THURSDAY RETAIL INFLATION AT 19-MONTH HIGH OF 4.45% IN JULY AS FOOD PRICES RISE 13 Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based retail inflation in July inched up from 4.38% in June on the back of expensive kitchen staples, especially onion & ginger AUGUST, 2026 Higher prices of ginger, onion drive index epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard DECOY TRUMP CONFIRMS PLANE SWITCH 5% US president said he switched planes because of a threat to life. He was reacting to a report that said he was smuggled out of Air Force One plane in Turkey A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9  NEW DELHI  J8.00 Natarajan Chandrasekaran to step down as Tata Sons chairman when his tenure ends on February 20, 2027, not to seek third term A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi ‘GRAHAN’ AT TATAS NATARAJAN Chandrasekaran on Wednesday announced that he would step down as Tata Sons chairman when his current term ends on February 20, 2027 and that he would not seek reappointment. The announcement came after protracted boardroom battles arising out of differences with Tata Trusts, which collectively own 66% of Tata Sons. The 63-year-old Tata veteran’s decision to leave Tata Sons came a day before the boards of the Tata Trusts were scheduled to meet to appoint their nominee to the Tata Sons board and a week before the annual general meeting on August 18. Tata Sons is the principal investment holding company and promoter of the Tata Group, controlling over 30 firms that together generate `16 lakh crore in revenue. In his statement, Chandrasekaran pointed out that his reappointment for another five years was recommended by the Tata Sons Nomination and Remuneration Committee and the Board. “The resolution was ta- MIDNIGHT HIKE Orphan, widow cess on petrol, diesel imposed in Himachal H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ Chandigarh PRICES of petrol and diesel rose from midnight on Tuesday in Himachal Pradesh after the government imposed an orphan and widow cess of 60 paise per litre on both fuels. According to a government notification, the revised rates came into effect from midnight on August 11. The cess will be levied “on Petrol and High Speed Diesel at the point of first sale in Himachal Pradesh”, the notification said. The revenue collected will be credited to an Orphan and Widow Welfare Fund and used for the welfare of widows and orphans. The move follows the passage of the Himachal Pradesh Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2026, during the Budget Session. Under the amendment, the government can impose a Widow and Orphan Cess of up to `5/litre on petrol and highspeed diesel. The levy of 60 paise per litre is significantly lower than the maximum permitted under the amended law. The legislation faced strong opposition from BJP MLAs when it was introduced in the Assembly The BJP legislators . staged a walkout. Himachal BJP chief spokesperson and MLA Rakesh Jamwal termed the decision “anti-people” and warned that higher fuel prices would have a cascading impact on household expenses in the hill state, where transportation plays a key role in moving essential commodities. He said the higher fuel prices would put pressure on transportation costs of cement, steel and sand, besides fruits and vegetables. The Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government has already introduced what is being referred to as a ‘milk cess’ on electricity bills. bled in the Tata Sons Board on Feb 24, 2026. However, the proposal was not carried through because one of the Board Members did not support it,” the statement read, without naming Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata who reportedly opposed his reappointment. The Tata Trusts currently has only two nominees on the Tata Sons board, instead of the three required for Chandrasekaran’s reappointment. The third nominee was expected to be appointed by the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, which, along with the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, controls 66.4% of Tata Sons. However, the Sir Ratan Tata Trust has been barred by the state charity commissioner from holding board meetings since May . This has added to the uncertainty over the AGM and Chandrasekaran’s reappointment. Under the Tata Sons bylaws, the appointment of a chairman has to be unanimous—something the board meeting on February 24, 2026 failed to achieve, forcing Chandrasekaran to defer the decision. When contacted, the Tata PAGES 12 Delhi Master Plan ’47 gets L-G stamp, roadmap fixed CHANDRA B E N N K O C H U V E E D A N @ Mumbai  I have communicated to the Tata Sons Board that I have decided not to offer myself for reappointment when my term ends on Feb 20, 2027. I have asked the Board to decide on the succession soon to ensure a proper transition N Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons NEXT CHAIRMAN Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Sir Ratan Tata Trust recommended extending Chandra’s term However, Noel Tata, chairman of Tata Trusts, did not support Tata trusts collectively own about 66% of Tata Sons A 5-member panel has to be formed to select next chairman; the board will make the appointment subject to voting Trusts declined to comment. “It