SATURDAY Mast Qalandar vs ‘reaching their collar’ 28 FEBRUARY, 2026 ■ “Our patience has epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard PAKISTAN SAYS IT IS IN ‘OPEN WAR’ AGAINST AFGHANISTAN ANTHROPIC Pakistan bombed major cities in Afghanistan on Friday, and said the neighbours are in “open war” following months of tit-for-tat clashes TECH FIRM SAYS NO TO PENTAGON ON AI The AI company has said that it will not give the US Defence Department unrestricted use of its technology despite being pressured to comply PAGE 9 Bail given to 14 JNU students arrested after protest march U D AYA N K I S H O R E @ New Delhi A city court on Friday granted bail to all the 14 students, including three office-bearers of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU), arrested after a protest march. The judge granted the relief to the students on a bail bond of `25,000 each, while denying police request to send them to judicial custody The judge said, . “The offences invoked carry a maximum punishment of up to five years and that the accused are neither professional nor habitual offenders.” The police argued that there was a likelihood they could resort to violence again. The court directed the students to cooperate with the ongoing investigation in the matter. Those arrested include JNUSU president Aditi Mishra, secretary Gopika Babu, general secretary Danish Ali and former JNUSU president Nitish Kumar, the police said. The arrests followed a protest organised by the JNUSU on Thursday, during which tensions rose between demonstrators and police. The administration called RAF to stop the students’ “long march” against the vice chancellor’s recent remarks made on a podcast and concerns over the implementation of UGC norms against caste-based discrimination. A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00 Kejri, others let off in excise scam It’s a historic verdict. The court has proved that Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and AAP are kattar imaandar (staunchly honest). I challenge the PM to hold fresh polls in Delhi. If BJP wins over 10 seats, I will quit politics U D AYA N K I S H O R E @ New Delhi A Delhi court on Friday discharged former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and 22 others, including deputy CM Manish Sisodia and ex-BRS leader K Kavitha in the alleged excise scam, finding it unworthy of trial as it junked the CBI chargesheet. Hours later, the CBI moved the Delhi High Court challenging the trial court order. Trial court special judge Jitendra Singh also pulled up the CBI for procedural lapses, violation of constitutional principles and relying on hearsay evidence. He also found the ‘South Group’ label for the excise policy accused particularly inappropriate, adding he will recommend a de par tm e n t al inquiry against the investigating officer of the case. “Prosecution case, as presented in the chargesheet, rests largely on surmises, conjectures, and inferential leaps unsupported by cogent material,” the judge said. Singh said that the policy was the outcome of a structured governmental process involving multiple departments, expert committees and cabinet-level approvals, and the decisions, even if later withdrawn or criti- — Arvind Kejriwal, AAP convener Satyamev Jayate (truth alone triumphs). This (case) was a web of lies. Judiciary has cut right through it. Who will account for the time that I lost with my kids (due to her incarceration for five months)? Arvind Kejriwal during a roadshow in Delhi after discharge in the liquor scam | PTI — K Kavitha, Telangana Jagruthi president cised, “cannot by themselves give rise to criminal liability unless supported by clear evidence of quid pro quo, personal gain, or misuse of office”. Prosecution case does not disclose even the threshold of prima facie suspicion, far less the “grave suspicion” mandated by settled principles of criminal jurisprudence, the court said. Observing that the judicial task was not to secure a convenient outcome or to endorse a dominant narrative, but to uphold the rule of law, the judge refused to put the accused on trial. The judge rejected the charge that Kejriwal as the then CM exercised overarching control available, reliance on a tainted source cannot compensate for their non-production.” The judge said the case was unable to survive judicial scrutiny and stands discredited in its entirety . “Due to the absence of any admissible evidence, the prosecution case is rendered legally infirm, unsustainable, and unfit to proceed any further in law,” the special judge said. He added that the endeavour to further connect such allegations to the Goa assembly elections, so as to project, layering, and utilisation of alleged proceeds of crime, “rests more on assumption than on legally sustainable material”. P3 over the conspiracy relating to the formulation and implementation of the excise policy say, ing the only principal material relied upon to implicate him was the statement of approver, which was “without any independent corroboration”. Judge Singh noted that the alleged conversation was made in the presence of 10 to 12 people. However, “they have either not been examined or, if examined, have not been cited as witnesses in the chargesheet.” The absence of such an independent version, the judge said, raises