HYDERABAD l Thursday l February 26, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE CITY EDITION slew of demands messes up BSNL director’s visit to Prayagraj BSNL director Vivek Banzal is in the line of fire for making ‘absurd’ demands linked to his proposed Prayagraj trip. He now faces a show-cause notice Wanted snan kits for a dip at the sangam unacceptable in new India, says Scindia Banzal sought six male and two female snan kits for a dip at the Sangam, including towels, undergarments, slippers, combs, mirrors, soap, shampoo, oil along with a bed sheet for general use at the ghat. Hotel and Circuit House arrangements included toiletries, shaving kits, dry fruits, fruit bowls, towels. He also wanted a boat ride and visits to a few temples ■ ■ The visit scheduled for February 25-26 was cancelled pending a full inquiry. Banzal (pic) is due to superannuate by September-end | P10 Communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said an order like this is ‘unacceptable’ in new India, adding it flouts all rules and traditions and is ‘beyond absurd’. Banzal became BSNL director in October 2018 50 Personnel had to be assigned to fully manage Banzal’s trip 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 NCERT to rewrite Terror anywhere threatens peace judiciary chapter everywhere, Modi tells Knesset after SC rebuke Says India’s connection to Israel is written in blood and sacrifice; calls for diplomacy, peace into Chapter No 4, entitled “The Role of Judiciary in our Society”... The aforesaid error is T H E S u p r e m e C o u r t o n purely unintentional and Wednesday took suo motu cog- NCERT regrets the inclusion nizance of the controversial of inappropriate material in chapter on ‘judicial corruption’ the said chapter,” it said, addin NCERT’s Class 8 social sci- ing there was no intent to quesence book and expressed its tion or diminish the authority strong displeasure, forcing the of any constitutional body . body to issue an apology and ofIt clarified that the chapter fering to rewrite the would be rewritten contentious text. “with consultation A three-judge bench from the appropriate comprising Chief Jusauthority” and the retice Surya Kant and vised book would be j u s t i c e s Jo y m a l ya m a d e ava i l abl e t o Bagchi and Vipul M students. Pancholi listed the mat- Book flags On Tuesday the book , ter for Thursday after was removed from sales backlog senior advocates Kapil by the Publications DiThe chapter Sibal and Abhishek vision of NCERT. An pegs the Singhvi mentioned the official said the online number of matter for urgent version was yet to be pending cases uploaded. consideration. “This seems to be a in the Supreme The controversy was Court at very calculated and over a section in the deep-rooted measure,” 81,000, in high text book on ‘corrupcourts at the CJI said. tion in the judiciary’ in Justice Bagchi ob- 62.4 lakh, and a chapter titled The role served that the book in district and of the judiciary in our subordinate seems to go against the society. While explaincourts at basic structure of the ing the concept of judi4.7 crore Constitution. cial accountability, it Following the SC’s notes that judges are strong remarks, the NCERT bound by a code of conduct that held a high-level meeting on requires them to remain fair Wednesday evening, which and impartial and maintain inwent on till midnight. After the tegrity in their professional marathon meeting, it issued a and personal lives. statement late in the night, When these standards are apologising for the “inappro- not upheld, the chapter said priate textual material” and its that the judiciary has internal “error of judgement”. mechanisms to ensure account“It has been observed that ability It also mentions that in . certain inappropriate textual serious cases, judges can be rematerial and error of judge- moved by Parliament through ment have inadvertently crept impeachment. S UCHITRA K ALYAN M OHANTY & S LALITHA @ New Delhi Two arrested in `43 cr paddy diversion scam Ex p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Nalgonda Nalgonda police arrested two key accused in a scam involving the illegal diversion of government-owned paddy valued at about `43 crore. Police seized `1.09 lakh in cash, three mobile phones and a car. Several others are absconding. Speaking to the media on Wednesday, SP Sharath Chandra Pawar said the arrests were made near Domalapally village, with the operation carried out under the supervision of SDPO K Sivaram Reddy. The accused, Kandukuri Mahender (65) and his wife Kandukuri Padma (57), residents of Nalgonda town, were remanded. Investigation revealed that during the 2022–23 Rabi season, the accused entered into Custom Milling Rice (CMR) agreements with the government through Sumanjali Parboiled Pvt Ltd in Arjalabavi, Varalakshmi Parboiled Mill in Chityala and Manohara Agro Food Products Pvt Ltd in Munugode. Kandukuri Mahender allegedly acted as the key agent. Instead of returning the stipulated quantity of processed rice to the government from paddy procured at Minimum Support Price through agencies such as Indira Kranthi Patham, Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies and District Cooperative Marketing Societies, the accused allegedly diverted and sold the grain in the open market.  