DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2024, KOLKATA, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES DECISION 2024 J&K polls: Phase 2 today Totalseats Candidates 26* 239 *15 in Kashmir & 11 in Jammu Electors in Phase 2 25.7 lakh Assembly Polls (2014) Results Others: 1 10 32 8 SINCE 1932 Note: Results and turnout in 2014 based on broadly analogous postdelimitation seats. Source: EC 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 by police in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display names of the owners. “The names and addresses of theoperator,proprietor,manager, and other relevant personnel shouldbeprominentlydisplayed at food establishments. In this context, necessary amendments should be made to the Food Safety and Standards Act to ensure compliance,” said a government statement issued after the Chief Minister held a high-level meeting on Tuesday. Adityanath also directed installation of CCTV cameras at all food establishments such as dhabas, hotels and restaurants. “Surveillance should cover not only the areas where customers dine, but also other parts of the establishment. It is imperative 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 phaseof theJammuandKashmir Assembly elections. The 20member delegation includes four representatives from 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 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath EXPLAINED LUCKNOW, SEPTEMBER 24 E 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. that every operator ensures the security of the CCTV footage and makes it available to the police or local administration upon request,” the statement said. The Chief Minister also ordered a state-wide verification campaign at the food establishments. “A state-wide intensive campaign should be conducted toverifyallemployees,including the operators of these establishments. This verification process must be completed swiftly by a joint team comprising the Food CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Outgoing Delhi High Court 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’sdecisiononhistransfer and the manner in which it was undertaken, Justice Rajiv Shakdher, the outgoing second most-senior judge of the Delhi High Court, said on Tuesday that HC upholds Governor nod to investigate Siddaramaiah All eateries in UP must display names of their proprietors, orders Adityanath MANISH SAHU J&K Phase 2 today, foreign diplomats to ‘observe’ polls in Srinagar LAND ALLOTMENT CASE DIRECTIONS TO CHECK FOOD ADULTERATION NC PDP BJP INC Turnout in 2014: 61.28% Phase 3 voting: Oct 1 `6.00 (`12 IN NORTH EAST STATES, `17 IN ANDAMAN) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM Justice Rajiv Shakdher hewastransferredtotheMadras High Court in 2016 although he “did not give (his) consent”. He admittedthathewas“deeplyun- happy” 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. 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, PAGE7 Working with states, NIA to prevent train sabotage bids, says Vaishnaw MAHARASHTRA CABINET HALTS PROPOSAL No land allotment to state BJP chief’s trust as finance dept objects ALOK DESHPANDE MUMBAI, SEPTEMBER 24 Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inspects work at Gandhinagar Railway Station in Jaipur. Rohit Jain Paras PARUL KULSHRESTHA JAIPUR, SEPTEMBER 24 RAILWAY MINISTER Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday said the Centre would work with state police forces and the NIA to take strict action against those responsibleforallegedattemptsat sabotaging trains. He interacted with reporters in Rajasthan’s Sawai Madhopur afterinspectingatrainfittedwith the Kavach system, an automated system to avoid train collisionsandensurerailwaysafety. Regarding reported sabotage attempts,Vaishnawsaid,“Iwant 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 accusedtheBJP-ledgovernment at the Centre of indulging in “vendetta politics” against CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY Shock, outrage in Tollywood over suicide bid by woman hairstylist EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, SEPTEMBER 25 THE SUICIDE attempt by a woman make-up artist over “financial distress” following her alleged suspension by the Cine and Video Hair Stylist Association has left the Bengali film industry — also known as Tollywood — in shock with allegations of a mistreatment of artistes and technicians. Amid outrage and protests over the incident, the president of the Federation of Cine Technicians, Swarup Biswas, on Tuesday said no one is being stoppedfromgettingwork.“It’sa creativeworld.Thereisnothreat, andnooneisforcednottowork,” Biswassaid,denyinganyknowledgethatthemake-upartistwas allegedly banned from working. Thehairstylist,whoseidentity hasnotbeendisclosed, allegedly poured kerosene on herself Saturday night in an attempt to CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Kolkata