tuesdAY Sensex tanks 1,124 pts to 6-month low amid surging crude, FII exit 29 september, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in Sensex plunged 1,124 points to a six-month low on Monday amid a broader sell off triggered by Iran war uncertainties and weak global cues facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard Ta r i f f C u t oil spikes after US Rejects IRan truce US, China release $30b product lists Analysts said surging crude oil prices following the US-Iran stalemate over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and foreign fund outflows hit investor sentiment, triggering the selloff. Brent crude jumped 3.81% to $108.3 per barrel. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth `3,693.93 crore on Friday amid a sharp rise in US bond yields The US and China have released reciprocal lists of products worth about $30 billion each that will see tariff cuts, from American hair products to Chinese toys A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Page 9 AAP presses graft charge, PWD minister issues warning E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e l New Delhi tanker disaster averted by coast guard The force rescued a foreign tanker after it developed engine failure and rapid ballast tank flooding off Odisha | P7 E x p r e s s Re a d Put curbs on minors’ social media use: SC The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to examine whether the requirement for social media platforms and other digital intermediaries to comply with Indian laws governing minors can be given a statutory framework. SG Tushar Mehta agreed to examine the possibility. P7 J&K Assembly passes statehood resolution The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly passed a resolution on Monday, which called upon the Centre for restoration of full statehood. The BJP members protested strongly against the passage of the motion. The 2026 resolution connects the demand to 2000 autonomy resolution. P8 J8.00 l PAGES 12 29 of 30 sensex stocks in red, with Infosys being the sole gainer in the pack | p10 Teen gangrape in Delhi park has Nirbhaya parallel, says SC bench Bench led by Justice Pardiwala takes suo motu cognisance, seeks status report in 4 weeks @ New Delhi A controversy over the slapping of a young man by Delhi PWD Minister Parvesh Verma during an inspection of a newly laid road in Tilak Nagar escalated on Monday , after AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal demanded action against the minister. The incident followed AAP MLA Jarnail Singh questioning the quality of the road and pulling out portions of its surface by hand. Verma responded to Kejriwal with a video message. “I warn you... you remember me, right?” he said, adding that he would not tolerate AAP “goons” obstructing government work. Verma defended his actions, saying AAP workers at the spot had abused his family He also claimed that the . man he slapped had a past record for assault. “That person is not any Gen Z. He is a goon who has an FIR registered against him for assaulting a MCD official three months back,” a combative Verma added. Kejriwal criticised the Delhi government over the road quality and the alleged assault. He said the government should focus on transparency and accountability rather than attempts to connect with young people through social media. He called for Verma’s arrest and action against those responsible for the road construction, saying this would demonstrate accountability . AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj criticised those defending Verma l Repeat offenders s u c h i t r a k a lya n m o h a n t y @ New Delhi WORRIED over recent reports of sexual violence cases in the Delhi-NCR region, the Supreme Court on Monday took suo motu cognizance of the alleged gangrape of a 17-year-old in a park near Lady Sri Ram College, and observed that “painful parallels with the 2012 Nirbhaya case were unavoidable.” A bench of justices J B Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran expressed concern over rising crimes against minor girls and women in the capital and directed the court registry to register a suo motu public interest litigation in the matter. “One cannot help but draw painful parallels with the 2012 Nirbhaya case, raising the question of whether systemic law-enforcement mechanisms The bench sought a report on the manner in which the National Database on Sexual Offenders is being utilised by Delhi Police. “Whether the database is being regularly accessed for identification of repeat sexual offenders?” the court asked. have made any meaningful progress in the decade since then,” Justice Pardiwala said. “The safety concerns emerging from this incident, however, cannot be viewed in isolation. This incident has also brought to light pre-existing complaints of recurrent sexual harassment faced by students of Lady Shri Ram College, situated in the vicinity of Aastha Kunj Park. Regrettably, these prior grievances failed to serve as a wake-up call for the police or the local administration,” the court said. On September 21 evening, three men — Asif, Hemant and his brother Manish — posed as police personnel and allegedly took turns to rape the 17-yearold girl inside the Aastha