THURSDAY IPL 2026: BENGALURU TO FACE HYDERABAD IN SEASON OPENER 12 MARCH, 2026 The BCCI has announced the first set of schedule for the upcoming season of IPL, which will begin on March 28 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard NET RESTRICTIONS RUSSIA DEFENDS DIGITAL BLACKOUT A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9  NEW DELHI LS rejects Oppn’s no-trust motion against Speaker P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi AFTER nearly 10 hours of acrimonious exchanges between the Treasury and Opposition benches, the Lok Sabha on Wednesday rejected a no-confidence motion against Speaker Om Birla through a voice vote. The motion, moved by several Opposition parties accusing the Speaker of conducting House proceedings in a partisan manner, was declared defeated by the Chair amid loud protests and sloganeering by the Opposition over remarks made by Union home minister Amit Shah about Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi. Responding to the two-day debate on the motion, Shah launched a sharp attack on Rahul, making critical remarks about his conduct in Parliament. His comments triggered strong protests from Opposition members, who trooped into the Well of the House demanding an apology from the home minister. Amid the uproar, BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, who was presiding over the proceedings, announced that the no-confidence motion was defeated by a voice vote. The government was ex- ‘No parent can ever see their son in this state’ E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ New Delhi CAUGHT in a whirlwind of intensely mixed emotions—the heartbreaking reality of losing his young son to passive euthanasia, yet finding peace in giving him a dignified end—the father of Harish Rana emerged with satisfactory grief from the Supreme Court on Wednesday . Ashok Rana told reporters that the “extremely” painful decision could give strength to others facing similar situations. He had appealed to the top court, arguing that allowing passive euthanasia would restore his 32-year-old son’s dignity after years of irreversible suffering. “As a father, it is extremely painful. No parent would ever want to see their son in such a condition,” he said. Harish has been in a permanent vegetative state since 2013 after suffering severe head injuries from a fall from the fourth floor of his paying guest accommodation in Chandigarh on August 20 that year. Ashok, a resident of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, said the family approached the court after doctors confirmed that his condition was “irreversible and incurable”. Cong given 157 hours to speak in LS: Shah In the 17th Lok Sabha, the Congress with just 52 MPs was allotted 157 hours and 55 minutes. In comparison, the BJP with 303 MPs was given 349 hours and 8 minutes. “Thus, the Speaker has ensured that the Congress received six times more time than the BJP,” Amit Shah said pected to defeat the motion comfortably with the NDA’s 293 , MPs in the House against the opposition’s 238. Defending Birla, Shah said the Lok Sabha Speaker serves as a neutral custodian, representing both the ruling party and the opposition, and asserted that the House will be run by its own rules and not by the rules of a party . Shah accused Rahul of frequently skipping key parliamentary sessions including debates on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, the Union Budget, and important Bills, alleging that the Congress leader often travels abroad during such proceedings. “You can’t complain about the Speaker not allowing time as you are always on foreign trips during the session,” Shah said. Responding to the the criticism about not filling the post of Deputy Speaker for the past seven years, he said: “The previous Congress governments always appointed their own persons for the post. And you are accusing us? We have at least kept it vacant for you.” Earlier in the day, Rahul interjected during the debate saying that he was stopped from speaking in the House on multiple occasions. Responding to BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad, who cited Parliamentary procedures to say that LoP should measure his words while speaking on national security, Rahul said the House does not belong to any party but the entire country . In a first, SC allows passive euthanasia for man in coma for 13 yrs 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 Wednesday allowed the withdrawal of artificial life support to Harish Rana, 32, who has remained a vegetative state for the past 13 years. The ruling by a bench of justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan marks the first ever passive euthanasia in the country . Passive euthanasia is the intentional act of letting a patient, who has remained in a vegetative state for a long period of time and has no chance of recovery, to die by withdrawing or withholding the life support. Rana, a resident of Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad who was pursing his B Tech degree in Chandigarh, suffered a brain injury in August 2013 after falling from the fourth floor of his paying guest accommodation. He has since remained in a permanent vegetative state. The bench directed AIIMSDelhi to carry out the exercise of withdrawing life support system while ensuring his dignity is maintained. The court passed the order after considering various factors including doctors’ opinion and medical board reports that ruled out chances of a revival. The order allowing passive euthanasia is in line with the SC’s 2018 Common Cause judgment, modified in 2023, recognising the fundamental right to die with dignity . The court also noted that Rana’s family cared for him all these years and never left his side. “To love someone is to care for them not just in times of joy, but in their saddest and darkest hours,” the bench said while hailing Harish Rana’s parents for their selfless love towards their son. Before reserving the order on January 15, the bench had heard the detailed submissions of ASG Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Union government, and advocate Rashmi Nandakumar, representing the patient’s father Ashok Rana.  