BHUBANESWAR l sunday l january 25, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l JEYPORE EDITION 400 and counting: Djokovic creates another history heat is on at Oz Open as Sinner struggles On dramatic Saturday, Jannik Sinner survives heat to advance while Serb former World No 1 becomes first man to win 400 Grand Slam matches 38-year-old advances to fourth round Jannik Sinner, the two-time and defending champion, visibly wilted before heat protocols were enforced. With the summer in full flow, the Italian, who has suffered previously, had already lost a set and was down a break when the roof was forced because of soaring mercury. Post the break, he came back to beat Elliot Spizzirri 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 Djokovic, chasing a record 25th Major, saw off Netherlands’ Botic van Zandschulp 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) in the evening. The 10-time winner at Melbourne Park hasn’t won a Slam since 2023 but he’s feeling fresh and injury free. Having revamped his coaching staff, he believes he has the chance to break the Jannik Sinner-Carlos Alcaraz duopoly in men’s game 81 The Australian Open is the 81st Major of his career 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 Goes after collegium SC judge criticises executive influence in judge’s transfer s u c h i t r a k a lya n m o h a n t y @ New Delhi express read Leopard killed, farmer hurt in late night farmhouse encounter Cuttack: A 35-year-old farmer’s encounter with a leopard that entered his farmhouse late on Saturday ended in the death of the big cat and serious injury to the youth, who tried to fend off the wild cat in Narasinghpur block of Cuttack district | P3 WITH THIS ISSUE Our Republic of Rare Rituals PLUS 12 P AGES A sitting judge of the Supreme Court publicly criticising its collegium that appoints and transfers judges to the higher judiciary is decidedly rare. However, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan on Saturday stuck his neck out by questioning a decision of the collegium to transfer a high court judge at the request of the Central government. Observing that the executive has absolutely no say in the matter of transfer and postings of judges, Justice Bhuyan made the larger point that judges should not be seen as bending over backwards to justify denial of liberty or human rights. He warned that “if we lose our credibility, nothing will be left of the judiciary .” Justice Bhuyan made the point while delivering the G V Pandit memorial lecture on “Constitutional Morality and Democratic Governance” at ILS Law College, Pune. “When the collegium records that the transfer of a high court judge was being made at the request of the Central government, it reveals a striking intrusion of executive influence into what is constitutionally supposed to be an independent process,” he asserted. In October last year, the collegium headed by the then Chief Justice of India B R Gavai had revised its initial proposal to transfer Justice Atul Sreedharan from the Madhya Pradesh High Court to the Chhattisgarh High Court, recommending instead his transfer to the Allahabad High Court. The collegium said the change was made following a government request. In Chhattisgarh, Justice Sreedharan would have joined the High Court collegium, whereas in Allahabad his seniority would be much lower. The decision drew criticism due to his reputation as an independent judge. Earlier, Justice Sreedharan had taken suo motu action against a Madhya Pradesh minister for remarks against a serving female Colonel. Justice Bhuyan, without naming Justice Sreedharan questioned the reason for his transfer from one HC to another, just because he had passed certain inconvenient orders against the government. “Does it not affect the independence of the judiciary?” he asked. The Central government can have no say in the matter of transfer and posting of High Court Judges... It is within the exclusive domain of the judiciary Justice Ujjal Bhuyan Autonomy must for Collegium Justice Bhuyan emphasised that the collegium system must remain completely independent. If collegium members are getting swayed by executive influence, they are drifting away from the original purpose of the collegium system, Justice Bhuyan said big decision It’s official: Bangladesh out, Scotland in for T20 World Cup E x p r e s s N e w s s e r v i c e @ Chennai AND just like that, the Asian bloc, the most powerful bloc in international cricket seems to be in tatters, at least for the time being. But there was no way out once Bangladesh stood their ground of not travelling to India so close to the T20 World Cup beginning from February 7. Though there have been withdrawals in the past, because of the passion involved in the sub-continent, this seems more high profile and talked-about. On Saturday, Bangladesh carried through its threat of not travelling for the T20 World Cup in India. The end result? The International Cricket Council (ICC) gave their spot to Scotland. The European outfit, who fell during the qualifiers, will now be in Group C with Italy Eng, land, Nepal and West Indies. Bangladesh may have the option of going to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) but the events of the last three and a bit weeks will take years to repair, if at all. In the 90s, when Bangladesh, regarded as one of the game’s lesser nations, were fighting for Test status, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) believed in them. When Jagmohan Dalmiya was in charge of the International Cricket Council (ICC), Bangladesh finally became a full-member. A few months later, a full-strength India team travelled to Dhaka for Bangladesh’s first ever Test. One