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Delimitation Commission submits report: Recommends 43 Assembly seats for Jammu, 47 for Kashmir

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The Delimitation Commission for Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday finalised the delimitation order and submitted it to the Election Commission of India wherein it has recommended 43 Assembly seats for Jammu division and 47 seats to the Kashmir region.

For the first time, nine Assembly Constituencies (ACs) have been reserved for the Scheduled Tribes, out of which, six are in Jammu region and three in Kashmir. The constitution of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state had no provision for the reservation of seats for Scheduled Tribes in the Legislative Assembly.

As per the final Delimitation Order, out of the 90 Assembly Constituencies in the region, 43 will be part of Jammu region and 47 for Kashmir region keeping in view the provisions of Section 9(1)(a) of the Delimitation Act, 2002 and Section 60(2)(b) of Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, the Delimitation order said.

The six new Assembly constituencies in the Jammu region are expected to be carved out from Rajouri, Doda, Udhampur, Kishtwar, Kathua, and Samba districts.

The one new seat for the Kashmir Valley would reportedly be carved out from the Kupwara district.

As of now there are 46 seats in Kashmir region and 37 seats are in Jammu division.

“There are five Parliamentary Constituencies in the region. The Delimitation Commission has seen the Jammu & Kashmir region as one single union territory. Therefore, one of the Parliamentary Constituencies has been carved out combining the Anantnag region in the Valley and Rajouri and Poonch of Jammu region. By this reorganisation each Parliamentary Constituency will have an equal number of 18 Assembly Constituencies each,” the order further said.

The Commission headed by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, (a retired Judge of the Supreme Court of India), and Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra, and Election Commissioner of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir K.K. Sharma as Ex-Officio members of the Delimitation Commission met Thursday to finalise the Delimitation Order for the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.

The Commission also said that with regard to the relevant provisions of the Constitution (Article 330 and Article 332) and sub-sections (6) and (7) of Section 14 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019, the number of seats to be reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir was worked out on the basis of 2011 Census. Accordingly, the Delimitation Commission has reserved nine ACs for STs for the first time and seven for SCs.

The Commission has changed the names of a few Assembly Constituencies after hearing from the people and representatives of the political parties. These name changes included naming Tangmarg-AC as Gulmarg-AC, Zoonimar-AC as Zaidibal-AC, Sonwar-AC as Lal Chowk-AC, Padder-AC as Padder-Nagseni-AC, Kathua North-AC as Jasrota-AC, Kathua South-AC as Kathua-AC, Khour-AC as Chhamb-AC, Mahore-AC as Gulabhgarh-AC, Darhal-AC as Budhal-AC, etc.

In addition to these, there were many representations pertaining to shifting of Tehsils from one AC to another and some of them which Commission found logical were accepted, such as shifting of Tehsil Srigufwara from Pahalgam-AC to Bijbehara-AC, shifting of Kwarhama and Kunzar Tehsils to Gulmarg-AC and redrawing Wagoora-Kreeri-AC having Kareeri and Khoie tehsils and part of Wagoora and Tangmarg tehsils, shifting of Darhal Tehsil from Budhal-AC to Thannamandi-AC. Additionally, there were some requests for minor changes in the territorial jurisdiction of proposed ACs, which were thoroughly analysed in the Commission and a few of them, which were logical, have been incorporated in the final Order.

The Delimitation Commission was constituted by the Centre on March 6, 2020 in exercise of powers conferred by Section 3 of the Delimitation Act, 2002 (33 of 2002), for the purpose of delimitation of Assembly and Parliamentary Constituencies in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.

The Commission associated in its work, five members of the Lok Sabha elected from the UT of Jammu and Kashmir. These Associate Members were nominated by the Lok Sabha Speaker.

The Delimitation Commission was entrusted with the work of delimiting the Assembly and Parliamentary Constituencies in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir on the basis of 2011 Census and in accordance with the provisions of Part-V of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 (34 of 2019) and the provisions of Delimitation Act, 2002(33 of 2002).

Crime

Maharashtra TET paper leak: Mastermind’s wife arrested in Patna; search intensifies for Bijendra Gupta

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Patna, June 30: The investigation into the alleged Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) paper leak has gathered pace with the arrest of Suman Kumari, the wife of the alleged mastermind, Bijendra Gupta, from Patna.

Police are questioning her over her suspected role in the examination paper leak and related financial transactions.

According to information shared by the Maharashtra Police and Patna Police sources, Suman Kumari was arrested in Patna and is currently being interrogated.

Investigators suspect that Suman Kumari played a role in handling financial transactions linked to the alleged paper leak operation.

Police also believe she remained in contact with her husband, Bijendra Gupta, and other members of the alleged network after the TET question paper was leaked.

Her interrogation is expected to help investigators trace the flow of money and identify other individuals connected to the case.

Before Suman Kumari’s arrest, Maharashtra Police had taken three other accused, Rajiv Shah and Akash Kumar from Patna, and Dheeraj Kumar from Panipat, Haryana, into custody.

According to investigators, interrogation of these three accused pointed to Bijendra Gupta as the alleged mastermind behind the operation.

Police teams are conducting raids in Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, and Agra to apprehend Bijendra Gupta, who is originally from Sherpur village under the Vidyapati police station area of Samastipur district in Bihar.

