# Today in India: 9 October 2026

2026-10-09T00:34:47+00:00 | Daily Digest | Indian Opinion Desk

9 October 2026 | 14 stories | Updated 06:04 IST

The IAF turned 94 with a parade, TCS posted a 15% profit jump, and the government capped cancer drug margins at 30% as the Sensex slid 1,063 points. Forty-two former judges defended election bodies against what they called unsubstantiated vote-theft claims.

## Nana Patekar cremated with full state honours in Pune
Entertainment | 62 sources, 4 pro-government, 38 neutral, 13 sensationalist, 7 opinion
Veteran actor Nana Patekar was cremated with full state honours at his farmhouse in Donje, Pune, late on 8 October. His son Malhar Patekar performed the rites as thousands gathered, amid a gun salute. Patekar, 75, died in Goa after a cardiac arrest. Dr Shekhar Salkar said doctors attempted CPR for about 45 minutes after he was brought unresponsive to Manipal Hospital. A medico-legal case was registered and a post-mortem conducted at Goa Medical College.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/nana-patekar-dies-at-75-after-cardiac-arrest-in-goa-2/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/nana-patekar-dies-at-75-after-cardiac-arrest-in-goa-2.md)

## Sensex crashes 1,000 points, Nifty below 22,300 as metals drag
Business & Economy | 3 sources, 3 neutral
Indian markets fell sharply on Thursday, 8 October, with the Sensex dropping 1,063 points to 71,575.16 and the Nifty down 359.45 points at 22,243.60 by 2 pm, according to Hindustan Times. Nifty Metal was the worst sectoral index, falling over 2 per cent. Adani Enterprises plunged 6.57 per cent to Rs 2,562.90, and ITC tumbled 4.08 per cent to Rs 254.85, BusinessLine said.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/sensex-crashes-1000-points-nifty-below-22300-as-metals-drag/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/sensex-crashes-1000-points-nifty-below-22300-as-metals-drag.md)

## 42 former judges warn against vote theft allegations
Politics | 5 sources, 5 neutral
Forty-two former judges, including former Supreme Court justices Hemant Gupta and Pankaj Mittal, on 8 October published an open letter warning that repeated allegations of vote theft without evidence risk eroding public trust in democracy. The letter, dated 7 October and titled ‘In Defence of Our Constitutional Institutions’, defends the Election Commission, the judiciary and statutory bodies against what it calls a sustained campaign of denigration.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/42-former-judges-warn-against-vote-theft-allegations/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/42-former-judges-warn-against-vote-theft-allegations.md)

## CBI summons Punjab CM’s OSD amid corruption probe
Politics | 9 sources, 2 government-critical, 6 neutral, 1 sensationalist
The Central Bureau of Investigation has summoned Rajbir Singh Ghuman, Officer on Special Duty to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, along with five co-accused for questioning in a cash-for-favours probe. The summons follow raids on Tuesday, 6 October, at eight locations including the chief minister’s camp office in Chandigarh and Ghuman’s ancestral home in Sangrur. The CBI seized laptops, mobile phones and documents. Ghuman did not appear before the CBI in Chandigarh on Wednesday, 7 October, with the Chief Minister’s Office saying no summons had been served.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/cbi-raids-punjab-cm-manns-camp-office-summons-osd/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/cbi-raids-punjab-cm-manns-camp-office-summons-osd.md)

## More from today

### IAF marks 94 years with parade, Operation Sindoor cited
Politics | 25 sources, 4 pro-government, 21 neutral
The Indian Air Force marked its 94th anniversary on 8 October with a ceremonial parade and static display of its combat assets at Hindan Air Base in Ghaziabad. Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, who retires on 31 October, said the force is alert and ready to meet any challenge, and that Operation Sindoor in 2025 demonstrated the speed of its combat operations and its destructive power.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/pm-modi-salutes-iaf-personnel-on-air-force-day/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/pm-modi-salutes-iaf-personnel-on-air-force-day.md)

