SATURDAY 16 CJI LIKENS SOME UNEMPLOYED YOUTH TO COCKROACHES, PARASITES MAY, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard CBI COULD BE ASKED TO VERIFY DEGREES OF ALL THOSE IN BLACK ROBES, SAYS SC RICH LIST HINDUJAS RETAIN TOP SPOT IN UK LIST The Hindujas retained their top spot as the UK’s richest family in the 2026 Sunday Times Rich List, released on Friday, under a new generation of brothers PAGE 9 ‘State can’t force girl to undergo test in rape case’ U D AYA N K I S H O R E @ New Delhi THE Delhi High Court on Friday said if a girl does not wish to undergo an internal bodily examination, the state has “no business to add insult to her injury by compelling her” to agree to such a test to determine whether she was raped. Justice Girish Kathpalia made the observation while denying bail to a man, reportedly a Bangladeshi national, who was accused of raping his 11-year-old stepdaughter, bor n in Uttar Pradesh. He had also threatened her not to disclose the matter to anyone, the prosecution alleged. The accused approached the HC claiming he had been falsely implicated in the case. He also argued that the survivor was “much more than 11 years” old at the time of the alleged incident. The defence argued that while the survivor’s mother had agreed to an internal medical exam, the child herself refused to undergo the procedure. The counsel claimed that this should be considered a ground for granting bail. However, Justice Kathpalia rejected the argument in toto and strongly defended the child’s right to bodily integrity “The bodily integrity . of a girl child has to be respected and if she does not wish to undergo internal exam, the State has no business to add insult to her injury by compelling her to agree to such exam,” the court said. The judge also dismissed the defence claim regarding the survivor’s age. The court noted that the accused himself had earlier submitted an affidavit before school authorities confirming the girl’s date of birth. Based on that document, the survivor was 11 years old at the time of the alleged offence. The court noted that when asked what age the accused believed the survivor to be, his counsel provided no answer. The court observed that the issue of the survivor’s consent had not been raised by the defence. The court said whether the survivor was a minor or an adult would not significantly benefit the accused, since the question of consent itself was absent from the defence argument. Lawyer lambasted for seeking senior’s robe A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI @ New Delhi KEEPING in view the environmental impact of mining in the protected Aravalli hill region, the Supreme Court on Friday said it would not pass any order in favour of mining lease holders for now, noting that it had been receiving “quite disturbing” feedback regarding mining activities in the area. “We will not hear this matter in a piecemeal (manner). We will not permit any activity unless we are fully satisfied,” a two-judge bench of CJI Surya J8.00 Pay `3 a litre more for petrol, diesel Freight rates set to jump, analysts see 15-25 basis points hike in retail inflation R A K E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi THE inevitable finally happened on Friday with oil marketing companies , (OMCs) raising petrol and diesel prices by `3 per litre, while compressed natural gas (CNG) prices for automobiles were increased by `2 per kg. This is the first hike in petrol and diesel prices ever since state-run refiners suspended daily fuel price revisions in April 2022. The last revision came in March 2024, when prices were cut by `2 per litre ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Friday’s announcement comes amid disruptions in global oil and gas supplies following the escalation of conflict in West Asia after attacks by Israel and the US on Iran on February 28. The impact of the price hike is expected to be felt across logistics, transportation, freight and e-commerce sectors, as well as other industries. “We expect freight rates across sectors to increase by approximately 2.53% immediately,” said Ashok Goyal, National President of the All India Transporters Welfare Association. Economists and analysts expect the price hike to result in a 15-25 basis points increase in retail inflation. The full impact of the hike is likely to be reflected in June inflation numbers. “The pass-through effect of the fuel price hikes is likely to increase CPI inflation by 15 basis points,” said Megha Arora, Director at India Ratings and Research. She added that the diesel price hike would have a wider impact because of its extensive use in transportation, coastal fishing boats, tourism, e-commerce operations and by aqua farmers for running aerators. Analysts believe the fuel price hike will provide only limited relief to OMCs. According to Prashant Vasisht of ICRA, despite the hike, OMCs will continue to incur losses of about `500 crore daily on the sale of auto fuels and domestic LPG. P3 Transporters will to partially pass on the burden to customers. We expect freight rates to increase by about 2.5-3% Ashok Goyal, prez, All India Transporters Welfare Association Chennai petrol `103.67 Petrol in Delhi will now cost `97.77 a litre against `94.77 earlier. New cost of diesel is `90.67, up from from `87.67. In Chennai, petrol price has climbed to `103.67, up from `100.80 2-state solution On Palestine, BRICS members reaffirmed support for a two-state solution and backed the creation of an independent Palestinian within the 1967 borders BRICS FM meet fails to issue joint statement