Fee on UPI transactions above `2K postponed till diwali fest In a major relief to UPI users, the decision to levy a Merchant Discount Rate of 0.4 per cent on transactions over `2,000 has been deferred | P15 BENGALURU l wednesday l october 14, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 24 l late city EDITION The National Payments Corporation of India said on Tuesday that the Merchant Discount Rate on UPI transactions shall be implemented immediately after Diwali on a date to be notified separately. The decision to defer has come amidst protests by the Oppn that termed it a tax, and said the MDR imposition above Rs 2,000 will burden consumers As per NPCI, 0.4 per cent MDR was to be charged on person-to-merchant UPI payments above Rs 2,000 from Oct 15 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 Introspect, don’t blame SIR: Shah RA J E SH K U M AR THA K U R @ New Delhi ‘Resistance’ to continue, says Rahul PR E E THA N AIR @ New Delhi A mock impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Ramlila Maidan, Delhi Metro train rides by MPs to challenge travel restrictions, and protest programmes at the denotified Jantar Mantar were among the proposals discussed in the meeting of INDIA bloc leaders, civil society representatives, and student representatives on Tuesday . According to sources, the meeting explored ways to keep the protests going and decided to sustain the agitation for the ‘restoration of democracy Leader of Op.’ position Rahul Gandhi told the leaders that they could take Wednesday off to visit their constituencies but should be ready to return to the capital at 24 hours’ notice from Thursday the sourc, es said. The bloc is planning a mega rally at Delhi’s Ramlila grounds on November 1 and plans to mobilise 5 lakh people. Speaking to reporters, Rahul said the protest will continue. He said those responsible for the alleged ‘vote theft’ would be brought to justice, naming Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and the CEC. “No matter what happens, no matter which institution plays a role or not, political resistance will continue, people’s resistance will continue and it will triumph,” he added. Among those who attended the high tea meeting at Rahul’s residence were Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi; RJD leaders Tejashwi Yadav and Manoj Jha; SP leaders Harendra Malik, Anand Bhadauria and Mohibullah Nadvi; Left leaders M A Baby and D Raja; JMM’s Mahua Maji; and TMC’s Mahua Moitra. AISA chief Neha Bora was also present. LoP Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and other INDIA leaders address a joint press meet | PARVEEN NEGI DKS loses smartwatch at Delhi rally Amid the chaos during the INDIA bloc march to the Supreme Court in New Delhi on Monday over the issue of SIR, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar lost his smartwatch. Sources said Shivakumar’s watch, a Huawei smartwatch worth around Rs 40,000, was lost during the protest march. Sources dismissed rumours that the CM’s watch was stolen. No complaint was filed, sources said. UNION Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to introspect why his party has been losing elections rather than playing negative politics over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. In his first public comments on the ongoing protests, Shah said electoral credibility and public confidence can’t be secured through wild allegations and street protests alone. Instead, he said, opposition parties need to demonstrate their acceptance among voters through sustained public engagement and service. “I want to ask Rahul ji: Is this (election defeat) the result of SIR? Do you dismiss the popularity of the BJP and Modi ji? The SIR started only after 2024,” Shah said, adding that the Congress and its allies would face a crushing defeat for the fourth consecutive time in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. Shah cited the BJP’s performance in Gujarat’s municipal elections as evidence of the party’s continued popularity and electorate’s enduring faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Lighting into Rahul, Shah said the Congress leader is trying to manufacture political momentum through media events and baseless allegations, insisting that such tactics would not help regain public confidence. Ladakh part of India: MEA to China J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Reiterating that the Union Territory of Ladakh is an “integral and inalienable part of India,” New Delhi on Tuesday rejected China’s assertion that it has “never recognised” the region. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said “no amount of denial by the Chinese side can change this established fact”. India’s response came amid Beijing’s objection to New Delhi’s decision to standardise the names of 28 geographical locations and features in Ladakh. The strong rebuttal came soon after Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning objected to India’s announcement, reiterating Beijing’s refusal to recognise Ladakh as an UT. “India’s move is illegal and invalid; it cannot alter the objective fact that the western sector of the China-India border has always belonged to China,” Mao said, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s response to a media query . Jaiswal, however, said the exercise was administrative and intended to improve the identi- Court stops media from airing ‘sting op video’ E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Bengaluru A city civil and sessions court on Tuesday passed an ad interim ex-parte temporary injunction order restraining the media, social media and digital platforms from publishing, airing, uploading, transmitting, circulating or sharing the alleged ‘sting operation video’ linking former chief minister and senior Cong ress leader Siddaramaiah. Judge B Pushpanjali, XIX Additional City and Sessions Court, passed the order after hearing two interlocutory applications (IA) filed by Siddaramaiah in the original suit filed Siddu plaint by him. He prayed for a permanent injunction restraining the spreading of the video dated September 27 available on social media and broadcast on October 2 or its content. Siddaramaiah said the caption for the video is not a neutral or descriptive introduction, but is deliberately framed to place him at the centre of a sensational political and sexual narrative. In one IA, he prayed to restrain the media, social media and digital media. In the other, he sought to disable access to or block the impugned videos or publications or URL available in online platforms.  P4 fication of geographical features on official maps. Referring to an Ministry of Home Affairs announcement, he said the 28 sites were identified with standardised names on the official Survey of India map in consultation with the UT and local stakeholders. “Identifying these places formally on the Survey of India map of UT of Ladakh is aimed at facilitating their accurate recognition and better awareness among the public at large,” he said. The MHA announced the list on October 2. express read 108 ambulance staff to go on strike from today Bengaluru: Employees of the Suvarna Karnataka Arogya Kavacha (108) ambulance service announced a statewide strike from Wednesday to press for the fulfilment of their demands. The employees threatened to abstain from duty from Wednesday night and stage an indefinite protest at Freedom Park from Thursday | P7 Reshuffle buzz as MoS Murugan resigns New Delhi: Union Minister of State L Murugan resigned from the council of ministers and the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. The move has fuelled speculation of an imminent Cabinet reshuffle. Murugan was elected to the RS in September 2021 and re-elected from Madhya Pradesh in April 2024. His term runs till April 2030 | P7