HYDERABAD l Monday l January 19, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Advocates can’t use RTI Act to seek details for clients’ cases: CIC Using the transparency law in this manner fails to advance its core objectives, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has observed Case relates to dispute over a supply deed ‘RTI act can’t be used for personal ends’ The case relates to the termination of a fruit and vegetable supply contract at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Haryana. The supplier’s advocate sought to use the RTI Act to obtain information on behalf of his client. “It appears that the appellant has sought information on behalf of his client per se, which is not permissible,” the CIC said ■ ■ Quoting a Madras High Court order, the CIC underlined that “laudable objectives of RTI Act cannot be used for personal ends” The Madras High Court had cautioned against allowing advocates to use the RTI Act to obtain information on behalf of clients, stating that this “does not advance the objects of the scheme” 17.5 lakh the overall number of RTI applications filed during 2023-24 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 Modi targets Congress, Trinamool in poll-pitch against ‘infiltrators’ Accuses the two parties of endangering national security for the sake of vote-bank politics P R A S A NTA M A Z UMD A R & SUBHENDU M A I T I @ Guwahati / Kolkata PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday mounted a sharp political attack on the Congress and Trinamool Congress (TMC), accusing the two parties of endangering national security by protecting infiltrators for vote-bank politics. After laying the foundation stone for the `6,957 crore Kaziranga Elevated Corridor, and virtually flagging off two Amrit Bharat trains from Kaliabor in election-bound Assam’s Nagaon district, Modi accused the Congress of allowing infiltrators in exchange for votes during its years in power in the north-eastern state. Taking potshots at the Congress for its poor show in the recent Bihar Assembly election and Maharashtra local body polls, Modi said the grand old party has lost the trust of the nation and the BJP has become the first choice of people. “In the recent Bihar elections, even after 20 years, people gave a record number of votes to the BJP helping it win , Projects worth `7,787 cr launched Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a gathering during the foundation stone laying ceremony for the Kaziranga Elevated Corridor, in Nagaon, Assam on Sunday | pti a record number of seats. Mumbai, for the first time, gave a record mandate to the BJP. In most cities of Maharashtra, people gave the BJP an opportunity to serve them,” he said. Modi also pointed to the BJP’s electoral breakthrough in Kerala, where the party secured the mayor’s post in Thiruvananthapuram for the first time. According to Modi, the results across states reflected a consistent national trend. “The voters today want good governance and development. That is why they like the BJP , ,” he said, adding that the results show the Congress is being repeatedly rejected by voters. Later in the day addressing a , rally at West Bengal’s Singur, Modi accused the TMC government of sitting idle on the Centre’s request to acquire land for fencing the Bangladesh border. “The Centre has been writing to the TMC government in Ben- PM launched development projects worth `7,787 crore in poll-bound Assam and West Bengal. In Assam, he laid the foundation stone for the `6,957 cr Kaziranga Elevated Corridor and virtually flagged off two Amrit Bharat trains. In West Bengal, Modi launched projects worth over `830 crore and flagged off three Amrit Bharat trains connecting Kolkata with other parts of the country gal for the past 11 years requesting land for border fencing to prevent infiltration in the state. But it sits idle on the issue,” Modi alleged. Sharpening his attack on the TMC, he said the party is “playing with the country’s security” by giving support to infiltrators from Bangladesh. “The state government is giving safety and security to infiltrators and that’s why they vote for TMC,” the PM said. Bhatti announces scrapping of Naini coal block tender on ‘benefit of doubt’ Express News Service @ Hyderabad deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka has said that the tenders invited by the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) for the auction of Naini coal blocks in Angul district of Odisha have been cancelled. He has instructed the officials to invite fresh tenders on a “benefit of doubt” basis, as concerns arose following reports in a section of the press. Speaking to reporters here on Sunday he said that the ten, ders were finalised by the SCCL Board and that ministers had no role in the process. He also refuted the allegations that the ‘site visit’ condition was incorporated in the tender to favour certain companies. “I inquired after the newspaper report about the site visit condition. In fact, all public sector undertakings (PSUs) will incorporate that condition in CM to media: Seek my views before publishing reports CM Revanth Reddy with Dy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka at Paleru on Sunday their tender documents for transparent assessment and prepare the bid document,” Bhatti said and dismissed the report that the ‘site visit’ condition was mentioned only in the Naini tender document. It is a matter of fact that earlier many government-owned companies like Coal India Limited, Mahanadi Coalfields Limited, NCL India Limited and others made it mandatory to undertake site visits or encouraged site visits by the bidders in various