HYDERABAD l friday l september 18, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 36 l LATE CITY EDITION Centre tells SC it is ready to cut NEET-SS qualifying percentile The Centre’s plan to lower qualifying percentile for Super Speciality seats from 50% to 30% is due to 1,857 vacant seats after counselling 6,000 candidates will become eligible plea against diversion of tN’s seats In a note filed before the Supreme Court on Thursday, the Centre said many seats remain vacant in highly specialised medical and surgical disciplines. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, told the court that the lower percentile would make roughly 6,000 additional candidates eligible — nearly thrice the vacant seats ■ ■ Centre also cited the Supreme Court’s earlier orders on Tamil Nadu, saying 40 vacant in-service seats in the state would be reverted to the state government to let it conduct its stray vacancy round The govt’s submission was in response to a plea against “diversion” of 152 vacant SS seats — reserved for TN doctors — to all-India quota 2 weeks in which medical counselling committee has to fill vacant seats 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 Russia curbs bill could impact ties, India warns US in strong pushback Energy security of 1.4B citizens top priority while protecting trade. economic interests: MEA economic pressure on Russia over its war in Ukraine. The legislation, which was approved by the House by a 262159 vote after clearing the Senate 86-11, has been sent to President Donald Trump, who has said he will sign it. Among other provisions, the legislation gives the US president authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries that continue significant purchases of Russian oil and gas. China and India, two major buyers of Russian energy could , potentially face such measures. India is the world’s third-largest oil importer and has significantly increased its purchases of Russian crude in recent years, making the issue particularly important for its energy policy and trade relations with Washington. However, opposition within the US Congress also remains. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, described the bill as “deeply flawed”, arguing that its tariff provisions could give the White House broad authority over US import taxes. J ayanth J a c o b and P ushpita D ey @ New Delhi E x p r e s s Re a d Modi calls ‘Chintan Shivir’ of his cabinet New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has convened a two-day ‘Chintan Shivir’ of Union Cabinet ministers on September 23 and 24, as his government reaches the halfway mark of its third term. The meeting, scheduled to be held at Seva Teerth here, is expected to bring together all Cabinet ministers | P7 ‘Grounds to believe US committed war crimes’ Geneva: Human rights experts commissioned by the UN’s top human rights body say they have found “reasonable grounds” to believe the United States committed war crimes in Iran. They also accuse Iran’s government of carrying out crimes against humanity against its own people | P9 India on Thursday pushed back against the latest US sanctions legislation targeting buyers of Russian energy warning , that the measures could have implications for both bilateral ties and global energy markets. New Delhi said the immediate priority was to ensure energy security for its 1.4 billion citizens while protecting trade and economic interests. It further said that India would continue to pursue this objective through “diversified sourcing and on the basis of evolving market dynamics”. Responding to the passage of the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act in the US Congress, the External Affairs Ministry said India was monitoring the developments and had already raised its concerns with Washington at senior levels. The statement indicated that the issue has been discussed extensively between Indian and US officials in recent months. “Its potential implications for not just the bilateral relation- Monitoring the situation, says commerce ministry Officials from the Ministry of Commerce said that they are currently monitoring the situation, adding necessary steps will be taken accordingly. Currently, both the countries are involved in negotiations to conclude a Bilateral Trade Agreement ship but also the international energy market have been very clearly articulated by the Indian side,” the MEA said. The ministry also made clear that New Delhi was prepared to respond to any economic consequences arising from the new US measures. “The Indian side has also made clear its determination to take all necessary measures to protect its trade and economic interests,” it said, adding that the government would work with Indian trade and industry bodies to address the implications. Earlier in the day, the US House of Representatives passed a sweeping sanctions package aimed at increasing probe into ‘encroachment’ near KCR farmhouse begins E x p r ess N e ws S e r v i c e @ Siddipet A day to remember Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy take part in separate functions marking September 17, the day Operation Polo concluded, in Hyderabad on Thursday | Sri Loganathan Velmurugan, Express Revenue, survey and land records officials on Thursday began an inquiry into the alleged encroachment of assigned land near the farmhouse of