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 ■ ■ NAGAPATTINAM  WEDNESDAY  SEPTEMBER 02, 2026  `9.00  PAGES 12  CITY EDITION PAK CRICKET IN DISARRAY Known for its unpredictable nature, Pakistan Cricket Board has made a series of changes after Test series loss to England. A look... PLAYERS DROPPED, COACHES RELEASED A day after Pakistan lost Lord’s Test, PCB axed seven members of the squad, including Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq and Salman Ali Agha, and released coaches — Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul — off their duties. White-ball coaches Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke have been called to join the team ahead of third and final Test. SELECTORS SERVED NOTICE, MISBAH RESIGNS In the hours that followed, PCB also sent a notice to selectors including former captain Misbah-ul-Haq asking for a written explanation on inclusion of Imam-ul-Haq and Rizwan. Misbah has submitted his resignation since, though it remains to be seen if the letter is accepted by PCB. SC quashes all Confront terror FIRs against funding states, CJP protesters Modi tells SCO No relief for 2,873 persons with criminal history; CJP calls off Sept 5 Delhi march S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi IN a major relief to students who participated in the Cockroach Janta Party-led protests during July 20-25, the Supreme Court on Tuesday invoked its extraordinary powers to quash all FIRs registered against the protesters across the country prompting the outfit to , call off its September 5 march in Delhi. “Participating in a protest per se would not constitute an offence,” observed a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana while invoking Article 142 of the Constitution, which empowers the court to pass any orders to do complete justice. The bench, however, allowed the government to continue prosecution against 2,873 individuals with serious criminal antecedents who were present in the Jantar Mantar protest. For this purpose, the government proposed to register a single, fresh FIR against them. The bench directed that investigation be limited to offences of bodily Invocation of harm or destruction of property Article 142 is during the protests. subject to the Appearing for the Centre, Solicicondition that both tor General Tushar Mehta assured sides shall abide by the bench that the government will the understanding not pursue FIRs linked to the speciarrived at before this court fied protest incidents or file fresh FIRs for the same incidents. He said Supreme Court the government stands by its assurance on compensation to the families of students who ended their lives over the NEET paper leak and other academic issues. He sought three months time to complete the modalities for the same. CJP co-convener Saurav Das appeared before the bench and read out a statement on behalf of the group. “The CJP deems it appropriate to withdraw the call for the march on September 5 and looks forward to compliance with today’s order,” Das said, describing the order as a ‘historic decision’. The Centre had on Monday moved the SC seeking quashing of these FIRs registered over protests that took place across the country on July 2026. In the hearing on Tuesday Senior Advocates Vrinda , Grover and Hariharan, appearing for the protesters, sought transparency with regard to the FIRs and the list of about 2,873 persons identified by authorities. EXPRESS READ CM opens Mettur, water to be released for 45 days Salem: CM C Joseph Vijay on Tuesday opened the shutters of Mettur dam for irrigation, 81 days after the customary June 12 opening date. The government will release water for 45 days, and the quantum of release will be based on storage and inflow | P4 9 industrial parks for women entrepreneurs Chennai: TN will set up nine industrial parks for women entrepreneurs across eight districts, as well as five industrial estates in the Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts, at a total cost of `410 crore. These projects are expected to generate 16,000 jobs | P4 PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to confront countries that use terrorism as an “instrument of state policy” and reject “double standards” in the fight against terror financing and recruitment, in remarks seen as a direct reference to Pakistan, also the next chair of the grouping. Addressing the annual SCO summit in the presence of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other world leaders, Modi called for a united effort to “dismantle the entire ecosystem” supporting terrorism, including financing, recruitment, radicalisation and safe havens. “Terrorism continues to pose a serious challenge to humanity as a whole. In the fight against terrorism, we cannot remain confined to an action-reaction approach,” Modi said in the meet held in Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. President Vladimir Putin and Chinese “We must send a President Xi Jinping during SCO Summit | PTI strong messa g e to countries that use terrorism as an instruMessage to China ment of policy and proIn an apparent reference to China’s vide safe haven and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), support to terrorists Modi said such connectivity that terrorism can nevprojects must respect the er be a strategic asset sovereignty and territorial integrity for anyone,” he added. of all countries. India has been Though Modi did not critical of the BRI because a name Pakistan, his reportion of it passes through marks were widely Pakistan-occupied Kashmir seen as a criticism of Islamabad’s support for various militant groups targeting India. The prime minister also expressed concern over the continuing crisis in West Asia, saying conflicts in one region can have consequences far beyond their immediate borders. “In today’s interconnected world, the scope of security has become even broader. The crisis in West Asia has demonstrated that a conflict in one region does not remain confined to that region,” Modi said. “Its impact is felt across the world, affecting energy security, maritime trade, and supply chains. The countries of the Global South bear the greatest brunt of such disruptions,” he added. No prosecution sanction for slur against Col Sofiya Qureshi EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bhopal Vijay to visit UK to attract investments Chennai: TN CM will visit the UK from September 10 to 16 to attract industrial investments to the state, marking his first foreign trip after assuming office. The move comes amid competition among southern states to attract major industrial investments | P4 J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi Kunwar Vijay Shah BJP’s top tribal leader The entire cabinet had at its meeting on August 25, reportedly backed the party’s most prominent tribal face Kunwar Vijay Shah and pressed that sanction to prosecute him shouldn’t be given as he had apologised publicly for the remark multiple times MADHYA Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Patel has reportedly accepted the state cabinet’s recommendation not to grant sanction for prosecution of senior cabinet minister Kunwar Vijay Shah over his scurrilous comments against Army officer Colonel Sofiya Qureshi during Operation Sindoor. Patel is said to have approved the proposal late Monday night, hours after the government told the Supreme Court that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) examining the matter had finished its probe and that the final decision on prosecution sanction rested with the Governor. The development came on a day when the case was again taken up by a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. The bench was informed that the prosecution sanction file had reached the Governor and that a decision was expected shortly An SIT . officer said the agency would file a chargesheet if sanction was granted. In the event of refusal, the SIT would submit a closure report. According to sources, Chief Secretary Ashok Barnwal called on Patel after the latter’s return to Bhopal on Monday. The file containing the Cabinet’s recommendation was placed before him, following which he approved it. The controversy dates back to 2025, when Shah made remarks that were seen as referring to Colonel Qureshi. Qureshi was among the officers who, along with Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, briefed the media during Operation Sindoor. He had reportedly used the slur “sister of the same community as terrorists, which was perceived to be referring to her. Battered houses in low-lying areas in Nuwakot in Nepal full of slush after the recent flash-flood in Nepal | S V KRISHNA CHAITANYA | REPORT: P7