Restricting temple entry by denomination harms Hinduism: SC Hinduism will be adversely impacted if temples and mutts restrict entry on grounds of separate denominations inside a religion, the SC said Thursday ‘State can step in under Article 25(2) (b)’ A nine-judge Constitution bench was responding to submissions of senior advocate C S Vaidyanathan that Article 26(b) supersedes Article 25(2) (b). However, Justice Nagarathna said State can step in under 25(2)(b) to ensure temple access to all sections 9 Judge constitution bench is hearing the Sabarimala entry case specificity of Vaidyanathan, for devotees of Sabarimala temple, said denomination they constitute a separate denomination and have the not good: sc right to manage the temple’s affairs. SC rejected this | P11 chennai l Friday l April 10, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 44 l late city EDITION 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 CM predicts DMK win in 200+ seats E xp r ess Ne w s S e r v i ce press clusive @ Chennai Chief Minister M K Stalin has expressed confidence that the DMK-led alliance will win over 200 seats in the Assembly elections. In an interview with TNIE, he said the mood across the state is firmly in favour of “Dravidian Model 2.0 government”. Stalin said the people’s trust in his government has grown over the past five years, driven by welfare schemes that have touched every household. Reflecting on his campaign trail, he remarked that the most striking aspect was the level of penetration of his government’s welfare schemes. The CM said that he is particularly happy about the rise in school enrolment after the introduction of breakfast scheme. Pushing back against the sugges- tion that he has moved past his father M Karunanidhi’s legacy to create a unique “Stalin flavour”, he said, “This Stalin is not an individual.” He described himself as an extension of the Dravidian legacy from Periyar and Anna to Kalaignar, and said he prefers to call it “Dravidian flavour”. On the alliance front, Stalin dismissed talk of strain, saying parties have joined the DMK because it is a “winning alliance”. He framed the contest as “Team Tamil Nadu Vs Team Delhi,” accusing the BJP of trying to enter TN “through the backdoor by piggybacking on AIADMK”. He called the ‘Illatharasi’ scheme as the election “Super Star”. FULL Q&A ON P5 Key ministers rush to Gulf as ceasefire holds J AYANTH J A C O B @ New Delhi IN a diplomatic push amid shifting geopolitical currents in West Asia, India has dispatched two senior ministers to the Gulf, leveraging the narrow opening created by the US-Iran ceasefire. Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri arrived in Qatar on Thursday for a two-day visit, while Exter nal Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is scheduled to visit the United Arab Emirates from April 11 to 12. Puri’s visit to Qatar reflects India’s urgency to stabilise vital supply lines as regional tensions disrupt established trade flows. A key energy partner, Qatar’s role has come into sharper focus amid shipping uncertainties, with discussions expected to ‘prioritise reliability and continuity of supplies’ rather than routine engagement, officials pointed out. Petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri with Indian Ambassador to Qatar, Vipul, and a QatarEnergy official in Doha | X India’s energy security is tied to West Asia, as half of the natural gas demand is met by LNG imports—55 % of which transit through the Strait of Hormuz, which has become a chokepoint during the war. Qatar is the single largest supplier, contributing 40% of India’s LNG imports. Dependence is similarly high for LPG, with imports meeting 60% of the demand and 90% of which pass through Hormuz. Democracy wins with record voting S o v i V i d ya d h a r a n , P r a s a n ta M a z u m d a r @ T’Puram/ Guwahati Extremely high voter enthusiasm became the main talking point across Kerala, Assam and Puducherry, which went to polls on Thursday, giving all major players bragging rights to anticipate a good outcome. Kerala recorded its fourthbest tally at 78.27%, with all three fronts — the Left Demo- cratic Front (LDF), the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) — claiming the surge reflected a mandate in their favour. The state had seen higher tur nouts in 1960 (85.70%), 1987 (80.53%) and 1977 (79.20%). The previous assembly election, which broke a four-decade-long trend of voting out incumbent governments, had recorded a turnout of 76%. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which reduced the total number of voters in the state by a little over seven lakh, appears to have had a bearing on the voting percentage. Constituencies that had recorded some of the lowest voter participation in 2021 — particular- India’s diplomatic outreach is also anchored in protecting its vast diaspora and reinforcing strategic ties in a region that has become volatile. Over 10 million Indians reside across the Gulf, making their welfare a central concern. Jaishankar’s upcoming visit to the UAE will aim to review bilateral cooperation and deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. Pondy ly in Thiruvananthapuram’s urban areas — witnessed a marked rise in polling. In Assam, the voter turnout at 8 pm stood at 85.51%, better than 82.42% in 2021 and 84.72% in 2016. The final tally is expected to creep up further. The ruling BJP and the Congress were upbeat after the unprecedented turnout on a rainsoaked day when polling was by and large peaceful. records 89.87% voter turnout Puducherry recorded its highest-ever voter turnout of 89.87% in the Assembly poll held for 30 constituencies on Thursday, surpassing the earlier best of 85.57% recorded in 2011 | P4 WITH THIS ISSUE CHENNAI’S BEST WEEKEND GUIDE SSVM Youth Organised By Youth, For Youth PRAJITH A Don’t Wait for Your Life to Begin SSVM The Day and Residential School SRINIKA SENTHILKUMAR RISHINANDH Kindness HARIPRIYA Beyond the Map Choosing Presence in the Digital World SSVM SoE Coimbatore SSVM SoE Theethipalayam SSVM SoE Coimbatore HAZEL JOLLY JERIN J DAKSHA S D SIDHDESH B Born Inside Walls The Evolution of Being Human The World We Leave Behind Optimised Lives or Minimised Imagination SSVM WORLD SCHOOL SSVM REEDS WORLD SCHOOL SSVM Coimbatore The Day and Residential School Coimbatore The Day and Residential School APRIL 10 2026 9:00 a.m TO 5:00 p.m PAVANAVI M NIKITHA M AHANA RAY Dr. B.M.K. JUBILEE HALL SSVM SCHOOL CAMPUS METTUPALAYAM , COIMBATORE(Dt). Protecting the Child in Our Reection Growing Up Between Algorithms & Emotions Navigating the Future’s Prototype Alangombu Post, Mettupalayam, Coimbatore (Dt). + 91 93644 54884 SSVM VIDHAN SSVM WORLD SCHOOL SSVM SoE Coimbatore The Day and Residential School Coimbatore ADITI V R The Privileged Generation REEDS WORLD SCHOOL Coimbatore 44 PAGES, INCLUDING 24 OF INDULGE (TABLOID)