serious concerns regarding the completeness and fairness of the investigation. “Where direct witnesses are After verdict, political blame game begins RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR, ANUP V E R M A & N I T I N R A W AT @ New Delhi AFTER a Delhi court dropped charges against AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case, he came out all guns blazing against the BJP. He challenged the party to hold fresh polls in the national capital, claiming that if the ruling party won over 10 seats, he would quit politics. Kejriwal said that the BJP knew that it could not defeat AAP so it hatched a conspiracy , . He said, “For the past four years, the BJP has used the word ‘liquor scam’ extensively . But today, our justice system delivered a historic judgment. I want to sincerely thank the judiciary and the learned judge for this decision.” Manish Sisodia called the decision a reaffirmation of constitutional values. “Despite all the attempts by BJP and all their agencies to prove us dishonest, today it has been proven that Arvind Kejriwal-Manish Sisodia are staunchly honest,” he said. The BJP, however, said that although the court verdict cited a “lack of evidence”, the electorate in the national capital had already delivered its own Today’s Match 7pm: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka (Pallekele) JACKS GIVES PAK LIFE Will Jacks’ 32 off 18 help England beat New Zealand in Colombo on Friday. Pakistan now need to beat Sri Lanka by 65 runs or have to chase any target set by Sri Lanka in 13 overs on Saturday | AFP | P11 the monthly average AQI stood at 237. The average February AQI was 218 in 2024 and 214 in 2025, while in 2022 it was 225. Data from the SAMEER app’s AQI calendar indicated that ozone was the most prominent pollutant for most of the month, emerging as the leading pollutant on 21 out of 27 days this February. Additionally, PM10 was dominant on four days, while nitrogen dioxide emerged on top on one day . The highest AQI of the month was recorded on February 4 at 339 in the “very poor” category with ozone identified , as the primary pollutant. Experts attributed the dominance of ozone to its nature as a secondary pollutant formed when nitrogen oxides and other gases react in the presence of sunlight. The Indian standard for ozone is set at 100 micrograms per cubic metre as an eight-hour average, as per the WHO guideline. Any kind of exposure at or above this level can cause chest tightness, throat irritation, coughing and difficulty in breathing. 225 237 218 214 234 Average AQI 2022 2023 2024 No Urdu, write general science paper in Odia, student told A R A B I N D A PA N D A @ Cuttack THE Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on Friday released a new series of annual and quarterly National Accounts with 2022-23 as the base year, replacing the 2011-12 series, and raised India’s real GDP growth estimate for FY26 to 7.6% from 7.4% projected earlier. Data showed that real GDP growth in Q3 of FY26 eased to 7.8% from 8.4% in Q3. Growth in the corresponding year-ago quarter was 8%. Old Revised Chief Economic Advisor V Real GDP growth (%) Anantha Nageswaran said that given the revised data, strong Q3 performance, and an improving outlook for capital flows and trade frameworks, FY27 real GDP growth projection was revised FY24 FY25 FY26 upward from 6.8-7.2% range to Nominal GDP growth (%) 7-7.4% with upward risk. The CEA added that with full-year growth estimated at 7.6% for FY26, the economy would need to expand by over 7.8% in Q4 to meet the projection. The base year revision aims to FY24 FY25 FY26 better capture structural changes in the economy incorporate new data sources, refine esti, mation methodologies, and enhance accuracy MoSPI Secre. tary Saurabh Garg highlighted the adoption of double deflation in the new series. “Earlier, single deflation methods were used in several sectors. Now, double deflation has been implemented in agriculture and manufacturing. This means more accurate measurement of real value added.” A Class X student was allegedly prevented from appearing for General Science test in Urdu, which he had opted for, and compelled to write the paper in Odia, prompting his father to submit a petition to the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) in Cuttack. Embarrassed, the BSE has ordered a probe into the incident, which took place during the ongoing annual High School Certificate (HSC) examination on Wednesday . The examinee, a student of Brahmanjharilo Nodal High School under Cuttack, is appearing for the exam at Laksheswar Nodal High School. The student’s father, Mohammed Shamim, in his petition said his son had officially opted to write the three non-language subjects—General Science, Mathematics and Social Science—in Urdu medium, which was duly recorded in the board’s documents. “However, during the General Science exam, after submitting the optical mark recognition (OMR) answer sheet, when he began writing the subjective answers in Urdu script, the invigilator forcibly stopped him. He directed him to cut the answers already written in Urdu and compelled him to write the paper in Odia instead,” Shamim stated in his petition. He also lodged a police complaint in connection with the incident. OLD VS NEW SERIES 9.2 7.2 6.5 7.1 7.4 7.6 11 