MONdAY Over 2.63 Lakh appear in NEET-PG, re-test at two centres in Jaipur 31 NEET-PG 2026 was successfully conducted across the country on Sunday, but not at two centres in Jaipur due to an internal power failure august, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard 2,445 Indian-origin candidates from jaipur will appear for re-test on sept 5 Boy aces UK test a decade ahead A seven-year-old Indian-origin boy has aced a maths exam a decade earlier than most schoolchildren in the UK and is preparing for the next level Page 9 Justice Bhuyan calls for hiring top jurists as SC judges s u c h i tra ka lya n m o ha n t y @ New Delhi SUPREME Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan on Sunday strongly favoured appointing distinguished jurists as judges of the top court, saying such a move would diversify the bench and enable reputed scholars to contribute to decision-making. Speaking at the 13th convocation of National Law University, Delhi, Justice Bhuyan said Article 124(3)(c) of the Constitution specifically provides for this category. Yet, in more than 76 years, no one other than high court judges or practising lawyers have been elevated to the Supreme Court. “It is regrettable that this provision has remained one of our Constitution’s unused mandates,” he said. Either the Centre and the Collegium believe Indian academia lacks sufficient depth for serious consideration, or the provision has simply not been explored properly, he said. Justice Bhuyan dismissed the common argument that legal scholars lack practical experience as a “very shallow objection”. He pointed out that distinguished academics routinely serve as judges of constitutional courts in the United States, Britain, Canada and Kenya. The purpose of the “distinguished jurist” clause, he said, was to bring in judges whose academic scholarship would free them from rigid technical constraints and equip them better to handle complex public law issues. Further, he said that the right to question is central to democracy, adding that students cannot be threatened when they express a different viewpoint. action against technical partner A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS l New Delhi J8.00 l PAGES 12 Indo-Uzbek uranium pact in works Bilateral ties elevated to strategic partnership; 11 agreements signed; $5-bn trade target set J AYA N T H J A CO B @ New Delhi INDIA and Uzbekistan on Sunday agreed to establish a longterm arrangement for uranium supplies from Uzbekistan to India as part of their civil nuclear cooperation, while elevating bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The decision was taken during talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Tashkent, where the two sides also set a target of increasing annual bilateral trade to $5 billion by 2030. The two sides also signed 11 agreements covering areas including trade, investment, infrastructure, critical minerals, mining, defence, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, information technology, education and digital public infrastructure. Uranium emerged as a key new area of cooperation in the civil nuclear energy sector. During delegation-level talks, Modi said the two countries would establish a long-term arrangement for uranium supplies from Uzbekistan. “We will also establish a longterm arrangement for the supply of uranium,” Modi said, adding that India and Uzbekistan should develop a roadmap to fully realise the potential of their partnership. Secretary (West) in the MEA Sibi George later said discussions on uranium supplies had No true Hindu rejects Muslims in India, says Bhagwat at US event raje s h ku m ar thakur @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends the delegation-level talks with Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Tashkent | pti 1 2 3 Uzbekistan will remove visa requirements for Indian citizens for stays of up to 30 days, which will encourage tourism, business travel and wider people-topeople contact. Indians travelling to Uzbekistan would be able to use UPI-enabled applications within a year In the joint statement, India and Uzbekistan “unequivocally condemned terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, in all forms and manifestations” and reiterated zero tolerance to terrorism. Both sides called for action against terror outfits and their financing networks Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with Uzbekistan’s highest state honour. Modi described the recognition as a moment of “great pride” and dedicated it to the 140 crore Indians, saying it reflected the strength and depth of India-Uzbekistan relations been “positive” and that the two countries were close to signing an agreement shortly . He said the upgraded strategic partnership would include a foreign minister-level coordination group and elevate the existing ‘joint commission mechanism’ from secretarylevel to ministerial. The two sides called for concerted action against terrorist