can argue that Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) made this issue more political than it ought to have been as well. The ICC, on the other hand, maintained that there was no issue of security threat in India and it is safe for Bangladesh but to no avail. There will be a major financial implication too. In any case, the team would be losing at least $250,000 from T20 WC participation fee. Pradhan unveils state’s first Boeing Sukanya STEM labs in Sambalpur |P4 Path open to lift 25% tariff: US Russian oil import down, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent sees possibility of easing levy P u s h p i ta De y @ New Delhi A couple of booster shots have arrived just before the Union Budget, which could possibly lift the sentiments of the Indian economy further. Even as the country is all set to sign a free trade deal with the European Union, which both sides see as the ‘mother of all deals’, the US hinted at a diplomatic path to lift the 25% additional import duty it levied on Indian goods after a “marked decline in India’s imports of Russian oil in recent months”. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hinted during a media interaction that the US administration could consider reducing the 50% tariff imposed on several sectors of Indian exports, as there has been a significant fall in imports of Russian oil in recent months. The indication is being seen as hints of a potential easing of Koraput collector bans non-veg sale on Republic Day, sparks outrage E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar/Jeypore In an order that has gone viral and drawn sharp reactions, the Koraput district collector has issued a directive prohibiting sale of non-vegetarian items across the district on the Republic Day . The order issued by collector Manoj Satyawan Mahajan directed all the tehsildars, block development officers and executive officers of the district to issue a notification prohibiting sale of meat, chicken, egg, fish and other non-vegetarian items on January 26 marking the Republic Day celebration. The order, however, did not explain the rationale behind the ban on the sale of non-vegetarian items. It was also unclear if the ban applied to non-vegetarian food in eateries and hotels across the district on the Republic Day The order went . viral on social and drew sharp reactions from netizens. Some wanted to know how the government can impose restriction on Continued on P5 food choices of people.  We put 25% tariffs on India for buying Russian oil. And Indian purchases of Russian oil have collapsed. I would imagine there is a path to take them off Scott Bessent Relief for exporters Removal of the US tariff, and FTA with the EU, will bring much respite to the Indian exporters trade headwinds at a crucial juncture. Coming just a week ahead of the Union Budget 2026, the development has raised hopes of improved export prospects, stronger bilateral trade sentiment, and a more supportive global backdrop for India’s growth narrative. During his interaction with an American news outlet Politico at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Bessent said: “We put 25% tariffs on India for buying Russian oil. And the Indian purchases, by their refineries, of Russian oil have collapsed. That is a success.” Bessent assured that the administration will be open to discussions to ease them. “The tariffs are still on. I would imagine there is a path to take them off.” US President Donald Trump announced a total of 50% tariff (including a 25% tariff due to imports of crude oil from Rus- sia) on several Indian exports, including textile, apparel, carpets, gems and jewelleries from August-end. This additional tariff came as a penalty for buying Russian oil. According to Bessent, the tactic of pressuring India has worked as the import of crude oil from Russia has come down considerably in the last few months. As per Kpler, a real-time trade intelligence tool for global markets, India’s Russian crude import in December stood at 1.2 million barrels per day down 35% from 1.8 mbd in , November. Despite Russia being the top exporter of oil for India, its share in India’s crude imports dipped to 25% in December from the peak of 35%. On the other hand, oil imports from the US have been increasing from a low of 67,000 barrels per day (kbd) in December 2024 to 3,30,000 barrels per day in December 2025. India votes against UN resolution condemning crackdown in Iran j aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi Earlier instances of abstention by India INDIA voted against a resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) condemning Iran’s violent crackdown on recent protests and extendi n g i n t e r n a t i o n a l i nve s t i g a t ive mandates. The resolution was adopted at the Council’s 39th special session with 25 votes in favour, seven against and 14 abstentions. Besides India, China, Pakistan, Indonesia and Iraq voted against the measure. European Union members led the support, joined by the UK and Iceland, along with several Latin American countries. New Delhi sees this special UNHRC session as “unwarranted”. India has previously abstained on similar resolutions. In November 2022, it abstained on the resolution establishing the Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, and again in April 2024 on extending its mandate. Officials said those decisions were shaped by broader Council dynamics at that time. The resolution expressed concern over what it said were “widespread and systematic” violations following protests that began on December 28, 2025, citing reports of thousands of deaths, including children, mass arrests and injuries to Continued on P5 civilians.