chennai l monday l november 02, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l vellore EDITION GST mop-up surges to `2.31 l- cr in October on festive demand October is the second consecutive month when monthly gross GST crossed `2 lakh crore, and 2nd only to the record `2.43 lakh cr mop-up in April Collections from DOMESTIC SALES up 16% Performance across key economic hubs GST collections jumped 23 per cent year-on-year. Gross GST collections from domestic sales rose 16 per cent to over `1.59 lakh crore, and revenues from imports climbed 42 per cent to `72,246 crore. The `2.31 lakh crore collection includes Central GST mop-up of `42,935 crore, State GST of `51,340 crore and Integrated GST of over `1.37 lakh crore, data showed ■ ■ Manoj Mishra from Grant Thornton Bharat said October collections capture the festive demand cycle, which brings higher consumer spending, retail activity and movement of goods across sectors Performance across key states, including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, UP and MP points to continued strength in GST collections 6.5% YoY is the increase in gst refunds, which is `27,934 crore in October 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 Cyclone may turn severe, heavy rain alert for north TN e x p r e s s ne w s s e r v i c e @ Chennai INDIA bloc leaders led by Rahul Gandhi, TMC’s Mamata Banerjee, Sonia Gandhi, SP’s Akhilesh Yadav, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav and others in New Delhi on Sunday | Sayantan ghosh CEC Gyanesh has to go: Oppn ‘Foolish drama’ on anniversary of 1984 anti-Sikh riots, says BJP INDIA bloc’s mega rally at Ramlila Maidan brings together all parties p r eetha na i r @ New Delhi TN to set up 26 new Pocso courts, four NDPS courts Su b a s h i n i V i jayakuma r @ Chennai The state government on Sunday announced the setting up of 26 new special courts to expedite the trial of cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, taking the number of exclusive Pocso courts in the state to 52. It will also establish four special courts to try cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, taking the total number of such courts to 15. The decision was taken on the directions of CM C Joseph Vijay, in view of the growing pendency of cases, the government said in a press release. The 26 Pocso courts will be established at a cost of `46.59 crore. The proposal includes 12 new courts and 14 additional courts. At present, 22 exclusive Pocso courts are functioning in the state, while four more are in the process of becoming operational. Once the new courts are established, TN will have 52 exclusive Pocso courts across 47 police districts. The decision came after a review of pending Pocso cases, where the CM ordered officials to establish special courts in every district and fast-track trials without delay . TN has more than 18,500 Pocso cases pending trial, of which over 10,000 have been pending for more than a year. The decision also comes amid a rise in reported offences. The state registered 6,969 Pocso cases in 2024, compared to 4,581 in 2023, according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data.  P5 IN a show of strength at Delhi’s historic Ramlila Maidan, a united Opposition on Sunday vowed to remove Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and hold the Narendra Modi government accountable for alleged “vote theft”, as a massive crowd rallied behind the INDIA bloc’s call to defend democracy and the Constitution. The congregation saw a striking show of unity as Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and other alliance leaders rode together in an open canter from the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction to Ramlila Maidan, where they addressed the gathering. Launching a diatribe against the government, Gandhi said removing Gyanesh Kumar would be the first step towards putting the country back on track, while asserting that “the CEC would face imprisonment for alleged ‘treason’ and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah would face legal action.” Calling the 2024 Lok Sabha elections “illegal”, he alleged that the Election Commission removed 15 percent of voters from the rolls, while the voteshare gap between NDA and INDIA bloc in the last general election was three percentage points. “Narendra Modi ji and Amit Shah ji, understand this—after Gyanesh Kumar, we will stand against you...,” he said. Invoking the Constitution, Gandhi said the gathering represented the voice of young people, farmers and workers determined to defend democracy . Addressing the gathering, SP’s Akhilesh Yadav raised the issue of alleged deletions from electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh and accused authorities of manipulating votes through SIR ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections. “We, in the INDIA alliance, will not stop,” he said. Calling upon people across communities and political affiliations to unite against the BJP TMC , chief Banerjee said, “ We will fight this democratically We will fight with our lives.” ... Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Sonia Gandhi, CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby CPI general secretary D Raja , and CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya were among the senior leaders present. R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R & H a r p r eet Baj w a @New Delhi/Chandigarh The INDIA bloc rally marching towards Ramlila Maidan | Sayantan ghosh Over 4K cops keep a watch Narendra Modi ji and Amit Shah ji, understand this—after Gyanesh Kumar, we will stand against you Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader The rally in central Delhi concluded peacefully on Sunday, police said. Over 4,000 police personnel were deployed, apart from drones, body-worn cameras, anti-riot vehicles and personnel from CAPF. The ruling BJP on Sunday sought to dismiss the INDIA bloc’s rally as a “foolish drama”, accusing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of hurting sentiments on the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, addressing a gathering in Chandigarh months ahead of the Punjab Assembly polls, trained his ire on Rahul, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and alleged the rally could only “rub salt in the wounds of the victims’”. “If you want to become PM, stay in mock parliament your entire life. Your turn won’t come. Telling lies, spreading anarchy, not letting Parliament function, this is your true nature,” he charged. Shah said when the Modi government came to power in 2014, riot cases were reopened and relief was given to the kin of victims. “India has never witnessed, nor will it ever witness, riots of this kind, incited by a political party he claimed. ,” In Haryana, BJP national president Nitin Nabin led a counter march to ‘Save democracy, eradicate anarchy’. Calling for Congress to apologise for the riots, he accused the party of blaming constitutional institutions after failing to secure a mandate. In Delhi, Union Minister JP Nadda told media the rally was a “foolish drama of the defeated”. He claimed traders had suffered losses of nearly `3,000 