The New Indian Express Wishes its readers a Our offices and press will remain closed today, and there will be no issue of the paper on Wednesday bengaluru l tuesday l november 10, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 20 l late city EDITION Milestone unlocked: Shrivatri becomes India’s 100th GM The 22-year-old earned his third and final GM norm by winning the 7th ASEAN Plus Individual Open, becoming the 100th GM from the country first gm to come from Madhya Pradesh From Anand to Anuj: India’s journey Anuj Shrivatri, who had earned the title of an International Master just before the Covid pandemic, has taken a circuitous route to becoming GM. A self-taught player, he had opportunities to go abroad for work but had eschewed that in favour of completing his GM norms. On Sunday, he achieved that while also becoming the first from Madhya Pradesh to do so ■ ■ When Viswanathan Anand became the country’s first GM in 1988, it was held as a dream for many chess players India’s GM growth curve was turbocharged around the time of the pandemic. The country has produced an average of five grandmasters per year in the last six years | P15 15 grandmasters India have produced since 2025 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 UCC should be pan-India, no reason to restrict its rollout: Law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal says it has a constitutional basis; cites SC observations on the matter Shah: NDA-ruled states to implement it by 2029 Ra j e s h K u ma r T h a k u r @ New Delhi Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal has said the government is committed to implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) across the country and asserted that its “constitutional basis” makes it difficult to justify restricting the legislation to a few states. Asked whether the Uniform Civil Code would remain confined to BJP-ruled states or eventually be implemented across the country, Meghwal said: “The Uniform Civil Code was discussed in the Constituent Assembly, and the makers of the Constitution incorporat- Woman drives lover to kill son for opposing relationship Express news service @ Belagavi A Bengaluru-based woman and her alleged lover, a car driver, were among six persons arrested for allegedly conspiring to murder her 24-year-old son, who had repeatedly objected to their relationship. The arrested are: Meena Narayan (44), Rakesh Jamuni (34), Sachin Kamble, Manoj Kamble, Tammanna Kamble and Eknath Kamble. A juvenile, who is reportedly the son of Rakesh’s sister, has also been taken into custody . Police said Meena conspired with her lover Rakesh to kill her son Vijay Narayan, an unemployed graduate, following frequent quarrels over their relationship. Meena wanted to become the sole legal heir to the family properties and marry her partner. Meena runs a beauty parlour in Bengaluru. Her husband, Narayan, died about a year ago, following which the family’s three houses in Bengaluru were transferred in her and Vijay’s names. The properties were, reportedly generating substantial , rental income. Vijay was, however, unhappy with his mother’s relationship with Rakesh. Rakesh, a native of Terane village in Gadhinglaj taluk of Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district, allegedly brought Vijay to Belagavi in a car on the pretext of showing him Karnataka Rajyotsava celebrations held in the city on November 1. Vijay was told that witnessing the celebrations in Belagavi would be an exciting experience. P7 Union Home Minister Amit Shah had earlier described a common civil law for every citizen as a commitment of the BJP “since its inception”. He has also expressed confidence that the UCC would be implemented in all 21 BJP- and NDA-ruled states before 2029 ed a provision for it under Article 44. The Supreme Court has also made observations on the subject on several occasions. It is encouraging that some states have come forward to implement the UCC. Goa has had a common civil code for a long time, even when the BJP was not in power there,” he said in an exclusive interview with The New Indian Express. He added: “We believe that the UCC should be implemented across the country, and our government is committed to this objective. It has a constitutional basis, and there is no reason why its implementation should remain restricted to a few states. The issue is also increasingly finding a place in the election manifestos of political parties.” Uttarakhand became the first state to enact a UCC law in February 2024 and remains the only state to have fully implemented the legislation. Gujarat subsequently passed it while Assam became the first northeastern state to pass such legislation in May 2026. Madhya Pradesh has also moved towards adopting the code, approving it unanimously at a special Cabinet meeting in Bhopal in August. The UCC remains one of the BJP’s longstanding ideological objectives, alongside the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and the abrogation of Article 370, both of which have been achieved.  