bhubaneswar l tuesday l november 03, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l jeypore EDITION bombay hc raps Imran khan for taking part in anti-cec protest Demands actor’s unconditional apology A division bench of Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna directed actor-director Imran Khan to furnish an unconditional apology for participating in protests demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. Khan had approached the High Court challenging a notice that directed him to leave India by October 28 The court said an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card holder cannot criticise the government as such persons are not on a par with Indian citizens extends suspension of leave india notice ■ ■ “If you want to protest, then go to the USA and participate in protests there, and you can even go and cast your vote, but protesting anything here won’t be tolerated,” the bench told Khan | P8 The HC extended operation of its earlier order suspending the Leave India Notice issued to Khan until he is given a chance to respond OCT 13 IS WHEN BJP leader Kirit Somaiya FILED A COMPLAINT AGAINST KHAN 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 ‘Nobody will trust you’: SC rejects govt plea against Vedanta arbitration awards diwali let-up Green crackers allowed in NCR only on Nov 7, 8 S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi SC warns police officials of contempt action if its orders are not complied with S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi HOLDING that a complete ban on firecrackers is not only facilitating illegal sale but also preventing people from purchasing legitimate green crackers, the Supreme Court on Monday allowed bursting of green firecrackers in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) from 6 am to 7 am and from 8 to 10 pm on November 7 and 8. Diwali falls on November 8 this year. A bench of justices M M Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale said the complete ban on firecrackers across Delhi-NCR will come back into force from November 9. “No firecrackers shall be burst within a 300-metre radius of hospitals, nursing homes, primary and district health centres, old-age homes and notified silence zones. These areas, along with educational institutions, will be declared No-Cracker Zones and appropriately marked and publicised,” the court said. The bench clarified that only green fireThis court is short crackers certified by NEERI and PESO of adequate data to decide whether will be allowed in Delhi-NCR on the peror not a complete mitted days and time slot. Observing that ban would be the bursting firecrackers would certainly best solution to cause pollution, the bench said the right solve the problem of an individual to engage in a particular of pollution caused practice, which may have a religious colby firecrackers our, is only a qualified one and cannot go Supreme Court beyond the constitutional restrictions. “Though imposition of a blanket ban seems to be the ideal solution, we are of the opinion that this court, at this point in time, is short of adequate data to decide whether or not a complete ban would be the best solution to solve the problem of environmental pollution, caused by bursting firecrackers,” the bench said in its October 29 order which was published on Monday . On the safety aspect, the court said boxes containing green crackers must be completely sealed to ensure that they are not mixed with any unauthorised or conventional firecrackers, and that there shall be no manufacture or sale of firecrackers joined in series (‘ladis’) and garlands. The court directed the Delhi Police, Uttar Pradesh Police, Haryana Police and district administrations in NCR to ensure strict compliance. It warned officials of contempt action if its directions are not complied with. crushing weight Amid light rains on Monday ahead of cyclone Murasu landfall in Andhra Pradesh, a huge peepal tree inside the TNEB office on Mount Road in Chennai got uprooted and fell, damaging several parked cars | P Jawahar 1.6 lakh evacuated as Odisha braces for cyclone Murasu S u d arsan M aharana @ Bhubaneswar With Odisha still struggling to recover from the after-effects of Arnab, another storm Murasu has put the state administration on its toes. Leaving nothing chance following the unprecedented flooding in Ganjam district and landslides that have claimed six lives so far, the government stepped up evacuation efforts and shifted over 1.6 lakh people to safety in three districts by Monday . Cyclone Murasu is set to make landfall in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday and expected to bring heavy rainfall to south Odisha. The state government has put eight districts of Ganjam, Gajapati, Koraput, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Kandhamal, Kalahandi