Kunj Park near Kalkaji Mandir. It was also submitted before the court that at least 13 cases of sexual assault have been reported in the national capital this month. In another case last month, a Noel proposes major Tata Sons rejig to stay private B e n n K o c h u v e e d a n @ Mumbai Tata Trusts on Monday proposed restructuring Tata Sons by merging two privately held arms — Tata Electronics Systems Solutions and Tata Consulting Engineers — with the group holding company to take , it outside the RBI’s definitions of an NBFC and a Core Investment Company (CIC). Noel Tata, chairman of Tata Trusts, which owns 66.6% of Tata Sons, has opposed the listing, while the Tata Sons board recently decided to comply with the RBI’s September 11 directive to go public. The restructuring is meant to turn Tata Sons into an operating firm alongside its role as the group’s holding company while staying private. However, it requires approval from the Tata Sons board and a prior no-objection certificate from the RBI. The Trusts said it has asked the Tata Sons board to consider and approve the plan and apply to the RBI for the necessary noobjection certificate. “Tata Trusts, along with Tata Sons, will engage with the RBI on all aspects of the proposed reorganisation,” it said in a statement. Unlike a breakup or demerger of Tata Sons, the proposed restructuring would enlarge the holding company by absorbing two operating, non-financial businesses. This would give it substantial operating revenue in addition to income from its investments in Tata group companies. The resultant entity would have aggregate net assets of `2,00,158 crore, of which `1,77,120 crore, or about 88.5%, would comprise investments in group companies. This would keep the proportion below the 90% threshold applicable to CICs, according to the statement put out by the Trusts. N Chandrasekaran Noel Tata 16-year-old girl, who boarded a sleeper bus in Greater Noida, was allegedly gangraped by its conductor and driver and abandoned near Kashmere Gate, more than 40 km away in Old Delhi, on August 4. The two accused have been arrested. In the third case, a 17-year-old girl was gangraped and killed in Swaroop Nagar area. The bench said the right to live a fear-free life with dignity is an integral part of the fundamental right under Article 21. The court ordered certain immediate interim measures shall be undertaken within four weeks. It asked the police commissioner to form teams for each police district, headed by an officer not below the rank of DSP to conduct a survey of , parks, roads, public transport facilities, markets and educational institutions. Avoiding listing Tata Sons classified as an Upper Layer NBFC, triggering RBI listing requirement Restructuring plan by merging Tata Electronics Systems Solutions and Tata Consulting Engineers with Tata Sons Merger will give Tata Sons better operating revenue, reducing its reliance on financial investments Merged entity will have `1.05 lakh crore in operating revenue, against `40,072 crore from financial assets Group investments will account for less than 90% of net assets, taking it outside the CIC definition Restructuring will require RBI’s NOC under its 2025 voluntary amalgamation directions Vijay’s Gold scheme TN CM launches gold ring scheme for babies on Monday | Express | P5 Centre, city govt announce advance steps for clean air J i t e n d r a C h o u b e y a n d A n u p V e r m a @ New Delhi The Centre and Delhi government have announced a winter pollution-control protocol from November 1, 2026, to February 28, 2027, with stricter curbs on vehicles, construction, parking and office timings, alongside hotspot monitoring. Following a review meeting with Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the 10-point winter strategy would cover pollution and traffic hotspots, with emergency measures activated. From November 1, petrol and diesel vehicles registered outside Delhi that 2,350 units do not meet BS-VI standards will be barred in red zone from entering the city while CNG and elec, tric vehicles will be exempt. Vehicles withThe has Centre out Pollution Under Control Certificates, or said 2,350 those beyond their life span, will not be alindustrial units lowed to refuel. An awareness and enforcein red category ment campaign will begin on October 1 at all are identified petrol pumps. in NCR; 120 use Parking charges at authorised sites will be clean fuels doubled, except Metro parking facilities. and 500 are Work-from-home for 50% of employees, or installing two days a week, will be implemented in govpollutionernment and private offices. Staggered timmonitoring ings will operate from November 1: MCD ofequipment. fices from 8.30 am to 5 pm and Delhi government offices from 10 am to 6.30 pm. Construction curbs will be phased in. Dust-generating demolition and outdoor civil construction will be prohibited from November 1 to January 31, while all construction and demolition will be banned from December 10 to January 20. The Delhi government has identified 62 pollution hotspots, with 42 addressed, eight to be completed by October and 12 requiring longer-term work. The government cited 37 air-quality and traffic hotspots for weekly inspections by MPs, MLAs, councillors