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 ■ ■ cjp’s dire warning kochi l tuesday l july 28, 2026 l `10.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION CJP on Monday warned it would be forced to resume its agitation if the government does not give written assurance of withdrawal of criminal cases against protesters by Tuesday CJP spokesperson Saurav Das accused police of continuing coercive action despite the deal. “Hundreds of students arrested in Bihar and Bengal,” he said CJP also flagged several reports of Instagram accounts linked to students and volunteers being taken down Spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said CJP submitted a draft deal to ministers J P Nadda and Jitendra Singh, and it was agreed that they would share a written agreement by Tuesday Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal announced legal support for those facing police action and said he would pay J1 crore for a legal assistance platform The CJP had called off its 36-day agitation at Jantar Mantar on Saturday after the government accepted its key demands Day’s developments 1 Bihar govt to withdraw all cases lodged against protesters over NEET paper leak, release those jailed, as per a late night notification 2 A Bihar police constable has been suspended for opening fire on protesters with an AK-47 in Siwan during Bihar Bandh on July 25 over the paper leak issue 3 SC defers consideration of conducting NEET-UG in online mode, stating it will see what the new task force suggests 4 Amid charges of the Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery exam paper leak, the Gujarat Ayurved University said it has ordered an inquiry Stand-off over, debate on paper leak bill in LS today Bill introduced amid protest, speaker allocates 6 hrs for discussion P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi THE Lok Sabha is likely to function normally on Tuesday after a week-long stalemate with the Opposition agreeing to participate in the debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill 2026. The bill, introduced in the House on Monday by Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh amid loud protests and sloganeering, initially failed to break the impasse as Opposition parties continued to demand a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the police action against student protestors. The legislation proposes stricter punishment of up to 10 years in jail and `50 lakh fine for the guilty . With repeated disruptions stalling proceedings, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla intervened and adjourned the House, urging both sides to resolve their differences. He gave the government and Opposition a three-hour window to negotiate so that discussion on the bill could We did not want begin at 5 pm. to be seen as According to sources, duropposing examination ing the back channel talks, reforms. We are the government conveyed conscious of the that it was prepared for a six-hour discussion if the fact that the youth are watching Opposition cooperated. The Opposition, in turn, sensed A senior Oppn leader that insisting on a boycott could allow the government to push the bill through without any debate. Senior Congress leaders subsequently met the Speaker and informed him that the Opposition was ready to participate in the discussion on Tuesday . “We have decided to join the debate while raising the issue of police brutality against students protesting at Jantar Mantar and elsewhere,” a senior Opposition leader said. As the House reassembled at 5 pm, Opposition members continued sloganeering amid calls by the chair to discuss the bill as the matter pertained to the future of crores of youth. Protests can’t justify police excesses: SC s u c hitra k a lyan m o hant y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Monday said the right to peaceful protest was constitutionally guaranteed and cannot be denied merely because there is agitation, while questioning police excesses on protesters during the CJP’s Sansad Chalo march on July 20 and calling for a uniform national protocol on handling demonstrations. The top court’s three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, said it will hear all pleas filed against police excesses at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday . “Any allegations of police Just because there excess must be independently examined. The right to is agitation does not mean there can peaceful, lawful protest is abbe ‘lathi charge’... solutely guaranteed under discipline is needed Constitution. So long as it is which is essential peaceful agitation, merely beto democratic cause there is agitation, there process can’t be (excess)... Merely because agitation is there, it CJI Surya Kant doesn’t mean lathi-charge. Discipline is integral to democratic process,” CJI Kant orally remarked. He also clarified that the life of every individual, including police personnel, is equally important. The bench made the observations on hearing a batch of petitions, mentioned by lawyers for hearing, concerning police action during recent student protests. Justice Bagchi stressed that injuries to individuals, whether students or policemen, are of equal concern. The petitioners sought appropriate directions and orders from the court for an independent probe into the police action. E x p r ess Re a d No meeting for 3 months makes LDF allies restless T’Puram: Discontent is brewing in the LDF over the inordinate delay in convening the front’s meeting. Now, with the UDF meet slated for July 30, Left allies have revived their demand for convening the LDF meet without delay. P4 Kozhikode man dies of amoebic brain infection Kozhikode: A man from Koyilandy died while undergoing treatment for amoebic meningoencephalitis at Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital on Monday. P5 16 pages, including 4 pages of kochi Express lifters continue to dominate Gyaneshwari Yadav (pic) bagged a silver in 53kg while Bindyarani Devi won bronze in 58kg at CWG | pti Custodial torture alleged in Kollam man’s death E x pre s s N e w s Ser v i c e @ Kollam In a case of alleged custodial torture, a 38-year-old man undergoing treatment after being released from custody of Kundara police died on Saturday. With his family alleging that he died of the injuries suffered while in police custody, the crime branch has taken over the investigation. Siyad died at the Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram. The family has raised allegations wife and daughter. The family alleged that Siyad against Kundara SI Athul and was assaulted inside the police civil police officer Sreejith. A resident of Society jeep and during custody . Mukku in Kundara, KolThey said while being lam, Siyad was taken taken to the Kundara stainto custody on the night tion, the officers stopped of June 16 following a the jeep at Perumpuzha, complaint by a teen girl where Siyad was quesalleging that her 13-yeartioned about the boy’s Siyad old brother had gone whereabouts and brutalmissing. According to ly assaulted. His wife the family, Siyad, a neighbour and daughter remained at the of the boy, was picked up from station until June 17 morning his house in the presence of his seeking his release.  ● More on P4 Report sought Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has sought a report from the state police chief on the incident. Minister and Kundara MLA P C Vishnunadh said govt won’t protect any officer found guilty of rights violations. A Dubai-Mumbai IndiGo flight that made emergency landing at the Rajkot Int’l Airport on Monday after smoke was detected in its cargo hold | PTI | P8