THURSDAY 26 FEBRUARY, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard UKRAINE ATTACK ON RUSSIAN PLANT KILLS SEVEN BSNL director Vivek Banzal is in the line of fire for making ‘absurd’ demands linked to his proposed Prayagraj trip. He now faces a show-cause notice Wanted snan kits for a dip at the sangam A Ukrainian drone attack on a fertiliser plant in Russia’s western Smolensk region killed seven people and wounded 10 others, Russian officials said A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 Banzal sought six male and two female snan kits for a dip at the Sangam, including towels, undergarments, slippers, combs, mirrors, soap, shampoo and oil along with a bed sheet for general use at the ghat. Hotel and Circuit House arrangements included toiletries, shaving kits, dry fruits, fruit bowls and towels. He also wanted a boat ride and visits to a few temples | P8 NCERT to rewrite Terror anywhere threatens peace judiciary chapter everywhere, Modi tells Knesset after SC rebuke Says India’s connection to Israel is written in blood and sacrifice; calls for diplomacy, peace S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y & S L A L I T H A @ New Delhi into Chapter No 4, entitled ‘The Role of Judiciary in our Society’... The aforesaid error is T H E S u p r e m e C o u r t o n purely unintentional and Wednesday took suo motu cog- NCERT regrets the inclusion nizance of the controversial of inappropriate material in chapter on ‘judicial corruption’ the said chapter,” it said, addin NCERT’s Class 8 social sci- ing there was no intent to quesence book and expressed its tion or diminish the authority strong displeasure, forcing the of any constitutional body . body to issue an apology and ofIt clarified that the chapter fering to rewrite the would be rewritten contentious text. “with consultation A three-judge bench from the appropriate comprising Chief Jusauthority” and the retice Surya Kant and vised book would be j u s t i c e s Jo y m a l ya m a d e ava i l abl e t o Bagchi and Vipul M students. Pancholi listed the mat- Book flags On Tuesday the book , ter for Thursday after was removed from sales backlog senior advocates Kapil by the Publications DiThe chapter Sibal and Abhishek vision of NCERT. An pegs the Singhvi mentioned the official said the online number of matter for urgent version was yet to be pending cases uploaded. consideration. “This seems to be a in the Supreme The controversy was Court at very calculated and over a section in the deep-rooted measure,” 81,000, in high text book on ‘corrupcourts at the CJI said. tion in the judiciary’ in Justice Bagchi ob- 62.4 lakh, and a chapter titled The role served that the book in district and of the judiciary in our subordinate seems to go against the society. While explaincourts at basic structure of the ing the concept of judi4.7 crore Constitution. cial accountability, it Following the SC’s notes that judges are strong remarks, the NCERT bound by a code of conduct that held a high-level meeting on requires them to remain fair Wednesday evening, which and impartial and maintain inwent on till midnight. After the tegrity in their professional marathon meeting, it issued a and personal lives. statement late in the night, When these standards are apologising for the “inappro- not upheld, the chapter said priate textual material” and its that the judiciary has internal “error of judgement”. mechanisms to ensure account“It has been observed that ability It also mentions that in . certain inappropriate textual serious cases, judges can be rematerial and error of judge- moved by Parliament through ment have inadvertently crept impeachment. J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday reiterated India’s strategic partnership with Israel in an address to the Knesset and said “India’s connection to Israel is written in blood and sacrifice” and “nothing can justify terrorism.” Becoming the first Indian PM to address the Israeli parliament, Modi framed India-Israel ties through the lens of shared security challenges and historical bonds. Recalling that more than 4,000 Indian soldiers laid down their lives in the region during World War I, he said the relationship was rooted in “blood and sacrifice”, not merely diplomacy . In a direct reference to the October 7 Hamas assault and the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Modi drew parallels between the two nations’ experiences. “We feel your pain. We share your grief. India stands with Israel firmly , with full conviction, in this moment and beyond,” he said. “No cause can justify the murder of civilians. Nothing can justify terrorism,” Modi asserted, underlining India’s “consistent ‘AMBITIOUS’ FTA TALKS ON: PM Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, as Speaker Amir Ohana looks on, in Jerusalem on Wednesday | SHLOMI AMSALEM and uncompromising policy of zero tolerance for terrorism, with no double standards.” He warned that terrorism seeks “to destabilise societies, block development and erode trust,” adding that “countering terrorism requires sustained and coordinated global action, because terror anywhere threatens peace everywhere.” Even as he struck a hard line on terror, Modi balanced his remarks with a call for diplomacy . “The road to