bengaluru l Thursday l July 23, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 22 l late city EDITION after major legal victory, lalit Modi plans India visit Relief from Appellate Tribunal Former IPL commissioner, Lalit Modi, who has been living away from the country for over 15 years, “wants to move on in my life” after relief ■ 2010 ‘I have fought for 16 years’ A tribunal has set aside penalties imposed by ED over long-running case with respect to SAFEMA ACT over conducting IPL in South Africa in 2009. It held that the foreign remittances in question were current account transactions and did not require prior RBI approval. It also ruled that Lalit Modi was not responsible for ensuring the BCCI's compliance with FEMA ■ After the ruling, Lalit Modi said: “Sixteen years I have fought and whatever I have been saying to the media and to everybody has finally emerged as the truth” | P11 On social media, the 52-year-old added: “I’m going to move on in my life and I’m looking forward to coming back to India” lalit Modi moved to london after BCCI suspended him in 2010 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 Trump threatens 200% tariff on generic drugs P U S H PI TA D E Y @ New Delhi US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to impose tariffs of up to 200% on generic pharmaceutical imports unless manufacturers shift production of those drugs to the US. Under the proposed pharmaceutical tariff regime, generic drug exporters worldwide have been given two years to shift production to the US, failing which a 100% tariff will be imposed from August 2028 and 200% from August 2029. “Effective August 1, 2026, all Generic Drugs being brought into the United States will continue to have a tariff of zero percent for a two-year period, after which the tariff will be raised to 100% for a one-year period, and 200% thereafter. This is done in order to re-shore Generic Pharmaceutical Production into America, with a penalty to those Companies that decide not to build Plant and Equipment within the stated As fresh groups of protesters pour into Jantar Mantar, Lok Sabha Speaker asks Parliamentary Affairs minister to issue a statement following repeated House disruptions d ay ' s d e v e l o p m e n t s 1 CJP made it clear that it will hold talks with the Centre only at or near Jantar Mantar period of time given to them,” Trump said in a social media post. In September last year, the Trump administration had announced plans to impose a 100% tariff on imported branded and patented medicines. However, the proposal was later revised. In April this year, the Trump administration announced tariffs of up to 100% on specified branded medicines and key pharmaceutical ingredients under the Section 232 national security framework, while exempting generic medicines. Trump’s latest announcement, aimed at boosting domestic manufacturing, has raised concerns among Indian drug manufacturers, which are among the largest exporters of generic medicines to the US market. In its initial response to the development, the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance said tariffs alone will not help build a sustainable generic drug manufacturing base in the US. P15 Faya z Wan i @ Srinagar In the first terrorist attack in Kashmir since last year’s Pahalgam massacre, a policeman posted on Amarnath Yatra security duty was shot dead in Anantnag on Wednesday . The police said a gunman fired from close range at head constable Ashiq Hussain Qureshi in the Lal Chowk area of Anantnag around 12.30 pm. Qureshi was shot from behind. He was rushed to the Government Medical College, Anantna g, where doctors deAshiq Hussain Qureshi clared him brought | Zahoor Punajabi dead. The Resistance Front (TRF), an off-shoot of Lashkar-e-Toiba, has claimed responsibility for the attack. Soon after the attack, the security forces launched a massive anti-terror crackdown across the Valley detaining over , 2,000 suspected overground workers. The attack was caught on CCTV. In the video grab, a gunman wearing a black cap is purportedly seen firing on a policeman. A major manhunt is on to locate the attacker. 3 Sonam Wangchuk to end his hunger strike if Centre assures no action against youth 4 Delhi Police is using facial recognition system to identify suspects at the protest site 5 A total of 17 metro stations, including Rajiv Chowk, were shut citing security issues 6 Centre has shifted 20 additional CRPF companies from West Bengal to Delhi amid protests @ Bengaluru Members of the Opposition stage a protest on the ongoing NEET controversy in the Lok Sabha during the Monsoon Session in New Delhi on Wednesday | pTI Cockroach Janta Party supporters surrounded by a haze of tear gas late on Wednesday night during the protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi | Parveen negi Govt offers NEET talk in LS, Oppn says sack education minister first p r eetha na i r @ New Delhi AS Parliament remained paralysed for the third consecutive day over the NEET