bengaluru l tuesday l november 03, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 22 l late city EDITION bombay hc raps Imran khan for taking part in anti-cec protest The court said an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card holder cannot criticise the government as such persons are not on a par with Indian citizens Demands actor’s unconditional apology extends suspension of leave india notice A division bench of Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna directed actor-director Imran Khan to furnish an unconditional apology for participating in protests demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. Khan had approached the High Court challenging a notice that directed him to leave India by October 28 ■ ■ “If you want to protest, then go to the USA and participate in protests there, and you can even go and cast your vote, but protesting anything here won’t be tolerated,” the bench told Khan | P12 The HC extended operation of its earlier order suspending the Leave India Notice issued to Khan until he is given a chance to respond OCT 13 IS WHEN BJP leader Kirit Somaiya FILED A COMPLAINT AGAINST KHAN 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 HDK alleges Prajwal’s ex-driver met Shivakumar before release of sex tapes E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Bengaluru Alleging that his social media associates are being targeted by the Karnataka police in the investigation into the alleged sting operation against former chief minister Siddaramaiah, Union Minister and JDS state president HD Kumaraswamy here on Monday turned the tables on Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, questioning the latter’s alleged links with Karthik, former driver of his nephew and former Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna and accused No. 2 in the sexual abuse case. Kumaraswamy released what he claimed were Call Detail Records (CDRs), alleging that Karthik visited Shivakumar’s residence on August 5 and 6, 2023 just before videos involving Prajwal were circulated. He express read Pink Line set for Nov 13 opening Bengaluru: The 7.5-km elevated section of Namma Metro’s Pink Line, between Kalena Agrahara and Tavarekere, is set to be inaugurated on November 13. MP Tejasvi Surya announced the date on Monday. However, BMRCL is yet to confirm the inauguration venue and the date on which passenger services will commence. ADGP to head KPSC scam SIT Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court nominated Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Law & Order, R Hitendra, to head the SIT reconstituted for further probe into alleged irregularities in KPSC recruitment. The court also replaced IPS officer Divya V Gopinath with ADGP Soumendu Mukherjee as a member of the SIT | P3 3 AAP MLAs jump ship to BJP New Delhi: Three AAP MLAs from Punjab joined the BJP in New Delhi on Monday, dealing a setback to the Bhagwant Mann government ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, Chetan Singh Jouramajra and Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh quit following the party releasing its first list of 40 candidates | P12 Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy shows a clipping of a media report on the sting operation, at JP Bhavan in Bengaluru on Monday | Nagaraja Gadekal demanded that Shivakumar explain the alleged meetings and questioned why the police are not investigating that. He questioned Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh’s statement that the mobile phone allegedly used to upload the sting operation video had been handed over to his social media associate Pra- jwal Prasad at Kumaraswamy’s official residence in Delhi. He said he is unaware of any such handover and pointed out that hundreds of people visit his Delhi residence. He questioned how he can be held responsible for the activities of visitors. Singh said on Sunday that the accused, Ritesh Pandey, who is out on bail, had told investigators that he and Vinod Sharma, who has been issued a notice by the police, purchased a mobile phone from a shop in Delhi’s Karol Bagh on the instructions of Prajwal Prasad and handed it over to him at Ku m a r a sw a m y ’s o f f i c i a l residence. Kumaraswamy denied knowing Pandey or having any association with him. He said that police records show that Pandey was arrested in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh and not from his Delhi residence. “You accused me of having links with the person who circulated the sting operation video. What do you have to say about your links with accused No. 2 in the Prajwal Revanna case? Have the police investigated you,” he asked Shivakumar. CONTINUED ON: P4 ‘Nobody will trust you’: SC rejects govt plea against Vedanta arbitration awards S U CHI T RA KALYA N M OHA N T Y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the Centre’s appeal against the enforcement of two foreign arbitral awards in favour of mining major Vedanta and Ravva Oil (Singapore), questioning the government’s resistance and warning that prolonged litigation will undermine global trust in India’s arbitration framework. “Nobody will trust you,” a bench of justices J B Pardiwala and Manmohan said while rejecting the Centre’s appeal against the Delhi High Court’s July 1 order allowing the enforcement of the 2004 and 2016 Kuala Lumpur awards involving claims of $99 million. Criticising the Centre’s reluctance to accept the award, the bench asked: “What are these arguments? You