tirupati l wednesday l august 26, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Supreme cOURT directs Tejpal to surrender within THREE weeks SC directed journalist Tarun Tejpal to undergo his 10-year rigorous imprisonment in a 2013 rape case in which he was convicted by the Bombay High Court Appeal against hc order to be heard in sept Hearing subject to Surrender certificate A bench of Justice Alok Aradhe dismissed Tejpal’s plea seeking exemption from surrendering. “The application seeking exemption from surrendering is rejected. However, the appellant is granted three weeks’ time to surrender and file surrender certificate before this court,” the bench said in its order. SC posted his appeal challenging his conviction and sentence on Sept 22 ■ ■ “In case the surrender certificate is filed on or before September 21, 2026, the registry shall list the criminal appeal for hearing on September 22, 2026 before the regular court,” the bench said The former editor of Tehelka magazine was convicted of raping a junior colleague inside a hotel elevator in 2013 in Goa | P7 August 6 When Bombay hc convicted Tejpal to 10 years rigorous imprisonment 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 Missile tech transfer to Jr docs call off stir as HC intervenes pvt sector gets approval E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Covers air-defence, air-to-air missiles & battlefield-strike weapons 1 Several DcPP programmes have moved forward. At a salvo launch of NASM-SR from Sea King helicopter in April, two missiles were fired in quick succession 2 The DRDO conducted first flight trial of TARA from a Jaguar, converting a 500-kg bomb into a guided stand-off weapon. Gaurav has completed release trials from Su-30MKI 3 File photo of a Pralay test-fire, a quasi-ballistic missile | PTI Astra Mk-2, with a range of 200+ km, is also learnt to be among the first major systems to be offered to pvt firms. COMM, Adani, Bharat Forge, Tata and Mahindra are among contenders ‘Great Green Wall’ to come up along coast Y B r a h m a j i @ Vijayawada For the first time in decades, Andhra Pradesh has embarked on an ambitious plan to develop a ‘green fortress’ along its coastline with palm groves as a natural shield against cyclonic winds and coastal erosion. Under the Great Green Wall of Andhra Pradesh initiative, the Forest Department has launched a drive to collect and plant 55 lakh palm seedlings across 5,499 hectares. As part of the three-tier Great Green Wall, mangrove forests have been accorded priority as the first line of natural defence, while palm groves constitute the second tier. The approach seeks to create a continuous and layered green buffer with different types of vegetation performing complementary ecological functions. The restoration of mangroves will help protect tidal and wetland ecosystems, while palm groves on suitable coastal stretches can provide an additional barrier against strong winds and soil erosion. Notably, Andhra Pradesh’s natural coastal defences have faced severe degradation for decades with mangrove areas encroached upon, wetlands converted into illegal ponds and lakhs of palm trees felled for various purposes. Against this backdrop, Deputy Chief Minister (Environment and Forest) Pawan Kalyan has laid emphasis on strengthening AP’s natural coastal protection systems.  P4 J a v a r i a R a n a @ New Delhi per applicable qualifications, certifications and regulatory The government on Tuesday requirements”, the ministry cleared the transfer of technol- said. The DRDO will retain reogy for all conventional missile sponsibility for design certifisystems developed by the De- cation and quality assurance. fence Research and DevelopIt marks a further shift away ment Organisation (DRDO) to from the traditional model unIndian industry for domestic der which a DRDO missile, afproduction, opening a wide ter completing development swathe of the country’s indig- and user trials, was assigned to enous guided-weapons portfo- a nominated production agenlio to private manufacturers. cy for series manufacture, a Defence minister Rajnath role state-run Bharat DynamSingh approved the transfer, in ics Ltd (BDL) has traditionally what his ministry described as held for much of the indigean “important milestone” in nous missile portfolio. expanding industry It also follows the participation in the government’s decision defence ecosystem. earlier this year to The ministry however, , open tactical missile did not specify the inproduction to the pridividual systems covvate industry under ered by the decision. the Development-cumOfficials in the deProduction Partner fence establishment (DcPP) model, which said the conventional brings companies into portfolio includes the The initiative aims a programme during to enhance Akash and Akash-NG development rather operational surface-to-air systems, capability, reduce than after it. DRDO VSHORADS, Astra import dependence has distributed around air-to-air missiles, the 10 to 12 tactical missile and increase domestic value Rudram anti-radiation programmes among addition family, anti-tank syspublic and private tems such as Nag, firms, with Adani DeDefence ministry SANT and the manfence and Aerospace, portable ATGM, the Bharat Forge, ICOMM NASM-SR anti-ship missile, in- Tele and Solar Defence and Aerdigenous