HYDERABAD l friday l september 25, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 38 l LATE CITY EDITION India’s Russian oil imports hold at 1.8 million barrels per day India’s Russian crude imports held at 1.8 mn bpd in September as stronger Chinese buying curbed flows, but West Asian suppliers filled the gap lost volumes replenished by gulf nations giving up Russian crude will be pricey India imported 2.82 mn bpd of Russian crude in July, which slipped to 2.08 mn bpd in August, according to global commodities data and analytics firm Kpler. Iraq and Saudi made up for the drop in Russian volumes. Iraq supplied 505,000 bpd of crude this month, up from 163,000 bpd in Aug. Saudi volumes rose to 576,000 bpd in Sept from 347,000 bpd last month ■ ■ The outlook for Russian supplies could become more complicated if the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026 results in tougher restrictions on countries continuing to buy Russian oil Nikhil Dubey, lead analyst at Kpler, said India can technically replace Russian crude, although the shift would come at a higher cost 2022 when India became an important buyer of Russian crude 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 Demand to sack Panel to probe top BRS leaders’ lands 22-A properties CEC snowballs, with permissions to be registered Rahul urges him to turn approver Lands and issues covered Terms Of Reference SC rejects Danam plea on disqualification New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed BRS MLA Danam Nagender’s plea challenging his disqualification after he switched to the ruling Congress. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana found no ground to interfere with the Telangana High Court’s order disqualifying Nagender. “Your case is ‘Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram, phir aaya Ram’?” Justice Bagchi remarked orally . The high court had, in April, set aside Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar’s order dismissing petitions seeking Nagender’s disqualification and declared him disqualified as an MLA from April 23, 2024.  PTI E x p re s s R ead ACB finds `1.35 cr in cash at DSP’s benami Hyderabad: ACB sleuths on Thursday searched 10 locations in Hyderabad and Zaheerabad linked to eight suspected benamis of suspended DSP Sankireddy Bheem Reddy. They seized `1.35 crore in cash from the residence of contractor Bomma Venkatesh, an alleged associate of Bheem Reddy | P2 WITH THIS ISSUE CITY’S BEST WEEKEND GUIDE 38 PAGES, INCLUDING 24 OF INDULGE (TABLOID) Par v e z S u ltan @ New Delhi The demand to sack Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar gained more momentum on Thursday with Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi suggesting he turn approver as an act of nationalism. The Congress also reached out to the Opposition parties to step on the gas amid the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) issuing a 48-hour ultimatum for Kumar to resign so as to seize the political initiative. Pressure on Kumar built up after a media report revealed that fellow election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected to decisions pertaining to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls on multiple occasions but the CEC had brushed them aside. Congress sources said the Opposition INDIA bloc is working together to file notice in two weeks for moving a motion in both Houses of Parliament seeking removal of the CEC. This will be the Opposition’s third bid to impeach Kumar. In April, 73 Opposition MPs moved an impeachment notice in the Rajya Sabha, accusing the CEC of acting in a partisan manner. The notice is still pending. Meanwhile, the Congress directed its state units to organise protest marches to their respective State Election Commission offices on Friday demanding the immediate arrest and , removal of Kumar and a review of decisions and electoral roll changes made under him. Addressing reporters here, Rahul accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Home Minister Amit Shah of conspiring in ‘vote chori’ (vote theft) that benefitted the BJP in elections. Rahul claimed Modi and Shah would be investigated in due course of time for what they had done to the Indian electoral system, which he termed “anti-national” and an “attack on the idea of India”. “Kumar must resign immediately… This is not just some small rigging of an election. This is an attack on the Constitution of India… And the people who are responsible for this are going to get punished,” he said, warning the CEC to seriously consider the position he’s in. “He should turn approver,” he added. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke demanded Kumar resign within 48 hours or the outfit would launch another nationwide stir on the lines of its Jantar Mantar protest in June.  