chennai l friday l august 07, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 40 l late city EDITION Indian-origin astronaut Anil Menon conducts spacewalk NASA astronauts Anil Menon and Jessica Meir began a spacewalk on Thursday to carry out modifications for a future power upgrade at ISS Duo performs ISS power system upgrades The spacewalkers spent hours in the vacuum of space, carrying out necessary modifications for future installation of Roll-Out Solar Arrays on the International Space Station. The arrays are expected to provide additional power to support critical station operations, NASA said. This was the 281st spacewalk in support of ISS maintenance and upgrades ■ 6 pm IST menon’s first spacewalk, Meir’s sixth ■ Menon was born in Minnesota in 1976 to Indian and Ukrainian immigrants. This will be his first and Meir’s sixth spacewalk Menon was SpaceX’s first flight surgeon, helping to launch its first humans to space during the Demo-2 mission. He joined NASA in 2014 as a space surgeon and began a two-year astronaut training in 2022 When the two astronauts stepped outside THE iss to carry out tasks 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 HC hands 10-yr RI to Tejpal in 2013 rape case Gives ex-editor 4 weeks to surrender, terms trial court’s decision to acquit him ‘perverse’ The case dates back to 2013, when Tejpal was accused of five years after a trial court sexually assaulting a junior acquitted journalist Tarun Te- colleague in an elevator of a jpal in a 2013 sexual assault high-end hotel in Goa during case, the Bombay High Court an event organised by the magon Thursday set aside the deci- azine. The Goa Police regission and sentenced the former tered an FIR against Tejpal for editor to 10 years of rigorous various offences, including imprisonment. The HC also im- rape. He was arrested in Noposed a fine of `10.21 lakh on vember 2013 and released on the former editor of Tehelka bail in July 2014. magazine and said the money The trial commenced in 2017. would go the survivor. The judgment was pronounced A division bench of in May 2021 by Addijustices Neela Gokhational Sessions Judge le and Amit JamsandKshama Joshi, who ekar pronounced the acquitted Tejpal. verdict on the appeal During the hearing filed by state of Goa in HC, Solicitor Genin 2022 against the eral Tushar Mehta, trial court verdict. appearing for the “We have set aside the state of Goa, argued judgment and order that the trial court Tejpal to and convicted Tejpal. wrongly focused on move SC We have convicted the complainant’s Tarun Tejpal him under Sections character instead of called himself a 376(2)(f) and (k), 354A, the conduct of the ac“political victim” 354B of Indian Penal cused. He said the and pleaded for Code (IPC),” it said. trial court incorrectly leniency, saying While handing relied on the comhe was 62 years down the minimum plainant’s lifestyle, old and the sentence of 10 years’ WhatsApp chats, and father of two rigorous imprison‘nor mative’ behavgirls. He said he ment, the bench noted iour to infer consent. would approach that the incident took Senior advocate AaSC to challenge place 13 years ago and bad Ponda, representhis conviction Tejpal had not coming Tejpal, argued mitted any other that the acquittal was criminal offence. The maxi- correct because the complainmum punishment for rape is ant’s account was inconsistent life imprisonment. with objective evidence includThe court gave Tejpal four ing the lift mechanics and weeks to surrender. CCTV footage. He further arDuring the hearing, the gued that the victim’s behavbench termed the trial court’s iour and conversation on text judgment “perverse” and col- messages did not suggest deliboured by prejudice against the e r a t e c o n c e a l m e n t o r survivor. coaching. S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai E x p r e s s Re a d CM Vijay to chair TN MPs’ meet on delimitation Chennai: CM C Joseph Vijay will chair a meeting of TN’s Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members on Saturday at Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai to discuss centre’s delimitation exercise and its implications for TN. Invitations have been sent to all the MPs via TN house in New Delhi | P4 Sub-registrar arrested in Palani temple land case Dindigul: Sub-registrar Justin Manikandan, who was earlier suspended in the Palani temple land case, was arrested by a CB-CID team in Kodaikanal on Thursday. The action followed a complaint by the HR&CE department alleging fraudulent sale of mutt land worth over `100 crore | P4 WITH THIS ISSUE CHENNAI’S BEST WEEKEND GUIDE 40 PAGES, INCLUDING 24 OF INDULGE (TABLOID) Agri budget focuses on farmers’ income, soil fertility T M uru g anan d ham @ Chennai The TVK government’s maiden `58,374-crore agriculture budget presented by Minister R Vinoth on Thursday has largely chosen continuity over disruption, retaining most of the flagship schemes of the previous regime. The government has also introduced a clutch of long-term missions aimed at promoting sustainable farming, improving farm income, restoring soil health, building climate resilience, and using AI to modernise extension services. The “Tamil Nadu Soil Fertility Mission” and “Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Income Enhancement Commission” were among the headline announcements in the 2026-27 revised budget. The minister said the soil fer tility mission will be launched as a five-year plan at an outlay of `600 crore to ensure that future generations inherit fertile Tamil soils. This will be done by resorting to activities like increasing the population of soil microorganisms, reclaiming alkaline and saline soils, reducing the use of chemical fertilisers, and encouraging natural and organic farming practices. During 2026-27, it will be implemented with 10 components at an outlay of `122.51 crore. The income commission, which aims to improve farm incomes and strengthen farmers’ economic self-reliance, will be established at a cost of `23 crore, with `5.2 crore debate on Aug 12 FCRA bill to have prospective effect: Shah to Mizo CM M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi The controversial Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, will be taken up for discussion and passage in Parliament on August 12, but its provisions will not apply retrospectively Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduho, ma said on Thursday after meeting Union home minister Amit Shah. Lalduhoma, accompanied by a delegation of church leaders from Mizoram, met Shah in Parliament to press for changes to several contentious provisions of the bill, which seeks to tighten oversight of foreign-funded organisations. