hyderabadl wednesday l august 19, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION nO KHEL RATNA, PRUNED LIST FOR NATIONAL SPORTS AWARDS The 2025 National Sports Awards will not have a Khel Ratna as the sports ministry on Tuesday came up with a pruned list after revaluation Tejaswin Shankar | AFP heartbreak for shooter Mehuli Gayatri, DhanusH AMONG ARJUNA AWARDEES As many as 24 names were recommended for Arjuna Awards by the selection panel more than six months ago but the ministry struck out seven names. Prominent among them was shooter Mehuli Ghosh, the 2024 Paris Olympian and former World Championships medallist. The 10m air rifle shooter from West Bengal expressed shock on her exclusion ■ ■ Among those who were named for the Arjuna Awards are decathlete Tejaswin Shankar, while shuttler Gayatri Gopichand and shooter Dhanush Srikanth from Telangana also featured in the list | p2 It was learnt that no name was recommended for the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award by the selection panel 2014 The last time khel ratna award was not given to any athlete 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 Expert panel today on police excess I-T heat on 394 SC to announce committee to examine violence; protest hijacked by anti-socials, say cops Bihar govt transfers SPs of Siwan, Bhojpur s u c h i t r a k a lya n mo h a nt y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Tuesday said it will constitute a high-powered committee to examine allegations of police excesses against student protesters on July 20 in Delhi. A bench of CJI Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said an order constituting the committee, comprising retired judges, a former DGP an ex-CBI director , and others, will be passed on Wednesday after getting suggestions from political parties on additional members to be included. The court said it will direct that video footage and CCTV recordings of the violence during the July 20 Parliament march be handed over to the panel for examination. The matter relates to allegations of excessive force used by Delhi Police during the protest at Jantar Mantar. During the hearing, CJI Kant said the committee can submit interim reports on urgent issues instead of waiting for a final report. The bench also indicated that states can submit a list of FIRs involving only students/ protesters. The court had sought the list of FIRs so med admissions HC: Treat kids of Central govt staffers as locals T G N a i d u @ Hyderabad The Telangana High Court has directed that children of Central government employees posted outside Telangana be treated as local candidates for medical admissions, finding no justification for excluding them from an exemption available to children of state government employees. A bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin passed the order while disposing of a writ petition filed by Kodimela Samhitha, who challenged her exclusion from local-candidate status for MBBS and BDS admissions for the 2026-27 academic year. Samhitha’s father, an Employees’ State Insurance Corporation employee, was transferred from Hyderabad to Tirupati in 2016 and returned to Hyderabad in 2024. She consequently completed her schooling in Andhra Pradesh and could not meet the requirement of studying in Telangana for four consecutive academic years. The petitioner argued that excluding children of Central government employees from the exemption available to children of state government employees was arbitrary and violative of Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution.  Continued on p5 File photograph of police action on protesters in Delhi on July 20 | Express Committee to comprise eminent persons. We are considering former senior police/CBI officers among its members ... — Supreme Court-bench led by CJI Surya Kant that it can consider invoking Article 142 to quash them, while cases involving those with serious criminal antecedents can be dealt with separately It asked all parties to suggest . priority issues and terms of reference of the panel. The bench also pointed out that the allegations concerning sexual assault, molestation and online harassment of women and other vulnerable persons will also be examined. The court said constitutional ques- tions concerning facial recognition technology surveillance, , allegations of sexual assault and online harassment of women will ultimately be decided by the court itself, and not by the committee. It will then fix a date for further hearing while the committee begins its work. For its part, the Delhi Police strongly defended the use of force during the Parliament protest on July 20, telling the court that the agitation was hi- Marching orders were issued for SPs of Siwan and Bhojpur districts in Bihar over police action during their stint. While Siwan SP Puran Jha has been kept in waiting at the state police headquarters, Bhojpur SP Raj is now SP of Rohtas district. It was Jha under whose command an AK-47 rifle was used during a student protest in Siwan on July 25, while the encounter of activist Bharat Tiwari in Bhojpur forced a public outcry and Raj’s transfer jacked by “anti-social elements”. In an affidavit filed by DCP Sachin Sharma of New Delhi district, police said the protest “led to a breakdown of law and order in which 240 personnel were injured”. The response justified the use of standard lathis, facialrecognition cameras, and plainclothes spotters, while denying use of nail-fitted batons. The affidavit was filed in response to pleas alleging excessive use of force against protesters. KBR Park one-way rolls out amid confusion, congestion