FRIDAY 27 FEBRUARY, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE RUSSIA-UKRAINE You can now cancel or change air tickets without additional charge within 48 hours of booking, subject to meeting certain conditions AERIAL STRIKE BEFORE US TALKS Russia launched a barrage of 420 drones and 39 missiles at Ukraine, President Zelenskyy said on Thursday, as US and Ukrainian envoys held talks PAGE 9 NO CANCEL FEE FOR AIR TICKETS IN 48 HRS A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Late-night hearing in HC over ‘Kerala Story 2’ release E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Kochi HOURS after a single judge of the Kerala High Court stayed the release of the movie Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond, a division bench held a late-night emergency hearing of an appeal filed by producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah, seeking to quash the single judge’s order. The bench, comprising justices Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and P V Balakrishnan, reserved its order. Earlier in the day Justice Bechu Kurian Tho, mas had stayed the release of the film for 15 days. The single judge passed the order on petitions filed by Sreedev Namboodiri of Kannur and Freddy V Francis of Ernakulam, challenging the theatrical, digital and satellite release. The film is scheduled to be released on Friday . Till the division bench’s judgment is pronounced, the single-judge bench’s interim order will prevail and the movie cannot be released. In the appeal before the division bench, the producer submitted that the court should allow the release as the film is scheduled to be screened in more than 1,800 theatres across the country and in 355 centres abroad. If the film is not released on the scheduled date, the makers would suffer financial losses. Counsel for the producers submitted that the single judge erred in substituting his own assessment of the film’s content for the expert determination of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), the sole statutory authority constituted under the Cinematograph Act, 1952, to examine and certify films for public exhibition. The CBFC examined the complete film, ordered several cuts, which were duly complied with, and then granted certification. Senior Supreme Court lawyer Neeraj Kishan Kaul, appearing for Shah, said: “Today we are , 75 years into the republic. Are we so frail in this country of great harmony that we can say portrayal of a social evil in one religion, or a section of a religion, will scandalise the faith and tenets of that religion? There is nothing in the movie to denigrate the state of Kerala. It only shows a protagonist emerging from the state, and the narrative goes beyond it. If a section within a religion is shown practising a social evil, that cannot be termed an insult or denigration of the religion.” The counsel added that the CBFC had taken a clear view that the film does not denigrate the State. The protagonist is not from Kerala alone, but from other states as well. Justice Thomas: Could endanger public order Repeated portrayal of the theme in a second movie of almost the same name and concept could create contempt towards a religious group in the State and towards the State itself, promote communal and fanatical attitudes, and endanger public order, Justice Thomas said There is a possibility that Kerala, otherwise known for its communal harmony and friendly natives, may be perceived by viewers globally as a hub of fanaticism & communal divide Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas  NEW DELHI  J8.00 PAGES 12 SC orders ban, seizure of NCERT book Says heads must roll, slaps contempt notice on NCERT director and Secretary, Department of School Education S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Thursday imposed a blanket ban on the NCERT’s Class 8 social science text book containing a controversial section on ‘corruption in the judiciary’, and issued a contempt notice to the NCERT director and Secretary Department , of School Education and Literacy . A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant held that the book contains “offending” material not suitable for young students in their formative years. “As an abundant precaution, a complete blanket ban is hereby imposed on any further publication re: printing or digital dissemination of the book titled ‘Exploring Society India , and Beyond’,” said the order by the bench, also comprising justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi. The SC ordered that all physical and digital copies of the book currently in circulation— including those held in storage, retail outlets, or educational institutions—be immediately seized and removed from public access. During the hearing, the bench observed that publication of the book with offending references amounts to crimi- Will probe the matter and take action: Pradhan The Union education ministry wrote to the ministries of information and broadcasting, and electronics, asking them to stop the dissemination of the NCERT textbook through digital platforms and electronic media. Earlier in the day, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said an inquiry would be conducted and action taken against those involved in preparing the book, adding there was no intention to disrespect judiciary. nal contempt of court. The court directed the NCERT to submit the members of the national syllabus committee who approved the “offending chapter”, names of the textbook development team responsible for drafting the chapter, and the original minutes of all meetings where the chapter was deliberated and finalised. All these must be produced on March 11, the next date of hearing, it said. “It is my duty as head of the institution to find out who is responsible; heads must roll… We won’t close the case,” the CJI said, adding, “We would like to have a deeper probe.” