hyderabad l tuesday l may 12, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE City EDITION Vinesh reaches gonda, wfi refuses to let her take part Despite being cleared by Int’l Testing Agency, Vinesh Phogat was not allowed to complete verification for Sr Open rankings meet in Gonda ‘WFI CHIEF WANTS ME TO QUIT WRESTLING’ written explanation needed: WFI Vinesh presented her arguments before WFI president Sanjay Kumar Singh but those fell on deaf ears. The 31-year-old grappler alleged conspiracy being hatched against her by former WFI chief Brij Bhushan. Earlier, the two-time Worlds medallist had expressed apprehension over participating at this venue, which is considered a stronghold of Brij Bhushan | P11 ■ ■ Reacting to Vinesh’s accusations, Sanjay Singh said the wrestler has to submit a complete explanation and it would be submitted to the WFI’s disciplinary committee, which eventually will take a call WFI highlighted the secure environment provided to Vinesh during her visit from her arrival in Gonda to her departure from the venue 3 nUMBER OF TIMES vINESH pHOGAT HAS TAKEN PART IN THE oLYMPICS 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 Victory margin vs SIR appeals: File fresh plea, SC tells Mamata s u c h i t r a k a lya n m o h a n t y @ New Delhi E x p r e s s Re a d Sonia steps in to break impasse over Kerala CM T’Puram: The suspense over who will be the next Kerala chief minister deepened on Monday, a week after the election results gave a thumping majority to the Congress-led UDF, as the party’s central leadership summoned senior leaders from the state for another round of talks | P5 10 held in Chilkalguda student’s murder case Hyderabad: Ten persons, including a minor, were arrested in connection with the murder of 21-year-old student Bommana Yavan in Chilkalguda. Two of the accused tested positive for ganja consumption. DCP Rakshitha Krishna Murthy described the killing as “coldblooded” and pre-planned | P3 SC rejects IAMC plea on land allotment E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad The Supreme Court has rejected a review petition filed by the International Arbitration and Mediation Centre (IAMC) against its February 2026 judgment upholding the quashing of allotment of 3.7 acres of government land in Hyderabad to the arbitration body free of cost. A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and SVN Bhatti also dismissed IAMC’s application seeking an oral hearing in the matter. “Having perused the order under review and the grounds urged in support of the prayer made, we are of the considered opinion that no case for review has been set up,” the court said in its May 5 order. On February 4, the apex court upheld a Telangana High Court order setting aside the state government’s decision to allot 3.7 acres of land at Raidurg to IAMC without collecting the market value. The case stemmed from two pleas challenging government orders issued by the state between 2021 and 2022. THE Supreme Court on Monday said former chief minister Mamata Banerjee and others can file fresh applications regarding their claim that the victory margins in 31 constituencies in the recent assembly polls in West Bengal were less than the number of voters challenging their deletion from the electoral rolls — during the special intensive revision (SIR) — before appellate tribunals. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi took note of the submissions after senior advo- cate and TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee referred to an earlier observation of Justice Bagchi that the court can look into the grievances if victory margins are less than the number of names deleted during the SIR. Claiming that SIR impacted the Bengal poll outcome, Banerjee submitted that in one constituency, his party candidate Austerity pitch spooks markets, hits sentiments Sensex down 1.7%, rupee falls to 95.31, govt reviewing pricing of petroleum products D IPAK MON D AL @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for austerity in view of the Iran war triggered sharp reactions across markets and sectors on Monday with investors interpreting the , remarks as a signal of an imminent crisis. Equity markets tumbled over 1.5%, while the rupee—which depreciated 11.5% in the past year— plunged 82 paise to settle at a record closing low of 95.31 against the US dollar. Taking cues from the PM’s warning on economic disruptions, the BSE Sensex fell 1,312.91 points, or 1.7%, to close at 76,015.28, while the NSE Nifty50 declined 360.30 points, or 1.49%, to settle at 23,815.85. During a speech in Hyderabad on Sunday , Modi called for collective participation to help India navigate global economic disruptions, supply chain challenges, and rising prices. He urged people to avoid buying gold and cut down on foreign travel, and asked companies to revive work-from-home arrangements similar to those adopted during the Covid-19 pandemic. The PM’s call for reducing petrol and diesel consumption also fuelled speculation that a retail fuel price hike was imminent. On Monday the petroleum ministry said , oil marketing companies are likely to face under-recoveries of `2 lakh crore in the first quarter of FY27. The ministry added the government is reviewing fuel pricing. Petroleum products and gold imports remain major burdens on India’s external account. In FY26, India imported petroleum products worth $172 billion while gold imports surged 24% to $72 billion. India’s foreign exchange reserves stood at $690 billion in the week ending May 1, down from a peak of $728 billion in the week ended Feb 27. The PM’s appeal for restraint on gold purchases has brought renewed attention to the free trade pact with the UAE, following which gold imports jumped from $3 billion in 2022 to $16.5 billion in 2025. Remote and hybrid work on: Nasscom On PM’s call for work from home arrangements, Nasscom said most companies have already optimised energy consumption and enabled remote and hybrid work arrangements wherever operationally appropriate to reduce energy usage and commuting Concerned about crisis: India Inc India Inc has expressed concern over the economic challenges owing to Gulf crisis. Sunil Mittal, chairman, Bharti Enterprises, said the crisis has placed pressure on global economies, including India Super bike rams car @ 180 kmph, 5 dead E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e Wreckage of a sports bike and a car is seen after they collided, in Mahbubnagar late on Sunday. Five people, including two children, were killed | PTI @ Hyderabad Five persons, including two children, were killed when a sports bike, speeding at around 180 kmph, rammed into a car taking a U-turn on the bypass road at Palakonda Junction in Mahbubnagar late on Sunday . Three occupants of the car — Arshiya (28), 18-month-old Amer and 10-year-old Huzaifa — died on the spot. The two bike