HYDERABAD l thursday l november 20, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE CITY EDITION Ready to launch first uncrewed Gaganyaan mission anytime: Isro Isro chairman V Narayanan said on Wednesday the space agency is fully prepared to launch the first of the three uncrewed missions any time Over 80,000 tests completed: V narayanan Launch in December, PM to finalise date Narayanan said that with 80,000 tests completed, about 85% of the work on the Gaganyaan mission is now done. The first uncrewed Gaganyaan mission is scheduled for December 2025 and will carry the humanoid robot Vyommitra. It will be the first of three uncrewed tests designed to validate the mission’s systems before the crewed launch ■ ■ The launch date for the first uncrewed mission will be finalised by the Prime Minister, Narayanan said at the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2025 The Isro chairman said India’s share in the global space economy is expected to rise to 11% by 2047, from the current 2%. He added Isro will launch around 50 satellites per year over the next five years 2027 when India aims to launch the first crewed ganganyaan mission 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 CM to women MLAs: Become brand Another form of ambassadors for Indiramma sarees talaq now under E x pr e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Hyderabad Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has appealed to women members of his Cabinet and women MLAs to become brand ambassadors of Indiramma sarees by wearing them. He said every woman legislator should wear Indiramma sarees and enhance the self-respect of women. After paying floral tributes to the statue of former prime minister Indira Gandhi at Necklace Road on Wednesday, her birth anniversary the chief , minister launched a programme to distribute one crore Indiramma sarees to one crore women. Addressing the gathering, Revanth said that in view of the time-consuming process in- Beneficiaries express their joy after being handed over Indiramma sarees, in Hyderabad on Wednesday | Vinay Madapu volved in weaving the sarees, Indiramma sarees will be dis- tributed to the eligible in two phases. Accordingly, all women beneficiaries in rural areas will be handed over the sarees in the first phase, which will be completed by December 9. “In the second phase, the distribution of sarees for women in urban areas will begin on March 1 and be completed on March 8, International Women’s Day. As many as 65 lakh sarees will be distributed in this phase alone,” Revanth said. Stating that the government has launched several schemes for women’s empowerment inspired by Indira Gandhi, the chief minister said that women’s groups are being encouraged to operate petrol pumps, and that 1,000 buses have been leased to self-help groups for the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation.  continued on P4 200 Indian nationals deported from US, including wanted gangster Anmol HA R P R EET B A J WA @ Chandigarh Nitish to take oath today for record 10th time JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar will take oath as Bihar chief minister for a record 10th time at Patna’s historic Gandhi Maidan at 11 am on Thursday Page 8 7 Maoists killed in encounter in Andhra Pradesh Dharmendra Regana @ Visakhapatnam A day after the slaying of Madvi Hidma, head of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army Battalion 1, seven Maoists, including an explosives specialist, were killed in an encounter in Maredumilli police station limits in Alluri Sitarama Raju district on Wednesday morning. SP Amit Bardar said that the encounter occurred in the same region where six Maoists were killed on Tuesday . Police launched ‘Operation Sambhav’ after receiving intelligence that Maoists were entering Andhra Pradesh for recruitment and were using the Maredumilli area as a shelter zone. The dead were identified as Metturi Joga Rao, also known as Tech Shankar, of Bathupuram in Srikakulam district; Jyothi, also known as Saritha, a Divisional Committee Member; Suresh, also known as Ramesh, an Area Committee Member (ACM); Lokesh, also known as Ganesh, ACM; Sainu, also known as Vasu, ACM; Anitha, ACM; and Shammi, ACM. Security forces recovered firearms and explosives, including two AK-47 rifles, five magazines, 72 rounds of AK-47 ammunition, five SBBL guns with 34 rounds, one .303 rifle with 24 rounds, 3 kg of Cordex wire, 18 detonators and several kit bags. A special US deportation flight carrying 200 Indians, including Anmol Bishnoi, the younger brother and close aide of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, two other fugitives wanted in Punjab, and 197 undocumented migrants landed in New Delhi on Wednesday . Anmol is wanted in multiple criminal cases in India, including the murders of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala in May 2022 and Nationalist Congress Party leader Baba Siddique in October 2024, and firing at actor Shah Rukh Khan’s residence in April 2024. As soon as the special US flight landed at the Indira Gan- Anmol Bishnoi being brought to the Patiala House Court | Parveen Negi dhi International Airport in Delhi, Bishnoi was detained by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). He was later produced at Delhi’s Patiala House court, which sent him to 11 days NIA