former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at Erravalli in Markook mandal. The move follows Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s announcement in the Assembly on Wednesday that lands adjacent to the farmhouse belonging to Dalits had been encroached upon. He directed the district collector to submit a report within 30 days. Acting on the direction, Gajwel RDO VVL Chandrakala held a meeting with Mark- AMID concerns that consumers will end up bearing the cost of the newly introduced Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on UPI transactions, finance ministry officials said a monitoring mechanism will be put in place to ensure that merchants do not pass on the MDR burden to customers. MDR on UPI payments will be effective from October 15. In a bid to allay the concerns, officials from the Department of Financial Services insisted that monitoring will be done on a regular basis to ensure the MDR is not passed on to the end-consumers. The officials clarified that if any challenges arise regarding GST on the MDR, it will be eventually taken up by the GST Council. MDR on UPI transactions will attract a GST of 18% as it is considered as a service. Hyderabad: Congress MPs and MLCs are likely to visit Markook on Friday to examine revenue records relating to alleged assigned lands at KCR’s Erravalli farmhouse. A bus would leave from the Assembly CLP office, with the delegation expected to visit the Revenue Office and examine relevant land records and documents ook tahsildar M Saritha and other officials at the Markook tahsildar office. They examined revenue records relating to assigned lands near the farmhouse before conducting a field inspection. The officials inspected the lands around the farmhouse and the nearby Panduranga Dam and sought details of Survey No. 325 in Erravalli. According to locals, the survey number covers about 380 acres and nearly 200 families depend on the land for cultivation. Several Dalits who learnt about the survey told the officials that the lands were currently in their possession. The officials are examining the boundaries of Survey No. 325, old records, details of the original assignees and whether the assignees continue to remain in possession or if the land was transferred to others. Revenue officials were active in Erravalli and surrounding areas from Thursday morning. Efforts to contact the officials for comments went unanswered. Turf war gets intense UPI fleecing won’t be allowed: Govt P U S H P I TA D E Y @ New Delhi Congress team to inspect Markook land records today Those who accumulated wealth during the ‘family rule’ are now preaching about governance and ethics to the people of Telangana Ponguleti’s charges n  Kalvakuntla family’s wealth grew through the illegal acquisition of govt land, land belonging to the poor and land assigned to Dalits n  who declared around one acre KTR, in his 2009 election affidavit, later came to possess hundreds of acres through Dharani land records system Ponguleti nKCR declared zero acre of agricultural Srinivasa Reddy, land in his 2004 LS poll affidavit, now Revenue Minister has assets worth thousands of crores KTR’s rebuttal n  family had Our ancestral land in Chintamadaka. Hundreds of acres were acquired with compensation received for land lost to Upper Manair Dam n  Congress has failed to establish wrongdoing over Janwada land despite being in power for three years n  has declared 67 acres. Where did KCR that claim that he owned 1,000 acres come from? Even Revanth Reddy had put the extent at 67 acres KCR is a true farmer who personally ploughed our ancestral fields in Chintamadaka even while serving as a minister in the TDP government KT Rama Rao, former minister Events begin amid chaos With just one day to go for the Games, excitement is ramping up. A few issues have dominated the buildup even as events have already started. A look... Accommodation issues continue Cricket takes centrestage For the first time, a senior Indian team will play Japan in an international cricket match on Friday. The Harmanpreet Kaurled team will take on Japan in the quarterfinal match. On Thursday, Bangladesh women advanced based on ranking after tie against China was abandoned while Pakistan beat Thailand As this daily reported, accommodation has been chaotic for athletes. It continued on Thursday with rooms meant for two are being shared by three at the Costa Serena cruise ship. With no Games Village for this event, around 17,000 athletes and officials are being accommodated at various locations, including the cruise ship, shipping-container style wooden huts at the dock area & hotels across Aichi prefecture Doubles pair loses in Teqball Declan Gonsalves and Anas Baig were out of medal contention in the men’s doubles Teqball event on Thursday. The Indians first lost 10-12, 8-12 against Vietnam’s Truong Giang Ba and Anh Khoa Le before going down 4-12, 7-12 against South Korea’s Junsuk Lee and Taebeen Lee | P11 It’s Tata vs Tata over Chandra’s reappointment B E N N K OC H U V E E D A N @ Mumbai THE boardroom war at Tata Sons deepened on Thursday with four directors of the group holding company voting to re-appoint N Chandrasekaran as executive chairman for five more years and clearing the proposal to list the company as mandated by the Reserve Bank of India. Both proposals were opposed by Noel N