J8.00  India-bound ship bombed in Hormuz Israel, US keep up Iran offensive; global energy crisis balloons IRAN Strait of Hormuz Khasab RELIANCE TO INVEST IN FIRST U.S. OIL REFINERY Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries will partner in building the first new oil refinery in the US in 50 years, US President Donald Trump said, calling it the “biggest in US history”. The new refinery will be located in Brownsville, Texas, and will run entirely on shale oil | P10 Gul f of UAE SAUDI ARABIA OMAN IRAN WILL NOT BE PART OF FIFA WORLD CUP Iran’s sports minister said their men’s football team is not likely to participate in the 2026 World Cup. “Given that this corrupt government has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances do we have appropriate conditions to participate in the World Cup.” Ahmad Donyamali said. Mayuree Naree PAKISTAN Om an From DUBAI to KANDLA PORT INDIA THREE SHIPS TARGETED Thai-flagged Earlier, the A third vessel, bulk carrier Japan-flagged a bulk carrier, Mayuree Naree container ship was also hit by bound for India One Majesty an unknown was targeted sustained projectile and damaged minor damage approximately approximately from an 50 nautical 11 nautical miles unknown miles northnorth of Oman projectile west of Dubai D AY ’ S D E V E L O P M E N T S Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not spoken or been seen in public since his appointment during the weekend, had a fractured foot and facial lacerations from the first day of war In the backdrop of rising crude prices, the 32 members of the International Energy Agency agreed to their largest-ever release of oil reserves, in an effort to calm markets The Paris-based organisation said it will make 400 million barrels of oil available from its members’ emergency reserves. India is not a member of IEA, so it can’t tap into the new source of energy. However, if oil prices cool, it would benefit all. Besides, India already has a deal with Russia 400 million barrels of oil translates to what the world consumes in just four days. That is also the volume of oil that normally flows through the Strait of Hormuz in 20 days U.S. BEHEMOTH CITI AND UK’S DELOITTE EVACUATED OFFICES IN DUBAI, WHILE PWC, ANOTHER BRITISH CONSULTANCY, CLOSED OFFICES IN SAUDI ARABIA, QATAR, THE UAE AND KUWAIT AFTER IRAN SAID AMERICAN FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND BANKS IN THE GULF ARE TARGETS President Donald Trump signalled there could be a swift ending to the war, saying there is little left in Iran for US forces to attack With dates for Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Assam state elections yet to be confirmed, the BCCI has announced the fixtures of the tournament till April 12. In this announced set of fixtures, Guwahati and Kolkata will host three matches, while Chennai will host two. The schedule for the rest of the season is expected once the election dates are made public | P11 20 PAGES 12 Gujarat Kremlin wants to ‘save Russians from criminal activity’ and is not likely to allow return to popular apps any time soon, according to a spokesperson FIRST SET OF TIES ANNOUNCED AMID STATE POLLS A G E N C I E S @ Tehran, Tel Aviv, Dubai, Washington IRAN attacked its neighbours and commercial ships on a whim and fancy on Wednesday across the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz and targeted Gulf-allies of the US, escalating a campaign of squeezing the oil-rich region as global energy concerns mounted while American and Israeli airstrikes continued to pummel the Islamic Republic. The Iranian military said it regarded any ships in the Strait of Hormuz belonging to the United States, Israel or their allies as “legitimate targets”. To this, US President Donald Trump warned that doing so will only escalate the US-Israel war effort. Earlier in the day an Iranian projectile hit a Thai cargo ship off , the coast of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz, setting it ablaze. It was on its way to Kandla in India. Authorities are searching for three missing crew members from the Mayuree Naree after 20 were rescued by the Omani navy The ship, which was hit after depart. ing Khalifa port in the UAE. Iran’s joint military command also announced it would start targeting banks and financial institutions in West Asia. That would particularly put Dubai at risk as it is home to many international financial institutions, as well as Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Several fintech behemoths like PwC, Deloitte and Citi began to shutter operations in Dubai and Saudi Arabia, beginning Wednesday for at least a week, AFP reported. The UN Security Council was to vote later Wednesday on a resolution sponsored by the Gulf Cooperation Council demanding Iran stop attacking its Arab neighbours. Israel and the US said they had launched a new “wide-scale wave of strikes” across Iran and was hitting Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon’s capital Beirut. Kuwait said its defences downed eight Iranian drones and Saudi Arabia said it intercepted five heading toward the kingdom’s Shaybah oil field. World oil prices rose, with international benchmark Brent North Sea crude jumping more than five per cent in early trade before gains eased, while world markets traded mixed. The US also warned Iranians it considers civilian ports in the Strait of Hormuz to be legitimate targets, alleging Tehran was using them for military operations. “Civilian ports used for military purposes lose protected status and become targets under international law,” the US military said. THE BCCI HAS ANNOUNCED FIXTURES FOR FIRST 20 MATCHES Sandhu takes charge as L-G, says duty is to develop Delhi A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi TARANJIT Singh Sandhu was on Wednesday sworn in as the 23rd Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi in a ceremony held at Lok Niwas. Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya administered the oath of office and secrecy to Sandhu at a ceremony attended by CM Rekha Gupta, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, EAM S Jaishankar and other dignitaries. After the oath ceremony the , newly appointed Lieutenant Governor described the national capital as his “Karmbhumi”, noting that he attended college and university in the city before serving here as a foreign service officer. “There are many stakeholders, and it’s the duty of all of us to work together for the development of Delhi,” Sandhu, the former ambassador of India in the US, said. Sandhu has succeeded V K Saxena, who served as Delhi’s L-G for nearly four years. Sandhu’s appointment was announced by President Droupadi Murmu as part of a broader reshuffle of gubernatorial positions across several states and Union territories. A 1988-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service, Sandhu has had a diplomatic career spanning more than three decades. During this period, he held several key assignments, apart from heading the Indian mission in Washington, DC. Earlier, he served as deputy chief of mission at the Indian embassy in the US from 2013 to 2017 and as first secretary (political) between 1997 and 2000. The 63-year-old former diplomat had also been at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN from 2005 to 2009. P3 ‘NO TRUST’ IN ELECTION COMMISSION HEAD The Opposition has decided to target Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in the Budget session of Parliament. It is set to submit a notice seeking his removal and has collected signatures from MPs of both Houses | P7 SC orders expert legal panel to vet NCERT books Farooq, Dy CM escape assassination attempt at Jammu marriage function 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 Wednesday directed the Centre to constitute a committee of domain experts within a week to finalise the curriculum related to legal studies in NCERT textbooks amid row over a chapter on judiciary in the Class VIII social sciences textbook. The Centre informed the court it had directed the NCERT to review textbooks for all classes. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi told the government that instead of asking the NCERT to do this, it would have been appreciated if the Centre constitutes an expert panel to review the curriculum. The bench suggested that the panel should preferably include a former senior judge, an eminent academic and a renowned legal practitioner. The court also recommended that the National Judicial Academy be associated with the review process for sections dealing with the judiciary . The court observed that the issue of judicial graft in a Class 8 textbook had triggered irresponsible commentary online. It took note of the hostile and abusive reactions on social media following the controversy “We have noticed the man. ner in which some elements on social media have reacted irresponsibly. The law must take its own course against such rumour mongers,” it added. The court had on February 26, imposed a “complete blanket ban” on any further publication, reprinting or digital dissemination of NCERT’s Class 8 social science book as it contains “offending” contents on corruption in the judiciary . The court was on Wednesday informed that NCERT director Dinesh Prasad Saklani had filed an affidavit tendering an unconditional and unqualified apology in person and on behalf of the institution for the inclusion of the contentious material in the textbook. The affidavit said that the chapter in question was drafted by a textbook development team chaired by historian Michel Danino and comprising Suparna Diwakar and Alok Prasanna Kumar. It directed that the three individuals be disassociated forthwith from universities, public institutions or any academic bodies receiving government funds and not be assigned any kind of responsibilities funded wholly or partly from the public exchequer. The court said the order was not intended to prevent any healthy and objective criticism of the institutional function of the judiciary . F AYA Z W A N I @ Srinagar NATIONAL Conference president Farooq Abdullah and Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary had a narrow escape in an attack by a gunman at a marriage function in Jammu on Wednesday night, officials said. The incident took place when the former state chief minister, along with the current deputy chief minister and chief minister’s advisor Nasir Aslam Wani, was leaving the venue at the Greater Kailash area in the outskirts of the city . The accused, identified as Kamal Singh Jamwal, a Jammu resident, was overpowered by two officers of security wing of Jammu and Kashmir Policewhen he approached Abdullah from behind with a pistol and opened fire at him. Choudhary described the incident as a “security lapse”, while police said a detailed in- vestigation is going on. Jamwal, who is believed to be in his 70s, was found in an inebriated condition and managed to fire one shot before he was disarmed and grounded by the alert personnel, the officials said, adding no one was injured in the firing. Expressing anguish, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said, “Allah is kind. My father had a very close shave.” In a post on X, he said the details are sketchy at the moment, but what is known is that a man with a loaded pistol was able to get “within point blank range” and discharge a shot.