C h i t h a l u r i Re v a nt h @ Hyderabad The first day of the one-way traffic system around the Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park, popularly known as KBR Park, on Tuesday brought confusion, longer routes and traffic snarls, despite the deployment of more than 500 police personnel, drones and updated Google Maps to ease the transition. Commuters complained about inadequate signage and sudden lane closures, while police said traffic moved smoothly until 9.30 am before congestion set in. The one-way system was implemented on Tuesday morning, changing the usual twoway movement around KBR Park. While commuters familiar with the routes managed to reach their destinations with some difficulty many motorists , were unaware of the diversions and stopped or changed lanes after reaching the stretch. As traffic volume increased, congestion was reported at several locations by 10 am. By 11 am, vehicle movement had slowed considerably at some places, including Jubilee Hills Checkpost. Hyderabad police said Google Maps had been updated with the revised routes to help commuters navigate the new traffic arrangements. Police added that a threehour trial was conducted on entities sending money abroad DIPA K M O N DAL @ New Delhi THE Income Tax department has launched a nationwide campaign against suspicious outward foreign remittances, focusing on shell companies, persons behind them, and professionals associated with them. It has identified 394 entities that transferred large amounts outside India over the past three years, including 117 entities located in states along India’s land borders. It has also identified 36 professionals for scrutiny . The department said on Tuesday that it has uncovered a nationwide network of entities engaged in remitting funds abroad during a search operation targeting a group of fictitious charitable trusts involved in providing accommodation entries against bogus donations and contributions. Preliminary ground verification found that many of such entities had either filed no income-tax returns at all or filed returns reporting very small turnovers. “The turnovers had no apparent correlation with the large amounts of money being remitted abroad,” it said, adding that the transactions did not appear to match the stated purposes of the remittances, including payments for freight, software imports and consulting services. It was also found that some of these entities were not operating from the addresses declared by them. The tax department is also looking into the role of a small group of professionals, including chartered accountants, who issued Form 15CB, which is a CA’s certificate on the taxability of a foreign remittance. A former ED official told TNIE that suspicious foreign remittances are already under the ED’s lens, particularly those involving cash purchases of real estate abroad.The official said such transactions are sometimes carried out in the names of drivers and domestic workers to circumvent the RBI’s Liberalised Remittance Scheme. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will undertake a 10-day official tour to the UK and the US from August 20. The itinerary: Aug 18: CM in Delhi to attend the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on August 19 Aug 19: After the CWC meeting, CM and his family depart for London around midnight Aug 20: Revanth arrives in London and attends the wedding of the daughter of AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi with his family Vehicles crawl on the Basavatarakam Circle-Jagannath temple stretch after the KBR Park one-way traffic system came into effect on Tuesday | Vinay Madapu Four TGSRTC services hit The traffic curbs have forced the TGSRTC to alter the routes of four services — 127K, 222A, 47L and 10H. The impact is most evident on the 222A service between Koti and Patancheru. The revised Patancheru-bound route is about 42 km, adding nearly 4 km. April 5, followed by a six-hour trial on June 21 after schools and colleges reopened. Several commuters said they were unaware of the trial runs conducted around KBR Park, particularly as both were held on Sundays. Addressing a press meet, Hyderabad police commissioner VC Sajjanar said traffic remained smooth until 9.30 am, after which congestion was reported during peak hours at Road No. 45, Agrasen Junction and Venkatagiri, among other locations. He also acknowledged problems at lane-changing points. More than 500 police personnel were deployed around KBR Park and will work round the clock, police said. Two drones were being used to monitor traffic, while the control room was tracking vehicular movement. Continued on p5 express read Food cops seize 36 tonnes of ghee Hyderabad: In one of the largest crackdowns on food adulteration in recent months, food safety officials in Hyderabad seized 36 tonnes of adulterated ghee, raw processing materials and hazardous chemical additives worth `3 crore during inspections at 130 establishments. Statutory samples were also collected and sent for laboratory analysis | p3 hockey world cup Harmanpreet & Co prepared for high-stakes Pak clash s w a r oo p s w a m i n at h a n @ Bengaluru FOR a decade, the senior Indian men’s hockey side haven’t lost to Pakistan. 