has been 6 months since that Board meeting, and no resolution has been reached till date. Tata Sons is a very large institution and there are many strategic projects that are under critical stages of execution. It is not only necessary to have a leader in place to lead the Group beyond Feb 2027, but also clarity on leadership is important for employees, investors, partners and other stakeholders,” Chandrasekaran stated. Noel Tata, chairman of Tata Trusts and one of the Trusts’ representatives on the Tata Sons board, has objected to Chandrasekaran’s reappointment, according to sources. His objections reportedly stem from concerns over steep losses in several new ventures, excessive capital expenditure on high-risk businesses and mounting losses from acquisitions such as Air India and BigBasket. P10 LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Wednesday approved the Delhi Master Plan 2047, aimed at planned growth of the capital, officials said. Sandhu, who chaired a meeting of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), also approved a policy for reconstruction and redevelopment of old two-storey DDA-built residential units and a land-use change for a Metro depot for the RithalaKundli corridor in Narela. “With Delhi’s population projected to grow significantly by 2047, the Master Plan adopts an integrated approach towards housing, economic growth, mobility envi, ronmental sustainability, infrastructure, heritage conservation, urban regeneration and citizen-centric governance,” the DDA said. The DDA had been working on Master Plan Delhi (MPD) 2041 after the expiry of MPD 1990 CASE OF KILLINGS OF KASHMIRI PANDIT POET, SON REOPENED Govt blinks, sends FCRA amend bill to JPC P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi IN a climb down amid stiff resistance from Opposition parties, church leaders and civil society groups, the government on Wednesday referred the contentious Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed scrutiny . Both Houses adopted motions to refer the bill to the 31-member joint committee even as Opposition parties maintained that the proposed legislation targets minorities THE RESERVE BANK OF INDIA’S ESTIMATE OF THE CPI INFLATION FOR 2026-27 EXPRESS ILLUSTRATION The last time such a high CPI reading was recorded was in December 2024, at 5.22%. The July print is also the highest since the new CPI series with 2023-24 as base year came into effect in January 2026. The latest data show that food inflation in July edged up to 5.52% from 5.32% in June, driven by high inflation in ginger (83.62%) and onions (22.54%) | P10 and NGOs and demanded that it be withdrawn altogether. The gover nment rejected the charge, challenging the Opposition to identify any provision that discriminates against minorities. The committee will comprise 21 Lok Sabha and 10 Rajya Sabha members. It has been asked to submit its report by the last day of the first week of the Winter Session of Parliament. The bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25, proposes tighter oversight of NGOs and foreign contributions. The government had put it on hold following strong resistance from various stakeholders, The motion for referring the bill to the JPC was moved in the Lok Sabha by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai amid sloganeering by Opposition MPs demanding the presence of Union home minister Amit Shah. In his pushback, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the Congress and other Opposition parties had earlier sought parliamentary scru- tiny of the bill and said they could raise their objections before the JPC. Responding to SP chief Akhilesh Yadav’s charge that the bill was against minorities, Rijiju challenged him to point out any such provision. Congress MP K C Venugopal, too, alleged that the legislation was aimed at NGOs and minority institutions. “This legislation is clearly targeting the NGOs and minority institutions which are doing good work,” he said, demanding its withdrawal. DMK leader T R Baalu echoed the demand. EXPRESS READ Row intensifies as police reach JPSC protest site A fresh controversy erupted late Tuesday night, between 12:30 am and 2 am, after the police reached Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi, where agitating students have been protesting against alleged irregularities in JPSC recruitment examinations. Mumbai biker dead in collision with truck CELESTIAL RING A rare total solar eclipse is seen from Berlanga de Duero in central Spain on Wednesday. A large part of the country switched from daylight into total darkness as the Moon covered the Sun | AP | P9 24-year-old Riddhi Thakkar, a rider in an all-women biking group, lost her life en route to Bastar. The accident took place when a speeding trailer collided with the convoy near Jagatra Madka Tola area. The group had set off from Mumbai. 