The Editorial Page: Bringing back Indian-origin faculty will need changes in policy, culture 8 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2025 JOURNALISm of COURAGE LUCKNOW, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES ₹6.00 l www.indianexpress.com DA I LY F R O M : A H M E DA B A D , C H A N D I GA R H , D E L H I , j A I P U R , KO L K ATA , L U C K N O W , M U M B A I , N AG P U R , PAT N A , P U N E , VA D O DA R A Ahmedabad to host 2030 CWG; ready to welcome world, says PM India to push for yoga as medal sport; badminton, hockey, wrestling, T20 cricket and shooting may see return HEARINg ON PlEAS CHAllENgINg S.I.R. We, the People of India ● TEN Of INDIA'S recent ICC Women's World Cup winners — including player of the tournament Deepti Sharma and breakout stars Sree Charani and Kranti Gaud — are in the pool for the Women's Premier League mega auction which starts at 3.30 pm. Business as Usual By EP UNNY SC ORdERS HER RETURN FROM BANgLAdESH, CLOCk TICkS FOR PREgNANT SUNALI kHATUN New Delhi, November 26 ON NOVEMBER 20, the Supreme Court accepted the recommendations of a Union Environment Ministry panel on the definition of Aravalli Hills ostensibly to restrict mining: any landform that is at an elevation of 100 m or more above the local relief will be considered as part of Aravalli Hills along with its slopes and adjacent land. What the panel did not mention is that by this definition,morethan90%oftheAravali Hills will not be counted as Aravallianymoreandbepotentially open to mining and construction with severe environmental ramifications, including the quality of air in the National Capital Region. New Delhi, November 26 A TWO-JUDGE bench of the Supreme Court Wednesday red-flagged what it called a “growingtrendin”thetopcourt “of verdicts pronounced by Judges,whetherstillinofficeor not and irrespective of the time lapse since pronounced, being overturned by succeeding benches or specially constituted benches at the behest of some party aggrieved by the verdicts prior in point of time” and said this “would undermine” the “court’s authority”. Observing that “in the »CONTINUED ON PAgE 2 ArAVAllIhIlls INrAjAsThAN ● Above 100m E. EXPlAINED Why it matters for NCR pollution Source: FSI analyses of data, data from 15 districts As air pollution tightens its chokehold on Delhi, the contribution of the Aravallis assumes importance. While the upper Aravalli is an important barrier to finer pollutants like PM2.5, the lower hills block heavier sand particles. Together, they also function as key wildlife corridors between protected areas, such as Sariska and Ranthambhore. For, as per an internal assessment by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), reviewed by The IndianExpress, barely 1,048, or just8.7%,of12,081AravalliHills 20morhigher,spreadacross15 districts in Rajasthan, are 100 m or more in height. The 20m height cut-off is crucial for a hill'sfunctionasawindbarrier. Aravalli extends from Delhi in the north to Gujarat in the south through Haryana and Rajasthan. Rajasthan accounts for nearly two-thirds of the moun- 8.7% ≤100m 1,048 Jay Mazoomdaar SC frowns on ‘growing trend’ of own benches reversing Court orders Ananthakrishnan g ● exclusive ≤80m 1,594 THE CONgRESS’S TOP leadership will meet in the Capital to review the party’s recent Bihar poll debacle. The party won only six Assembly seats, down from 19 in 2020. ● EXPrEss ≤60m 2,656 PAgE 7 Can intruder with Aadhaar be allowed to vote, asks SC If case made out, can always direct ECI to extend draft roll publication Forest Survey of India underlined importance of lower hills as barriers to sand, deadline, says CJI-led bench dust flowing east; Secretary says SC appreciated panel’s recommendations 5,009 INsIDE Forest Survey had red-flagged but Govt took green shield off 90% Aravalli Hills ≤40m happening today »CONTINUED ON PAgE 2 REASON: ITS NEw 100-METRE HEIgHT CUTOff fOR DEfININg ARAVAllI HIllS 12,081 WITH THE Commonwealth Sport’s General Assembly in Glasgow on Wednesday formally confirming Ahmedabad as the venue of the 2030 Commonwealth Games, India is likely to push for the inclusion of yoga as a medal sport at the centenary edition. Indian officials said they were "well-prepared" to deliver a controversy-free Games, unlike the 2010 edition in New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post