are frustrating an arbitral award... at the stage of enforcement?” The bench said it found no error in the HC ruling, which had rejected the Centre’s objections to the awards. The dispute traces its origins to a 1994 production-sharing contract between the Union government and a consortium comprising ONGC, Videocon Petroleum, Ravva Oil and Cairn Energy, whose interest passed to Cairn India and then to Vedanta for the development of Ravva oilfield in the Krishna-Godavari basin. Following disagreement between the government and the companies over the interpretation of the contract in determining how ONGC’s historic costs should be accounted for, the matter was referred to arbitration in Kuala Lumpur. The bench asked why the matter continued for so long when the first award was in 2004 and final award in 2016. Additional Solicitor General Vikramjit Banerjee appeared for the Centre while Mukul Rohatgi and Akhil Sibal represented Vedanta and others. diwali let-up Green crackers allowed in NCR only on Nov 7, 8 SC warns police officials of contempt action if its orders are not complied with S U CHI T RA KALYA N M OHA N T Y @ New Delhi HOLDING that a complete ban on firecrackers is not only facilitating illegal sale but also preventing people from purchasing legitimate green crackers, the Supreme Court on Monday allowed bursting of green firecrackers in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) from 6 am to 7 am and from 8 to 10 pm on November 7 and 8. Diwali falls on November 8 this year. A bench of justices M M Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale said the complete ban on firecrackers across Delhi-NCR will come back into force from November 9. “No firecrackers shall be burst within a 300-metre radius of hospitals, nursing homes, primary and district health centres, old-age homes and notified silence zones. These areas, along with educational institutions, will be declared No-Cracker Zones and appropriately marked and publicised,” the court said. The bench clarified that only green fireThis court is short crackers certified by NEERI and PESO of adequate data to decide whether will be allowed in Delhi-NCR on the peror not a complete mitted days and time slot. Observing that ban would be the bursting firecrackers would certainly best solution to cause pollution, the bench said the right solve the problem of an individual to engage in a particular of pollution caused practice, which may have a religious colby firecrackers our, is only a qualified one and cannot go Supreme Court beyond the constitutional restrictions. “Though imposition of a blanket ban seems to be the ideal solution, we are of the opinion that this court, at this point in time, is short of adequate data to decide whether or not a complete ban would be the best solution to solve the problem of environmental pollution, caused by bursting firecrackers,” the bench said in its October 29 order which was published on Monday . On the safety aspect, the court said boxes containing green crackers must be completely sealed to ensure that they are not mixed with any unauthorised or conventional firecrackers, and that there shall be no manufacture or sale of firecrackers joined in series (‘ladis’) and garlands. The court directed the Delhi Police, Uttar Pradesh Police, Haryana Police and district administrations in NCR to ensure strict compliance. It warned officials of contempt action if its directions are not complied with. Milk price hike sours the Karnataka has its own amphibian, Malabar Tree Toad, first in country cuppa for consumers @Bengaluru I’ve asked officials to reduce curd prices, says CM B o s k y K h a nn a @ Bengaluru A routine start to the day and an evening break has become dearer for consumers with the hike in milk prices prompting hotels and tea shops in Bengaluru to increase the cost of tea and coffee by Rs 3 to Rs 5, depending on the establishment. Hotel owners had indicated that the rising input prices and operating costs could lead to a 15-20% increase in the prices of food and beverages including coffee and tea. “After the price hike, I have observed that tea and coffee appear to have become less milky and more watery in spite of paying more now. For someone who drinks one cup a day, the monthly expenditure on tea and coffee Amid widespread anger against a steep hike in milk and curd prices, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Monday said he has asked the authorities to reduce curd prices. But he did not say what the reduction would be. alone could mean an additional Rs 150,” said regular tea consumer, Richard Rodrigues. “We understand that hotel owners are facing higher costs, but consumers are also dealing with rising prices of many essential commodities. We have no relief whatsoever because once prices are increased, they are seldom reduced even if the costs contributing to the hike come down,” said Harshitha M, a corporate employee.  