tirupati l sunday l october 19, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l late city EDITION SC expresses alarm over 8.8l pending execution petitions The Supreme Court directed high courts to take action after observing that 8,82,578 execution petitions remain pending before district courts Extends compliance deadline by six months Maharashtra leads with 3.4l petitions The Supreme Court expressed concern over the large number of pending execution petitions, despite its earlier direction to high courts to ensure their disposal within six months. The court, in its order on October 16, directed all high courts to formulate a procedure and guide their district judiciary to ensure expeditious disposal of these petitions over the next six months petitions, with 3.4 lakh cases, followed by Tamil Nadu with 86,000, Kerala with nearly 83,000 and Andhra Pradesh with 68,000 ■ An execution petition is a legal request to enforce a court order, ensuring that the winning party receives relief granted ■ Maharashtra has the highest number of pending execution April 10 When the supreme Court will hear the matter again 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 Full Pak in BrahMos range, says Rajnath Defence minister warns neighbour against misadventurism n a m i ta b a j pa i @ Lucknow EVERY inch of Pakistan’s territory lies within the range of BrahMos and Operation Sindoor was just a trailer, Union defence minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday in a stern warning to Pakistan. The Union minister, along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, flagged off the first batch of BrahMos missiles manufactured at the BrahMos Integration and Testing Facility Centre in Lucknow. Singh described the missile as a symbol of India’s rising strength and proof of India’s strategic confidence. “India’s defence capabilities now serve as a powerful deterrent,” the minister said. “Every inch of Pakistan’s territory lies within the range of BrahMos... Operation Sindoor ... made Pakistan realise that if India could create Pakistan, then if the time comes... I need not say more, you all are wise enough,” he said. “Maintaining this confidence is now our collective responsibility he said. ,” “The entire world now recog- Lokesh in Australia to study best edu practices E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada HRD and IT Minister Nara Lokesh will tour Australia from October 19 to 24 to study the best education practices Down Under. He will also participate in a roadshow in Australia to invite investors to the CII Partnership Summit to be held in Visakhapatnam on November 14 and 15. Australian High Commissioner to India Philip Green, on behalf of the Australian government, has extended an invitation to Lokesh to participate in the Special Visits Programme. As part of the programme, Lokesh will visit different universities in Australia to study best education practices. As per the standard time of Australia, Lokesh will reach Sydney by 11.30 am on Sunday, and participate in the Telugu Diaspora meeting at Sydney Cricket Grounds from 5 pm to 8 pm. On October 20, he will visit University of New South Wales (NSW), and attend a meeting with New South Wales MPs and Business Executives. The meeting will be organised by the Business Council of Australia. He will also visit TAFE NSW Ultimo campus along with Australia Skills and Training Minister Andrew Giles. Operation Sindoor is proof that victory has become a habit for us, and we must enhance our capabilities. It made Pakistan realise what might follow IN an escalation of rhetoric, Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir has warned that Pakistan’s expanding military capabilities could “shatter the misconceived immunity of India’s geographical warspace.” His statement, delivered during a high-profile address at the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) in Kakul, signifies yet another round of nuclear sabre-rattling by Islamabad. This time, it comes against the backdrop of ongoing Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan civilians near the border. Cricketers killed, Af board exits series in pak F i r o z M i r z a @ Chennai nises India’s capability. BrahMos has strengthened our belief that India can turn its dreams into reality,” he said. The indigenously developed BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles were used by India to destroy Pakistan’s air bases during Operation Sindoor in May this year. Inaugurated on May 11, 2025, the state-of-the-art BrahMos Aerospace unit houses all modern facilities for missile integration, testing and final quality checks. After successful testing, the missiles are prepared for deployment by the Indian armed forces. The defence minister said that BrahMos has proved that Made-in-India is now a global brand even as India strengthens its security and has emerged as a credible partner in defence and technology . Contracts worth crores Rajnath Singh said in Lucknow that the BrahMos team has wrapped up contracts worth approximately `4,000 crore with two countries in the last one month Self-reiiance a reality: Yogi Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath said a self-reliant India is now a reality. Adityanath made the remark while kicking off a programme at the BrahMos unit Can shatter the image of Indian immunity: Munir j aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi From left: Kabeer Agha, Haroon and Sibghatullah Munir, addressing graduating cadets, asserted that even a “minor provocation” from India would invite a “decisive, beyond proportions” response from Pakistan. “Should a fresh wave of hostilities be triggered, Pakistan would respond much beyond the expectations of the initiators,” he said. Munir went on to warn of “deeply hurting retributive military and economic losses” and said the responsibility for any future escalation, potentially with “catastrophic consequences for the region and beyond” would rest solely with the neighbouring India. Asim Munir Not the first time from Munir This isn’t the first time Pakistan army chief Asim Munir has resorted to inflammatory language. Days before the dastardly Pahalgam attack last year that killed 26 civilians, Munir had referred to Kashmir as Pakistan’s “jugular vein.” After featuring in a domestic tournament in Sharana of Paktika province of Afghanistan, local cricketers were having a get together in their home