controversy , the government on Wednesday said it is prepared for a detailed discussion in the Lok Sabha, even as the Opposition refused to relent unless Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns. As proceedings in the Lower House were disrupted as soon as it reassembled at noon following an earlier adjournment, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla asked Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju to issue a statement. However, Congress leader K C Venugopal intervened to reiterate the Opposition’s demand for Pradhan’s resignation. “Our demand is simple. When the entire nation is feeling the pain of our students, all other business of the House should be set aside and this INS Malvan, the second Mahe class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), was launched by Chief of Indian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, at the Karwar Naval Base on Wednesday | Express | P7,11 Policeman on Amarnath Yatra duty shot dead Delhi HC asks police to preserve CCTV footage of alleged brutality against protesters Ruling Cong keen to scrap New Pension Scheme E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e sub hunter Terror attack 2 discussion stage Rahul: 152 exam paper leaks, no convictions Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the government of destroying India’s education system saying that there was not one conviction though 152 cases of paper leak happened in past 10 years. Gandhi said the education system is not only rigged, but also unaffordable E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Bengaluru Nation’s eyes on weightlifting & athletics Weightlifting, a medal-rich discipline for the country, could be the main source for gold this time thanks to the likes of Mirabai Chanu, India’s flag-bearer for the Opening Ceremony. In athletics, Neeraj Chopra is bound to grab eyeballs | P17 Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda wants a steep increase in the penalty for riding motor vehicles on footpaths. He has written to Transport Minister to increase the penalty from the existing Rs 500 to Rs 5,000, saying stricter punishment is necessary to deter violations and ensure pedestrian safety . In his letter to Byrathi Suresh on Wednesday Gowda , said that the number of motorists riding on footpaths Passing the baton to India India will receive Games’ flag during the Closing Ceremony as they are the next hosts in 2030 (Ahmedabad). Prime Minister Narendra Modi may attend Closing Ceremony India’s strength 78 men 48 women Dates: July 23 to August 2 | 10 Sports, 6 para sports in 4 venues | 215 medal events Karnataka’s first step Taskforce submits new blueprint for W Ghats B o s k y Khanna @ Bengaluru To protect the Western Ghats landscape, a biodiversity hotspot, the Karnataka State Western Ghats Conservation Ta s k fo rc e ( K S WG C T ) o n Wednesday submitted the Master Policy Blueprint: The National Policy for Conservation of Western Ghats to state and central governments. This is the first step from Karnataka, after the Kasturirangan and Madhav Gadgil reports were earlier rejected by the six states through which the Western Ghats run. KSWGCT chairman, Mohammed Tabrez Alam Shariff, said, “This National Policy is built journment motion, he said. In his response, Rijiju said the government is willing to debate the NEET paper leak issue in detail. He said the Speaker would hold consultations with floor leaders of political parties to decide the rule under which the discussion would take place, along with its date and on a paradigm shift. It moves from conservation through prohibition to conservation through micro-precision, statutory vigilance, and economic incentivization. Leveraging ultra-high-resolution duration. Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav expressed displeasure that while BJP and Congress members were allowed to speak, he was not given an opportunity . He maintained that when the interests of youth and students are affected, the Opposition is justified in taking the protest to the streets as well. “This is not an issue of Congress, SP BJP , ... this is an issue of students, youths. The way the government has behaved... students were thrashed. We were compelled to hold a protest outside the PM’s residence. Why can’t the PM give a statement in the House when he can make statements outside?” he asked. Addressing the House, Birla said he had heard the views of all sides and noted the government’s willingness to discuss the issue with an open mind. He urged Opposition members to participate in a debate instead of disrupting proceedings. P11 Footpath riding: KBG moots `5k fine sowjanya SC slams CBI’s probe Pared-back edition of quadrennial international multisport event to begin with Opening on Thursday No. of athletes Union minister J P Nadda on Wednesday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of playing politics over the NEET paper leak. “Why are you so selective. Why did you not discuss