types of tenders, including MDO. continued on p4 exercise restraint in dealing with media: editors guild | p4 EU pushback against tariff threat over Greenland Cabinet nod for urban local body elections Ma n d a R a v i n d e r R e d d y @ Hyderabad `1 challans: How Bhu Bharati glitch cost govt dearly B Kar t h e e k @ Hyderabad A technical error in the integrated land revenue management system — the Bhu Bharati portal, formerly known as the Dharani portal — allowed middlemen to generate challans for as little as `1 for land-related services such as registrations, while pocketing thousands of rupees and depriving the government of significant revenue. According to of ficial sources, middlemen generated challans for nominal amounts — in some instances as low as `1 — for land registration transactions. While some registrations were processed for amounts as low as `50, officials believe the `1 challans were generated to test the system’s tolerance and exploit its vulnerabilities. Officials said the miscreants exploited the ‘Edit’ option to manipulate the amounts credited to government accounts. Intermediaries first generated challans reflecting the correct stamp duty, showed them to the buyers, and collected the full amount. “In the final stage of remittance to the government’s accounts, the middlemen deleted the first or last digits of the challan figures to drastically reduce the amount — possibly to less than 10% of the total payable — resulting in a substantial loss to the state exchequer,” an official said. continued on p5 The state Cabinet, which met at Medaram on Sunday under the leadership of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, gave its nod for holding urban local body elections in the state. I&PR Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy said the Cabinet decided to hold elections for 2,096 wards and divisions in 116 municipalities and seven corporations. Hinting that the election process would be completed by midFebruary, he said the dedicated commission had already submitted its report on BC reservations. Announcing other key decisions taken by the Cabinet at a media conference, Srinivasa Reddy, along with ministers Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and Danasari Anasuya, said the Cabinet approved land acquisition at a cost of `2,787 crore for the Hyderabad Metro expansion under Phases 2A and 2B. He also said the meeting discussed the takeover of Hyderabad Metro Phase 1 from L&T and that a final decision on this would be taken at the next Cabinet meeting. The Cabinet also gave approval for the construction of a nine-km flyover from ICCC to Shilpa Layout Road in Hyderabad and to hold Godavari Pushkaralu in a grand manner from July 27 to August 3, 2027. As part of this, the Cabinet decided to develop ancient temples and ecotourism along the Godavari river from Basara to Bhadrachalam by setting up a temple circuit, he added. A Cabinet sub-committee will be constituted for the purpose, the minister said. Other decisions include the allotment of land for Central and state government institutions at 14 locations, including to SBI to construct its corporate offices at Nalgonda and Mahbubnagar. Meanwhile, R&B Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy said the Cabinet decided to expedite the process of inviting tenders for constructing and developing 6,000 km of roads in the state at an estimated cost of `11,334 crore under the HAM mode. “The Cabinet has approved 24 new posts for the Law College and 24 for the Pharma College at Mahatma Gandhi University in Nalgonda, and the creation of the post of registrar at Veeranari Chakali Ilamma Women’s University Hy, derabad,” he added. According to him, approval was also given for the allocation of 494 acres of land in Abdullapur mandal to TGIIC for the development of an ecotown. Minister Anasuya said the Cabinet approved the construction of the Potlapuram Lift Irrigation Project at a cost of `143 crore to provide irrigation water to 7,500 acres in Mulugu district. It was also decided to allocate `30 crore for laying a pipeline for the continuous release of water into Jampanna Vagu from Laknavaram Lake. express read Over 5,000 killed in Iran protests: Report Kohli ton in vain as India suffer historic defeat Dubai: At least 5,000 people were killed in protests in Iran, including 500 security personnel, Reuters reported citing an unnamed Iranian official on Sunday. The figure is based on verified figures, the report said, with the official accusing “terrorists and armed rioters” of killing “innocent Iranians” | P9 INDORE: Virat Kohli smashes his 85th international ton, but New Zealand had the last laugh as they beat India by 41 runs to win their first ODI series in the country. Less than 18 months ago, Black Caps handed India a 3-0 hammering in red-ball cricket and now have followed it up with a sensational ODI series win weeks before the T20 World Cup | P11 Daryl Mitchell celebrates his century against India in Indore on Sunday. This is his second ton in the series | pti Khammam: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Sunday urged the media to exercise restraint and responsibility in its reporting, cautioning that writings or visuals presented either directly or indirectly could end up aiding forces inimical to public interest. He appealed to media organisations to verify facts thoroughly before publishing any report. Stating that he is available to the public 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, he said he is always ready to provide clarification to the media whenever required. “Before writing anything against our ministers, seek clarification from me,” he said. He