The Evening Wrap: ‘I am personally averse to sealed covers’, CJI tells Attorney General

The Supreme Court on March 20 gave the government leeway to pay in instalments ₹28,000 crore in arrears due to veterans under the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme. The staggered payment of OROP arrears would be made to various categories of eligible pensioners, totalling 21 lakh persons, from April 2023 till February 2024. The entirety of the arrears was supposed to be paid by March 2023, according to an earlier deadline given by the court. The alternative arrangement has been made after the Ministry of Defence, represented by Attorney General R. Venkataramani, said the Ministry of Finance had conveyed its inability to provide the entirety of the OROP arrears “in one go”. The hearing saw a three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud toss back to the government a “sealed cover” containing documents purportedly on the “financial implications” and “live wire” issues connected to the OROP expenditure. Chief Justice Chandrachud told the government that there were “no secrets in the court”. The petitioner-pensioners should be able to access every record the government filed in the apex court. “This is not fair. I am personally averse to sealed covers. It is fundamentally contrary to the judicial process and principle of fair trial. The court has to be transparent… We want to put a stop to the sealed cover procedure in the Supreme Court,” Chief Justice Chandrachud told Venkataramani. The Attorney General said the documents were confidential as they contained “some issues of sensitivity” and “financial balancing of the whole economy”. “Then you should claim privilege… Return them [sealed cover] to the Attorney General,” the CJI told the court staff. Venkataramani said funds have to be disbursed for other needs, including disbursal salaries, regular pension, social security for the needy and the poor, food and fertiliser subsidy, etc. Extending the time for payment of OROP arrears, the court ordered the government to pay the dues to family pensioners, gallantry awardees in a single instalment on or before April 30, 2023. There are six lakh of them. Pensioners aged 70 years or above should be paid their arrears on or before June 30, 2023, either in one or multiple instalments spaced within the time period. There are four lakh pensioners in this category. The remaining 11 lakh pensioners should be paid their arrears in equal instalments on or before August 30, 2023; November 30, 2023; and February 28, 2024. Venkataramani, reading out from a note, said the budgetary outlay for the Ministry of Defence for 2022-23 was ₹5.85 lakh crore. Of this, an amount of ₹1.32 lakh crore is for the planned expenditure for total pension disbursements during the year. An amount of ₹1.2 lakh crore was already disbursed in February 2023. The ₹28,000 crore in OROP arrears is for the period between 2019-2022, which is an “additional component”. T.N. Budget: Scheme for ₹1,000 cash assistance for eligible women heads of families, to be launched on September 15 In a bid to fulfil one of its key electoral promises, the Tamil Nadu government will launch the Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme, providing financial assistance of ₹1,000 per month to women heads of eligible households, this year, on September 15, the birth anniversary of late Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai. State Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, who made this announcement as part of the 2023-24 budget he presented in the Assembly on Monday, said that ₹7,000 crore has been allotted for the scheme. He said that the scheme, once implemented, will be one of the biggest cash transfer schemes implemented by any State government in India’s history. He made the announcement amid continuous thumping of desks by the treasury benches and MLAs belonging to parties in alliance with the DMK. The criteria on which households will be eligible for the scheme and other operational guidelines will be released later by the government. Thiaga Rajan said that women heads of families who have been adversely affected by the sharp rise in the price of cooking gas made by the Union government, as well as the overall price rise, would benefit greatly from the scheme. Highlighting that the month of September has a special significance to the Dravidian movement, he said the scheme was also being launched in the centenary year of late Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi. The Finance Minister also emphasised the gains made by the State government since it came to power in increasing the State’s Own Tax Revenue (SOTR) as a percentage of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) and in reducing fiscal and revenue deficits. Despite allotting ₹7,000 Crore for the Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme, he said that the revenue deficit has been contained at 1.32% of the GSDP in the budget estimate for 2023-24, which was much below the levels of 2017-18. He said that the SOTR was