P9 Gyanesh Kumar, CEC We are going to cooperate with the Opposition parties. It is our sacred duty to protect the Constitution and vote 3pm 4pm Closing 73,580.54 Change 1247.71 (-1.67%) sensex 1pm 73,000.00 In the red 11am 74,000.00 9am Stock markets tumbled on Thursday with benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty tanking over 1.6%—the steepest singleday decline in three months— as geopolitical tensions jacked up Brent crude oil prices and US bond yields hit a 19-year high, triggering across-theboard selling pressure. Nifty 50 fell 1.64% to close at 23,063 while the Sensex slipped 1.67% to 73,580 on Thursday . Global sentiments, too, re- 75,000.00 mained muted as US equities fell sharply amid signs of further monetary tightening. Brent crude oil prices rose 2% to $106/bbl, amid growing uncertainty over US-Iran ties. The US 10-year Treasury n  family members and associates KCR, Lands in Erravalli, Markook and Shivar Venkatapur villages in Markook mandal, Siddipet district. n  Harish Rao, family members and associates Lands adjacent to Ranganayakasagar Reservoir at Ramancha village, Chinnakodur mandal, Siddipet. n  Assigned land purchase Purchase of assigned land in Sy. No. 271 by M Hanumantha Rao at Velikatta village, Kondapak mandal, Siddipet. n  Mallannasagar land acquisition Allegations of irregularities in acquisition of lands in Etigadda Kishtapur, Pallepahad, Rampur and Tukkapur villages in Thoguta mandal, Siddipet. n  KTR’s family members and associates Lands belonging to Satabisha Agro and other companies and individuals purchased by KTR’s family members and associates at Janwada village, Shankarpalli mandal, Rangareddy. n  Jagadishwar Reddy, family members and associates Lands at Maddu village, Shabad mandal, Rangareddy. n  Harish Rao, family members and associates Lands at Aziznagar village, Moinabad mandal, Rangareddy. n Rohith Reddy P Alleged purchase and illegal occupation of assigned land at Aziznagar, Moinabad mandal. Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e ECI refutes charges The Revanth Reddy government on Thursday constituted a committee to inquire into land-related issues involving BRS chief and former chief The ECI on Thursday claimed changes to Form 6 and functioning of its digital platform, ECINET were both in accordance with the law ‘Vote rights undermined’ CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke alleged that the ECI under CEC Gyanesh Kumar had undermined the right to vote. He accused the poll panel of manipulating electoral rolls Sensex, Nifty tumble to 3-month low A R S H A D K H A N @ New Delhi The committee will inquire into: n  Violations, if any, of statutes, Acts, Rules, GOs and instructions relating to the lands listed in the annexure n  concerning government, Issues ceiling surplus, assigned, Jagir, Bhoodan, Inam and forest lands n  acquisition and Land Rehabilitation & Resettlement issues n  bodies and their Water catchment areas n  records and related Land procedures n  responsibility for Fixing violations, if any, and recommending appropriate action n  other matter connected Any with the above or referred by the government n  committee can requisition The records, documents, data and other information from government departments, Collectors, local bodies and other authorities. It can also submit interim reports on specific issues. yield surged to around 5.11%, its highest level since 2007. Elevated US bond yields mean more risk-free returns for foreign institutional investors, who tend to divert liquidity away from emerging markets. Experts say Indian equities are likely to remain weak in the near term as investor sentiment has turned risk-averse amid lingering uncertainties around inflation and economic growth. In the absence of positive triggers, the sentiment will remain cautious, they add. @ Hyderabad minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, BRS working president KT Rama Rao, former minister T Harish Rao and several other BRS leaders and former legislators across the state. The move follows the September 16 discussion in the US President Donald Trump welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington on Thursday | PTI End Iran war, let’s race, not wrestle: Xi to Trump a g e n c i e s @ Washington CHINESE President Xi Jinping, during his talks with US President Donald Trump on Thursday, suggested that he return to the peace accord with Iran he signed earlier this year and end the naval blockade, Chinese state media reported. Xi urged Trump to show prudence on the issue of Taiwan’s independence, while calling for the US and China to manage their superpower rivalry and keep artificial intelligence under human control, apart from making a case for ease of access for Chinese companies. “I hope Chinese firms are treated fairly here,” he said. Xi said achieving the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand.” He also announced an invitation for 1 lakh young Americans to visit China for study exchange programmes over the next five years. Xi favoured healthy bilateral competition, saying “the race should be about catching up with one another, not a wrestle in which either wins or loses.” In his opening remarks, Trump said, “Working together, President Xi and I have made tremendous strides on the issues facing our two countries... During this visit, we will discuss security technology and super , , intelligence.”  