DHARMAPURI l Thursday l February 26, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l 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 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 ■ 50 unacceptable in new India, says Scindia ■ The visit scheduled for February 25-26 was cancelled pending a full inquiry. Banzal (pic) is due to superannuate by September-end 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 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 Terror anywhere threatens peace everywhere, Modi tells Knesset J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi express read BJP may ban meat sale in TN, says CM Kanniyakumari: Speaking at an event in Nagercoil on Wednesday, CM MK Stalin referred to a remark by Bihar’s Deputy CM, and said that the BJP might enforce a ban on meat sale near schools and religious places if voted to power in TN. “They want to create a similar situation in TN. Who are they to decide what one should eat?” he asked | P4 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 Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, before addressing Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem on Wednesday | AP/PTI 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 mur- der of civilians. Nothing can justify terrorism,” Modi asserted, underlining India’s “consistent and uncompromising policy of zero tolerance for terrorism, with no double standards.” He warned that terrorism red salute Communist stalwart Nallakannu no more 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 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. S K u m a r e s a n @ Chennai Veteran leader of the Communist Party of India (CPI), R Nallakannu, widely regarded as an embodiment of integrity and selfless public service for nearly eight decades, passed away at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital on Wednesday due to prolonged age-related ailments. He was 101. After the demise of N Sankaraiah in 2023, Nallakannu — affectionately known as ‘Comrade’ or ‘Thozhar’ RNK among party members — was the last surviving centenarian communist leader in Tamil Nadu who had worked for the party and welfare of the people since the pre-Independence era. Leaders across party lines, from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and CM MK Stalin, paid tributes to the departed leader. In a post on ‘X’, Modi said Nallakannu would be re- SC frowns on NCERT text on judicial graft E x p r e ss n e w s s e r v i c e @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Wednesday took suo-motu cognizance of NCERT’s Class 8 social science book which has a chapter on ‘judicial corruption’. A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi listed the matter for Thursday after senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Singhvi mentioned the matter for urgent consideration. “This seems to be a very cal- Solar panels to face 126% anti-subsidy duty in US PU S HPITA D EY @ 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 hurting 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. “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. culated move... I don’t want to say much,” the CJI said. Taking strong objection to the chapter, the CJI added: “I will not allow anyone on earth to defame the institution... I know how to deal with it.” Justice Bagchi observed that the book seems to go against the basic structure of the Constitution. Following the SC’s strong remarks, the NCERT held a high-level meeting. “The sections pertaining to corruption in the judiciary may be removed. An official statement will be released after the meeting,” said an official. The book was removed from sales from Tuesday by the Publications Division of NCERT. On the book’s availability online, an official said: “We always upload textbooks much later than the print version. There is no question of pulling it out online as we have not uploaded it in the first place.” The controversy is over a section in the text book on ‘corruption in the judiciary’ in a chapter titled The role of the judiciary in our society. While explaining the concept of judicial accountability it notes that , judges are bound by a code of conduct that requires them to remain fair and impartial. Book flags backlog The chapter dealing with judicial accountability pegs the approximate number of pending cases in the Supreme Court at 81,000, in high courts at 62.4 lakh, and in district and subordinate courts at 4.7 crore Today’s Match 7pm: India vs Zimbabwe (Chennai) membered for his grassroots connect and his efforts to give voice to the underprivileged, workers, and farmers. Radhakrishnan, who defeated Nallakannu in the 1999 Lok Sabha election from Coimbatore, said the Left leader had devoted his entire life to workers’ rights, social justice, and advancement of the oppressed. Expressing deep sorrow, Stalin announced that Nallakannu would be accorded full state honours. “Let us bid adieu to the comrade with full state honours and a red salute,” he said on X. N a l l a k a n n u ’s wife, Ranjitham, predeceased him in 2016. He is survived by his daughters, Kasibharathi and Dr Andal. His mortal remains were taken to Balan Illam, the CPI state headquarters in Chennai, on Wednesday evening for people to pay their last respects. As per his wish, his body will be donated to the Madras Medical College on Thursday evening.  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