The Ideas Page: Long delays, burdened courts — we need a national mission for negotiated justice 9 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2026 Journalism of Courage AHMEDAbAD, LATE CITY, 20 PAGES ₹5.00 l www.indianexpress.com DA I LY F R O M : A H M E DA b A D , C H A N D I GA R H , D E L H I , J A I P u R , KO L K ATA , L u C K N O W , M u M b A I , N AG P u R , PAT N A , P u N E , VA D O DA R A Gujarat passes UCC Bill after 8-hr debate amid Cong objections Parimal A Dabhi Gandhinagar, March 24 THE GUJARAT Assembly on Tuesday passed the Gujarat Uniform Civil Code Bill by a majority vote, to bring an uniform civil code in the state. The Bill was passed in the state Assembly amid protests by Opposition parties even as the members of the main opposition party Congress staged a walkout from the House before its passage. As many as 16 membersoftheGujaratAssembly spoke on the Bill that was passed after a marathon discussion that lasted nearly eight hours. TheloneMuslimMLAfrom the Congress, Imran Kheda- wala, in the house of 182 members, opposed it saying it would distance Muslims from Shariat Law and make them “atheists”. With this, Gujarat has become the second state in the country, after Uttarakhand, to have passed a Bill to bring in an uniform civil code. The Bill, largely based on the Uniform Civil Code of Uttarakhand, seeks to regulate personal civil matters of the residents of Gujarat such as marriage, divorce, succession, adoption and related civil affairs including live-in relationships. It has been brought in by the state government after a committee headed by former »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Kochi Biennale head resigned after sexual harassment allegation Vandana Kalra New Delhi, March 24 THE RESIGNATION of artist Bose Krishnamachari from the posts of president of KochiMuziris Biennale (KMB) and member of the Board of Trustees of Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) in January followed a complaint of sexual harassment against him, The Indian Express has learnt. Krishnamachari is the co- INTERESTS, OBJECTIVES CONVERGE ON MOST fUNDAMENTAL ISSUES: COLBY founderofKMBandco-curator of its first edition in 2012. One of the country's most prestigious art events, the Biennale's sixth edition opened on December 12 last year and is on until March 31. When contacted by this newspaper, Venu Vasudevan, chairperson of KBF, confirmed that they had received a complaint against Krishnamachari alleging sexual harassment. “A »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Trump dials Modi, both say keeping Hormuz open vital UStodeploy eliteairborne troops,PakPM saysreadyto hostIrantalks India supports de-escalation, restoration of peace at the earliest: PM Shubhajit Roy Ariba Shahid, Rami Ayyub & Alexander Cornwell New Delhi, March 24 A DAY after he paused for five days his threat of striking Iran’s energy sites and announced initiation of talks behind the scenes with Tehran, US President Donald Trump called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday and discussed the situation in West Asia “including the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open”. This was their first phone conversation since the start of the war on February 28 when the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran. Modi, in a post on X, said, “Received a call from President Trump and had a useful exchangeofviewsonthesituation inWestAsia.Indiasupportsdeescalation and restoration of peace at the earliest. Ensuring that the Strait of Hormuz remains open, secure and accessible is essential for the whole world. We agreed to stay in touchregardingeffortstowards »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 morE rEportS, p 14, 15, 17 Islamabad, Jerusalem, March 24 An Indian Navy warship escorts two Indian-flagged LPG vessels, Jag Vasant and Pine Gas, which transited through the Strait of Hormuz. PTI War hits rice bowl: MP’s basmati exports to West Asia are stalled Anand Mohan J Bhopal, March 24 WHEN THERE was no war, the rice mills of Madhya Pradesh’s Raisen district would hum through the night in March. The Pusa basmati, longgrained, fragrant, destined for thedinnertablesofTehranand Riyadh, would tumble through milling machines in the industrialclustersofMandideep,Satlapur and Obedullaganj, getting sorted into cream and Business as Usual By EP UNNY »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 PAKISTAN’S PRIME Minister said Tuesday he was willing to host talks between the US and Iran on ending the war in the Gulf, a day after President DonaldTrumppostponedthreatsto bomb Iranian power plants, sayingtherehadbeen“productive” talks. However, the US was expected to deploy thousands of troops from the elite 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, two people familiar with themattertoldReutersTuesday, adding to the massive military buildup in the region and fuellingfearsofaprolongedconflict. »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Happening today lThe Government has called an all-party meet on the West Asia crisis. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to chair it. Harish Rana, first in country to get passive euthanasia nod, dies Vidheesha Kuntamalla & Ankita Upadhyay New Delhi, March 24 HARISH RANA, the first person in India to be granted permission for passive euthanasia by the Supreme Court, died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi Tuesday. “Mr Harish Rana passed away at 4.10 pm on 24th March 2026 at AIIMS, New Delhi. He was under the care of a dedicated team of doctors and was admitted to the Palliative Oncology Unit (IRCH) led by Dr (Prof) Seema Mishra, HoD, Onco-Anaesthesia. AIIMS ex- Harish Rana had been in coma since 2013. He was 31. EXPRESS tends its heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time,” the media cell of AIIMS said in an official statement. »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 TUNE YOUR EQUITY-DEBT MIX TO MARKET CONDITIONS BALANCED ADVANTAGE FUNDS Zindagi ke liye SIP Benefits of Balanced Advantage Funds Investment across equity and debt instruments Dynamic Asset Allocation based on market conditions Aims to manage volatility over time SCAN TO LEARN MORE An Investor Education and Awareness Initiative SIP - Systematic Investment Plan | Visit https://www.hdfcfund.com/information/key-know-how to know more about the process to complete a one-time Know Your Customer (KYC) requirement to invest in Mutual Funds. Investors should only deal with registered Mutual Funds, details of which can be verified on the SEBI website (www.sebi.gov.in/intermediaries.html). For any queries, complaints & grievance redressal, investors may reach out to the AMCs and / or Investor Relations Officers. 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