bengaluru l Sunday l march 23, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 26 l late city EDITION rumble in the jungle silent forever: Foreman no more Former heavyweight champion George Foreman, who lost to Muhammad Ali in boxing’s iconic 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle”, died on Friday. He was 76 School dropout to a world champion Born in Texas on January 10, 1949, George Foreman grew up in Houston. The man who raised him was frequently absent and often drunk. Fondly known as Big George, he dropped out of school and despite facing adversities went on to become an Olympic gold medallist, two-time world champion and a legend of boxing Muhammad Ali (left) squares up against George Foreman in 1974 | AP Big figures including Trump pay respects ■ US President Donald Trump said “GREAT FIGHTER” whom he “knew well”. Legendary promoter Bob Arum saluted Foreman as “one of the biggest punchers and personalities the sport has ever seen.” ■ “His contribution to boxing and beyond will never be forgotten,” former champion Mike Tyson wrote on X | P13 81 He fought 81 times as a professional, winning 76, 68 of those by knockout CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Delimitation meet proposes broad fight, freezing LS seats for 25 years First JAC meet resolves to submit representation to PM; State Assemblies to pass resolution K E z h i l a r a s a n @ Chennai The first Joint Action Committee (JAC) meeting on delimitation convened by DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday unanimously adopted a resolution demanding that the freeze on the parliamentary constituencies based on the 1971 Census population be extended by another 25 years as it was done in 2001. The meeting in which Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, his Telangana and Punjab counterparts, Revanth Reddy and Bhagwant Mann, Karnataka Dy CM D K Shivakumar, and around 20 other leaders of different parties from six states took part, also laid a road map for taking forward the fight legally and politically . The resolution pointed out that the 42nd, 84th, and 87th constitutional amendments, which delayed populationbased delimitation at various points in the past, were to protect/incentivise states that had implemented population control measures effectively . It said there is a need to extend the freeze by another 25 years since the goal of national (From right) Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy, Karnataka Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, CM M K Stalin, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, and BRS chief K T Rama Rao, along with other JAC members in Chennai on Saturday | PTI population stabilisation has not been achieved yet. Saying that the states whose population share came down due to the population control programme should not be penalised, the resolution also urged the Centre to enact necessary constitutional amendments for this purpose. The JAC expressed concern on the alleged lack of transparency and clarity in the impending delimitation exercise from the union government and the absence of consultation with various stakeholders. It appreciated CM Stalin for taking up this initiative to “safeguard the political and economic future of the performing states in India,” a release from the state government later said. “Any delimitation exercise ... to improve the content and character of democracy should be carried out transparently ena, bling political parties of all the states, state governments and other stakeholders to deliberate, discuss and contribute to it,” the resolution said. It said a core committee consisting of MPs from the represented states will coordinate parliamentary strategies to counter any attempts by the union government to undertake a delimitation exercise contrary to the principles articulated by the JAC. The committee will submit a joint representation to the PM during the ongoing parliamentary session. P5 Karnataka, TN, and every progressive state in this room face a stark choice: submit to domination or rise in resistance. We have chosen resistance K’taka Deputy CM D K Shivakumar Centre planning delimitation without consultation as it is driven by “narrow political interests” and not by Constitutional principles or democratic imperatives Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan Protest is only for ‘fair delimitation’: Stalin Chennai: This protest is not against delimitation. I think everyone will agree that this protest is for ‘fair delimitation’, said Chief Minister M K Stalin. He also said a legal option could be explored and favoured setting up of an expert panel to draw up the political and legal action plan on the issue Fadnavis: Rioters could face bulldozer action Su d h i r Su r ya w a n s h i @ Mumbai stars light up knight sky Actor Shah Rukh Khan and Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Virat Kohli perform a gig during the Opening Ceremony of the IPL in Kolkata on Saturday. Chasing 175, RCB won the first match beating Kolkata Knight Riders by seven wickets | AP | P13 express read 3-year-old girl dies as tree falls in Bengaluru Bengaluru: A three-year-old girl died after a tree fell on her while she was riding a two-wheeler with her