Welfare of people of J&K is our top priority: LG Sinha

10/12/2025
JAMMU, Dec 9: Lieutenant Governor Shri Manoj Sinha on Tuesday visited Kathua and Samba and laid the foundation stone for the construction of 449 new homes for families affected due to recent natural calamities in the districts. A total of 344 houses that were completely devastated in Kathua will be constructed at a cost of Rs. 34 crore. In Samba, 105 houses damaged during the recent flash floods will be rebuilt at a cost of Rs. 10.50 crore. The construction costs for these 3-bedroom house...

Omar reviews tourism promotion strategy

10/12/2025
JAMMU, Dec 9: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today chaired a meeting to review tourism promotion and publicity activities of Tourism Department with a focus on enhancing the J&K's visibility and increasing visitor engagement to further strengthen J&K's tourism profile. The Chief Minister directed the Tourism Department to prepare an advance annual calendar of events to ensure better planning, effective execution and improved coordination. He stressed the need for high-quality, meaningful des...

Division of Vande Mataram song led to partition of India: Amit Shah

10/12/2025
NEW DELHI, Dec 9: Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday alleged that opposing 'Vande Mataram' is in the blood of the Congress and said had Jawaharlal Nehru not divided the song in two parts to begin appeasement, the partition of the country would not have taken place. Initiating the debate in the Rajya Sabha to mark the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, he slammed the Opposition for linking the debate on the national song with the upcoming West Bengal elections. He said Vande Mataram was the "...

HC steps in after cardiac services collapse at GSSH over unpaid PMJAY dues

10/12/2025
JAMMU, Dec 9: The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has taken suo motu cognizance of the alarming situation at the Government Super Speciality Hospital (GSSH), Jammu, where cardiac services reportedly came to a standstill after authorised suppliers suspended the supply of emergency cardiac devices due to unpaid dues nearing Rs 30 crore under Ayushman Bharat PMJAY. The development came to light during hearing of a bunch of four long-pending public interest petitions including PIL No....

HC upholds preventive detention on man for ‘anti-national’ posts under PSA

10/12/2025
JAMMU, Dec 9: The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has dismissed a habeas corpus petition filed by Waseem Ahmad Dar @ Leepa, thereby upholding his preventive detention under the J&K Public Safety Act, 1978. The petition challenged Detention Order No. 02-DMK/PSA of 2024 dated 10.02.2024, issued by the District Magistrate, Kupwara, to prevent the detenue from indulging in activities allegedly prejudicial to the security of the State. Justice Sanjay Dhar noted that the petitioner had ques...

HC dismisses plea against SARFAESI auction; says Right to redeem ends after auction notice

10/12/2025
JAMMU, Dec 9: The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has dismissed a petition filed by M/s Gogi Motor Store challenging the SARFAESI auction of its mortgaged residential property by Citizen's Co-operative Bank Ltd., holding that the borrower's right of redemption stands extinguished once the auction notice is published. A Division Bench comprising Justice Sindhu Sharma and Justice Shahzad Azeem passed the judgment in WP(C) No. 2274/2025. The verdict was authored by Justice Azeem. ...

Red Fort blast: NIA conducts searches in Anantnag, Kulgam

10/12/2025
SRINAGAR, Dec 9: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday conducted searches at several places in Anantnag and Kulgam districts of Jammu and Kashmir as part of its probe into the November 10 blast near the Red Fort in Delhi, officials said. They said the NIA sleuths, assisted by police and CRPF, brought along two of the accused, Dr Adeel Rather and Jasir Bilal Wani, arrested in connection with a "white collar" terror module. The searches were carried out at the instance of the t...

CAT Srinagar directs Govt to decide 9-year suspension of J&K employee within 3 months; warns suspension will stand quashed if delayed

10/12/2025
SRINAGAR, Dec 9: The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Srinagar Bench, has directed the Jammu and Kashmir administration to finally decide the long-pending suspension case of a Junior Statistical Assistant who has been under suspension since June 2016, observing that prolonged suspension becomes punitive and is contrary to settled law. The order was passed by Mr. M.S. Latif, Member (Judicial) while disposing of T.A. No.1333/2021 titled Farhat Tasleem v. State of J&K & others. The pe...