land-attack cruise ospace as DcPPs. missiles and Pralay, the quasiAdani Defence is the DcPP ballistic weapon geared for con- for the Rudram anti-radiation ventional strikes. series, including the hyperson“Strategic missiles are a sepa- ic Rudram-II, which is to be rate category and will continue built at its Hyderabad facility, to be dealt with separately. and for NASM-SR. Bharat Hence, Agni and the K-series are Forge is a DcPP for the 1,000-kgnot part of this transfer. Simi- class Gaurav long-range glide larly BrahMos and MRSAM in- bomb and the TARA glide kit. , volve foreign partners and are It broke ground last month on governed by separate arrange- a `2,500-crore missile complex ments,” the official said. at Shivpuri in MP, with comCompanies will be able to posite-propellant and TNT promanufacture the systems “as duction planned at the site. Following the Andhra Pradesh High Court’s intervention, junior doctors on Tuesday called off their strike that had disrupted medical services in government hospitals for the past few days. The court welcomed their decision, and appreciated them for upholding the dignity of the medical profession. Hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed against the strike, a High Court Bench comprising Chief Justice Lisa Gill and Justice Challa Gunaranjan, observed that doctors had every right to express their grievances, but staying Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav holds talks with JUDA leaders | Express away from duty could not be justified as patients depend on them for essential medical care. The court noted that the medical profession is noble and that the very presence of a doctor gives a patient confidence, adding that the decision to withdraw the strike was a welcome step. While stating that it understood the grievances of the junior doctors and their feel- Call to rework it after consultation Kharge, Rahul demand scrapping of Census questionnaire on caste P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Reiterating the party’s demand for a drop-down list of castes, Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding the scrapping of the existing questionnaire for it in the ongoing Census exercise and formulate a new one after consulting political parties, experts and the general public. Both leaders said they do not accept the caste census being conducted in the current manner and urged the government to take its cue from the caste surveys done in Telangana and Bihar. Briefing reporters on the letter, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the government’s current efforts towards a caste census are just a “whitewash”. The conundrum The same caste is known by different names, sub-castes, and linguistic variations across regions. If members of the same caste are recorded under different names, the caste could be fragmented into thousands of distinct names Ramesh said this is the third letter written by the Congress leadership to Modi over the issue but have not received any reply . “Your government has opted for an open-ended question format to record caste details in t h e c e n s u s, which is misleading. Under this metho d , wh a t - ever name an individual provides for their caste will be recorded as it is,” the leaders said in their letter. In India, the same caste is known by different names across different regions, they pointed out. Recording them as is would result in a list of hundreds of thousands of caste names, rendering the entire dataset useless. “An easy solution already exists: a drop-down list of castes should be created. This is the method adopted for the enumeration of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Such a list can be easily compiled based on existing government lists such as those for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes and the list from the Anthropological Survey of India,” they said. Veligonda ends 30-year wait, opens new path for prosperity AP enters new clean energy phase with Suzlon projs: Lokesh Kurnool: A five-member family from Sri Sathya Sai district, who had come to Srisailam seeking solace, was found dead in a room at Vaddera Nityannadhana Satram on Tuesday. According to sources, the family had left Battalapalli 25 days ago, telling neighbours that they were going for medical treatment | P3 Vijayawada: Declaring that a three-decade-old resolve has finally come to fruition, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced on X that he will inaugurate Phase-1 of Veligonda Project on August 31. “Water to every farmer’s field, employment for every youth, and security for every family—this is my resolve, he said | P4 Anantapur: Andhra Pradesh is aiming to emerge as the country’s leading renewable energy State, with the Suzlon wind power projects marking a new phase in its clean energy journey, HRD and IT Minister N Lokesh said on Tuesday. He laid the foundation stone for Suzlon wind energy projects at Hulikeru | P4 Patna erupts in chaos as job aspirants AP signs MoU with UK march to CM’s house, clash with cops to develop urban infra Wynn Owen, and UK Trade Counsellor for South Asia The United Kingdom has Mark Birrell. joined hands with the GovernBriefing the media after the ment of Andhra Pradesh to high-level signing ceremony, help transform Amaravati the MA&UD Minister outinto