DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PATNA, PUNE, VADODARA ● REG.NO. MCS/067/2018 - 20 RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2025, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES `5.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM CBC 15502/13/0033/2526 SINCE 1932 SEPT DATA Y-O-Y FOR GOODS EXPORTS PRELUDE TO OLYMPICS DREAM Trump tariff: Exports to US dip 12% but China and UAE cushion blow An artist’s impression of the venues of the 2036 Olympics and the Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad in 2030 MIHIR VASAVDA MUMBAI, OCTOBER 15 IN WHAT is being seen as a preludetoitsambitionof hostingthe 2036 Olympics, India is set to holdtheCommonwealthGames (CWG)in2030withAhmedabad as the venue for the centenary edition of the event. Gujarat’s largest city was recommended as the “proposed host” by the executive board of Commonwealth Sport following its meeting Wednesday. “Amdavad will now be put forward to the full Commonwealth Sportmembership”forformalapproval during its General Assembly at Glasgow in Scotland on November 26, the governing body said in a statement. India last hosted the CWG in 2010 in Delhi — an event that wasovershadowedbypoorplanning, delays in infrastructure CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Top Maoist, cadres lay down arms, Fadnavis gifts Constitution copies ANKITA DESHKAR NAGPUR, OCTOBER 15 SURRENDERED SENIOR Maoist leader Mallojula Venugopal Rao and60cadresformallylaiddown arms before Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in a function held at the police headquarters in Gadchiroli on Wednesday. The event, which marks TRANSFER OF JUSTICE SREEDHARAN 16/10/2025 90 118 145 75 MAHARASHTRA MONTH AFTER CONSUMING COLDRIF COUGH SYRUP, 4-YEAR-OLD GIRL DIES IN NAGPUR PAGE 6 SC Collegium admits its decision changed after Govt ‘sought’ it APURVA VISHWANATH NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 15 IN A highly unusual admission, the Supreme Court collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India B R Gavai, Wednesday said that it hadchangeditsrecommendation regardingtransferof ajudgeafter the government “sought reconsideration” of its earlier decision. On August 25, the Collegium had recommended the transfer oneofthelargestsuchsurrenders in recent years and is being seen asasignificantsteptowardrestoringpeaceintheNaxal-affectedregions of the state, saw Fadnavis handacopyoftheConstitutionto each surrendered Maoist. Since 2021, 140 Maoists have been arrested in Gadchiroli, 81 have surrendered, and 93 have been killed in encounters. Among the 61 who surren- dered before Fadnavis, 20 laid down their arms while still in uniform. Rao alias Bhupati alias Sonu (70), a member of the banned CPI (Maoist)’s Politburo as well as its Central Committee, carried a bounty of Rs 6 crore and was both the ideological head of the movement and the link connecting Maoists to the outside world. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 RAVI DUTTA MISHRA NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 15 EVENASIndia’sgoodsexportsto the United States registered a sharp fall of 12 per cent in September(yearonyear),thetotal exports registered a 6.74 per centgrowth,buttressedbygains in the UAE and Chinese markets. However, a sharp surge in gold, silver and fertiliser imports widened the trade deficit to $31.15 billion, the highest in over ayear,accordingtodatareleased by the Commerce and Industry Ministry on Wednesday. The data for September CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 UAE UK China ■ Exports(%) ■ Imports(%) -20.22 NA US 34.18 16.35 INDIA’S SEPTEMBER TRADE* *y-o-y; Source: Ministry of Commerce Netherlands & Industry China’s rare earth squeeze may push India-US deal to finish line, but timing key RAVI DUTTA MISHRA NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 15 WITH INDIAN negotiators in Washington this week — Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, who is heading the negotiations, will join the Indian E delegation in the US tomorrow — shared concerns ● overcriticalminerals could provide the much-needed political push for the India-US trade deal that hasremainedstalledformonths. EXPLAINED FORMAL EVENT DAY AFTER THEY SURRENDERED 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 -10 -20 -30 11.94 53.99 Mallojula Venugopal Rao and 60 other Maoists hold copies of the Constitution after they laid down their arms before Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis in Gadchiroli. PTI Total goods exports up 6.74%; trade deficit highest in a year on gold, silver, fertiliser imports 24.33 32.83 Beating Nigeria’s Abuja, Ahmedabad recommended as ‘proposed host’ -11.91 11.78 India set to host 2030 Commonwealth Games — in Gujarat CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY JusticeAtul Sreedharan hasnow beensentto AllahabadHC of Madhya Pradesh High Court judge Justice Atul Sreedharan to Chhattisgarh High Court. Justice Sreedharan has now been recommended for a transfer to the Allahabad High Court. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE WORLD AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN AGREE TO 48-HR TRUCE PAGE 14 For first time in 15 years, VASAI VIRAR CONSTRUCTION SCAM ratio of women-to-men ‘Arrest illegal’, says HC, voters declines in Bihar orders release of former VVCMC commissioner ANJISHNU DAS DOWN TO 892 NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 15 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 MUMBAI, OCTOBER 15 892 865 2025 2020 2010 Source: EC 874 859 2005 ASPERthefinalelectoralrollsfollowing the Election Commission’s (EC's) contentious Special Intensive Revision DECISION (SIR) drive, Bihar has 2025 7.43 crore voters, inBIHAR cluding 3.92 crore men, 3.5 crore women and 1,725 belonging to the ‘third gender’. OMKAR GOKHALE 899 2015 & LALMANI VERMA MORE REPORTS, P 10 THE BOMBAY High Court on Wednesdaydeclaredthearrestof former commissioner of Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) Anilkumar Khanderao Pawaras“illegal”inrelationtothe probeintotheallegedillegalconstruction of 41 residential and commercial buildings in the Vasai-VirarregionofMaharashtra. The court held that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) did not have sufficient material against Pawar at the time of his arrest as required under Section 19 (Power of arrest) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). It also observed that the agency relied only on statements of certain architects and builders in the case. ThecourtorderedPawar’srelease subject to conditions and CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 With friends hours before ‘suicide’, Rohtak ASI ‘got call, said was going back to office’ PAGE 1 ANCHOR ABHIMANYU HAZARIKA & VARINDER BHATIA ROHTAK, CHANDIGARH, OCTOBER 15 A COUPLE of hours before he allegedly shot himself in the head Tuesday, ASI Sandeep Kumar Lather met his friends at a tea stall near the Rohtak bypass. It was their “usual hangout” but ASISandeep Kumar(above); hiswifeSantosh athisuncle’s homeinLadhot village,Rohtak. Manoj Dhaka “something was off, he looked troubled and distracted”. Then came a phone call, around 11.30 am, and Sandeep quickly excused himself, saying he was going back to his office. “He lied,” Sandeep’s friend Sanjay Deswal, who was part of that group of friends, told The Indian Express Wednesday while describing their last meeting. Within an hour or so, Deswal came to know that Sandeep had “died by suicide”, found lying CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Mumbai