Q&A: P9 Amid UP seat wrangling, Samajwadi Party surveys Gandhi family fiefdom Nam i ta Ba j pa i @ Lucknow AMID seat-sharing talks between INDIA bloc partners, Samajwadi Party and Congress, Akhilesh Yadav’s party has commissioned surveys in constitutiencies traditionally associated with the Nehru-Gandhi family. Informed sources said the SP is trying to gauge voter sentiment and assess Congress strength in these seats, including in Amethi and Rae Bareli, before finalising seat-sharing for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Despite assertions by both parties that they are committed to fighting the ruling BJP together, there has been little progress in talks. SP insiders indicated the party is seeking micro feedback from voters in Congress bastions, particular- File pic ly, in the Rae Bareli-Amethi belt and adjoining constituencies, including those in Sultanpur. Notably Akhilesh launched , his ‘PDA Rath Yatra’ from Rahul Gandhi’s Rae Bareli seat in September. The objective of the surveys is two-fold — first, to estimate the Congress’s ability to independently garner votes, and second, to deter mine whether conceding a large number of seats to the grand old party would be beneficial for the alliance. “This exercise is intended to provide empirical backing to SP’s negotiating position,” said Prof A K Mishra, a political scientist. The Congress state leadership has also indicated it is seeking a much larger share of seats than in the past. In 2017, SP spared it just 105 seats when they contested the Assembly polls together. UP Congress incharge Rajendra Pal Gautam has said the party should contest 180 to 200 seats this time. “We have given an initial list of 175 seats to the SP he said. The ,” demand reflects the Congress’s renewed confidence following the recent Rahul-led protests and the party’s relatively improved performance in some segments in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections when the party raised its tally from one MP to six. Dhaka junks request Hasina stirs the pot, seeks fresh B’desh passport Jaya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi In an apparent bid to corner the Bangladesh government amid its continued insistence on her extradition, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has sought a fresh passport and national identity card (NID) from the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi. Hasina, 79, has been living in India since her government was ousted in a student-led uprising in August 2024. Her legal representatives at London-based Matrix Chambers have approached the Bangladeshi mission seeking fresh documents. “Our request is made on the basis of her Bangladeshi nationality in accordance with any obligations arising under the laws of Bangladesh as well as any applicable obligations arising under international human ‘Political stunt’ rights instruments,” her lawyers Sheikh Hasina’s wrote to Preeti Rahman, acting request for a passport High Commissioner at the Bangla- was a “political desh mission. posturing” and she has The request, confirmed by Hasi- no genuine intention of na’s Awami League party, was swift- returning to the ly rejected by Dhaka. Bangladesh country, Dhaka’s Chief Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Prosecutor Md Aminul Humayun Kobir said: “Bangladesh Islam said does not issue passports to terrorists. We have asked for them (terrorists) to be handed over,” Kobir told journalists at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “She is a fugitive criminal. We have an active extradition treaty with India. We want her handed over,” he said. The Awami League said a fresh passport and national identity card are crucial towards fulfilling Hasina’s stated intention of returning to Bangladesh in December. E x p r e s s Re a d State questions OMCs omitting ethanol content Bengaluru: Upping its ante against the Union government on ethanol-blended fuel, the Karnataka government on Monday claimed that after oil marketing companies’ laboratories failed to report the ethanol content in 63 petrol samples it sent them for testing. P4 Finally, amid allegations of interference and manipulation, the Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOMs) election was over with current Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha losing. The result would have been shocking but after the last date of withdrawals, there were enough hints that pointed at change. This means that she will no longer be the president, at least, as of now. On Saturday, as reported by this daily four male candidates , were elected unopposed – Olympic medallists Gagan Narang, Yogeshwar Dutt and Vijender Singh along with former TT champion Kamlesh Mehta. However, in the female category, despite hectic parley, Usha finished fifth behind Saina Nehwal who polled 43 against Usha’s 40. Anju Bobby George managed to secure the highest number of 53 followed by Rani Rampal, Dola Banerjee and Nehwal. There were concerns about Saina and it is understood that a lot of negotiations were on to secure her victory . With the way things panned out since Saturday, there were enough indications of her not making it. Yet, as an IOA president, her team was expecting to finish in the top four. With this, the focus would be on Gagan, who shifted his base from Hyderabad to Ahmedabad recently Gagan is considered to be a . front-runner in the IOA election to be held on December 5. Usha is technically out but can be proposed by NSFs. Since she is not a member, it needs to be seen how. New Delhi: The culture ministry will take up integrated conservation of major monuments at Hampi, including Jain temples on the Hemakuta Hill and Saraswathi Temple in Singanayakanahalli. The ministry will also appoint an expert to prepare detailed project reports. P9 New e-Pouthi brings relief to heirs outside K’taka A s h w i n i M S r i pa d @ Bengaluru sky is the canvas Fireworks