DHARMAPURI l tuesday l august 04, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l CITY EDITION Encroachment-free footpath must on every road: SC to govt The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre to ensure every road has an encroachment-free space for pedestrians Ensure proper demarcation, govt told ‘space must make pedestrians feel safe’ “Without any big investment and construction, just ensure that proper demarcation is done of walkers’ space. Wherever there is a road, there should be a walkers’ space. Do it with a rope or anything and ensure it is not encroached,” a bench of justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe told Additional Solicitor General K M Nararaj, who appeared for the Centre ■ ■ The bench said pedestrians should have confidence that the space is meant for them and they can walk freely without fear of vehicles. It was hearing a suo motu case concerning the right to safe footpath The direction comes weeks after the top court on June 19 held that the right to walk on a demarcated footpath is a fundamental right 2 weeks later is when the supreme court will hear the matter again 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 Wake-up call for Bihar CM as PK grabs BJP safe seat Cong holds on to Datia in bypoll, BJP retains Manjalpur in Gujarat hearing likely in a few days TN moves SC for Cauvery water from Karnataka catchment areas that has increased inflows into the dams in Karnataka, the state said the upThe Tamil Nadu government on per riparian state has failed even Monday filed a plea in to release 3,500 cusecs the Supreme Court Udhaya’s remark of water for 15 days as draws backlash ordered by the Causeeking directions to Opposition Leader Karnataka for immedivery Water Regulation Udhayanidhi Stalin ate release of Cauvery Committee (CWRC) water to TN. As per a landed in controversy and the Cauvery Water on Monday after he source in the top court Management Authoriallegedly made a registry, the plea may ty (CWMA). suggestive innuendo be taken up for hearing An official state rein a few days as the mat- against a Tamil actress lease said that the while criticising CM ter is sensitive. CWRC, at its 139th Tamil Nadu told the Vijay at a protest over meeting held on July Cauvery dispute | P4 28, directed Karnataka court that there is no practical hurdle for to release 3,500 cusecs Karnataka to release the TN’s pro- from the Krishnaraja Sagar and portional due share of water. Cit- Kabini reservoirs from July 29 for ing heavy rain in KRS and Kabini 15 days ending August 12.  P7 E x p r ess News S e r v i c e @ Delhi/Chennai r a m a sh a n k a r , A n u r a a g s i n g h & D i l i p S i n g h K sh at r i ya @ Patna/Bhopal/Ahmedabad SHATTERING BJP’s more than three-decade winning streak in the Bankipur Assembly byelection in Bihar, Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor on Monday emerged victor, defeating his BJP opponent by a margin of 19,324 votes. In two other assembly bypolls, the Congress retained Datia in Madhya Pradesh while BJP retained Manjalpur seat in Gujarat. While Kishor polled 64,151 votes, his closest rival Neeraj Kumar Sinha of BJP secured 44,827 votes. RJD’s Rekha Gupta stood third with 14,273 votes. Kishor was ahead of the BJP candidate throughout the counting process. The defeat is a significant blow to BJP national president Nitin Nabin, who had held the Bankipur seat for five consecutive terms, and to Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, who faced his first electoral test after taking the baton from JD(U) boss Nitish Kumar. Kishor had cast the bypoll as a referendum on Choudhary’s leadership, accusing the BJP of “arrogance” in treating Bankipur as an unassailable bastion. A political analyst said that there was a feeling among a large section of the electorate that BJP should taste defeat this time. He claimed that the Gen Z demonstrations at Jantar Mantar and later in Patna over leak of NEET question paper had affected the Bankipur election even as the controversial Bhojpur police encounter, that claimed the life of Bharat Bhushan Tiwari, not only rattled upper castes and supporters of BJP but also other social groups, who do not generally vote for the party . Campaigning on jobs, education and governance rather than caste or religion, Kishor forged a connect that delivered Jan Suraaj its first-ever electoral win. Kishor also dented both BJP and RJD’s traditional vote banks. While upper-caste Kayasthas largely stuck with BJP , other upper-caste and OBC voters appeared to have drifted to- Chief secy, DGP appointments: TN tweaks rules Court acquits Brij Bhushan in sexual harassment case C S h i v a ku m a r @ Chennai In a significant move to strengthen Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s control over the administration, the state government has scrapped the practice of seeking prior approval of the Tamil Nadu governor in the appointments of Chief Secretary and Head of Police Force (HoPF)/DGP. Appointment orders for both these key posts can now be issued without gubernatorial clearance. The changes are part of a new standing order from the Human Resources Management Department dated July 29, which almost rewrites the rule35 delegation framework.  