bengaluru l wednesday l september 09, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 22 l late city EDITION SC to consider issues related to Delhi hostel collapse on Sept 10 The Supreme Court was hearing a plea seeking a direction for a time-bound inspection and safety audit of PG accommodations in Delhi sc likely to transfer case from delhi hc amicus curiae files status report An SC bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R Mahdevan said it may transfer the case being dealt with by the Delhi HC. On Monday, the HC ordered a high-level inquiry into the tragedy. The SC bench on Tuesday said the issues dealt with by the Delhi HC are “serious” and overlap with the case already being heard by it on a pan-India basis ■ ■ Senior advocate Ajit Sinha, amicus curiae in the matter considered by SC, said she has inspected the site along with a professor from IIT and MCD officials and filed a status report in this regard Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Delhi government, termed the Sunday tragedy as “most unfortunate” 2022 Another satya niketan building collapse had left two people dead 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 Modi-Putin meet to lend big push to def, trade ties Bilateral meeting on Friday on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit J ayan t h J a c o b @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet on Friday ahead of the BRICS Summit, their second bilateral in weeks, with the talks set to give fresh momentum to the India-Russia par tnership across energy, defence, trade and strategic cooperation. The meeting comes amid record levels of Russian energy supplies to India, discussions on expanding defence cooperation and efforts to address longstanding payment issues in bilateral trade. Putin will attend the BRICS Summit on September 12-13. Ahead of the visit, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said India-Russia energy cooperation was continuing to reach new highs. “Every month we have a new record,” Peskov said, while declining to disclose figures. Defence cooperation is also expected to feature prominently with Russia signalling readi, ness to discuss the supply and possible technology transfer of flag meeting India, China hold talks in Arunachal J a v a r i a Rana @ New Delhi INDIA and China have held their first Corps Commanderlevel flag meeting in the eastern sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), with the first engagement taking place at Wacha on the Indian side in Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday and the second talk at Damai on the Chinese side on Monday , the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday . The engagement, described by MEA as the first “Senior Highest Military CommanderLevel Flag Meeting” in the eastern sector, comes ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s expected visit to India for the BRICS summit later this week, as New Delhi and Beijing seek to consolidate the thaw in ties following the 2020 military confrontation in eastern Ladakh. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the meetings followed understandings reached between the two countries in August last year and last month, and subsequent discussions held in Beijing and New Delhi in May and August this year. Lt Gen Girish Kalia, commander of the Army’s III Corps, led the Indian delegation. The Wacha-Damai engagement was held at a point in the Kibithoo sector, sources said. A file photo of PM Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin | express Man fakes PMO ID card Mumbai police arrested two men at a PM Modi event venue after one of them, Rohan Parekh, used a forged PMO identity card to enter with bodyguard Dilip Kundre, carrying a licensed gun. The lawyer of the accused said his visit was only a “private” affair advanced platforms, including the Su-57 fighter and S-500 air defence system. “We have very good military equipment and are willing to offer it to the Indian side,” Peskov said. He indicated that Moscow was pre- pared to discuss India’s demand for technology transfer in connection with the Su-57. Peskov also suggested that the two countries could deepen joint defence production, citing the BrahMos programme as a model. The two sides are also working to resolve accumulated rupee balances arising from bilateral trade, while exploring closer cooperation in rareearth exploration, an area with growing strategic significance for both countries. Peskov also said Moscow broadly shares India’s position that the conflict must be resolved peacefully “We do want . a solution of the Ukrainian conflict by peaceful means.” The leaders are also expected to discuss security counterter, rorism, drugs and space cooperation. India has separately raised the issue of its nationals serving in the Russian military . Peskov said a list was being compiled and those identified would be sent home. On BRICS, Peskov rejected the characterisation of the group as antiWestern, saying it was based on trust, respect and benefit. KPSC scam: Gyanendra admits to leaking paper E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar, arrested in the alleged Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) exam and recruitment scam, has reportedly told CID officials that he leaked the veterinary officer recruitment examination question paper to Basavaraj Kannale, a middlem a n , a d ay b e f o r e t h e examination. Gyanendra was earlier post- ed as the Controller of Exams at KPSC. Before he was suspended recently he was serving , as director of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises department under the Kar nataka Commerce and Industries Ministry . Investigators are expected to take Kannale to a spot near Srirangapatna, where he allegedly disposed of digital evidence. He has told the investigators that he threw two mobile phones and a tablet into a canal. P7 Risky Rescue op A video clip of an injured leopard knocking a forest department official to the ground during a rescue mission in Davanagere on Tuesday. The animal was hurt after it was hit by a car on a highway. The official’s team members quickly intervened and saved him | Express | P6 C a u v e r y p a n e l m ee t State told to release 6K cu water to TN E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) on Tuesday directed Karnataka to release 6,000 cusecs of Cauvery water, as measured at Biligundlu, for 15 days from 8am on September 9, amounting to 7.776 tmcft. Later in the day, the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) at its 57th meeting upheld the CWRC recommendation. The latest CWRC order reduces the quantum of water from 9,000 cusecs that it had ordered earlier, but higher than 2,000 cusecs Karnataka requested. At CWRC’s 142nd meeting, Karnataka told the committee that cumulative inflows into its four Cauvery reservoirs between June 1 and September 7 stood at just 108.313 tmcft, nearly 50% below the 30-year average of 216.401 tmcft. But still, the state argued, that it honoured CWRC’s earlier directives and released 30.752 tmcft between July 29 and September 7 against the mandated 27.864 tmcft, an overrun of 2.888 tmcft. Karnataka pushed back on Tamil Nadu’s claim of irrigation shortage, contending the neighboring state has access to nearly Govt may