No ethanol link to sugar price: Govt The government on Friday rejected claims that diversion of sugar for ethanol production was driving a sharp rise in its price | P11 It instead blamed the industry for jacking up prices despite the country having sufficient stock to meet domestic demand The Centre has asked States to take action against hoarding and black marketing of sugar It is also considering reducing the stock that dealers can hold bengaluru l saturday l august 22, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 24 l late 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 Cabinet gives nod to suspend KPSC chairman E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru The Karnataka cabinet on Friday resolved to recommend penal action against KPSC Chairm a n S h iva s h a n k a r ap p a Sahukar, deciding to place him under suspension. Though Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot had ordered his suspension, the Karnataka High Court had ordered that he be reinstated. Sahukar had been accused of using a fake income certificate to secure a job for his daughter. Enforcement Directorate officials recently searched multiple locations linked to Sahukar, including his home and office, as part of a probe into the allegations. The cabinet also approved the procurement and installation of a range of advanced equipment aimed at strengthening the state’s prisons department through modern technology said Home Minister Priyank , Kharge. This comes after the discovery of a mobile phone at the prison cell of former MP Prajwal Revanna, who is convicted in a sexual assault case. The proposal was cleared at the cabinet meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. The equipment to be installed includes AIbased cameras, portable signal jammers and a prisoner calling system, among other modern tools. The cabinet also decided to release 28 convicts on grounds of good conduct. The cabinet also discussed a range of reforms for the Greater Bangalore Authority though , specific details were not immediately available. CM cancels After 6-hr Rahul sit-in, FIR TG trip after US filed on use of pellet guns govt denies nod Rahul: First step towards justice; BJP calls protest diversionary ploy P r ee t h a n a i r & n i t i n r a w at CJP team bashed up @ New Delhi DELHI Police on Friday registered a first information report (FIR) over pellet injuries suffered by a 19-year-old student during the July 20 Jantar Mantar protest after a nearly six-hour dharna by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at Parliament Street police station demanding action in the case. The day saw high drama with Rahul first accompanying injured student Sahil Lochab to Mandir Marg police station, and later moving to Parliament Street police station after his demand for an FIR was not accepted. While Rahul refused to budge until the FIR was registered, he was joined by several Congress leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi, Salman Khurshid, Jairam Ramesh and many others. “This is the first step towards justice and a case has been registered,” Rahul said after the Rahul Gandhi at Parliament Street police station on Friday | Parveen Negi FIR was lodged, asserting that he would continue to fight for justice for Lochab and other students injured during the Jantar Mantar protests. Police said a case was filed under Sections 118(1), relating to voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means, and 125, concerning acts endangering life, of the BNS. Lochab had suffered pellet injuries in his eye and abdomen in police action during the CJP-led march to Parliament CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka and party volunteers were allegedly assaulted on Friday while travelling to inspect a dilapidated government school in Jaipur’s Bagru Assembly constituency. Ranka described the attack as pre-planned, and demanded the arrest of the culprits within 48 hours | P12 demanding the resignation of then education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on July 20. Rahul alleged that police officers at the station were willing to register the case but had been stopped. Earlier, after talks with DCP Sachin Sharma failed, Rahul began his sit-in and showed Lochab’s medical reports to prove his point. Union minister J P Nadda and other BJP leaders called the Congress protest as “diversionary” politics. E x p r e s s Re a d Actor Sowcar Janaki passes away at 94 IISc MTech student ends life in hostel Bill on apartment ownership laws passed Chennai: Actress Sowcar Janaki, one of the most respected senior artistes of Indian cinema, died in Chennai on Friday due to age-related ailments. She was 94 | P7 Bengaluru: A 22-year-old IISc MTech student ended his life at the institute’s hostel following relationship issues on Thursday. This is the second suicide reported on the IISc campus this month | P3 Bengaluru: The Karnataka Apartment (Ownership and Management) Bill 2026 was passed in the Assembly on Friday. The Bill is expected to consolidate the laws relating to ownership of an individual apartment | P4 j aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi TELANGANA Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s proposed visit to the United States was denied political clearance as the programme was “not considered appropriate to the office he holds and the stated purpose of the visit”, the External Affairs Ministry (MEA) said on Friday . The clarification came hours after the Telangana Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) announced that Reddy had been forced to cancel the US leg of his ongoing foreign tour after the Centre declined permission for the visit. “Let me say that the visit of chief ministers, as indeed of other dignitaries, are assessed by the Ministry of External Affairs in order to accord political clearance,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. “The programme proposed, in such cases, should be appropriate to the office held and the purpose of the visit. In this particular case, that was not so in respect of US... clearance was denied.” Reddy is currently in London as part of his “Telangana Rising” tour. He was scheduled to travel to the US from August 23, with planned engagements in Boston and New York aimed at exploring partnerships between Telangana and leading American educational institutions. Reddy’s office said he would now return to Hyderabad from London instead of proceeding to the US. “The CM will return from London to Hyderabad on August 23 instead of leaving for Boston, NY,” the statement said. China stake ease draws `5K cr FDI proposals P u s h p i ta D e y @ New Delhi Within months of relaxing rules for investments involving Chinese beneficial ownership, India has received 29 foreign direct investment (FDI) proposals worth `4,895.65 crore as of August 20 across various sectors, including information technology artificial intelligence, manufac, turing, pharmaceuticals, data centres and transport services, the government said on Friday . Rules were relaxed in March to ease investment procedures with up to 10% beneficial ownership by Chinese investors. The change in rules aimed at providing greater certainty to foreign investors and reducing the time required to complete investment transactions. Investments have also been proposed from various other jurisdictions, including Mauritius, the United States, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Luxembourg and Cayman Islands. Under the revised framework, investors are required to report relevant information to the government but do not need prior approval, provided they comply with sectoral caps, entry routes and other applicable conditions.