thursdAY 28 may, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard Lunar base NASA unveils plan for fixed site US agency NASA has announced three missions to the moon as part of its efforts to establish a permanent base on the earth’s natural satellite Page 9 97 A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS SC gives stamp of approval to poll body’s SIR Says deletions do not determine citizenship S U C H I T RA K A LYAN M O H AN T Y zenship Act,” the court said. The bench went on to say that the SIR satisfies the requireT h e S u p r e m e C o u r t o n ments of proportionality. The Wednesday upheld the power measures adopted bear a raof the Election Commission of tional nexus to the objective India (ECI) to conduct the Spe- sought to be achieved, are not cial Intensive Revision (SIR) of manifestly excessive, and are electoral rolls, noting that the accompanied by sufficient safepoll body did not violate the guards against arbitrary excluRepresentation of People’s (RP) sion, the bench said. Act by ordering the exAs for deletions, the ercise in Bihar before 124-page judgment, auits state polls. thored by the CJI said “The ECI has the authe poll body shall refer thority to conduct the all such cases within SIR exercise and did four weeks to the comnot transgress any statpetent authority under utory or constitutional the Citizenship Act, Free, fair provision,” a bench of 1955, for adjudication polling Chief Justice of India of citizenship. The “In its object Surya Kant and Justice competent authority Joymalya Bagchi said, and design, the shall take the call prefadding it breathed life impugned SIR erably before the next into the constitutional bears a direct poll cycle after giving nexus to the mandate to conduct notice and an opportuconstitutional nity of hearing to the fair and fair polls. goal of a free On the sensitive deleted persons. and fair While inclusion in question of citizenship, the court said the ECI election. Free the electoral roll gives and fair rise to a presumption is empowered to conelections do of validity, it is rebuttaduct a limited scrutiny of citizenship status not rest merely ble and cannot be conupon the strued as imposing a while preparing and remechanics of blanket embargo on the vising electoral rolls. polling,” the ECI’s powers to underBut deletion of bench said take a SIR, the bench names do not amount ruled. “The deletions… to a determination of citizenship in the strict sense, cannot be said to be contrary to it pointed out. “It affects the the procedure,” it added. The passage of over two decindividual’s entitlement to be included in the electoral roll, ades since the last intensive reand thereby their right to par- vision, large-scale additions ticipate in the electoral proc- and deletions, rapid urbanisaess. It does not, however, oper- tion, migration, and the possibility of repeated or defective ate to divest the individual of claims of citizenship, nor does entries are valid grounds for the SIR to preserve the foundait foreclose a determination of that question by the Compe- tional integrity of polls, the tent Authority under the Citi- verdict said. @ New Delhi l New Delhi l J8.00 l PAGES 12 B A L A C H A U H AN & D EVARA J B H IRE H A L L I @ Bengaluru KARNATAKA Deputy Chief Minister Doddalahalli Kempegowda Shivakumar is likely to succeed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who was asked by the party high command to step down and move to the Rajya Sabha to play a ‘larger role’ at the national level. The Congress high command decided to hand over the mantle to Shivakumar after party chief Mallikarjun Kharge turned down the offer to lead Kar nataka citing age and health issues, sources said. While the Congress leader- ship is keen on completing the power transfer process quickly and smoothly no date has been , fixed for the oath-taking of the new CM. Sources said it could happen on May 29 or May 31. Celebrations have already begun at Shivakumar’s residence and in his assembly constituency Kanakapura. Siddaramaiah has called for a breakfast meeting with his cabinet colleagues on Thursday, and is likely to tender his resignation in the afternoon. Decision on the date of convening the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting to elect the new CM and initiate the process of government for- mation will be finalised on Thursday sources said. , Shivakumar, who returned from Delhi on Wednesday, spoke to his mentor, astrologer and spiritual guru Rajguru Bellur Sankaranarayanan Dwarakanath and sought his blessings. Dwarkanath told TNIE that Shivakumar “is waiting Express News Service @ T’Puram IN a coordinated early-morning swoop on Wednesday, Enforcement Directorate sleuths raided two premises linked to CPM stalwart and Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan and eight other locations across the state, in connection with the Exalogic-CMRL pay-off case, sparking violent protests by agitated CPM workers, who smashed the vehciles in which the search party was returning after the raid in Thiruvanathapuram. Besides the former CM’s rented house in the state capital, the ED also raided his Kannur residence and the Kozhikode house of his son-inlaw and ex-minister P A Mohammed Riyas as part of its money-laundering probe into the case linked to Pinarayi’s daughter, Veena T, owner of the now-defunct Exalogic firm. The sweep triggered day-long tension and high drama in