and electronics manufacturing. CONTINUED ON P5 Don’t criminalise marital rape: Centre urges SC S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi THE Centre on Thursday strongly opposed the demand to criminalise marital rape, arguing in its affidavit in the Supreme Court that punitive measures are already in place to deal with it. “Parliament has provided different remedies, including criminal law provisions, to protect consent within marriage. Sections 354, 354A, 354B, 498A IPC, and the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, ensure serious penal consequences for such violations,” the affidavit said. A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra is hearing a batch of pleas on the matter. In its affidavit, the Centre said that the issue is primarily “social rather than legal”. “Criminalizing marital rape would have significant implications for society. The jurisdiction to criminalize such acts (marital rape) does not lie with the Supreme Court but rather with the legislature,” the Centre said in its affidavit. It added that the present question is essentially a social issue on which Parliament has taken a position after weighing all shades of opinions. Parliament, it added, decided to retain Ex- EXPRESS READ PM internship scheme rolled out New Delhi: The government on Thursday launched the Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme on a pilot basis. The scheme is open to those in the 21-24 years age group who meet specific educational and employment criteria. Existing reservation norms will apply. Eligible candidates can apply through the online portal www.pminternship.mca.gov.in. Around 1,25,000 interns are expected to be enrolled in the top 500 companies this year | P5 Odisha home to 696 leopards: Report Bhubaneswar: At 696, the number of leopards has increased in the state as compared to previous estimates, revealed the first ‘All Odisha Leopard Estimation’ report of the state government on Thursday. Released by Forest and Environment minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia on the occasion of 70th Wildlife Week here, the report said the leopard number has increased by around 128 more than the previous count of 568 | P2 ception 2 to Section 375 of IPC in 2013 while amending the said section in 2013. Striking it down on grounds of constitutional validity will have a far-reaching effect on the institution of marriage. “It may severely impact the conjugal relationship and may lead to serious disturbances in the institution of marriage. In the fast-growing and everchanging social and family structure, misuse of the amended provisions can also not be ruled out, as it would be difficult and challenging for a person to prove whether consent was there or not,” the Centre said. “In an institution of marriage, there exists a continuing expectation, by either of the spouse, to have reasonable sexual access from the other...these obligations, expectations and considerations, which are completely absent in the case of a stranger who seeks sexual congress, or even from any other intimate relationship, constitutes as a sufficient basis for the Legislature to distinguish qualitatively between an incident of non-consensual sex within the marital sphere and without it,” the Centre said. A two-judge bench of the Delhi High Court had on May 12, 2022 delivered a split verdict on the matter. While Justice Rajiv Shakdher was in favour of criminalising marital rape, Justice C Hari Shankar disagreed. UK TO HAND OVER CONTESTED CHAGOS ISLANDS TO MAURITIUS The British government agreed on Thursday to hand sovereignty of the long-contested Chagos Islands, an archipelago of more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean, to Mauritius, in a deal to secure the future of a strategically important UK-US military base | P9