2021. It has now been changed to MPD 2047 to align it with the Centre’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. The plan will be sent to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for final nod and notification. The first Master Plan was promulgated in 1962 under the Delhi Development Act, 1957, followed by the Master Plans of 2001 and 2021. The plans were prepared for 20year periods and provided a framework for planned development of the city . The DDA also approved a policy allowing reconstruction and redevelopment of old two-storey dwelling units built on individual plots in older housing schemes, and extending the policy to all similarly placed schemes. Several DDA housing schemes developed under MPD-1962 have built-up twostorey units on individual plots that are more than 50 years old and structurally deficient. While vacant residential plots had redevelopment guidelines under existing MPD norms, built-up two-storey units did not have a uniform framework. Under the new policy these , units will get redevelopment rights on par with vacant residential plots. Reconstruction will be governed by plot size, prevailing MPD provisions, structural safety certification, Unified Building Byelaws, applicable FAR, ground coverage, height and fire safety norms. It will also be subject to conversion charges, betterment levy where applicable and scrutiny fees. CONTINUED ON P5 J&K Police has reopened the 1990 double murder case of Kashmiri Pandit poetwriter Sarwanand Kaul Premi and his younger son Virender Kaul. Premi, 65, and his 27-year-old son were killed by terrorists in May 1990 in Anantnag district | P8 SESSION ENDS TODAY Shah ready for RAF action debate, Rahul rejects offer P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi IN his first public response to the Opposition seeking accountability over the alleged police action against protesting students, Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday challenged them to allow a debate in Parliament, promising to give a detailed reply in the House. Rejecting the offer, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi termed Amit Shah’s call for having a discussion as a “last-minute” attempt to fill gas in the home minister’s image “balloon” that had burst. Speaking to reporters in the Parliament House complex, Shah dared the Opposition to submit a formal letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker for a debate on students’ protests and all related issues, and said he will attend the entire proceedings to address all questions once the discussion begins today “Let’s start the debate at 3 pm today I will sit in the House and . will give a detailed reply at 3 pm on Thursday,” Shah said, adding it was now up to the Opposition whether they wanted to take part in the debate or to create turmoil in Parliament. Asked about the Opposition charges that he was running away from the debate, the home minister said ever since the Monsoon session began on July Ready to extend session: Rijiju Later speaking to reporters, Rijiju said the Parliament session can be extended if the Congress agrees for a discussion on the NEETrelated student protests 20, he has been coming regularly and sitting in his chamber in the Parliament House, but the Opposition is not allowing either House to function. “So, what is the point of anyone going inside when the proceedings are not being allowed to run? As far as the issue of discussion is concerned, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has made it very clear that the government is ready for a discussion on all aspects of the students’ protests related to the NEET-UG issue,” he said. Shah’s remarks came just a day before the Monsoon session is slated to end. P7 Panel upholds charges of unexplained money at Justice Varma’s house EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi A three-member panel set up by the Lok Sabha Speaker to probe allegations of discovery of cash at Justice Yashwant Varma’s official residence has found the former Delhi High Court judge guilty, saying the charges of unexplained currency disturbing evidence and , evasive explanation against him “are proved”. In its report submitted to both Houses of Parliament, the panel said the former HC judge failed to furnish satisfactory explanation on the presence, source, or ownership of the cash found in the store room of his official residence. The panel said that material evidence was not secured or preserved and the evistances. “It remained dentiary condition of evasive and unsatisthe storeroom was disfactory when tested turbed before the lawagainst the evidence ful sealing and of independent offiinspection. cial witnesses and corIt also found the exroborative material.” planation given by the “The Committee, judge did not exhibit Justice Yashwant Varma therefore, records its candour, transparenfinal findings that Arcy and institutional responsi- ticles of charges I, II and III are bility expected in the circum- proved,” the probe panel said in its consolidated findings on the articles of charge against Justice Varma. The report is in two volumes along with oral and documentary evidence recorded during the investigation. The threemember probe panel had submitted its findings to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in May . As 200 MPs pressed for his removal by Parliament, Justice Varma has since resigned. His resignation has not been notified by the law ministry . The incident dates back to the night of March 14, 2025 when a fire broke out in the residence of Justice Varma. Firefighters allegedly discovered massive amounts of burnt currency Since Justice Varma . resigned, removal proceedings have become infructuous.