SC upholds 28 pc GST on online gaming companies The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the government’s retrospective levy of 28 per cent GST on online gaming companies and observed that such imposition was constitutionally valid. A bench comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan said online gaming platforms are not mere intermediaries but are to be treated as suppliers amenable to the Goods and Service Tax (GST) regime on levies and taxes | P12 belagavi l Thursday l may 28, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 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 DKS MAY BE NEXT CM AS EARLY AS MAY 29 OR 31 Siddu likely to tender resignation today; CLP date yet to be confirmed B ala C hauhan & D e v ara j B H irehalli @ Bengaluru Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Doddalahalli Kempegowda (DK) Shivakumar is likely to succeed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who on Tuesday reportedly agreed to step down as CM on being asked to do so by the party high command, which also offered to move him to the Rajya Sabha to play a “larger role” at the national level — about which is not keen. The Congress high command late Tuesday evening decided to appoint Shivakumar as the new Karnataka CM after All India Congress President (AICC) Mallikarjun Kharge reportedly turned down the offer to lead Kar nataka, citing age and health issues, sources said. While the Congress central leadership is keen on completing the power transfer process quickly and smoothly, no date has yet been fixed for the oathtaking ceremony of the new CM. However, the buzz is that it could happen as early as May 29 or May 31. Celebrations have already begun at Shivakumar’s residence and in his assembly constituency Kanakapura. , Siddaramaiah has called for a breakfast meeting with his cabinet colleagues on Thursday INSIDE SC gives stamp of approval to poll body’s SIR 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 upheld the power of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to conduct the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, noting that the poll body did not violate the Representation of People’s (RP) Act by ordering the SIR in Bihar. “The ECI has the authority to conduct the SIR exercise and did not transgress any statutory or constitutional provision,” express read CM Siddaramaiah leaves Vidhana Soudha after paying tributes to former PM Jawaharlal Nehru on the latter’s death anniversary on Wednesday | Nagaraja Gadekal CM to break silence today Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s sympathisers made a beeline to his official residence and insisted that he must not resign. Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah broke his silence only to say that he would speak on Thursday | P4 morning, and is likely to tender his resignation to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Thursday afternoon. The date for convening the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting to elect the new CM and initiate the process of government formation will be finalized on Thursday sources said. , Shivakumar, who returned to Bengaluru on Wednesday evening, spoke to his mentor, astrologer and spiritual guru Ra- Vijayendra predicts mid-term polls in K’taka jguru Bellur Sankaranarayanan Dwarakanath, popularly called “Guruji”, and sought his blessings. Dwarakanath said Shivakumar, who spoke to him from Delhi on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, “is waiting for a formal announcement from the Congress leadership on his appointment as the new CM”. Sources confirmed that Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is also AICC General Secretary backed Shivaku, mar’s prospect as the new CM all through, to honour the halfway power-sharing agreement said to have been reached between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar post the Congress victory in the 2023 assembly polls, while keeping in mind the 2028 assembly elections. P7 Satish frontrunner to lead state congress P4 Ugandan woman in B’luru tests -ve for Ebola Bengaluru: The Ugandan woman, who was placed under isolation after exhibiting symptoms of Ebola infection, has tested negative to the deadly virus. The suspected Ebola case reported in Bengaluru has come out negative, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said in a post on X on Wednesday. Officials also urged citizens not to panic or spread misinformation regarding the case. Govt invites bids for 5th-gen stealth fighter New Delhi: The Union government on Wednesday invited bids for India’s nearly Rs 15,000-crore Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme, with three shortlisted Indian firms and consortia set to compete for development of the country’s first indigenous fifth-generation stealth fighter. The programme had received Cabinet Committee on Security approval in 2024 | P9 the bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said, adding it breathed life into the constitutional mandate to conduct fair and fair polls. On the sensitive question of citizenship, the court said the ECI is empowered to conduct a limited scrutiny of citizenship status while preparing and revising electoral rolls. But deletion of names do not amount to a determination of citizenship in the strict sense. “It affects the individual’s enti- tlement to be included in the electoral roll, and thereby their right to participate in the electoral process. It does not, however, operate to divest the individual of claims of citizenship, nor does it foreclose a determination of that question by the Competent Authority under the Citizenship Act,” the court said. The bench went on to say that the SIR satisfies the requirements of proportionality The . measures adopted bear a ration- al nexus to the objective sought to be achieved, are not manifestly excessive, and are accompanied by sufficient safeguards against arbitrary exclusion, the bench said. As for deletions, the court said the ECI shall refer all such cases within four weeks to the competent authority under the Citizenship Act, 1955, for adjudication of citizenship. The competent authority shall take the call preferably before the next election cycle after giving an opportunity of hearing to the deleted individuals. ED searches at Pinarayi’s properties spark violence, vehicles damaged E x p ress N e w s S er v ice @ T’Puram THE Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday raided two premises linked to CPM stalwart and Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan and eight other locations across the state, in connection with the ExalogicCMRL pay-off case, sparking violent protests by agitated CPM workers, who smashed the vehciles in which the search party was returning after the raid in Thiruvanathapuram. Besides the former CM’s rented house in the state capital, the ED also raided his Kannur residence and the Kozhikode house of his son-inlaw and ex-minister P A Mohammed Riyas as part of its money-laundering probe into the case linked to Pinarayi’s daughter, Veena T, owner of the now-defunct Exalogic. CPM workers attack a car of ED officials who searched Pinarayi Vijayan’s house in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday | Albin Mathew The sweep triggered day-long tension and high drama in Thiruvananthapuram. CPM workers and leaders gathered outside Pinarayi’s residence and staged a sit-in at the gate. Tensions escalated after protest marches by SFI activists and soon exploded into violence as ED officials concluded the raid and began leaving the premises after an eight-hour search. Enraged CPM workers sorrounded their convoy and pelted the vehicles with bricks and stones, shattering windshields and door windows. Three rented cars were damaged in the attack, leaving both ED officials and drivers injured.  P7