HYDERABAD l Thursday l September 24, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late cITY EDITION Germany is ready to sign $8 bn submarine agreement with India The India-Germany deal to build six submarines under Project 75(I) has been finalised on the German side, its envoy to India Dr Jasper Wieck said Waiting for India’s green light: German envoy Review of tech transfer package pending “It has already been finalised and the German side has agreed to it. It is now up to the Indian side to complete and conclude its internal processes,” Wieck said. The proposed deal, estimated at roughly `90,000 crore, sees India’s Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders partnering with Germany’s Thyssenkrupp to build six conventional submarines in India, with technology transfer ■ ■ A review of the proposed technology-transfer package remains among the steps before the project can get its final approval in India A key aspect of the proposed deal is the transfer of fuel-cell Air-Independent Propulsion technology, which allows conventional submarines to operate longer without the need to access surface air 2023 When Germany stepped in as a foreign partner for project 75 (I) 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 Constitution bench to hear case on axing CJI from ECI pick panel In split verdict, Justice Dipankar Datta raps ’23 law dropping CJI from selection committee v Union of India case directed that appointments to the poll panel be made on the advice of T H E S u p r e m e C o u r t o n a committee comprising the Wednesday directed that a Prime Minister, Leader of Opbatch of petitions challenging position (LoP) in the Lok Sabthe 2023 law governing the ap- ha, and the Chief Justice of pointments to the Election India until Parliament enacted Commission be decided by a a law. Constitution bench after a diviWhile the law—the Chief sion bench delivered a split ver- Election Commissioner and dict on whether the matter other Election Commissioners should be referred to a larger (Appointment, Conditions of bench as sought by the Centre. Service and Term of Office) Justice Dipankar Datta re- Act, 2023—retained the format jected the Union’s plea for a ref- of the panel, it replaced CJI erence to a larger bench, while with a Union minister. Justice Satish ChanJustice Datta made dra Sharma saw the strong observations need for substantial about the composition interpretation of law. of the selection panel, Justice Sharma said saying it hands the exin his separate opinecutive a veto in apion that the arguments pointments. He said advanced on behalf of the Union minister, the Centre by the Atserving at the pleasure Justice Dipankar tor ney General R of the PM, cannot act Datta Venkataramani and as a neutral check in Solicitor General the selection panel. Tushar Mehta for re“Free and fair elecferring the issue to a tions depend on a truly larger bench are wellindependent ECI. It is founded. not enough for the ECI Despite the differto be independent; it ences in opinion, both must appear to be injudges directed that dependent,” he said, Justice Satish the papers be placed adding a “PM’s nomiChandra Sharma before the Chief Jusnee cannot be expected tice of India for setting to defy the PM.” up a Constitution bench of not Consequently, Justice Datta less than five judges, noting also said, the LoP becomes a that sending the matter to a mere ornamental presence, unthree-judge bench could only able to further the purpose of delay adjudication. his inclusion as an independBoth judges also recorded ent voice. concerns over the pendency of Justice Datta also criticised Constitution bench matters the selective manner in which and requested the Chief Jus- the Union government clears tice to explore the possibility of Supreme Court collegium proforming a permanent Constitu- posals at times. He added that tion bench. the judiciary often chooses not The 2023 law was enacted by to confront the executive on Parliament after the Supreme such matters to avoid head-on Court’s Constitution Bench conflicts and avert a possible judgment in Anoop Baranwal Constitutional crisis. S UCHITRA KA LYAN MOHANTY A delegation led by ministers Jupally Krishna Rao and Vakiti Srihari meets Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar in Bengaluru with a request to release water from the Narayanpur reservoir to the Jurala project to save standing crops Karnataka to release Krishna water to TG Express News Service @ Hyderabad Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has agreed to release Krishna river water from the Narayanpur reservoir to the Jurala project to save standing crops on 5.5 lakh acres in the erstwhile Mahbubnagar district. A delegation led by m i n i s t e r s Ju p a l ly Krishna Rao and Vakiti Srihari met Shivakumar in Bengaluru on Wednesday and sought the release of water. The Telangana government had requested 5,000 cusecs a day for 30 days to protect crops under the Jurala, Bhima, Nettempadu and Koilsagar projects. The ministers said Shivakumar discussed the request with Karnataka Irrigation Minister N Chaluvaraya Swamy and Chief Secretary Shalini Rajaneesh and directed them to release water at the earliest. He assured the delegation that water would be released on a rotational basis (varabandi) for 10 days. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy took to X to thank his Karnataka counterpart. Revanth posted: “On behalf of the people of #Telangana, I express my heartfelt thanks to the Chief Minister of #Karnataka, Shri @DKShivakumar garu, for honouring our request to release Krishna river waters for our state. This is a great example of bonhomie between two different states and showcases the love and brotherhood of the people of India” (sic).  