HYDERABAD l friday l october 16, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 38 l LATE CITY EDITION PM modi meets Asian Games medal winners in new delhi India’s hosting power on the rise, says PM At a function at Major Dhyan Chand Stadium, PM Narendra Modi lauds athletes & also reiterates country’s bid to host 2036 Olympics ‘country’s resolve will host ’36 olympics’ The PM was presented with memorabilia ranging from signed jerseys to a bow from 17-year-old archery sensation Kumkum Mohod, who won two gold medals and a silver at the recently-concluded Games. The PM said the country is not just becoming a stronger force in terms of performance but also evolving into a “credible host” for major international events ■ ■ The PM also reiterated the country’s resolve to host the 2036 Olympics. “We are bidding for the 2036 Olympics and it is our resolve that we will host the games,” he said Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, ICC chairman Jay Shah & IOA president P T Usha were also present during the interaction 85 India won 85 medals at the Asian Games, including 21 gold 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 SC notice to ECI, CEC on Rahul’s CM asks tillers to defer plea against SIR irregularities Rabi paddy cultivation Mulls all-women panel to probe alleged sexual violence against journalists S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notices to the Election Commission of India and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on a batch of pleas filed by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders over alleged large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of poll rolls. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi also tagged the pleas with petitions already pending before the court challenging the validity of SIR. With this, all SIR-related matters will be heard together at a later date, likely on October 28. The SC also took note of submissions that attempts were made by Rahul and others to browbeat the judiciary by undertaking a march on October 12. “Nobody can browbeat the judiciary the CJI said, adding “We know ,” what statements they are making outside and what they are saying in court.” The bench, while hearing Govt clarifies on another plea filed by Network home secy’s apology of Women in Media, India On reports that Home over the alleged sexual vioSecretary Govind Mohan lence against female journalapologIsed to SC in a ists covering the protests, contempt case, the said it would consider setting up an all-women panel to MHA clarified it’s a usual practice. “...It look into such complaints. “It may comprise a former is required that the party responding woman judge, a former womto the notice must an IPS officer, a former wombegin their affidavit an social worker or a social with an unconditional activist with a known track apology. Only thereafter all record,” said the CJI. other facts and arguments The bench also agreed with are presented,” it said senior advocate Indira Jaising’s submission that there should be clear guidelines on law-enforcement authorities’ interaction with journalists during protests. “We would like to lay down guidelines,” the bench said while issuing notice on the plea seeking responses from the Centre and the Delhi Police. Jaising said women reporters are particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse while covering protests when they are pushed around by male police officers. The bench also directed that no coercive action be taken against a woman journalist against whom a case has been filed by a Delhi Police officer under the stringent SC/ST Act alleging casteist remarks and public humiliation against him during a protest. Convert can’t get quota based on prior caste: SC S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi IN a significant order, the Supreme Court on Thursday held that a person who converts to Islam cannot automatically claim reservation under a notified Muslim Backward Class (BC) category based on their pre-conversion caste status as a Hindu. Upholding a Madras High Court verdict, the judgment from the two-judge bench of justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Shree Chandrashekhar said, “Such a conversion severs the legal foundation of an entitlement which is specifically conditioned upon membership of that Hindu social order.” T he bench said a person who converts from the Hindu social order to a non-Hindu social order cannot claim affirmative action under Article 16(4) of the Constitution merely on the basis of social backwardness associated with their pre-conversion status. It said the former caste or community status as a Hindu cannot automatically be transposed into a Muslim BC category and a private religious body cannot conclusively determine statutory entitlement. The SC was hearing an appeal by the Tamil Nadu government against the HC quashing an order that allowed converts to Islam get BC certificates. school roof collapseS IN PAK, 35 deaD | p11 No Delhi HC bar on CJP’s protest today at Connaught Place U D AYA N K I S H O R E & A diti R ay C ho w dhury @ New Delhi THE Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to bar a protest called by CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke on October 16 at Central Park in Connaught Place, while taking on record Delhi Police’s assurance that all possible steps would be taken to regulate and control the protesters. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma Summary revision of was hearing a plea by a Connaught Place vendor seeking a poll rolls from Jan 1 fiat to police to regulate the The Election Commission protest. Called “Lehra do Tion Thursday announced ranga”, the protest kicks off at that Special Summary 5 pm on Friday Heavy securi. Revision (SSR) of ty is likely in and around CP electoral rolls will and Jantar Mantar ahead of be conducted in 17 the agitation. Late on Thursstates and Union day the New Delhi Municipal , territories, Council issued a notice barincluding those ring general public from visitwhere assembly polls ing Central Park in Connaught are due next year. The ECI Place on October 16 and 17. said January 1, 2027, will be The petition claimed that the qualifying date for the traders and vendors would be summary revision “on the streets” if they lost another weekend to closures due to protest in central Delhi during the festive season. “This is the Dussehra weekend. This protest has to be stopped,” the petitioner’s counsel submitted. The bench refused to pass a “specific” direction restraining CJP protesters as urged by the petitioner. “Don’t insist. We have passed the order,” the bench said. Addressing a press conference on Thursday along with All India Students’ Association (AISA) leader Neha Bora, Students’ Federation of India (SFI) leader Aishe Ghosh and actor Prakash Raj, Dipke criticised the police action against demonstrators and alleged that the government was using state machinery to shield Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Cautioning farmers against misleading campaigns encouraging paddy culAppealing to tillers to stand by the tivation during Rabi, he warned that government in tackling the El Nino the crop could dry up at the seedling crisis, Chief Minister A Revanth Red- stage itself. Reports indicated that dy on Thursday urged paddy farmers crops on 10 lakh acres could suffer lossto defer one crop (the Rabi crop). He es. Officials had been directed to prealso urged the Centre to extend liberal vent crops from withering and use financial assistance to the state. available reservoir water judiciously . Speaking to reporters afDescribing El Nino as the ter a meeting with minisbiggest disaster threatening ters on the impact of El Revanth to KTR: the world, Revanth noted that Nino, Revanth expressed Ready for probe it was affecting 100 countries. confidence that the govern- Stating that the BRS Comparing the situation ment would overcome the with the Covid-19 pandemic, govt had signed the crisis with public coopera- agreement to import he said that although El Nino tion. An action plan would conditions had occurred sevcoal for the Yadadri be prepared to tackle the eral times since 1950 and power plant, Chief situation, he added. were generally treated as Minister A Revanth An all-party meeting on droughts, the current pheReddy said he was El Nino impact will be held nomenon was a super El ready to order an on Friday The government inquiry into the alle- Nino. He urged people and . will seek suggestions from gations raised by BRS farmers to remain vigilant. opposition parties, workers’ The state faces a crisis inworking president unions and experts before volving drinking water, irKT Rama Rao. finalising the plan. It will rigation and electricity, also appoint a nodal officer Revanth warned. During and establish a toll-free helpline to ad- Kharif, the government had urged dress issues arising from the crisis. farmers to cultivate only irrigated dry Revanth urged the Centre to assist crops. Farmers grew alternative crops farmers who had lost crops during on around 13 lakh acres and paddy on Kharif and those who could suffer 56 lakh acres across the state. losses by not cultivating during Rabi. Power demand reached 20,003 MW on He proposed that the Centre and state Thursday against the normal October , government share the financial bur- demand of 15,000 MW The government . den in a 60:40 ratio. Officials would pre- met the requirement, although demand pare reports on the losses and submit had risen by 7,000 MW over the past two them to the Union Home Minister. years.  continued on p4 E x p ress N e w s S er v ice @ Hyderabad Voter enrolment camps, but few campers seen S B achan J eet S in g h @ Hyderabad Special voter enrolment camps organised by the Election Commission of India (ECI) received a lukewarm response on Thursday, the first day of the two-day exercise, with several polling stations in Hyderabad wearing a deserted look and Booth Level Officers (BLOs) reporting few applications. Similar scenes were witnessed at polling booths in Nizamabad and other parts of the state. The camps, being held across Telangana as part of the SIR of electoral rolls, aim to help eligible voters whose names are missing from the draft rolls get their names included.  continued on p4