The Ideas Page: Growth has been less strong than it seems. The misreading has complicated policy 9 SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2026 Journalism of Courage JAIPUR, LATE CITY, 20 PAGES ₹6.00 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 POSTAL REGN. NO. JAIPUR cITY/001/2024-26 CHARTEREDPLANELEAVESKOCHIwITHSOMEIRANSAILORS,BODIESOFOTHERSKILLEDINU.S.ATTACKNEARSRILANKA Will try our best: Iran envoy on safe passage for India-bound fuel ships Maharashtra Bill on ‘unlawful’ conversion: Mother’s first religion As BRICS chair, condemn for child out of wedlock Two LPG tankers are reported to be transiting Strait of Hormuz attacks on Iran: Tehran’s message to New Delhi SIGNALLING HEADWAY in Delhi’s efforts to persuade Tehran to let India-bound fuel ships transit the Strait of Hormuz, Mohammad Fathali, Iran’s Ambassador to India, said Friday “we will try our best toremovetheproblems”and“I think you can expect good news in the near future”. ExPrEss Mohammad fathali (right), Iran’s envoy to India, and Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi, Supreme Leader’s representative, in New Delhi. ANI 2 INDIANS KILLED AS DOWNED DRONE fALLS IN OMAN cITY P 5 TheReutersnewsagencyreported that Iran had allowed two Indian-flagged LPG carrierstosailthroughtheStraitof New Delhi, March 13 REPORT, PAGE 2 »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Delhi SIR preparations crawl, CEO tells depts to let BLOs focus on task Devansh Mittal WILL WIND UP ARMED OPS IF OUR PARTY IS LEGALISED, SAYS SURRENDERED MAOIST DEvUjI Hormuz. Quoting sources, it identified the vessels as Shivalik and Nanda Devi. FLAGGING THE slow progress of preparatory work for the revision of electoral rolls in Delhi, the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Delhi, has asked government departments to ensure that teachers and other officials deployed as Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are not assigned additional duties after office hours, so they can carry out the necessary fieldwork relating to the revision. Theletterhasnotedthatthe special intensive revision (SIR) ofelectoralrollsinthecapitalis expected to begin next month, that the preparatory exercise has progressed slowly — with only about 30 per cent of the required “mapping” exercise having been completed so far. »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Shubhajit Roy New Delhi, March 13 TEHRAN IS learnt to have reached out to Delhi to take the lead in issuing a statement on behalf of the BRICS, currently chaired by India, condemning theUSandIsraelistrikesagainst Business as Usual By EP UNNY New Delhi, March 13 Mumbai, March 13 Iran in the last two weeks. This has put Delhi in a diplomatic pickle since it has stayed away from taking sides in the ongoing conflict. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to leaders of the countries in the region INAprovisionthatappearstogo beyond anti-conversion laws enacted in several states, the Dharma Swatantrya Bill, 2026, tabled in the Maharashtra Assembly on Friday, states that a childbornfromamarriagearising out of an “unlawful” religious conversion will be considered to belong to the religion followed by the mother before such a marriage/relationship. PAGE 5 While some states like Haryana recognise inheritance »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Oil price rise: Market sinks 5% in a week, logs worst 4-yr weekly fall Mumbai, March 13 BOOK LPG ONLY IF NEEDED: GOvT Maharashtra cM Devendra fadnavis at Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai, friday. AKASH PATIL »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Akash Mandal EcONOmY THE DOMESTIC stock market fell more than five per cent this week, marking its steepest weekly decline in nearly four years, driven by surging crude oil prices linked to the ongoing conflict in West Asia that has kept investors on edge. Since thecrisisbeganlatelastmonth, companies listed on the BSE have collectively lost about Rs 34 lakh crore in investor WHY FPIs ARE DUMPING INDIAN STOCKS, PUSHING RUPEE DOWN Our upcoming cour ses for Commerce Commerce Foundation Course 120 MPs in LS, 73 in RS sign notice Asad Rehman Vallabh Ozarkar & Omkar Gokhale Along with Iran, grouping also has the UAE, Saudi Arabia as members Shubhajit Roy New Delhi, March 13 interview DHARMA SwATANTRYA BILL, 2026 Seekingouster of‘partisan’ CEC,Opposition submitsnotices inbothHouses PAGE 15 wealth even as the benchmark stock indices have dropped roughly eight per cent. On Friday, the Sensex index ended 1.9 per cent, or 1,470.50 points,lowerat74,563.92points as foreign investors went on a selling spree. The Nifty 50 closed 2.1 per cent lower at 23,151.10 points. Both the indices are currently trading around their lowestlevelsinaroundayear.Despitereachingrecordhighsona couple of occasions, both have been in a consolidation phase over the past 18-24 months. They are now near February 2024 levels. »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CITING CHARGES including “partisan and discriminatory conduct” and “obstruction of investigation into electoral fraud and SIR” (Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls), the Opposition on Friday submitted notices in both Houses of Parliament for an impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. A senior TMC MP told The Indian Express that 120 Lok Sabha members and 73 Rajya Sabhamembershadsignedthe notices. “A total of 17 Opposition parties have supported the notice.Ithasbeensubmittedin both Houses,” the MP said. 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