add 25 more taluks to drought-hit list Bengaluru: Karnataka is likely to add another 25 taluks to its drought-hit list, and complete the second phase of drought assessment shortly, Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister G Parameshwara said | P4 87 tmcft from Mettur, Bhavani and Amaravathy sources, but has used only 35.66 tmcft of it, excluding groundwater. It also pointed out that Kuruvai cultivation in Tamil Nadu has reportedly expanded to roughly 8.41 lakh acres - more than four times the 1.85 lakh acres permitted under the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award – even in a distress year. ED seeks fresh FIR against Pinarayi in CMRL bribery case J OS E K J OS E P H & S H A N A S @ Kochi/T’Puram the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has asked the Kerala Police to register a separate corruption case against Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, his son-in-law and MLA P A Mohamed Riyas, and daughter T Veena over alleged bribe transactions linked to Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL). The agency has forwarded its findings and supporting evidence from the money-laundering probe to State Police Chief Ravada Chandrasekhar, seeking registration of an FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act and other relevant provisions. Chandrasekhar told TNIE that he had received ED’s communication. “We are assessing the report and will seek legal opinion.” Though no formal announcement has been made, the government has, in-principle, decided to hand over the matter to the vigilance and anticorruption bureau (VACB). Sources said legal opinion has been sought on whether the VACB can directly register a case under the PCA or it should conduct a preliminary inquiry before registering an FIR. Since Pinarayi and Riyas are public servants, a prior approval from the state government is required to conduct a probe against them. Government sanction is also required to register an FIR against them. The ED’s recommendation marks a major expansion of its CMRL-Exalogic probe, which initially focused on payments totalling `2.78 crore made by CMRL to Exalogic Solutions, a now-defunct company owned by Veena. The payments were shown as being towards IT and consultancy services, which the ED alleged were bribe money . On onion sacks, over idli and coffee, CM gets taste of APMC life E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru Chief Minister DK Shivakumar interacts with traders at APMC yard at Yeshwanthpur in Bengaluru on Tuesday | Express It was barely 6.30 am and business was already in full swing at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) yard in Yeshwanthpur on Tuesday when Chief Minister DK Shivakumar made an unannounced visit. There were no elaborate arrangements for his visit. The CM walked through the market, going around the potato, onion, ginger and garlic markets and speaking to farmers, traders, vendors and women workers as he seated on sacks of onions and potatoes. He lat- 19 child labourers rescued, 4 held On the directions of Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, the police arrested four shop owners and rescued 19 child labourers employed by them at APMC Yard | P2 er sat down for a plate of hot idli and coffee with them at a small eatery . For many at APMC, it was an unusual sight. A 60-year-old woman worker, who sat next to the CM over a cup of coffee, said she had never had a chance to sit next to a minister. A woman vendor spoke about travelling free of cost under the Shakti scheme. When Shivakumar asked who introduced the scheme, she replied, ‘Siddaramaiah’. He asked her if she knew who he was. The woman replied with folded hands that she did not, leaving Shivakumar and others laughing. He walked through the market, asking farmers if they were stopped by the police and made to pay money while transporting their produce, whether they were paid on time and if they were charged commissions at the market. He also asked them about irregularities in weighing and personally checked the weighing scale by weighing himself. P2 Teacher assaults student, Decks cleared for satellite broadband services leaves him with red eye R A K E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Mysuru A teacher at a private School in Mysuru has been booked for allegedly assaulting a 16-year-old student, leaving him with a blood clot in his eye. The student, Rehan Shareef, was allegedly punched in the eye by the teacher, Suresh. He is undergoing treatment. As per a complaint filed by Rehan’s father Wasim Shareef with the Lashkar police, the teacher allegedly threatened Re- In classroom tiff, student suffers knife injury Belagavi: A 17-year-old student sustained a knife injury after he tried to intervene in a fight between two others inside the classroom at Gomatesh Polytechnic College at Tilakwadi in Belagavi on Tuesday | P7 han with serious consequences and to expel him from the school if he disclosed the incident to anyone. Police have registered an FIR against Suresh. IN a move that could bring satellite communication services closer to commercial launch in India, the Digital Communications Commission (DCC), the apex decision-making body for telecommunications and digital policies at the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has approved a spectrum usage charge of 5% of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) for satellite communication services. With this decision, the government can now move ahead with spectrum assignment for Service providers await security clearance The Digital Communications Commission’s decision paves the way for the govt to allocate spectrum to Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications, subject to them meeting security and other regulatory clearances companies such as Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb, and Amazon Leo to launch commercial services in India. The charge will be lower at 4% of AGR for operators providing services in rural and remote areas. DoT will now move the proposal through the Inter-Ministerial Committee and seek Cab- inet nod. The DCC has also approved spectrum assignment for five years with an option for a two-year extension. Telecom regulator Trai had recommended 4% of AGR spectrum usage charge, along with an additional `500 per urban subscriber per year for non- geostationary satellite orbitbased services with rural and remote subscribers being exempt from the additional levy . However, the DoT rejected the per-subscriber charge, citing difficulties in distinguishing between rural and urban users. It also rejected the proposal to subsidise rural users. Eiffel Tower reopens after staff strike The monument was closed for a day after its staff went on strike over women being asked to leave during a visit by BAPS delegation | P11 E x p r e s s Re a d In Gujarat, Modi targets ‘naraz fufa’ again Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday targeted the Opposition during his Gujarat visit, while targeting the “naraz fufa” mindset of his political rivals | P12 Asiad: Indian hockey teams to wear blue New Delhi: The Indian hockey teams will revert to their blue jerseys for the upcoming Asian Games. They had earlier shifted to an orange coloured kit during the World Cup | P17