Retail inflation rises to 5.54% in September Retail inflation rose sharply to 5.54 per cent in September on the back of high onion and other food prices, remaining just within the RBI’s tolerance band, government data released on Monday showed. The consumer price index based headline inflation was 4.83 per cent in August. Food inflation rose to 7.74 per cent in September from 5.97 per cent in August MADURAI l tuesday l october 13, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 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 INDIA bloc marches to SC, files plea Rahul says only one protest, assures Oppn support to all committed to protect Constitution LoP Rahul Gandhi’s writ petition in the SC challenges the legality of the SIR, alleging large-scale deletion of genuine voters. It seeks a direction to ECI to place on record the full file recording decision to commence SIR | P9 Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and others during the Opposition INDIA bloc’s march to the Supreme Court in New Delhi on Monday | Sayantan Ghosh E x p ress Ne w s S er v i c e @ New Delhi Opposition leaders, party workers and members of the public took to the streets of central Delhi on Monday as the INDIA bloc intensified its campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging electoral irregularities, and demanding an end to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The ‘Chalo Delhi — March for Democracy,’ was later followed by the filing of a joint petition in the Supreme Court seeking judicial intervention over the allegations. Led by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the march began near the Con- naught Place–Barakhamba Road junction and moved towards the SC. Opposition leaders, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule and CPI general secretary D Raja, joined the mobilisation. Police stopped the march after a brief stretch, with security tightened across central Delhi. The petition challenges alleged irregularities in the electoral roll revision process. The INDIA bloc has also demanded Kumar’s resignation, the suspension of the SIR exercise, a return to ballot papers and electoral reforms. Addressing a reporters ahead of the march, Gandhi said the opposition’s campaign was a collective effort to defend democratic institutions. “There are no parallel pro- CJI Surya Kant said SC had neither approved nor disapproved the revised Form 6. The SC said ECI cannot claim judicial endorsement | P9 tests, there is one protest,” he said, adding that anyone committed to protecting the Constitution would have the Opposition’s support. Directly addressing the CEC, he said, “Resign, turn approver; you have made a mistake but you are not the mind behind the mistake.” He said the campaign would continue until the Election Commission’s leadership changed, the Constitution was upheld and the electoral system was overhauled. On X, Gandhi said the INDIA bloc had written to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, who declined to meet the leaders but had said they could approach the court through a petition. Gandhi urged people across political affiliations to join the campaign, adding that the agitation would continue beyond the march. Jantar Mantar denotified as designated protest venue E x p ress n e w s ser v i c e @ New Delhi The Delhi Police on Monday de-notified Jantar Mantar as a protest venue and named Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground as the new designated sites for holding protests and demonstrations in the national capital. According to the order, issued by Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar, the Union home ministry had constituted a committee to examine alternative proper venues for citizens’ right for organising protest and demonstrations in place of the existing “designated site”. “Based on the committee’s recommendations, Jantar Mantar as a protest venue has been de-notified. Three new venues viz Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground, East Delhi have been designated as new venues for organising protest/demonstrations,” the order stated. Criticising the decision, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said, “It is a definite sign of the extreme panic that has gripped the PM-HM duo.” Cockroach Janta Party’s Saurav Das called the decision an “assault” on the fundamental right to protest. police tell madras hc Probe proves ex-min’s link in `100cr scam e x p ress n e w s ser v i c e @ Chennai The Central Crime Branch (CCB) slueths of the Greater Chennai Police have informed the Madras High Court that their investigation into the alleged `100 crore school recognition scam uncovered the involvement of Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, who served as the school education minister under the previous DMK government. The submission was made by the police in a counter-affidavit filed through State Public Prosecutor R John Sathyan before Justice V Laskshminarayanan on Monday, when the former minister’s petition for quashing the FIR came up for hearing. “During the course of investigation, materials emerged disclosing the role of the former minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi in relation to demands and representations concerning private schools, the collection of money by Arasakumar and Muthukumar by projecting their access, influence and connection with him, the corresponding facilitation and movement of those demands through the department and government machinery,” the counter-affidavit stated. The police affidavit also alleged possible collection of money under the garb of Party Fund.  P7 E x p r ess Read Vijay to meet AP CM for talks over Krishna water Chennai: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay is scheduled to meet his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu in Vijayawada on Tuesday to hold a discussion regarding the shortfall in Krishna water supplied to TN under the Telugu Ganga agreement. Andhra Pradesh must supply 12 tmcft of water per year to meet Chennai’s drinking water requirements, but TN has received only 2.251 tmcft of water till October 9 | P4 TN to buy power at record high rate of `37 per unit Chennai: With electricity demand remaining high across TN even in October, the TNPDCL has decided to procure 181 MW of power from gas plants at a record high rate of `37 per unit until October 31. This is the highest price paid by TN so far. “We are unable to procure thermal power at cheaper rates. Gas-based plants ready to supply power, but the cost is high,” an official said | P4 Arlekar appointed full-time TN guv Ram has been appointed Governor of Odisha, Dhal Singh Bisen will be posted in UttaraPRESIDENT Droupadi Mur- khand and Dushyant Gautam mu on Monday appointed gov- in Sikkim. ernors for six states, namArlekar, who was serving ing Rajendra Vishwanath as Kerala Governor, has Arlekar as the regular been in charge of Tamil gover nor of Tamil Nadu following R N Nadu, transferring Om Ravi’s transfer to West Prakash Mathur from Bengal in March. A Sikkim to Kerala and former Speaker and minappointing Sudha Yaister of Goa Assembly , dav as Governor Arlekar has also of Karnataka. served as GoverRajendra Vishwanath Arlekar nor of Himachal Braj Mohan RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi Pradesh and Bihar. Mathur, a BJP leader and former Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan, succeeds Arlekar in Kerala. Ram, a former Lok Sabha MP from Jharkhand’s Palamu, succeeds Hari Babu Kambhampati in Odisha. Sudha Yadav, a former BJP MP from Mahendragarh, Haryana, and member of the National Commission for Backw a r d C l a s s e s, s u c c e e d s Thaawar Chand Gehlot as Karnataka Governor.