vijayawada l saturday l may 16, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late city EDITION CJI likens some unemployed youth to roaches, parasites Likening unemployed youngsters to cockroaches, CJI Surya Kant said Friday they go on to “become” social media activists and attack the system lambasted for seeking better designation petitioner’s language cause of concern The comments came while a bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was pulling up a lawyer for “pursuing” senior advocate designation. It said there were “parasites” in society who attack the system and asked if the petitioner wanted to join hands with them. “The entire world may be eligible to become senior (advocate), but you are not entitled,” the SC said ■ ■ A visibly anguished CJI observed that if the Delhi High Court would confer senior advocate designation upon the petitioner, the apex court would set that aside seeing his professional conduct The CJI referred to the kind of language used by the petitioner on Facebook. The bench later allowed withdrawal of the petition | P9 CBI Could be asked to verify degrees of all those in black robes, says SC 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 TDP to hold Mahanadu in hybrid mode on May 27, 28 S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada The TDP top leadership has decided to hold the party’s prestigious annual conclave ‘Mahanadu’ in hybrid format on May 27 and 28 as an austerity measure in the wake of global uncertainty . Earlier, the TDP had planned to hold the threeday Mahanadu at the IFFCO Kisan SEZ in Racharlapadu village of Kodavalur mandal in Nellore district on a grand scale from May 27 to 29. The TDP rank and file was engaged in making arrangements for Mahanadu at the venue till Friday evening. According to party sources, TDP Politburo members, representatives of party Central Committee, State Committee, and official spokespersons will be among the invitees to participate in Mahanadu physically at the party headquarters in Mangalagiri under the hybrid format. The TDP rank and file from districts and Assembly constituencies will participate in the annual conclave virtually. State Ministers, MPs, MLAs and MLCs will participate in the conclave through online mode. The TDP will also make arrangements for the party rank and file to attend Mahanadu virtually from all 1,848 cluster units across the State. The conclave will follow all traditional Mahanadu procedures, including discussions on key resolutions and organisational matters though it is being held in the P4 hybrid mode.  Pay `3 a litre more for petrol, diesel Freight rates set to jump, analysts see 15-25 basis points hike in retail inflation R a k es h K u m a r @ New Delhi The inevitable finally happened on Friday with oil marketing companies , (OMCs) raising petrol and diesel prices by `3 per litre, while compressed natural gas (CNG) prices for automobiles were increased by `2 per kg. This is the first hike in petrol and diesel prices ever since state-run refiners suspended daily fuel price revisions in April 2022. The last revision came in March 2024, when prices were cut by `2 per litre ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Friday’s announcement comes amid disruptions in global oil and gas supplies following the escalation of conflict in West Asia after attacks by Israel and the US on Iran on February 28. The impact of the price hike is expected to be felt across logistics, transportation, freight and e-commerce sectors, as well as other industries. “We expect freight rates across sectors to increase by approximately 2.5-3% immediately said Ashok Goy,” al, National President of the All India Transporters Welfare Association. Economists and analysts expect the price hike to result in a 15-25 basis points increase in retail inflation. The full impact of the hike is likely to be reflected in June inflation numbers. “The pass-through effect of the fuel price hikes is likely to increase CPI inflation by 15 basis points,” said Megha Arora, Director at India Ratings and Research. She added that the diesel price hike would have a wider impact because of its extensive use in transportation, coastal fishing boats, tourism, e-commerce operations and by aqua farmers for running aerators. Analysts believe the fuel price hike will provide only limited relief to OMCs. According to Prashant Vasisht of ICRA, despite the hike, OMCs will continue to incur losses of about `500 crore daily on the sale of auto fuels and domestic LPG. Transporters will to partially pass on the burden to customers. We expect freight rates to increase by about 2.5-3% Ashok Goyal, prez, All India Transporters Welfare Association Chennai petrol `103.67 Petrol in Delhi will now cost `97.77 a litre against `94.77 earlier. New cost of diesel is `90.67, up from from `87.67. In Chennai, petrol price has climbed to `103.67, up from `100.80 2-state solution On Palestine, BRICS members reaffirmed support for a two-state solution and backed the creation of an independent Palestinian within the 1967 borders BRICS FM meet fails to issue joint statement J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Foreign ministers of the BRICS grouping failed to issue a joint communique after a two-day meeting in New Delhi on Friday, with sharp divisions over the Iran and Gaza wars exposing geopolitical fault lines within the expanded bloc that now includes both Iran and the UAE. The breakdown in consensus was driven primarily by objections raised by Iran to key paragraphs in the draft outcome document dealing with West Asia, Gaza and maritime security sources said. , According to sources, Tehran opposed paragraph 26, which addressed the Gaza and Palestine issue, and paragraph 29, which referenced the importance of ensuring “the exercise of navigational rights and freedoms of vessels of all states in the Red Sea and Bab AlMandab Strait, in accordance with international law”. As a result, host India was forced to issue a chair’s statement and outcome document that mentioned “a member had reservations on some aspects of this paragraph,” without naming any country . Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi suggested that the UAE had blocked consensus language due to its alignment with Israel and the US. “There were differing views among some members as regards the situation in the West Asia/Middle East region,” India said in the chair statement. It also highlighted shared concerns over regional instability and stressed the importance of “safe and unimpeded maritime commerce through international waterways”. AP stands for Advanced Pradesh now: Rajnath E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ Anantapur Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has said Andhra Pradesh will emerge as a major defence manufacturing hub with the establishment of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) project and several other defence industries in Rayalaseema. The Chief Minister, along with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, laid the foundation stone for the AMCA project and other defence units at Puttaparthi in Sri Sathya Sai district on Friday . They unveiled a plaque of the AMCA Integration and Flight Testing Project being set up by the Aeronautical Development Agency . They also launched projects Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hold rifles at the foundation stone laying ceremony of AMCA project on Friday | Express I preferred stability of State rather than political power: Pawan Kalyan E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ Vijayawada Asserting that Jana Sena was founded not for power but to bring about long-term social and political change, Deputy Chief Minister and JSP chief Pawan Kalyan on Friday said the party had emerged stronger after a decade of struggle, and is now expanding beyond Andhra Pradesh into several southern and western States. Addressing the Jana Sena Udyami meeting, Pawan Kalyan said Jana Sena, which began its political journey in Tel- angana, has now extended its presence to Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra with a membership of over 21.5 lakh. Pawan Kalyan attributed the growing people’s support to the Jana Sena’s emphasis on na- tional integration and patriotic values. “I did not establish Jana Sena with an ambition of becoming a Chief Minister. I started this party with the thought of how society could be transformed. This success did not come in a single day We . endured humiliation and hardship for 10 years,” he said. Referring to comparisons with regional leaders who quickly rose to power after launching political parties in neighbouring States, Pawan Kalyan said the political situation in Andhra Pradesh was P4 completely different.  promoted by Kalyani Strategic Systems, Agneyastra Energetics, Bharat Dynamics Limited and HFCL. In addition, the Chief Minister virtually launched five drone manufacturing and technology companies proposed at Drone City in Orvakal of Kurnool district. Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said the teachings of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba had spread the message of peace from Puttaparthi, and now the spiritual town is becoming a strategic defence hub for the country . “The AMCA project is highly significant for the nation. Andhra Pradesh will play a key role in achieving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat,” Naidu P4 said.  NEET re-exam on June 21, online test from next yr e x p r ess n e w s se r v i c e @ New Delhi EDUCATION Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday announced that the the reexamination for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) Undergraduate 2026 will be held on June 21. The fresh exam comes after the original test was cancelled on May 12 following question paper leak. The re-examination will be conducted in the conventional pen-and-paper (offline) mode and will be available in 13 languages. The exam fee for the cancelled test will be fully refunded, and no additional fee will be charged for the re-test. Starting next year, the NEET-UG exam will shift to computer-based test mode, the National Testing Agency said. Briefing the media, Pradhan said, “The decision to cancel the NEET-UG exam was announced on May 12 only in the interest of meritorious students. We do not want any wrong candidate to take up the seat, which rightfully belongs to a genuine candidate, with the help of the machinations of education mafia.” In a significant change, the duration of the exam has been extended by 15 minutes. It will now be held from 2 pm to 5.15 pm. Admit cards, centre intimation slips, and other details will be released by June 14. Students can update their present address and select examination cities from May 15 to May 21 (up to 11.50 pm). Candidates can indicate their first and second choice of examination cities during this period. No corrections in other particulars will be permitted except for the present address and choice of centre. Requests for changes will be entertained till the May 21 deadline. E x p r e s s Re a d TN loses mega flight testing