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that India, Israel forge special strategic partnership J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi INDIA and Israel on Thursday elevated their ties to a “Special Strategic Partnership” during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s second state visit to Israel in nine years. The move signals a deepening of cooperation across defence, trade, technology and regional connectivity, even as both sides underscored shared concerns over terrorism and instability in the Middle East. Following delegation-level talks with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, Modi described the relationship as “time-tested” and rooted in trust and democratic values. “Our relationship is founded on the strong bedrock of deep trust, shared democratic values, and human sensitivities. Our bond has stood the test of every trial of time,” Modi said at a joint press conference. A series of agreements were signed to boost collaboration Full support to Gaza peace plan, says PM Modi reaffirmed India’s support for peace efforts in Gaza. “India’s stance is clear: humanity must never become a victim of conflict. A path to peace has been created through the Gaza Peace Plan. India has fully supported these efforts,” the PM said, adding New Delhi would “continue dialogue and cooperation with all countries.” in trade, agriculture, energy, cyberspace and digital payments. The two sides agreed to work towards finalising a “mutually beneficial” free trade agreement. Modi also announced the launch of a new partnership on critical and emerging technologies, aimed at accelerating cooperation in artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and critical minerals. SHIRTLESS STIR Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu before his departure from Jerusalem on Thursday | PTI “I am pleased that an agreement has been reached for the use of UPI in Israel,” Modi said, referring to India’s digital payments interface, in a move expected to strengthen fintech linkages. Security ties remained central to the talks. Modi reiterated India’s firm opposition to terrorism in all forms. “India and Israel are completely clear that there is no place for terror in the world. In any form, in any expression, terrorism cannot be accepted.” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said mobility had emerged as a “sunshine sector” in bilateral ties. Israel will open its manufacturing and restaurant sectors to Indian workers, with over 50,000 Indian workers expected to travel to Israel over the next five years under a newly signed protocol. The leaders also reviewed progress on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and cooperation under the I2U2 framework grouping India, Israel, the UAE and the US. E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ New Delhi H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ Chandigarh Today’s Match 7pm: England vs New Zealand (Colombo) CHENNAI EXPRESS Abhishek Sharma hits form with a half-century against Zimbabwe in the must-win Super 8s game in Chennai on Thursday. With a late flourish from Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma, India scored their highest T20 World Cup total of 256 for 4 | ASHWIN PRASATH | P11 the chapter had already been withdrawn and only 32 copies had reached the market. Blaming the NCERT for the goof-up, the bench observed that there appeared to be a deep-rooted conspiracy to demean the dignity of judiciary . “They have fired a gunshot and the judiciary is bleeding,” the CJI said. The bench refused to accept the apology tendered by the NCERT on Wednesday night, hours after the SC took suo motu cognisance of the matter. “The question as to whether the apology has been tendered genuinely... or to evade the consequences... we will consider at an appropriate stage,” the order said. House help, aide carry out ‘ED raid’ at employer home N I T I N R A W AT @ New Delhi ED GETS PROSECUTION SANCTION FOR PC IN 2 ALLEGED GRAFT CASES Delhi, Himachal cops standoff ends after 24 hrs A s t a n d o f f b e t we e n t h e Himachal Pradesh Police and the Delhi Police over the custody of three Indian Youth Congress activists arrested in connection with a shirtless protest during the AI Impact Summit in Delhi ended on early Thursday morning after nearly 24 hours of confrontation. The Delhi Police had arrested the three activists—identified as Saurabh Singh, Siddharth Avdhoot,and Arbaaz Khan— from a resort in the Rohru area of Shimla district in connection with an FIR registered in Delhi related to the February 20 shirtless protest. The standoff ended only after Delhi Police shared a seizure memo listing the evidence they had collected with the Himachal Pradesh Police. The Delhi police team returned to the national capital with the three leaders later in the day . As the Delhi Police team attempted to take the accused activists back to the national capital after securing an 18-hour transit remand from a local magistrate in Shimla, the Himachal Pradesh Police repeatedly intercepted their convoy at several points, including Kanlog and the Shoghi barrier on the Shimla-Chandigarh highway . A Delhi court has sent the three activists to a three-day police custody .  