Thiruvananthapuram. CPM workers and leaders, including state secretary M V Govindan, CPM workers attack the car of ED officials who searched former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s house in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday | Albin Mathew gathered outside Pinarayi’s residence and staged a sit-in. Tensions escalated after protest soon exploded into violence as ED officials concluded the raid and began leaving the premises after an eight-hour search. Enraged CPM workers sorrounded their convoy and pelted the vehicles with bricks and stones, shattering windshields and door windows. Three rented cars were damaged, leaving both ED officials and drivers injured. The local police, heavily outnumbered, struggled to contain the situation and failed to respond effectively. Acting on a complaint from ED officials, police booked around a dozen people and arrested four. The violence triggered dramatic scenes after the accused In a major push to tackle Delhi’s growing parking crisis and traffic congestion, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will identify more than 3,000 vacant land parcels across the city over the next one year to create new surface parking spaces. The move emerged as a key point of discussion during the first-ever high-level meeting chaired by Lieutenant-Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu with all seven Lok Sabha MPs from the city on Wednesday . Parking shortages, worsening traffic congestion, encroachments, use of vacant DDA land and maintenance Parks must stay open from 6 am to 10 am The L-G said all DDA parks must remain open daily from 6 am to 10 am, and parks that normally charge an entry fee must allow free public access during the time. and accessibility of DDA parks figured prominently in the discussions. Officials informed the meeting that, out of the proposed 3,000 vacant land parcels, 232 DDA plots are already ready for tender for surface parking. These plots are expected to accommodate nearly one lakh ve- hicles and are likely to significantly ease parking pressure in several parts of the capital. According to officials, 98 of these plots are located in Dwarka Zone, 53 in North Zone, 30 in Rohini Zone, 28 in East Zone and 23 in South Zone. The L-G stressed that the initiative would go a long way in reducing illegal roadside parking and improving traffic movement in congested areas. Another issue discussed was encroachment and unauthorised occupation, with all MPs identifying it as one of the biggest civic challenges facing Delhi. The MPs assured full cooperation to authorities in taking action against encroachments. Aadhaar will unlock a faster exit from jail after bail in capital U D AYAN K IS H O RE @ New Delhi For many prisoners in Delhi, freedom remains trapped in paperwork even after courts grant them bail. The Delhi High Court has stepped in with a solution. In a May 22 order, it directed jail superintendents in the capital to use Aadhaar QR code verification applications to speed up the release of inmates granted bail. A bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Amit Mahajan heard a suo motu case involving a prisoner who remained incarcerated for over a week despite securing bail because verification formalities were not completed.. The court noted that delays in verifying sureties—individuals who guarantee an accused’s appearance before court—were keeping prisoners behind bars long after judicial orders cleared them for release. The judges directed authorities to verify identities by scanning the secure QR code embedded in Aadhaar cards through approved applications, including the Aadhaar QR for a formal announcement on his appointment as CM.” Sources confirmed that Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is also AICC General Secretary backed Shivaku, mar’s prospect as the new CM all through, to honour the halfway power sharing agreement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar post the Congress victory in 2023 assembly polls while keeping in mind the 2028 assembly elections. Sources said Shivakumar has been tasked with building the party’s image, which has been fractured due to power struggle between him and Siddaramaiah, and lead the party ED search at Pinarayi’s house sparks violence, officials injured in attack e x p r e ss n e ws s e r v i c e @ New Delhi Southern touch 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi broke a series of records during Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad fixture on Wednesday. With this match, he has already hit 65 sixes in this IPL season, going past Chris Gayle’s 59 sixes in the 2012 season | p11 Shivakumar to take over as K’taka CM on Friday or Sunday DDA to identify 3K vacant land parcels for surface parking: L-G Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay honours Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a shawl during their meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday | Express | p5 runs made by Sooryavanshi in 29 balls was 3 short of IPL record of the fastest 100 Sooryavanshi sets IPL ablaze Delhi High Court took suo motu note of the situation of prisoners in city jails Scanner App, mAadhaar App and Aadhaar App. The court examined prison data from February 1 to 15 this year, which showed that the average time to release prisoners after bail ranged from five-six. In several cases, however, the delay stretched to 33 days, and in