HYDERABAD l wednesday l february 18, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l LATE CITY EDITION 3-member supreme court bench does not know about vanuatu A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday said there is no country called Vanuatu, while hearing a bail plea in a cheating case compares it to fictional kailasa A bench of justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria was hearing a plea by the man challenging a Calcutta High Court order denying him bail. “You are a citizen of which country?” the bench asked. When the lawyer said the petitioner was a citizen of Vanuatu, the bench said, “There is no country like that. We also know a ‘country’ called Kailasa” ■ 80 allows petitioner to withdraw plea ■ The counsel argued that the petitioner was already granted bail in four other cases. The bench then asked the lawyer for West Bengal, “How much time will you take to conclude the trial?” The state’s counsel said it was likely to conclude within six to eight months. The SC permitted the petitioner to withdraw the petition islands, spread over 1,300 km in pacific ocean constitute vanuatu 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 5.6 lakh new voters added to Guj draft electoral rolls The world is going through a period of uncertainty. In such an environment, the India-France partnership is a force for global stability. We are combining France’s expertise and India’s scale D i l i p S i n g h K s h at r i ya @ Ahmedabad AFTER a three-and-a-halfmonth Special Intensive Revision drive, Gujarat’s final electoral roll was published on Tuesday revealing net addition , of 5.60 lakh voters even as 3.95 lakh names were deleted. The exercise digitised over 4.34 crore voter forms and reshaped district-wise electoral patter ns, with Ahmedabad leading in additions and Surat topping deletions. Before revision, Gujarat’s electoral base stood at 5.08 crore voters. Post-draft publication, the count rationalised to 4,34,70,109, signalling largescale removal of ineligible or duplicate entries. By the time the final roll was sealed, the voter base rose to 4,40,30,725. The arithmetic is revealing: after corrections and claims, Gujarat registered a net addition of about 5.60 lakh voters compared to the draft roll an indicator that new eligible voters, especially youth and migrants, successfully entered the system after scrutiny . Ahmedabad alone added 1,53,234 voters a significant surge pointing to rapid urban expansion and fresh eligibility . Surat added 1,01,578 voters, reinforcing its dual identity as both a high-migration and highregistration district. Rajkot (53,517), Vadodara (47,070) and Bhavnagar (40,074) also registered strong growth, signalling population consolidation in urban and semi-urban corridors. About 3.95 lakh voters were removed for death, migration or duplication. Chief Electoral Officer Harit Shukla credited statewide participation, cooperation from voters, media, political parties and the civil society. In all, 34 district election officers, 182 voter registration officers, 855 assistant voter registration officers, 50,963 booth level officers and many volunteers par ticipated in the exercise. Narendra Modi PM Narendra Modi with French President Emmanuel Macron during a car ride, in Mumbai | PTI Spl global strategic partnership deal done with France J aya nt h J a c o b @ New Delhi India and France on Tuesday elevated their bilateral ties to a “Special Global Strategic Partnership,” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi describing the relationship as a “force for global stability” amid rising geopolitical turbulence after a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Mumbai. Following comprehensive talks in Mumbai during Macron’s three-day visit, the two sides announced 21 outcomes spanning defence, critical minerals, high technology, renewable energy, health, skilling, startups and advanced materials. “The world is going through a period of uncertainty In such an en. vironment, the India-France partnership is a force for global stability . We are combining France’s expertise and India’s scale,” Modi said. He added that the two nations share a “very special relationship” built on trust and shared democratic values. “Together with President Macron, we have given this strategic partnership unprecedented depth and energy. Based on this trust and shared vision, today we are establishing our relationship as a ‘Special Global Strategic Partnership’,” he said. A key highlight of the visit was the virtual inauguration of the Air- bus H125 helicopter final assembly line at Vemagal in Karnataka. The facility set up by Airbus in collabo, ration with Indian partners, is expected to strengthen India’s aeronautical manufacturing capabilities, boost workforce skilling and generate employment. “Today’s inauguration of the helicopter assembly line in India is another shining example of this deep trust. We are proud that India and France will jointly manufacture the world’s only helicopter capable of flying to the heights of Mount Everest. And we will also export it to the entire world,” Modi said. “In other words, the India-France partnership knows no boundaries; it can reach from deep oceans to the tallest mountains.” The agreements signed include enhanced defence cooperation, collaboration in critical minerals and advanced materials, and expanded engagement in clean energy and health sectors. Both