SC APPOINTS EX-CJI TO ACT AS MEDIATOR IN KAPUR VS KAPUR FRIDAY 08 MAY, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard WEST ASIA WAR IRAN WEIGHS FRESH PEACE PROPOSALS Iran said it was reviewing the latest American proposals to end the war after Donald Trump threatened the country with a new wave of bombing PAGE 9 KEEP FAMILY DISPUTE PRIVATE, SAYS COURT A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  Vijay hasn’t established support of majority: Guv J8.00  Asking the parties to participate in the mediation proceedings with an open mind, the apex court said they may not make any statements in the public and also not go on social media about the dispute. “It is a family dispute. Let it be confined among the family only. It should not be a source of entertainment,” a bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and Ujjal Bhuyan said | P7 PAGES 12 47 out of 63 MLAs back KC in Kerala CM race Vijay calls on Arlekar again, submits new letter staking claim as single largest party TVK chief Vijay returning from the Lok Bhavan on Thursday | EXPRESS S U B H E N D U M A I T I @ Kolkata HOURS after TVK president Vijay, accompanied by senior leaders of the party, called on Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar on Thursday seeking an invitation to form a government, the Lok Bhavan in Chennai said the TVK is yet to establish that it has majority support (118 MLAs-elect) to do so. “The governor invited TVK president C Joseph Vijay to the Lok Bhavan. During the meeting, he explained that the requisite majority support in the TN Legislative Assembly, essential for forming the government, has not been established,” an official release from the Lok Bhavan said. Sources said the decision not to invite the TVK to form the government was taken after the governor sought legal opinion from Additional Solicitor General of India A R L Sundaresan. The issue stems from the TVK’s error in initially staking claim to form the governAlliance ment as a part of an alliance, along with the needs proof Congress, rather than as the single largest parof majority ty in the House. The TVK has 108 seats in the 234-strong Assembly, with Congress having The TVK has 108 seats in five. As the TVK, in its letter to the governor, the 234-strong had referred to itself as part of an alliance, it Assembly, with was required to demonstrate the support of Congress having 118 MLAs-elect and the governor’s office five. As the TVK, sought clarity on which other parties were in its letter, had prepared to back the TVK. Sources added that during the 30-minute referred to itself as part of an alliance, meeting on Thursday, the TVK president subit was required mitted a fresh letter to the governor staking to demonstrate his claim to form the government as leader of the support of 118 the single largest party . MLAs-elect and During their meeting, on Wednesday too, the the governor’s governor had sought from the TVK chief proof office sought of majority support. He also explained to Vijay proof of majority why the proof is necessary citing past instanc, es where courts have censured governors for failing to ascertain whether the party claiming stake enjoys a majority sources said. , They added that when Vijay said he was ready to face a floor test in the state Assembly, Arlekar referred to past orders. Having been asked to show proof of majority, TVK party functionaries have reached out to the DMK’s allies of CPI, CPM, VCK and IUML, each of which have two seats. Vijay personally phoned each of the party leaders and sought their support on Wednesday, aside from sending them a formal request in writing. P5 GOVERNOR R N Ravi on Thursday issued an order dissolving the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, whose term expired the same day, after outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee refused to resign following her Trinamool Congress party’s drubbing in the state assembly elections, results of which were declared on May 4. “In exercise of the power conferred on me by sub-clause (b) of Clause (2) of Article 174 of the Constitution of India, I hereby dissolve the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal with effect from the 7th of May 2026,” the order read. The current assembly was constituted in May 2021 after the Trinamool Congress, unAll about der the leadership of Mamata Art 174(2b) Banerjee, returned to power used in WB for the third consecutive term in the state. Under Article 174 (2b) of the The dissolution brought the Constitution, the constitutional standgovernor of a off that had gripped ASSEMBLY state may dissolve the state since MonELECTIONS the Legislative day to a meek end. Assembly. This In another develpower is a crucial opment, West Benaspect of the gal police on ThursGovernor’s day recovered one of responsibility, and the two motorbikes used in the comes into play murder of Suvendu Adhikari’s when the govt’s personal assistant Chantenure ends or it dranath Rath near a tea shop no longer holds in Madhyamgram in North 24 majority Parganas district on Wednesday Police are examining CCTV footage. No ar. rest has been made so far in connection with the murder. Union home minister Amit Shah is reaching Kolkata on Friday in