SIR row: Can't Election Commission decide presumptive stage of citizenship, asks SC

10/12/2025
NEW DELHI, Dec 9: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked whether the Election Commission is barred from conducting an inquiry in case of a doubtful citizen and if an inquisitorial process fall outside its constitutional power. The observations were made by a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi during final hearings on a batch of petitions challenging the Election Commission's decision to undertake a special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across severa...

SC examines grant of ‘personal hearing’ to those with bank accounts declared fraud

10/12/2025
NEW DELHI, Dec 9: The Supreme Court on Tuesday wondered what purpose the grant of "personal hearing" would serve to the bank account holders whose accounts were declared as fraud after following due diligence prescribed by the Reserve Bank of India in 2017. A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan was hearing a plea of the State Bank of India challenging a decision of the Calcutta High Court which directed giving personal hearing by following the principle of natural justice to such...

Retired SC, HC judges issue statement objecting to ‘motivated campaign’ against CJI Kant

10/12/2025
NEW DELHI, Dec 9: Several retired judges of the Supreme Court and high courts issued a statement on Tuesday expressing "strong objection to the motivated campaign targeting Chief Justice of India Surya Kant in the wake of his remarks in proceedings concerning Rohingya migrants". The statement noted that an open letter was issued on December 5 by some former judges, lawyers and the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms (CJAR), raising "deep concern at certain unconscionable remarks m...

Former JKLF commander Javaid Ahmad Mir arrested

10/12/2025
SRINAGAR, Dec 9: Police on Tuesday arrested former JKLF commander Javaid Ahmad Mir alias Nalka in connection with a three-decade-old case registered here under the provisions of UAPA and the Arms Act, officials said. Mir, who had adopted the nom de gurre of Nalka during the hey days of militancy in Kashmir, was picked up by police personnel from Shergarhi police station, they said. He is an accused in a case registered in 1996 under various sections of laws, including the UAPA and the Arms Ac...

Joint search operations conducted along Indo-Pak border

10/12/2025
JAMMU, Dec 9: Accompanied by sniffer dog units, teams of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Army and the BSF has conducted joint search operations in forward areas along the International Border (IB) in Kathua, Samba and Jammu districts as part of enhanced vigilance and security measures, an official said on Tuesday. Border Security Force (BSF) troops, along with sniffer dogs and the police Special Operations Group (SOG), have undertaken search operations in areas close to the IB, including Ganjansoo, ...

Man accused of criminal, anti-social activities detained under PSA in Kathua

10/12/2025
JAMMU, Dec 9: A man wanted for his alleged involvement in various criminal and anti-social activities was detained under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) in Kathua district on Tuesday, police said. Pradeep Ambedkariya, who was named in four FIRs registered under various sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in the past two years, was lodged in Udhampur district jail, a police spokesperson said. A police team detained the “habitual criminal” involved in various illegal activities incl...

BSF jawan found dead in Samba; CRPF constable dies in separate incident

10/12/2025
JAMMU, Dec 9: A Border Security Force (BSF) jawan was found dead under suspicious circumstances in Samba district, officials said on Tuesday. Constable Sukhdeep Singh, a resident of Ferozpur in Punjab, was found lying in a canal at Rehiyan village on Monday evening. Locals shifted him to the district hospital Samba, where doctors declared him dead, officials said. Preliminary police investigation suggests he was travelling on a motorcycle and may have accidentally fallen into the canal. Polic...

