DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2024, AHMEDABAD, LATE CITY, 20 PAGES 2024 J&K polls: Phase 2 today Totalseats 26* Candidates 239 *15 in Kashmir & 11 in Jammu Electors in Phase 2 25.7 lakh Assembly Polls (2014) Results Others: 1 10 32 8 NC PDP BJP INC Turnout in 2014: 61.28% Note: Results and turnout in 2014 based on broadly analogous postdelimitation seats. Source: EC Phase 3 voting: Oct 1 J&K Phase 2 today, foreign diplomats to ‘observe’ polls in Srinagar NAVEED IQBAL SRINAGAR, SEPTEMBER 24 A GROUP of diplomats from 16 foreign missions, including the United States, European Union, Russia and Australia, will arrive inSrinagaronWednesdaytoobserve the voting in the second phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. The 20-member delegation includesfourrepresentativesfrom the Ministry of External Affairs. This is the first time that the central government has invited foreign diplomats to witness the election process in the Union Territory. According to sources, the aim is to showcase the “peaceful conduct of the electoral process”and“participation of people at a large scale”. Constituencies in the Srinagar,BudgamandGanderbal districtswillvoteonWednesday, and sources said “this phase is themostfeasible”forforeignobservers.Thedelegationwilllikely skip Jammu and only travel in the Budgam and Srinagar districts. A delegation from the US mission in India had also visited Kashmir in the last week of August. Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs Graham Mayer and First Secretary Gary Applegarth were among those who came to the Valley at the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 LAND ALLOTMENT CASE DIRECTIONS TO CHECK FOOD ADULTERATION HC upholds Governor nod to investigate Siddaramaiah All eateries in UP must display names of their proprietors, orders Adityanath MANISH SAHU LUCKNOW, SEPTEMBER 24 TAKING COGNIZANCE of incidentsinvolvingfoodadulteration, includingspittingormixingurine in eatables, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday issued a series of directions, including mandatory displayofnameandaddressofoperators, proprietors and managers at eateries across the state. This came two months after the Supreme Court stayed enforcement of similar directives issued bypolicein UttarPradesh and Uttarakhand to eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display names of the owners. E E X P L A I NE D DECISION `5.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 What SC ● had said STAYING SIMILAR name display orders of police in Uttarakhand and UP for the Kanwar route, the SC had on July 22 said the “competent authority” may issue such orders under the food safety Act, and the power cannot be “usurped” by police. “The names and addresses of theoperator,proprietor,manager, and other relevant personnel CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Outgoing Delhi HC Judge on past transfer: ‘Did not give consent’ SOHINI GHOSH NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 24 IN A rare instance of a sitting Judge speaking out against the Collegium’s decision on his transfer and the manner in which it was undertaken, Justice RajivShakdher,theoutgoingsecond most-senior judge of the Delhi High Court, said on Tuesday that he was transferred totheMadrasHighCourtin2016 although he “did not give (his) consent”. He admitted that he was “deeply unhappy” at the time. Justice Shakdher, who has been appointed as the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh HC, was speaking at a farewell event organised at the Delhi HC. “The events of April 2016... much to my disappointment, sadness… I was shifted to anothercourt.Todayisadayof confessions and I want to make one. I was deeply unhappy,” Justice Rajiv Shakdher Justice Shakdher said. “Of course,therewasnoconsent. Another confession, I did not give my consent (to the transfer). Finally, I said ‘you've taken a call to move me, I will abide (by it)’... Though I went (to Chennai) not too happy, it was a wonderful experience,” he said. In 2016, Justice Shakdher’s transfer fromthe DelhiHC to the Madras HC had led to widespread criticism from the Bar. The transfer was considered “punitive” by many in the Bar. A group of eminent lawyers, including Fali Nariman, Soli Sorabjee and K K Venugopal had written to then Chief Justice of India T S Thakur, expressing CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Conspiracy, misuse of Raj Bhavan: CM THEIR THIRD MEETING Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the UN’s Summit of the Future in New York on Monday. PTI REPORT, PAGE10 14 injured in blaze at Surat jewellery factory EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE SURAT, SEPTEMBER 24 AS MANY as 14 jewellery artisans were injured, four of them critically so, after a fire broke out inside a diamond jewellery factory at Katargam following a blastinagasburner,officerssaid. The injured are undergoing treatment at a private hospital. The incident took place on the third floor of the building. Fire officials said gas was being supplied from LPG cylinders placedonthegroundfloortothe third floor through a pipeline network. Surat mayor Daxesh Mavani visited the spot and talked to the people working at the factory. Suratfiredepartmentofficers said the incident took place at R V Ornaments, a diamond jewellery firm, on the floor where the artisans clean the diamondstudded gold ornaments. Sources said over 20 people were working in the room. Talking to The Indian Express, Katargam Fire Officer Ramesh Sailor said, “When we reached the spot, we found two ambulances carrying injured persons exiting the factory premises. We found flames burning at some MAHARASHTRA CABINET HALTS PROPOSAL No land allotment to state BJP chief’s trust as finance dept objects ALOK DESHPANDE MUMBAI, SEPTEMBER 24 THEMAHARASHTRACabineton Monday turned down the revenue department's proposal for “directallotment”of5hectaresof land (12.35 acres) in Nagpur for educational purposes to a public trust headed by State BJP chief ChandrashekharBawankule,following strong objections by the finance department headed by Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar. While objecting to the revenue department's proposal — Deputy CM Ajit Pawar heads finance dept; State BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule based on the demand of the Shri MahalaxmiJagdambaSansthan, Koradi—thefinancedepartment said the “trust does not seem to CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah addresses a press conference in Bengaluru on Tuesday. PTI EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE BENGALURU, SEPTEMBER 24 IN A setback to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the Karnataka HighCourtonTuesdaydismissed his petition challenging the approval granted by Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot to three private complainants to file corruption cases against him. On August 16, Gehlot had allowed the complainants to file cases in court seeking a probe againstSiddaramaiahoveralleged irregularities in allotment of 14 housingsitesbytheMysoreUrban Development Authority (MUDA) to his wife in 2021 (when the BJP wasinpower)inexchangefor3.16 acresoflandacquiredfromherby Mysuru authorities. While Siddaramaiah had challenged this in the HC, the single-Judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna upheld Gehlot's decision on Tuesday. “The facts narrated in the petition would undoubtedly require investigation. In the teeth of the fact that the beneficiary of all these acts is not anybody outside, but the family of the petitioner. The petition stands dismissed,” the HC said. Speaking to reporters after the HC’s decision, Siddaramaiah accusedthe BJP-ledgovernment at the Centre of indulging in “vendetta politics” against CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY Malayalam actor-MLA Mukesh held in rape case, granted bail Malayalam actor and CPI(M) MLA M Mukesh SHAJU PHILIP THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, SEPTEMBER 24 MALAYALAMACTORandCPI(M) MLA M Mukesh was on Tuesday formally arrested on rape charges and released on bail. The development came hoursaftertheKeralaHighCourt deniedanticipatorybailtofellow actor and former Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) general secretary Siddique, who has also been booked on charges of rape. The complaints against the two actors and other prominent members of the Malayalam film industry came in the aftermath CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Ahmedabad