expected to increase to ₹1.81 lakh crore in 2023-23, which will be 19.3 % higher than the revised estimate of 1.52 lakh crore for the year 2022-23. Pro-Khalistani protesters attack Indian Consulate in U.S. A group of pro-Khalistani protesters on March 20 attacked and damaged the Indian Consulate in San Francisco (SFO), prompting sharp condemnation from Indian Americans who demanded immediate action against those responsible for it. “We are also appalled by the complete law and order failure in both in London as well as in SFO where a few radicalised separatists attacked India’s diplomatic missions,” Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) said after pro-Khalistani protesters attacked the Indian Consulate in San Francisco. Raising pro-Khalistan slogans, the protesters broke open the makeshift security barriers raised by the city police and installed two so-called Khalistani flags inside the Consulate premises. Two consulate personnel soon removed these flags. Soon thereafter, a group of angry protesters entered the consulate premises and started hitting the door and windows with the rods that they had in their hand. There was no immediate comment from San Francisco police on the incident. Community leader Ajay Bhutoria strongly condemned the attack by pro-Khalistan protesters on the Consulate of India building in San Francisco. “This act of violence is not only a threat to the diplomatic relations between the United States and India but also an attack on the peace and harmony of our community,” he said. In a statement, Bhutoria urged local authorities to take immediate action against those responsible for this attack and bring them to justice. “I also call on all members of our community to unite and promote peace and harmony,” he said. Will be forced to launch another protest if govt. does not fulfil demands: SKM Farmers’ outfit Samyukta Kisan Morcha on March 20 said it will be forced to launch another protest if the government does not fulfil its demands, including a law on minimum support price (MSP), debt waiver and pension. A 15-member SKM delegation met with Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar at Krishi Bhawan in the afternoon and submitted a demand charter, farmer leader Darshan Pal said. “There are several unresolved issues and these demand another ‘andolan’. We will convene another meeting on April 30 in Delhi. I ask all farmer’s unions to take out rallies in their respective States and hold panchayats in the run-up to the meeting,” he said, addressing the farmers who gathered at the Ramila Maidan here. “We do not want to protest daily but we are forced to do it. If the government does not heed our demands, we will launch another andolan which will be bigger than the protest against the farm laws,” he said. Pal said the demands included a law for MSP, complete debt waiver, pension, crop insurance, withdrawal of cases registered against farmers and compensation to families of farmers who died during the protest against now-repealed farm laws. The farmers also demanded the dismissal and incarceration of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra and compensation for crop damage due to hail storm and unseasonal rains. Pal said Tomar told the delegation that power subsidies to farmers have been exempt from the Electricity Act. “This demand has already been met. It a big win for the SKM,” he said. The minister told the delegation that the government has already issued directions to provide compensation for crop damage due to hail and unseasonal rains. “We also discussed the issue of a legal guarantee for MSP with the minister. Tomar said he will personally intervene so that cases registered against farmers are withdrawn and compensation to families of deceased farmers is provided,” the farmer leader said. “There are several unresolved issues and these call for another ‘andolan’. We will convene another meeting on April 30 in Delhi. I ask all farmers unions to take out rallies and hold panchayats in the run-up to the meeting,” Pal said. Vladimir Putin welcomes Xi Jinping’s plan for ‘settlement of acute crisis in Ukraine’ Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the Kremlin on March 20, 2023, in a visit that sent a powerful message to Western leaders allied with Ukraine that their efforts to isolate Moscow have fallen short. As he greeted Xi, Mr. Putin also said he welcomed his plan for “settlement of the acute crisis in Ukraine.” Xi’s visit showed off Beijing’s new diplomatic swagger and gave a political lift to Putin just days after an international arrest warrant was issued for the Kremlin leader on war crimes charges related to Ukraine. The two major powers have described Xi’s three-day trip as an opportunity to deepen their “no-limits friendship.” China looks to Russia as a source of oil and gas for its energy-hungry economy, and as a partner in standing up to what both see as U.S. domination of global affairs. The two countries, which are among the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, have also held joint military drills. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that over dinner on March 20, Putin and Xi will likely include a “detailed explanation” of Moscow’s actions in Ukraine. Broader talks involving officials from both countries on a range of subjects are scheduled for Tuesday, Peskov said. For Putin, Xi’s presence is a prestigious, diplomatic triumph amid Western efforts to isolate Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. In an article published in the Chinese People’s Daily newspaper, Putin described Xi’s visit as a “landmark event” that “reaffirms the special nature of the Russia-China partnership.” Putin also specifically said the meeting sent a message to Washington that the two countries aren’t prepared to accept attempts to weaken them. “The U.S. policy of simultaneously deterring Russia and China, as well as all those who do not bend to the American diktat, is getting ever fiercer and more aggressive,” he wrote. Xi’s trip came after the International Criminal Court in The Hague announced Friday it wants to put Putin on trial for the abductions of thousands of children from Ukraine. China portrays Xi’s visit as part of normal diplomatic exchanges and has offered little detail about what the trip aims to accomplish, though the nearly 13 months of war in Ukraine cast a long shadow on the talks. At a daily briefing in Beijing on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Xi’s trip was a “journey of friendship, cooperation and peace.” On the war, Wang said: “China will uphold its objective and fair position on the Ukrainian crisis and play a constructive role in promoting peace talks.” Beijing’s leap into Ukraine issues follows its recent success in brokering talks between Iran and its chief Middle Eastern rival, Saudi Arabia, which agreed to restore their diplomatic ties after years of tensions. Following that success, Xi called for China to play a bigger role in managing global affairs. “President Xi will have an in-depth exchange of views with President Putin on bilateral relations and major international and regional issues of common concern,” Wang said. He added that Xi aims to “promote strategic coordination and practical cooperation between the two countries and inject new impetus into the development of bilateral relations.” Although they boast of a “no-limits” partnership, Beijing has conducted a China First policy. It has shrunk from supplying Russia’s war machine — a move that could worsen relations with Washington and turn important European trade partners against Beijing. On the other hand, it has refused to condemn Moscow’s aggression and has censured Western sanctions against Moscow, while accusing NATO and the United States of provoking Putin’s military action. China last month called for a cease-fire and peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautiously welcomed Beijing’s involvement, but the overture fizzled. The Kremlin has welcomed China’s peace plan and said Putin and Xi would discuss it. Washington strongly rejected Beijing’s call for a ceasefire as the effective ratification of the Kremlin’s battlefield gains. Kyiv officials say they won’t bend in their terms for a peace accord. “The first and main point is the capitulation or withdrawal of the Russian occupation troops from the territory of Ukraine in accordance with the norms of international law and the UN Charter,” Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, tweeted on Monday. That means restoring “sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity,” he wrote. The Kremlin doesn’t recognise the authority of the International Criminal Court and has rejected its move against Putin as “legally null and void.” China, the U.S. and Ukraine also don’t recognize the ICC, but the court’s announcement tarnished Putin’s international standing. China’s Foreign Ministry called on the ICC to “respect the jurisdictional immunity” of a head of state and “avoid politicisation and double standards.” Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, said the ICC’s move will have “monstrous consequences” for international law. In Brief: The Supreme Court on March 20, 2023 clubbed three FIRs lodged against Congress leader Pawan Khera for allegedly making objectionable remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and transferred them to the Hazratganj police station in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow. Extending the interim bail till April 10, a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices P S Narasimha and K B Pardiwala took note of the facts that three FIRs were lodged against Khera. Out of the three FIRs, two were lodged at the Cantonment police station in Varanasi and the Hazratganj police station in Lucknow. The third FIR was lodged in Assam. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 20 March 2023 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( OROP arrears case: ‘I am personally averse to sealed covers’, CJI tells Attorney General; govt directed to pay ₹28,000 cr dues by Feb 2024 The [Supreme Court on March 20 gave the government leeway to pay in instalments ₹28,000 crore]( in arrears due to veterans under the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme. The staggered payment of OROP arrears would be made to various categories of eligible pensioners, totalling 21 lakh persons, from April 2023 till February 2024. The entirety of the arrears was supposed to be paid by March 2023, according to an earlier deadline given by the court. The alternative arrangement has been made after the Ministry of Defence, represented by Attorney General R. Venkataramani, said the Ministry of Finance had conveyed its inability to provide the entirety of the OROP arrears “in one go”. [Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud. File] The hearing saw a three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud toss back to the government a “sealed cover” containing documents purportedly on the “financial implications” and “live wire” issues connected to the OROP expenditure. Chief Justice Chandrachud told the government that there were “no secrets in the court”. The petitioner-pensioners should be able to access every record the government filed in the apex court. “This is not fair. I am personally averse to sealed covers. It is fundamentally contrary to the judicial process and principle of fair trial. The court has to be transparent… We want to put a stop to the sealed cover procedure in the Supreme Court,” Chief Justice Chandrachud told Venkataramani. The Attorney General said the documents were confidential as they contained “some issues of sensitivity” and “financial balancing of the whole economy”. “Then you should claim privilege… Return them [sealed cover] to the Attorney General,” the CJI told the court staff. Venkataramani said funds have to be disbursed for other needs, including disbursal salaries, regular pension, social security for the needy and the poor, food and fertiliser subsidy, etc. Extending the time for payment of OROP arrears, the court ordered the government to pay the dues to family pensioners, gallantry awardees in a single instalment on or before April 30, 2023. There are six lakh of them. Pensioners aged 70 years or above should be paid their arrears on or before June 30, 2023, either in one or multiple instalments spaced within the time period. There are four lakh pensioners in this category. The remaining 11 lakh pensioners should be paid their arrears in equal instalments on or before August 30, 2023; November 30, 2023; and February 28, 2024. Venkataramani, reading out from a note, said the budgetary outlay for the Ministry of Defence for 2022-23 was ₹5.85 lakh crore. Of this, an amount of ₹1.32 lakh crore is for the planned expenditure for total pension disbursements during the year. An amount of ₹1.2 lakh crore was already disbursed in February 2023. The ₹28,000 crore in OROP arrears is for the period between 2019-2022, which is an “additional component”. T.N. Budget: Scheme for ₹1,000 cash assistance for eligible women heads of families, to be launched on September 15 In a bid to fulfil one of its key electoral promises, the T[amil Nadu government will launch the Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme]( providing financial assistance of ₹1,000 per month to women heads of eligible households, this year, on September 15, the birth anniversary of late Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai. State Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, who made this announcement as part of the 2023-24 budget he presented in the Assembly on Monday, said that ₹7,000 crore has been allotted for the scheme. He said that the scheme, once implemented, will be one of the biggest cash transfer schemes implemented by any State government in India’s history. He made the announcement amid continuous thumping of desks by the treasury benches and MLAs belonging to parties in alliance with the DMK. The criteria on which households will be eligible for the scheme and other operational guidelines will be released later by the government. Thiaga Rajan said that women heads of families who have been adversely affected by the sharp rise in the price of cooking gas made by the Union government, as well as the overall price rise, would benefit greatly from the scheme. Highlighting that the month of September has a special significance to the Dravidian movement, he said the scheme was also being launched in the centenary year of late Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi. The Finance Minister also emphasised the gains made by the State government since it came to power in increasing the State’s Own Tax Revenue (SOTR) as a percentage of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) and in reducing fiscal and revenue deficits. Despite allotting ₹7,000 Crore for the Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme, he said that the revenue deficit has been contained at 1.32% of the GSDP in the budget estimate for 2023-24, which was much below the levels of 2017-18. He said that the SOTR was expected to increase to ₹1.81 lakh crore in 2023-23, which will be 19.3 % higher