continued on P5 J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday reiterated India’s strategic partnership with Israel in an address to the Knesset and said “India’s connection to Israel is written in blood and sacrifice” and “nothing can justify terrorism.” Becoming the first Indian PM to address the Israeli parliament, Modi framed India-Israel ties through the lens of shared security challenges and historical bonds. Recalling that more than 4,000 Indian soldiers laid down their lives in the region during World War I, he said the relationship was rooted in “blood and sacrifice”, not merely diplomacy . In a direct reference to the October 7 Hamas assault and the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Modi drew parallels between the two nations’ experiences. “We feel your pain. We share your grief. India stands with Israel firmly , with full conviction, in this moment and beyond,” he said. “No cause can justify the murder of civilians. Nothing can justify terrorism,” Modi asserted, underlining India’s “consistent ‘Ambitious’ FTA talks on: PM Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, as Speaker Amir Ohana looks on, in Jerusalem on Wednesday | Shlomi Amsalem and uncompromising policy of zero tolerance for terrorism, with no double standards.” He warned that terrorism seeks “to destabilise societies, block development and erode trust,” adding that “countering terrorism requires sustained and coordinated global action, because terror anywhere threatens peace everywhere.” Even as he struck a hard line on terror, Modi balanced his remarks with a call for diplomacy . “The road to peace is not always us sets Friday deadline for Anthropic to drop AI curbs I P9 Ex press News S ervi ce @ Hyderabad dirty money Vigilance officials count seized currency notes following a raid at the residence of Deputy Director of Mines Debabrata Mohanty (inset) in connection with a bribery case, in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday. Over `4 crore in cash was recovered | Express Police jeep death: `22L payout ordered C h i t h a lu r i R eva n t h @ Hyderabad The Motor Vehicles Accidents Tribunal, Nagarkurnool, has directed the state DGP the Na, garkurnool Collector, the district SP and two other respondents to jointly pay `21.92 lakh as compensation to the family of a man who died in a road accident allegedly involving a police jeep more than a decade ago. The order was passed by the Motor Vehicles Accidents Tribunal in February 2026, nearly 15 years after the death of Dod- Elevated to a strategic partnership in 2017, India–Israel relations have expanded significantly in defence, technology, cybersecurity and innovation. Modi’s visit — his second as PM — comes amid heightened regional tensions, reinforcing converging geopolitical interests and deepening security cooperation between the two countries. The Knesset conferred the ‘Speaker of the Knesset Medal’, its highest honour, on Modi. Ganapathi’s kin urges top Maoist to surrender inside IVF at Gandhi Hospital helps woman become MOTHER I P2 easy but India joins you and the , world for dialogue, peace and stability in this region,” he said, expressing support for efforts that could lead to a durable peace, including in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the visit as historic, calling the partnership “an enormous multiplier of our individual powers”. Terming Modi as “a great friend to Israel,” he said their deep personal rapport reflected the strength of bilateral ties. Modi outlined plans to broaden the economic pillar of the partnership, including talks on an “ambitious” FTA. “We are committed to expanding trade, strengthening investment flows, and promoting joint infra development.” Referring to the Bilateral Investment Treaty signed last year, he said it would “provide confidence, predictability to our businesses” la Alwal Reddy (45), a farmer from Gouthampally . According to the claim petition, Alwal Reddy was on his way to Nagarkurnool on his motorcycle in September 2011. When he reached Kollapur X Road, a police Commander jeep, driven by Katravath Gopiya Naik allegedly at high speed in a rash and negligent manner, hit his bike. He suffered severe injuries and died while undergoing treatment. The Nagarkurnool SP, in a counter, denied the accident itself. The counter claimed that no police vehicle was involved and alleged that the deceased lost control of his motorcycle due to his own rash driving, fell on the road and sustained fatal injuries. It further stated that a false complaint was lodged two days later by the deceased’s cousin, D Madhava Reddy, leading to the registration of a case under Section 304A of the IPC. Following trial, the police jeep driver was acquitted by the First Class Magistrate, Nagarkurnool, in September 2022. The magistrate noted that all witnesses, including the deceased’s cousin and complainant, turned hostile.  