14072026-TTC-01.qxd 7/14/2026 12:31 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 10 NO. 193 | 16 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 UK PROSCRIBES IRGC, LINKED GROUP AS NAT’L SECURITY THREATS WORLD /thetribunechd LADAKH TO SET UP AUTONOMOUS HILL COUNCILS IN 7 DISTS J&K HDFC BANK TRIMS GOVT TURNING EDUCATION WORKFORCE BY OVER SYSTEM INTO EXTORTION 3,300 IN FY26 BUSINESS RACKET: RAHUL NATION tuesday | 14 july 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com SC asks SIT to file status report in donation row CLASH OF MAN MARK TITANS FOR FINAL BERTH Puts Centre, Trust on notice| Book Rai, others: Lawyers Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 13 The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Centre, UP Government and the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on three PILs seeking an independent probe by the CBI under the top court’s direct supervision into the finances of the Trust following allegations of misappropriation of donations at the Ram Temple, Ayodhya. A Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana directed the special investigation team (SIT) set up by the UP Government to file a status report, mentioning the composition of the SIT, in a sealed cover and posted the matter for hearing on Monday. The order came after Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta submitted on behalf of the Centre and the UP Government that the SIT set up by the state government was already probing the case. The Bench did not agree with Mehta’s request to defer the issuance of notice to the Trust at this juncture. Earlier, the Supreme Court had refused urgent listing of these petitions during the partial working days. The first PIL, filed by Narendra Kumar Goswami, a petitioner-in-person, has sought a CBI probe into the matter and an audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of the finances of the Trust, which manages the temple. The second one by petitioners-in-person — advocates Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav — has also sought a fair and time-bound probe by a CBI-led multi-disciplinary SIT into allegations of misappropriation of donations at the temple. They want the SIT to investigate the alleged financial irregularities and other purported “illegalities” concerning the affairs and administration of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. Filed by RJD MP Sudhakar Singh, the third PIL has sought the transfer of the ongoing probe to the CBI under top court’s direct supervision. Citing the ongoing SIT probe and the reported recovery of Rs 77 lakh from the eight accused arrested in the case, the PIL filed by the RJD MP from Buxar submitted that it is of exceptional public importance to safeguard the administration of continued on page 7 edit: temple trust GuvnodtoPbordinance capping school fee hike Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 13 Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria has given his assent to the Punjab Regulation of Fees of Unaided Educational Institutions (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, enabling the government to cap annual school fee hikes, including transportation and building charges, at 5 per cent a year. The law comes into force with immediate effect, announced Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Monday. As many as 7,800 private unaided schools with 32 lakh students will now be under scrutiny of regulatory committees headed by deputy commissioners in each district to assess the extent of fee hikes over the past four years, after schools have posted the data on a dedicated web portal in the next 10 days. These committees will audit the data submitted by the schools in next 90 days. “Punjab is the only state in the country that will force these schools to refund any RamTempleTrust seeksapplications forpostof1stCEO New Delhi, July 13 The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Monday invited applications for the post of the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya to oversee its administration and management amid the ongoing donation row. The Trust has prescribed age between 50 and 70, “practising Hindu” and “Ram devotee belonging to the Vaishnava tradition” as the key qualifications for the post. The candidate should also be proficient in Hindi and English. The appointment will initially be for a period of three years, during which the selected candidate will be required to stay in Ayodhya. The CEO will be responsible for the day-to-day administration of the temple, implementation of the decisions of the Trust, supervision of staff, coordination of religious and civic activities and ensuring the smooth functioning of the temple complex. A three-member selection committee held a meeting on Monday and decided to invite applications for the post through email. — TNS European heavyweights France and Spain clash to cement their place in the FIFA World Cup final. France are chasing their third WC title, while Spain are looking to take the tally to two LAMINE YAMAL KYLIAN MBAPPE Frenchman