Selecao survive scare, edge past Japan 2-1 When Japan’s Kaishu Sano made the first strike it came as a vital blow for Brazil. But Casemiro rose to the occasion, heading the equaliser before Gabriel Martinelli scored in injury time Today's matches (IST) chennai l tuesday l june 30, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l late city EDITION Gabriel Martinelli (#22) of Brazil celebrates with teammates after scoring | AP | P13 Norway vs Ivory Coast 10.30 PM, France vs Sweden 2.30 AM*, Mexico vs Ecuador 6.30 AM*(*Wednesday). 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 Ayodhya Police question Rai for 2 hrs WB okays law on N a m i ta B a j pa i @ Lucknow As part of the probe being carried out by the three-member Special Investigation Team into the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple, the Ayodhya Police have recorded the statement of the former General Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Champat Rai, sources said on Monday . A police team, led by a Deputy Superintendent of Policerank officer, questioned Rai for more than two hours, sources said. Investigators reportedly sought detailed information on the entire donation manage- ment process—from the receipt ‘Heavens won’t fall’: of cash and valuables offered SC on urgent plea by devotees, the counting proc- A Supreme Court bench refused to hold ess, their safekeeping, to their an urgent hearing on a plea seeking a eventual deposit in designated time-bound probe by a CBI-led multibank accounts. disciplinary team into the allegations. Sources said the interroga- It said the matter will be listed for tion was aimed at understand- hearing when the court reopens after summer break on July 13. “Heavens ing the institutional mechare not going to fall. What is the anism governing temple urgency,” the bench observed donations, identifying the responsibilities of various officials at difalleged embezzlement. ferent stages of the Meanwhile, a special process, and examincourt in Ayodhya reing if any procemanded all eight dural lapses accused to 14 might have credays of judiated opportucial custody CHAMPAT RAI nities for the after the po- lice chose not to seek their custody . In another development, the Faizabad Bar Association, in its general body meeting held on Monday, resolved not to defend any of the accused. A resolution was passed that any member who would try to plead on behalf of any of the accused would be slapped with a penalty of `5 lakh. Lawyers also demanded that Rai, Anil Mishra, and Gopal Rao leave Ayodhya. If the trio did not leave within three days, the entire city would be brought to a standstill, a siege would be laid, and no one would be allowed to enter, they warned. NEET-UG RESULTS BY JULY 20 S L A L ITHA @ New Delhi JPC report ON One Nation, One poll to miss deadline The JPC examining bills seeking to introduce simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and Assemblies is unlikely to submit its report during the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, according to sources P9 AS the National Testing Agency gears up to declare NEETUG 2026 retest results by July 20, it may have to race against time with students sending over 10,000 challenges to the answer keys released last week. “NTA is confident of releasing the results before July 20. But the immediate priority for us is to respond to the 10,000odd challenges we have received from the aspirants to the provisional answer keys which we made public on June 25,” sources told this newspaper. Over 20 lakh candidates have appeared for the re-test held across 5,440 centres in India and 14 abroad on June 21. The re-exam had to be held due to the cancellation of the May 3 medical entrance test. Judicial custody A Delhi court Monday extended the judicial custody of 10 accused arrested in connection with the NEET-UG 2026 examination leak till July 11. Special Judge Vijeta Singh Rawat allowed CBI’s plea. Three others are already in judicial custody till July 8 Many students have put out multiple challenges to the answer keys. “It will be a humon- gous task. We need to scan all the challenges one by one, read them thoroughly, examine the supporting evidence and respond to each one of them,” said an official. The NTA had released the provisional answer keys on June 25 and candidates were given time till June 28 (11.50 pm) to challenge them. A fee of `200 is to be paid per question which would be refunded if the challenge by the student proves to be correct. When asked about the examiners who will be checking the answer sheets, an official said: “A confidential team has been set up. The security will be as stringent as the one put in place for the exam with CCTVs and a centralised monitoring system. The examiners will work 24x7 to meet the deadline.” arrest without trial for a year s u b h e n d u m a i t i @ Kolkata IN a significant move to crack down on organised crime and public disorder, the newly formed BJP government in West Bengal led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday introduced the West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Bill, 2026, in the Assembly . The legislation empowers authorities to detain individuals suspected of anti-social activities for up to 12 months without trial. Under the bill, a DM, Police Commissioner, or an officer not below the DIG rank can restrict a “goonda” from entering specified areas, districts for a maximum of one year if they suspect involvement in criminal acts. Tabled by Minister of State for Home Bishal Lama, the bill was passed by a vote of 176 in favour and 41 against, with 20 MLAs from the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress abstaining. The House witnessed noisy protests by opposition members during the introduction of the bill. Defending the bill, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari launched a sharp attack on the previous TMC regime, accusing it of patronising violence. Adhikari recounted specific cases, including the burning of the Beldanga and Rejinagar railway stations, looting of shops, and torching of public buses near Nabanna. “Criminals will be jailed and their assets seized under this new law,” he said. The new bill grants police extensive powers of search, seizure, and arrest, with offences made cognisable and non-bailable. A second bill, West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which holds individuals accountable for damage to public and private property during riots, was passed by a voice vote. E x p r e s s Re a d Ex-min MR Vijayabhaskar resigns as AIADMK MLA Chennai: Former minister and AIADMK Karur MLA MR Vijayabhaskar resigned as legislator on Monday, reducing the party’s strength in the Assembly to 41. He is the sixth AIADMK MLA to quit his post. Four of them have already joined the TVK. MR Vijayabhaskar, along with former AIADMK minister and Viralimalai MLA C Vijayabaskar, who resigned his post earlier this month, may join the ruling TVK on July 1 or 2 | P4 Bar fee hiked, TN may earn `300 crore more The former CM had provoked the fire of violence. Since then, WB is burning... existing laws were inadequate Suvendu Adhikari, West Bengal CM ‘Goonda’ in WB The bill defines ‘goondas’ as habitual offenders and those involved in extortion, land grab, smuggling, and arms and narcotics offenders Chennai: Tamil Nadu has doubled the annual fee for FL2 bar licences in Chennai from `15 lakh to `30 lakh. Under the revised fee structure, FL2 licence-holders in corporations with population above 10 lakh will have to pay `25 lakh per year. The fee will be `20 lakh in corporations with a population below 10 lakh, and `15 lakh in municipalities. The exercise may bring in additional revenue of `200 crore to `300 crore per year to the state | P2 TVK plans new front, to meet with parties on July 1 Chennai: Initiating a plan to float a new state front under its leadership, the ruling TVK has decided to convene a meeting of friendly parties to form an alliance based on common principles. CM and TVK president C Joseph Vijay will chair the meeting in Chennai on July 1. So far, VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan, IUML president Kadhar Mohideen, and MDMK general secretary Vaiko have been invited for the gathering | P4