continued on P4 express read MeeSeva door delivery services launched Hyderabad: IT Minister D Sridhar Babu launched MeeSeva Door Delivery Services here on Wednesday. It allows citizens to book slots through the 1100 toll-free number or MeeSeva portal and receive services at home. These include birth and death certificates, income, caste and residence certificates, copies of Encumbrance Certificates, select police services and services available through the Registration and Stamps Department’s IGRS platform. More than 70 MeeSeva agents and Village Level Entrepreneurs have been trained to provide the service. The service will initially be available in CURE areas and will subsequently be expanded across Telangana. @ New Delhi Oppn renews demand to scrap SIR, impeach CEC Gyanesh Kumar PARVE Z S U LTAN & M u k e s h R a n j a n @ New Delhi Opposition parties on Wednesday lit into the Centre and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar after a media report suggested that the two election commissioners—Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi—objected to some orders pertaining to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, even as the poll panel claimed all its decisions were unanimous. Citing the report, Opposition parties called for action against the CEC and demanded that SIR be scrapped. While the Congress renewed its demand for Kumar’s impeachment, the TMC, AAP, and Shiv Sena (UBT) called for his arrest. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said any wrongdoings committed by the poll body amount to “treason” and should be treated as such. DMK president M K Stalin said CEC Kumar has no right to continue in office and must resign forthwith. He also demanded that the SIR exercise be halted and called for an impartial probe “into everything that transpired within the EC” and called for action against those responsible. Rejecting the claims made in the media report, the Election Commission said differing views are a normal part of deliberation in any institution and stated that all its orders “are an Gyanesh Kumar, outcome of the unanimous decisions of the full CEC Commission in the past one year”. According to the report, the two ECs’ objections were about the way the statutory voter registration Form 6 was amended, the handling of additions and deletions from voter lists, and centralised control over the electoral roll database. Speaking to this paper, former Chief Election Commissioner O P Rawat said the way changes to Form 6 were brought about was “absolutely wrong and illegal”. According to him, the reported objections raised by the two ECs were ‘a very serious issue’. He said: “The way Form 6 has been amended is wrong and illegal.” Rawat, who served as CEC from January to December 2018, said the law did not permit such changes without following the prescribed procedure. He referred to Supreme Court rulings which, he said, have held that changes to the statutory framework governing Form 6 require action by the government. “Such a situation has perhaps rarely emerged in the Election Commission. I have also been there, but I saw that decisions were always taken unanimously Rawat said.  ,” P7 RIMS readies to use year-old India raises concerns over Russia sanctions law with US SNCU a day after fatal fire S R a j a R e d d y @ Adilabad J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi It took a fire that killed five infants for Rajiv Gandhi Institutes of Medical Sciences, Adilabad to start preparing to use a Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) that had been ready for nearly a year. On Wednesday, a day after the fire, workers were seen cleaning the never-used incubators and other equipment in the facility, scrubbing away months of accumulated dust and opening rooms that had remained locked. The 22-bed SNCU is part of a critical-care block inaugurated in December last year. It has two more beds than the 20-bed SNCU where the fire broke out early on Tuesday killing five infants. , The facility had been equipped with incubators and other equipment, but remained largely unused for almost a year. Only the outpatient facility on the ground floor was in use, while the other wards on the ground and first floors remained largely locked. Whether the deaths could have been prevented cannot be established without the inquiry into the fire. But the timing has raised an uncomfortable question for RIMS: Why was a fully equipped newborn-care facility left unused for months when the hospital was continuing to treat critically ill babies in the old unit? Hospital staff said the new SNCU can cater to the regular demand at RIMS, where around External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has raised India’s “interests and concerns” over the United States’ new Russia sanctions legislation during a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly . “Reiterated India’s interests and concerns with regard to SRIA. Also discussed the Gulf and Ukraine situations,” Jaishankar said in a post on X. The talks between the two leaders came after US President Donald Trump signed the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 into law last Friday It gives the US Pres. ident the authority to impose Sanitation workers clean the equipment in the new SNCU at the RIMS on Wednesday Toll rises to 5, ex gratia announced Adilabad/Hyderabad: The toll in the fire at the SNCU in RIMS, Adilabad rose to five on Wednesday with two more infants passing away while being shifted to Hyderabad for treatment. Meanwhile, the state government announced ex gratia of `5 lakh each to the families of the deceased. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has directed officials to provide assistance to each bereaved family | P2 30 to 35 deliveries take place on normal days and the number rises to 40 to 50 during June, July and August. Around five newborns are referred to the SNCU every day, they said, some from private hospitals and primary health centres. The critical-care block, built with funds from the state and Union governments, has 50 beds. It was inaugurated by Union Minister G Kishan Reddy and district in-charge minister Jupally Krishna Rao, with new equipment, including incubators, installed in the facility . The old SNCU has now been sealed following the fire. A pre- liminary assessment pointed to a short circuit and an air-conditioner-related fire, but the exact cause is to be established by the inquiry ordered by the state government. The fire filled the old SNCU with thick smoke while 27 babies were inside. Staff and family members struggled to evacuate the infants, with some having to break glass panes to reach them. The unit, ready since last year, is finally being put to the use for which it was built. RIMS director Jaisingh Rathod did not respond to calls.  Related reports on P2 Trump backs IMEEC corridor US President Donald Trump said he strongly supports India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, saying there is a need to shift energy infrastructure away from Iranian checkpoints amid multiple strikes on West Asian countries External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar greets US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the UN General Assembly | PTi tariffs of up to 100% on countries, including India and China, that purchase Russian oil and gas. The legislation is widely seen as a rapid expansion of Washington’s sanctions framework targeting Russia. The White House said the law “authorises and expands statutory sanctions, tariffs, and prohibitions on Russia and extends existing sanctions on Iran.” India continues to purchase Russian energy which has been , an important part of its strategy to secure affordable supplies amid disruptions. Jaishankar’s meeting with Rubio also covered the conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine. Sources said Rubiomay visit India on October 19. IIT Prof sent on leave over student death, panel formed S u d h i r s u r ya w a n s h i @ Mumbai IIT Bombay Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who is an accused in connection with the alleged suicide of a 20year-old second-year B Tech student Sahil Wakode, has been sent on compulsory leave to enable an impartial probe, sources said on Wednesday . Earlier, he was removed as the dean of Administrative Affairs. It comes as IIT Bombay’s Board of Governance formed a 10-member high-level panel to examine the circumstances surrounding Sahil’s death on the campus. It will also look into the concerns raised by the student’s parents, including allegations of castebased harassment at t h e institute. S Doolla The panel has a week to submit its findings. Prof Ramesh Venkateswaran, chairman of the Board of Governors at IIT-Palakkad, will head the panel which has three students, faculty members, an administrator, a former vigilance officer, and a psychiatrist. Meanwhile, Mumbai police crime branch revealed that after returning from the exam hall on September 18, Sahil went to his hostel room around 1.30 pm. He dialed a friend at 2.20 pm. In what was likely his last call, Sahil reportedly said, “I made a mistake. My earlier Thermodynamics paper did not go well either, and now this has happened.” Seafarer from India killed in ship attack off Oman An Indian seafarer was killed in an attack on a merchant vessel, MV Cape Dao, off the east coast of Oman while it was transiting towards India, the Indian Embassy in Oman said. The ship had 20 Indian seafarers Weight off lifter Mirabai’s shoulders Indraneel Das Express @ asian games Nagoya F IRST, the news. Mirabai Chanu, 32, won her first Asian Games medal here on Wednesday: silver, India’s first in any weightlifting discipline at this level since Karnam Malleswari in 1998. It is like completing the Grand Slam for a tennis player or a treble with the World Cup for a footballer. But the story of her medal goes beyond the news. Mirabai’s lifting is no longer about barbells and weights. It has transcended that. Doctors, physios and nutritionists have become part of her life. Preparation no longer depends only on lifting weights and physical training. It goes beyond that. Every time she has been written off, she has found a way . That is why this medal would be rated among the biggest of her career. Not because it took her 12 years, but because of the timing — when the body is ageing, with aching bones and muscles because of multiple injuries and when the end is in sight. Just before the Paris Olym- Mirabai Chanu celebrates her silver medal on Wednesday | PTI pics, one of her coaches had narrated a poignant story . After returning from the last Asiad, it seemed like the walls were closing. No one came to wish her. “When I lose, no one comes; it’s really sad,” the Tokyo Olympics silver medallist had said. She was hurt. Physical pain is part and parcel, but it was this disregard that had caused her more pain. On Wednesday, she had some profound words to say . “My life is complete now.” And it’s easy to see why This was the . only thing missing from her CV . Now, she feels relieved. A burden has been lifted.