riders, identified as Avez and Yakub, also succumbed to injuries. According to police, a family from Prem Nagar in Mahbubnagar was returning home after attending a function when the accident occurred. The car was attempting a U-turn when a speeding Suzuki Hayabusa, allegedly travelling at around 180 kmph, crashed into it from behind. The impact severely damaged the left side of the car and the bike. Locals said the pillion rider was thrown nearly 10 metres from the accident site. Police shifted the injured to a nearby hospital for treatment. Locals said around 12 to 15 sports bikes were travelling to- gether towards Hyderabad after attending a function. The remaining bikers allegedly fled before police reached the spot. Police identified the bike involved in the accident as a Haryana-registered Hayabusa. Residents alleged that the Mahbubnagar bypass had become a hotspot for illegal bike racing. A case was registered and investigation is under way . lost by 862 votes while more than 5,000 names were removed from the rolls. He added that the vote gap between the TMC and the BJP was 32 lakh while 35 lakh appeals were pending before appellate tribunals. The Election Commission opposed Banerjee’s submission, saying that the only remedy was an election petition. It said it can be held accountable for issues related to the SIR only “The law is clear ... every . issue arising out of SIR could not be separately litigated,” the poll panel further argued. The bench said the mechanism for adjudication of these appeals could be improved. New Bengal govt clears land transfer for border fencing SU B H E N D U MAITI @ Kolkata Somnath anniv Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers prayers at Somnath Temple in Veraval in Gujarat as part of the Somnath Amrut Mahotsav, marking 75 years of the inauguration of the restored temple dedicated to Lord Shiva | PTI Law will take its course, says CM; DCP to probe POCSO case on Bandi’s son E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Asserting that his government does not indulge in vindictive or discriminatory politics, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said that the law would take its own course in the POCSO case registered against Bandi Sai Bhageerath, son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar. Speaking informally to reporters after reviewing the developments with DGP CV Anand on Monday, the chief minister said that a senior woman IPS officer would be asked to probe the case and record statements in the case. Later, the police commissioner appointed Deputy Commissioner of Police (Kukatpally Zone) Ritiraj to probe the POC- Ritiraj, DCP, Kukatpally SO case registered against Bhageerath. Revanth said that the investigation had been delayed by two days as around 10,000 police personnel were engaged in security arrangements for the visiting prime minister. He said that he would never indulge in vindictive politics or misuse his extraordinary powers as chief minister. “I will ensure systemic governance,” the chief minister said. Education to be allocated 15% of Budget: Revanth E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday said the state government would increase the allocation for education in the Budget from the present 8% to 15% in phases from next year, while announcing a series of measures aimed at strengthening government schools. Addressing the inaugural meeting of Education Week, organised as part of the Praja Palana celebrations, Revanth said the government would soon take key decisions concerning the Education department and implement a new education policy. He appealed to teachers to work an extra hour for the benefit of poor students. The chief minister said state-run educational institutions located within the Outer Ring Road limits would be provided basic amenities at an estimated cost of `1,700 crore. Highlighting the government’s initiatives, he said around 11,000 teachers were recruited within 60 days, while 22,000 teachers were promoted and 36,000 transferred without issues. He added that the Telangana Education department’s performance had been appreciated by NITI Aayog. Revanth said around 19 lakh students were studying in 27,000 government schools with 1.5 lakh teachers, translating to an average of one teacher for every 17 students. In comparison, he noted that 38 lakh students were enrolled in 12,000 private schools. “What is the greatness of private schools and where are government schools lacking?” he asked. “My aim is to make Telangana No. 1 in education in the country he said. ,” Revanth said around 25 teachers had been sent on study tours to Finland, and that 500 more teachers would soon be sent abroad. Outstanding teachers would be honoured on State Formation Day he added. , He said that an FIR was registered at the Petbasheerabad police station on May 8 based on a complaint lodged by the victim’s mother. “On May 9 and 10, police personnel were occupied with the prime minister’s security arrangements. Before the victim’s mother lodged a complaint, Bandi Sanjay’s son had filed a complaint with the Karimnagar police. Investigations into both cases have begun. Both sides were claiming to be victims and the police would record their statements,” the chief minister added. Revanth said that the investigation would be carried out by the police and not in the manner demanded by the Opposition BRS. He said that BRS leader RS Praveen Kumar was not a DGP and was only a retired IPS officer.  continued on P4 The new BJP government in West Bengal, in its first Cabinet meeting, approved the long-delayed transfer of land to the BSF for fencing along the border with Bangladesh. “The transfer process of land for border fencing will start within 45 days of the formation of our government in the state, and it was our commitment. The state chief secretary and land and land reform department secretary will work together to hand over land to the BSF,” Chief Minister Suvendhu Adhikari said. He said that as per the knowledge he acquired during his previous tenure as the Leader of Opposition, some 90 per cent of the land required to complete the border fencing exercise was already under state acquisition. “I will have to go through the papers to figure out the exact status of the land required, and for which I will need some more time,” he said. While campaigning for the recently-held assembly elections in the state, top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah, had accused the previous Trinamool Congress government of compromising the country’s security by delaying the land transfer to the BSF. In another decision, the government approved rolling out the Centre’s health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat in the state. He assured that no existing social security schemes, including, Swasthya Sathi, a health scheme launched by Mamata Banerjee, will be withdrawn.