wednesdAY Israel logs high voter turnout as Netanyahu faces tough fight 28 Nearly 66.6 per cent voters cast their ballots by 6 pm (9.30 pm IST) in Israel’s crucial general elections on Tuesday, the highest ever in history october, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard SAUDI ARABIA HOUTHIS STRIKE DEF MINISTRY bibi falls back to tested playbook of 2015 Houthis said they targeted Saudi Arabia’s biggest oil hub and the defence ministry in Riyadh using a ballistic missile on Tuesday, as blasts shook the city. A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Page 9 l New Delhi l J8.00 l PAGES 12 Surveys predicted a tight race between PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his main rival, former army chief Gadi Eisenkot. The poll panel rejected Bibi’s plea to extend voting hours. Locked in a tight race, Netanyahu made a desperate plea to rightwing voters to “wake up” and vote for Likud party to avoid a ‘government of Arab parties’, in a repeat of his playbook of 2015 | P9 CEC mock impeachment Notice to Rahul for ‘pushing’ journalist at Kharge’s residence s u c h i t r a k a lya n m o h a n t y a n d u d aya n k i s h o r e @ New Delhi Decision after cops deny nod to hold Friday programme at 2 places P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi as the confrontation between the INDIA bloc and the government escalated on Tuesday over denial of venues for the mock ‘public impeachment’ of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the Congress said the programme will be held at the official residence of party president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday . The decision came after the Congress claimed the Delhi Police denied permission for the event at two venues. The party said permission was first denied for government-owned Hotel Ashok, where the event was originally planned, and subsequently for Ramlila Maidan. In a letter to INDIA bloc leaders, Kharge said, “I request you to kindly assemble on 30 October 2026 at 3.30 pm at 10 Rajaj Marg, in connection with the public impeachment of the CEC. Kindly make it convenient to attend.” The proposed event comes ahead of the INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan Kerala Cong against alleged ‘vote theft’ apologises and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee of electoral rolls. (KPCC) has tendered Earlier, Congress genan unconditional eral secretary (organisaapology to Chief tion) K C Venugopal said Justice of India the bloc had sought to hold Surya Kant for a the event at Ramlila Maiddisrespectful post on an after permission was its official X account. denied for Hotel Ashok. KPCC said it was However, police stopped posted without preparations at the ground authorisation despite the organisers havand the person ing the requisite permisresponsible sions, he alleged. “INDIA for the post bloc had booked Ramlila has been Maidan from October 25 to removed November 3. So there is no reason to deny us permission to hold our event there on October 30.” Asserting that the Opposition would continue its campaign for Kumar’s removal, Venugopal said: “If they stop us here, we will go to Amit Shah’s house, PM Modi’s house, and stage a massive dharna there.” Police sources told the media that the Congress had not submitted a separate request for permission to hold the ‘public impeachment’ on Friday adding that the party had sought per, mission only for the November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan. They said the permission for Ashoka Hotel rests with the hotel as the premises are privately owned. Also, the permission for the November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan has not been withdrawn, sources added. e x p r e ss r e ad Army chief checks LAC preparedness Army chief General Dhiraj Seth visited Uttarakhand to review “operational preparedness” along the middle sector of the LAC, amid ongoing face-offs with China’s PLA in Arunachal Pradesh. 50% subsidy for buying cows in UP The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Tuesday okayed subsidies of up to 50% for buying cows for poor families. 85% of the cattle insurance premium will be borne by the government | p8 We know everything, will examine all SIR allegations, says SC SUC H ITRA KALYAN MO H ANTY @ New Delhi THE Election Commission of India (ECI) has told the Supreme Court that all its decisions on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) were unanimously approved by the full poll panel, rejecting allegations that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar ignored the opinions of Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. In its joint affidavit filed by the CEC and the two ECs, the poll panel rejected allegations that Form 6 had been amended. It said the declaration reFresh plea on quired under SIR is a sepaBihar SIR rate document. Senior advocate Vikas The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought Singh, appearing for lead response of the petitioner Rakesh Kumar Election Commission Singh, urged SC to issue on a fresh plea directions to preserve by TMC’s Rajya ECI’s file notings to ascerSabha MP Dola tain whether decisions Sen alleging that were taken unanimously . changes were made The CJI said the court is to Form 6 during the cognizant of the issues Special Intensive raised and would consider Revision (SIR) all aspects. “We know eveof electoral r y t h i n g . We w i l l rolls in Bihar examine.” without the The petitioners, includtop court’s ing opposition parties, alapproval leged SIR was being carried out in a hurried manner, risking mass deletion of voters. They sought the court’s direction to put on hold the exercise and to frame guidelines. The bench asked the petitioners to file a rejoinder within 10 days and listed the matter on November 17. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders, and senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy, appearing for TMC MP Dola Sen, raised concerns regarding Form 6. Senior advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for the ECI, refuted the allegations and maintained that the submissions were rhetoric. The ECI, however, admitted that the way the declaration was displayed on its online platform may have been confusing. The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to Rahul Gandhi and others on a plea alleging that the Congress leader pushed a pregnant journalist during a march to the court on October 12, while the Delhi High Court declined to stay an investigation against a woman journalist accused of making casteist remarks against a senior police officer during a separate protest near Jantar Mantar earlier this month. A bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued notice after senior advocate Gaurav Bhatia informed the SC that an application had been filed in a pending petition No stay in HC The Delhi High Court declined to stay an investigation against an independent woman journalist accused of making casteist remarks against a police officer during a protest near Jantar Mantar earlier this month. seeking registration of an FIR against Gandhi over the alleged assault. The incident reportedly took place during a march by INDIA bloc to the SC to protest the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The SC sought responses from Gandhi and others within two weeks and tagged the matter with pending petitions for hearing after the Diwali vacation. In the separate case before the HC, Justice Mini Pushkarna issued notice to police and ACP Vivek Bhagat on a petition by a woman journalist seeking quashing of an FIR registered against her on the officer’s complaint. The court listed the east coast gears up for ‘arnab’ Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have stepped up preparations as “very severe” cyclonic storm Arnab hurtles towards the east coast and is expected to make landfall early Wednesday near the coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to Yanam Maximum wind speeds of 125-135 kmph are likely, IMD said Gusty winds & rough sea conditions witnessed in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday | G Satyanarayana | P5 Gurugram biker crash: attempt to murder charge on accused H a r p r e e t B a j w a @ Chandigarh A Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged roadrage attack on Delhi biker Shivani Chauhan, alias Sia, has concluded that Kalyan Bainsla deliberately rammed his car into her motorcycle on Gurugram’s Golf Course Road on September 13. Haryana Police is expected to file a chargesheet against Bainsla and his cousin, Lavnish, next week. Cops found that Bainsla, driving a white Maruti Ciaz, Deliberate attack A SIT probe has concluded that Kalyan Bainsla, main accused, deliberately rammed his car into the motorcycle of Delhi biker Shivani Chauhan on Sept 13. pursued Sia after an alleged act of misbehaviour, abruptly changed lanes and hit her motorcycle before fleeing. Sia accelerated to escape, while other bikers tried unsuccessfully to stop the car at a traffic signal. After recording Sia’s state- ment and examining CCTV footage, the SIT invoked sections related to attempt to murder, stalking, word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, police said. The team, led by ACP (Crimes Against Women) Sushila, has submitted its report to the Gurugram police commissioner. Police found no evidence that the accused were intoxicated at the time. But technical evidence showed that they had visited a nightclub on MG Road. Pakistan invited to first civilisational dialogue of SCO from Nov 20 in Delhi j aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi INDIA will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) first Civilisational Dialogue Forum in New Delhi between November 20 and November 22, with Pakistan’s Minister for National Heritage and Culture, Aurungzeb Khan Khichi, among those invited to attend, diplomatic sources said on Tuesday . Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate the forum, which will bring together representatives from more than 25 countries at Purana Quila, a 16th-century fort in the national capital. The Ministry of Culture will partner with the Ministry of External Affairs in organising the event. The initiative was proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the SCO leaders’ summit in Tianjin in 2025 and subsequently adopted by the grouping. Culture ministers from all 10 member states, including Russia, China, the United Arab Emirates, Iran and Belarus, have been invited, along with representatives from observer and dialogue partner countries, sources said. Pakistan is yet to confirm who will attend the event from its side. If Khichi attends, it would mark the first visit by a Pakistani minister to India since the SCO foreign ministers’ meeting in Goa in 2023 which was attended by Bilawal Bhutto. Despite strained bilateral relations, India has