on X, said: “Delighted that India has won the bid to host the Centenary Commonwealth Games 2030. Con- gratulations to the people of India and the sporting ecosystem. It is our collective commitment and spirit of sportsmanship that has placed India firmly on the global sporting map... We look forward to welcoming the world”. India would “prefer” that the event be held in October 2030, Ashwini Kumar, principal secretary, Gujarat government, said, adding that the exact dates would be worked out closely with Commonwealth Sport. As the host, India can propose up to two new or traditional sports. An official from the Indian delegation said one of the sports identified is yoga. ≤20m Mumbai, November 26 1,07,494 Mihir Vasavda Up to 20m The Indian delegation in Glasgow included Gujarat Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi and IOA president PT Usha. IOA/GUjARAT GOVERNMENT President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President C P Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Union Ministers J P Nadda and Kiren Rijiju, and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge read the Preamble during Constitution Day celebrations at Central Hall on Wednesday. PTI REPORT, PAGE 6 tain range. For decades, the hills have been under severe pressure from mining, both legal and illegal, and other development activities such as construction. Last year, the SC had asked the government to come up with an uniform definition of the Aravalli. While the FSI has been using a 3-degree slope yardstick to define Aravalli Hills since 2010, a technical committee formed for the purpose in 2024 modified the benchmark and proposed to identify as Aravalli Hills any landformwithaslopeofatleast 4.57 degrees and a height of at least 30m. These yardsticks would effectively cover upto 40% of the Aravallis. Yet, the ministry prescribed the 100-m definition to the SC in an unsigned report as part of its affidavit. It also conflated slope and height parameters to justify the new definition, proposed subjective height »CONTINUED ON PAgE 2 BEATING INDIA in India in Test cricket used to be a career goal,adreamformostoverseas teams.The‘finalfrontier’asthe Australian great Baggy Greener Steve Waugh termed it. Even henevermanagedtobreachthe Gautam Gambhir, Rishabh Pant in Guwahati, on Wednesday. PTI fortress.Thesedays,thatdream is selling free, along with flight ticketstoIndia.First,NewZealand with a 3-0 whitewash late lastyear,withouttheirtalisman Kane Williamson, and now, South Africa, without their lodestar pacer Kagiso Rabada. AndGautamGambhirhasbeen »CONTINUED ON PAgE 2 a particular object and a particular statute. There can’t be any dispute on that.” “Suppose there are persons who intrude from a different country, from neighbouring countries they come to India, they are working in India, staying in India, somebody working as a poor rickshaw-puller, somebody working as a labourer on a construction site, if you issue an Aadhaar card to him so that he can avail benefit of subsidised ration or for any benefit, that’s something part ofourconstitutionalethos,that is our constitutional morality. But does it mean that because he has been given this benefit, he must now be made a voter also?” he said. The CJI made these »CONTINUED ON PAgE 2 SIR supervisor kills self day before wedding, kin allege dismissal threat Lucknow, November 26 Beating India in India used to be a dream, now it is being sold free Sriram Veera AMID THE political debate on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in states, the Supreme Court inquired Wednesday if “intruders” who may have Aadhaar cards to avail social security benefits should also be allowed to vote. Hearing arguments on petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the SIR exercise, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, heading a bench that also had Justice Joymalya Bagchi, said, “Aadhaar card is the creation of a statute (and valid) to the extent that it acknowledges the benefits or privileges based upon it. Nobody can dispute that. After all, anAadhaarcardispreparedfor Bhupendra Pandey 2-0 SERIES lOSS TO SOUTH AfRICA Mumbai, November 26 Ananthakrishnan g New Delhi, November 26 SUDHIR KUMAR, a 35-yearold revenue clerk (lekhpal), allegedly died by suicide at his home in Bindki, in Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur