Daily Briefing: Amritpal Singh underwent cosmetic surgery before returning to India; RBI keeps repo rate unchanged at 6.5%; and more

In Jammu and Kashmir, perhaps the most secured region in the country, Gujarat conman Kiran Patel, according to the police, made four visits, each between three and five days, over six months until March this year; met at least two IAS officers besides several junior officials; fixed up meetings for at least three Gujarat businessmen with key government functionaries; and hobnobbed with a slew of local BJP and RSS functionaries. How did he get such a free pass? We found out.

🚨 Big Story 

With Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh still on the run, his close aids, who are now lodged in Dibrugarh Central Jail, made a rather startling revelation: turns out the fugitive leader went to Georgia where he reportedly underwent a cosmetic surgery to look like Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale before returning to India in August last year, sources said. 

📰 From the Front Page

After raising the repo rate in six consecutive policies, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), in a surprise move, decided to pause its rate hike cycle on Thursday amid rising concerns over global financial stability.

What led up to the RBI’s decision? We explain. 

Establishing the BJP’s 2024 election campaign pitch, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said Opposition parties had a “Badshahi (imperial) mindset” when in power before 2014. 

👩🏽‍💻 Must Read

A fortnight after the Supreme Court directed all those released on interim bail in Delhi during the pandemic to surrender, nearly 4,000 prisoners, mostly undertrials, will return to prisons in the national capital today. For those released earlier, going back to prison and seeking regular bail again is the only legal recourse. Legal experts have criticised the ruling for shifting the onus on them to seek bail.

In 2016, years before Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as an MP which sparked a debate over the criminal defamation legislation in India, then Biju Janata Dal MP Tathagata Satpathy moved a Private Member’s Bill in the Lok Sabha to decriminalise defamation. Now the editor of Odia daily Dharitri, Satpathy speaks to Liz Mathew about what prompted him to introduce the “Speech Bill”, its features, the response of other parties, and the effect criminal defamation has in today’s political climate.

“You can’t delete Mahatma Gandhi’s truth,” writes Rajmohan Gandhi in our Opinion section today as he comments on The Indian Express story on latest deletions in NCERT textbooks. “What can’t be deleted from textbooks: Mahatma’s clarity that India belongs to all who live in it. That Ishwar Allah Tere Naam. And that feeling the other’s pain is the mark of a good individual,” he states.

⏱️ And Finally…

In a move that highlights the world’s most valuable tech company’s decision to dig deeper into the Indian market, Apple is all set to open its first retail store in Mumbai, followed soon after by another store in Delhi. The two retail stores will be at par with other Apple Stores in major locations such as Dubai, London and New York. “Our stores are where the best of Apple comes together…” Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice-president of Retail tells indianexpress.com.

🤐 Delhi Confidential: The BJP on Thursday celebrated its foundation day. But there seems to have been a little confusion among its leaders whether it was the 43d or the 44th foundation day of the party.  

🎧 In today’s episode of the ‘3 things’ podcast, we talk about the sweeping changes that the NCERT has made to the social science school textbooks.

Until tomorrow,

Rahel Philipose and Anandu Suresh