Two peddlers held with heroin worth Rs 1 crore near Baramulla medical college

10/12/2025
SRINAGAR, Dec 9: Two alleged drug peddlers, including a woman, were arrested in Baramulla district and heroin worth around Rs 1 crore was recovered from their possession, police said on Tuesday. A Baramulla Police team of carried out a targeted operation near the Government Medical College (GMC) Baramulla parking area on Monday evening, a spokesman said. During the operation, the team intercepted two suspicious individuals -- Sobiya Bano (29), and Tahir Ahmad Khan (26), both residents of Trik...

Special Vande Bharat trains on Delhi-Udhampur route for 3 days amid flight cancellations

10/12/2025
JAMMU, Dec 9: The Jammu division of Northern Railways on Tuesday announced a special Vande Bharat train between New Delhi and Udhampur for three days starting December 12, to facilitate stranded passengers in the wake of frequent flight cancellations, an official said. Chaos prevailed at Jammu and Srinagar airports over the past few days after most IndiGo flights from the two aerodromes were cancelled, triggering protests by stranded passengers. "Jammu Division operates special trains in emer...

In 10 years, we all must rid the country of slave mentality: PM Modi

07/12/2025
NEW DELHI, Dec 6: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged people to completely rid the country of the slave mentality in the next 10 years, asserting that every sector today is shedding the colonial mindset and aiming for new achievements with pride. He also said the term Hindu rate of growth was used when India was struggling for 2-3 per cent of growth. "The policy of Macaulay, which sowed the seeds of mental slavery in India, will complete 200 years in 2035. This means there are 10 y...

Want to send strong message that SC meant for common man: CJI Surya Kant

07/12/2025
NEW DELHI, Dec 6: Sending a "strong message" that the Supreme Court is meant for the common man, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Saturday said a predictable timeline and a unified national judicial policy-based early decision of pending cases would be his priority. Speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit here, the CJI referred to access to justice, and said his priority is to ensure how to reduce the cost of litigation, and how to prescribe a reasonable timeline within which mat...

Need stronger arbitral institutions for infrastructure sector: Justice Rajesh Bindal

07/12/2025
NEW DELHI, Dec 6: Supreme Court judge Justice Rajesh Bindal has underlined the need for strong arbitral institutions, stating that the country's booming infrastructure sector requires expert involvement and problem-solving approaches to prevent disputes from stalling projects. Speaking at the 5th Biennial International Conference on Construction Law and Arbitration organised by the Society of Construction Law here on Friday, Justice Bindal said construction law is a highly specialised field. ...

IndiGo resumes 9 flights from Jammu Airport, cancels 7 from Srinagar

07/12/2025
JAMMU/SRINAGAR, Dec 6: IndiGo on Saturday announced the resumption of nine of its 11 flights from the Jammu Airport, but cancelled seven flights from Srinagar, owing to the nationwide disruptions caused by the airline's pilot-rostering issues. The resumption of flights from Jammu brought much-needed respite to travellers who were left stranded at the airport after a series of cancellations. On the contrary, a total of eight flights -- seven operated by IndiGo -- stood cancelled at the Srinagar...

INDIA Bloc on life support, risks being wheeled into ICU: Omar

07/12/2025
NEW DELHI, Dec 6: Chief Minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Saturday said the opposition INDIA bloc is currently “on life support” and risks being wheeled into the “ICU” due to infighting and a failure to match the BJP’s round-the-clock election machine. Speaking at the HT Leadership Summit here, Abdullah detailed the “organisational and strategic failures” of the opposition bloc, contrasting its approach with the BJP’s “unparalleled” work ethic. Talking about the INDIA b...

JKAS Exam: CM & LG trade blame over age relaxation

07/12/2025
SRINAGAR, Dec 6: A tussle between Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah burst into the open on Saturday as the two offices traded blame over the age-relaxation decision, adding to the confusion and anxiety among thousands of JKAS aspirants set to appear for the exam on Sunday. Chief Minister Omar and several J&K leaders on Saturday urged the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) to postpone the JKCCE, citing mounting uncertainty caused by the pending approval o...