and Puri on high alert for heavy rainfall, instructing the district administrations to ensure all precautionary measures for preventing loss of life and property . Revenue and Disaster Management minister Suresh Pujari reviewed the state’s preparedness at a high-level meeting at the office of the spe- Revenue minister Suresh Pujari taking stock of cyclone preparedness | Express cial relief commissioner. Urging the people to be alert and not panic, Pujari, said the government is fully prepared to deal with the possible impact of the storm. Pujari said as per IMD’s forecast, Murasu has intensified into a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal and is located around 160 km from Nellore, 180 km from Chennai and Kavali, 210 km from Ongole and 240 km from Machilipatnam. Wind speeds of 100-110 kmph are likely to occur when the system makes landfall in Andhra Pradash coast between Nellore and Narsapur. “Districts like Ganjam, Gajapati, Koraput, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Kandhamal, Kalahandi and Puri in south and coastal belts are likely to be af- fected, particularly by rains. Keeping in view the situation, evacuation process has already been expedited in Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Koraput and Malkangiri districts,” Pujari said. Officials said a total of 35 response teams, comprising 32 ODRAF and three NDRF teams, have been deployed in Ganjam district. In other districts, nine ODRAF and one NDRF team have been deployed in Gajapati; three ODRAF and one NDRF team each in Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri; four ODRAF teams in Kandhamal and three in Nabarangpur. Ganjam district administration has set a target of relocating 2,94,752 people, of whom 1,51,434 have already been shifted to safer locations. Around 1,139 shelters have been kept ready with a combined capaci, ty to accommodate 3,41,700 people. Medical teams have been deployed at evacuation centres, while arrangements for drinking water, generators and essential supplies have been made. Schools, colleges and Anganwadi centres in the district will remain closed until NoCONTINUED ON P5 vember 3. IPS officer Susanta Nath and ‘friend’ move HC for quashing of sexual harassment case E x p ress N e w s S er v ice @ Cuttack File photo Iran’s offer to reopen Strait, U.S. talks Iran moots two-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume nuclear talks with the US, shortening a process originally expected to take seven days | P9 Days after former DG Prisons and Correctional Service Susanta Kumar Nath was booked for allegedly sexually harassing ex-jailor of Choudwar Circle Jail Santoshini Dash, the senior IPS officer has moved the Orissa High Court for quashing of the police case against him. He is also learnt to have sought protection in the case. The co-accused Kuldeep Ratha has also approached the high court for quashing of the case. Ratha has also filed an anticipatory bail petition in the court. Choudwar police on Saturday had registered a case against Nath and Ratha basing on the complaint of Dash. She had lodged an FIR accusing Nath of sexually harassing, threatening and intimidating her. In the FIR, she had also named Ratha whom Nath introduced her as his friend. The 1993-batch officer, who was in the race for the state DGP was , on Sunday removed as DG, Prisons by the state government and posted as officer on special duty (OSD) in the Home department. The last minute withdrawal of his integrity certificate by the state government has been put to question with the Supreme Court adjudicating the matter in light of al- legations of breach of the apex court’s directions issued in the Prakash Singh case of 2006. Meanwhile, police said they have completed examining the latter’s allegations. “We have examined the allegations levelled by the victim against Nath and his friend Ratha. This is the first part of investigation of a case. Further action will be taken as per due procedure,” said a senior police officer. The case registered under section 75(2), 351(2) and 3(5) of BNS is cognizable offence. After completion of the investigation, necessary action would be initiated as per the law, added the officer. India’s first full solar village 141 homes, 282 kW, zero rupees in electricity bill E J A Z K A I S E R @ Raipur How Khaira flipped the electricity playbook FOR as long as anyone in Khaira can remember, the monthly power bill sat on the kitchen shelf next to rice, medicines and grocery, competing for the same few rupees. This year, that bill lost its place. The tiny village in Chhattisgarh’s Rajnandgaon district is now India’s first to cover every household with rooftop solar under the ‘PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana’, officials said. All 141 homes now carry a 2 kW