leads in WC with 8 goals, 3 assists; among only two players with 20+ WC goals, closing in on Leonel Messi’s record of 21; looking to avenge Euro 2024 semis loss to Spain; chasing a second WC title before turning 27 — a feat only Pele has achieved FIRST SEMIFINAL France vs Spain Dallas (July 15, 12.30 am) Spanish prodigy has had a somewhat subdued outing in 2026 WC, scoring just one goal in six matches —a sharp contrast to his Euro 2024 form, where his five goal contributions included a historic semifinal strike against France WC TITLES: France 2 (1998, 2018) Spain 1 (2010) HEAD-TO-HEAD (ALL COMPETITIONS) FRANCE 38 SPAIN 13 WINS 18 7 DRAW 7 AT WORLD CUP 1 2006 (round of 16) France won 3-1 in last-16 Bittu unnecessarily raising issue of those already dead:Amarinderon Satluj row THE TRIBUNE INTERVIEW Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 13 Former Punjab Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Capt Amarinder Singh has warned against using the past to polarise people in the present, asserting that there can Warns against using past to polarise present RALLYING POINT be no escape from history. Speaking on the political fallout of the film ‘Satluj’, Amarinder, in an exclusive interview with The Tribune, said Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu was “unnecessarily raising the issue”. The senior BJP leader was reacting to continued on page 7 Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service BKU (Rajewal) members hold a bike rally to protest a proposed India-US trade pact, depleting water table and climate change, in Chandigarh on Monday. They warned of a nationwide protest if the pact is signed, alleging that multinational firms are being favoured at the cost of farmers and the dairy sector. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VICKY BJP sends ~100-cr defamation notice to Omar over MLA poaching claim Adil Akhzer Srinagar, July 13 Two days after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah accused the BJP of trying to topple his government by engineering a split in the ruling National Conference, the saffron party’s Jammu and Kashmir Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 13 US President Donald Trump on Monday said he would probably "take over" the Strait of Hormuz and that the US should be "reimbursed for controlling" the vital waterway by way of a 20 per cent toll on eligible cargo. The development comes as the two countries witnessed their fourth round of military aggression last night, triggering fears that the peace MoU signed between them on June 17 is effectively dead and that West Asia is headed for another crisis. In an interview to Fox New, Trump said, "We're going to keep the Strait, and we'll probably run it. We'll become the guardian of the Strait of Hurmuz. Maybe we'll call it the 'guardian angel of the Strait'. And we should be reimbursed for that." Later, Trump posted on social media, saying, "As a matter of fairness, the US will be reimbursed at a rate of 20 per cent on all cargo shipped for any country and all costs incurred in providing safety and security in this very volatile part of the world. The process and arrangements will begin immediately." The Ministry of External Affairs was yet respond to this ‘I’ll commit suicide’: SY Quraishi recalls MMS’ defence of EC Excess fee charged earlier to be refunded: CM fee that has been charged over and above the capped limit of five per cent. I will not allow education in the state to become a commercial business. Everyone has a right to good quality education at affordable prices,” said Mann, while addressing mediapersons on Monday. “If any school has increased the fee by over 15 per cent in the past three years, the excess amount will have to be refunded to the parents. Non-compliance will lead to stringent fines (Rs 50,000 for the first violation and Rs 1 lakh for the second violation) and ultimately de-recognition/de-affiliation of the errant schools after a third violation,” said Mann. The idea behind the move is to bring private school fees under a strict regulatory framework by promulgating the ordinance. The Chief Minister said previous governments had allowed private continued on page 7 US to be ‘guardian’ of Strait, will charge 20% for safe transit: Trump HONOUR, LOVE LETTER Great honour... I’m the only J&K politician to get a BJP love letter. Omar Abdullah, CM ❝ unit on Monday issued a Rs 100-crore defamation notice to him. In the notice, the BJP threatened to “initiate civil and criminal proceedings, including seeking damages to the tune of Rs 100 crore, if the Chief Minister failed to apologise or provide evidence substantiating his allegations”. Omar had claimed that an NC MLA from Jammu told continued on page 7 New Delhi, July 13 Former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi has revealed in a new book that late Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had quietly ticked off Cabinet colleagues for casting aspersions on the poll panel after it censured Salman Khurshid for model code of conduct violations in 2012. In “India and