DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PATNA, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2025, KOLKATA, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES `6.00 (`12 IN NORTH EAST STATES, `20 IN ANDAMAN) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM CBC 15502/13/0017/2526 SINCE 1932 CLAIMS KARNATAKA CID SENT 18 LETTERS TO EC IN AS MANY MONTHS CEC shielding ‘vote chors’, Cong voters targeted in Karnataka seat, says Rahul As Rahul takes ‘H-bomb’ path, murmurs in Cong: What will be the fallout radius? MANOJ C G NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 18 Rahul Gandhi at the press conference in New Delhi on Thursday. Anil Sharma ASAD REHMAN NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 18 STEPPINGUPthepressureonthe Election Commission (EC) over the issue of alleged vote theft, Leaderof Opposition(LoP)Rahul Gandhi Thursday accused Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar of protecting “vote chors” who have “de- BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY POLL PANEL SITS ON KARNATAKA CID QUERIES PAGE 6 stroyed Indian democracy”. TheCongressleaderciteddata from two Assembly constituencies — one in Karnataka and another in Maharashtra — to allege irregularitiesinelectoralrollsand asked the EC to provide, within a week, information about alleged voter deletions sought by the KarnatakaCID.Hesaidtheagency hadwritten18letterstotheECin CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Gyanesh Kumar of “protecting those people who have destroyed Indian ● democracy”. Large sections in the Congress believe Gandhi is on the right track, and point to his recent Voter Adhikar Yatra in poll-bound Bihar that got much traction. They are effusive in CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 BJP hits back: Rahul trying to protect infiltrators and destabilise democracy SANTOSH SINGH & JATIN ANAND PATNA, NEW DELHI, SEPT 18 ONAdaywhenRahulGandhiaccused the Election Commission (EC) of mass voter deletion, UnionHomeMinisterAmitShah mounted an attack on the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition, describinghisVoteAdhikarYatrain Bihar,whereelectionsarearound the corner, as a move to “protect infiltrators”.Gandhiwasalsotargeted by Shah's party colleague Anupam Thakur who accused him of “trying to destabilise” Indian democracy by questioning the EC. The remarks by Shah and Thakur came days after Prime MinisterNarendraModiaccused the Congress-led Opposition of “shielding infiltrators”. The BJP leadership's reference to CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Court:Defendants shouldhavegota chancebeforeposts calleddefamatory NIRBHAY THAKUR NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 18 ADELHIcourtThursdaysetaside aSeptember6orderagainstfour journalists which restrained them from publishing alleged defamatory content on the Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL) and directed them to remove “unverified” posts. The four journalists — Ravi Nair, Abir Dasgupta, Ayaskanta DasandAyushJoshi—whowere among the individuals and entitiesrestrainedbytheSeptember 6 order had challenged it. A fifth journalist, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, had filed a separate challenge which was heard by a different court that posted the matter to September 22. Deciding the challenge filed by the four journalists, District CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Adani gets clean chit from Sebi, Hindenburg allegations dismissed WHAT SEBI SAID ■ Transactions with unrelated parties were genuine and did not qualify as related party transactions before the 2021 amendment. ■ No violation of SEBI Act or Regulations: No fraud, misrepresentation, or siphoning of funds proved. HITESH VYAS & GEORGE MATHEW MUMBAI, SEPTEMBER 18 THE SECURITIES and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has given a clean chit to Gautam Adani, Rajesh Adani and key Adani Groupfirms—AdaniPorts&SEZ, Adani Power, and Adicorp ■ All funds returned with interest. All charges in showcause notice not established. ■ No liability or penalties were imposed on Adani Group entities or individuals. The proceedings were disposed of without directions. Enterprises — on all charges levelled by US short-seller Hindenburg Research. The allegations of insider trading, marketmanipulation,andviolations of public shareholding rules collapsed under scrutiny, Sebi said after a detailed probe. The regulator made it clear that none of the charges in the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Saudi and Pakistan seal defence pact; Delhi says Riyadh kept it in