kozhikode l friday l October 16, 2026 l `10.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION PM modi meets Asian Games medal winners in new delhi India’s hosting power on the rise, says PM At a function at Major Dhyan Chand Stadium, PM Narendra Modi lauds athletes & also reiterates country’s bid to host 2036 Olympics ‘country’s resolve to host the 2036 oly’ The PM was presented with memorabilia ranging from signed jerseys to a bow from 17-year-old archery sensation Kumkum Mohod, who won two gold medals and a silver at the recently-concluded Games. The PM said the country is not just becoming a stronger force in terms of performance but also evolving into a “credible host” for major international events ■ ■ The PM also reiterated country’s resolve to host 2036 Olympics. “We are bidding for the 2036 Olympics and it is our resolve that we will host the games,” he said Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, ICC chairman Jay Shah & IOA president PT Usha were also present during the interaction 85 India won 85 medals at the 2026 Asian Games, including 21 gold 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 SC notice to ECI, CEC on Rahul’s That’ll do it. Panel delivers plea against SIR irregularities knockout punch to KIIFB Mulls all-women panel to probe alleged sexual violence against journalists SUCHITR A K A LYA N M OH A N T Y @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notices to the Election Commission of India and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on a batch of pleas filed by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders over alleged large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of poll rolls. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi also tagged the pleas with petitions already pending before the court challenging the validity of SIR. With this, all SIR-related matters will be heard together at a later date, likely on October 28. The SC also took note of submissions that attempts were made by Rahul and others to browbeat the judiciary by undertaking a march on October 12. “Nobody can browbeat the judiciary the CJI said, adding “We know ,” what statements they are making outside and what they are saying in court.” The bench, while hearing Govt clarifies on another plea filed by Network home secy’s apology of Women in Media, India On reports that Home over the alleged sexual vioSecretary Govind Mohan lence against female journalapologIsed to SC in a ists covering the protests, contempt case, the said it would consider setting up an all-women panel to MHA clarified it’s a usual practice. “...It look into such complaints. “It may comprise a former is required that the party responding woman judge, a former womto the notice must an IPS officer, a former wombegin their affidavit an social worker or a social with an unconditional activist with a known track apology. Only thereafter all record,” said the CJI. other facts and arguments The bench also agreed with are presented,” it said senior advocate Indira Jaising’s submission that there should be clear guidelines on law-enforcement authorities’ interaction with journalists during protests. “We would like to lay down guidelines,” the bench said while issuing notice on the plea seeking responses from the Centre and the Delhi Police. Jaising said women reporters are particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse while covering protests when they are pushed around by male police officers. The bench also directed that no coercive action be taken against a woman journalist against whom a case has been filed by a Delhi Police officer under the stringent SC/ST Act alleging casteist remarks and public humiliation against him during a protest. No HC relief for Pinarayi & kin in CMRL payoff case E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kochi Dismissing a plea of former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter Veena T, and son-in-law and former minister P A Mohamed Riyas seeking leave to appeal in the CMRL payoff case, the Kerala High Court on Thursday observed that an accused in a corruption case has no legal right to be heard before the re gistration of an FIR. A division bench comprising Justice K Natarajan and Justice Johnson John also upheld the single judge’s order directing the registration of an FIR in the case. The bench observed that “the judgment has not affected the right of the applicants to pursue their constitutional or statutory remedy against the registration of the FIR and, in such a situation, it cannot be held that the applicants established a prima facie or arguable case for granting the leave sought for.” The bench further observed that when sufficient material disclosing the commission of cognisable offences is furnished along with the information provided by the ED under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, there is no need to conduct a preliminary inquiry  ● More on P4 . No Delhi HC bar on CJP’s protest today at Connaught Place UD AYA N K ISHOR E & A d i t i Ray C h o w d h u r y @ New Delhi THE Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to bar a protest called by CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke on October 16 at Central Park in Connaught Place, while taking on record Delhi Police’s assurance that all possible steps would be taken to regulate and control the protesters. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma Summary revision of was hearing a plea by a Connaught Place vendor seeking a poll rolls from Jan 1 fiat to police to regulate the The Election Commission protest. Called “Lehra do Tion Thursday announced ranga”, the protest kicks off at that Special Summary 5 pm on Friday Heavy securi. Revision (SSR) of ty is likely in and around CP electoral rolls will and Jantar Mantar ahead of be conducted in 17 the agitation. Late on Thursstates and Union day the New Delhi Municipal , territories, Council issued a notice barincluding those ring general public from visitwhere assembly polls ing Central Park in Connaught are due next year. The ECI Place on October 16, 17. said January 1, 2027, will be The petition claimed that the qualifying date for the traders and vendors would be summary revision “on the streets” if they lost another weekend to closures due to protest in central Delhi during the festive season. “This is the Dussehra weekend. This protest has to be stopped,” the petitioner’s counsel submitted. The bench refused to pass a “specific” direction restraining CJP protesters as urged by the petitioner. “Don’t insist. We have passed the order,” the bench said. Addressing a press conference on Thursday along with All India Students’ Association (AISA) leader Neha Bora, Students’ Federation of India (SFI) leader Aishe Ghosh and actor Prakash Raj, Dipke criticised the police action against demonstrators and alleged that the government was using state machinery to shield Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ T’Puram In line with the ruling UDF’s stated policy the Kerala Infrastructure Invest, ment Fund Board (KIIFB), the previous LDF government’s flagship, is set to drop anchor. A government-appointed committee headed by former Planning Commission member-secretary Sudha Pillai has recommended that KIIFB cease market borrowings and stop funding projects, finding “no case” for its continuation in its present form. The report, tabled in the assembly on Thursday after cabinet clearance, recommended that the state repay KIIFB’s debts and transfer ongoing projects to the respective government departments. It also called for an end to the transfer of motor vehicle tax and cess to the board. The state will need around `70,416 crore to repay KIIFB’s loans and complete ongoing and prioritised projects, with repayments extending until 2041-42. This excludes land acquisition. The panel also recommended a CAG performance audit of KIIFB covering the 10 years from FY 2017. The five-member panel found that the state transferred `11,869 crore to KIIFB between 2021-22 and 2024-25, equivalent to 99.4% of the board’s loan repayments during the period. “Fresh infrastructure was financed by fresh borrowings by KIIFB,” the report said. KIIFB was set up to raise funds with- Fallen promise The claim that some of KIIFB’s projects would pay for themselves did not hold, according to the govtappointed committee. The board spent L8,882 cr on 44 projects classified as “revenuegenerating” and received L4,198 cr back. Only three of these projects, KSEB’s Transgrid 2.0, Petrochemical Park in Kochi and the first building at Technocity, made repayments from their own earnings — together L3,352 cr, it said. The rest of the repayments were from government funds. The committee termed the classification as revenuegenerating “fiscally misleading”. out eating into the state’s borrowing limit. But since 2020-21, the Union government has treated its loans as the state’s own borrowings, stripping the board of its raison d’être, the committee said. Kerala has so far lost `25,933 crore in borrowing space on this account. KIIFB also borrowed at higher interest rates than the state. The panel concurred with the CAG’s finding that KIIFB’s borrowings are not contingent liabilities but off-budget borrowings that bypass Article 293 of ● More on P4 the Constitution.  E x p r e s s Re a d Convert can’t get quota based on prior caste: SC New Delhi: The Supreme Court has held that a person who converts to Islam can’t automatically claim reservation under a notified Muslim Backward Class category based on their pre-conversion caste status as a Hindu. Upholding a Madras HC verdict, the SC said a person who converts from Hindu social order to a nonHindu social order cannot claim such benefits. P5 Synagogue arson: Hunt on for ‘Boss’ Kochi: The identity of the mysterious ‘Boss’ who allegedly instructed Ebin Paul to carry out attacks in cities across the country remains unknown, even as cops intensify interrogation of the 32-year-old accused in the Kadavumbhagam synagogue arson case. P5