J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi FOREIGN ministers of the BRICS grouping failed to issue a joint communique after a two-day meeting in New Delhi on Friday, with sharp divisions over the Iran and Gaza wars exposing geopolitical fault lines within the expanded bloc that now includes both Iran and the UAE. The breakdown in consensus was driven primarily by objections raised by Iran to key paragraphs in the draft outcome document dealing with West Asia, Gaza and maritime security sources said. , According to sources, Tehran opposed paragraph 26, which addressed the Gaza and Palestine issue, and paragraph 29, which referenced the importance of ensuring “the exercise of navigational rights and freedoms of vessels of all states in the Red Sea and Bab AlMandab Strait, in accordance with international law”. As a result, host India was forced to issue a chair’s statement and outcome document that mentioned “a member had reservations on some aspects of this paragraph,” without naming any country . Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi suggested that the UAE had blocked consensus language due to its alignment with Israel and the US. “There were differing views among some members as regards the situation in the West Asia/Middle East region,” India said in the chair statement. It also highlighted shared concerns over regional instability and stressed the importance of “safe and unimpeded maritime commerce through international waterways”. P7 CITIZEN PULSE Lt Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu interacts with students during a metro ride in New Delhi on Friday | PTI Will not pass any order in favour of mining lease holders in Aravalli: SC S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y  Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed after the matter, listed for hearing on Friday , was mentioned by a lawyer. The bench noted that specific ecological concerns were involved in the case and clarified that, in February, it had asked the environment ministry and other stakeholders to suggest names of domain experts for a panel to determine the scope of the Aravalli hills and ranges. “A lot of things are happening there. We are getting feedback and it is quite disturbing. We will not pass any order in favour of the mining lease hold- ers now. This is a very sensitive matter,” the bench added. The court directed that, in line with its May 9, 2024, order, no permission for mining in the “Aravalli Hills and Ranges”—as defined in the August 25, 2010, FSI report—would be granted without its prior nod. The bench also stressed that there had been significant outcry among environmentalists, who expressed concern over the potential misinterpretation and improper implementation of the newly adopted definition of the Aravalli range and the court’s directions.  PAGES 12 The comments came while a bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was pulling up a lawyer for “pursuing” senior advocate’s designation. It said there were “parasites” in society who attack the system and asked if the petitioner wanted to join hands with them. “The entire world may be eligible to become senior [advocate], but you are not entitled,” the SC told the lawyer | P7 Stand ‘shoulder-to-shoulder’, says PM as UAE promises $5bn J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Friday reiterated India’s support for the United Arab Emirates amid instability in West Asia, declaring that New Delhi stands “shoulder-toshoulder” with Abu Dhabi as the two countries signed a series of major agreements spanning energy, defence, trade, shipping and advanced technology, while the Gulf nation also announced investments worth USD 5 billion in India. During wide-ranging talks in Abu Dhabi with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Modi strongly condemned attacks targeting UAE and stressed that ensuring stability in the Gulf, particularly the security of the Strait of Hormuz, was a shared strategic priority . “The way the UAE has been targeted is unacceptable in any way,” Modi said during the meeting, held against the backdrop of rising tensions linked to the Iran conflict and growing UAE my second home, says PM In a personal gesture, Modi described the UAE as his “second home” and thanked the Emirati leadership for the warm reception accorded to him, including an escort by UAE Air Force. He expressed gratitude to the UAE government and the royal family for their support to the Indian diaspora during the ongoing regional crisis. threats to regional shipping and energy infrastructure. The visit, the first leg of Modi’s five-nation tour, highlighted how rapidly the India-UAE relationship has evolved from an economic partnership into a broader strategic alignment. A major focus of the visit was energy security. Among agreements signed was a strategic pact with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company to expand cooperation on India’s strate- NEET RE-TEST FIXED FOR JUNE 21, ONLINE EXAM FROM NEXT YR E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ New Delhi EDUCATION Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday announced that the the re-examination for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) Undergraduate 2026 will be held on June 21. The fresh exam comes after the original test was cancelled on May 12 following question paper leak. The re-examination will be conducted in the conventional pen-and-paper (offline) mode and will be available in 13 languages. The exam fee for the cancelled test will be fully refunded, and no additional fee will be charged