the loop SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 18 WEST BENGAL WITH THE promised ‘hydrogen bomb’ put off for another day, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s stepped-up ‘vote chori’ line of attack against the BJP Thursdayleftatleastsomeinthe party uneasy about the fallout. E At a much-anticipated press conference held in Delhi, the Leader of the Opposition alleged illegal deletion of votes at an Assembly constituency in Karnataka and “additions” at a seat in Maharashtra. Gandhi claimed the use of centralised software for this, and accused Chief Election Commissioner EXPLAINED EC dismisses claims as incorrect and baseless, says FIR was filed in 2023 Court sets aside order asking journalists to take down content against Adani firm WITHSAUDIArabiaandPakistan signing a formal mutual defence pact which states that “any aggression against either country shallbeconsideredanaggression against both”, India said Thursdayitwill“studytheimplications” of this development for its “national security as well as for regional and global stability”, and is committed to “protecting India’s national interests”. DelhialsosaidthattheIndian government was “aware” that this development had been “under consideration”. Sources said the Saudis had kept India “in the loop” about the formalisation of the defence partnership between Riyadh and Rawalpindi. Sources pointed out that Saudi Arabia has been one of the major hubs for re-employment of former Pakistan Army officers – the most famous example was the appointment in 2017 of formerPakistanArmychief General Raheel Sharif as the lead com- mander of the Saudi-led forces against terror. Thedefencepactisbeingread in Delhi as a response to Washington’s retrenchment from the region as a security provider, and Israel’s attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar’s capital Dohaandthegeopoliticalramificationsacrosstheregion.Israel’s aggressive behaviour – it has attackedcountriesintheregionincluding Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Qatar – has alarmed many in West Asia. The Saudi-Pakistan CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 INDIAN MISSILE STRIKE IN BAHAWALPUR POLLS AHEAD, MAMATA GOVT LAUNCHES BANGLAR BARI 2.0 THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK: MAMATA PULLS UP MINISTERS PAGE 3 EXPLAINED ECONOMICS FED’S DUAL MANDATE CONUNDRUM PAGE 12 Pak Army at funeral of terrorists: Jaish says Munir ordered attendance M ZULQERNAIN LAHORE, SEPTEMBER 18 PAKISTAN ARMY Chief Asim Munirhadissueddirectordersto the Corps Commander of Bahawalpur and soldiers to attendthefuneralof thosekilledin the Indian missile strikes on Jaish-e-Mohammad'sheadquarters on May 7, a top commander of the terror group has said. In a video that went viral on Thursday, JeM commander Ilyas Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir Kashmiri also said that the Pakistan Army and the jihadis have become one after 25 years of his outfit's struggle. “After the struggle of 25 years,wehavebroughtthestate, Pakistan Army, Air Force and Navy on the jihadi ideology. Those who were killed (during the May 7 Indian attack) belonged to JeM, and it was the PakistanArmyandAirForcethat hadtakentheirrevenge...Tellme, isn't it true,” he said. Kashmiri further disclosed that after the attack on JeM headquarters in Bahawalpur, some400kmfromLahore,Army Chief Munir issued direct orders from GHQ Rawalpindi to the Corps Commander CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Fast bowler who switched to javelin, UP’s Sachin Yadav finishes 4th at world meet PAGE 1 ANCHOR NIHAL KOSHIE NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 18 AS A 19-year-old, when Sachin Yadav decided to give up fast bowling and take up the javelin, his family in Khekada village, in Baghpatdistrictof UttarPradesh, was worried. But, although cricket was a far more attractive career option than track and field, Sachin's father, Naresh Yadav, respected his son's deci- Sachin Yadav at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Thursday. AP sion, even borrowing money to buy him a pair of javelin spikes. That was six years ago. On Thursday evening, Sachin, now 25, narrowly missed out on a podium finish, coming fourth at the World Athletics ChampionshipsinTokyo.Heoutperformed severalcelebratedjavelinthrowers, including defending champion Neeraj Chopra and Olympian Arshad Nadeem from Pakistan. Chopra, who finished eighth, had a rare off day – this was the first time in seven years that he didn't finish in the topthree at a competition; he has CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Kolkata