about the paper leaks that took place in the Congress and INDI alliancegoverned states?” he said burning issue should be top priority for Parliament,” Venugopal said. Referring to the alleged police action against the protesting students on Monday, Venugopal said their demand is that Pradhan should resign first. After the minister’s resignation, the issue can be discussed through an ad- Spotlight on Commonwealth Games 13 disciplines Nadda: Don’t indulge in selective outrage The state government is keen on abolishing the New Pension Scheme (NPS) and restoring the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has directed the additional chief secretary (Finance) to hold discussions with the Karnataka State Government Employees’ Association, which recently submitted a memorandum, urging the government to abolish NPS. There are around 5.7 lakh government employees in the state. Of them, over 2.8 lakh are under NPS. All 2.8 lakh employees were appointed after 2006. In its memorandum, the association urged the ruling Congress to fulfill its election promise of restoring OPS for employees recruited under NPS. The state government needs Rs 1.2 lakh crore per year towards salaries and pensions of its employees. The financial implication of OPS is expected to be higher. Its impact may not be felt now, but over a period of time when the employees retire. Association president CS Shadakshari told TNIE that the CM has promised to restore OPS. A discussion in this regard is on. “We hope it will be done soon,’’ he said. The state government has constituted a committee to study the manner in which some states have restored OPS. The committee, with senior IAS officers as its memb e r s, v i s i t e d R a j a s t h a n , Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where OPS was restored a few years ago. The committee is yet to submit its final report to the government. The New Pension Scheme was implemented in the state in 2006.  P7 100-square-meter cadastral GIS mapping, the blueprint promises precise demarcation that respects cultural and agricultural landscapes while protecting pristine ecosystems.” The report stated, the policy resolves the specific flashpoints of the past-such as the Athirappilly and Gundia hydel disputes, and the Sindhudurg mining moratoriums-by transitioning governance. It recognises the state’s sovereignty over energy and infrastructure, subjecting enforcement to Lokayukta vigilance oversight and includes the introduction of Sub-Continental P ay m e n t f o r E c o s y s t e m Services’(PES).  P7 within Bengaluru city limits has been increasing day by day posing a potential threat , to the safety and lives of pedestrians. Speaking after a meeting with senior officials of the Bengaluru Traffic Police, the minister said the proposal fol- lows complaints from citizens that motorists have started using footpaths after encroachments were cleared. The footpath clearance drive, undertaken in compliance with Supreme Court directions to safeguard pedestrians’ right to walk, has received appreciation from the public, he said. Directing the traffic police to initiate stringent legal action against motorists found riding on footpaths, Gowda asked, “If pedestrians are injured because of such violations, who will take responsibility?” in rape-murder case The Apex court indicates that it may allow a fresh investigation. When the CBI resisted, the bench asked: “Who are you trying to protect?” — observing that the man the CBI indicted stood acquitted — and that instead of acknowledging that something may have gone wrong, the agency was resisting even an attempt to find out | P6 Peace along LAC a pre-requisite for normal relations, India tells China Jayanth Ja c o b @ New Delhi External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) remains the “pre-requisite” for normal India-China ties, even as he called for addressing long-standing concerns over market access, trade imbalance and supply chain predictability . The meeting, held on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit (EAS) and ASEAN Regional Forum in Manila, came as New Delhi and Beijing contin- S Jaishankar meets Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Manila, Philippines | PTI ue efforts to stabilise bilateral relations following the prolonged military standoff in eastern Ladakh. Reviewing the trajectory of ties since the October 2024 meeting between Prime Minis- ter Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Kazan, Jaishankar said relations had been “gradually normalising”. “Peace and tranquility in the border areas is obviously the pre-requisite for normal ties. Since October 2024, both sides have engaged to ensure that this important objective is met. This will continue to need our constant attention,” he said. He said important economic issues still needed attention. “Fair market access and a trade balance rank high in that regard. There are also concerns about predictability of supply chains,” Jaishankar said.