TUESDAY 21 APRIL, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard Thursday X.com/TheMornStandard F E W E R C A N D I D AT E S When the first phase of assembly polls will be held DIVIDED GLOBE IN UN CHIEF RACE Four candidates to be the next secretary-general of the United Nations will audition for the job this week, far fewer than there were 10 years ago. PAGE 9 A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI R A J E S H A S N A N I @ Jaipur JEE Main: 3 from Delhi score 100 percentile A total of 26 candidates, all male, have secured the perfect score of 100 percentile in the BE/BTech exams of JEE Mains 2026. Five each from AP and Telangana and three from Delhi scored 100 percentile. Shreya Mishra, Aditya Gupta and Atharva Panjabi from DelhiNCR got the perfect score. P3 HC junks Unnao rape survivor’s petition The Delhi HC on Monday dismissed a plea by the Unnao rape survivor seeking death penalty for former BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar in the custodial death case of her father, citing “unexplained” delay in seeking the review of the order which it termed as “deliberate inaction” on her. P3 20 convicted in ’18 Assam lynching case The District and Sessions Court, Nagaon, on Monday convicted 20 accused of the June 8, 2018 lynching of two men in Karbi Anglong district. Two friends, Nilotpal Das and Abhijeet Nath, were killed by a mob on the suspicion that they were child abductors when they were returning to Guwahati. P8 The chief justice expressed displeasure that almost every day, the matters related to SIR in West Bengal were being mentioned before the court. “Every day you people, one after the other...” he said ■ The Calcutta High Court has set up 19 tribunals to decide appeals against the deletion or exclusion of names from the voters’ list | P7 ■  J8.00 Modi’s visit postponed after the fire incident; no casualties reported; investigation launched EXPRESS READ The Supreme Court said it would seek a report from the Calcutta HC amid claims that appellate tribunals in West Bengal are non-functional ‘ONE AFTER THE OTHER’, CJI VOICES DISPLEASURE ON EVE OF INAUGURATION BY PM, `80K CR REFINERY UP IN FLAMES A massive fire broke out at Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL)’s new oil refinery at Pachpadra in Rajasthan’s Balotra district on Monday, a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to inaugurate it. The entire refinery complex had to be evacuated following the blaze, which broke out near the crude distillation unit around 2 pm. There were no casualties. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said the PM’s programme would not take place on Tuesday and a new date would be announced. The exact cause of the fire has not yet been ascertained and a probe has been launched to find out what led to the blaze and take remedial measures, the ministry added. The fire incident on the eve of the PM’s programme has raised serious questions about the security arrangements and preparations in place. According to eyewitnesses, plumes of smoke from the re- BENGAL SIR TRIBUNALS ALLEGEDLY NON-FUNCTIONAL, SC SEEKS REPORT Firefighters douse the blaze at HPCL’s refinery in Balotra, Rajasthan on Monday | PTI Fire broke out near the ‘heart’ of the refinery The fire broke out near the crude distillation unit, the primary unit considered the heart of an oil refinery. According to reports, refineries are susceptible to fires, explosions, and catastrophic failures during the commissioning phase, as this period involves introducing hydrocarbons into new or maintained high-pressure, high-temperature systems finery were visible from afar. The unexpected fire a day before a high-profile event caused chaos and panic among officials and security personnel. Chief Secretary V Srinivas had reached Pachpadra on Monday to oversee the arrangements for the PM’s visit. Fire safety systems were immediately activated upon detecting the fire. Teams from both the municipal fire department and the refinery’s inter- nal fire brigade brought the fire under control after around two hours. India’s first greenfield integrated refinery-cum-petrochemical complex, HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Ltd (HRRL) is considered crucial for the country’s energy sector. HRRL is a joint venture between HPCL and the Government of Rajasthan with an equity participation of 74% and 26%, respectively . Built at a cost of `79,450 crore, HRRL is considered one of India’s key energy projects. The refinery has a capacity of 9 million metric tonnes per annum (mmtpa) and a petrochemical capacity of 2.4 mmtpa. The refinery will produce petrol and diesel along with petrochemical products such as polypropylene, linear lowdensity polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, benzene, toluene, and butadiene. The sprawling complex is spread across 4,400 acres and the project is expected to reduce dependence on oil imports. (With inputs from Rakesh Kumar in New Delhi)  PAGES 12 US TEAM YET TO REACH PAK Big ‘no’ to peace talks, says Iran ‘Lots of bombs to go off’ Trump warned that he would not extend the ceasefire unless Iran reaches a deal with the US by Wednesday. Speaking to PBS News, he said that if the ceasefire