SC directs states, UTs to establish grievance redressal mechanism for prisoners with disabilities

07/12/2025
NEW DELHI, Dec 6: The Supreme Court has directed all the states and Union territories to establish a robust, independent and accessible grievance redressal mechanism specifically designed for prisoners with disabilities. The apex court said the mechanism shall ensure prompt registration, effective monitoring and timely resolution of complaints so as to safeguard the inmates from "systemic neglect, abuse and discriminatory practices". A bench of justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said appr...

While Right to speedy trial is essential facet of Article 21, Legislative embargo U/S.37 of NDPS act must also be respected: HC

07/12/2025
JAMMU, Dec 6: The Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has refused to grant bail to an accused booked under the NDPS, considering his prolonged abscondence and self-created delay. The High Court also held that while the right to speedy trial is an essential facet of Article 21, the legislative embargo under Section 37 of the NDPS Act must also be respected unless the conditions for lifting the embargo are demonstrably satisfied. The petitioner approached the High Court seeking enlargement...

India’s scientific progress must extend beyond labs: Dr Jitendra

07/12/2025
PANCHKULA, Dec 6: Union Minister of Science and Technology Jitendra Singh on Saturday said India’s scientific progress must move beyond laboratories and focus on meaningful engagement with citizens, students and youth. Addressing a gathering at the four-day India International Science Festival (IISF) here, he said the festival was conceived not as a routine academic gathering but as an open, public-facing platform that brings science closer to people. The festival encourages direct interactio...

Two held for stealing 12-Bore gun in Doda; weapon recovered

07/12/2025
JAMMU, Dec 6: Two persons, including a juvenile, were taken into custody for allegedly stealing a 12-bore gun from a local in Doda district, police said on Saturday. The stolen weapon was recovered during the investigation, while further inquiries are underway to ascertain the motive behind the theft, the police said. On Wednesday, a case about theft of a 12-bore gun was registered at the Gandoh Police Station. During the investigation, an accused identified as Mahafuz Ahmed of Soti Dudwar vi...

Circular economy to boost dairy farmers' income by 20 pc in 5 years: Amit Shah

07/12/2025
SANADAR (Gujarat), Dec 6: Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Saturday expressed confidence that implementation of the circular economy model across the country will increase dairy farmers' income by 20 per cent in the next five years. Shah was addressing cattle rearers associated with Banas Dairy at an event held at Sanadar village in Gujarat's Vav-Tharad district to mark the inauguration of the dairy's bio-CNG and fertiliser plant and ground-breaking of its milk powder plant. H...

India-Russia ties among ‘Steadiest’ globally: Jaishankar

07/12/2025
NEW DELHI, Dec 6: The India-Russia partnership has been among the “steadiest big relationships” in the last 70-80 years and President Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi was about “reimagining” the ties with a focus on economic engagement, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday. In an interactive session, he also disagreed with views that Putin’s visit could complicate India’s negotiations with the US on a bilateral trade agreement. “No, I disagree with you. I think everybody...

Mercury plunges in Kashmir after brief respite, Shopian freezes at minus 6.4 deg C

07/12/2025
SRINAGAR, Dec 6: Night temperatures in Kashmir dropped several degrees below the freezing point, even as a thick layer of fog engulfed parts of the valley, with Srinagar recording a low of minus 4.1 degrees Celsius, officials said on Saturday. Shopian was the coldest recorded place in Jammu and Kashmir as the mercury there settled at a low of minus 6.4 degrees Celsius, they said. The mercury had on Thursday night settled above the freezing point at most places in the valley, providing huge re...

Police recover separatist posters, banned literature during search in Pulwama

07/12/2025
SRINAGAR, Dec 6: Police on Saturday recovered incriminating material, including posters of a separatist outfit and some banned literature, during a search in Pulwama district. Acting on a search warrant issued by the NIA Court Pulwama in a case registered under the UAP Act, the police carried out a search at a shop belonging to Mohamed Amir Rather, a resident of Litter Pulwama, a police spokesman said. According to the spokesperson, the search operation was conducted in the presence of a magi...