### FIR against BJP booth agent on Form-7 in Hyderabad, Yatnal booked in Karnataka
Politics | 19 sources, 3 government-critical, 16 neutral
Hyderabad police have registered the first FIR in Telangana against BJP booth-level agent S Balachander for allegedly submitting 30 pre-printed Form-7 applications seeking deletion of voters at Polling Station 210 in Musheerabad on 28 September. Election officials found all 30 still residing at the listed addresses and rejected the forms. The case was filed under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Representation of the People Act, following a complaint by the electoral registration officer.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/fake-form-7-deletion-bids-for-30-muslim-voters-in-hyderabad-probed/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/fake-form-7-deletion-bids-for-30-muslim-voters-in-hyderabad-probed.md)

### US proposes $70,000 OPT fee for international students
World & Diplomacy | 11 sources, 10 neutral, 1 sensationalist
The US Department of Homeland Security has proposed a $70,000 fee for schools to recommend international students for the Optional Practical Training programme, with a $30,000 fee for renewals such as the STEM extension. DHS announced the proposal on Wednesday, 7 October, saying it aims to combat fraud and what it called a ‘pipeline for cheap foreign labour’. The fees are not yet in effect. DHS will accept public comments from 8 October through 9 November before issuing a final rule.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/us-proposes-70000-fee-for-student-work-programme-opt/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/us-proposes-70000-fee-for-student-work-programme-opt.md)

### NHRC seeks Delhi Police report on journalists’ harassment allegations
Governance | 21 sources, 1 government-critical, 20 neutral
The National Human Rights Commission on 8 October took suo motu cognisance of media reports that three women journalists were allegedly sexually harassed by Delhi Police personnel during a 3 October protest at Jantar Mantar. The NHRC said the allegations, if true, raise serious human rights issues and has given the Delhi Police Commissioner two weeks to submit a detailed report. The complaints were transferred to the Delhi Police Crime Branch for enquiry after they were received on 4 October. No FIR has been registered.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/delhi-acp-vivek-bhagats-additional-dcp-charge-withdrawn-after-harassment-allegations/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/delhi-acp-vivek-bhagats-additional-dcp-charge-withdrawn-after-harassment-allegations.md)

### TCS Q2 profit up 15% to Rs 13,884 crore, AI revenue tops $3 billion
Business & Economy | 9 sources, 1 government-critical, 8 neutral
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on Thursday, 8 October, reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 13,884 crore for Q2 FY27 (July-September 2026), up 15% from Rs 12,075 crore a year earlier, beating Street estimates. Revenue rose 11.2% to Rs 73,188 crore. Annualised AI revenue crossed $3.1 billion, over 10% of total revenue. The board declared a second interim dividend of Rs 12 per share, with a record date of 14 October and payment on 30 October.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/tcs-q2-net-profit-rises-15-to-rs-13884-crore-ai-revenue-crosses-3-billion/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/tcs-q2-net-profit-rises-15-to-rs-13884-crore-ai-revenue-crosses-3-billion.md)

### Govt caps trade margins on all non-scheduled cancer drugs at 30%
Health & Science | 18 sources, 18 neutral
The government on Thursday, 8 October 2026, capped trade margins at 30% of maximum retail price (MRP) for all non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs, covering branded, generic, domestic and imported medicines. The measure targets 110 drugs including 35 patented ones, according to official sources. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority had found average trade mark-ups of 170%, reaching 700% in some cases. The government estimates the cap will reduce MRPs by 20 to 70% and save patients around Rs 2,500 crore annually.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/government-caps-trade-margins-on-all-non-scheduled-anti-cancer-drugs-at-30/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/government-caps-trade-margins-on-all-non-scheduled-anti-cancer-drugs-at-30.md)