custody . “We are trying to find how he fled India,” Special Public Prosecutor Rahul Tyagi said, `415 crore scam Ed gets 13-day custody of al Falah chief erated without valid accreditation is `415.10 crore. @ New Delhi/ Srinagar/ Lucknow Meanwhile, sources said around 10 people associated The Enforcement Directo- with the Al-Falah University , rate (ED), which is investi- including three from Kashgating the Al Falah group mir, are missing. Their mothat is at the centre of the bile phones are switched off. Delhi blast case for alleged Their disappearances came money laundering, has un- to light after a joint operacovered ‘tainted’ funds tion by the J&K and Haryaamounting to `415 na police. crore, sources said In J&K, the police on Wednesday . inspected lockers beThe agency has selonging to doctors in cured 13-day custody the Valley . of Jawad Ahmed Sid“All lockers were diqui, the chairman checked. Lockers and founder of the found unclaimed, imgroup, who was arJawad Ahmed properly labelled or rested on Tuesday . Siddiqui without ownership An official said the were documented,” Al Falah group generated an official said. “proceeds of crime” by deIn Uttar Pradesh, the state ceiving students through A n t i - Te r r o r i s t S q u a d false claims about the ac- launched an informationcreditation and recognition gathering exercise across of its institutions. eight districts, seeking deAccording to the ED, the tailed records of all students, total educational income ac- teachers and management cumulated during the years personnel associated with in which the institutions op- all operational madrasas. S u m i t K u m a r , F aya z W a n i & N a m i ta B a jpa i MP officer killed During encounter with maoists Inspector Ashish Sharma of the MP police’s elite Hawk Force anti-Naxal unit died on Wednesday after being injured in a gunfight near the Chhattisgarh-MP border | P8 adding that Anmol will be produced before the court again on November 29 after completion of his NIA custody . Hailing from Punjab’s Fazilka, Anmol was Lawrence Bishnoi’s overseas handler and was directing extortion rackets, issuing threats, and coordinating assignments through encrypted channels. He reportedly slipped out of the country in April 2022 using a forged passport, accompanied by another wanted gangster Sachin Thapan. Sources said Anmol managed to get a fake passport in the name of Bhanu Pratap, a resident of Faridabad, and his father’s name was mentioned as Rakesh. top court’s glare SC raps sending talaq-e-hasan notice via counsel; matter may go to 5-member bench SUCHIT R A K ALYAN MOHANTY @ New Delhi Eight years after it deemed instant triple talaq (talaq-e-biddah) unconstitutional, the Supreme Court on Wednesday indicated it could go after talaq staggered over three months (talaq-e-hasan) — a form of divorce — by sending the matter to a five-member bench. Under talaq-e-hasan, a Muslim man can divorce his wife by uttering the word talaq once each for three months. A three-judge bench led by Justice Surya Kant was hearing a petition by journalist Benazeer Heena, who said her husband Ghulam Akhtar had sent unsigned talaq-e-hasan notices through his lawyer by Speed Post. “In the 11-page talaq notice, the sign of the husband is missing. Talaq was pronounced by the husband’s advocate,” her counsel said. In the absence of Akhtar’s signature, Heena has been unable to prove she is divorced, though he remarried. But if she is to wed again, Akhtar could accuse her of polyandry . Heena also had problems with her child’s school admission. Akhtar’s advocate said the practice of conveying talaq through legal notice was quite common in Islam. “How is this allowed in moder n society?” the bench that included justices Ujjal Bhuyan, and N K Singh wondered. “We are in 2025. How are you promoting this? Regulation as per constitutional ethos The bench said it is not the question of striking down a prevalent religious practice but an issue which needs to be regulated as per the constitutional ethos. Heena’s PIL was directed to be listed on Nov 26, Constitution Day Is this how the dignity of a woman is upheld? Should a civilised society allow this kind of practice?” justice Surya Kant asked. The bench went on to observe, “Society at large is involved. Some remedial measures have to be taken. If there are gross discriminatory practices, this court will have to interfere.” The court indicated that if required it could refer the matter to a five-member bench for consideration. “Give us broadly the legal questions that may arise. Then we will see how to resolve them,” the bench said. In her petition, Heena sought a declaration that talaq-e-hasan is irrational, arbitrary and violative of Articles 14, 15, 21 and 25 of the Constitution. Sai Baba a beacon of service: Modi E x pr ess N e ws S e rv i c e @ Puttaparthi Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in paying homage to Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba at the grand birth centenary celebrations held at Prasanthi Nilayam in Puttaparthi. The prime minister paid floral tributes at the Mahasamadhi and described his presence on the sacred land as a deeply emotional and spiritual experience. Addressing a massive gathering of devotees, spiritual leaders, and dignitaries at Hill View Stadium, Modi began his speech with “Sai Ram”, and hailed