19 matches, 17 wins and two draws. The dominance has been near total. And matches have spanned multiple events: Asian Games, Asian Champions Trophy, Asia Cup, Commonwealth Games and FIH events. Forget the hype that’s already been visible on TV screens over the last few days. Thanks to the difference in the skill levels between the two nations, the gap is embarrassingly yawning. But it’s time to forget all of that and treat the 90 minutes at the Wagener Stadium on Wednesday as a standalone event where history, form and recent meetings have no bearing. But this is exactly the kind of situation that India will have trained for in the lead-up to the Last five matches 2026 Pro League: Ind bt Pak 7-1 2026 Pro League: Ind bt Pak 4-3 2024 Asian Champions Trophy: Ind bt Pak 2-1 2023 Asian Games: Ind bt Pak 10-2 2023 Asian Champions Trophy: Ind bt Pak 4-0 World Cup. When they were reduced to 10 men at the Olympics quarterfinal against England, the players could have easily been rattled. Instead, they knew what to do because they had prepared for that scenario. Similarly, Paddy Upton, the side’s mental conditioning guru, will have war-gamed this exact scenario. Play a match against Pakistan at the World Cup knowing only a win will seal qualification. As long as India don’t go away from the basics of the sport, this is a game they will back themselves to win 95 times out of 100. Their penalty corner battery is worldclass and it’s currently purring with Harmanpreet Singh finding some form in this bash. CAs also under the radar As part of the drive, the I-T department is examining the role of CAs who issued Form 15CB certificates. The I-T department said CAs are required to properly examine the underlying transactions and relevant facts before certifying remittances Border point The tax department has identified certain entities located in districts along India’s land borders. They transferred significant amounts of money abroad within the past three years. Many of them have not filed tax returns CM leaves for UK, US tour tonight Aug 21: CM visits the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford and Emirates Stadium for an EPL football presentation Aug 22: Interacts with the Cambridge team and visits Senate House at the University of London and London Business School Collectors will fix 22-A mess, promises CM E x p r e ss N e ws Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad While assuring citizens that genuine property owners will face no hurdles in registering their properties, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has directed district collectors to examine lands included in the 22-A prohibited list and prepare a comprehensive list for a permanent resolution of the issue. He also cautioned people against approaching brokers or middlemen. On Tuesday the chief minis, ter reviewed the issue of registration of lands listed under Section 22-A with Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy and senior officials. During the meeting, Revanth directed revenue officials to examine within two days the properties of those who had already booked online registration slots but whose lands figured in the 22-A prohibited list. If the land was found to be private property, the registration should be completed immediately he said. , He also instructed district collectors to thoroughly examine lands included in the 22-A list and prepare a comprehensive list for a permanent resolution. The collectors were directed to ensure that there were no errors in the revised list and complete the exercise at the earliest. The chief minister assured people that there was no need to worry about their land rights and reiterated that the government was committed to protecting private property. “We will not allow even an inch of private land to face any problem,” he asserted. Aug 23: Departs from London for Boston, US Aug 24: Arrives in Boston and visits the campuses of Harvard University and MIT Aug 25: Visits the Northeastern University campus and meets the Virginia Tech University team Aug 26: Attends the Indian Overseas Congress (USA) meet-andgreet programme in New York Aug 29: Departs from New York Aug 30: Arrives in Hyderabad Constitutional Question PIL on death penalty by lethal injection rejected any person is sentenced to death, the sentence shall direct that he be hanged by the neck IN a significant judgment, the till he is dead. Supreme Court on Tuesday reThe bench, however, did not jected a PIL seeking removal of treat the dismissal as permathe present mode of execution nently foreclosing the constituof death row convicts by hang- tional question. It clarified that ing from the statute. scientific and medical de“We are not persuaded velopments could alter that a case has been the factual foundation made out for reference on which the earlier of the decision of the judgment proceeded. three-judge bench in “Constitutional inDeen Dayal Upadhyay terpretation is organic case to a larger bench and must remain refor reconsideration of sponsive both to the the constitutional va- Any such exercise evolution of constituwould lie within lidity of Section 354(5) tional opinion and to of the CrPC/Section the domain of the the advances in scienExecutive and the 393(5) of the BNSS,” tific knowledge,” the Legislature and said a two-judge bench may be undertaken bench said. headed by justices Malhotra argued as a policy Vikram Nath and Santhat 49 of 50 states in Supreme Court deep Mehta. the USA have adopted The court dismissed death by lethal injecthe petition filed by lawyer Ri- tion. “The lethal injection is shi Malhotra, who sought a ju- quick, humane and decent, as dicial direction to the govern- opposed to hanging, which is ment to adopt the use of lethal cruel, barbaric,” he argued. injection instead of hanging as The Centre had, in its affidathe mode of execution in death vit filed last year, submitted penalty cases. that hanging is far safer and Section 354(5) says that when quicker than injections. e x p r e s s ne w s s e r v i c e @ New Delhi