The editorial Page: The Ai challenge: How to maximise economic impact, spread gains evenly 8 MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2026 JournAlism of CourAge MuMBaI, LATE CItY, 18 pageS ₹5.00 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 reG.no. mcs/067/2018 - 20 rni reGn. no. 1543/57 delHi PrOTeSTS: SC iSSUeS nOTiCeS TO CenTre, POliCe, dMrC, SayS PriMa faCie CaSe Of COnTeMPT SC: Ensure no illegal detentions, restore Metro, internet services In special sitting, Bench underlines law and order conditions for lifting of curbs Pratip acharya MUMBAI’s gyMKhAnAs on government land may soon have to pay market-rate rent, revised every five years, and a minimum licence fee of rs 1.5 lakh for every event they host, a state committee has proposed.Thepanelalsowantsthe government to be able to hold its own programmes on the premises, use the grounds during disasters or elections, and open the clubs to people who aren’t members, The Indian express has learned. The recommendations follow six months of inspections that,sourcessaid,found“illegal construction” at several clubs andbanquets,concertsandcon- ananthakrishnan G »COnTinUed On PaGe 2 The ediTorial page BARRIcAdEs And dEtEntIons do not foRtIfy thE EcI PAGE 8 inside PAGE 4 300 PRotEstERs dEtAInEd At shIvAjI PARk In MuMBAI 115 143 178 77 Panel proposes Mumbai gymkhanas pay market rent, open doors to non-members Mumbai, October 11 New Delhi, October 11 AMID The ongoing protests in the Capital, the supreme Court on sunday directed the authorities to ensure that there are no illegal detentions, free and smooth movement of people is allowed, Metro and train services function normally, and internet services are not disrupted — all subject to law and order conditions. A bench of Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana held a special sitting to hear petitions challenging the restrictions put in place on saturday, allegedly in contempt of the court's directions on Friday to ensure there is “no complete prohibition on movement of Metro/ trains”, and the detention of protesters including political leaders. saying that there was a prima facie contempt case, the bench issued notices to the Centre, Delhi Police and the Delhi Metro rail Corporation (DMrC) to file affidavits and submit compliance reports. "having considered the submissionsofthelearnedcounsel for the parties and perused the avermentsinthecontemptpetition, we are of the opinion that the petitioners have made out a prima facie case. Accordingly, weissuenoticeuponthealleged contemnors. They are directed to file counter affidavit to the said petition, including a compliance report in terms of our orderasaforesaidby13.10.2026," the bench said in its order. The bench directed that in the interim, “Metro and rail facilities shall function normally until and unless regulations express special cPi(m)’s rajya sabha member John Brittas being detained at connaught Place in new delhi on sunday. gajendra Yadav CJP leaders released, CJI says no to Cong to seek new date for meeting request, Opp Jantar Mantar protest to march to SC today asad rehman & ananthakrishnan G New Delhi, October 11 cJP founder abhijeet dipke after his release in new delhi, sunday. ap alok Singh & nirbhay Thakur New Delhi, October 11 TheCoCKroAChJantaParty (CJP) leadership said on sunday that its protests would continue across the country until their demands are met, mainly the resignation of Chief election Commissioner gyanesh Kumar over the special Intensiverevision(sIr)ofelectoral rolls. The call for continuing the protest was made after CJP’s three top leaders — Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh ranka and saurav Das — were released from police custody on sunday morning,around24hoursafter beingheldunderpreventivearrest ahead of the protest they had called on saturday. on sunday night, the CJP announced in a post on X that ranka, Das and other CJP »COnTinUed On PaGe 2 The Congress on sunday called for a march to the supreme Court on Monday afternoon to meet Chief Justice of India (CJI) surya Kant and submit a memorandum to him amid protests demanding the resignation of Chief election Commissioner (CeC) gyanesh Kumar. The CJI, however, declinedtherequestforameeting. In his reply to the opposition party, the CJI raised four points, it is learnt. First, he said that