The editorial Page: Restoration of J&K statehood calls for a phased and negotiated roadmap 8 FRIDAy, JuLy 24, 2026 JouRNAliSm of CouRAGe AhMeDABAD, LATe cITy, 14 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 NOThING mORe ImPORTaNT ThaN WelFaRe aND FUTURe OF OUR yOUTh, SayS mODI PM steps in: Fast-track courts to punish paper leak guilty, ensure swift justice Govtsaysdoors alwaysopenfor talks;CJP,Opp firmonPradhan resignation Day-to-day hearings will be conducted, Govt very sensitive to issues of youth, says Law and Justice Minister Meghwal harikishan Sharma & Damini Nath New Delhi, July 23 InFIrSTpublicremarksonthe row over examination paper leaks that have triggered protests in the heart of the Capital, captivatedpublicattentionand heated up politics, prime minister narendra modi announced Thursday his government’s decision to set up fast-track courts to “ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks”. In a post on X, modi said, “nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth! We have decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks. have directed the asad Rehman & Jatin anand New Delhi, July 23 law and Justice minister arjun ram meghwal in lok sabha. AnI concerned authorities and officials to take all necessary steps in this regard. This continues our series of steps for safeguarding the interests of students. Those who try to harm the future of our youth will not be spared.” The prime minister’s remarks came amid his government’s efforts to defuse the »CONTINUeD ON PaGe 2 What new fast-track courts can address: Never-ending trials and loopholes in law express News Service New Delhi, July 23 The FAST-track courts, announced by prime minister narendra modi Thursday, to address the issue of exam paper leaks, have their task cut out. In a system where accountability for exam leaks has been dismal with most cases stuck in legal quicksand. An investigation by The Indian Express, published on June 5, found that of 45 major exam leaks between 2002 and 2025, each involving at least one lakh candidates or applicants, only two led to convictions. The biggest challenge, this newspaper found, is poor quality of investigation and the relatively lenient treatment of paper leaks as ordinary offences with no stringent bail conditions. On multiple occasions, the courts rejected “closure reports” filed by probe agencies mainly citinglackofevidence,orreprimanded them for lapses in investigation. In the 2016 Karnataka puC Chemistry paper leak, for E. »CONTINUeD ON PaGe 2 opposition and nda mPs counter each other outside Parliament on Thursday. AnI With 360-degree cameras, AI facial recognition, police monitor protest eVen AS the Centre renewed attempts to reach out to both the protesters and the Opposition,thedeadlock—insideand outside parliament — continued on Thursday. Both the Cockroach Janta party (CJp), which is leading the protests at Jantar mantar, and the Opposition remained firmontheirdemandforunion education minister Dharmendra pradhan’s resignation over the neeT-uG paper leak. Appealing to protesters to come forward for talks, union minister Jitendra Singh said the government’s “doors are always open for talks with the students”. Speaking to PTI, Singh said that in the last 24 hours, the government had invited the CJp for talks “at least four times”. he said the protesters could come to either health minister J p nadda’s residence or his office for talks. CJp spokesperson Saurav Das, however, reiterated »CONTINUeD ON PaGe 2 Business as usual By EP uNNy New Delhi, July 23 pArKeD OuTSIDe the Kerala house building near Jantar mantar — the heart of the ongoing student protests in the Capital — are two highlyequipped surveillance and monitoring vans deployed by the Delhi police, keeping a constant watch on people joining the stir. In the bigger van, called the ‘mobileCommandandControl Vehicle’,someDelhipolicepersonnel are examining live CCTV footage of people at the protest. Opposite to it is a smaller van, called ‘Ikshana’ Pritish Raj New Delhi, July 23 eVen BeFOre the Glasgow Commonwealth Games were declaredopenonThursday,the Indian contingent suffered a setbackastwoofitsmedalprospects — one each in judo and weightlifting — were withdrawn following anti-doping rule violations. Arun Kumar, a judoka competinginthe78kgcategory,was dropped from the squad after being provisionally suspended by the national Anti-Doping Agency (nADA). Though the judoteamisyettoleaveforGlasgow, India cannot name a replacement since competition rules do not allow it. hours after Kumar’s suspension, it emerged that weightlifter Dilbagh Singh would return from Glasgow — though for no fault of his own. Indian weightlifting has reported five positive cases in the period June 1, 2025 to July 22, 2026,andasaresult,India'sathlete quota was cut from 16 to 11. Clause 2.4 of the qualification system reads: “During the period of 01 June 2025-22 July 2026 the maximum number of athlete qualification slots allocated to a CGA will be reduced by one (1) if any weightlifting athlete and/or athlete support personnel from that CGA commits an anti-doping rule violation (‘ADrV’). If there »CONTINUeD ON PaGe 2 Detentions, demolitions in J&K after policeman killed in terror attack; Omar raises concern delhi Police’s mobile command and control Vehicle; (right) an ‘ikshana’ van. SouMyArenDrA BArIk Soumyarendra barik Doping jolt for India at CWG: Judoka suspended, sanction on weightlifting team (Sanskrit for to look or sight), where two officers stand watch asthefootageisrunthroughan Artificial Intelligence (AI)aided facial recognition software,whichshowsgreenboxes around each face as it tries to matchitwithapolicedatabase. The Delhi police had »CONTINUeD ON PaGe 2 Happening House finance panel: Need SC orders registration of FIR, SIT today regulatory framework for probe into Gujarat ‘custodial death’ The SCwill hear a plea of the virtual