some instances, even 56 days, largely because of interstate verification procedures and scrutiny of financial documents submitted as sureties. “Once the details are obtained from these applications, if further verification is re- quired, the same shall also be done in an expeditious manner,” the bench said. The direction followed officials from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), informing the court that Aadhaar-based verification t e c h n o l o g y w a s a l r e a dy being used in prisons across the country for visitor authentication. During the hearing, UIDAI officials also demonstrated mobile applications capable of instantly verifying Aadhaar credentials through QR code scanning. allegedly took refuge in a nearby CPM office. Senior party leaders stopped police personnel from entering the office. Tension escalated before the police brass and CPM leadership struck an understanding, following which some of the accused surrendered. Those arrested have been charged with attempt to murder. Tension flared in Kannur too as party workers raised slogans outside Pinarayi’s residence when ED officials emerged after the raid. CPM leader M V Jayarajan claimed the ED had officially recorded that no incriminating documents or electronic devices were found. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said the state police had not been informed in advance about the ED raids and accused CPM workers of deliberately unleashing violence. Meanwhile, Pinarayi said the ED’s action was just the beginning of possible future measures targetting him. Bank deposit details of Veena were found during the raid, an ED official said. to a clear mandate in 2028. Meanwhile, AICC General Secretary in charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala held talks with Siddaramaiah seeking his cooperation for a smooth transition of power. Energy minister KJ George and PWD minister Satish Jarkiholi also attended the meeting, where discussions were also held about convening the CLP meeting to elect the new CLP leader who would become CM. Siddaramaiah’s supporters staged a protest against the Congress high command in front of the CM’s residence as Surjewala arrived for the meeting. express read Online gaming: SC okays 28% retrospective GST New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the 28% retrospective GST on online gaming companies. It also upheld the validity of laws enacted by TN and Karnataka governments, which banned online games, including those of skill such as rummy and poker | P10 Singapore court sends Byju Raveendran to jail New Delhi: A Singapore court sentenced Byju Raveendran, founder of Byju’s, to six months in jail for contempt of court over alleged non-compliance with disclosure orders. It was not clear whether he was in Singapore at the time of the order, though he intends to file an appeal | P10 Northeastern state declared fully literate Sikkim was declared a fully literate state in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu in Gangtok on Wednesday. The declaration was made under the Centre’s Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society initiative by CM Prem Singh Tamang at Sikkum University. bids invited 3 pvt firms in race for making 5th-gen stealth fighter J a v a r i a R a n a @ New Delhi The government on Wednesday invited bids for India’s nearly `15,000-crore Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme, with three shortlisted Indian firms and consortia set to compete for development of the country’s first indigenous fifth-generation stealth fighter. The Request for Proposals (RFP), issued by the DRDO’s Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), seeks detailed technical and commercial bids for five flying prototypes, a structural test specimen and the associated manufacturing and testing ecosystem. The programme had earlier received Cabinet Committee on Security approval in early 2024. The three contenders are Larsen and Toubro in partnership with Bharat Electronics Limited and Dynamatic Technologies, Tata Advanced Systems Limited, which has bid independently, and Bharat Forge, which has teamed with state-run BEML and Data Patterns. As reported earlier, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited was eliminated at the financial evaluation stage. Concerns had emerged over HAL’s capacity to absorb yet another major programme alongside existing commitments. Contract negotiations are expected to conclude by early 2027. Once the contract is signed, the first prototype is expected to undertake taxi trials and maiden flight around 30 months later, placing the first flight around mid-to-late 2029 if timelines hold. Four more prototypes will follow progressively through mid-2032, with the full flight-test campaign of nearly 1,800 sorties running till around 2034. Serial production can begin only after testing, certification, weapons integration and operational clearances are completed. If the timelines hold, then the AMCA may enter IAF service around 2035. Earlier this month, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh laid the foundation stone for the AMCA manufacturing and flight-test facility at Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh. The aircraft is being designed as a twin-engine, mediumweight stealth fighter with internal weapons bays, advanced sensors and multi-role capability spanning air superiority for deep precision strike missions.