THURSDAY READY TO LAUNCH FIRST UNCREWED GAGANYAAN MISSION ANYTIME: ISRO 20 NOVEMBER, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard EPSTEIN LINK EX-HARVARD PREZ UNDER LENS Harvard University is reinvestigating connections between its former president Larry Summers and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein PAGE 9 Isro chairman V Narayanan said on Wednesday the space agency is fully prepared to launch the first of the three uncrewed missions any time OVER 80,000 TESTS COMPLETED: V NARAYANAN A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00  Narayanan said that with 80,000 tests completed, about 85% of the work on the Gaganyaan mission is now done. The first uncrewed Gaganyaan mission is scheduled for December and will carry the humanoid robot Vyommitra. It will be the first of three uncrewed tests designed to validate the mission’s systems before the crewed launch PAGES 12 Modi sees ‘Bihar winds’ at TN meeting Another form of EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Coimbatore PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the country is on the path to becoming a global hub for natural farming. Addressing a meeting after inaugurating the three-day South India Natural Farming Summit 2025 at Codissia Hall in Coimbatore, the PM said, “The country’s biodiversity is evolving, and the youth are now viewing agriculture as a modern, scalable opportunity This major shift will . greatly strengthen the rural economy .” Alluding to the NDA’s stunning victory in the Bihar poll and bright prospects for the alliance in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections in 2026, the PM referred to the waving of towels by farmers at the event as arrival of “Bihar winds” in Tamil Nadu. “I think the spirit of Bihar has arrived even be- PM Modi being felicitated at the farmers’ summit in Coimbatore | S SENBAGAPANDIYAN Waving of towels by farmers has a meaning: PM Alluding to the NDA’s stunning victory in the Bihar poll and bright prospects for the alliance in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections in 2026, the PM referred to the waving of towels by farmers at the event as arrival of “Bihar winds” in Tamil Nadu. fore I did,” he quipped. The PM also said that he should have learnt Tamil in his childhood. “A year ago, the central government launched the national mission on natural farming. The impact of this initiative is especially visible across South India, with approximately 35,000 hectares of land in Tamil Nadu alone now under organic and natural farming. Natural farming is an indigenous Indian concept not imported from elsewhere but born out of our tradition and aligned to our environment,” Modi said. The prime minister also said that integrating the cultivation of millets with natural farming plays a vital role in protecting Mother Earth. He noted that in Tamil Nadu, Lord Murugan is offered ‘thenum thinai maavum’, a preparation made from honey and Shree Anna (foxtail millet flour). Modi stressed that the government is committed to taking the superfood (millets) to global markets and emphasised that natural and chemical-free farming will play a significant role in expanding their international reach. The prime minister also urged the state government to promote multicropping on the lines of Kerala and Karnataka. 200 Indian nationals deported from US, including wanted gangster Anmol H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ Chandigarh NITISH TO TAKE OATH TODAY FOR RECORD 10th TIME JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar will take oath as Bihar chief minister for a record 10th time at Patna’s historic Gandhi Maidan at 11 am on Thursday PAGE 8 Tricked into cyber slavery abroad, rescued man in hospital EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @Hyderabad A 22-year-old man who recently returned to Hyderabad after months in a cyber slavery camp is undergoing treatment in a government hospital. The victim was reportedly forced to work 12 to 14 hours a day and subjected to electric shocks and beatings. The family said he had been lured with the promise of an overseas job by a man identified as Rehan Baig. Since the victim was unable to file a complaint himself, his uncle approached the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau. The family’s association with Rehan began in 2016 when the victim’s mother travelled to Saudi Arabia for work through him. In 2023, Rehan contacted her again for “boys willing to work in Europe as waiters”. She put forward her son and paid Rehan `5.4 lakh as commission. After receiving the money, he avoided them. He later told them there was an IT job in Thailand offering a salary of `50,000, and assured them of travel tickets. In May 2025, the youth left for Thailand. He was shuttled in several vehicles and taken across the Thailand–Myanmar border at Mae Sot. After crossing into Myawaddy, he was transported to a compound where he was forced to work for a fraud network run by Chinese handlers. He was rescued from there months later, during a raid by the Myanmar army . A special US deportation flight carrying 200 Indians, including Anmol Bishnoi, the younger brother and close aide of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, two other fugitives wanted in Punjab, and 197 undocumented migrants landed in New Delhi on Wednesday . Anmol is wanted in multiple criminal cases in India, including the murders of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala in May 2022 and Nationalist Congress Party leader Baba