ends without a peace deal in sight, “then lots of bombs start going off” 3,375 killed in war: Iran According to Iran, a total of 3,375 people, 496 of them women, have been killed in the conflict so far. The figure, given by Abbas Masjedi, head of Iran’s Legal Medicine Organisation, did not specify civilian deaths A G E N C I E S @ Tehran/Washington/Dubai THE much-touted second round of peace talks in Pakistan appears to be a non-starter with the US team of negotiators led by Vice President J D Vance yet to board the plane to Islamabad and Iran categorically stating that it has no plans to hold any more talks. “We have no plans for the next round of negotiation, and no decision has been made in this regard,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Monday . Iran’s statement came after the US Navy, which is ‘blockading’ the Strait of Hormuz, seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship. Announcing the next round of DAY peace talks with Iran on Sunday, US President Donald Trump had said the US team would travel to Islamabad on Monday He initially said Vance wouldn’t . go this time due to “security reasons” but the White House later clarified that the vice president would lead the delegation. However, as of Monday night, Vance was still in Washington according to reports. Meanwhile, news agency Reuters claimed that Iran agreed to consider attending the talks after Pakistan promised Tehran it would persuade the US to end the blockade. The first round of talks on April 11 had ended without a deal and both sides accused the other of breaching the ceasefire pact. The two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran is set to expire on Wednesday P9 . 52 Property dealer kills neighbour’s EUROPE RAT POISON IN brother over parking dispute, held BABY FOOD JARS N I T I N R A W AT @ New Delhi A 34-year-old cloth trader, Pankaj Nayyar, was allegedly shot dead by his neighbour, Gaurav Sharma, during a parking dispute early Monday in Preet Vihar, East Delhi. The victim’s elder brother, Paras, present at the scene, was also injured. Authorities noted that the parties had argued on two previous occasions. DCP (East) Rajeev Kumar stated that police received two PCR calls at 2.22 am and 2.26 am, reporting a quarrel and gunfire. The altercation occurred at A-144, Preet Vihar. During heated arguments, Sharma opened fire, striking Pankaj in the chest. Pankaj was taken to a hospital in Nir man Vihar, where he was declared brought dead. The accused and his aides fled the scene, the DCP said. Sharma was later arrested from Model Town. The search continues for the other suspects and Sharma is being interrogated. Officials stated that Paras and a friend, Aditya, went out to dinner on Sunday evening. Aditya arrived in his Baleno, which they parked at the build- MIDNIGHT MAYHEM Pankaj Nayyar (34) was visiting Preet Vihar to meet elder brother Paras Paras and his friend went out for dinner. Aditya parked his car at the entrance of the building Sharma, the accused, called him twice asking him to remove the car Paras told him space for only one car was allotted to each house Sharma left only to return and abuse the brothers, leading to scuffle. He took out his pistol and shot Pankaj dead ing entrance before leaving in Paras’s Swift. Around 9 pm, the accused arrived in his BMW and called Paras, requesting that the parked vehicle be moved so he could park his car. Paras told him that they had the key and would return soon, suggesting he use an adjacent plot owned by the victim in the meantime. At around midnight, Paras received another call from Sharma, who wanted to park his SUV, which his son was driving. Paras replied that each flat is allotted only one parking space, and they had already accommodated Sharma’s car. The accused left in his SUV but later returned and verbally abused the victims. Paras and Pankaj came downstairs, leading to a scuffle. The accused then fired a pistol, striking Pankaj, and fled with two associates, according to police. It is alleged that Sharma, along with his son, nephew, and two aides, carried out the attack. Paras also sustained injuries. Pankaj’s body was sent for post-mortem examination. The victim’s family runs a cloth business in Chandni Chowk. The accused works in property dealings in Shakarpur and is also involved in import-export business. He recently moved to the rented accommodation because renovation work is underway at his Shakapur house. P3 TRIGGERS PANIC Several countries across Central Europe pulled baby food off the shelves on Monday after rat poison was found in some jars of the HiPP brand over the weekend | P9 UNDER WATER State Disaster Response Force personnel rescue an elderly woman after heavy rainfall caused waterlogging in Guwahati on Monday | PTI ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS THINNER ROLL, THICKER CONTEST IN KOLKATA I P8 DIDI FEARS ARREST OF TMC WORKERS, MOVES HC I P8 Mangled remains of the bus involved in the accident in J&K’s Udhampur | PTI 21 dead, 61 injured as bus falls into gorge in J&K F AYA Z W A N I @ Srinagar AT least 21 people were killed and 61 others injured after the bus they were travelling in fell into a gorge in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district