organisations and their financing networks, safe havens and infrastructure, while stressing that those responsible for terrorism, as well as their backers, facilitators and affiliates, must be brought to justice. Cooperation in intelligence-sharing, law enforcement, countering violent extremism, organised crime, illicit drug trafficking and cyber threats will also be strengthened. Defence cooperation is another area where the two countries intend to move beyond traditional exchanges. Modi said India and Uzbekistan would encourage their defence industries to establish direct linkages and pursue co-development and co-production of military equipment. Highlighting Uzbekistan’s strategic importance, Modi said: “Uzbekistan is at the heart of Central Asia and is at the heart of India’s engagement in the re gion,” describing a stronger bilateral partnership as a “powerful force for peace, progress and prosperity in Central Asia.” RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday called upon the Indian diaspora in the US and across the world to contribute to both their “janmabhoomi” and “karmabhoomi” with the loyalty and values India has given them. Addressing a packed gathering at New York’s Madison Square Garden during the Universal Oneness Celebration programme, Bhagwat said no nation is merely a piece of land. “All nations have a destiny to fulfil. This is the Bharat’s destiny Let us awake, as Bharatiyas, to that . destiny and fulfil our duties in our kar mabhoomi as well as our janmabhoomi.” Five-point plan He told the diaspora that their primary duty is to their place of work. The gathering, which Serving the motherland is desirable but attracted delegates not obligatory “Your janmabhoomi ex- from 853 cities across . pects you to live the values it has impart- 39 US states, opened ed on you.” with 180 religious Bhagwat underlined unity in diversileaders from 30 ty as India’s DNA. Defining dharma as countries presenting a the principle that unites, upholds and five-point resolution balances everything without causing rejecting the use of rifts, he said diversity must be celebratreligion to justify ed and respected even as the feeling of hatred or violence, oneness is kept alive. Quoting Swami which was formally Vivekananda, he said Bharat’s mission submitted to Bhagwat is to realise and make the world realise this unity in diversity . In a strong message on inclusiveness, Bhagwat declared that anyone who calls himself a Hindu but believes there should be no Muslim in India cannot be considered a Hindu. “If any Hindu thinks that there should be no Muslim in Bharat, he is not a Hindu. If you want to call yourself Hindu, you must believe that all paths are leading to the same goal and that every human has dignity”. Earlier, speaking on ‘One World One Humanity’, Bhagwat said the RSS stands for global unity and the dignity of every human being. p7 Nepal toll nears 800, rescue ops intensify 68.5 tonnes Indian aid E X P R E SS N E W S S E R V IC E @ New Delhi Card City Gurugram keeps rain pain Date Gurugram returned the scenes of annual flooding on plush roads with exaggerated fury last week. Its residents can’t fathom the cause | P4 l The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences has scheduled a re-examination for the affected candidates in Jaipur at 3 pm on September 5, while also calling an immediate meeting to decide the course of action against the technological partner and agency responsible for ensuring adequate infrastructure at the examination centres | P7 Hard launch NASA confirms launch of newest space telescope in an image posted on Sunday | PTI INDiA has stepped up its rescue and relief operations in flood-hit Nepal, deploying tunnel engineers, doctors, paramedics and forensic experts as rescuers race against time to reach people feared trapped in hydropower tunnels on the fifth day of the disaster. Nepal’s disaster authority said 781 people had died and 2,502 remained missing. Across the border in China’s Gyirong County authorities reported 16 , deaths. Bodies have been recovered from eight affected districts as security forces and specialist teams continue clearing debris and searching inundated areas. As of 5:30 pm on Sunday 149 , Indian nationals had been rescued, an update from the government said. India has so far provided 68.5 tonnes of relief material and deployed specialised technical and forensic teams. A fourth Indian flight carrying 11 tonnes of assistance reached Nepal on Sunday . The latest consignment includ- India has so far provided 68.5 tonnes of relief material and deployed technical and forensic teams. A fourth Indian flight carrying 11 tonnes of aid reached Nepal on Sunday. It includes a tunnel technical team and equipment for search and rescue 10,000 Nepali troops A woman carries essentials as she walks along a muddy road in the aftermath of recent flash floods at Belkotgadhi in Nuwakot district of Nepal on Sunday | PTI 10,000 Nepali troops are involved