sides also launched the ‘India-France Year of Innovation’ initiative to deepen people-to-people and startup linkages. Macron described India as one of France’s most trusted partners and underlined the expanding defence relationship. “From Rafale jets to submarines, we are expanding defence cooperation,” he said. India and France have decided to elevate their strategic partnership to the level of a Special Global Strategic Partnership. In diplomacy, that is a big deal Emmanuel Macron H 125 assembly line 1 Both leaders virtually inaugurated a final assembly line in Karnataka to build Airbus H125 helicopters. It will enhance India’s aerospace manufacturing capabilities 2 Referring to global flashpoints like Ukraine, Wasia and the IndoPacific, Modi said both nations support a multipolar world 3 The ModiMacron meeting, included a joint drive through Mumbai in a show of personal rapport Anthropic AI pact with Infy after rattling the IT sector Pa d m i n i D h r u v a r a j @ Bengaluru A fortnight ago, the launch of US-based Anthropic’s AI tool had given Indian IT majors the jitters, raising questions about their future. On Tuesday how, ever, Infosys announced its partnership with Anthropic to develop advanced artificial intelligence solutions for businesses, aiming to bridge the gap between AI models that perform well in demonstrations and those that can operate effectively in highly regulated industries. The two companies plan to help organisations in tightly regulated sectors adopt AI more effectively Telecommuni. cations, financial services, manufacturing and software development are expected to be the key beneficiaries. Shares in Infosys climbed nearly 3% to about `1,407 on @ Hyderabad On highways, slogans painted on trucks, often by hand, stretch across tailgates and registration numbers. For years, this visual chaos has defeated automated surveillance systems designed for neat, uniform plates. It was this everyday disorder that pushed researchers at the International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad to build Vahan Eye, a system designed not despite Indian roads, but because of them. The system has been tracking sand trucks and helping authorities curb illegal mining over some time now. The system’s success has now caught the attention of the Traffic Police. Officials are examining whether the technology can be extended to automatically detect traffic violations by twowheelers, where missing, bent or non-standard number plates are a routine problem. Vahan Eye was developed at IIIT-H’s iHub-Data after commercial Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems repeatedly failed to cope with Indian truck plates. While such Anthropic’s Claude AI models will be combined with Infosys’ Topaz AI platform. Together, they aim to create customised AI agents capable of handling complex tasks. To begin with, a dedicated Anthropic Centre of Excellence will be set up for the telecom sector Tuesday following the announcement and closed the session with 2% higher. “There’s a big gap between an AI model that works in a demo and one that works in a regulated industry – and if you want to close that gap, you need domain expertise,” said Dario Amodei, CEO and co-founder of Anthropic. E x p r ess N e ws Se rv i c e @ Hyderabad Hyderabad has the potential to become a “global life sciences capital” from a “global vaccine capital”, Chief Minister A Rev a n t h Re d dy s a i d o n Tuesday . Inaugurating BioAsia 2026 at HITEX along with IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu, the chief minister said Telangana had attracted over `73,000 crore in life sciences investments over the past two years, reflecting the state’s growing role in the sector. He said BioAsia showcased Hyderabad’s rising profile in global life sciences and expressed confidence that the summit would gain international recognition comparable to the World Economic Forum in Davos. Referring to the scale of participation, Revanth said the conference could eventually be rechristened “Bio-World” to reflect its global reach. Highlighting Telangana’s strengths, the chief minister pointed out that the state had a clear policy framework, skilled workforce and strong educational institutions. He noted that Hyderabad had emerged as a key hub for Global Capability Centres, particularly in research and design. The chief minister referred to the Telangana NextGen Life Sciences Policy, the rollout of 1Bio as a research and innovation initiative, and the development of Green Pharma City Hyderabad was moving up . the value chain, from bulk drugs to biologics and from manufacturing to innovation, he said.  Continued on P3 Modi invites new PM Rahman to visit India Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla handing over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invite to Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman (pic), shortly after the latter took his oath of office and secrecy, to visit India at a mutually convenient time, in Dhaka on Tuesday. “I take this opportunity to invite you, along with Dr Zubaida Rahman and your daughter Zaima, on a visit to India at a mutually convenient time. A warm welcome awaits you in India,” Modi wrote. “The convergence between our respective developmental priorities shall serve as a guiding principle for our cooperation,” he said | P9,11 systems work well in countries with standardised formats, Indian trucks tend to carry handpainted numbers with uneven fonts, fading paint and creative spacing, often accompanied by decorative motifs or festival garlands. The gap became apparent when the IT department approached the institute on behalf of the state Mineral Development Corporation, which needed a way to track sand-laden trucks and identify illegal movement. Imported systems were expensive and unreliable in field conditions.  