peace is not always H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ Chandigarh AI-powered surveillance to guard borders NIA arrests 2 in Red Fort blast case from J&K S U M I T K U M A R S I N G H @ New Delhi THE National Investigation Agency (NIA) has nabbed two more terror operatives allegedly involved in the Red Fort blast case, taking the total number of arrests to 11. The two have been identified as Zameer Ahmad Ahangar of Ganderbal and Tufail Ahmad Bhat of Srinagar in J&K. They had supplied weapons to the prime accused, investigations by the NIA have said. At least 11 people were killed and several injured in the blast that shook the national capital on November 10, 2025. The sucide bomber Umar Un Nabi was also killed in the blast. The NIA, which has been investigating the case to unveil the conspiracy behind the dastardly act, has found Zameer Ahmad and Tufail Ahmad to be over ground workers (OGWs) of the Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH) terror outfit. The NIA, which has been working in coordination with J&K Police, Haryana Police and other investigation agencies, has revealed that Zameer and Tufail were also a part of other terror conspiracies. They were engaged in the collection of arms and ammunition. DIRTY MONEY Vigilance officials count seized currency notes following a raid at the residence of Deputy Director of Mines Debabrata Mohanty (inset) in connection with a bribery case, in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday. Over `4 crore in cash was recovered | EXPRESS | P5 HC seeks DU reply on protest ban plea U D AYA N K I S H O R E @ New Delhi THE Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought responses from Delhi Police and Delhi University on a plea challenging the latter’s notification banning protests and public meetings across the varsity and its campuses in the national capital for a month. The plea contends that the blanket prohibition violates fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution. It argues that the university order Elevated to a strategic partnership in 2017, India–Israel relations have expanded significantly in defence, technology, cybersecurity and innovation. Modi’s visit — his second as PM — comes amid heightened regional tensions, reinforcing converging geopolitical interests and deepening security cooperation between the two countries. The Knesset conferred the ‘Speaker of the Knesset Medal’, its highest honour, on Modi. HP police register FIR against Delhi cops over ‘abducting’ IYC workers EXPRESS READ The Border Security Force is integrating Smart Border Observation and Monitoring System in the existing infrastructure across international borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh. The AI-based system, which targets intrusion detection, traffic analysis, and AI processing for other sensor data, is aimed at securing borders with real-time intelligence while reducing human-intensive monitoring. The blueprint for this nextgeneration surveillance system was finalised in December 2025. | P7 easy but India joins you and the , world for dialogue, peace and stability in this region,” he said, expressing support for efforts that could lead to a durable peace, including in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the visit as historic, calling the partnership “an enormous multiplier of our individual powers”. Terming Modi as “a great friend to Israel,” he said their deep personal rapport reflected the strength of bilateral ties. Modi outlined plans to broaden the economic pillar of the partnership, including talks on an “ambitious” FTA. “We are committed to expanding trade, strengthening investment flows, and promoting joint infra development.” Referring to the Bilateral Investment Treaty signed last year, he said it would “provide confidence, predictability to our businesses” is disproportionate and creates a “chilling effect” on academic discourse and freedom. Justice Jasmeet Singh issued notice on a PIL filed by Udhay Bhadoriya, a student of Delhi University’s Law Faculty. It challenges the February 17 notification issued by the Office of the Proctor prohibiting public meetings, processions, demonstrations and any peaceful assembly of five or more persons across university campuses and affiliated colleges. According to the petition, the decision followed clashes during recent student unrest over the UGC equity guidelines. The bench initially noted that the petitioner had not made the Delhi Police a party to the case, despite the force having imposed Section 144 of the CrPC, which prohibits unlawful assemblies of more than five people. The court subsequently added the Delhi Police as a respondent. “The petition may be treated as a PIL and subject to completion of formalities, list this matter before the Chief Justice on March 10,” the bench said. HIGH drama unfolded in Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday after a team of Delhi Police that reached Shimla to arrest three Youth Congress leaders was detained by the Himachal Pradesh Police. Later, an FIR was filed against “unidentified individuals in plain clothes” on charges of abduction and for not informing the local police. According to sources, around 20 Delhi Police personnel wanted to arrest