solar rooftop system, adding up to nearly 282 kW of clean energy capacity for its 889 residents. The villagers paid nothing. Cen- Khaira’s solar leap was not won through top-down mandates, but community trust. The breakthrough was driven by local mobilisers — known as PM Surya Sakhis — including local champion Sangeeta Sahu, working in tandem with self-help groups Chhattisgarh hamlet Khaira is India’s first 100% solar village | Express tral and state subsidies met the base cost, and corporate social responsibility funds covered the rest, ensuring zero out-of-pocket expenditure for the residents. “Khaira’s families have transitioned from passive, grid-depend- ent consumers into self-reliant urjadatas (energy producers) who feed their surplus power back into the utility grid. The shift represents not just lower utility metres, but an empowering psychological pivot where clean technology is no longer an urban luxury but an , integral part of everyday rural domestic life,” Jitendra Yadav, Rajnandgaon collector told this newspaper. Sarpanch Bhupendra Yadav said rooftop solar has mostly reached city dwellers who can handle paperwork. Khaira, he said, put the most vulnerable households first. Of 141 homes, 93 are PMAY-G houses that got solar from day one. For those on fixed incomes, the change is personal. “I live alone and depend only on my pension. Now I don’t have to worry about electricity bill,” said widow Shohgil Gond. INSIDE landslide: one more identified I P4 shah decries india bloc rally I P5 THE Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the Centre’s appeal against the enforcement of two foreign arbitral awards in favour of mining major Vedanta and Ravva Oil (Singapore), questioning the government’s resistance to the payouts and warning that prolonged litigation will undermine global trust in India’s arbitration framework. “Nobody will trust you,” a bench of justices J B Pardiwala and Manmohan said while rejecting the Centre’s appeal against the Delhi High Court’s July 1 order allowing the enforcement of the 2004 and 2016 Kuala Lumpur awards involving claims of $99 million. Criticising the government’s stance, the bench asked: “What are these arguments? You are frustrating an arbitral award... at the stage of enforcement?” The bench said it found no error in the HC ruling, which had rejected the Centre’s objections to the awards. The dispute traces its origins to a 1994 produc- tion-sharing contract between the Union government and a consortium comprising ONGC, Videocon Petroleum, Ravva Oil and Cairn Energy, whose interest passed to the erstwhile Cairn India (which later merged with Vedanta) for the development of Ravva oilfield in the KrishnaGodavari basin. Following disagreement between the government and the companies over the interpretation of the contract in calculating the Centre’s share of profit, the matter was referred to arbitration in Kuala Lumpur. The bench asked why the matter continued for so long when the first award was in 2004 and final award in 2016. Additional Solicitor General Vikramjit Banerjee appeared for the Centre while Mukul Rohatgi and Akhil Sibal represented Vedanta and others. Pilot rule: Char Dham chopper ops suspended S L A L I T H A @ New Delhi THE ongoing face-off between chartered flight operators in Uttarakhand and the aviation regulator over the co-pilot rule resulted in cancellation of all 40 Char Dham trips scheduled for Monday, upsetting the travel plans of 250 pilgrims. With no breakthrough emerging in the talks between the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the private operators on the new rule of two pilots per aircraft, the operators have decided to cancel chopper services for the rest of the season, which ends on November 7. A reputed operator, speaking on behalf of the 13 operators who run these trips, told TNIE: “The DGCA held a virtual meet with all of us on Monday We reiterated what we had communicated . to them earlier that it was not possible logistically or financially to operate every helicopter with two pilots. We made it clear that the operators should have been involved in taking any such decision.” He added that a collective decision has been taken by all operators to suspend all Char Dham trips. An average of 40 trips are operated per day with six passengers accommodated per aircraft. “We will be cancelling all the trips and reimbursing all the fare to the passengers though we will incur huge losses,” the operator said. The aerial pilgrim trip begins at Sahastradhara helipad in Dehradun and covers Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. It begins annually either by the last week of April or the first week of May and continues till June 25. After shutting down during the rainy season, it restarts by mid-September and continues till the first week of November.