continued on P2 spirit of cricket Today’s Matches 11am: South Africa vs UAE (Delhi), 3pm: Pakistan vs Namibia (Colombo), 7pm: India vs Netherlands (Ahmedabad) Aussies out After Australia’s loss to Sri Lanka, ZImbabawe-Ireland match was washed out. With this, Zimbabwe progressed to Super 8s 14 former captains to Pak govt: Treat Imran with dignity E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Chennai In a moving gesture, 14 former captains from different nations are rallying behind Imarn Khan, who is struggling with ill-health. Expressing deep concern over the jailed cricketerturned-politician’s deteriorating condition, the captains including Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev have written a letter to the Pakistan government ap- pealing for adequate medical attention and dignified conditions in line with international standards for him. Even former captains like Sourav Ganguly supported it. The words of the letter are laced with emotion. “We, the undersigned for mer captains of our national cricket teams, write with deep con- cern regarding the reported treatment and incarceration conditions of Imran Khan, the distinguished former Captain of Pakistan and a legendary figure,” read the letter titled Appeal by for mer Inter national Cricket Captains. “Recent reports concerning his health — particularly the alarming deterioration of his vi- “Infosys has exactly that kind of expertise across important industries — telecom, financial services, and manufacturing. Their developers are already using Claude Code to accelerate their work and to create AI agents for industries that demand precision, compliance, and deep domain knowledge,” he said. The partnership focuses on building intelligent AI tools for enterprise use. “AI is not just transforming business — it is redefining the way industries operate and innovate,” said Salil Parekh, Infosys CEO. Early this month, Anthropic unveiled new automation tools for its Claude platform that can carry out tasks across legal, sales, marketing and data analysis functions. It triggered a bloodbath in Indian IT stocks, with the Nifty IT Index declining by 14%. CM: Hyd set to become actress death SC upholds global life sciences capital jail for IIIT-H’s Eye to help cops check sand mining, traffic violations E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e Creating customised AI agents for clients sion while in custody — and the conditions of his imprisonment over the past two and a half years have caused us profound concern.” The letter has also been signed by Michael Atherton, Allan Border, Michael Brearley, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, David Gower, Kim Hughes, Nasser Hussain, Clive Lloyd, Steve Waugh and John Wright. Gower told this daily that the intitative was taken be Greg. “He asked I would sign, and I said yes,” he said. No Pakistan player has signed the letter that ends with emotional lines that transcends politics. “Cricket has long been a bridge between nations. Our shared history on the field reminds us that rivalry ends when the stumps are drawn — and respect endures. Imran Khan embodied that spirit...” Pratyusha’s boyfriend S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a nt y @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the two-year jail sentence of Gudipalli Siddhartha Reddy, convicted for abetting the suicide of Telugu actress Pratyusha in 2002, and directed him to surrender within four weeks. Pratyusha died in Hyderabad on February 24, 2002. According to the remand report, she and Siddhartha Reddy had been in a relationship for six years. While the relationship was acceptable to Pratyusha’s mother, his mother opposed the alliance, following which the couple allegedly decided to end their lives. On February 23, 2002, the two travelled together, bought a bottle of pesticide, mixed it with a soft drink and consumed it. They later changed their minds and went to Care Hospital in Hyderabad. Despite treatment, Pratyusha died, while Siddhartha Reddy survived. A bench of Ju s t i c e s Rajesh Bindal and Manmohan also dismissed a plea by Pratyusha’s mother, P Sarojini Devi, alleging foul play The court ruled . out allegations of rape and manual strangulation, holding that the death was due to consumption of organophosphate poison, specifically Nuvacron. The top court said the allegation of homicidal death by manual strangulation is wholly unsustainable. “A wealth of ocular and medical evidence points to poisoning. The materials on record, when examined holistically, leave no room for doubt that the deceased died due to consumption of organophosphate poison, specifically Nuvacron...” the court said. The bench said Siddhartha Reddy’s participation in a suicide pact amounted to abetment under Section 107 of the IPC. It also criticised the postmortem conducted by Dr Muni Swamy , stating that his premature opinion led to public confusion. In 2011, the Andhra Pradesh High Court had reduced Siddhartha Reddy’s sentence from five years to two years.