hub to AP Our priority is the future of students. I appeal to all students to appear for the exam without fear. We won’t let malpractice happen this time Dharmendra Pradhan, Education minister Kingpin arrested from Pune Three days into its probe, the CBI on Friday said it had cracked the NEET paper leak case with the arrest of a Pune-based Prof P V Kulkarni, the “source” of the leak. He is a expert on the panel that sets the NEET-UG question papers | P10 Chennai: Tamil Nadu has lost out to Andhra Pradesh in securing the proposed Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) flight testing and integration complex with the Centre backing AP for the facility at Puttaparthi. The development comes in spite of the technically superior infrastructure conditions offered by Tamil Nadu for the AMCA project, according to highly-placed sources | P5 Childhood education project launched Vijayawada: Principal Secretary (Women and Child Welfare) A Surya Kumari on Friday launched the ‘Andhralo Chinnarula Chaduvulu’ project aimed at strengthening early childhood education in Anganwadi centres across the State. She said the project would usher in an educational revolution in Anganwadis by improving learning standards among children through playbased education | P3 Stand ‘shoulder-to-shoulder’, says PM as UAE announces $5bn investment j aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Friday reiterated India’s support for the United Arab Emirates amid instability in West Asia, declaring that New Delhi stands “shoulder-toshoulder” with Abu Dhabi as the two countries signed a series of major agreements spanning energy, defence, trade, shipping and advanced technology, while the Gulf nation also announced investments worth USD 5 billion in India. During wide-ranging talks in Abu Dhabi with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Modi strongly condemned attacks targeting UAE and stressed that ensuring stability in the Gulf, particularly the security of the Strait of Hormuz, was a shared strategic priority . “The way the UAE has been targeted is unacceptable in any way,” Modi said during the meeting, held against the backdrop of rising tensions linked to the Iran conflict and growing UAE my second home, says PM In a personal gesture, Modi described the UAE as his “second home” and thanked the Emirati leadership for the warm reception accorded to him, including an escort by UAE Air Force. He expressed gratitude to the UAE government and the royal family for their support to the Indian diaspora during the ongoing regional crisis. threats to regional shipping and energy infrastructure. The visit, the first leg of Modi’s five-nation tour, highlighted how rapidly the India-UAE relationship has evolved from an economic partnership into a broader strategic alignment. A major focus of the visit was energy security. Among agreements signed was a strategic pact with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company to expand cooperation on India’s strate- PM Narendra Modi with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan | PTI gic petroleum reserves and exploring collaboration in LNG and LPG infrastructure. The agreement will increase UAE’s participation in India’s petroleum reserves to 30 million barrels while also supporting the development of strategic gas reserves. Modi stressed that keeping the Strait of Hormuz “free, open and safe” was critical for global economic stability and energy security . Bhojshala in Dhar a Saraswati temple, rules MP HC A n u r a a g S i n g h @ Bhopal THE Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday ruled that the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Dhar district is a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, while simultaneously quashing a decades-old ASI order that allowed the Muslim community to offer Friday prayers at the site. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had in April 2003 restricted the right of Hindus to worship within the Bhojshala complex. After hearing a batch of petitions and intervention applications filed by representatives Muslim petitioners set to move SC All the Muslim petitioners of the case on Friday said that they will challenge the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s decision declaring the disputed Bhojshala structure in Dhar district to be a Saraswati temple of the Hindu, Muslim and Jain communities for 24 days following directions by the Supreme Court, a division bench of the High Court, comprising Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi, stated in its 248page order, “Historical literature established that the character of the disputed area at Bhojshala was a Centre of Sanskrit learning associated with Parmar dynasty king Raja Bhoj and the literature and architectural reference, including those connected with Raja Bhoj period indicate the existence of a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati at Dhar.” While allowing and dispos- ing the petitions filed by the Hindu side — the Hindu Front for Justice, Kuldeep Tiwari and others, the high court bench said, “The disputed area of Bhojshala and Kamal Maula Mosque is held to be protected monument under Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, with effect from March 18, 1904. The religious character of the disputed area of the complex is held to be a Bhojshala with a temple of Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati).” The bench clarified that the Muslim side may approach the state government for separate land in the district to construct a mosque.