for the re-test. Starting next year, the NEET-UG exam will shift to computer-based test mode, the National Testing Agency said. Briefing the media, Pradhan said, “The decision to cancel the NEET-UG exam was announced on May 12 only in the interest of meritorious students. We do not want any wrong candidate to take up the seat, which rightfully belongs to a genuine candidate, with the help of the machinations of education mafia.” He added, “Our topmost priority is the future of the students. I want to appeal to the society especially to all students, to appear in , the examination without fear. ... We will not let malpractice happen this time.” In a significant change, the duration of the exam has been extended by 15 minutes. It will now be held from 2 pm to 5.15 pm.Admit cards, centre intimation slips, and other details will be released by June 14. Students can update their present address and select examination cities from May 15 to May 21 (up to 11.50 pm). Candidates can indicate their first and second choice of examination cities during this period. No corrections in other particulars will be permitted except for the present address and choice of centre. Requests for changes will be entertained till May 21. PM Narendra Modi with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan | PTI gic petroleum reserves and exploring collaboration in LNG and LPG infrastructure. The agreement will increase UAE’s participation in India’s petroleum reserves to 30 million barrels while also supporting the development of strategic gas reserves. Modi stressed that keeping the Strait of Hormuz “free, open and safe” was critical for global economic stability and energy security . City aspirant dies by suicide, family suspects paper leak role E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ New Delhi Our priority is the future of students. I appeal to all students to appear for the exam without fear. We won’t let malpractice happen this time Dharmendra Pradhan, Education minister Kingpin arrested from Pune Three days into its probe, the CBI has said it had cracked the NEET paper leak case with the arrest of Pune-based Prof P V Kulkarni, the “source” of the leak. He is a expert on the panel that sets the question papers. Many coaching centres are also under probe | P8 A 20-year-old NEET aspirant, who had been preparing for the medical entrance examination for the past few years, allegedly died by suicide at her residence in Azadpur area on Thursday . Although no suicide note was found, the deceased’s family suspects that she took the extreme step due to the cancellation of the national entrance test, a police officer said. The police added that her family took the body to a crematorium without informing the authorities. “The victim was a NEET aspirant. We are probing the circumstances that led her to take the extreme step,” a senior police officer said. Two days ago, the National Testing Agency (NTA) had cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 examination held in May following allegations of a paper leak. Police said they were alerted after a PCR call was received at Adarsh Nagar police station on Thursday informing them that , a woman’s body had been brought to Kewal Park Shamshan Ghat for cremation without prior police intimation. During the investigation, police found that the woman had allegedly ended her life earlier in the day. Family members told the police that they were unaware of the legal formalities in such cases. Bhojshala in Dhar a Saraswati temple, rules MP HC A N U R A A G S I N G H @ Bhopal THE Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday ruled that the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Dhar district is a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, while simultaneously quashing a decades-old ASI order that allowed the Muslim community to offer Friday prayers at the site. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had in April 2003 restricted the right of Hindus to worship within the Bhojshala complex. After hearing a batch of petitions and intervention applications filed by representatives Muslim petitioners set to move SC All the Muslim petitioners of the case on Friday said that they will challenge the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s decision declaring the disputed Bhojshala structure in Dhar district to be a Saraswati temple of the Hindu, Muslim and Jain communities for 24 days following directions by the Supreme Court, a division bench of the High Court, comprising Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi, stated in its 248page order, “Historical literature established that the character of the disputed area at Bhojshala was a Centre of Sanskrit learning associated with Parmar dynasty king Raja Bhoj and the literature and architectural reference, including those connected with Raja Bhoj period indicate the existence of a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati at Dhar.” While allowing and dispos- ing the petitions filed by the Hindu side — the Hindu Front for Justice, Kuldeep Tiwari and others, the high court bench said, “The disputed area of Bhojshala and Kamal Maula Mosque is held to be protected monument under Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, with effect from March 18, 1904. The religious character of the disputed area of the complex is held to be a Bhojshala with a temple of Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati).” The bench clarified that the Muslim side may approach the state government for separate land in the district to construct a mosque.