continued on P5 A day after his close aides—politburo member Tippiri Thirupati alias Devji alias Kumma Dada and Central Committee member Malla Raji Reddy alias Sangram—surrendered before the Telangana police, the whereabouts of former CPI (Maoist) general secretary Muppala Lakshmana Rao alias Ganapathi remain unknown. Police suspect he may be living in urban areas, but family members said they have no information on his location. Ramachandra Rao, Ganapathi’s younger paternal uncle’s son, told reporters in Jagtial district on Wednesday that even if the octogenarian Maoist leader were to be arrested, the police should provide him protection. Stating that the CPI (Maoist) had failed to expand further, Ramachandra Rao appealed to Ganapathi to surrender, as his close aides had done. He said Ganapathi went underground in 1983 and that no family member had met him in the past 43 years. Ganapathi had undergone BEd training in Warangal and chose to join the CPI (ML) People’s War instead of taking up a teaching job. Given his a g e, R a m - achandra Rao said Ganapathi should surrender. Asked about reports suggesting Ganapathi was taking shelter in Nepal or the Philippines, Ramachandra Rao said the family had no information beyond media reports. Noting that Ganapathi faces cases in more than 10 states, he appealed to the Union government to withdraw them if Ganapathi surrendered or was arrested. He said social conditions had changed and that there was no need for the Maoist movement now, unlike when Ganapathi joined the Naxalite movement. As the CPI (Maoist) has links with the Coordination Committee of Maoist Parties and Organisations of South Asia (CCOMPOSA), an umbrella body of South Asian Maoist groups, police suspect Ganapathi may have taken shelter in Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Philippines or Sri Lanka. Police sources said Ganapathi attended a politburo meeting in the Abujhmarh forest area of Chhattisgarh between July 13 and August 10, 2024. He stepped down as general secretary of the CPI (Maoist) in November 2018 and handed over charge to Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju, who was killed in an encounter in 2025. File pic Solar cells to face 126% anti-subsidy duty in US PU S HPITA DEY @ New Delhi THE US has imposed a countervailing duty of 126% on imports of solar cells and modules from India, alleging that Indian manufacturers benefit from significant government subsidies. Similar duties have been levied on Indonesia and Laos. Countervailing duties, also known as anti-subsidy duties, are tariffs imposed to offset the harmful effects of foreign government subsidies on imported goods. The decision follows an investigation by the US International Trade Commission, which found that subsidised imports were causing material injury to domestic producers. In parallel, the US Department of Commerce is conducting anti-dumping duty investigations into solar cell imports. As part of the investigation, the department selected two Adani Group entities—Mundra Solar Energy and Mundra Solar PV— as mandatory respondents. The case turned more adverse after both companies withdrew from the investigation and did not provide complete responses. “This level of countervailing duty will effectively shut the US market for Indian solar panel exports. That is typically the outcome when the US imposes anti-dumping or countervailing duties—exports of the affected product from the targeted country become commercially unviable,” said Abhijit Das, former head of the Centre for WTO Studies at IIFT. In 2025, India exported solar panels worth $1.2 billion to the US. Today’s Match 7pm: India vs Zimbabwe (Chennai) Karnataka vs J&K Cricket caught at silly point: Headbutting makes headline in Ranji final F i r o z M i r z a @ Chennai TV grab of the headbutting incident involving Paras Dogra and KV Aneesh during the Ranji Trophy final between Karnataka and J&K on Wednesday | X Headbutting is relatively unknown in cricket. An act immortalised by one of the geniuses of world football — Zinedine Zidane, found its way on to the cricket ground in Hubballi. Kar nataka’s batter K V Aneesh was born in 2001, the same year when domestic veteran Paras Dogra made his first-class debut. Almost 25 years later, the two crossed paths at the grandest stage of the domestic cricket—Ranji Trophy final — with the 41-yearold Dogra headbutting Aneesh on Day 2 with his team, Jammu and Kashmir posting 527/6. The incident took place during the 101st over of the innings when Dogra awkwardly fended off a rising delivery from India pacer Prasidh Krishna. Soon after, he rushed towards Aneesh, who was stationed as a close-in fielder and headbutted him though gently Aneesh was also . wearing a helmet. Karnataka’s experienced batter Mayank Agarwal also got involved with Dogra, with Karnataka captain Devdutt Padikkal deciding to talk to the umpires. Apparently , Aneesh was commenting on the veteran’s batting despite him scoring more than 10,000 runs in his career. The J&K skipper tried to downplay the incident saying it wasn’t a big thing after the day’s play while the on-field drama brought back memories of the past to team’s head coach Ajay Sharma. “It was just in the little heat of the moment. Not a big thing. Yeah, it is all settled now. That’s (a hot day) a different thing and it was momentary. We started talking and chatting after that so it’s all well,” Dogra told reporters. He is set to be penalised by BCCI. Former India all-rounder Sharma witnessed the scuffle from the sidelines when a past incident crossed his mind. It involved West Zone pacer Rashid Patel who chased North Zone opener Raman Lamba with a stump in his hand following an on-field altercation in 1990-91 Duleep Trophy final.