district, Urgun when three of them were killed in air strikes reportedly carried out by Pakistan. Condemning the incident and terming it cowardly Afghanistan Crick, et Board (ACB) has withdrawn its team from the tri-series involving Pakistan and Sri Lanka to be held in Rawalpindi and Lahore from November 17 to 29. The International Cricket Council (ICC) and Indian cricket board (BCCI) expressed solidarity with the ACB. The ICC in a statement said it is deeply saddened and appalled by the tragic deaths of three young and promising Afghan cricketers, Kabeer Agha, Sibghatullah, and Haroon, who lost their lives in a recent air strike. “It was a local event in Sharana, the capital of the Paktika province. One of the teams has come from far away district named Urgun. After the game, they returned to Urgun. The players were having a get together after when they were targetted by Pakistan state,” Sayed Naseem Sadaat, ACB spokesperson, told this daily “Not only . once, three times the same area was attacked. A number of our innocent civilians and three cricketers were martyred in this attack. The ACB management has decided to withdraw from the tri-series planned by the PCB,” he added. Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan stood by ACB and posted on X: “It is absolutely immoral and barbaric to target civilian infrastructure... I welcome the ACB’s decision.” His teammate Mohammad Nabi termed it heinous. Paras to go after Chirag nominees in chacha-bhatija duel RAJ E SH K UMAR THA K UR @ New Delhi Among the interesting contests brewing in the Bihar elections is the one between two different parties that share the same political legacy. While one of them is led by the chacha (uncle) and the other is run by the bhatija (nephew). The chacha is Pashupati Kumar Paras, brother of late Ram Vilas Paswan, whose son Chirag Paswan is the bhatija. Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party suffered a vertical split after his death, with Paras floating the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP), while Chirag chose to name his faction as Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas). With the NDA being extra generous this time in allotting 29 seats to Chirag’s party Par, as has threatened to play spoiler by fielding candidates against almost all of Chirag’s nominees, apart from entering the fray from other seats. Paras initially wanted to enter the fray as part of the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan. But since WITH THIS ISSUE Bling in the New PLUS 12 P AGES DCIL launches Next generation vessel Dredge Godavari The launch ceremony was inaugurated by M Angamuthu, Chairperson of VPA and DCI, at Cochin Shipyard on Saturday. The vessel marks a significant milestone as the first-ever 12,000 m³ Beagle Series dredger constructed anywhere in the world | P3 Naidu announces DA for staff as Diwali gift, decision on new pay panel later S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada Dhaka airport on fire A massive fire at the cargo complex of the international airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Saturday, forcing authorities to suspend flight operations | AP/PTI Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced a Diwali gift to government employees on Saturday. The government has decided to release a Dearness Allowance (DA) installment from November 1. A total of `160 crore will be paid as DA to employees.   The government has also decided to clear surrender leave payment to police in two installments. A sum of `105 crore will be paid in November, and another `105 crore in January . Speaking to mediapersons at The head of Ameen Peer Dargah of Kadapa met Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday, and invited him to take part in Urs celebrations | Express his Camp Office in Undavalli after holding talks with leaders of the employees’ associations, and the Group of Ministers, Naidu showered a slew of boons on employees. Besides assuring to provide better medical care to employees by streamlining the system within 60 days, the Chief Minister also announced that employees can utilise their 180 days of child care leave till their retirement. Promotions pending for RTC employees will be cleared, and property tax will be waived to the employee association buildings. A decision with regard to constitution of the new Pay Revision Commission will be takP4 en later, Naidu said. Chirag Paswan, Pashupati Kumar Paras seat-sharing talks failed, he decided to go it alone. Chirag has fielded five candidates so far, and so has Paras from the same seats. The most interesting of the five contests is in Mahua in Vaishali district, where Paras fielded Shamsuzzama against Chirag’s Sanjay Kumar Singh. Others in the fray include RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav’s elder son, Tej Pratap Yadav, and RJD’s Mukesh Raushan. Shamsuzzama is expected to damage Sanjay Kumar Singh’s prospects, due to the division in Paswan and other Dalit votes. The Paswan vote bank constitutes 5.31% of the state’s population. During the 2020 polls, Chirag had fielded candidates ag ainst the ruling JD(U) and damaged its prospects of picking up more seats. AP medical colleges get 106 new PG seats E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada The National Medical Commission (NMC) has approved 106 new PG seats for the Government Medical Colleges in Andhra Pradesh. Revealing this on Saturday, Minister for Health, Family Welfare and Medical Education Y Satya Kumar Yadav said of the total additional PG seats, old medical colleges have got 46, and the five new medical colleges 6o. The PG medical seats have been increased in Gynaecology General Medicine and oth, er specialities (Broad Speciality Courses). There are a total of 1,763 Broad Speciality and 4 diploma course seats in the PG medical education of the government colleges in the State. Last year, the NDA government applied to the NMC seeking the sanction of additional seats in PG medical courses, and got the approval for 106, including 20 each in General Medicine and Gynaecology, and 26 in Pediatrics, 12 in Anaesthesia, 4 in Radiology, and remaining in other courses. This is the first time that the new medical colleges in the State have got PG seats. The NMC has sanctioned 16 seats each for medical colleges in Nandyal and Rajahmundry 12 , each for colleges in Machilipatnam and Vizianagaram, and four for the college in Eluru.