Tata, chairman of Tata Trusts, the largest shareholder of Tata sons with 66% stake. Noel termed the two decisions illegal. Four Tata Sons board members—Venu Srinivasan, Harish Manwani, Saurabh Agrawal, and Anita George—approved the reappointment, while Noel Tata voted against it. Noel Tata said Chandrasekaran’s recent decision to not seek a third term as Tata Sons chairman had already been accepted and that the reappointment was a “legal nullity”. On listing of Tata Sons, he said the trusts and the board had unanimously decided against it. He alleged he was kept in the dark about Tata Sons’ communication with RBI on this, adding that Tata Trusts would file an RTI application to obtain the full details. Earlier, the Tata Sons board said a majority of its members voted to give another SP group’s term to Chandrasekaran, who had on Au- liquidity plan gust 12 said he was not seeking a third term Noel Tata tabled beyond February 2027, when his current a proposal to term ends. The board said Chandrasekaran provide `25,000 accepted the reappointment proposal after crore of liquidity the board requested him to continue. to the debt-laden Soon after the board meeting on Thursday Shapoorji Pallonji , Noel issued a detailed statement to clarify Group by buying his position. “Tata Trusts maintains that out a portion of Chandra’s decision not to offer himself for its holding in the reappointment at the end of his current ten- Tata Group’s ure had already been accepted and had at- holding company, tained finality as his decision was freely Tata Sons taken, clearly expressed and not the outcome of any process of review,” he said, adding Chandrasekaran had decided not to seek another term without prior intimation to or deliberations with Tata Trusts. “Once such a decision has been publicly communicated, it has consequences which cannot be afterwards undone, since the group’s employees, its lenders and counterparties, the market and the majority shareholder have all proceeded on it,” Noel Tata said, and asked the board to finalise the search panel to find Chandrasekaran’s successor at the earliest. WIT H T H I S ISSUE CITY’S BEST WEEKEND GUIDE 36 PAGES, INCLUDING 24 OF INDULGE (TABLOID) Unnatural deaths report in Manipur Keesara SHO, SI held for `5L bribe, locals celebrate relief camps shocking, says SC bench E x p r ess N e w s S e r v i c e @ Hyderabad S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi EXPRESSING shock and displeasure over the 25 alleged unnatural deaths in relief camps — set up for the victims and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the 2023 Manipur violence cases — the Supreme Court on Thursday directed Manipur Chief Secretary to file a status report. “We direct the Chief Secretary to submit report about all the 25 unnatural deaths reported in the newspapers...along with post-mortem report iden- Special report The order came after the bench perused reports of the Justice Mittal committee and an IAS officer about unnatural deaths in the relief camps in Manipur housing internally displaced persons from the 2023 Manipur riots tifying the cause and what preventive steps have been taken in (camps for IDPs),” said a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana. The court took note of a report by an IAS officer from Manipur stating that 25 deaths had occurred in relief camps, but post-mortems were conducted in only 20 cases. “The state is also obliged to explain as to why only `20,000`30,000 as compensation was paid to internally displaced persons who met with unnatural deaths while sheltered in relief camps,” the bench said. The bench also directed the Manipur State Legal Services Authority (MSLSA) to file a separate status report on the issue of unnatural deaths. The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday arrested Keesara SHO Arkapally Anjaneyulu and sub-inspector Dyapa Gnanender Reddy after the latter was allegedly caught red-handed while accepting `5 lakh from a person accused in a PDS rice diversion case. The arrests sparked celebrations among residents, who gathered outside the Keesara police station, burst firecrackers, raised slogans and welcomed the ACB action against the two officers. According to the ACB, Gnanender Reddy was caught Keesara SHO Arkapally Anjaneyulu and SI D Gnanender Reddy with the `5 lakh bribe, and firecrackers being burst outside the police station after their arrest on Thursday around 11.30 pm on Wednesday while allegedly accepting the cash from the complainant while sitting in his car near a lake in Keesara. He was reportedly on Ganesh immersion duty at the time. ACB officials told TNIE that the two police personnel had allegedly demanded `8 lakh from the complainant for granting station bail in the PDS rice di- version case and assuring him that he would not be harassed or repeatedly summoned to the police station. The amount was later negotiated to `6 lakh, with the complainant agreeing to pay `5 lakh, the ACB said. After the complainant approached the ACB, officials laid a trap and caught Gnanender Reddy while he was allegedly receiving the cash. The SI reportedly tried to evade the ACB team and initially resisted the chemical test conducted as part of the trap proceedings. He was eventually subdued by the ACB officials, and the test reportedly indicated contact with the tainted currency  . continued on P5