BHUBANESWAR l friday l october 16, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l LATE CITY EDITION PM modi meets Asian Games medal winners in new delhi India’s hosting power on the rise, says PM At a function at Major Dhyan Chand Stadium, PM Narendra Modi lauds athletes & also reiterates country’s bid to host 2036 Olympics ‘country’s resolve will host the 2036 oly’ The PM was presented with memorabilia ranging from signed jerseys to a bow from 17-year-old archery sensation Kumkum Mohod, who won two gold medals and a silver at the recently-concluded Games. The PM said the country is not just becoming a stronger force in terms of performance but also evolving into a “credible host” for major international events ■ ■ The PM also reiterated country’s resolve to host 2036 Olympics. “We are bidding for the 2036 Olympics and it is our resolve that we will host the games,” he said Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, ICC chairman Jay Shah & IOA president P T Usha were also present during the interaction 85 India won 85 medals at the Asian Games, including 21 gold 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 SC notice to ECI, CEC on Rahul’s ABVP ahead, BCJD hot plea against SIR irregularities on its tail in campus polls Mulls all-women panel to probe alleged sexual violence against journalists 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 Thursday issued notices to the Election Commission of India and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on a batch of pleas filed by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders over alleged large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of poll rolls. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi also tagged the pleas with petitions already pending before the court challenging the validity of SIR. With this, all SIR-related matters will be heard together at a later date, likely on October 28. The SC also took note of submissions that attempts were made by Rahul and others to browbeat the judiciary by undertaking a march on October 12. “Nobody can browbeat the judiciary the CJI said, adding “We know ,” what statements they are making outside and what they are saying in court.” The bench, while hearing Govt clarifies on another plea filed by Network home secy’s apology of Women in Media, India On reports that Home over the alleged sexual vioSecretary Govind Mohan lence against female journalapologIsed to SC in a ists covering the protests, contempt case, the said it would consider setting up an all-women panel to MHA clarified it’s a usual practice. “...It look into such complaints. “It may comprise a former is required that the party responding woman judge, a former womto the notice must an IPS officer, a former wombegin their affidavit an social worker or a social with an unconditional activist with a known track apology. Only thereafter all record,” said the CJI. other facts and arguments The bench also agreed with are presented,” it said senior advocate Indira Jaising’s submission that there should be clear guidelines on law-enforcement authorities’ interaction with journalists during protests. “We would like to lay down guidelines,” the bench said while issuing notice on the plea seeking responses from the Centre and the Delhi Police. Jaising said women reporters are particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse while covering protests when they are pushed around by male police officers. The bench also directed that no coercive action be taken against a woman journalist against whom a case has been filed by a Delhi Police officer under the stringent SC/ST Act alleging casteist remarks and public humiliation against him during a protest. Convert can’t get quota based on prior caste: SC S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi IN a significant order, the Supreme Court on Thursday held that a person who converts to Islam cannot automatically claim reservation under a notified Muslim Backward Class (BC) category based on their pre-conversion caste status as a Hindu. Upholding a Madras High Court verdict, the judgment from the two-judge bench of justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Shree Chandrashekhar said, “Such a conversion severs the legal foundation of an entitlement which is specifically conditioned upon membership of that Hindu social order.” The bench said a person who converts from the Hindu social order to a non-Hindu social order cannot claim affirmative action under Article 16(4) of the Constitution merely on the basis of social backwardness associated with their pre-conversion status. It said the former caste or community status as a Hindu cannot automatically be transposed into a Muslim BC category and a private religious body cannot conclusively determine statutory entitlement. Therefore, the SC held that a person who converted to Islam, Christianity or any other nonHindu social order cannot claim, merely on basis of their pre-conversion status, any statutory benefit, protection, quota or entitlement under Article 16(4), which is dependent on them belonging to a particular social order. CONTINUED ON P5 No Delhi HC bar on CJP’s protest today at Connaught Place U D AYA N K I S H O R E & A diti R ay C ho w dhury @ New Delhi THE Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to bar a protest called by CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke on October 16 at Central Park in Connaught Place, while taking on record Delhi Police’s assurance that all possible steps would be taken to regulate and control the protesters. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma Summary revision of was hearing a plea by a Connaught Place vendor seeking a poll rolls from Jan 1 fiat to police to regulate the The Election Commission protest. Called “Lehra do Tion Thursday announced ranga”, the protest kicks off at that Special Summary 5 pm on Friday Heavy securi. Revision (SSR) of ty is likely in and around CP electoral rolls will and Jantar Mantar ahead of be conducted in 17 the agitation. Late on Thursstates and Union day the New Delhi Municipal , territories, Council issued a notice barincluding those ring general public from visitwhere assembly polls ing Central Park in Connaught are due next year. The ECI Place on October 16 and 17. said January 1, 2027, will be The petition claimed that the qualifying date for the traders and vendors would be summary revision “on the streets” if they lost another weekend to closures due to protest in central Delhi during the festive season. “This is the Dussehra weekend. This protest has to be stopped,” the petitioner’s counsel submitted. The bench refused to pass a “specific” direction restraining CJP protesters as urged by the petitioner. “Don’t insist. We have passed the order,” the bench said. Addressing a press conference on Thursday along with All India Students’ Association (AISA) leader Neha Bora, Students’ Federation of India (SFI) leader Aishe Ghosh and actor Prakash Raj, Dipke criticised the police action against demonstrators and alleged that the government was using state machinery to shield Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. ABVP members celebrate their victory at BJB Autonomous College | SHAMIM QURESHY E x p ress N e w s S er v ice @ Bhubaneswar The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) seemed to have taken the lead bagging the highest number of campuses with the Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD) putting up a strong fight and emerging a close second as student union elections were held in universities and colleges across the state on Thursday . As counting progressed and results began to pour in, the ABVP claimed to have registered victory in 112 colleges till last reports came in. The ABVP took an edge securing president posts in BJB Autonomous College and Rajdhani College in the capital city Aryan Mahapatra emerged . victorious at BJB Autonomous College while Abinash Padhi won the president’s post at Rajadhani College. The BJP’s student wing also claimed victory in half a dozen universities in- cluding Sambalpur, Berhampur, Gangadhar Meher, Vikram Dev, Maa Manikeswari and Dharanidhar. While the results in Utkal University were delayed and not announced till midnight, high drama was witnessed at Rama Devi Women’s University after it was initially reported that the BCJD had won the president’s post. However, the university authorities said the results had not been declared as the counting was halted due to some reasons. This led to protests by the BCJD and others students alleging foul play Ear. lier on the day the police also detained , BCJD state president Ipsita Sahoo from Rama Devi campus after ABVP accused BCJD representatives of offering Lord Jagannath’s Mahaprasad to students and forcing them to vote in their favour. Ipsita, however, had refuted the claims, while alleging that both the administration and police were working to favour ABVP . Some student organisations, particularly NSUI, blocked NH-16 service road in front of the main gate of Utkal University over delay in declaration of results. They accused the BJP government of interfering in the poll process to favour ABVP Security was beefed up on . both the campuses to prevent post-poll violence. Meanwhile, BCJD reportedly bagged the prestigious Ravenshaw University and JKBK College in CONTINUED ON P5 Cuttack. E x p r e s s Re a d State govt extends Antyodaya Gruha Yojana till 2029 Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday announced that the state government will construct an additional 2,91,666 houses under the Antyodaya Gruha Yojana and extend the scheme by two years until 2029 | P3 pakistan school roof collapse results in 35 deaths At least 34 children and a teacher were killed when the roof of a private school collapsed on Thursday in Peshawar, capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province | P9