Fliers will get a ‘look-in option’ for 48 hours after booking tickets. During this period, a passenger can cancel or amend the ticket without additional charges. “This facility shall not be available for a flight whose departure is less than seven days for domestic flight and 15 days for international flight from booking date when ticket is booked directly through airline website,” the DGCA said WITH the Centre granting sanction to prosecute former Union finance minister P Chidambaram in two separate money laundering cases, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday shared the orders with a special court in New Delhi and urged it to expedite trials. Prosecution sanction in the INX Media and Aircel-Maxis deal cases were granted on February 10. The agency has approached Centre to get prosecution sanction following a Supreme Court verdict in November 2024, which held that prosecution sanction under Section 197(1) of the CrPC is mandatory even for complaints filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. In the INX Media case, the ED began probe under PMLA in 2017 based on a case registered by the CBI against INX Media and others, including Chidambaram’s son Karti. The probe found that when Chidambaram was finance minister, FIPB (Foreign Investment Promotion Board) approval was granted and subsequently regularised for INX Media in alleged exchange of illegal gratification. In the Aircel-Maxis case, the ED said Chidambaram granted FIPB approval for FDI of $800 mn by Maxis into Aircel, which was way beyond his sanctioned powers as FM. A 40-year-old domestic help and her sister-in-law have been arrested for allegedly faking an Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid at the residence of the help’s elderly employers in New Friends Colony the police said , on Thursday The domestic help . has been identified as Rekha Devi, 40, a native of Chamoli in Uttarakhand, and her sister-inlaw as Pooja Rajput, 46, a resident of Sector 3 in Vaishali in Uttar Pradesh. The accused persons raided the house of the complainant as fake ED officials. They fled with the cash and valuables from the house when one of the occupants called her grandson. A complaint was received at New Friends Colony police station on February 13, in which the complainant stated that at around 10 am on February 11, three unknown people dressed in police uniforms forcibly entered his residence, claiming to be ED officials to conduct a search, a police officer said. The complainant stated that the accused asked him to present all his money and valuables before them. Being intimidated, he placed a bag containing approximately `10 lakh to `12 lakh, on the dining table, the officer said. They later fled the spot with `3 lakh to `4 lakh in cash. EXPRESS READ Delhi-bound car falls in gorge in Almora, 3 killed A celebratory trip turned into a tragedy late Thursday night when a car carrying eight people plummeted into a deep gorge near Basauli on the AlmoraTakula motor road. The victims, all relatives of a bride, were returning to Delhi after attending a wedding. The accident has claimed three lives, including an 11-month-old boy, while five others sustained critical injuries. RAF at JNU campus to stop ‘long march’ of students against V-C remark I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi A call for a protest and the administration’s response to it made Jawaharlal Nehru University look like a conflict zone on Thursday as a heavy deploy, ment of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) was stationed outside university. The development took place hours before a “long march” called by the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) was scheduled to begin. Student bodies of different political denominations wanted to march against the alleged casteist remarks made by university vice chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit on February 16. The authorities choosing to use a paramilitary force, rather than the usual and singular deployment of the Delhi Police, signaled a bigger intent on their part than mere control of a law and order situation. The RAF and the Delhi Police erected large barricades at key exit points of the university campus. Student groups have been protesting for days in favour of the enactment of University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations addressing caste-based discrimination in higher edu- cation and implementation of the proposed Rohith Vemula Act. The proposed march on Thursday was intended to be the largest of these protests. However, the authorities seemed to be fully backing Pandit. Several JNUSU members and other students started marching in the afternoon from the Sabarmati T-point, armed only with placards, banners and slogans of social justice. As they attempted to exit the gates, a heavy contingent of the RAF and the police blocked their way forcibly stopping them and , pushing them inside parked police buses. The police later detained 51 of them. The Delhi Police later filed an FIR under multiple sections of the BNS justified its action, stating that about 400-500 students marched out of the main gate despite request to keep the protest inside and damaged barricades.