Investigators believe he played a central role in organising the alleged paper leak network.

Bijendra Gupta’s father, Baleshwar Gupta, said the family had lost contact with him years ago after he left the village for further studies in Begusarai.

According to his father, the family was unaware of the nature of Bijendra’s work and was deeply distressed after learning that his name had surfaced in connection with the alleged paper leak case.

Police records indicate that Bijendra Gupta has previously been linked to criminal cases.

According to investigators, he was the prime accused in a murder case registered in 2003 and has also been associated with investigations into alleged paper leak cases involving examinations such as NEET-UG and the Odisha Staff Selection Commission examination.

These allegations form part of the ongoing police investigation, and the case remains under inquiry.

Maharashtra Police teams remain in Bihar as part of the operation to arrest the alleged mastermind.

Investigators are examining financial records, communication details, and the roles of other suspected members of the network.

Police have indicated that further arrests are possible as the investigation progresses and additional evidence is collected regarding the alleged examination malpractice.

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Crime

Delhi woman alleges sexual harassment in moving car; records incident, FIR registered

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New Delhi, June 30: A 24-year-old woman has accused a man of sexually harassing her inside a moving car in East Delhi’s Mandawali area.

According to her complaint, the accused (known to the victim) allegedly lured her out on the pretext of eating momos and later insisted on stopping for CNG before diverting the vehicle to a deserted stretch.

The woman alleges that the man began making obscene remarks and pressured her into having sex. He touched her inappropriately and wouldn’t let her get out of the car. She recorded the entire incident on her mobile phone and reported the matter to the police. Based on the complaint, Mandawali police registered an FIR against the accused under relevant sections of the BNS. The accused has been caught. Further investigation is underway.

In a disturbing video, the woman could be heard pleading with the man to let her go. The man, as seen in the video, makes unwanted sexual remarks, pushing the woman to a breaking point, NDTV reported.

She recorded the incident on her mobile phone during the alleged assault.

“If you even touch me, I’ll jump in front of a vehicle and end my life,” the woman is heard saying in the shaky video that is replete with cuss words and sexually suggestive remarks.

A month ago, a similar incident came to light in Pune. A female lawyer was sexually assaulted in a moving car. Police arrested three suspects in this case. Now, a similar incident has surfaced in the national capital, Delhi.

The man who sexually assaulted the woman is known to her. According to the complaint, he lured her out on the pretext of offering her momos and then attempted to exploit her in a secluded area. However, the woman recorded the entire incident on her mobile phone.

Earlier on June 29, the Delhi High Court cancelled the bail granted to a 57-year-old private school caretaker accused of raping a three-year-old girl on the premises in west Delhi’s Janakpuri area, and asked him to surrender on July 1.

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Business

MSC Group’s arm to invest around $1.4 billion for 49 pc share in Adani’s Vizhinjam port

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Ahmedabad, June 30: Adani Ports on Tuesday said it has entered into a definitive agreement with MSC Group under which MSC’s container terminal operating and investing arm Terminal Investment Limited (TiL) will invest for 49 per cent interest in Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited (AVPPL), the concessionaire for Vizhinjam port.

The strategic collaboration represents the single largest foreign private investment in Indian port infrastructure and cements Vizhinjam’s emergence as a dominant transshipment gateway in the Indian Ocean region.

TiL will invest $1.397 billion, equivalent to its proportionate 49 per cent share in Vizhinjam port in total deal value of $2.85 billion.

“Vizhinjam port has emerged as a premier transshipment hub and ramped up at an unprecedented pace, becoming the first Indian port to earn the unique distinction of crossing two million TEUs within 18 months of operations,” said Ashwani Gupta, Whole-time Director and CEO, APSEZ.

“I am delighted to expand APSEZ’s long-standing partnership with MSC to Vizhinjam, as we prepare for the port’s next leg of journey. I am confident that our association will deliver enhanced supply chain efficiencies at a global scale and improve India’s access to key global mature and developing markets,” Gupta said.

The transaction is subject to customary approvals, including regulatory ones.

The strategic collaboration between APSEZ and MSC Group will deliver significant advantages for APSEZ, including enhanced volume visibility and accelerated ramp-up ahead of plan, driven by additional cargo volumes; a higher share of Bangladesh cargo, largely dependent on competing Southeast Asian transshipment hubs; strengthen presence on East Africa trade routes; and elevated relay cargo volumes.

TiL is one of the world’s largest container terminal operators and part of the MSC Group comprising a portfolio of more than 100 container terminals across five continents and a throughput of more than 70 million TEUs per annum.

Commissioned in December 2024, Vizhinjam port is India’s first deep-draft mega transshipment port with 1.6 million TEU capacity. The port is undergoing expansion that will increase capacity 3.5x to 5.7 million TEUs by December 2028, according to the company.

Vizhinjam port is strategically located just 10 nautical miles from the East-West shipping route connecting Europe, the Persian Gulf, and the Far East.

During FY26, Vizhinjam port handled 1.3 million TEUs. In its first year, Vizhinjam port handled 1.3 million TEUs and 615 vessels, becoming the fastest Indian port to cross the one million TEU milestone.

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