BHUBANESWAR  SATURDAY  JULY 19, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 12  JEYPORE EDITION The Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay trial proceeding against Lalu Yadav in a land-for-jobs case during his tenure as railway minister | FILE PHOTO CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOGGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ WARANGAL ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Outfit behind pahalgam massacre proscribed amidst trade talks; E.U. goes for Rosneft jugular U.S. PUTS LET TO HURT RUSSIA, PROXY TRF ON EU SANCTIONS ITS TERROR LIST GUJ REFINERY able, wherever they may be.” TRF had initially claimed reIN a significant development in sponsibility for the Pahalgam counter-terror cooperation, the carnage but later withdrew the United States formally desig- statement at Pakistan’s bidnated The Resistance Front ding. Probe by the National In(TRF), a proxy of the Pakistan- vestigation Agency identified based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), as TRF commander Sheikh Sajjad a Foreign Terrorist Organiza- Gul as the architect of the tion (FTO) and a Specially attack. Designated Global TerRubio said the desigrorist (SDGT). The annations were made unnouncement came der Section 219 of the amid intense India-US Immigration and Natrade talks to arrive at tionality Act and Execa deal ahead of the Auutive Order 13224, tools gust 1 deadline to avoid used by the US governIndicates reciprocal tariffs an- strong ties ment to isolate and penounced by President nalise foreign terrorist The gesture is actors. The US also reDonald Trump. “A strong The decision was aniterated LeT’s longnounced by US Secre- affirmation of standing status as a India-US tary of State Marco Rudesignated terrorist counterbio less than three outfit. terrorism months after a brutal The US move is excooperation,” April 22 terror attack pected to add new pressaid External in J&K’s Pahalgam, in sure on Pakistan, long Affairs which 26 civilians were accused by India of Minister S killed. The massacre harbouring, fostering Jaishankar marked the deadliest and enabling anti-Inassault on Indian civildia terrorist networks. ians since the 2008 Mumbai According to US intelligence attacks. and Indian counter-terrorism “Today’s designations send a officials, TRF has been inclear message: The US stands volved in a string of deadly amfirmly against terrorism in all bushes against Indian security forms,” said Rubio. “We are forces throughout 2024, indicatcommitted to holding perpetra- ing a pattern of coordinated tors and their sponsors account- proxy violence. J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi SOUNDING THE POLL BUGLE Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at a rally in Motihari, Bihar, on Friday | PTI Ravenshaw varsity revokes curb order on girl students E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Cuttack AMID the outrage over Balasore college student’s self-immolation over alleged sexual harassment by the head of a department, the prestigious Ravenshaw University found itself embroiled in controversy for issuing an order restricting female faculty, staff and students from staying on campus beyond 5.30 pm. Within hours, the order was withdrawn. The university officials said the order was wrongly interpreted and hence, revoked. The order, issued on Thursday by the varsity registrar, stated that no female faculty, staff and students are permit- ted to remain at the workplace on campus after 5.30 pm. The decision will remain in place until a formal standard operating procedure (SOP) is issued which will outline the necessary guidelines and protocols for work hours and safety measures, it read. A senior official of the university said the order led to a lot of confusion. “Many girl students stay in hostels and women teaching and non-teaching staff in quarters on the university premises. Similarly, research scholars carry out their work in labs till late in the evening. What happens if the order comes into effect? Owing to the confusion, it had to be revoked,” CONTINUED ON P5 he said. ing for a lower cap of $47.60 per barrel, closer to current marIN a bid to ratchet up econom- ket prices. ic pressure on Russia over the Under the price cap mechaUkraine war, the European nism, Western insurance and Union on Friday unveiled a shipping services can only be fresh package of sanctions, in- used if Russian oil is sold becluding lowering the price cap low the capped price. on Russian crude oil and sancThe EU’s latest move is tioning Nayara Energy an , aimed at reducing MosIndia-based refinery cow’s war revenues and with links to Russian comes amid growing energy giant Rosneft. concern that Russia Nayara Energy, forcontinues to earn sigmerly known as Essar nificant revenue from Oil, operates a 20-milits oil exports, despite lion-tonne-per-year re- ‘Unilateral existing sanctions. finery in Vadinar, Gu- sanctions’ Ironically, a lower jarat, and manages price cap may benefit some 6,750 petrol India does not countries like India subscribe to pumps across India. and China, which have Rosneft has a 49.13% any “unilateral significantly increased sanction stake in the firm. With their imports of Rusmeasures”, sanctions, Nayara will sian crude, as they no longer be able to ex- the Ministry of stand to get Russian External port refined products crude at lower prices. such as petrol and die- Affairs said in Russia is one of Inresponse to sel to European dia’s top oil suppliers, the EU’s countries. accounting for as sanctions “For the first time, much as 35% of the towe are designating a tal crude imports in flag registry and the biggest the past two years. Rosneft refinery in India,” said After Europe halted purKaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign chases of Russian oil and gas policy chief. following the attack on In 2022, the G7 nations intro- Ukraine, Moscow redirected duced a $60-a-barrel price cap its energy exports toward on Russian oil sold to third Asian buyers such as India countries. The EU is now push- and China. R A K E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi ED arrests Baghel’s son in liquor scam E J A Z K A I S E R @ Raipur THE Enforcement Directorate on Friday arrested Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, in connection with an alleged liquor scam-linked money laundering case. Chaitanya was produced before the special PMLA court in Raipur, which sent him to ED custody for five days. On Friday morning, a team of ED sleuths reached the residence that Chaitanya shares with his father at Bhilai, about 30 km west of Raipur. According to official sources, the arrest was made on the basis of statements given by one Laxminarayan Bansal, a liquor businessman close to the Congress leader’s son. While Bhupesh Baghel left for Raipur to attend the ongoing Assembly session, the central agency continued with its raid amid heightened security outside the Bhilai residence. Bhupesh said the raid was carried out on the day of his son’s birthday. Terming it a birthday gift from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, he said: “I will remember them for life.” Congress workers assembled outside the residential premise of Baghel to express solidarity with their leader and register a symbolic demonstration against the raid. The alleged liquor scam was orchestrated between 2019 and 2022 when Chhattisgarh was governed by the Bhupesh Baghelled Congress government.