12 9.8 9.7 8 8.6 2025 POLLUTED FEBRUARY 2026 ‘EXTRA-MARITAL AFFAIR’ Just before Tamil Nadu polls, actor-turned-neta Vijay’s wife calls it quits P R A B H A K A R TA M I L A R A S U @ Chennai SANKGEETHA Vijay, wife of actor-politician and Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay Chandrasekar, has filed a divorce petition before the Chengalpattu court alleging cruelty and adultery . The family court has summoned Vijay to appear before it on April 20. Sankgeetha accused her husband of having an extra-marital relationship with an actress and that he has subjected her to “persistent mental cruelty, ne- “political verdict” in the last Assembly election. BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi described the decision as a “technical matter” and said the party would issue a “structured response”. Trivedi claimed that hundreds of cellphones and SIM cards, which were potential evidence in the case, had been destroyed. The Congress, on the other hand, hinted at a fixed match between the BJP and the AAP. Congress leader Pawan Khera said on X that the elections are coming, so the script is entirely predictable. “There will be a sudden surge in cases against Congress leaders, @ PChidambaram_IN ji is being dragged back into the headlines again, because elections are due in Tamil Nadu. Meanwhile, the proceedings against their ‘convenient allies’ in the Aam Aadmi Party and others will quietly fizzle out in view of the Gujarat and Punjab elections,” Khera wrote. P U S H P I TA D E Y @ New Delhi Poorest Feb air quality in 3 yrs, 20 ‘poor’ AQI days DELHI has recorded its poorest February air quality in three years, with the average Air Quality Index (AQI) at 234 till February 26, an analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air said. In terms of daily air quality categories, the capital witnessed 20 “poor” air quality days and two “very poor” air days this February, while four days fell in the “moderate” category . The AQI in February 2026 has been the worst since 2023, when 55 GDP projected to grow 7.6% in FY26 under new series Ex-DGP among 4 TMC nominees for RS polls A D I T I R AY C H O W D H U R Y @ New Delhi PAGES 12 However, Taliban govt spokesman Mujahid said the recent strikes were intended to send a clear message that “our hand can reach their collar”. He claimed Taliban had seized 19 Pak military posts | P9 ■ Judge raps CBI for procedural lapses, says case rests largely on surmises, conjectures, inferential leaps; refuses to put the accused on trial EXPRESS READ The Trinamool Congress on Friday announced the names of minister Babul Supriyo, former Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar, advocate Menaka Guruswamy and actor Koel Mallick as candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. The Election Commission has announced that polling for 37 Rajya Sabha seats across multiple states, including West Bengal, will be held on March 16. P8  PAKISTANI SOLDIERS KILLED IN LATEST ROUND OF ATTACKS, SAYS TALIBAN run out. Now it will be Dama Dam Mast Qalandar,” Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said in a post on X glect and desertion”. If required, she said she would implead the actress as second respondent. She urged the court to hold in-camera proceedings to protect the privacy and dignity of the parties and their children. On December 3 last, Sankgeetha filed the petition before the Principal District Judge Court, Chengalpattu, under provisions of the Special Marriage Act, 1954. The petition was transferred to the family court on February 24. After the first hearing in the case on Thursday, the family ‘Withdrew emotionally, distanced himself’ In her petition, Sankgeetha alleged that Vijay “gradually withdrew emotionally, distanced himself from conjugal life and excluded her from his social and professional engagements” Vijay Sankgeetha court adjourned the matter to April 20 and directed Vijay to appear in person. In her petition, Sankgeetha said the marriage was first registered in the UK on July 10, 1998, and later solemnised ac- cording to Hindu rites in Chennai on August 25, 1999. The petition stated that the marriage was initially cordial and that she devoted herself to family life and raising their children while supporting Vijay’s professional commitments. However, she alleged that in April 2021 she discovered that Vijay was involved in an adul- terous relationship with an actress, which caused “deep emotional pain and mental suffering”. Despite assurances that the relationship would end, she claimed the association continued, which caused her “prolonged mental cruelty, public humiliation and strain within the family”. Sankgeetha also contended that attempts to resolve the dispute amicably through legal notices and personal discussions between 2021 and 2025 failed. She alleged in her petition that several financial restrictions were imposed on her from the actor-politician and that the marital relationship had irretrievably broken down. Seeking dissolution of her marriage, Sankgeetha has requested permanent alimony, continued residence at the matrimonial home or equivalent accommodation. MODI CR TO LAUNCH `23K PROJECTS IN AJMER PM Modi will launch development projects worth over `23,000 crore and address a public gathering in Rajasthan’s Ajmer on Saturday