FRIDAY CJI: OPPOSITION FROM BAR HALTED HIRING RETIRED JUDGES FOR HCS 30 CJI Surya Kant said efforts to battle pendency of cases by appointing former judges to HCs were blocked by bars OCTOBER, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in ‘NO CJI CAN RISK ANNOYING THE BAR’ facebook.com/TheMorningStandard TRAIN ACCIDENT SPAIN DECLARES 3-DAY MOURNING Spain began three days of mourning on Thursday after its second high-speed rail collision this year killed 69 people and injured scores. PAGE 9 SUPREME COURT’S JANUARY 2025 EXCEPTION A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 Considering a huge backlog of criminal cases, the Supreme Court on January 30 last year had allowed high courts to appoint ad hoc judges, not exceeding 10 per cent of the court’s total strength Article 224A establishes a constitutional mechanism that allows retired high court judges to be temporarily reappointed as HC judges MAJOR CRACKDOWN Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) participants at the luncheon reception hosted by Ministry of External Affairs secretary (west) Sibi George on Thursday | MEA Pak envoy joins luncheon of SCO before meet in Nov The forum may bring together representatives from over 25 countries J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi PAKISTAN’S Chargé d’Affaires to India, Saad Ahmad Warraich, attended a luncheon reception hosted by the Secretary (West) in the External Affairs Ministry (MEA), Sibi George, for resident envoys of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states and partner countries, as India prepares to host the grouping’s first Civilisational Dialogue Forum next month. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that discussions focused on strengthening cooperation within the SCO framework, particularly cultural and civilisational exchanges, and preparations for the upcoming forum on November 20, 2026. “The interaction underscored India’s commitment to strengthening longstanding civilisational connections and people-to-people ties with the SCO region,” Jaiswal said. India will host the SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum in Delhi from November 20-22, with PM Narendra Modi expected to inaugurate the event, accordi n g t o sources. The forum is likely to bring together representatives from more than 25 countries at Purana Qila. The culture ministry will organise the event in partnership with MEA. The initiative was proposed by PM Modi at the SCO leaders’ summit in Tianjin in 2025 and subsequently adopted by the grouping. Culture ministers from all 10 SCO member states, including Russia, China, the UAE, Iran and Belarus, have been invited, alongside representa- tives from observer and dialogue partner countries, the sources said. Pakistan is yet to confirm its representation. Pakistan’s Minister for National Heritage and Culture, Aurungzeb Khan Khichi, is among those invited, sources said. If Khichi attends, it would mark the first visit by a Pakistani minister to India since then foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari attended the SCO foreign ministers’ meeting in Goa in May 2023. The luncheon comes amid diplomatic strains between Delhi and Islamabad. But both countries remain engaged through multilateral platforms like SCO. In September 2026, India sent its SCO National Coordinator Alok Dimri to Islamabad for a meeting ahead of Pakistan’s presidency of the grouping and its SCO leaders’ summit in August 2027. BID TO ALTER SYSTEM VIA VIOLENCE? CAN’T GET JOB IN UP cumstances of each case rather than rely solely on THE Uttar Pradesh govern- criminal complaints or onment has tightened charac- going probes. ter verification norms for According to the state govcandidates selected through ernment order, if an applidirect recruitment, stating cant has participated in viothat individuals associated lent or established system with organisations change-related acseeking to alter the tivities within three existing social or years prior to the political system verification date through violence “after attaining 21 would henceforth years of age”, it will not be eligible for be presumed that government jobs in DM to hear the person continthe state. ues to be actively appeals The order, issued involved. The order said by the appointments The revised guidecandidates department, will aplines seek to distinply to recruitments would be given a guish between pochance to across departments, litical beliefs and present their corporations, couninvolvement in viocils and local bod- case even if the lent activities, sigpolice submits ies. T his comes nalling a tougher an adverse amid a political row approach towards report against over recent calls for applicants linked to them. The DM “regime change” organisations advowill hear the during anti-CEC cating violence. candidate before The move comes protests. The state govern- forwarding the amid the backdrop report. of a growing conment, however, clarfrontation between ified that political ideology alone cannot be the BJP-led state government grounds for denying employ- and the Opposition over elecment. It said the mere regis- toral issues, adding a polititration of an FIR