BHUBANESWAR l 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 TEJASWIN, DIVYA AMONG 17 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 World Cup winning chess player Divya Deshmukh, decathlete and high jumper Tejaswin Shankar and shuttler Gayatri Gopichand 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 CM announces `1,000 cr spl 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 kalyan mohanty @ 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 Odisha DGP selection SC defers hearing to September 2 S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Tuesday deferred to September 2 the hearing on a PIL alleging that the Odisha government was trying to include a junior officer in the list of probable candidates for the director general of police (DGP) post in breach of the 2006 Prakash Singh judgment. A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana was informed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Odisha, that the state has filed its response to the petition. However, the bench noted that the reply was not on record. The CJI said he would like to go through the state’s response before proceeding. The matter was then adjourned to September 2 for further hearing. The PIL has alleged that Odisha was attempting to shortlist a junior-rank officer for DGP, contrary to the SC’s directions in Prakash Singh versus Union of India, which mandate a panel of senior-most officers with minimum service tenure. The petitioners have contended that the state’s move breaches the 2006 Prakash Singh case directions, which require the UPSC to prepare a panel of three senior-most eligible officers for DGP appointment to ensure transparency and insulation from political interference. 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. package for flood-hit people E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday announced a `1,000 crore special package for people affected by recent floods in six districts. Announcing the package, a day after his visit to Bhadrak and Jajpur districts, at a mediaconference in Lok Seva Bhawan, the chief minister said the amount could be increased after a final assessment of the damage. “Odisha has received more than 1,100 mm of rainfall during June-August, 34 per cent above normal and the highest in 25 years. This has caused the floods but our government is fully committed to restore normalcy in the affected areas. Money will not be a hindrance in this direction,” he said. Majhi said he made an extensive tour of the flood-affected areas on Monday by road, by boat and on foot. He visited villages and interacted with the affected people. “I inspected the arrangements made for the affected people, relief measures and also the quality of food being prepared for them. I enquired with the people about the facilities and Maoist leader Azad acquitted in Laxmanananda Saraswati murder case, released from prison E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Parlakhemundi Maoist leader Azad walked out of jail after a special court on Tuesday acquitted him in the 2008 murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four others on the ground that the prosecution had failed to establish his involvement beyond reasonable doubt. Additional Sessions Judge (Special Court), Paralakhemundi, Satyanarayan Patra pronounced the verdict and directed that Azad, alias Duna Kesava Rao, be released immediately if his custody was not required in any other case. Azad was acquitted of charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act. Following the verdict, he was released from Special Jail, Jharpada, in Bhubaneswar, as trials in all cases against him came to a close. Laxmanananda and four others were killed when around 15-25 armed assailants, many of them wearing masks or monkey caps, stormed the Jalespata Ashram on the night of August 23, 2008. The prosecution case against Azad rested largely on the iden- tification made by a single witness. The court observed that it would be unsafe to convict him solely on the testimony of a single witness, particularly when the assailants had allegedly covered their faces. A letter bearing Azad’s name was also recovered from the crime scene. However, the prosecution failed to establish its connection with him. It did not produce a handwriting expert’s report to prove that the handwriting or signature on the letter was that of Azad. Similarly the court observed , that the weapons seized during PIL on death penalty by injection rejected e x p r e s s ne w s s e r v i c e @ New Delhi IN a significant judgment, the Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a PIL seeking removal of the present mode of execution of death row convicts by hanging from the statute. “We are not persuaded that a case has been made out for reference of the decision of the three-judge bench in Deen Dayal Upadhyay case to a larger bench for reconsideration of the constitutional validity of Section 354(5) of the CrPC/Section 393(5) of the BNSS,” said a two-judge bench headed by justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta. The court dismissed the petition filed by lawyer Rishi Malhotra, who sought a judicial direction to the government to adopt the use of lethal injection instead of hanging as