continued to participate in SCO engagements involving Pakistan. In September 2026, India sent SCO National Coordinator Alok Dimri to Islamabad for a meeting ahead of Pakistan’s presidency of the grouping. the sharma show Abhishek Sharma celebrates his 35-ball ton, the joint-second fastest T20I hundred by an Indian. He scored a 38-ball 113 (9X4, 11X6) as visitors chased down 199 in 13.2 overs against New Zealand. India secured the 5-match series 3-0 on Tuesday | bcci matter for final hearing on November 16, clarifying that it had not rejected any prayer and had passed no order on the interim relief sought. Bhagat alleged that the journalist made casteist remarks and humiliated him during a protest near Jantar Mantar. The FIR invokes relevant provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The journalist’s counsel told the court that she had filed a sexual assault complaint against Bhagat, which is being probed by the Crime Branch. The counsel alleged that the FIR lodged by the ACP was intended to intimidate her into withdrawing the complaint. Scientist jumps from flat to end life, kin allege work pressure E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ B’luru A senior scientist, attached to the Defence Research and Deve l o p m e n t O r g a n i s a t i o n (DRDO), ended his life by jumping from the fourth floor of an apartment at Seegehalli in Bengaluru on October 21, police said on Tuesday His family al. leged that he was suffering from severe work-related stress and depression for over a month. The deceased, Sharad Katiyar (47), was a ‘Grade F’ scientist working in the programming division of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) of DRDO. He was staying with his family at the apartment in KR Puram. Katiyar allegedly jumped from the staircase on the fourth floor of the apartment at around 7.30 pm on October 21 and sustained severe injuries. His family members and neighbours rushed him to a nearby private hospital where he died of his injuries, police said. Police said his family alleged that he was suffering from severe work-related stress and depression for over a month and was undergoing medical treatment and counselling. On the day of the incident, he had visited the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) for his counselling session. The exact reason for his extreme step is yet to be ascertained. The KR Puram police have registered an Unnatural Death Report (UDR) and will conduct a probe. Krishna Rajendra, Director, Administration and Human Resources at ADA, said, “It is most unfortunate that we have lost a scientist with such great experience. It is a huge loss to both his family members and the organisation.” On allegations by Katiyar’s family that work-related stress may have contributed to his death, he said, “I don’t think work pressure was the reason. We have learnt that he had been suffering from schizophrenia for the past month.” SC notice to govt as digital publishers argue data law will force newsrooms to close down SUC H ITRA KALYAN MO H ANTY @New Delhi Newsrooms will shut down if journalists are forced to seek permission before reporting on a person, the Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) told the Supreme Court on Tuesday while challenging the Digital Personal Data Protection Act and DPDP Rules. The court, which refused to stay the Act, issued notice to the Centre on the plea that contends the law infringes on press freedom and right to information. Senior advocate Madhavi Divan, appearing for DNPA, informed the SC that this was the first comprehensive challenge of the law by ‘legacy’ media. The DNPA comprises 21 media outlets, including NDTV Net, work 18 and TNIE. “If I am left to the mercy of the data principal on whether he or she will give consent, the Act endangers sources of journalists, says petition The Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA)’s petition contends that the law trampled on investigative work of journalists and endangered journalists’ sources. Earlier drafts of the law carved out an exemption for journalists. However, as the final legislation has not exempted media outlets, the law infringes on press freedom, the publishers said. The DPDP Act aims to protect digital data of users, raising compliance requirements for platforms like Meta and Google concept of news will be gone... News has to be new. What’s the point if I have to ask for permission and consent? Please stay the impugned provisions... how can we ask for your permission before reporting on you. We are regulated. The pro- visions will shut down the newsroom,” Divan contended. “We will never pass an exparte order without hearing the other side. You have to tell us how you will be regulating yourself,” said a three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana. “You are the domain experts. You are the best person to suggest to the Union and us how you will ensure there’s no misuse,” the CJI said, clarifying that there had to be balance to ensure people’s rights are not abused. “If there’s something inaccurate, we must face consequences... We are regulated by Press Council etc,” Divan submitted. DNPA has separately challenged the amendment, via the DPDP Act, of Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act by creating an exemption for “personal information”. The SC issued notice to the Union law and electronics and information technology ministries and listed the matter for November 17.