Siddique in October 2024, and firing at actor Shah Rukh Khan’s residence in April 2024. As soon as the special US flight landed at the Indira Gan- Anmol Bishnoi being brought to the Patiala House Court | PARVEEN NEGI dhi International Airport in Delhi, Bishnoi was detained by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). He was later produced at Delhi’s Patiala House court, which sent him to 11 days NIA custody . “We are trying to find how he fled India,” Special Public Prosecutor Rahul Tyagi said, `415 CRORE SCAM ED GETS 13-DAY CUSTODY OF AL FALAH CHIEF erated without valid accreditation is `415.10 crore. @ New Delhi/ Srinagar/ Lucknow Meanwhile, sources said around 10 people associated THE Enforcement Directo- with the Al-Falah University , rate (ED), which is investi- including three from Kashgating the Al Falah group mir, are missing. Their mothat is at the centre of the bile phones are switched off. Delhi blast case for alleged Their disappearances came money laundering, has un- to light after a joint operacovered ‘tainted’ funds tion by the J&K and Haryaamounting to `415 na police. crore, sources said In J&K, the police on Wednesday . inspected lockers beThe agency has selonging to doctors in cured 13-day custody the Valley . of Jawad Ahmed Sid“All lockers were diqui, the chairman checked. Lockers and founder of the found unclaimed, imJawad Ahmed properly labelled or group, who was arSiddiqui rested on Tuesday . without ownership An official said the were documented,” Al Falah group generated an official said. “proceeds of crime” by deIn Uttar Pradesh, the state ceiving students through A n t i - Te r r o r i s t S q u a d false claims about the ac- launched a informationcreditation and recognition gathering exercise across of its institutions. eight districts, seeking deAccording to the ED, the tailed records of all students, total educational income ac- teachers and management cumulated during the years personnel associated with in which the institutions op- all operational madrasas. S U M I T K U M A R , F AYA Z W A N I & N A M I TA B A J PA I MP OFFICER KILLED DURING ENCOUNTER WITH MAOISTS Inspector Ashish Sharma of the MP Police’s elite Hawk Force anti-Naxal unit died on Wednesday after being injured in a gunfight near the Chhattisgarh-MP border | P8 adding that Anmol will be produced before the court again on November 29 after completion of his NIA custody . Hailing from Punjab’s Fazilka, Anmol was Lawrence Bishnoi’s overseas handler and was directing extortion rackets, issuing threats, and coordinating assignments through encrypted channels. He reportedly slipped out of the country in April 2022 using a forged passport, accompanied by another wanted gangster Sachin Thapan. Sources said Anmol managed to get a fake passport in the name of Bhanu Pratap, a resident of Faridabad, and his father’s name was mentioned as Rakesh. talaq now under top court’s glare SC raps sending talaq-e-hasan notice via counsel; matter may go to 5-member bench S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi EIGHT years after it deemed instant triple talaq (talaq-e-biddah) unconstitutional, the Supreme Court on Wednesday indicated it could go after talaq staggered over three months (talaq-e-hasan) — a form of divorce — by sending the matter to a five-member bench. Under talaq-e-hasan, a Muslim man can divorce his wife by uttering the word talaq once each for three months. A three-judge bench led by Justice Surya Kant was hearing a petition by journalist Benazeer Heena, who said her husband Ghulam Akhtar had sent unsigned talaq-e-hasan notices through his lawyer by Speed Post. “In the 11-page talaq notice, the sign of the husband is missing. Talaq was pronounced by the husband’s advocate,” her counsel said. In the absence of Akhtar’s signature, Heena has been unable to prove she is divorced, though he remarried. But if she is to wed again, Akhtar could accuse her of polyandry . Heena also had problems with her child’s school admission. Akhtar’s advocate said the practice of conveying talaq through legal notice was quite common in Islam. “How is this allowed in moder n society?” the bench that included justices Ujjal Bhuyan, and N K Singh wondered. “We are in 2025. How are you promoting this? Regulation as per constitutional ethos The bench said it is not the question of striking down a prevalent religious practice but an issue which needs to be regulated as per the constitutional ethos. Heena’s PIL was directed to be listed on Nov 26, Constitution Day Is this how the dignity of a woman is upheld? Should a civilised society allow this kind of practice?” justice Surya Kant asked. The bench went on to observe, “Society at large is involved. Some remedial measures have to be taken. If there are gross discriminatory practices, this court will have to interfere.” The court indicated that if required it could refer the matter to a five-member bench for consideration. “Give us broadly the legal questions that may arise. Then we will see how to resolve them,” the bench said. In her petition, Heena sought a declaration that talaq-e-hasan is irrational, arbitrary and violative of Articles 14, 15, 21 and 25 of the Constitution. After apex court nudge, CAQM asks NCR schools to halt outdoor sports S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi THE Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), on Wednesday asked the state gov, ernments in the NCR to postpone outdoor school sports events scheduled for November and December due to deteriorating air quality . Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court had asked the CAQM to consider directing schools in Delhi-NCR to postpone open air sports competitions planned in November and December to ‘safer months’ keeping in mind air pollution levels. A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran said the issue of severe air pollution crisis in Delhi-National Capital Students ask High Court to intervene as well The Delhi HC on Wednesday asked the Directorate of Education to file a status report on a plea by a group of school students seeking a direction to ensure that tournaments and trials for outdoor sports are not scheduled in the capital during the peak pollution months of November to January. Region needed a pro-active approach and the top court should hear the case to monitor the development on a monthly basis. The direction was passed after senior advocate Aprajita Singh, who is assisting the bench as an amicus curiae, said when elders are sitting in closed spaces with air purifiers on, the kids are training for sports and games competitions in an open “gas chamber.” “We request CAQM to take this into consideration and issue necessary directions to shift such sport competition to safer months,” the CJI said. At the outset, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, said that a high level meeting was chaired by the secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change along with senior officers of Delhi-NCR states on Tuesday and long term and short term measures to tackle air pollution were discussed. The CAQM said that it held a meeting with officials from stakeholders and took the decision. GOVT CENSURED SC quashes tribunal law provisions S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Cour t on Wednesday struck down key provisions of the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021 related to the appointment and tenure of tribunal members, noting that these were in violation of the court’s earlier judgments, and directed the Centre to set up a National Tribunals Commission within four months. In a strongly worded verdict, a bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran said the Centre brought back the provisions earlier read down by the apex court with minor tweaks. “The impugned provisions violated the principles of separation of powers and judicial independence, and they should not have been brought back,” the bench said. It said until a new legislation is put in place to give effect to the court’s order, the directions and principles laid down in its earlier judgments will govern all matters related to appointment, tenure and qualifications concerning tribunal members. The CJI, who authored the 137-page judgment, specifically invalidated Section 3 of thje law, which mandated a minimum age of 50 years for appointment as a chairperson or member. The court held that this section excluded young and competent advocates and experts. It also set aside Section 5 of the Act which fixed the tenure of chairpersons and members of tribunals at four years. The bench reinstated the five-year tenure rule to ensure security of service and institutional independence. EXPRESS READ Look forward to talks with Jaishankar: Oz FM Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong arrived in Delhi on Wednesday to co-chair the 16th Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue with her Indian counterpart S Jaishankar. Wong said she looked forward to discussions with him to set the course for a “more ambitious, future-focused agenda”. Dalai Lama gets Grammy nomination for album The 14th Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, has earned a Grammy nomination. His spokenword album ‘The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’ was shortlisted in the category ‘Best Audio Book Narration and Storytelling Recording’ for the 68th annual chapter of the event, which will be held on February 1 next year. | P4 EASE LONELINESS For a cause! Tihar turns to healing with cows N I T I N R A W AT @ New Delhi TIHAR inmates who often sit through long, quiet days without family visits will now have something to keep themselves occupied: cow therapy. A new gaushala in the jail complex was inaugurated on Wednesday, opening up a space where prisoners can care for cattle, earn a small income, and spend time with an animal that, officials say, can ease loneliness. Tihar’s baking school has also been digitally integrated, with its products now available online. L-G V K Saxena launched the new gaushala and three ICT initiatives at Tihar, calling them a meaningful push toward rehabilitation. He said the Tihar Gaushala and Tihar Bakery mark “a significant step towards the reform and rehabilitation of prisoners”. Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood said, “For inmates suffering from loneliness, cow therapy offers a new ray of hope. It is a psychological method that can help eliminate loneliness.” Sood said he has proposed a larger, state-ofthe-art gaushala at Tihar, supported by government funding and designed for a more systematic upkeep of cattle. The idea, he said, is to shel- ter stray animals and strengthen reform programmes. A statement from Tihar Jail said the gaushala will focus on “preserving indigenous cow breeds, particularly Sahiwal cows”. “This will enable the inmates to generate income and support their families. The gaushala will also provide an opportunity for cow therapy to the inmates who are lonely and don’t get visits from family or friends,” the statement read.