the grievances the opposition was seeking to raise, including the issue of special Intensive revision (sIr) of electoral rolls and those related to the CeC, were pending before the court. second, the CJI is learnt to have pointed out that in the Constitutional scheme, the court does not have the powers to take cognizanceofsuchgrievancesonthe “administrative side”. After crackdown, Delhi eases curbs, over 500 detained in ‘flash protests’ CPI(M) MP John Brittas detained, says security personnel assaulted him Pragynesh, drishti Jain, Sakshi Chand, abhimanyu Hazarika & Mishal Mussaddique New Delhi, October 11 A DAy after Delhi Police and Centralforceslaunchedalarge- scale crackdown on the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) protestdemandingtheresignation of Chief election Commissioner gyanesh Kumar, restrictions in the Capital were slightly eased sunday, with metro services resuming and The CJI told the opposition party that the court has the power of judicial review under Article 32 and other powers, and that if any petition highlightingthesegrievancesisfiled on Monday, it will be taken up for hearing the following day, when the already pending matters are listed for hearing. he also reiterated the court’s commitment to protecting the fundamental rights of citizens and that its doors were always open to them. hours earlier, Leader of opposition(LoP)rahulgandhiissued a “Chalo Dilli” call, urging students,civilsocietyorganisations,andoppositionpartiesto join a march to the supreme Court, where an opposition delegation was supposed to meet the CJI. The march is scheduled to begin at 1.30 pm from the Connaught Place-Barakhamba road junction and end at the supreme Court, around 2 km away. In a video message, gandhi »COnTinUed On PaGe 2 Business as usual By EP UNNY internet restrictions lifted. however, groups of five or more people continued to face detention in central Delhi, which remains under prohibitory orders, even as some protestersstagedsmaller“flash protests”atvariouslocationsin the late afternoon. Around 30,000 police personnel, supported by 200 companies of paramilitary forces, »COnTinUed On PaGe 2 committee wants a minimum fee of rs 1.5 lakh for every event and the right for the govt to use the grounds for its own programmes. fIle ferences held without the district collector’s knowledge. The committee submitted its factfinding report to the state revenue department last month. Thesuggestionscomeamid abroaderdebateovertheuseof publicly owned land by elite clubs and gymkhanas. In May, Land and Development office of the the Union Ministry of housing and Urban Affairs asked the century-old Delhi »COnTinUed On PaGe 2 PM: Govts kept changing, my resolve to help TN unbroken arun Janardhanan Chennai, October 11 ProMIsIng CenTrAL support to help Tamil nadu reach “newheights”onwhathecalled a“historicday”,PrimeMinister narendra Modi on sunday inaugurated and laid foundation stones for infrastructure projectsworthmorethanrs13,000 crore in the state, including the first operational stretch of Chennai Metro rail’s Phase II. »COnTinUed On PaGe 2 Prime minister narendra modi and Tamil nadu cm c Joseph Vijay take a metro ride in chennai, sunday. anI Riyadh airport attack: One Indian killed, 10 others injured; Govt says ‘unacceptable’ AnInDIAnnationalwaskilled and 10 others were injured in the missile attack on riyadh’s international airport on saturday, the Indian embassy said. Condemning the attack, India on sunday said it was “completely unacceptable”. While the government is yet to identify the victim, The Indian Express has learnt that he wasaresidentofhyderabad,and was part of a 13-member group thathadgoneforUmrah.Apart of the airport’s roof fell on him duringtheattack,saidarelative. his family members are reported to be among those injured. A day after the attack in which 12 others were killed and over300injured,yemen’sIranbacked houthis claimed responsibility, and also warned airlines, travellers and airport workers to stay away from airports in saudi Arabia. hours later, the saudi-led lCanadian Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu will visit India with a delegation of 300 members, seeking to boost ties. Track These and more on www.indianexpress.com The world Shubhajit roy & nikhila Henry New Delhi, Hyderabad, October 11 happening today explained home to more than 2.7 million Indians P 14 RussIA, ukRAInE hAvE REAchEd EnERGy cEAsEfIRE AGREEMEnt: tRuMP The Indian community in Saudi Arabia numbers around 2.74 million, including skilled and semi-skilled professionals. Since the start of the West Asia war, India has issued statements condemning attacks on civilian targets. