AI generated Gabbard outs Fauci’s funding of Wuhan lab The then US health czar funded research on bat coronaviruses at Wuhan Institute of Virology in China, from where Covid-19 virus possibly leaked. Dr Anthony Fauci, who served as Director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from 1984 to 2022, worked with the intel community to suppress the lab-leak origin theory of Covid-19, and lied to Congress under oath, said Tulsi Gabbard on her last day as US Director of National Intelligence tadepalligudem l saturday l june 20, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION 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 Right to walk on footpath a fundamental right, rules SC S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O HA N T Y @ New Delhi In a significant judgment, the Supreme Court on Friday said the right to walk on a demarcated footpath is a fundamental right, and must take precedence over the movement of motorised vehicles. The right to walk is part of the right to movement guaranteed under Article 19 (1) (d) and other fundamental rights including Article 21 (Right to life and liberty) of the Constitution, said a bench of justices P S Narasimha and A S Chandurkar. The fundamental right to walk will take within its sweep the Walking is right to demarcated integral to life footpaths, it added. The court was decidIf a road exists, the authorities have a ing an appeal in a moduty to ensure tor accident claim, that there are where a tanker mowed demarcated and down a 5-year-old who well-maintained was on his way to footpaths for school along with his walkers. “Walking dad. While the father is integral to life,” filed a compensation the court said claim for `25 lakh, the Motor Accidents Claim Tribunal awarded `7.82 lakh with 6% interest; a high court cut the compensation to `4.7 lakh; and the SC raised the payout to `11.4 lakh. Stressing the necessity to establish a regulatory body the court said the regula, tor will develop and retain institutional memory so as to act on the basis of the experience, data and information it has gathered and processed. “The regulator will maintain institutional integrity by taking independent and objective decisions without governmental or industrial control,” the court added. Jio enters satellite Temporary Telegram race, to launch LEO ban legit: Delhi HC network for India Proportionality test satisfied India’s largest telecom operator plans to set up sovereign constellation, take on Musk’s Starlink R a kes h K um a r @ New Delhi IN a move that could put it in direct competition with Elon Musk-led Starlink and other global satellite internet providers, Reliance Jio on Friday announced plans to enter the satellite communications sector by developing a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation for India. Akash Ambani, chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm and managing director of Jio Platforms, said the company is looking at developing its own LEO satellite constellation and may also partner with global satellite operators. The announcement is significant as Jio is India’s largest telecom operator and one of the world’s largest mobile service providers by subscriber base. “Jio connected India on the ground. Now, we must connect India from the skies. There are still remotest villages, island communities, and border outposts where the Jio network cannot reach. For them, satellite connectivity will be the bridge to the rest of India,” said Akash Ambani while speaking at Reliance Industries’ 49th annual general meeting. The company is also setting up its own ground stations in India, which will act as links between satellites in space and users on the ground. These stations will support both satellite networks operated by Jio’s global partners and any future satellites launched by Jio itself. LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellites operate much closer to the Earth, usually between 160 km and 2,000 km above the surface. Because they are closer, they can provide faster internet speeds and lower delays than traditional communication satellites, making them ideal for broadband services. Reports said the firm has submitted plans to the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre to set up 1,650 satellites. Now, Starlink leads global satellite broadband market with 10,634 active satellites serving 12 million customers. There are still remotest villages... where Jio network can’t reach. For them, satellite connectivity will be the bridge to the rest of India Message editing feature Telegram’s messageediting feature could be misused to falsely suggest that exam papers had been leaked before the exam, the court said EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi The Delhi High Court on Friday upheld the ban on Telegram messaging app ahead of the June 21 NEET-UG re-exam, observing that the order was not disproportionate in an emergency situation. A vacation bench of Justice Tejas Karia said the Centre’s order was “least restrictive” option on the table. The platform’s architecture is conducive to amplification and mass dissemination of content. “Any unlawful con- Evolve SOP to combat cyber frauds: Naidu Vijayawada: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has directed banks to formulate an SOP to tackle cyber frauds effectively. At the 235th State-Level Bankers’ Committee meeting at Secretariat on Friday, he released the Andhra Pradesh Annual Credit Plan for the financial year 2026-27 | P4 Minister inaugurates State Drug Testing Lab Vijayawada: Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav inaugurated the new State Drug Testing Laboratory and the Drug Control Administration headquarters in Vijayawada on Friday. The facility is set to play a pivotal role in the containment of substandard and spurious drugs in the State | P3 Suspended Krishna Lanka CI booked P h a nin d r a Pa pa s a ni @ Vijayawada Akash Ambani, MD, Jio Platforms Biggest ever IPO Jio Platforms Ltd filed draft papers for what could become India’s largestever IPO, seeking to raise `37,700 cr, valuing firm at `13 lakh crore tent, if circulated on Telegram, is capable of being amplified rapidly and likely to give rise to a public order situation,” the judge noted. Telegram also hosts an extensive bot ecosystem for automated dissemination of content. “As a result, illicit activity may resume within a short period notwithstanding takedown action against the original channel,” he added. Besides, the app permits messages and files to be edited at a later point in time, which could be exploited to mislead the public, he observed. Express read CM Chandrababu Naidu met Vijayalakshmi, mother of Sai Krishna, at his camp office on Friday | Express The probe into the disappearance of rowdy-sheeter Gade Sai Krishna took a significant turn on Friday as Krishna Lanka police registered a criminal case against the suspended Circle Inspector SSV Nagaraju. Mahila police station ACP Daivaprasad was appointed as the investigating officer. The ACP and his team visited the house of Sai Krishna, and recorded statements of his mother Gade Vijayalakshmi, and other family members. The inquiry at the house continued for one-and-a-half hours. Meanwhile, a three-member forensic team arrived at Krish- na Lanka police station, and began collecting evidence related to the disappearance of Sai Krishna. The team is examining available records and other material that may help establish the sequence of events surrounding Sai Krishna’s disappearance. Later in the day, Commissioner’s Task Force (CTF) Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) K Latha Kumari appeared before the ACP at Krishna Lanka police station for questioning. She was reportedly summoned after infor mation emerged that the Task Force had interrogated Sai Krishna after bringing him from MarkaP4 puram on May 9.