or a pend- cal dimension to what the ing investigation would not government describes as an automatically disqualify a administrative exercise in candidate. Authorities have vetting the prospective been asked to assess the cir- employees. N A M I TA B A J PA I @ Lucknow Engagement continues on multilateral platforms The event comes amid diplomatic strains between Delhi and Islamabad. But both countries remain engaged through multilateral platforms, like SCO. In September 2026, India sent its SCO National Coordinator Alok Dimri to Islamabad for a meeting. India backs UN call to end US embargo on Cuba India has voted in favour of a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for an end to the US economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba. The resolution urged Washington to lift Cold War-era restrictions. May 2023 WHEN PAKISTAN LAST SENT A MINISTER FOR SCO. BILAWAL BHUTTO, THE THEN FOREIGN MINISTER, ATTENDED THE MEET No complete ban on crackers, says SC ‘POOR ENFORCEMENT’ S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi Ex-Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar with other Congress leaders on Thursday | PTI With former Speaker at helm, INDIA bloc to ‘impeach’ Kumar today cal parties, are expected to participate. Sources said that an THE INDIA bloc will hold a invitation has been extended to three-hour “public impeach- the BJD, but the party is yet to ment” of Chief Election Com- confirm its participation. missioner (CEC) Gyanesh KuCivil society representatives mar at Congress president and people hit by the Special Mallikarjun Kharge’s official Intensive Revision (SIR) of residence here on Friday with electoral rolls will also share , former Lok Sabha Speaker their accounts. The symbolic Meira Kumar presiding over impeachment comes ahead of the proceedings. the Opposition’s NovemKharge, LoP in the Raber 1 Delhi rally against jya Sabha, will move the alleged “vote theft” and motion to impeach Kuthe SIR exercise. mar, while LoP in the ... If the Prime Speaking to this newsMinister is Lok Sabha Rahul Ganpaper, Brittas said that keen to dhi will conclude the the alliance decided to attend our discussion before the conduct the proceedings programme, “motion” is passed by as “public impeachhe is most voting, sources said. ment” rather than a welcome The contours of the mock exercise, as it John Brittas, “public impeachment” would give expression to CPM MP proceedings were finalpeople’s concerns over ised at a meeting of the the electoral process. INDIA bloc leaders at Kharge’s “We have decided it would residence here on Thursday. not be a mock impeachment. It The meeting was attended by would be the reflection of Congress general secretaries the aspirations of the people,” Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, he said, adding that they did Jairam Ramesh and K C not want to replicate ParliaVenugopal; Meira Kumar; CPM ment proceedings. “We don’t MP John Brittas, Trinamool want to replicate Parliament Congress MP Derek O’Brien; proceedings as MPs are not Samajwadi Party’s Harendra allowed to raise any issue Malik and JMM’s Mahua Maja, there. If the Prime Minister among others. is keen to attend our proAt least 30 speakers, includ- gramme, he is most welcome,” ing representatives of 21 politi- the CPM MP said. P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi CRIMINAL CASES ARE STUCK IN LITIGATION IN HIGH COURTS “CJI Bobde, Justice Kaul and my bench, virtually revived practice of appointing ad hoc judges from among retired judges. We thought we would bring it in vogue. But opposition from Bar associations prevented it,” the CJI said. X.com/TheMornStandard 18 L NOTING that Diwali comes every year with same petitions and same orders, the Supreme Court on Thursday said it was not inclined to completely ban firecrackers, but there was no point in passing orders mechanically every year. The court said it has been passing orders on firecrackers for years, but implementation is lacking. “There is no point in passing orders and directions every year unless the authorities implement them on the ground,” the court said, expressing fatigue over yearly ritual. The bench observed that the court orders become “a mere mockery” when they are not implemented on the ground. THE COURT SAYS IT HAS BEEN PASSING ORDERS FOR YEARS, BUT IMPLEMENTATION IS POOR ON THE GROUND 1 How many cases have you filed? Did you seize the material? What did you do?, asked the court 2 SC says when air quality goes bad after Diwali, court is blamed, but govt not serious 3 The bench says it will pass order in a couple of days, expects govt to list measures taken to implement SC order Questioning the Centre and Delhi authorities over their failure to place on record the enforcement data following last year’s temporary relaxation of the firecracker ban in the National Capital Region, the court said, “We are not inclined to completely ban it, but please do not push us to take a very hard stand on this matter.” The bench, headed by Justice M M Sundresh, asked the government authorities sternly, “Did you form teams? Did you make an inquiry? Did you make any search of the licence holders? What did you