P11 Asian games Iran’s rower trained through war, bombings to win gold Indraneel Das I Express @ asian games Nagoya magine training to compete at the Asian Games, in double sculls rowing. An event where your endurance and the precise coordination you have with your teammate, developed through hours and hours spent together in the water, mean everything. Now, imagine doing that, except there is no water and no teammate. All you have is an ergometer. That, and the sound of mis- Kimia Zarei siles dropping outside her home in the Iranian city of Hamadan, was all that Kimia Zarei had to get in shape for the Games in Nagoya. Yet on Tuesday, she and her partner Zeinab Norouzi won gold in the women’s lightweight double sculls. Iran’s rowers are among the strongest at the Games. The war back home could not break their spirit or resolve as Iran won two gold, as many silver medals and a bronze. “We were bombed every day,” Zarei remembers her preparation. “When I was training at home, I would hear bomb explosions. It was close to our home and when you go to the window, you can see everything.” Zarei and her fellow athletes had their practice at Urmia cut short. On the first day of the war, the federation sent athletes back home. Each of them was given an ergometer to train. Hat-trick of Asian Games medals for Roshibina India’s wushu athlete Naorem Roshibina Devi made the most of a second chance at the Games on Thursday. After initially failing to qualify in the selection trials, she bounced back to win a silver medal in the women’s 60kg sanda event on Thursday. In the process, she completed a hat-trick of medals at the Games (2018, 2023 & 2026) n  Gangula Kamalakar and others Alleged irregular purchase and occupation of govt land at Bahadurguda village, Shamshabad. n  Gangula Kamalakar and others Alleged irregular purchase of land in Shankara Hills at Vattinagulapally, Gandipet mandal. n  Rajeshwar Reddy and others Palla Alleged irregular purchase of Bhoodan land at Vattinagulapally, Gandipet mandal. n  Bhoodan land at Thimmapur Purchase of Bhoodan land at Thimmapur village, Kandukur mandal, Rangareddy. n  Stephenson Elvin Regularisation of lease land involving Zeera lands in Secunderabad. n  Dharani-related issues Alleged abuse of Dharani modules and other procedures involving Raj Hitech Farms, Raj Poultry & Plantation, Raj Poultry & Agriculture Farms, Manaviha Breeders LLP and their associates at Gunded village, Balanagar mandal, Mahbubnagar. n  Assigned and govt lands in Sircilla Alleged irregular purchase of assigned lands and allotment of government lands in Sardapur, Laxmipur, Thangallapally and other villages and mandals. n  Manair Reservoir compensation Mid Alleged irregular receipt of compensation and R&R packages by Joginapally Ravinder Rao and J Sowmya in villages covered by the Mid Manair Reservoir project. n  Other matters Any other villages or issues referred by the government from time to time. Legislative Assembly on issues relating to Section 22-A of the Registration Act, during which Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy ordered an inquiry into the lands around KCR’s farmhouse at Erravalli in Markook of Siddipet district.  continued on p4 e ns @ Hyderabad In a relief to property owners whose properties are listed under the prohibited category of Section 22-A of the Registration Act, the state government on Thursday said properties with statutory permissions would be registered. Open plots, houses and flats with permissions from GHMC, HMDA, DTCP, other civic bodies or local bodies would be eligible for regist r a t i o n , Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy said in a statement. He said the government was resolving the decades-old issues relating to 22-A lands one by one and had launched a fasttrack action plan, as assured by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy in the Legislative Assembly on September 16. Accordingly owners can regis, ter open plots, houses and flats even if they are listed under 22-A, provided they have obtained permissions required from the departments or agencies concerned.  continued on p4