Youth Congress leaders from Rohru in connection with a protest held during the AI summit in New Delhi. After taking them into custody , the Delhi Police headed for the national capital. However, near Dharampur in Solan district, the Himachal Police intercepted and allegedly detained them. The Delhi Police personnel, along with the three Youth Congress leaders, were brought back to Shimla and presented before a local court in the afternoon. Sources said the Delhi Police produced documents related to the case registered in Delhi, including the arrest memo. The team reportedly informed the court that the three leaders would be produced before a Del- hi court. The Himachal Police, however, maintained that they had not been informed. The situation escalated when the Delhi Police accused the Himachal Police of interfering in their official duty The local . court eventually allowed the Delhi Police team to take the three leaders to Delhi for production before the competent court there. Late in the evening, as the Delhi Police team was again heading back to the national capital, they were stopped a second time—this time at Shoghi. They were informed that an FIR had been registered against them on charges of abducting three persons and that they would have to join the investigation. Till the time of going to the press, both Himachal and Delhi police personnel were holding a meeting at Shoghi. Solar cells to face 126% anti-subsidy duty in US P U S H P I TA D E Y @ New Delhi THE US has imposed a countervailing duty of 126% on imports of solar cells and modules from India, alleging that Indian manufacturers benefit from significant government subsidies. Similar duties have been levied on Indonesia and Laos. Countervailing duties, also known as anti-subsidy duties, are tariffs imposed to offset the harmful effects of foreign government subsidies on imported goods. The decision follows an investigation by the US International Trade Commission, which found that subsidised imports were causing material injury to domestic producers. In parallel, the US Department of Commerce is conducting anti-dumping duty investigations into solar cell imports. As part of the investigation, the department selected two Adani Group entities—Mundra Solar Energy and Mundra Solar PV— as mandatory respondents. The case turned more adverse after both companies withdrew from the investigation and did not provide complete responses. “This level of countervailing duty will effectively shut the US market for Indian solar panel exports. That is typically the outcome when the US imposes anti-dumping or countervailing duties—exports of the affected product from the targeted country become commercially unviable,” said Abhijit Das, former head of the Centre for WTO Studies at IIFT. In 2025, India exported solar panels worth $1.2 billion to the US. COUPLE ARRESTED FOR RACIALLY ABUSING ARUNACHAL WOMEN A Delhi court on Wednesday sent a couple held on the charge of hurling racial slurs at three northeastern women to 14 days of judicial custody after their arrest. Police have invoked SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in the case | P4 TODAY’S MATCH 7pm: India vs Zimbabwe (Chennai) KARNATAKA VS J&K Cricket caught at silly point: Headbutting makes headline in Ranji final F I R O Z M I R Z A @ Chennai TV grab of the headbutting incident involving Paras Dogra and KV Aneesh during the Ranji Trophy final between Karnataka and J&K on Wednesday | X HEADBUTTING is relatively unknown in cricket. An act immortalised by one of the geniuses of world football — Zinedine Zidane, found its way on to the cricket ground in Hubballi. Kar nataka’s batter K V Aneesh was born in 2001, the same year when domestic veteran Paras Dogra made his first-class debut. Almost 25 years later, the two crossed paths at the grandest stage of the domestic cricket—Ranji Trophy final — with the 41-yearold Dogra headbutting Aneesh on Day 2 with his team, Jammu and Kashmir posting 527/6. The incident took place during the 101st over of the innings when Dogra awkwardly fended off a rising delivery from India pacer Prasidh Krishna. Soon after, he rushed towards Aneesh, who was stationed in as a close in fielder and headbutted him though gently Aneesh was also . wearing a helmet. Karnataka’s experienced batter Mayank Agarwal also got involved with Dogra. Kar nataka captain Devdutt Padikkal deciding to talk to the umpires. Apparently , Aneesh was commenting on the veteran’s batting despite him scoring more than 10,000 runs in his career. The J&K skipper tried to downplay the incident saying it wasn’t a big thing after the day’s play while the on-field drama brought back memories of the past to team’s head coach Ajay Sharma. “It was just in the little heat of the moment. Not a big thing. Yeah, it is all settled now. That’s (a hot day) a different thing and it was momentary. We started talking and chatting after that so it’s all well,” Dogra told reporters. He is set to be penalised by BCCI. Former India all-rounder Sharma witnessed the scuffle from the sidelines when a past incident crossed his mind. It involved West Zone pacer Rashid Patel who chased North Zone opener Raman Lamba with a stump in his hand following an on-field altercation in 1990-91 Duleep Trophy final.