his role as observer of the BJP legislature party’f first meeting to elect its leader. The swearing-in ceremony of the new chief minister is slated for Saturday at the sprawling Brigade Parade Ground. P8 J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi House dissolved, Didi’s refusal to quit infructuous T M U R U G A N A N D H A M & P R A B H A K A R TA M I L A R A S U @ Chennai Eviction notices to Yamuna Bazar residents issued A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi THE Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Thursday issued eviction notices to residents of 310 dwellings of Yamuna Bazar in Kashmere Gate area. A demolition drive will clear the “encroachment” if the residents do not vacate within a fortnight. The dwellings are along the banks of the Yamuna on the Ring Road in the O-Zone, comprising floodplain land owned by DDA. The Yamuna floodwaters inundate the low-lying colony every year, posing a threat to people, cattle, and property . Such recurring flooding necessitates emergency response measures, including temporary relocation and rehabilitation by the revenue department, which strain public resources and the public exchequer. The DDMA notice said that occupation of the floodplain area constitutes a potential disaster risk requiring preventive and mitigation measures under the provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. It warned, “Failure to comply with this order shall invite action, including demolition of unauthorised structures and eviction, to be carried out by the concerned authorities without further notice.” India presses B’desh to send back illegal migrants K S S R E E J I T H @ T’Puram AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal seems to be emerging the front runner in the race for the post of Kerala chief minister as 47 newly elected Congress MLAs, including KPCC president Sunny Joseph, proposed his name during the one-onone meetings with the central observers on Thursday . The MLAs-elect who favoured Venugopal as chief minister include Sandeep Varier, Sajeev Joseph, Usha Vijayan, and T O Mohan. I C Balakrishnan, a supporter of former opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala, proposed both Venugopal and Chennithala for the top post. Sources said eight MLAs supported Chennithala, while six indicated preference for V D Satheesan, the incumbent Leader of Opposition who is projected as the popular choice for the post. Both the Chennithala and Satheesan camps claimed to have the support of 23 and 35 MLAs, respectively . The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting held in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday passed a unanimous resolution authorising party president Mallikarjun Kharge to nominate the next CM. The meeting was attended by central observers Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik, along with AICC observer Mukul Wasnik carrying documents related to MLAs’ support for CM post | B P DEEPU AICC general secretary in-charge of Kerala, Deepa Dasmunsi. Chennithala and Satheesan met the central observers while Venugopal skipped the meeting. Besides the 63 MLAs, Maken and Wasnik held one-on-one meetings with Congress MPs and senior leaders to know their preference for the post. It is learnt that the Congress high command will announce the name by Saturday or Sunday . Sources indicated the new chief minister would take oath within two days of the announcement. INDIA on Thursday stepped up pressure on Bangladesh to expedite the nationality verification of suspected illegal migrants, saying nearly over 2,862 cases were pending with Dhaka, some for more than five years. The External Affairs Ministry said the delay was hampering the repatriation process and stressed that cooperation from Bangladesh was essential for the return of illegal immigrants under existing bilateral arrangements. The remarks assume significance as they come days after elections in Bengal and Assam, where illegal migration from Bangladesh remains a sensitive issue. The MEA statement followed comments by Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman earlier this week warning that Dhaka would respond if India “forcibly pushed” any individuals across the border without due process. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the comments from Dhaka had to be viewed in the larger context of pending repatriation requests. “These comments must be seen in the context of the core issue of repatriation of illegal Bangladeshis from India. This requires cooperation from Bangladesh,” Jaiswal said. He said India had repeatedly sought nationality verification but a large number of cases remained unresolved. EXPEDITE IT “Our policy is that all illegal foreign nationals staying in India must be repatriated as per our laws, procedure, and established bilateral arrangements. We expect Dhaka to expedite nationality verification,” Jaiswal said. Relief in name only: A peep into Delhi’s heat-struck shelter homes A D I T I R AY C H O W D H U R Y @ New Delhi THE night shelters run by the Delhi government, which aid the poor and homeless during extreme winter and peak summer months, are unprepared to handle the impending high temperatures, even though