Chhattisgarh’s State Investigation Agency (SIA) has submitted a charge sheet in a Bilaspur special court against nine people accused of ties to a Maoist “urban network,” a public prosecutor stated on Wednesday. The suspects hail from Bijapur, Narayanpur, and elsewhere, according to public prosecutor Dauram Chandravanshi. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images/iStockphoto). The charge sheet was filed on Tuesday in the court of Principal District and Sessions Judge (NIA court) Sirajuddin Qureshi. Public prosecutor Dauram Chandravanshi stated that nine people have been named as accused in the case. The matter is set for a hearing on March 20. The case stems from a crackdown that started on September 25 last year, when the SIA arrested Jaggu Kursam, a Maoist divisional committee member, and his wife Kamla Kursam, an area committee member, in Raipur. The interrogation resulted in the arrest of seven additional suspects from different regions of the state, including Korba, Bilaspur, Narayanpur, and Bijapur. The other accused have been identified as Ram Incham, Pawan (alias Akash/Pushkar), Dhansingh Gavde, Sandev Podiyami, Girdhar Nag, Sukaru Ram, and Shankar Korsa. The majority hail from Bijapur, Narayanpur, and nearby areas. Investigators state that the inquiry began after intelligence reports indicated that several people, masquerading as city laborers, were secretly relaying sensitive data to Maoists via electronic gadgets. The probe uncovered that the suspects were living and employed in urban centers for the outlawed group. They were reportedly involved in spreading Maoist ideology and providing logistical aid, such as food, medical help, and transport. An FIR was filed in connection with this matter in September 2025 at the DD Nagar police station in Raipur. In the course of the investigation and arrests, the agency confiscated gold biscuits, cash, laptops, mobile phones, and multiple pen drives. Officials indicated that the accused have been charged under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). 

 On Wednesday, the Gujarat government introduced a bill in the assembly to implement a Uniform Civil Code, replacing religion-specific personal laws with uniform rules on marriage, divorce, succession, live-in relationships, and related issues for all state residents. (Gujarat Assembly complex – PTI) Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi tabled the bill, drafted based on a report from a committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai. Sanghavi stated that the proposed Gujarat Uniform Civil Code, 2026, seeks to establish uniformity, gender justice, and simplification in personal laws throughout the state. However, the code does not apply to members of Scheduled Tribes under the Constitution or to groups whose customary rights are protected under Part XXI of the Constitution. The proposed code will apply to the state and its residents, regardless of their place of residence. The code will apply to individuals born in Gujarat, owning property there, employed by state or central government entities, or who have resided in the state for the past ten years. The BJP-governed Uttarakhand became the first state to enact a UCC law in February 2024. Other BJP-governed states like Assam and Gujarat have pledged to enact the UCC, the ruling party’s sole major ideological commitment yet to be fulfilled. Gujarat’s iteration of the code also aims to formalize live-in relationships through mandatory registration, along with penalties for failing to register, providing false information, or entering banned arrangements. Additionally, it mandates that the registrar notify the local police station upon receiving a declaration about a live-in relationship and inform the parents or guardians if either partner is under 21. The legislation requires all couples living in Gujarat to register their live-in relationships, irrespective of their residency status in the state. Gujarat residents in a live-in relationship outside the state can opt to register voluntarily. Couples are required to provide a statement to a registrar, who checks that the relationship does not include a minor, someone already married, or individuals related within forbidden degrees of kinship. A woman abandoned by her partner in a live-in relationship can seek court-ordered maintenance. Per the code, couples failing to register within one month of starting a live-in relationship risk up to three months in jail, a fine of up to ₹10,000, or both. 