a world-class smart lined the extensive city and upgrade urban , framework of the G2G infrastructure across agreement. all 123 municipalities He emphasised that in the State. the strategic partnerA Gover nment-toship centers on four Gover nment (G2G) core pillars. Memorandum of Un- Emphasis on They include Infraderstanding (MoU) tech transfer structure Planning, was signed at the SecSustainable Urban The benefits of retariat in Velagapudi G2G partnership Development, Techon Tuesday between will extend to all nology Transfer and MA&UD Principal 123 civic bodies in Innovation, and InteSecretary Suresh Ku- the State. A major g r a t e d Urban mar and Chaz Walia, highlight of MoU Mobility . D e p u t y D i r e c t o r is direct emphasis Under Infrastrucfor Gover nment ture Planning and Uron technology Partnerships at the ban Management, the transfer and UK Department for two governments will innovation Business and Trade, collaborate on longin the presence of Muter m project plannicipal Administration and ning, project prioritisation, fiUrban Development Minister nancial feasibility assessments, P Narayana, British Deputy and developing investmentP4 High Commissioner Gareth ready business cases.  S G u r u S r i k a n t h @ Vijayawada Police personnel use water cannons to disperse protesters in Patna on Tuesday | PTI on security personnel. Police personnel first used water cannons to disperse the crowd but later resorted to baton charge as the protesters refused to relent. In the melee that followed, several protesters and security personnel were injured. A female demonstrator was seen lying unconscious. Several protesters were also detained. Later, an eight-member delegation of job aspirants met Bihar Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit in his office with a memorandum containing 15point charter of demands. The chief secretary told the delegation that he would discuss with Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and promised the matter would be settled in the next couple of days. FlightRadar24 spotted C-17’s arrival in Moscow’s Vnukovo international airport. CIA boss John Ratcliffe was its pax | P9 US sanctions 4 India-based entities over Iran imports @ New Delhi 5 of family from Sathya Sai dist found dead at Srisailam choultry RAMASHA N KAR @ Patna CIA chief in Moscow for rare in-person talks eXPR E SS n E WS s E RVIC E express read Patna witnessed dramatic scenes on Tuesday as thousands of students and job aspirants clashed with police after they were stopped from marching towards the chief minister’s residence to press for their key demands, which included a single-stage exam for teacher recruitment instead of holding separate Prelims and Mains. The protesters were also seeking the cancellation of Combined Competitive Exams held by Bihar Public Service Commission earlier this year, alleging irregularities. The march, which started from the historic Gandhi Maidan that has witnessed many upheavals in the past, saw participation by a number of Left-wing activists affiliated with AISF and DYFI. Members of NSUI were also present. The protesters pulled down the metal barricades and tried to break the security cordon. Some protesters pelted stones ing that their demands were not being addressed, the Bench pointed out that the strike had caused hardship to patients and put lives at risk. It advised the doctors to explore alternative methods of protest without disrupting medical services, while directing the State government to take a decision within two weeks on their legitimate demands, particularly regarding stipend revision. The Public Interest Litigation was originally filed by social activist Guduri Venkata Ratna Kumar of Singarayakonda, Prakasam district, alleging that emergency services had been affected since P4 August 17.  HOURS after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced ‘Operation Economic Outcast’, the US on Tuesday sanctioned four India-based entities for importing petroleum and petrochemical products from Iran. Among those facing action is customs broker Portease Partners, along with its partners Indrismiya Ashrafmiya Sheikh and Harish Ramachandra Rangi. They facilitated the import of Iranian petrochemical products, according to the US State Department. The other India-based entities are Sadashiva Overseas, PP Softtech and Prakrutees Infra Impex. PP Softtech director Prashant Garg has also been sanctioned. Sheikh, Rangi and Garg are Indian nationals. Sadashiva Overseas imported Iranian-origin petroleum products worth $69 million from multiple companies, while PP Softtech and Prakrutees Infra each imported products worth $25 million, the US said. The companies were designated for “knowingly engaging in a significant transaction for the purchase, acquisition, sale, transport, or marketing of petroleum or petroleum products from Iran”. The sanctions are part of ‘Operation Economic Outcast’, announced by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday. The fresh measures are aimed at cutting off potential sources of revenue for Iran. The US has also warned countries to reduce economic ties with Tehran or face action. Bessent termed the move an unprecedented campaign to sever Iran’s financial lifelines. Entities that continue to do business with Tehran may attract secondary sanctions.