on Monday . Officials said the passenger bus was on its way from Ramnagar to Udhampur, when it met with the accident near Khagote village in Ramnagar around 10 am. “The driver lost control while negotiating a sharp curve on at Khagote. At the same time, an auto-rickshaw was in the vicinity. The bus crushed the auto-rickshaw and plunged nearly 100 metres into the deep gorge before landing upside down on the road below,” Deputy Inspector General of Police (Udhampur-Reasi Range) Shiv Kumar Sharma told reporters. The impact of the fall was so severe that the entire top portion of the bus got crushed, trapping all passengers inside the mangled wreckage. Locals, police, and SDRF personnel soon launched a relief and rescue operations. An army convoy that was moving through the area also assisted. Injured persons were rushed to the Government Medical College, Udhampur. Two critically injured persons were later referred to the Government Medical College, Jammu for specialised treatment. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed grief over the incident and announced an ex gratia of `2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased and `1 lakh to those seriously injured. Those with minor injuries would be given `25,000. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “pained to hear about the loss of lives”. The PM announced an ex gratia of `2 lakh from Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund to the next of kin of each of the deceased. Those injured would be given `50,000. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha directed the district administration, police, SDRF and the health department to provide all possible assistance. India, South Korea set $50 bn trade target by ’30 Tribunal rejects plea of `38.5K crore dues, power bills likely to increase J A V A R I A R A N A A N D P U S H P I TA D E Y @ New Delhi PITCHING their ties as a “message of peace and stability” amid global tensions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Monday expanded cooperation across energy critical , minerals, shipbuilding, semiconductors and steel, set a target to double bilateral trade to $50 billion by 2030 and announced Seoul’s entry into the International Solar Alliance and the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative. The two sides also agreed to resume stalled negotiations to upgrade the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), with the next round scheduled for May and a deadline to conclude talks by CEPA ‘rewrite’ EAM S Jaishankar and his South Korean counterpart exchange an MoU as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, look on | PTI the first half of 2027. Projecting a broader economic and strategic alignment, Modi said cooperation would expand “from chips to ships, talent to technology, environment to energy spanning sem,” iconductors, electronics, maritime industries and defence manufacturing. Bilateral trade currently stands at around $27 billion. To drive this, the two countries agreed to set up a ministe- The push to upgrade CEPA comes amid stalled talks in 2024 over tariffs and nontariff barriers. The joint declaration commits both sides to holding the next round in May and concluding the upgrade by mid-2027. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said India might rewrite chapters of the CEPA if needed to address India’s trade deficit rial-level Industrial Cooperation Committee, their first such mechanism, to coordinate investments and supply chains in critical minerals, nuclear and clean energy and advanced manufacturing. A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi ELECTRICITY bills in Delhi may rise in the coming months after the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) rejected a request from the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) to delay repayment of dues totalling `38,552 crore. DERC sought additional time to distribute the financial impact on consumers and prevent a sudden increase in bills. The tribunal has directed DERC to begin liquidating regulatory assets within three weeks from April 20, stressing the need for timely compliance with the Supreme Court’s mandate. The order was passed by a bench of Judicial Member Virender Bhat and Officiating Chairperson Seema Gupta. APTEL has also set aside the DERC’s move to conduct an audit of power distribution companies (Discoms) through the Comptroller and Auditor General. Following this, DERC has invited bids for the hiring of audit services to undertake Verification, Reconciliation & Finalisation of Enforcement Sales for BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) and Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL). DERC may order the recovery of `38,552 crore through a higher regulatory asset surcharge on power bills. The amount includes `19,174 crore for BRPL, `12,333 crore for BYPL and `7,046 crore for TPDDL. The bench said “… the Commission has been delaying the liquidation of regulatory assets for one reason or another, thereby permitting an increase in the amount of regulatory assets day by day, which would place additional burden upon the end consumers of the electricity in the NCT of Delhi”.