 Over the past week, at least three India-flagged ships and tankers have returned to their home ports as the ongoing West Asia conflict keeps the Strait of Hormuz closed. An Indian liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier, Shivalik, arrives at Mundra Port through the Strait of Hormuz amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran. (REUTERS/Representational). Out of the three India-flagged ships that departed the war zone, two—Shivalik and Nanda Devi—passed through the Iran-blocked Strait of Hormuz, while one fled the UAE’s Fujairah port following an attack. Follow LIVE updates on the US-Iran conflict here. With all crew members on the Indian-flagged ships safely aboard and accounted for, a video from a sailor on one of the vessels captured the ordeal as it transited the Strait of Hormuz. In a social media video, Ajit, who was aboard an Indian ship, recounted his anxiety-ridden days amid the escalating US-Israel-Iran conflict. As he describes the voyage, the man notes that the crew learned of the war between the US, Israel, and Iran while the ship was loading cargo in Qatar. He mentions that as soon as they learned of the conflict, the ship started rationing its food supplies. View this post on Instagram. Upon arriving in the UAE, Ajit explained that the ship had to anchor in the middle of the sea. As nearby ships were targeted, an atmosphere of fear and anxiety gripped the crew. Continuing their journey, Ajit noted that the ship anchored in the UAE for 10 days. “After anchoring in Dubai for 10 days, we received a call from our company at 4 a.m. on March 13, informing us that two ships had been granted permission to cross the Strait of Hormuz,” he says in the video, adding that the ship entered the strait that same night. Also Read | Diplomacy, dark mode: How India-bound ships made safe passage via Strait of Hormuz. Ajit is heard saying in the video, “We kept faith in God and chanted ‘Har Har Mahadev’ before setting sail,” adding that the crew had raised the Indian flag and placed safety hoses on deck in case of fire or attack. He then noted that although Indian ships had permission to cross the strait, they were still navigating high-risk waters. 

 Bhubaneswar, The first phase of the Census House Listing Operations will begin across all 30 districts of Odisha from April 16 and continue till May 15, a top official said on Wednesday.. Odisha to begin phase-1 of Census House Listing from April 16. Addressing a press conference here, Director of Census Operations in Odisha, Nikhil Pavan Kalyan, said over 1 lakh trained enumerators and 17,282 supervisors will visit households and collect data during the period.. They will ask 33 questions prepared by the Ministry of Home Affairs to the head of each household, including residential, non-residential, jails, malls, etc, he said.. “Persons residing in any place in Odisha, whether from the state or other states, will be enumerated. Not a single household will be left out during the Census,” Kalyan added.. He said the operation will be conducted through field visits using a mobile application.. Prior to this, a self-enumeration provision will be available online from April 1 to midnight of April 15, allowing citizens to submit their information themselves, he said.. Renowned sand artist and Padma Shri awardee Sudarshan Pattnaik has given his consent to be the brand ambassador for the promotion and outreach of this Census programme, he informed.. The district collectors and municipal commissioners will serve as principal Census officers, while additional district magistrates will be the district Census officers.. Additionally, under the supervision of the district collectors, the executive officers of each urban local body and tahsildars of tehsils have been nominated as charge officers, he informed.. The Revenue and Disaster Management Department is the nodal department for the programme. Primary school teachers will be appointed as enumerators and high school teachers as supervisors.. This will be India’s first digital Census, with self-enumeration available for the first time. Data submitted online will be verified by enumerators during field visits, Kalyan said.. The second phase, or the primary population enumeration phase, will be carried out from February 9 to 28, 2027, the Census Director informed.. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. 

 Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former minister Rampada Jamatia was elected as the Tripura assembly speaker on Wednesday.. BJP lawmaker Rampada Jamatia takes over as Tripura assembly speaker (Facebook/drmaniksaha). A two-time MLA from the Bagma (ST) constituency, Jamatia is the second indigenous leader to hold the speaker’s post in Tripura after Left Front veteran Sudhanya Debbarma in 1978.. The ruling BJP-led NDA proposed Jamatia’s name on March 13, the first day of the session. With no other nominations filed, acting speaker Ramprasad Paul officially declared him elected unopposed.. Congratulating the new speaker, chief minister Manik Saha said, “I am confident that his extensive political experience, wisdom, and integrity will uphold the dignity of the House and strengthen its proceedings.”. Jamatia was first elected from Bagma constituency in 2018 when he defeated Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader and former forest minister Naresh Jamatia. He served as tribal welfare and industries and commerce minister in chief minister Manik Saha’s cabinet from 2022 till 2023.. In 2023, he was re-elected from Bagma.. Saha congratulated Jamatia after he took over as speaker. “Heartiest congratulations to Shri Rampada Jamatia ji on his unanimous election as ‘Speaker’ of Tripura Legislative Assembly. Wishing him success in upholding the House’s dignity with wisdom, fairness & integrity,” Saha said in a post on X.. The speaker’s post fell vacant in December following the death of Biswabandhu Sen at Bengaluru after suffering a brain haemorrhage. Sen, a four-time MLA , joined BJP ahead of 2018 Assembly polls from Congress. He was elected as speaker in 2023.