P2 Karnataka has become the first state in the country to have an officially declared state amphibian. The Karnataka Forest, Ecology and Environment Department signed the orders on October 27 and declared Malabar Tree Toad (Malenadina Mara Gantikappe) the state amphibian. Though the decision to declare Malabar Tree Toad and Apis cerana (Asiatic honeybee) the state amphibian and honeybee was taken in May 2026 during the International Biodiversity Day celebrations, the order on the amphibian came only recently . The order stated that the species has been chosen because of its uniqueness as it is found E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e only in the Western Ghats. It is also an important indicator species for the health of the evergreen forests of the state. It is also the only toad species in the world which can climb trees and the only amphibian species to be listed under Schedule 141 homes, 282 kW, zero rupees in electricity bill India’s first full solar village E J A Z KAIS E R @ Raipur FOR as long as anyone in Khaira can remember, the monthly power bill sat on the kitchen shelf next to rice, medicines and grocery, competing for the same few rupees. This year, that bill lost its place. The tiny village in Chhattisgarh’s Rajnandgaon district is now India’s first to cover every household with rooftop solar under the ‘PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana’, officials said. All 141 homes now carry a 2 kW solar rooftop system, adding up to nearly 282 kW of clean energy capacity for its 889 residents. The villagers paid nothing. Central and state subsidies met the base cost, and corporate social responsibility funds covered the rest, ensuring zero out-of-pocket expenditure for the residents. “Khaira’s families have transitioned from passive, grid-dependent consumers into selfreliant urjadatas (energ y Chhattisgarh hamlet Khaira is India’s first 100% solar village | Express producers) who feed their surplus power back into the utility grid. The shift represents not just lower utility metres, but an empowering psychological pivot where clean technology is no longer an urban luxury but an , integral part of everyday rural domestic life,” Rajnandgaon Collector Jitendra Yadav told this newspaper. Sarpanch Bhupendra Yadav said rooftop solar has mostly reached city dwellers who can handle paperwork. Khaira, he said, put the most vulnerable households first. Of 141 homes, 93 are PMAY-G houses that got solar from day one. For those on fixed incomes, the change is personal. “I live alone and depend on my pension. Now I don’t have to worry about electricity bill,” said Shohgil Gond, a widow. 11 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The distribution of the species is extensive compared to many other rare and endemic species. “Considering all the ecological biodiversity conser, vation and cultural aspects, the Malabar Tree Toad is officially declared as the State Amphibian of Karnataka,” the order stated. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Wildlife, Kumar Pushkar said the orders have been officially signed. Though Kerala announced Purple Frog (locally known as Mahabali or pig-nosed frog) as its state amphibian, it has not been officially declared, making the Malabar Tree Toad the first amphibian in the country to claim the honour.  P6 File photo Iran’s offer to reopen Strait, U.S. talks Iran moots two-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume nuclear talks with the US, shortening a process originally expected to take seven days | P14 Pilot rule: Char Dham chopper ops suspended S LALI T HA @ New Delhi THE ongoing face-off between chartered flight operators in Uttarakhand and the aviation regulator over the co-pilot rule resulted in cancellation of all 40 Char Dham trips scheduled for Monday upsetting the travel , plans of 250 pilgrims. With no breakthrough emerging in the talks between the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the private operators on the new rule of two pilots per aircraft, the operators have decided to cancel chopper services for the rest of the season, which ends on November 7. A reputed operator, speaking on behalf of the 13 operators who run these trips, told TNIE: “The DGCA held a virtual meet with all of us on Monday We . reiterated what we had communicated to them earlier that it is not possible logistically or financially to operate every helicopter with two pilots. We made it clear that the operators’ view should have been sought before taking such a decision.” He added that a collective decision has been taken by all operators to suspend all Char Dham trips. An average of 40 trips are operated per day with six passengers accommodated per aircraft. “We will be cancelling all the trips and reimbursing the fare to the passengers though we will incur huge losses,” the operator said. The aerial pilgrim trip begins at the Sahastradhara helipad in Dehradun and covers Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. It begins annually either in the last week of April or the first week of May and continues till June 25. After shutting down during the rainy season, it restarts by midSeptember and continues till the first week of November. 80 yrs after I-Day, no freedom from darkness for this village T U SHAR A M A J U KAR @ Belagavi In an age when smartphones, internet connectivity, television and all-weather roads have become part of everyday life, around 175 people living in Gawali Wada, a remote hamlet under the Golyali Gram Panchayat in Khanapur taluk, continue to live without even the most basic amenities. For the 20 families here, life remains a daily struggle, with no electricity mobile network, , television connectivity or proper road linking their settlement to the outside world. Even after nearly eight decades of Independence, electricity has not reached this hamlet fringed by forests. As darkness descends every evening, residents are forced to manage their daily activities without power or proper lighting, while remaining largely disconnected from the outside world. CONTINUED ON: P7