was speaking during his visit to Khammam district. He issued a strong message to two media owners, advising them not to malign his ministers over their internal disputes. Responding to recent news reports on SCCL tenders and allegations against ministers, he said that if media owners have disagreements, they should resolve them privately and not damage the reputation of his ministers. A GENC I ES Red Cross personnel walk amid the ruins in Jabalia, Gaza Strip on Saturday | AP Trump invites Modi to join ‘Board of Peace’ Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, European Commission President UrUS President Donald Trump sula von der Leyen, and the has invited Prime Minister leaders of France, Germany, Narendra Modi to join a pro- Australia and Canada. posed “Board of Peace” for More details about the proGaza, in a significant out- posed body surfaced after letreach as Washington seeks to ters sent by Trump to the Arshape the post-war govern- gentine and Paraguayan ance and reconstruction of Presidents were posted by the the besieged enclave. two leaders on social media. The invitation letter was In his letter, Trump said the sent on January 16. board would work to “It is my Great “solidify peace in Honor to invite you, the Middle East”. as Prime Minister A draft charter of the Republic of circulated by the Our effort will India, to join me in a Trump administrabring together a critically Historic tion to around 60 distinguished and Magnificent ef- group of nations countries reportedfort to solidify Peace ready to building ly requires member ...lasting peace in the Middle East states to contribute and, at the same $1 billion in cash for Donald Trump, time, to embark on a in letter to PM Modi memberships exbold new approach t e n d i n g b e yo n d to resolving Global three years. Conflict!” the letter from the Trump has named former US president said. British PM Tony Blair as a Pakistan’s Foreign Office founding executive member had earlier said Prime Min- of the board, alongside Jared ister Shehbaz Sharif had Kushner, US Secretary of also been invited to be part State Marco Rubio, Middle of the initiative. East envoy Steve Witkoff and Several global leaders have World Bank Group President been invited to be part of the Ajay Banga. Trump unveiled board, including Turkish the initiative as part of the President Recep Tayyip Er- second phase of a ceasefire dogan, Egyptian President between Israel and Hamas. J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi EUROPEAN leaders on Sunday slammed US President Donald Trump’s threat of tariffs over their opposition to his designs on Greenland, warning transatlantic ties were at risk. Several European countries — including Denmark, of which Greenland is an autonomous territory — emphasised they “stand united” against Trump’s vow on Saturday to hit them with tariffs of up to 25 percent unless Greenland is ceded to the United States. “Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral,” Britain, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden warned in a joint statement Sunday The European Union, . which clinched a deal with Washington in July for most EU exports to face a 15-percent US levy, has called an extraordinary meeting of its ambassadors in Brussels on Sunday . France’s President Emmanuel Macron will ask the EU to activate a never-before-used “anti-coercion instrument” against the United States if Trump makes good on his tariff threat, Macron’s aides said. The bloc’s weapon, dubbed its trade “bazooka”, allows curbing imports of goods and services into the EU, a market of 27 countries with a population of 450 million. Italy’s PM Giorgia Meloni called the threatened tariffs a “mistake”. Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel meanwhile called Trump’s threat an “inexplicable” “blackmail”. British PM Keir Starmer said he was planning to discuss the situation with Trump “at the earliest.” Intel agencies warn of LeT recruitment drive in PoK MUKESH R A N J A N @ New Delhi Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba has launched a renewed and intensified recruitment campaign with an aim to establish new training camps in PoK, Indian intelligence agencies have learned. The recruitment campaign is being spearheaded by senior LeT commander Nasr Javed. Sources said Javed has visited several strategic locations in PoK over the past few months to mobilise local youth. Over the past two weeks, he was in Mirpur, Kotli and Poonch districts of PoK. During these visits, he addressed more than four open rallies organised by the PoK unit of Lashkar-e-Taiba and held over 10 closed-door meetings with local operatives and sympathisers. The primary objective of these engagements, intelligence sources said, is to recruit young men for the new LeT training camps expected to come up soon in PoK. Javed is considered a key operational figure within LeT and is known for his expertise in terrorist training. As per the sourc- es, Javed has been tasked with raising a new unit in PoK, with a specific mandate to prepare recruits for counter-insurgency and cross-border operations. Noting that the recruitment push is not confined to PoK, the intelligence sources said in November last year, Javed, along with LeT operative Abdul Rauf, held more than 50 rallies and secret meetings across Pakistan’s Sindh province. “Security agencies assess that these coordinated visits across provinces point to an effort to build a broader pool of recruits and revive LeT’s operational strength nationwide,” a source said. Meanwhile, intelligence inputs suggest that efforts to reactivate Markaz-e-Taiba, the LeT’s headquarters, are gaining pace.