digital assets, crypto aditi Raja Muslim side alleging that the l alternate site identified for namaz was too far from the disputed Bhojshala complex. lJ&K aSSembly privileges panel will hear a motion against PDP MLA Waheed Para. Track These and more on www.indianexpress.com gujarat HC grants govt a week to take a Call on surat demolition P4 Ritu Sarin New Delhi, July 23 The pArlIAmenTAry Standing Committee on Finance, in its report on the Securities market Code (SmC), hascalledfora“comprehensive examination” and an “appropriate regulatory framework” for Virtual Digital Assets (VDAs) such as cryptocurrencies. Thecommitteehasalsorecommended that pending the establishment of such a com- Vadodara, July 23 prehensive legislative framework, the government may consider introducing an interim regulatory mechanism through recognised Self-regulatoryOrganisations(SrOs)operating under the oversight of the designated regulator recognising that there was an “existing regulatory vacuum” in the regulation of VDAs, the committee has statedthatrisksshouldbemitigated;investorinterestsshould be safeguarded and market »CONTINUeD ON PaGe 2 The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Gujarat government to register an FIr and ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the alleged custodial death of a 70-year-old man at Ahmedabad's Vejalpur police Station in may this year. The court also directed the Ahmedabad Commissioner of policetoprovidesecuritytothe family of the victim, Zahiruddin Shaikh. Shaikh was arrested on may 18 in connection with an alleged cow slaughter case registeredbytheVejalpurpolice.his family has alleged that he was assaulted in custody and subjected to torture before being shifted to hospital, where he died on may 19. police had registered an Accidental Death case, while the family consistently sought registration of an FIr alleging custodial death. The Supreme Court’s directions came based on a petition filedbyShaikh'ssonTofik,after the Gujarat high Court declined to direct the state to registeranFIrinthecasewhileex- pressing concern over the legal limitations. The Supreme Court Bench comprisingChiefJusticeSurya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi andJusticeVmohanasaidthat in case of an “unnatural death inpolicecustody,apreliminary inquiry is required. If there is any incriminating material, an FIr has to be registered”. Therespondentstothepetition were the State of Gujarat, the police Inspector of Vejalpur police Station, and the Commissioner of police, Ahmedabad. »CONTINUeD ON PaGe 2 security personnel intensify checking following the anantnag terror attack, on Thursday. PTI Naveed Iqbal Srinagar, July 23 A DAy after a police head Constable was killed in a terror attack in Anantnag, the homes of two local terrorists, who are believedtobeactive,weredemolished in the early hours of Thursday. Similardemolitionshadfollowed the pahalgam attack in April 2025, when the homes of at least nine suspected terrorists were blown up in different parts of the Valley. On Thursday, the homes of haroon Ganie and Adil Ahmad Thokar were demolished in the hasanpora and Bijbehara areas of south Kashmir. head Constable Ashiq hussain Qureshi, a resident of Budgam in central Kashmir, who was posted with the Indian »CONTINUeD ON PaGe 2 l Valsad recorded 26.92 inches of rainfall in 24 hours; Pm modi reViews siTuaTion wiTh cm PaTel; Thousands of cars and bikes were submerged in flooded basemenT Parking loTs in Valsad & suraT Army, NDRF deployed as torrential rain floods South Gujarat; thousands evacuated Kamal Saiyed ation with Chief minister Bhupendra patel, Ahmedabad's first major spell of monrelenTleSS rAIn pounded soon rain flooded roads, shut south Gujarat for a second schools for two days, and parastraight day Thursday, trigger- lysed transport across the city. ing widespread flooding that According to nitin V Sangbrought parts of Valsad, nav- wan, District Collector, Valsad, sari, and Surat districts to a morethan500peoplehadbeen standstillandforcedtheevacu- shifted from low-lying areas to ationofthousandsofresidents. shelter homes. A government It also prompted statement said 70 page 1 the deployment of Army jawans had the Indian Army, the been deployed, national Disaster along with a team of response Force (nDrF), and 25 firemen in the district, for the State Disaster response rescue operations. Force (SDrF) for rescue oper“All three rivers, Daman ations. Ganga, par and Auranga, are evenasprimeministernar- flowing above the danger level, endra modi reviewed the situ- causingaflood-likesituationin Surat, July 23 anchor Vehicles partially submerged in Vapi on Thursday; waterlogging near sabarmati Police station in ahmedabad. PTI, BhuPenDrA rAnA Ahmedabad differenttalukas,includingValsad town. Three teams of SDrF and three teams of nDrF are on their toes to carry out rescue and relief operations. So far, no casualties have been reported, but we have sought a chopper from mumbai, which will land shortly, and it will be used during emergencies,” Sangwan said. By 12 pm, Valsad town had received 199 mm of rainfall, Dharampur 340 mm, pardi 341 mm,Kaprada370mm,umbergaon 684 mm, Vapi 319 mm, and nanapondha 312 mm. hundreds of cars parked on the roadside and in the basements of residential and commercial complexes were sub- merged in the rainwater. The water entered the houses in low-lying areas. InValsaddistrict,landslides were reported at several places. A woman died after a landslide from a hill in Tisari Jungle villageofKapradataluka.Thevictim has been identified as ladkiben Sitabhai Thotga, 55. All industrial and commercial establishments, schools, and colleges remained shut in the district. Over 500 district and taluka panchayat roads were closed to traffic and barricaded to prevent accidents. Three nDrF and five SDrF teams were currently deployed in Valsad district, even as the »CONTINUeD ON PaGe 2