the mode of execution in death penalty cases. Section 354(5) says that when any person is sentenced to death, the sentence shall direct that he be hanged by the neck till he is dead. The bench, however, did not treat the dismissal as permanently foreclosing the constitutional question. It clarified that scientific and medical developments could alter the factual foundation on which the earlier judgment proceeded. “Constitutional interpretation is organic and must remain responsive both to the evolution of constitutional opinion and to the advances in scientific knowledge,” the bench said. Malhotra argued that 49 of 50 states in the USA have adopted death by lethal injection. “The lethal injection is quick, humane and decent, as opposed to hanging, which is cruel, barbaric,” he argued. The Centre had, in its affidavit filed last year, submitted that hanging is far safer and quicker than injections. the investigation had not been recovered from Azad and no scientific or forensic evidence linking him to the seized arms had been presented. The court also found no reliable evidence of meetings, communications or other links suggesting a conspiracy between Azad and the other accused. Two prosecution witnesses also did not support the allegation of his involvement. The court observed that the attack and killing of the five persons had been established, but Azad’s involvement had not been proved beyond reasonable Continued on P5 doubt.  express read SC Collegium clears 4 advocates for Orissa HC judges Bhubaneswar: The Supreme Court Collegium on Tuesday approved the proposal for appointment of four advocates as judges of the Orissa High Court. The Collegium, at its meeting, approved the proposal for the appointment of Sasmita Tripathy, Aditya Narayan Das, Rajjeet Roy and Gautam Misra as judges of the High Court. The appointments will increase the judicial strength of the High Court. hockey world cup Harmanpreet & Co prepared for high-stakes Pak clash s w a r oo p s w am i nathan @ 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 Wa g ener 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 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 trained for in the lead-up to the 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 CM defies crocodile fear during flood assessment @ Bhubaneswar 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 world-class and it’s currently purring with Harmanpreet Singh finding some form in this bash. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi addressing mediapersons on the flood situation in the state on Tuesday problems faced by them. Our government is a people’s government. No matter what calamity strikes, we are and will remain with the people,” he asserted. After taking a review of the flood situation, Majhi said more than 9.4 lakh people in 1,381 villages across 74 blocks of Bhadrak, Jajpur, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Kendrapara districts have been affected. Over 3.7 lakh people have been moved to safer locations with 550 relief camps providing cooked food. Around 45 ODRAF, eight NDRF and 65 fire service teams have been deployed in the six districts. The special package announced by the CM includes ag- Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi defied warnings about the presence of a nearly 20-ft-long crocodile in the Reba river and took a boat through the same route to reach people in flood-affected areas. Majhi said he was advised against travelling through the river after reports emerged of crocodile sighting. However, he chose to proceed. “We took the same route where the crocodile had reportedly been spotted. I was also advised against taking that route but I said, since we followed all safety precautions, we should not shy away from the risk,” he said. ricultural input subsidies, assistance for crop seeds, livestock and fisheries losses, repair of damaged infrastructure and continued supply of cooked and dry food. Majhi said farmers suffering 33 per cent or more crop damage for up to two hectares will receive an input subsidy of `8,500 per hectare for rainfed areas, `17,000 per hectare for irrigated land and `22,500 per hectare for perenniContinued on P5 al crops.  I-T heat on 394 entities sending money abroad D IPA K M O N D A L @ 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 tax 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 Enforcement Directorate official told TNIE that suspicious foreign remittances are already under the ED’s lens, particularly those involving cash purchases of real estate abroad. According to the official, such transactions are sometimes carried out in the names of drivers and domestic workers to circumvent the Reserve Bank of India’s Liberalised Remittance Scheme, under which individuals are permitted to remit up to $250,000 a year. The ED had earlier detected a similar modus operandi in cases involving under-invoicing. CAs 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 Sonia on NovEMBER 10 Gandhi’s memoir Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s memoir will be published on Nov 10. It is expected to reveal why she turned down the prime minister’s post, among other things. “Belonging: A Journey of Love” is being published by Alfred A Knopf