than the revised estimate of 1.52 lakh crore for the year 2022-23. Pro-Khalistani protesters attack Indian Consulate in U.S. A group of [pro-Khalistani protesters on March 20 attacked and damaged the Indian Consulate in San Francisco]( (SFO), prompting sharp condemnation from Indian Americans who demanded immediate action against those responsible for it. “We are also appalled by the complete law and order failure in both in London as well as in SFO where a few radicalised separatists attacked India’s diplomatic missions,” Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) said after pro-Khalistani protesters attacked the Indian Consulate in San Francisco. [Sikh men hold national flags during a protest in New Delhi on March 20, 2023, against the supporters of radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh who were filmed vandalising India’s consulate in San Francisco, not long after similar disturbances in London.] Raising pro-Khalistan slogans, the protesters broke open the makeshift security barriers raised by the city police and installed two so-called Khalistani flags inside the Consulate premises. Two consulate personnel soon removed these flags. Soon thereafter, a group of angry protesters entered the consulate premises and started hitting the door and windows with the rods that they had in their hand. There was no immediate comment from San Francisco police on the incident. Community leader Ajay Bhutoria strongly condemned the attack by pro-Khalistan protesters on the Consulate of India building in San Francisco. “This act of violence is not only a threat to the diplomatic relations between the United States and India but also an attack on the peace and harmony of our community,” he said. In a statement, Bhutoria urged local authorities to take immediate action against those responsible for this attack and bring them to justice. “I also call on all members of our community to unite and promote peace and harmony,” he said. Will be forced to launch another protest if govt. does not fulfil demands: SKM Farmers’ outfit [Samyukta Kisan Morcha on March 20 said it will be forced to launch another protest]( if the government does not fulfil its demands, including a law on minimum support price (MSP), debt waiver and pension. A 15-member SKM delegation met with Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar at Krishi Bhawan in the afternoon and submitted a demand charter, farmer leader Darshan Pal said. “There are several unresolved issues and these demand another ‘andolan’. We will convene another meeting on April 30 in Delhi. I ask all farmer’s unions to take out rallies in their respective States and hold panchayats in the run-up to the meeting,” he said, addressing the farmers who gathered at the Ramila Maidan here. “We do not want to protest daily but we are forced to do it. If the government does not heed our demands, we will launch another andolan which will be bigger than the protest against the farm laws,” he said. Pal said the demands included a law for MSP, complete debt waiver, pension, crop insurance, withdrawal of cases registered against farmers and compensation to families of farmers who died during the protest against now-repealed farm laws. The farmers also demanded the dismissal and incarceration of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra and compensation for crop damage due to hail storm and unseasonal rains. Pal said Tomar told the delegation that power subsidies to farmers have been exempt from the Electricity Act. “This demand has already been met. It a big win for the SKM,” he said. The minister told the delegation that the government has already issued directions to provide compensation for crop damage due to hail and unseasonal rains. “We also discussed the issue of a legal guarantee for MSP with the minister. Tomar said he will personally intervene so that cases registered against farmers are withdrawn and compensation to families of deceased farmers is provided,” the farmer leader said. “There are several unresolved issues and these call for another ‘andolan’. We will convene another meeting on April 30 in Delhi. I ask all farmers unions to take out rallies and hold panchayats in the run-up to the meeting,” Pal said. Vladimir Putin welcomes Xi Jinping’s plan for ‘settlement of acute crisis in Ukraine’ Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the Kremlin on March 20, 2023, in a visit that sent a powerful message to Western leaders allied with Ukraine that their efforts to isolate Moscow have fallen short. As he greeted Xi, [Mr. Putin also said he welcomed his plan for “settlement of the acute crisis in Ukraine.”]( Xi’s visit showed off Beijing’s new diplomatic swagger and gave a political lift to Putin just days after an international arrest warrant was issued for the Kremlin leader on war crimes charges related to Ukraine. The two major powers have described Xi’s three-day trip as an opportunity to deepen their “no-limits friendship.” China looks to Russia as a source of oil and gas for its energy-hungry economy, and as a partner in standing up to what both see as U.S. domination of global affairs. The two countries, which are among the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, have also held joint military drills. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that over dinner on March 20, Putin and Xi will likely include a “detailed explanation” of Moscow’s actions in Ukraine. Broader talks involving officials from both countries on a range of subjects are scheduled for Tuesday, Peskov said. For Putin, Xi’s presence is a prestigious, diplomatic triumph amid Western efforts to isolate Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. In an article published in the Chinese People’s Daily newspaper, Putin described Xi’s visit as a “landmark event” that “reaffirms the special nature of the Russia-China partnership.” Putin also specifically said the meeting sent a message to Washington that the two countries aren’t prepared to accept attempts to weaken them. “The U.S. policy of simultaneously deterring Russia and China, as well as all those who do not bend to the American diktat, is getting ever fiercer and more aggressive,” he wrote. Xi’s trip came after the International Criminal Court in The Hague announced Friday it wants to put Putin on trial for the abductions of thousands of children from Ukraine. China portrays Xi’s visit as part of normal diplomatic exchanges and has offered little detail about what the trip aims to accomplish, though the nearly 13 months of war in Ukraine cast a long shadow on the talks. At a daily briefing in Beijing on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Xi’s trip was a “journey of friendship, cooperation and peace.” On the war, Wang said: “China will uphold its objective and fair position on the Ukrainian crisis and play a constructive role in promoting peace talks.” Beijing’s leap into Ukraine issues follows its recent success in brokering talks between Iran and its chief Middle Eastern rival, Saudi Arabia, which agreed to restore their diplomatic ties after years of tensions. Following that success, Xi called for China to play a bigger role in managing global affairs. “President Xi will have an in-depth exchange of views with President Putin on bilateral relations and major international and regional issues of common concern,” Wang said. He added that Xi aims to “promote strategic coordination and practical cooperation between the two countries and inject new impetus into the development of bilateral relations.” Although they boast of a “no-limits” partnership, Beijing has conducted a China First policy. It has shrunk from supplying Russia’s war machine — a move that could worsen relations with Washington and turn important European trade partners against Beijing. On the other hand, it has refused to condemn Moscow’s aggression and has censured Western sanctions against Moscow, while accusing NATO and the United States of provoking Putin’s military action. China last month called for a cease-fire and peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautiously welcomed Beijing’s involvement, but the overture fizzled. The Kremlin has welcomed China’s peace plan and said Putin and Xi would discuss it. Washington strongly rejected Beijing’s call for a ceasefire as the effective ratification of the Kremlin’s battlefield gains. Kyiv officials say they won’t bend in their terms for a peace accord. “The first and main point is the capitulation or withdrawal of the Russian occupation troops from the territory of Ukraine in accordance with the norms of international law and the UN Charter,” Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, tweeted on Monday. That means restoring “sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity,” he wrote. The Kremlin doesn’t recognise the authority of the International Criminal Court and has rejected its move against Putin as “legally null and void.” China, the U.S. and Ukraine also don’t recognize the ICC, but the court’s announcement tarnished Putin’s international standing. China’s Foreign Ministry called on the ICC to “respect the jurisdictional immunity” of a head of state and “avoid politicisation and double standards.” Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, said the ICC’s move will have “monstrous consequences” for international law. In Brief: The Supreme Court on March 20, 2023 [clubbed three FIRs lodged against Congress leader Pawan Khera]( for allegedly making objectionable remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and transferred them to the Hazratganj police station in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow. Extending the interim bail till April 10, a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices P S Narasimha and K B Pardiwala took note of the facts that three FIRs were lodged against Khera. Out of the three FIRs, two were lodged at the Cantonment police station in Varanasi and the Hazratganj police station in Lucknow. The third FIR was lodged in Assam. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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