father here on Saturday night. She suffered head injuries and died at Bowring Hospital | P2 RSS: India’s duty to protect Hindus in B’desh Bengaluru: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh jointgeneral secretary Arun Kumar said protection of Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh is the responsibility of India | P4 Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday warned of bulldozer action against the Nagpur rioters if they fail to pay the damages incurred during the recent communal riots. It flew in the face of a Supreme Court ruling in November last year that demolishing properties solely because occupants are accused or convicted of crimes, without due process, is unconstitutional. Fadnavis, after taking stock of the situation, said that his government would recover the cost of damages to properties during the clashes from the rioters. “If the rioters fail to pay up, bulldozer action will be initiated. We would seize their properties and sell them to recover the damage,” he said, and added that the compensation for the riot victims would be distributed soon. The CM held a meeting with senior officers at the police commissioner’s office and reviewed the police response to the riots. He said that no one would be spared for attacking the police. “My government will not rest until those responsible for attacking the police are found and dealt with sternly he said. ,” SC team visits strife-torn Manipur, asks locals to hold on to hope P r a s a n ta M a z um d a r @ Guwahati A delegation of Supreme Court judges led by Justice B R Gavai visited Manipur on Saturday and expressed hope that peace will return to the state roiled by ethnic violence sooner rather than later. “We know that all of you are going through a difficult phase. But with the assistance of everyone — the executive, the legislature and the judiciary — this phase will be over within a short period,” Justice Gavai told a gathering in Churachandpur. “It is our Constitution that has kept us united and strong. Have faith in our Constitution. The Constitution will ensure that peace returns to Manipur one day he said. Justice Gavai, who is the ,” executive chairman of the National Legal Services Authority, added, “Our Constitution aims at justice — social, economic and political. The Constitution aims for all citizens in the country to have access to justice in a speedy manner and at an affordable rate.” Justice Gavai virtually inaugurated free legal services camps and medical camps on the occasion. The delegation also comprised Justices Vikram Nath, M M Sundresh, K V Viswanathan and N Kotiswar Singh. ‘K’taka bandh’ call evokes lukewarm response E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Bengaluru Police detain a Kannada activist during Karnataka bandh in Bengaluru on Saturday | Shashidhar Byrappa Kannada Okkuta leader and activist Vatal Nagaraj’s call for ‘Karnataka bandh’ against the attack on a state-run bus conductor in Belagavi last month for not speaking Marathi received a lukewarm response across the state, including Bengaluru. Kannada activists demanded that the state government issue an order ban- ning Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) in Belagavi to protect the interests of Kannadigas. While the bandh call received a mixed response in Mysuru, it failed to evoke any significant response in districts such as Belagavi, Kolar, Davangere, Chitradurga and Shivamogga. As it was the fourth Saturday of the month, government offices, banks and private companies remained closed. P4 Alleged dirty money CJI forms 3-member panel to probe charges against Delhi HC judge s u c h it r a k a lya n m o h a n t y @ New Delhi CHIEF Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Saturday constituted a three-member committee to probe into the allegations of illegal cash stash in the house of Justice Yashwant Varma, a Delhi High Court judge. The CJI constituted the committee after receiving a report from Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, in the matter. The CJI had on Friday directed Justice Upadhyaya to initiate an inhouse enquiry into the allegations. Besides, the CJI is exploring the possibility of Justice Varma’s transfer. Later in the day, the Supreme Court released 25 pages of documents, including the response of Justice Varma, the Delhi HC Chief Justice Upadhyaya’s recommendation for a probe to the CJI, photos and the fire depart- ment’s video purportedly showing what appeared to be partially burnt currency notes. Justice Upadhyaya’s letter says since the room that caught fire on March 15 was cleaned up the next day “I am , of the prima facie opinion that the entire matter warrants a deeper probe” because no outsider had access to it. For his part, Justice Varma claimed he had no access to the room that was unlocked and outside his dwelling. The panel constituted by the CJI comprises Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab & Haryana, Justice G S Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh, and Justice Anu Sivaraman, judge of the Karnataka High Court. The Delhi CJ has been asked not to assign any judicial work to Justice Varma, as per a Supreme Court release. WITH THIS ISSUE The Ugly Indian Tourist PLUS 12 PAGES