crore due to protests and alleged Sunday’s rally could result in additional losses exceeding `10,000 crore in the crucial festival period. Isolated places in Chennai and Tiruvallur districts may get heavy to very heavy rainfall on Monday — with thunderstor ms, lightning and gusty winds of 40-50 kmph — as cyclonic storm Murasu is expected to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by morning and cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast late on Monday night. Heavy rain is likely at some places in Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Ranipet, Vellore and the Nilgiris. The rest of north Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and Karaikal can expect light to moderate rain at a few places. In a bulletin issued on Sunday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the storm was centred about 480 km east-southeast of Chennai over the Bay of Bengal. It is likely to continue moving west-northwestwards and in- Cow milk used in 600 BCE Keeladi research reveals ancient south Indian diet V i gne s h V @ Madurai In a significant development, samples taken from two major archaeological sites, Keeladi in TN and Gottiprolu in Andhra Pradesh, have yielded chemical evidence strongly suggesting the consumption of plant foods and cow’s milk in South India between 600 BCE and 100 BCE, shedding light on the ancient dietary habits of the region. According to researchers, the specific “biomarkers” that indicate the presence of cow’s milk have not been previously reported. “All previously reported biomolecular data are geographically restricted to Northern India and are primarily associated with the Indus Valley Civilisation. To our knowledge, the present study provides the first direct chemical evidence that we have successfully extracted in prehistoric South India,” the authors highlighted. The study was published in npj Heritage Science, a Nature Portfolio journal, on October 29. Authored by seven researchers, it is the outcome of at least four years of work. Explaining the process to TNIE, corresponding author Dr C Vijayanand and the study’s first author, Prakash VS, a Senior Research Fellow (CSIR) at VIT, said food molecules released during cooking can become trapped in the microscopic pores of unglazed clay pots.  P5 Litigants rush to SC for HC matters: CJI E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kochi double delight PV Sindhu & Lakshya Sen claimed the women’s and men’s singles titles with straight-game wins at the Hylo Open Super 500 badminton event | badminton photo CHIEF Justice of India Surya Kant on Sunday flagged the new trend of litigants approaching the Supreme Court for urgent listing or early hearing of matters already pending before high courts. “This is a new dimension of litigation which is now flooding the SC,” he said at the inaugural function of the celebrations held to mark 70 years of the Kerala High Court. The CJI said the SC has consistently respected the high courts’ autonomy, including their authority to regulate ros- Chief Justice of India Surya Kant speaking in Kochi on Sunday | PTI ter. “However, the frequency of such requests invites us to consider whether there is room to improve the responsiveness of our processes,” he noted. “We must ask: Can urgent matters be identified more ef- fectively? Can listing procedures be made more transparent and predictable? Can technology help prioritise cases where delay may cause irreversible prejudice? And can we ensure a litigant’s access to timely justice does not depend upon their ability to travel to the national capital?” he said. The CJI said constitutional justice in India does not begin and end in New Delhi as its strength lies in a robust network of 25 high courts in the country “Each entrusted with . the duty of protecting rights and upholding the rule of law,” he added. India’s first indigenous bullet train on track, undergoes ‘squeeze test’ RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi INDIA’s first indigenous bullet train, called B28, is taking shape at BEML’s ‘ ditya’ facilA ity in Bengaluru. Sharing the details on Sunday, the railway ministry said: “India is taking a major step towards indigenous high-speed rail technology with the Bharat-made bullet train. It is being manufactured for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor.” Sources said the bullet train will be cheaper than the Japanese Shinkansen trains. “India was supposed to buy E5 Shinkansen sets. However, after high quotes and potential delays, the government decided to go Atmanirbhar. Japan will still give two Shinkansen sets (E5 and E3) free for testing,” said an official. Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inspected the BEML B’luru-Pune corridor next Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday hinted that the proposed Bengaluru-Pune bullet train corridor could be among the next set of high-speed rail projects plant on Sunday and witnessed the ‘squeeze test’ — a critical safety assessment which includes applying controlled compressive/tensile forces on Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reviewing the manufacturing progress of the bullet train | X tensify into a severe cyclonic storm over the west-central Bay of Bengal by Monday mor ning before tur ning northwestwards and crossing the coast between Nellore and Narsapur, close to Ongole, between 11.30 pm on Monday and 4 am on Tuesday with wind speeds of 100 to 110 kmph, gusting to 120 kmph. For Chennai city and its neighbourhood, the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) said the sky would remain cloudy, with heavy to very heavy rain, thunderstorms and lightning in some areas. The maximum temperature is likely to be 30-31°C and the minimum 24-25°C. Squally winds of 5565 kmph, gusting to 75 kmph, were forecast at isolated places over the Tiruvallur, Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Ranipet, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai and Villupuram districts and Puducherry through Monday  . P5 the traincar body to assess its structural strength, rigidity and dimensional stability . The B28 will have a maximum speed of 280 km/h. It is expected to roll out by the end of this year or early next year. The inaugural run is tentatively fixed for August 15, 2027 on the 97-km Surat–Vapi section. The entire Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail corridor is scheduled for completion around 2029–30. express read Pocso case: Survivor identifies Veeramani Chennai: In one of the Pocso cases registered against Gem Veeramani, a survivor has identified him during a recent identification parade held at Puzhal jail. One more person, a security guard, has been arrested in two cases | P2 Attacked by gang, Home Guard dies Ariyalur: A Home Guard, who was attacked by a gang during a night patrol in Ariyalur on Friday after questioning them for drinking in public, died of his injuries at Thanjavur MCH on Saturday night | P5 Cess stir: Tasmac staff suspended Chennai: Nearly 10 Tasmac employees were suspended after several shops were shut across TN in protest against Environmental and Social Welfare Cess of `10 per bottle introduced on Sunday | P4