Baba’s life as a beacon of love, service, and universal harmony He described the centenary . year as a “divine blessing” and a “grand festival of universal love, peace and service.” PM Modi shares a lighter moment with AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu during birth centenary celebrations of Sri Sathya Sai Baba on Wednesday To mark the occasion, the PM released a `100 commemorative coin, and jointly unveiled a special postage stamp with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. He emphasised that Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s life was a living embodiment of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, the world is one family , and that his teachings continue to inspire crores of people in over 140 countries. Highlighting Baba’s transformative contributions to society Modi praised the Sri Sathya , Sai Central Trust for its largescale service projects. These include laying over 3,000 km of drinking water pipelines across Rayalaseema, constructing 1,000 houses for flood victims in Odisha, and operating superspeciality hospitals that offer completely free treatment with no billing counters. He also lauded the trust’s efforts in opening over 20,000 Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana accounts for girls, and donating cows to poor farming families under the Gau Daan programme. GOVT cENSUREd SC quashes Tribunal law provisions SUCHIT R A K ALYAN MOHANTY @ New Delhi THE Supreme Cour t on Wednesday struck down key provisions of the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021 related to the appointment and tenure of tribunal members, noting that these were in violation of the court’s earlier judgments, and directed the Centre to set up a National Tribunals Commission within four months. In a strongly worded verdict, a bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran said the Centre brought back the provisions earlier read down by the apex court with minor tweaks. “The impugned provisions violated the principles of separation of powers and judicial independence, and they should not have been brought back,” the bench said. It said until a new legislation is put in place to give effect to the court’s order, the directions and principles laid down in its earlier judgments will govern all matters related to appointment, tenure and qualifications concerning tribunal members. The CJI, who authored the 137-page judgment, specifically invalidated Section 3 of the law, which mandated a minimum age of 50 years for appointment as a chairperson or member. The court held that this section excluded young and competent advocates and experts. It also set aside Section 5 of the Act which fixed the tenure of chairpersons and members of tribunals at four years. The bench reinstated the five-year tenure rule to ensure security of service and institutional independence. express read Suspected case of sale of infants comes to light Nalgonda: Officials have launched an investigation into how two couples, both childless for years, brought home newborns within a span of one week. Officials believe that one infant, a boy, was brought from the Sagar mandal area, and the other, a girl, from Tripuraram mandal | P2 Arjun crashes out of chess World Cup Panaji: Second-seeded Arjun Erigaisi crashed out of the FIDE Chess World Cup quarterfinals in Goa on Wednesday, losing 0.5–1.5 in the rapid tiebreaks to Wei Yi. He was the only Indian to have made it this far. This is the second consecutive time that he exited the World Cup at this stage | P11 unimaginable ordeal Tortured in Myanmar, ‘cyberslave’ hospitalised C h i t h a l u r i R e v a n t h @ Hyderabad A 22-year-old man who recently returned to Hyderabad after months in a cyberslavery camp is undergoing treatment for multiple health problems in a government hospital in the city . According to his family, the victim was forced to work 12 to 14 hours a day and subjected to punishments such as electric shocks, beatings and prolonged periods without food. The family said he had been lured with the promise of an overseas job by a man identified as Rehan Baig. Trusting him, the youth agreed to travel abroad. Once there, he was allegedly moved across locations, cut off from communication, and kept in inhumane conditions which left parts of his body “not functioning properly”. Since the victim was unable to file a complaint himself, his uncle approached the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB). The family’s association with Rehan began in 2016 when the victim’s mother travelled to Saudi Arabia for work through him. She returned in 2021. In 2023, Rehan contacted her again, seeking “boys willing to work in Europe as waiters”. She put forward her son and paid Rehan `5.4 lakh as commission. After this, he avoided them and provided no clear job details. He later told them there was an IT job in Thailand offering a salary of `50,000, and assured them that travel tickets and documents would be arranged by the company . In May 2025, the youth left for Thailand. On arrival, he said he was shuttled in several vehicles and taken across the Thailand– Myanmar border at Mae Sot. After crossing into Myawaddy , he was transported to a compound where he was forced to work for a fraud network run by Chinese handlers, carrying out online scams.  continued on p5