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Lalduhoma said: “We raised six issues. He assured us that this bill will not Passage by have retrospective effect. On Aug 13 the remaining concerns, he said he would respond in Lalduhoma said Shah informed writing.” the delegation At a separate meeting with that the bill would Shah, a delegation of church be debated in functionaries led by DMK Parliament on MP P Wilson submitted a August 12. The memorandum seeking with- government is drawal of the FCRA Amend- expected to seek ment Bill 2026 in entirety . its passage before Alternatively, the memo- the Monsoon randum demanded “the ref- session concludes erence of the FCRA Bill 2026, on August 13 together with a comprehensive review of the working of the Principal Act, to a Joint Parliamentary Committee and the repeal of the existing Section 15 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, so that no provision for the vesting of foreign contribution or of assets survives in any form”. Gen Z outreach Protest lawful form of dialogue: RSS head S u d h i r S ur ya w ansh i @ Mumbai Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday described protests as a form of dialogue that should be used to evolve consensus rather than creating divisions in society Addressing a . gathering of about 2,000 students here, he said Gen Z and Gen Alpha are the most honest of generations. He said people of his generation, when they were young, follow the directions of elders, but today’s generation has strong opinions and needs logical answers. Addressing a wide array of questions, Bhagwat said if people’s voice is not heard in a democracy they could use protest , as a medium to talk to power. “Protest is a way of dialogue. In a democracy there are many , ways to arrive at a consensus. It is true that there is a need to do a lot of reform in Indian education. If there is no dialogue, then protests happen. I will not say Gen Z should not protest, but there are ways to protest. If Gen Z is upset, then we need to pay attention. The recent agitation took place because of lack of attention. Their issues can be sorted out through dialogue,” Bhagwat said. He also emphasised that Gen Z is not anti-national; instead they are the future of the country “In fact, today’s generation . is the most honest. We can trust them blindly Children are the . gift of God,” Bhagwat said. Why then, were they caned , and fired at with pellet guns at Jantar Mantar? The RSS chief said he was not aware about circumstances that led to the violence. Bhagwat speak On protest: legitimate form of dialogue. Purpose is to build consensus, not create divisions Edu system problems: concerns are genuine Edu sector spending: support demand to raise it to 6% of GDP Gen Z: seeks logical answers to queries with warmth and respect Leadership: not about just delivering speeches or winning elections, but about working from behind, sharing success and fame LGBTQIA+: part of society but institution of marriage should not be tampered with Laws: They do not dictate society, society dictates laws Social media ban: not the solution to its harmful effects Same-sex couples: separate legal framework could be considered for them Tech misuse: Don’t trust social media content without verification Conflicts with Pak, China: such situations should not permanently disrupt dialogue or people-to-people ties Agriculture and allied sectors Sectoral outlay (2026-27) 58.37 K cr Horticulture and plantation crops Agriculture Minister R Vinoth with Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday | Express Dairy development 1.77 K cr 850 cr Fisheries: 1.53 K cr Agri budget has been prepared in a way to ensure the livelihood and welfare of farmers. Let our victory march towards a prosperous TN continue— C Joseph Vijay, CM Farmers are suffering, but the agriculture minister has spent more time praising the CM than presenting policy measures — Udhayanidhi Stalin, LoP allocated in 2026-27, the minister said. To encourage crop diversification, the government has announced a five- year Mission for Self-Sufficiency in Pulses and Oilseeds (`203.64 crore), the Minor Millet Mission (`7.61 crore), the Cotton Renaissance Mission (`27.21 crore) and the Maize Production Enhancement Scheme (`36 crore). With the centre discontinuing support for paddy seed production and distribution, the state has decided to continue the scheme on its own, allocating `34.72 crore. The budget also continues the Tamil Nadu Millet Mission (`63.81 crore), which was introduced by the DMK government in 2023. The budget also launches a pilot Coastal Horticulture Scheme to promote horticulture in coastal districts by tapping freshwater lenses above saline groundwater. In horticulture, `785 crore has been earmarked for micro-ir rigation, benefiting around 95,000 farmers.  Full coverage: P4, P7 TN scraps agri NOC to expedite project nod DTCP chief to decide As per the amended rule 4(b), the director (of DTCP) can now ‘take a decision’ after he/she is satisfied with documents filed by the applicant C S h i v akumar @ Chennai As part of the move to shorten the approval timeline for industrial projects, the state government has removed the need for agriculture department’s approval in use of dry land for industrial projects. The change, notified in a GO dated July 31 and published in the g azette last Monday, amends the Tamil Nadu Change of Land Use (From Agriculture to Non-agriculture Purposes in Non-planning Areas) Rules, 2017 — the framework governing conversion of farmland for industrial and other non-agricultural use. Director of Town and Country Planning Kiran Guralla told TNIE that the amendment was designed around ease of doing business. Earlier, files for industrial land not under cultivation had to be routed to the joint director of agriculture for an NOC, adding time to the approval process. Under the previous system, land eligible for conversion had to show at least three years of non-cultivation, a status the joint director of agriculture must verify before giving his approval.  P7