Women continue to hold far fewer top mgmt roles AI generated images bengaluru l friday l August 14, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 44 l late city EDITION Latest data submitted in Parliament shows that women held only 17.2% of senior management positions in corporate India in 2025-26. Of the 252,103 senior management roles recorded that financial year, women held 43,331 positions (17.2%), while men accounted for the remaining 208,772, government data presented in Parliament showed. There were only nine women chief executive officers (CEOs) leading the country’s top 500 listed firms | P15 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 Badal survives ‘kirpan’ attack Man in ‘Nihang’ attire stabs him in Nanded SUDHIR SURYA W ANSHI & HAR P REET B A J W A @ Mumbai / Chandigarh Shiromani Akali Dal president and former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal was on Thursday attacked with a kirpan (ceremonial dagger) inside the Mata Sahib Gurdwara in Nanded, Maharashtra. Badal was injured and rushed to hospital, where he received three stitches on his right hand. His condition is stable. The attacker, identified as Jaspal Singh, was arrested. Police said Singh, around 60 years old, was working as a sewadar (volunteer) at the gurdwara. The motive of the attack was not fully clear. According to police sources, the attack took place when Badal, accompanied by his spouse Lok Sabha MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, was walking down the stairs after offering prayers at the gurdwara. Taking advantage of the rush at the gurdwara, Singh, who was in ‘Nihang’ attire, tried to stab Badal in the stomach. Police officer Santosh Kendre, who was part of Badal’s special protection unit, quickly intervened and confronted the attacker. During the physical skirmish, Kendre was injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a telephonic conversation with Harsimrat Kaur to enquire about Badal’s health. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis has ordered a detailed investigation into the incident. “During preliminary questioning, he referred to the drug menace in Punjab but his exact reasons for attacking Badal were yet to be ascertained. The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad is also conducting a probe into the matter,” said Nanded SP Neelabh Rohan. Badal has Z-plus security cover. On December 4, 2024, he survived an assassination attempt outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar when a former Khalistan militant fired shots. Stormy Parl session ends with poor productivity P REETHA NAIR @ New Delhi one of the most tumultuous and unproductive sessions in recent parliamentary history drew to a close on Thursday, with both Houses adjour ned sine die after weeks of disruptions, protests and acrimony In the fi. nale, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended the Lok Sabha for the first time during the session, as the House met only briefly be- fore being adjourned. As soon as the Lok Sabha convened for the day on Thursday, all six stanzas of the national song Vande Mataram were played in the presence of Modi and Shah. Speaker Om Birla then adjourned the House sine die, bringing the curtains down on a session that was largely washed out by a prolonged confrontation between the government and the Opposition over the student agitation, alleged police action against protesters, and de- Dope test must for all 5,000 Air India pilots L a l i t h a s @ New Delhi IN light of the positive dope test result for the captain of an Air India flight from Phuket to New Delhi, the airline has begun mandatory screening of all its cockpit crew to ensure they have not consumed any substances or medications that violate regulations. The move aims to safeguard passenger safety and restore trust in the airline. In an internal communication to its pilots, the Air India Group management said, “Air India already fully complies with all regulatory requirements prescribed by DGCA... We nevertheless now feel it is important to go further. We have decided to undertake a full screening of all 5,000 pilots for any substances or medications that are not permitted under prevailing regulations. This testing is mandatory and will start today August 13.” , E x p r e s s Re a d Govt publishes draft parking rules for GBA areas Bengaluru: The state government has issued the draft Greater Bengaluru Area (Parking) Rules, 2026, that proposes hourly fees ranging from Rs 10 to Rs 80 per hour for two-wheelers and light motor vehicles (LMVs) for parking on major roads. The rates will be determined by A, B and C categories of roads for parking | P2 Cabinet nod to Public Places and Access Bill Bengaluru: The cabinet meeting on Thursday approved the Karnataka State Public Places and Access Regulation Bill, 2026, that seeks to establish a legal framework to regulate organised programmes, processions and other activities in public spaces, potentially making prior permission mandatory for such events | P4 The best and worst The Bill to amend anti-paper leaks law saw elaborate discussion lasting 10 hours. But only two MPs spoke during the debate on the Vande Mataram Bill mands for accountability from the Union home minister. Significantly, Birla did not deliver the customary valedictory address in which the Speaker usually highlights the House’s performance and productivity during the session. According to data from PRS Legislative Research, the Lok Sabha recorded one of its lowest productivity levels in two decades, with only two sessions since 2004 witnessing less functioning. Question Hour could not be completed even once during the session amid protests. Amid the protests, as many as 12 Bills were passed by the Lok Sabha, including two that had earlier been cleared by the Rajya Sabha. Of these, only two saw a debate, while the remaining Bills were passed without discussion. terror links Security guard among 3 held in B’luru, K’buragi P rav e e n Ku m a r & Ramakrishna Badseshi @ Bengaluru/ Kalaburagi Three men have been arrested in Bengaluru and Kalaburagi for suspected links to Pakistan-based terror outfits. While a 23-year-old man from West Bengal, who was working as a security guard in Bengaluru, was arrested for alleged links with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), two people f ro m S i t ap u r i n U t t a r Pradesh, working at a slaughterhouse on the outskirts of Kalaburagi, were arrested on charges of maintaining contact with alleged terror- ists through social media. The security guard, Asaful Mallik, had made voice calls to a TTP member and sent him audio recordings, the Hebbagodi police said. Mallik from North 24 Parganas, was residing near APC Circle in Jigani. He was working as a security guard in a private firm in the Bommasandra Industrial Area. The police made the arrest on Tuesday based on a tip from an informant. “During interrogation, the accused said that he was angry with the Pakistan Army over what he believed were their atrocities against mosques and people in Pakistan. CONTINUED ON: P7 Bar Council of India flip-flop on fiat against NALSAR grads u d aya n k i s h o r e @ New Delhi Hours after Bar Council of India (BCI) chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra on Thursday said no student who graduated from NALSAR University can be enrolled by state bar councils until further orders, he withdrew the fiat after a massive uproar. The development followed the Hyderabad-based university’s students reportedly opposing the participation of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant at the institution’s Manan Kumar convocation. Mishra “ After thorough discussion, the members are of unanimous view that as per the latest report, vast majority of the students of NALSAR (2026 pass out students) are innocent and they were not inclined to take part in the move of disrespect. Accordingly the Coun, cil modifies the order of Chairman. All students will be entitled to get enrolled with the State Bar Councils of their choice,” the subsequent circular said. The initial circular drew immediate scorn online. The second circular said that “as reported by some reliable sources a handful of teachers and outsiders were instrumental in instigating the innocent students”. It added that the council will wait for an inquiry report from the V-C.