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also spoken to Saudi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salcoalitioninyemensaidan“unidentified projectile” had targeted riyadh’s international airport on sunday too. It said saudi air defences had interceptedacruisemissileinthevicinity of the airport. Meanwhile, Us President Donald Trump said Washington was considering joining »COnTinUed On PaGe 2 ‘Ready to engage with India on even keel... must pass through intersection of dignity and shared benefits’ M riaz HaMidUllaH HIgH CoMMISSIoner, BangladeSH PAGE 13 l Toddler dauGhTer of The 31-year-old was raPed and murdered in Pune A father’s anguish resonates on streets with play on women safety, reporting crime Chandan Haygunde ranAjunKiti(how many more cases like nasrapur) was performedrecentlybeforeganpati “Is IT my fault that I am a girl?”, Mandals in the city during the asks a rape victim, as people ganesh festival. around her rain questions At the end, Kulkarni comes down on her: “What were you ontothestageforafewminutes wearing?, “Who will marry you to speak to the audience about now?”.... Finally, she breaks being cautious regarding the down: “he (the rapist) hurt my criminal elements in their surbody, but society is roundings. hurting my heart.” But, as much as it page 1 This is a scene is about the safety of from a patha natya girls and preventing (street play) concepsexual violence tualisedbyshubhamKulkarni, against them, Kulkarni tells 31, the father of a 3-year-old girl The Indian Express, “The play who was raped and murdered sends the message that society this year in Pune. The 12-min- should not view the victim and uteplaytitledNasrapurPrakaher family negatively. It is Pune, October 11 anchor wrong to question the victim for the crime committed by the rapist.” The younger daughter of Kulkarni, who works as a priest and lives in Pune, was sexually assaulted and killed on May 1, 2026, while away at her grandmother’shouseinnasrapurvillage in Pune district, leading to widespread public outrage. The accused, 65-year-old Bhimrao Kamble with a previouscriminalrecord,wastried and convicted by a fast-track court. on June 29, the court awardedKambledeathpenalty under sections of the Bns and PoCso Act. Kulkarni, whose elder SpeCIal arrangeMent The play was staged during the Ganesh festival in Pune recently daughter is 7, says while he was satisfied with the court order, the incident again highlighted the issue of safety of women. With that in mind, he started a charitablefoundationinhisdeceased daughter’s name. Around the same period, filmmaker Pramod Prabhulkar, who runs the Miracles Academy of Arts and Media, got in touch with the family, offering support for their legal battle. Prabhulkar’s Marathi film YouthTube, released in 2019, wasbasedonsimilarissuessurrounding rape. on september 12, Kulkarni asked Prabhulkar what he thought about performing a street play to highlight what he felt about his daughter’s death. Prabhulkarofferedhissupport. Prabhulkar told TheIndian Express: “It was my duty to standwithafatherwhohadlost his daughter to such a serious crime. When I spoke to my team,15youngartistscameforward voluntarily to act in the play.” While Mitali Patwardhan preparedthescript,shreyasIndapur directed it. The play had its first performance on september 22 at the reputed Kasba ganpati Mandal in Pune, followedby10otherganeshMandals across the city. shravani Mohite, an engin- eer employed with a corporate company who calls acting her “passion”, performed the lead role. “When I heard about the play, I wanted to be a part of it because, like every other girl, I have faced such untoward experiences. Through the play, I wanted to contribute to the cause of women’s safety. The response from the audience has been overwhelming. hundredsofdevoteesgathered at ganesh Mandals saw the play. Many were left in tears,” says Mohite. Kulkarni points out that the play urges people not to hide incidentsofsexualabusebutto »COnTinUed On PaGe 2 Mumbai