occasional showers have brought temporary relief. The shelter homes this newspaper visited appeared ready to help residents, with individual cabins, beds placed side by side, coolers specially equipped for summer, and water filters. Even though the facilities appear fully functional at first glance, a deeper look into residents’ living conditions reveals several loopholes. Sitting in one corner of the Sarai Kale Khan night shelter run by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) is 18-year-old Nazmi. She is worried about the environment she lives in. She showed this reporter the unhygienic conditions in the washrooms and lavatories. They are in this state because most taps do not function, she says. The saving grace, she adds, is access to drinking water, which becomes more than an essential commodity during peak summer. Behind the washroom area, a water pipe peeked out from a small heap of waste. “We collect and store water from here EXPRESS READ IndiGo 1st to start flight ops at Jewar airport `806 cr medical college to come up in Dwarka An IndiGo flight from Lucknow will be the first to land at the Noida International Airport in Jewar on June 15, when domestic commercial operations begin. The airline’s plane to Bengaluru will be the first to take off from the airport the same day. IndiGo will connect to more than 16 cities in the initial weeks. Akasa Air and Air India Express, the other two airlines which will operate from NIA, are finalising their flight schedules. P3 Delhi government has approved the construction of a modern medical college and hostel complex at the Indira Gandhi Hospital campus in Dwarka. The project, estimated to cost `805.99 crore, is slated to be completed by 2028. In a big push for the city’s medical education infra, the project received clearance at a recent meeting of the expenditure finance committee chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. P4 Unsheltered in summer 1 Taps in shelter home washrooms either do not have water supply or are broken, leaving them in unhygienic state A shelter inhabitant shows the mouth of pipe from where she collects her daily drinking water supply | PARVEEN NEGI One non-functional air cooler has been lying here unused for a long time. No one is repairing it. It is almost like a piece of scrap —Bappa, a daily wage worker and shelter inhabitant 2 Air coolers with nonfunctional motors to sprinkle water leave them unusable in high summer months in these homes in our buckets,” she says, adding the water supply resumes at 7 am dailyday when they are , expected to store enough water for the entire day . There are five to six portacabins in the Sarai Kale Khan shelter, each of which has been provided with two air coolers. However, many of these coolers emit warm air because the motors meant to pump water into the cooler pads are dysfunctional most of the time, residents claim. “One nonfunctional air cooler has been lying here unused for a long time. No one is repairing it. It is almost like a piece of scrap,” says 55-year-old daily wage worker Bappa, who has been staying at the shelter with his family for the last five years. Another family living in the same shelter claims that the water dispensers installed in their cabin are never refilled. “The dispensers are there as showpieces,” says Shilpa, a 27-yearold mother of two toddlers. Her husband said, “Last summer, the authorities provided us with four coolers, but this year, they have given us just two.” How is it possible for a cabin that accommodates around 60 to 70 people to get relief from the summer heat with just two coolers, he asked. TMS Exclusive CONTINUED ON P4 Odisha cop lynched for ‘sexually assaulting’ 2 girls SUDARSAN MAHARANA AND A S I S H M E H TA @ Bhubaneswar A mob lynched a 32-year-old Government Railway Police (GRP) constable to death in full public view over allegations of sexually assaulting two young women on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar on Thursday . Hung from an iron bar like an animal, with both his hands and legs tied, constable Soumya Ranjan Swain was carried and dragged around by the at- tackers, who rained blows, kicks and punches on him. Police reached the spot but remained mute spectators as the violence continued. The barbaric incident, which took place near Ramachandrapur under Balianta police limits, sent shockwaves across the city Videos circulated wide. ly on social media showed scenes of extreme violence linked to the incident. Swain belonged to Moujpur village in Cuttack district and served as a GRP constable. His friend Om Prakash Rout was rescued by police. He is in a sta- Attempt to rape case against deceased Based on the complaint filed by the women, police said a case of attempt to rape under Sections 62 and 64, BNS, was registered against the deceased. ble condition and remains under detention. Swain and Rout had a faceoff with the two girls over some trivial matter and then they allegedly chased them on their motorcycle and later rammed their scooter before being caught by locals. Rout managed to escape, but Swain, also a fitness trainer, was brutally assaulted in the presence of police personnel. The women later alleged that the accused misbehaved with them.