district, on Tuesday, a day before he was to get married. With his relatives alleginghewasthreatenedwith dismissal from service for not completing work as a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) supervisor, police have filed an FIR against senior officials on abetment charges. Sudhir, his family said, belonged to the Dalit community andhadsecuredthejobin2024 after years of struggle – from selling eggs by the roadside to working as an MNREGA worker. OnWednesday,theLekhpal Association staged a protest anddidnotallowpoliceandthe administrationtotakethebody for an autopsy till a case was registered. It also issued a call for a boycott of SIR work from Thursdayunlessactionistaken against those responsible for the death. Hemant Kumar Mishra, SHO of the Bindki police station, confirmed that an FIR has »CONTINUED ON PAgE 2 FOR THE PAST 15 YEARS, VILLAGERS HAVE BEEN ASKING TO BE RELOCATED A boat tragedy later, Bahraich village — cut off by river — to get new address Manish Sahu Bahraichdistrictheadquarters, itisaccessibleonlyviaLakhimpur Kheri or Bahraich after crossing the Kaudiyala and RESIDENTS OF this village on Girwa rivers. The village, however, is the India-Nepal border rarely leavetheirhomes.Theonlyway abouttowitnessamajorchange. After five residents were in and out is via boat, across a river teeming with gharial. The killed when a boat with 22 on settlement is surrounded by board capsized on its way to a water on three sides, the only marketinLakhimpurKheri,UP Chief Minister Yogi land route cutting Adityanath on Nothrough the dense PAGE 1 vember 2 ordered Katarniaghat Wildthat the people of life Sanctuary. It has Bharthapur be relonohospital,nopolice station, and its only school has cated within a month. Approving Rs 21.55 crore for classes up to Grade 5. This is Bharthapur. Located the project, he directed officials about 130 km from the to ensure prompt provision of Bharthapur (Bahraich), November 26 anchor land, housing, and financial assistancetoalldisplacedfamilies. Forresidents,whohadbeen demanding relocation for the past 15 years — meeting forest officials, the Bahraich district administration, and even visiting Lucknow five years ago to hand over an application to an official at the CM’s Janata Darbar — this comes as a welcome development. The Indian Express makes the long journey to Bharthapur to speak to residents about life inthevillageandwhatthedecision means for them. From Bahraich, the journey begins with a three-hour drive, traversing 40 km through the Located near Nepal border, Bharthapur village in Bahraich district is surrounded by water on three sides, and a forest. VISHAL SRIVASTAV dense forests of Katarniaghat. ThecarhaltsattheGhagrariver bank, where a motor boat waits toferryoneacross.Alongthe6km route, gharials and mugger crocodiles can be seen lying on the sandbanks, soaking in the sun,theirscalesshimmeringin the light. Near the village, the Ghagra branches out into the Girwa and Kaudiyala rivers; both rivers originate in Nepal. Soon, thatched huts with solar panels glinting atop rooftops,liningasandybank,come into view. A few residents watch the approaching boat. Inside Bharthapur, it appearstimehasstoodstill.Every house is made of grass and straw, and the only concrete buildingisasmall,single-storey government primary school. There are no concrete roads, justnarrowearthenpaths.Only twosmallshopsservetheentire village of about 600 people — most of them from the Maurya community. At the centre is an openspacewherepeoplegather to celebrate festivals and perform rituals. “Our elders used to say the village was once much bigger,” said 83-year-old Asa Ram, the oldest resident of Bharthapur. “But over the years, the river kept cutting into the land and the village kept shrinking... We don’t remember when we ended up settling deep inside the forests of Katarniaghat.” Government officials said revenue records show the villagehasexistedsincebeforeIndependence. The residents are mostly illiterate, while some have studied only upto Class V at the primary school. They subsist mainlyonfarmingandfishing; the younger generation has moved out to earn a living and send money back home. Doodhnath Maurya (46), who claims he was part of the group who attended the CM’s JanataDarbarinLucknow,said »CONTINUED ON PAgE 2 Lucknow