MondAY 12 october, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard Imran Khan Emergency rule in NW Pakistan Flash flood strikes Nepal again, 5 missing Pakistan placed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under emergency rule on Sunday, following protests by supporters of jailed former PM Imran Khan A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Page 9 l New Delhi l J8.00 l PAGES 12 In spl sitting, court orders restoration of metro, internet, finds prima facie case for contempt No illegal detention of peaceful protesters: SC tells MHA, cops CJP leaders say protests Dream big, won’t stop till pursue ideas cec quits sans fear: PM PM Modi at the event in Chennai on Sunday | Shiba Prasad Sahu u d aya n k i s h o r e & a n u p v e r m a @ New Delhi Police personnel physically remove protestors in Connaught Place, New Delhi on Sunday | Parveen Negi SUC H ITRA KA LYAN MO H ANTY @ New Delhi In an unusual special sitting on Sunday a spe, cial bench of the Supreme Court said there can be no illegal detention of those peacefully gathering and that barricades in the national capital must be reviewed immediately based on lawand-order and traffic requirements. The court also held that Metro services and railway facilities shall function normally until and unless they need to be regulated keeping in mind reasonable restrictions envisaged under Article 19 (2). Further, internet facilities should be restored and lawyers and journalists must not be obstructed from discharging professional duties, the court ordered. The court observed that petitioners had prima facie made out a case of contempt against the Centre and Delhi authorities for violating the court’s October 9 directions against “complete prohibition” of transport services. The two-judge Bench of Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana sought a response from Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Chairperson D Thara in the next hearing on October 13. “Free movement of people in the city shall be ensured subject to law and order situation and/ or traffic regulations... There shall be no illegal detention, particularly in cases of peaceful unarmed assemblage of people beyond the area where Section 163 BNSS is in operation,” the court ordered the Centre and Delhi Police. On being informed that a notice board had been put up in the court premises mentioning that Section 163 BNSS had been invoked in and around the precincts of the SC, the bench ordered that it be removed. The interim directions came on a contempt plea and a habeas corpus petition filed by lawyer Shailendra Mani Tripathi and senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy respectively The SC issued notices in . both cases, and sought a compliance report in the contempt plea. The court accepted the government’s assurance that Metro services would be normalised unless public order situation arose. CJI declines to meet Rahul and Kharge Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has declined to meet leaders from the Congress, including LoP Rahul Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, on Monday. The CJI cited the pendency of related matters before the SC for declining to meet the leaders. Rahul had said the INDIA bloc would meet CJI to submit a memorandum on “vote chori” | P7 Raihan Vadra, son of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, documents the ongoing protest against CEC on Sunday | Parveen Negi India rejects UN’s ‘interference’ India on Sunday rejected as “unacceptable interference” concerns raised by the United Nations Human Rights Office over detention of protesters, saying authorities had acted in accordance with the law. In a video, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Constitution guaranteed the right to peaceful assembly, which was safeguarded by the country’s institutions, an independent judiciary and a free media | P7 HOURS after being released from detention on Sunday Cockroach Janta Party leaders vowed to , intensify their agitation demanding removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, as around 200 protesters were detained and New Delhi remained under a thick security blanket. Following the Supreme Court order after a special hearing earlier in the morning, police partially relaxed the clampdown, including opening of Metro stations and resumption of internet services. CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were released on the condition that they would not “breach peace” for a year. YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, after he was released in the Police file morning, claimed he was not 20 FIRs detained, but “kidnapped”. Police claimed that CJP co-convener Ranka it registered 20 said he and other leaders FIRs in connection would approach Delhi Police with Saturday’s on Monday to seek a date for protest. The FIRs holding a fresh protest at included charges Jantar Mantar. related to assault At a press conference held on police and at Press Club of India, Das obstruction of alleged the government had duty, among other turned the state against its offences. On own citizens and the CJP’s detentions, police agitation would continue. said “preventive “Protests will happen not arrests” were made just in Delhi but in the whole following “all country. This will not stop procedures” | P3 till Gyanesh resigns,” he said. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said he had not signed any bond barring him and other CJP leaders from staging further protests. “I have not signed any bond. We will take to the streets again... We are not afraid of your dictatorship; we will end your dictatorship,” Dipke told reporters at Nagpur airport. CPM Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas was admitted to a hospital after Delhi Police allegedly manhandled him in Connaught Place. Brittas said security personnel nearly choked him despite his attempts to identify himself as an MP. Among others detained were CPI leader Annie Raja and members of SFI, AISF and AISA, including Neha Bora and Aishe Ghosh. Reporters Sans Frontieres said “at least 16 journalists were detained”. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke before being released on Sunday | PTI Diljit reschedules Delhi concert to Oct 30 over anti-Sikh riots anniv H a r p r e e t B a j w a @ Chandigarh Punjabi singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh has rescheduled his upcoming Delhi concert under the Aura India Tour title from November 1 to October 30. He made the decision after prominent Sikh leaders and groups asked to respect the sensitivity about 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The concert will take place at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. November 1 marks the anniversary of the riots. Punjab Rajya Sabha MP Vikramjit Sahney had urged Dosanjh to consider the sentiments of families riot victims. Sahney had said, “November 1 is a deeply painful day for thousands of Sikh families who continue to live with the memories and grief of the 1984 anti-Sikh genocide. I make a sincere appeal to Diljit and the organisers to consider moving the Delhi show to another date out of respect for the sentiments of the victims and their families” Dosanjh announced the change on social media after Sahney’s comment and a similar appeal made by the Punjabi Promotion Council. Sahney thanked Dosanjh after the change of schedule, saying, “I sincerely thank Diljit Dosanjh for graciously accepting my request. He is a true son of Punjab, a proud turbaned global icon, and an inspiration to millions.” Jaswant Singh of the Punjabi Promotion Council had written to Dosanjh, urging him to reconsider the schedule. S u b a s h i n i V i j aya k u m a r @ Chennai PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked students to dream big, think differently and pursue their ideas without fear, saying young people could help find solutions to challenges facing India and the world. Addressing students at a city school, he urged them to contribute to the goal of building a Viksit Bharat by 2047. His appeal came amid protests by student groups, including in Chennai, demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. However, Modi did not refer to the Delhi protests. “The world is looking for solution providers. And you have the potential to provide those solutions,” he said, asking students to make the most of the opportunities available to them. Calling young people the biggest heroes of India’s bright future, he led students in a call-and-response pledge to build a developed and self-reliant India by 2047, make the country one of the world’s top three economies and a global manufacturing hub, host the Olympics and send an Indian to the Moon. Referring to the expansion of the education sector since the BJP came to power in 2014, Modi said the number of universities had risen from around 750 to more than 1,300, while colleges had increased from around 38,000 to over 52,000. He also pointed to the growth of IITs, IIMs, IIITs and AIIMS institutions, adding that the National Education Policy was helping imp r o ve t h e q u a l i t y o f education. On sports, Modi said India was preparing to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games. The PM also asked Tamil students to take their language, literature and cultural traditions to other parts of the country Building friend. ships with people from different backgrounds, he said, would strengthen national unity P5 . Five people were missing on Sunday after a flash flood swept away houses, bridges and damaged hydropower projects in Nepal’s Gorkha district. The Nepalese authorities said 80 people, including nine foreigners, were rescued. It comes just weeks after the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river floods, which killed over 1,400 people | P8, P9 Fire in power bank, Del-Chennai flight lands in Hyderabad Express news service @ New Delhi Scary moments unfolded for over 180 passengers on board an Indigo flight from New Delhi to Chennai on Sunday after a power bank in the overhead storage bin inside the cabin caught fire midair. The flight was diverted to Hyderabad as an emergency measure. It landed safely at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, with none of the passengers suffering any injuries. Videos of the incident show a fire blazing in the overhead bin. A few passengers were seen frantically dousing the fire using clothing items and bags. A passenger is heard urging everyone not to get scared. Flight 6E 6115, an Airbus A321 flight, took off from Terminal 1 of Indira Gandhi International Airport at 1.30 pm and was scheduled to reach Chennai International Airport at 4 pm. It landed at the Hyderabad airport instead at 3.59 pm. Reacting to the incident, the airline said, “IndiGo flight 6E 6115, operating from Delhi to Chennai on October 11, was diverted to Hyderabad after A screen grab of fire in overhead baggage bin on Sunday | Express smoke was detected from a customer’s personal electronic device. The cabin crew responded promptly and the situation was brought under control. In line with established protocols, the pilots diverted the flight and landed safely at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad. An alternate aircraft has been arranged to continue the journey to Chennai.” Power banks are banned inside check-in baggage and are only permitted inside the cabin. The lithium-ion batteries inside power banks can get overheated and, therefore, not permitted for check-in. Following a few instances of power banks catching fire inside the flight, usage of power banks to charge electronic devices on board was stopped in late 2025. up in flames Firefighters attempt to douse a massive blaze at a chemical factory in Ghaziabad’s Kavi Nagar industrial area on Sunday | pti onirregularities in SIR exercise the streets over Citizens have intensified protests over the SIR drive, alleging nearly 47.6 lakh deletions in Delhi alone. Wide variations across constituencies have raised questions about safeguards to people’s right to vote | P4 Riyadh airport attacked again, toll rises to 13 A g e n c i e s @ Dubai/ Riyadh A fresh Houthi attack targeted Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Sunday, a day after a missile attack there killed 13, including an Indian national, and wounded more than 300 in the sharpest escalation of the ongoing war between Iran-backed Yemeni rebels and Saudi Arabia. A Saudi official said an unidentified projectile struck Terminal 4 of the airport, causing a fire. The Saudi Civil Aviation Authority said there were injuries, but did not specify . Earlier in the day, the authorities had extended the airport’s closure till Sunday night. About an hour after the airport attack, AFP journalists re- People gather outside a metro station near Riyadh airport on Saturday | AP ported hearing two explosions in quick succession in central Riyadh. The cause of the blasts was not immediately clear. There were also reports of attacks on Dammam airport and two Aramco oil facilities. It was reported that 12 people were killed in Saturday’s attack. One Indian national, who was injured in the attack and was undergoing treatment, died on Sunday the Indian Em, bassy in Riyadh said, taking the toll to 13. “We are in touch with the family and will provide all support for ensuring the early repatriation of mortal remains,” the embassy said in a statement. At least 10 more Indians have been injured in the attack. The Ministry of External Affairs condemned the attack. “We strongly condemn the repeated attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport over the past few days, including the dastardly attack on October 10, which have led to loss of lives, injuries and property damage,” its statement read. Amid the attacks, several flights connecting Keralam with Saudi Arabia and other destinations in West Asia have been cancelled. P9