ASI booked for ‘assaulting’ two-wheeler rider in full public view

07/12/2025
JAMMU, Dec 6: An FIR has been registered against an assistant sub-inspector in Doda after a video purportedly showing him physically assaulting a two-wheeler rider in full public view went viral on social media. “On December 3, a written complaint was lodged at the DH Doda police post by Anzar Majid Malik, alleging that ASI Ghulam Ali, a resident of Sadeeqabad, wrongfully restrained and assaulted him. “Acting promptly on the complaint, an FIR under relevant sections of law was registered at t...

Parliament approves bill to levy excise duty on tobacco

05/12/2025
New Delhi, Dec 4: Parliament on Thursday approved a bill to levy a higher excise duty on tobacco and related products once the GST compensation cess ends, with the RajyaSabha returning the legislation to the LokSabha. The LokSabha passed the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, on Wednesday. Replying to a discussion on the bill in Rajya Sabha, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said this is not an additional tax, and the tax burden, as currently applicable under the GST regime, will continu...

DGP reviews security situation, ongoing operations in Udhampur hills

05/12/2025
Jammu, Dec 4: DGP Nalin Prabhat on Thurs-day visited Udhampur district and reviewed ongoing operations and the overall security situation in the mountainous belt. Director General of Police (DGP) Prabhat is reaching out to police and security forces at the grassroots level in hinterland and border areas to review the security situation, ope-rational preparedness, and anti-terror operations in various districts of Jammu and Kashmir. "The DGP visited the Basantgarh area to review ongoing operat...

Omar demands EC meet political parties to allay doubts on SIR

05/12/2025
SRINAGAR, Dec 4: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said the Election Commission of India should convene a meeting of political parties to allay their apprehension about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). "There are apprehensions, and it will be better that the Election Commission call people like us to make us understand what SIR really is because we have seen that while you do not steal elections through machines, but they are surely manipulated," Abdullah told reporters here on the...

Healthcare system must focus on enhancing diagnostic accuracy and reducing time to treatment: LG Sinha

05/12/2025
JAMMU, Dec 4: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday addressed the inaugural session of 'APCON 2025', the 73rd Annual Conference of the Indian Association of Pathologists & Microbiologists (IAPM) and International Academy of Pathologists -Indian Division (IAP-ID), at Government Medical College, Jammu. The 5-Day annual conference on the theme "Emerging Trends in Pathology: From Morphology to Molecular Insights," has brought together leading pathologists and microbiologists to deliberate on...

Pak-linked drug racket busted; 6 held with 5 kg heroin worth Rs 30 crore

05/12/2025
Jammu, Dec 4: Police on Thursday claimed to have busted a cross-border narcotics racket by arresting six people and recovering nearly five kilograms of heroin along with three pistols here, officials said. The value of the seized drug is more than Rs 30 crore in international market, they said. "A major narcotics racket has been busted in Jammu. Six members have been arrested. Four of them have been sent to judicial custody. As many as 4.95 kilograms of heroin was recovered from them. Besides...

LG Kavinder calls for Equal Opportunities & Barrier-Free Access for Divyangjans

05/12/2025
Leh, Dec 4: The Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Kavinder Gupta, inaugurated the Ability Mela 2025 at the Panchayat Resource Centre, Leh, marking the observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2025. The event, organised by the District Social Welfare Office (DSWO) in collaboration with PAGIR, Munsel, and Rewa Society, aims to enhance employability, promote dignified livelihoods, and further strengthen Ladakh's commitment to building an inclusive and accessible society for al...

SC asks all high courts to submit details of pending acid attack cases in 4 weeks

05/12/2025
New Delhi, Dec 4: Terming tardy trials in acid attack cases as a "mockery of the system", the Supreme Court on Thursday directed all the High Courts to submit details of such pending cases across the country within four weeks. Mooting the idea of setting up special courts for expeditious disposal of acid attack cases, the top court also asked the Centre to consider amending the law through legislation or even an ordinance so that the survivors are formally included within the definition of per...