and nodal officers. Fifteen road stretches are targeted for signal-free, congestion-free movement by October, with eight completed. Continued on P3 DU suspends three LLB INDIA bloc meet tomorrow students in stalking case CEC in crosshairs of CWC meet today I f r a h M u f t i @ New Delhi University of Delhi on Monday suspended three LLB students following an FIR in connection with the alleged stalking and sexual harassment of two Hindu College students in Mukherjee Nagar. The students—Naman, Abhinav Kumar and Abhimanyu Kumar—have been barred from entering the university premises. The three are accused of harassing the students and trying to pull them into a car on September 23 in Mukherjee Nagar. Official notices issued by the office of the proctor on September 28 stated that the action had been taken in accordance with Clause 3(e) of Ordinance XV-B of the Delhi University Act, 1922. The clause defines “any practice— whether verbal or otherwise —derogatory of women” as an act of gross indiscipline. Three separate notices recorded suspensions and campus bans were duly approved. Two held in Agra protest Pa r v e z S u lta n @ New Delhi THE Congress Working Committee will meet on Tuesday to chart the party’s action plan to further pressure the Centre on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s exit. The Opposition has demanded Kumar’s removal since media reports revealed differences in the EC over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday told reporters he had called for the CWC to meet and discuss the issue. The INDIA bloc is likely to Congress leaders Mukesh Dhangar and Anil Yadav were arrested for spray-painting the wall of CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s home in Agra with “Gyanesh Gaddar, Gyanesh Chor” on Monday, police said meet on this on Wednesday . “This issue concerns the entire country, the existence of our democracy and the survival of our country The EC’s own ... people have exposed them,” he said. Referring to a former Keralam official’s claim, Kharge said Kumar had become a BJP worker. Preparations for polls in five states are also on the CWC agenda. Meanwhile, the Congress staged protests in several cities. General secretary KC Venugopal on X said workers protested in over 1,000 districts and called on the Centre to sack Kumar. bronze show God by her side, Vithya breaks oldest nat’l record in athletics H ER initial target to break the women’s 400m hurdles national record — the country’s longest-standing and one of its most famous athletics records — was at the India Athletics Final Series in Delhi on September 10. Vithya Ramraj stumbled on a hurdle and missed out. If she had succeeded in Delhi, the natural progression would have been a sub-53s here. But God had other plans as Vithya broke PT Usha’s record set in Indraneel Das Express @ asian games Nagoya 1984 LA Games at the Asian Games here on Monday . The conditions were not ideal. Rain was battering the sprawling Paloma Mizohu Sports Park arena. Vithya, a firm believer, had only one wish: for the rain to stay away . When she was warming up, it An emotional Vithya Ramraj with her bronze medal on Monday | PTI had already started raining. However, God did answer her prayers when she needed it the most. The interlude was enough for her to complete the race; the initial burst off the blocks was slow, but she picked up her rhythm in the next six hurdles. With the crowd breaking into a cauldron of noise, the runners picked up the pace. The giant display board displayed her timing: 54.75s. The smile never left when she walked into the mixed zone. “I prayed to God,” she kept repeating. It took the athlete from Coimbatore three years to break the record after equalling Usha’s record at the Hangzhou Asian Games. In the end, a bronze medal was a fine reward. Vithya’s personal coach Nehpal Singh had told her that she would break the 55-second barrier. “When my coach said you are around 55s, I never believed him,” she said. “But today (Monday), I believed him. My coach is with me, my God is with me.” P11 Class 6 too to get relaxation under three-language policy, says SC e x p r e ss n e w s s e r v i c e @ New Delhi IN a major development on the implementation of the National Education Policy in schools, the Supreme Court on Monday directed that the relaxation given to classes VII, VIII and IX under the three-language policy be extended to Class VI as well. A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant did not accept the Union government’s plea that relaxation was not needed for Class VI. The direction comes as a breather for around 28 lakh Class VI students. The Centre, through Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, argued that of 28,819 affiliated schools, only 1.2% had reported issues with the implementation. The court’s order ensures that under the transitional arrangement, the third language will remain part of studies but students will not have to write a separate Board examination in Class X for it. Schools will assess the subject internally and no student’s promotion will be stopped. The bench also allowed students already learning two non-native languages to continue them and add a native language as the third option.