find? How many FIRs have you filed? How many other cases have you filed? Did you seize the material? What did you actually do?” The court said it was not inclined to completely ban firecrackers, as “a complete ban affects industry and livelihood and may not be practical”. At the same time, it said, the authorities must ensure its orders on green crackers and time limits are followed. The bench said green crackers, which are less polluting, should be the only ones allowed and banned crackers must be seized. It said timing restrictions must be enforced by police. The court said that after Diwali, air quality worsens and court is blamed, but enforcement is the executive’s job. No prayers at Race Course mosque over security: HC U D AYA N K I S H O R E @ New Delhi THE Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to allow worshippers to access the Race Course mosque near the Prime Minister’s residence, noting the ongoing demolition work around the structure could hurt people. The bench said, “If somebody gets injured, who is going to pay compensation?” Justice Anish Dayal also noted the Centre’s assurance that no coercive action would be taken against the structure till the court decides the Delhi Waqf Board’s representation to protect the monument. During the hearing, Centre’s counsel Ashish Dixit told the court that while the mosque would not be demolished, “access cannot be allowed since demolition activity is ongoing on in the area”. Dixit added that the government was not allowing access to a temple located in the area either. The judge said, “It is a fair submission that has come [from the government]. But, we cannot force them to give it for prayers.” The counsel for the petitioner claimed that the photographs taken on Thursday showed that demolition had been carried out. “Nothing remains to be demolished, and, therefore, the ingress and egress to the religious site should be restored,” the counsel said. The judge proceeded to record the statements made by the counsel. EXPRESS READ Delhi air quality ‘poor’ for 2nd day despite rain Despite light rain in several parts of the city, Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) remained in the ‘poor’ category for the second consecutive day on Thursday. It settled at 222, down from 229 on Wednesday, as three monitoring stations recorded very poor air quality, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said. P3 SIR timelines revised in Delhi, five other states The Election Commission of India has revised the SIR timelines for Delhi, extending the last date of filing objections to November 25 and shifting publication of the final electoral roll to December 22. The timeline has been revised for five other states, Maharashtra, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Nagaland. P3, P7 Coast Guard rescues 20 crew from bulk carrier aground off Andhra dist U S H A P E R I @ Visakhapatnam AIR RESCUE Three stranded people being rescued by an Indian Navy helicopter in Dharakot, Ganjam, Odisha, on Thursday | PTI | P5 POLL DEADLOCK NETANYAHU SEEKS TO SIDELINE ARAB PARTIES The PM’s bloc on Thursday piled pressure on Arab-Israeli leaders over accusations of foreign funding in a push to neuter parties that could hold the key to forming a govt | P9 THE Indian Coast Guard (ICG) rescued 20 crew members of a bulk carrier that ran aground off Bendamurulanka in Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema district in Andhra Pradesh following very severe cyclonic storm Arnab, in a high-risk operation amid rough sea conditions. The Coast Guard deployed its ship Sujay and a helicopter to evacuate the crew members from M/V Sigma Pearl, which ran aground about 1.7 km from the nearest shoreline. The successful rescue ensured that 20 crew members were brought to safety, with no loss of life reported in the incident. In an official post, the ICG said, “In a challenging rescue operation at sea off Antarvedi in Andhra Pradesh, in the aftermath of Very Severe Cyclone Arnab, ICGS Sujay along with ICG Helicopter safely rescued all 20 crew members onboard aground vessel MV Sigma Pearl amidst rough seas. ICG’s preemptive measures, coastal monitoring, and DRT deployment along the Andhra coast ensured ZERO loss of life at sea.” The Marshall Islandsflagged vessel, which was transporting rock phosphate, lost power and dragged its anchor before drifting towards the coast. The vessel had experienced repeated failures of its auxiliary engines and generators during its stay at Visakhapatnam Port, affecting cargo operations. Reports said Sigma Pearl ar- rived at Visakhapatnam on September 16 and was berthed on September 20. It completed unloading its cargo at 5.30 pm on October 26. The vessel was subsequently shifted to the anchorage on October 27. According to reports, the vessel had experienced repeated shutdowns of its generators while berthed at Visakhapatnam Port. The vessel faced serious powergeneration problems due to failure of its auxiliary engines, both at berth and at anchorage. Its earlier power-generation problems left it without sufficient power to maintain its position, leading to the anchor being dragged and the vessel drifting towards the shore.