P7 Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor with supporters in Patna on Monday | Express No alliance with any party: Jan Suraaj Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Monday ruled out the possibility of joining any political alliance. “We shall have no alliance. Our alliance shall be with the people of Bihar. People of Bankipur have voted for us, giving up on established parties,” said Kishor when asked about a rethink on his earlier stance of going it alone in elections U D AYAN K I S H O R E & H AR P R E E T B AJ W A @ New Delhi/Chandigarh A Delhi court on Monday acquitted ex-BJP MP and former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in a 2023 sexual harassment case filed by six women wrestlers, including celebrated grappler Vinesh Phogat, citing lack of evidence. The court also granted relief to former WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar in the case. “Both accused stand acquitted,” Chief Judicial Magistrate Ashwini Panwar said in a verdict pronounced in-camera. The court accepted the defence counsel’s arguments ward Kishor, as did sections of RJD’s Muslim-Yadav base, with some Muslim voters backing him as the candidate best placed to defeat the BJP . In Madhya Pradesh, Congress retained the prestigious Datia seat, winning the by-election by 6,016 votes. Congress candidate Kunwar Ghanshyam Singh defeated first-time BJP contestant Ashutosh Tiwari by polling 66,757 votes against Tiwari’s 60,741. BJP’s saving grace was Gujarat, where it retained the Manjalpur assembly seat in Vadodara. Its candidate Satish Govindbhai Patel won the bypoll, defeating Cong ress’ former minister Bhikhabhai Rabari by 30,630 votes. about contradictions in witness testimonies and ground of ‘alibi’, said advocate Rajiv Mohan, who represented Singh and Tomar. Reacting to the verdict, wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia said they were “deeply saddened” but will continue the legal fight. In a joint statement, they said the complainants have instructed their lawyers to appeal the verdict. The police filed a chargesheet against Singh and Tomar in June 2023. In May 2024, the court framed charges of sexual harassment, intimidation and outraging women’s modesty against Singh, and criminal intimidation against Tomar. Express Re a d 5 of Chennai family killed in car crash Madurai: Five members of a Chennai family were killed after the car they were travelling in collided with several vehicles and flipped over multiple times on the Thumbaipatti highway near Melur in Madurai early on Monday. Four others sustained injuries in the collision and are under treatment | P7 Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh ‘We haven’t lost hope’ Reacting to the verdict, Brij Bhushan said the court had honourably acquitted him, wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia said they were “deeply saddened” by the court’s decision but have not lost hope Military-civilian integration a must: Rajnath j a v a r i a r a n a @ New Delhi TAKING the government’s integrated agenda beyond the three armed forces, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday called for integration between the military and civilian wings of the defence establishment. Addressing the AFHQ Civilian Services Day here, Singh said deeper institutional integration between the uniformed services and civilian officials was critical to creating genuine synergy, improving decision making and responding more effectively to rapidly evolving security and technological challenges. The interface between the military and the civilian bu- reaucracy has long been regarded as one of the weak links in defence management. To narrow that gap, the defence minister advocated structured cross-exposure through joint training programmes and developmental assignments, allowing officers from both sides to gain a better understanding of each other’s roles, expertise and institutional strengths. Not in silos “Military and administrative integration cannot advance on separate tracks,” Rajnath said, adding coordination will be required across policy formulation, HR, and institutional knowledge 6.5% LIC Govt to sell up to 6.5% stake in LIC through a two-day offer for sale, expects to add stake to be sold by `31,000 crore to its govt at `382/share disinvestment kitty | P12