DB slams Govt for ‘Abuse of Process’ in Dental Assistant Recruitment, orders compensation to ousted merit candidates

05/12/2025
Jammu, Dec 4: In a stinging indictment of the Jammu & Kashmir administration, the High Court of J&K and Ladakh has held that the Union Territory has indulged in "selective implementation of court directions" while dealing with appointments to the posts of Dental Assistant/Junior Dental Technician, and has dismissed a batch of appeals filed by the Government with costs. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Palli and Justice Rajnesh Oswal, upheld the 2017 verdict of the Single Judge ...

Cold wave continues to grip Kashmir Valley, temperature drops to -2 degree Celsius

05/12/2025
Srinagar, Dec 4: A biting cold wave continues to grip the Kashmir Valley, with temperatures dropping to sub-zero levels, intensifying winter conditions across the region. In Srinagar, residents stepped out on Thursday morning wrapped in heavy woollens to protect themselves from the harsh winter chills. Despite the icy weather, many people were spotted continuing their morning fitness routines while fully covered. According to the India Meteorological Depart-ment (IMD), Srinagar recorded a mini...

ACB arrests Patwari, Chowkidar in Udhampur for taking Rs 10,000 Bribe

05/12/2025
JAMMU, Dec 4: The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has trapped and arrested Ganderab Singh, Patwari of Patwar Halqa Thalora in Majalta tehsil, and Kuldeep Kumar, a Chowkidar, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000. As per an ACB official, a case under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corrup-tion Act, 1988, and Section 61(2) of the BNS, 2023, was registered against both officials at ACB Police Station Udhampur. According to him, the complainant approached the bu...

Centre releases Rs 37,000 cr under Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme

05/12/2025
New Delhi, Dec 4: The government has released about Rs 37,000 crore towards Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), which works out to be 38 per cent of the amount sanctioned in the Budget for the scheme, Parliament was informed on Thursday. The Centre launched the RDSS with the objective of improving the quality and reliability of power supply to consumers through a financially sustainable and operationally efficient distribution sector. "Till date, the total Central Grant released under...

No GST on leasing out residential premises as hostel for students: SC

05/12/2025
New Delhi, Dec 4: The Supreme Court on Thursday held that leasing out of residential premises to an entity which is using it as hostel for students and working professionals is exempted from GST. A bench of justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan upheld the verdict of the Karnataka High Court which said that leasing out of residential premises to an entity which is using it as hostel to students and working professionals is exempt under GST. "In the case on hand, the ultimate use of the prop...

India, Canada discuss contours, modalities to launch trade pact talks

05/12/2025
New Delhi, Dec 4: Commerce and Industry Minister PiyushGoyal and his Canadian counterpart Maninder Sidhu on Wednesday held discussions on the contours, objectives & modalities for launching negotiations on a proposed free trade agreement. The two sides have recently agreed to resume negotiations for the pact, officially known as Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), with an aim to increase the two-way trade to USD 50 billion by 2030 "Held a productive discussion with Minister S...

Personality Test System followed by UPSC free from any discrimination: Dr Jitendra

05/12/2025
New Delhi, Dec 4: The interview or personality test system followed by the Union Public Service Commi-ssion (UPSC) is free from any discrimination or bias, Union Minister Jitendra Singh informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. The UPSC has infor-med that candidates are randomised while being assigned to interview boards just before the commencement of interviews/personality tests for the day, he said in a written reply to a question. "Further, the category of the candidates and marks obtained by...

Police registers FIR against hotel in south Kashmir for violating immigration Rules

05/12/2025
Srinagar, Dec 4: Police in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on Thursday registered an FIR against a local hotel in Pahalgam for alleged violations of the Immigration and Foreigners Act. The FIR was registered after authorities found the establishment had failed to properly record and report the details of foreign guests staying at the tourist resort. Police said that during routine inspections of hotels and guest accommodations in the Rafting Point area, a team from Police Station Pahalg...