pakistan says it is in ‘open war’ against neighbour afghanistan Pakistan bombed major cities in Afghanistan on Friday, and said the neighbours are in “open war” following months of tit-for-tat clashes | P11 Pak army claims it killed 274 taliban men THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l saturday l February 28, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l late city EDITION Pakistan Army spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry said his forces “killed 274 Taliban personnel, while 400 were injured”. Twelve Pakistani soldiers were killed, while 27 others injured, he added. AFP journalists heard shellfire and gunfire in Torkham, with Afghan soldiers heading towards the frontier after overnight bombardment by Pakistan 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 Kejri, others let off in excise scam Special judge Jitendra Singh raps CBI for procedural lapses, refuses to put accused on trial U D AYA N K I S H O R E @ New Delhi HC lifts stay, clears release of ‘Kerala Story 2’ E x press N e w s S er v i c e @ Kochi The Kerala High Court on Friday granted permission for the release of ‘The Kerala Story 2 – Goes Beyond’, staying a single judge’s order halting the film’s screening for 15 days. The order paves the way for the release of the film in more than 1,800 theatres across the country and in 355 centres abroad. A division bench comprising Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice P V Balakrishnan issued the order on an appeal filed by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, proprietor of Sunshine Pictures, Mumbai, seeking to quash the single judge’s order. The division bench, which had reserved its order after an urgent hearing that lasted around two hours on Thursday night, passed the interim order at 4pm on Friday . Earlier on Thursday the sin, gle judge had stayed the release of the movie — originally scheduled for Friday — after verifying the contents of the teaser and finding that it had a “prima facie potential to distort public perception and disturb communal harmony”. The division bench, in its order, said once a certificate has been issued, there is, prima facie, a presumption that the authority concerned has taken into account all the guidelines, including public order. “...if any issue of public order arises due to the release of movie, it is the duty of state to maintain it,” the order said. ● More on P5 A Delhi court on Friday discharged former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and 22 others, including deputy CM Manish Sisodia and ex-BRS leader K Kavitha in the alleged excise scam, finding it unworthy of trial as it junked the CBI chargesheet. Hours later, the CBI moved the Delhi High Court challenging the trial court order. Trial court special judge Jitendra Singh also pulled up the CBI for procedural lapses, violation of constitutional principles and relying on hearsay evidence. He also found the ‘South Group’ label for the excise policy accused particularly inappropriate, adding he will rec- It’s a historic verdict. The court has proved that Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and AAP are kattar imaandar (staunchly honest). I challenge the PM to hold fresh polls in Delhi. If BJP wins over 10 seats, I will quit politics — Arvind Kejriwal, AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal gets emotional as he addresses the media on Friday | PTI omme n d a d e p ar t me n t al inquiry against the investigating officer of the case. “Prosecution case, as presented in the chargesheet, rests largely on surmises, conjectures, and inferential leaps un- supported by cogent material,” the judge said. Singh said that the policy was the outcome of a structured governmental process involving multiple departments, expert committees and cabinet-level approvals, and the decisions, even if later withdrawn or criticised, “cannot by themselves give rise to criminal liability unless supported by clear evidence of quid pro quo, personal gain, or misuse of office”. Prosecu- GDP projected to grow 7.6% in FY26 under new series P U S H P I TA D E Y @ New Delhi THE Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) on Friday released a new series of annual and quarterly National Accounts with 2022-23 as the base year, replacing the 2011-12 series, and raised India’s real GDP growth estimate for FY26 to 7.6% from 7.4% projected earlier. Data showed that real GDP growth in Q3 of 2025-26 eased to 7.8% from 8.4% in the July-September quarter. Growth in the 18 pages, including 4 pages of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Express Today’s Match 7pm: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka (Pallekele) corresponding year-ago quarter was 8%. Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran said that given the revised data, strong Q3 performance, and improving outlook for capital flows and trade frameworks, FY27 real GDP growth projection was revised upward from 6.8-7.2% range to 7-7.4% with upward risk. The CEA said with full-year growth estimated at 7.6% for FY26, the economy would need to expand by over 7.8% in Q4 to meet the projection. Why revise base year Base year revision aims to better capture structural changes in the economy, include new data sources, refine estimation methodologies, and enhance coverage and accuracy Jacks gives pak life Will Jacks’ 32 off 18 help England beat New Zealand in Colombo on Friday. Pakistan now need to beat Sri Lanka by 65 runs or have to chase any target set by Sri Lanka in 13 overs on Saturday | AFP ‘ e x t r a - m a r i t a l affa i r ’ Just before polls, Vijay’s wife calls it quits P ra b hakar Ta m i l arasu @ Chennai SANKGEETHA Vijay, wife of actorpolitician and Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay Chandrasekar, has filed a divorce petition before the Chengalpattu court alleging cruelty and adultery The family . court has summoned Vijay to appear before it on April 20. Sankgeetha accused her husband of having an extra-marital relationship with an actress and that he has subjected her to “persistent mental cruelty neglect and desertion”. , If required, she said she would implead the actress as second respondent. She urged the court to hold incamera proceedings to protect the privacy and dignity of the parties and their children. On December 3 last, Sankgeetha filed the petition before the Principal District Judge Court, Chengalpattu, under provisions of the Special Mar- Vijay Sankgeetha riage Act, 1954. The petition was transferred to the family court on February 24. After the first hearing in the case on Thursday, the family court adjourned the matter to April 20 and directed Vijay to appear in person. In her petition, Sankgeetha said the marriage was first registered in the UK on July 10, 1998, and later solemnised according to Hindu rites in Chennai on August 25, 1999. The petition stated that the marriage was ini- tially cordial and that she devoted herself to family life and raising their children while supporting Vijay’s professional commitments. However, she alleged that in April 2021 she discovered that Vijay was involved in an adulterous relationship with an actress, which caused “deep emotional pain and mental suffering”. Despite assurances that the relationship would end, she claimed their association continued. Sankgeetha also contended that attempts to resolve the dispute amicably through legal notices and personal discussions between 2021 and 2025 failed. She alleged that financial restrictions were imposed on her and that the marital relationship had irretrievably broken down. Seeking dissolution of marriage, she has requested permanent alimony residence at matrimonial home or , an equivalent accommodation. tion case does not disclose even the threshold of prima facie suspicion, far less the “grave suspicion” mandated by settled principles of criminal jurisprudence, the court said. Observing that the judicial task was not to secure a convenient outcome or to endorse a dominant narrative, but to uphold the rule of law, the judge refused to put the accused on trial. The judge rejected the charge that Kejriwal as the then CM exercised overarching control over the conspiracy relating to the formulation and implementation of the excise policy say, ing the only principal material relied upon to implicate him was the statement of approver, which was “without any independent corroboration”. Pinarayi remains Captain, asserts CPM Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will lead the LDF campaign in the coming assembly elections | P5 NSS refuses security checks for VP visit at Mannam Samadhi E x press N e w s S er v i c e @Kottayam In a brazen move, the NSS leadership has refused security checks at Mannam Samadhi mandapam at its Perunna headquarters ahead of Vice President C P Radhakrishnan’s scheduled visit, forcing the security team to withdraw and potentially prompting a revision of the dignitary’s itinerary . Sources close to the NSS leadership said the decision stemmed solely from concerns that police dog inspections could desecrate Man- We have temporarily nam Samadhi — revered as a holy site by the suspended the community —and insisted the organisation checks and bore no ill will toward the vice president. “In informed the fact, he (Radhakrishnan) had visited Perunna VP’s office, and offered floral tributes at Mannam Samadhi awaiting further shortly before assuming office,” a source said. instructions According to police, the vice president is A Shahul Hameed, scheduled to arrive in Changanassery on Sat- Kottayam SP urday to attend the valedictory function of SB College’s centenary celebrations. His itinerary includes landing at the NSS Hindu College ground at Perunna and proceeding to the nearby Mannam Samadhi to pay floral tributes, before moving to SB College. However, the NSS’s objections to the security checks have complicated these plans. “We have received communication from the VP’s office regarding his intention to pay tributes at Mannam Samadhi,” said A Shahul Hameed, Kottayam police superintendent.  ● More on P5