in the wider rescue operation, alongside specialist teams from India and China. With hundreds missing, the priority remains gaining access to isolated and debris-covered areas before trapped survivors run out of time ed a tunnel technical team and equipment for search-and-rescue operations, forensic equipment for DNA analysis and essential relief supplies. The supplies included blankets, sleeping bags, tarpaulin, plastic sheets and hygiene kits. An 11-member Indian technical team, comprising doctors, paramedics and tunnel engineers, in Kathmandu conducted reconnaissance of hydro- pal Army Armed Police Force , and Nepal Police has been working since Friday night to clear debris and reach those believed to be trapped. On Sunday, Nepal’s military airlifted heavy machinery to the remote site, with rescuers reaching the entrance of one tunnel. Oxygen supplies and cameras are being prepared for deployment once a safe passage is created. P3 & P9 power tunnels in the flood-hit Trishuli area of Nuwakot district. The team carried out an aerial survey of Chilime and Langtang before beginning work around the tunnel sites. The rescue effort is focused on the Upper Trishuli hydropower complex, where authorities received information that around 350 people could be trapped inside a tunnel. An 82member joint team of the Ne- Pedestrians have right to cross roads alive: Court 123-yr-old Kalka-Shimla railway track U d aya n K i s h o re @ New Delhi A road is a shared inheritance where pedestrians have the right to reach the other side alive, a Delhi court has said. Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Partap Singh Laler made the observation while upholding the conviction and twomonth jail term of one Dalip Kumar for a 2021 hit-and-run incident that killed two pedestrians outside RML Hospital. Noting that the “ferocity of the impact” was captured on CCTV and corroborated by eyewitnesses, the judge said that driving past a hospital gate at midnight at a speed where a driver cannot avoid pedestrians is an act of “indifference to consequences”. Expectation betrayed The court’s order said, “The pedestrian who steps upon it at midnight, outside the gate of a hospital, carries with him no armour save the expectation that the man behind the wheel will drive as a reasonable man drives; and when that expectation is betrayed, the law is summoned.” “A road is a shared inheritance. The pedestrian who steps upon it at midnight, outside the gate of a hospital, carries with him no armour save the expectation that the man behind the wheel will drive as a reasonable man drives; and when that expectation is betrayed, the law is summoned not in vengeance but in vindication of an ordinary human right, the right to cross a street and reach the other side alive,” the court’s August 17 order said. The judge upheld the magis- terial court order passed in February awarding Kumar two , months’ imprisonment under Section 304A of the IPC and a 15-day jail term under Section 279 of the IPC. The judge said that the sentence awarded by the magisterial court was already on the lower side. “To reduce further a sentence already at the lower end would be to make the punishment bear no proportion whatsoever to the har m caused,” the judge said. On the midnight of July 27, 2021, Kumar, driving an SUV at a very high speed, struck Meena Bhandari and Rajan while they were crossing the road in front of Gate number 4 of RML Hospital. Kumar had fled the spot after the incident. closed as heavy rains wash away bridge H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ Chandigarh The 123-year-old Kalka-Shimla railway track, a UNESCO World Heritage site covering 96.6 km with a 0.762-metre gauge, has been closed to railway traffic after a bridge between Gumman and Taksal railway stations was washed away late Saturday night due to heavy rain, leaving the track hanging in the air. Sources said all the trains on the Kalka-Shimla track were cancelled on Sunday till further orders. On Saturday, the track between Koti and Taksal was swamped by landslides, prompting railway officials to A bridge between Gumman and Taksal railway stations washed away | PTI cancel four downhill trains during late hours. Heavy rains lashed Parwanoo and its surrounding areas in the hills on Saturday, which caused damage to the road & rail network. The line was opened in November 1903, just about 12 years after the Delhi railway line was linked to Kalka in 1891. This is not the first time the trains have been cancelled on this track during this year’s monsoon season; rail traffic has faced several disruptions. In July, the Indian Railways had suspended four toy train services for 10 days till August 5 amid monsoon rains and the risk of frequent landslides. On July 3, a landslide on the Kathlighat-Kano section temporarily halted train operations. The Shivalik Deluxe Express, travelling from Shimla to Kalka with 107 passengers on board, was stranded in the affected section.