hyderabad l Thursday l October 16, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION Dozens of troops and civilians killed in fresh Af-Pak clashes Dozens of troops and civilians were killed in a fresh round of border clash between Pakistan and Afghanistan forces on Wednesday Taliban claims it captured pak border posts Fighting halted as 48-hour truce reached The Pakistan Army claimed it repulsed multiple attacks by the Afghan Taliban, killing more than 40 attackers in separate clashes. A Taliban spokesperson, however, said the Afghan forces killed several Pakistani soldiers and captured their border posts and a tank. The spokesperson added that 15 Afghan civilians were killed and dozens injured fighting following the Kabul blasts blamed on Pakistan. The fighting was paused on Sunday before resuming on Wednesday ■ Islamabad has accused Kabul of sheltering terrorists responsible for attacks on Pakistan, a claim rejected by the Taliban ■ The two sides have agreed to a 48-hour truce after a week of 2,600 km is the approximate length of Pakistan-Afghanistan border 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 FIR in cash-for-vote case was illegal: Revanth to SC ACB jumped the gun in laying trap, prosecution unsustainable: Rohatgi S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi Execution by lethal shot: SC says govt isn’t ‘evolving’ 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 Wednesday observed that “the government is not ready to evolve” after it was informed of the Centre’s opposition to using lethal injections as a mode of execution for death row convicts instead of the current method of hanging. “The problem is that the government is not ready to evolve... it’s a very old procedure, and things have changed over time,” remarked a two-judge bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta. The court was hearing a PIL filed by advocate Rishi Malhotra seeking removal of the use of hanging as the mode of execution from the statute, citing “prolonged pain and suffering.” “At least give the condemned prisoner an option. Lethal injection is quick, humane and decent, as opposed to hanging, which is cruel, barbaric and lingering... for 40 minutes, the body hangs on the rope,” Malhotra argued. Appearing for the Centre, senior advocate Sonia Mathur said the issue ultimately involved a policy decision. “It may not be very feasible to give death row convicts the option to choose lethal injection as a mode of execution,” she submitted. The Centre, in a counter affidavit filed last year, argued hanging is safer and quicker than lethal injection in connection with a petition filed by a lawyer seeking alternative way of execution. The apex court will hear the matter again on November 11. amdavad cleared as host for CWG 2030 Commonwealth Sport executive board passes Amdavad (Ahmedabad) as the host for the 2030 Commonwealth Games to the general body that meets in Glasgow next month to give nod I P11 Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that the trap laid by the Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in the 2015 cash-for-vote case was “completely illegal” as it was conducted before registration of any FIR, rendering his prosecution “unsustainable”. A bench of Justice JK Maheshwari and Justice Vijay Bishnoi was hearing the matter in which Revan th is an accused. The prosecution case alleges an attempt to bribe nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson during the 2015 elections to the Telangana Le gislative Council. Revanth, who was then a member of the TDP was accused of , of fering money to secure Stephenson’s vote for the TDP . He was arrested on May 31, 2015, after allegedly being caught by the ACB while handing over the bribe. The agency later filed a chargesheet against him and others under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 120B ‘Not an official act’ Casting or abstaining from a vote in a Legislative Council election could not be considered an “official act” within the meaning of the law, Revanth’s counsel argued (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC. Appearing for Revanth, senior advocate and former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi argued that the prosecution was legally untenable as the trap was laid even before an FIR had been registered. “ trap was set A up before an FIR was registered. The trap is completely illegal because no investigation can commence before registration of an FIR under the CrPC. There was no general diary entry and no FIR,” he told the bench. Rohatgi further submitted that Revanth had been prosecuted under Section 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as it stood in 2015. At that time, he said, Section 12 dealt only with abetment of offences under Sections 7 and 11, which applied exclusively to bribe takers, that is, public servants, and not to bribe givers. Rohatgi pointed out that the law was amended in 2018 to include bribe givers within its scope, but the amendment could not be applied retrospectively to an incident from 2015. He also contended that even if Sections 7, 11 and 12 were invoked, they applied only to acts connected with the discharge of official duties by a public servant. Casting or abstaining from a vote in a Legislative Council election, he argued, could not be considered an “official act” within the meaning of the law. Last month, the Supreme Court had upheld a Telangana High Court order quashing proceedings against another accused, Jerusalem Mathaiah, in the same case. Reach for the skies Astronaut Shubanshu Shukla addresses students at an event to mark the 94th birth anniversary of former president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in Hyderabad on Wednesday | P2 Golden hue to Sunitha’s affidavit B K a r t h e e k @ Hyderabad The soaring price of gold has turned into a boon for BRS Jubilee Hills candidate Maganti Sunitha, whose latest election affidavit reveals that most of her wealth lies in the yellow metal. In her nomination papers filed on Wednesday, Sunitha declared movable assets worth `6,18,54,274, of which 4,097.5 grams of gold account for `4,95,83,847. As on October 14, 2025, one tola (10 grams) of 22-carat gold in Hyderabad was valued at about `1.21 lakh. Her dependents together hold an additional 2,715.5 grams of gold — 907.5 grams, 722.5 grams and 1,085.5 grams, worth `1,08,99,075, `86,77,225, and `1,30,60,875, respectively Taken together, . the total value of gold held by Sunitha and her family amounts to `8,22,21,022. In the November 9, 2023 nomination, Sunitha listed 3,650 grams of gold valued at `2,06,22,500, while her late husband Maganti Gopinath declared 1,790 grams worth `1,01,13,500. Back in December 2018, Sunitha’s af- Inside L Deepak Reddy is BJP pick for JH I P4 BRS candidate Maganti Sunitha Gopinath files her nomination at the tahsildar’s office in Shaikpet on Wednesday | P4 fidavit recorded 3,540 grams worth `1,06,20,000, and Gopinath’s 1,790 grams valued at `53,70,000. The same quantities were shown in their April 2014 affidavit, though the value dipped to `96,78,360 and `48,93,860, respectively . In her latest affidavit, Sunitha declared total movable assets of `10.82 crore (including dependents) and immovable assets of `10.77 crore, with liabilities amounting to `10.54 crore. She listed her highest educational qualification as SSC. ‘Cops’ reach Surekha’s house, daughter shoos them away I P4 AP woman raped, robbed on moving train Express News Service @ Hyderabad A woman was allegedly raped by an unidentified man on board the Santragachi Special Express between Guntur and Peddakurapadu railway stations on Monday night, October 13. The accused reportedly jumped off the train as it slowed down at Peddakurapadu Railway Station and escaped. According to Secunderabad Railway Police, the woman, a resident of Rajamahendravaram in East Godavari district, had boarded the Santragachi Special Express (Train No. 07222) at Rajahmundry to travel to Cherlapally, where she works as a domestic help. She was alone in the ladies’ coach, which was at the rear end of the train. Police said that while the train was moving between Gun- tur and Peddakurapadu, he allegedly threatened her with a knife and raped her. He also beat her and stole her handbag containing cash of `5,600 and a mobile phone. As the train slowed near Peddakurapadu, he jumped off and escaped. The woman travelled on to Cherlapally and approached the Secunderabad Railway Police to lodge a complaint. A ‘Zero FIR’ was registered and transferred to Nadikudi police station in AP . Molestor on the move When the train halted at Guntur, the accused, aged around 40, short in build and carrying a bag, entered the coach by persuading her to open it, and then locked it from inside Capital boom SC allows limited use of green crackers for Diwali Express News service @ New Delhi IN a major relaxation ahead of Diwali, the Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed the limited use of ‘green firecrackers’ in Delhi National Capital Region from October 18 to 20. The relaxation—a balanced decision to allow traditions while taking into account the enviro n m e n t a l a n d health concerns— is subject to strict conditions. A bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran said use of green crackers—which produce less air and noise pollution than traditional firecrackers—will be confined to specific hours. “The district administration and the police shall ensure that use of firecrackers shall be confined between 6 am to 7 am and 8 pm to 10 pm on the two days i.e., the one before and on the Diwali day it said. ,” The court also made it clear that the relaxation is only on a ‘test case basis’. “We have to take a balanced approach, taking into account the conflicting interests and permit in moderation, while not compromising the environmental concerns arising,” said the bench. The order said the green crackers can be sold only through licensed traders at the designated locations in DelhiNCR, which will be identified by the authorities in consultation with police. The green cr a cke r s b e i n g sold must be manufactured by those registered with the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, while the traders must have obtained licence from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation. It said there can be no sale or purchase of firecrackers through e-commerce networks. Any supply of such products shall be detained and the product confiscated. China drags India to WTO over EV subsidy PUSHPITA D EY @ New Delhi CHINA has filed a formal complaint against India at the WTO, alleging New Delhi’s EV subsidies give “an unfair competitive edge” to its domestic industries and undermine Beijing’s interests. The move comes in the wake of reports of India’s plan to launch a National Critical Mineral Stockpile (NCMS) to ensure steady access to rare earth elements crucial for EV batteries. NCMS aims to secure longterm mineral supplies at a time when China—the world’s largest supplier—has imposed export curbs on key elements. In Delhi, Department of Commerce sources said they are looking into China’s submissions. India has 30 days to hold consultations to address China’s concerns. If talks fail, then a dispute settlement panel may be set up. Currently, China faces overcapacity forcing major players , such as BYD to look at overseas markets, including India, to push their products. China’s own EV industry took off with massive government support and subsidies. Though direct subsidies ended, incentives and trade-in subsidies for buying new EV cars continue.