light up the sky above the St Lourdes Matha Shrine in Madurai as part of Deepavali celebrations on Sunday | k k sundar In a move that could bring relief to thousands of families with ancestral agricultural lands in Karnataka, the government has enabled inheritancebased mutation of land records even when the legal heirs of deceased landowners are residing outside the state or abroad. Pouthi Khata or Pouthi mutation is the official legal process of transferring the agricultural land records, title deeds and tax documents from the name of a deceased landowner to their rightful legal heirs. For years, non-resident Kannadigas, particularly NRIs, have faced several hurdles while applying for Pouthi Khata. These included a stringent Aadhaar-based e-KYC procedure, which effectively prevented foreign citizens and overseas residents without active Indian mobile numbers from completing the process. “Local village officials often refused to issue mandatory family tree certificates, as they were unable to physically verify credentials of families which had been living abroad for decades. The revenue portals rejected death certificates issued overseas, forcing legal heirs to personally visit revenue offices and submit such documents manually an official said. ,” Cyber hires wreak havoc on political clients in Keralam CONGRESS leaders in Keralam were bewildered last month when its state unit’s official X account criticised Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. Red-faced party bosses immediately ordered removal of the inflammatory comment. The KPCC leadership tendered an unconditional apology before the Supreme Court, which initiated contempt proceedings against the party, and sacked the social media in-charge. I n d r a n ee l d a s @ Chennai Centre okays `38 cr facelift for Hampi monuments T r o ll A r m y M P PR A SH A NTH @ Kozhikode IOA chief Usha loses internal polls It was just one of several incidents where overzealous cyber troopers of Keralam have become an embarrassment for their organisations. These cyber warriors are the selfless members who fiercely defend their parties and shut down their rivals through online channels. Most political parties have such cyber armies. And the nature of online warfare is such that it places the parties at risk of occasional reckless interventions. Senior CPM leaders, includ- ILLUSTRATION : Sourav roy ing former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and state secretary M V Govindan, were forced to step in to rein in party sym- pathisers who targeted actor Mammootty . On October 28, leaders of the party’s youth fronts called on the actor and released the photos. However, this triggered pro-CPM cyber handles opposed to the actor for ‘insulting’ the party’s Wayanad district secretary K Rafeeq during a function. The cyber attacks subsided only after the CPM leader himself clarified that the issue with Mammootty had been resolved. On Sunday the actor was tar, geted again after he visited BJP leader B Gopalakrishnan in connection with the marriage of the latter’s daughter. CPM leader T M Thomas Isaac expressed the party’s disagreement over the repeated attacks on Mammootty . Not just political parties, religious organisations also face the ‘threat’ of digital soldiers. Jamaat-e-Islami’s Kerala amir P Mujeeb Rehman was recently forced to urge cadres to maintain decorum in social-media interventions. T h e S t a t e g ove r n m e n t launched the e-Pouthi Khata facility last year to enable legal heirs to transfer agricultural land records into their names following the death of the landowner. However, it was only in August this year that the government relaxed the procedures for those residing outside Karnataka, particularly NRIs. Village officials often refused to issue family tree certificates, as they were unable to physically verify credentials of families which had been living abroad for decades —An official Under the revised guidelines, Aadhaar-based e-KYC requirements have been relaxed, with NRIs allowed to submit their passport details for identification. It also enables applicants to upload family tree certificates and other documents online, making the process more accessible and reducing the need for legal heirs living abroad to visit revenue offices in person. The Revenue Commissionerate has also modified the ePouthi software to facilitate the transfer of agricultural land records in the names of legal heirs who are permanent residents of other states or foreign countries. This is applicable for all lands across Karnataka. P4 3-yr-old drowns in pool at resort in Ramanagara E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru A a three-year-old boy drowned in the swimming pool of a resort near Harisandra village in Ramanagara taluk of Bengaluru South district on Monday . The deceased is Iyan, the son of Leen and Tracy, a couple from Manipur. The family resides near Kothanur in Bengaluru, and both parents work in private firms. According to Ramanagar Rural police, the couple visited the resort – Ravishing Retreat – on Monday along with a group of people to celebrate Deepavali. Meanwhile, the child, who was playing near the swimming pool, accidentally fell into the water and drowned. Alerted by the resort management, police inspected the spot and collected CCTV footage for analysis. Further action will be taken once the child’s parents file a complaint. They are grieving, and it would take some time to record their statements, the police said.