## Useful today

### Air India, Akasa Air hike fuel surcharge from 9 October
Business & Economy | 17 sources, 17 neutral
Air India, Air India Express and Akasa Air will hike fuel surcharges from Friday, 9 October, following IndiGo’s increase on 5 October. Domestic surcharges will be Rs 400 for flights up to 500 km, rising to Rs 1,200 for flights above 1,500 km. The airlines cite sustained volatility in aviation turbine fuel prices.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/air-india-akasa-air-hike-fuel-surcharges-from-october-9/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/air-india-akasa-air-hike-fuel-surcharges-from-october-9.md)

### Odisha bandh disrupts normal life, police detain 100
Politics | 15 sources, 15 neutral
A 12-hour statewide bandh called by the INDIA bloc in Odisha on 8 October disrupted transport, business and daily life, with police detaining 100 protesters in Bhubaneswar. Congress workers stopped the Sambalpur-Puri train at Sambalpur Railway Station. Essential services such as hospitals and pharmacies were exempt.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/india-bloc-finalises-odisha-bandh-on-8-october/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/india-bloc-finalises-odisha-bandh-on-8-october.md)

### Garhwa, Bokaro set up help desks for electoral roll revision
Governance | 2 sources, 1 government-critical, 1 neutral
Help desks will be set up at every polling booth in Garhwa on 10 October under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, deputy commissioner and district election officer Pashupati Nath Mishra announced. A special outreach drive will be held from 12 to 16 October, during which booth level officers will visit households to identify eligible voters who have been left out.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/garhwa-bokaro-set-up-help-desks-for-electoral-roll-revision/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/garhwa-bokaro-set-up-help-desks-for-electoral-roll-revision.md)

### Delhi plans U-turn, road widening as Barapullah Phase-III snarls persist
Governance | 8 sources, 2 pro-government, 6 neutral
Delhi’s new Barapullah Phase-III flyover, opened on 29 September, has triggered persistent traffic snarls as six lanes merge into a three-lane section near Sundial. PWD Minister Parvesh Verma announced short-term fixes on 7 October: a dedicated U-turn near Gurdwara Bala Sahib, removal of a footpath at Sarai Kale Khan, and talks with Google Maps to update real-time congestion data within 15 days.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/delhi-police-flags-google-maps-failure-on-barapulla-phase-iii-jam/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/delhi-police-flags-google-maps-failure-on-barapulla-phase-iii-jam.md)

## The closing thought

Thursday’s news married abrupt endings to open ends. Pune gave a thespian a gun salute while the market shed a thousand points without a single trigger. Forty-two former judges felt the need to remind the country what proof means, even as the CBI’s papers in Punjab and Hyderabad’s voter-form FIR tested institutions the judges were defending. TCS banked its AI billions, the government capped cancer-drug margins at thirty per cent, and the IAF marked ninety-four years by invoking a strike most Indians saw on their phones. What to watch: whether the NHRC gets a Delhi Police report within two weeks, and whether the US actually turns its seventy-thousand-dollar OPT fee into a rule after the comment period closes in November.

## Earlier digests

- [8 October 2026](https://indianopinion.org/today-in-india-8-october-2026.md)
- [7 October 2026](https://indianopinion.org/today-in-india-7-october-2026.md)
- [6 October 2026](https://indianopinion.org/today-in-india-6-october-2026.md)
- [5 October 2026](https://indianopinion.org/today-in-india-5-october-2026.md)
- [4 October 2026](https://indianopinion.org/today-in-india-4-october-2026.md)
- [3 October 2026](https://indianopinion.org/today-in-india-3-october-2026.md)
- [2 October 2026](https://indianopinion.org/today-in-india-2-october-2026.md)

The live edition, refreshed through the day: https://indianopinion.org/today/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/today.md)
Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/today-in-india-9-october-2026/
License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources.
Cite: https://indianopinion.org/today-in-india-9-october-2026/

This digest was compiled and written by AI from the day's Indian Opinion coverage.

AI disclosure: Every summary and comment here is written by AI and published automatically, without a person reviewing each article. We do no original reporting. How this works: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/