I”, set for July 24 release, Quraishi writes that after he flagged the concerns around ministers’ inuendos to Manmohan Singh through his press adviser Harish Khare, the Prime Minister said, “If that is what you think, I will commit suicide.” This, the former CEC said, left him shaken as the comments were meant for UPA ministers and not the PM himself. Not just that, Manmohan Singh said he would have “blasted them (the ministers) had he known about the innuendos”. He went on to ask Quraishi to “just pick up the phone and call if ever there’s something to say”. At the core of the matter, Quraishi recalls in his book, was the EC’s 2012 censure of then minister Salman Khurshid, who made a promise during the UT poll campaign that the Congress government, if elected, would raise the quota for Muslims in government jobs from 4.5 per cent to 9 per cent. “The BJP promptly complained of a model code violation, which stipulated that no new scheme could be announced after the election process was set in motion and the model code of conduct kicked in...Eventually, we ‘censured’ Khurshid, the strongest action available under the code. He was visibly upset, and soon, voices in his party suggested the commission had become ‘arrogant’ or ‘arbitrary’. Criticism never bothers me; innuendo that chips away at institutional credibility does. continued on page 7 Strike triggers waste crisis in Pb CM’s home district AAP ex-councillor, 4 others convicted of IB officer’s murder during Delhi riots Aman Sood Tribune News Service Garbage strewn along the roadside in Sangrur district. RAJESH SACHAR Sangrur, July 13 Piles of waste scattered along roads are spreading a pungent, suffocating odour across Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s home district of Sangrur. The week-long strike by splinter groups of municipal sanitation workers has left the town’s alreadystrained sanitation system in disarray, with garbage mounds piling up across markets, colonies, main roads, lanes and public places, pos- ing a serious health hazard. As a team of The Tribune walked through various areas in Sangrur, residents alleged that the routine garbage collection system had virtually collapsed. They complained that waste had accumulated near markets, hospitals, residential colonies, bus stands and roadside dumping points. “You can yourself see maggot-infested dog carcasses in the open. On the main Sangrur road, there is a dead cow lying for the past two days and continued on page 7 c m y b Rahul Gahlawat Tribune News Service Tahir Hussain. FILE New Delhi, July 13 A Delhi court on Monday convicted former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain and four others in the 2020 murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma during the Delhi riots. Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh of the Karkardooma courts held Hussain guilty of multiple offences, including murder, under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). However, it dropped the charge of criminal conspiracy against him. The others who have been convicted are Nazim, Qasim, Javed and Anas. The court, however, acquitted Haseen, Firoz, Gulfam, Soyab, Sameer Khan and Muntajim in the case. The sentencing order is expected after a hearing on the quantum of punishment. continued on page 7 Oil shoots up 5% as Iran peace pact on brink US President Donald Trump MAY HIT INDIA’S SUPPLY CHAIN ■ Hormuz toll could sharply raise India's fuel import bill through higher freight and insurance costs ■ Gulf supply disruptions may increase fertiliser prices and push up farm input costs ■ Longer shipping routes may impact inflation by increasing transport costs, delivery times development. Immediately after Trump's announcement, international crude oil prices jumped by 5 per cent, with benchmark Brent trading at $80 per barrel. Following the US-Iran conflict, India diversified its crude import basket. West Asia's share in India's crude imports fell to around 22 per cent in June, down from 60-70 per cent before the Iran conflict, according to Kpler data. continued on page 13 AssamRiflesjawan dead, 4 injured in Nagaland IED blast KOHIMA: An Assam Rifles jawan was killed and four others were injured in a suspected improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Chumoukedima district of Nagaland on Monday, a Defence official said. The explosion reportedly targeted an Assam Rifles vehicles during an operational movement. Security forces have launched a search operation in the area, while the injured have been shifted to hospital for treatment. — PTI SC stays HC ban on cow slaughter in Tamil Nadu DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the Madras High Court's direction to the Tamil Nadu Government to ban cow slaughter in the state. An appeal was filed by the state government, which argued that the high court had travelled beyond the scope of the PIL, which sought directions to prevent the slaughter of cows in public places, by imposing a blanket ban. INSIDE NEW Akali leader shot at outside shop in Mansa; probe on MANSA: Panic gripped Bareta town in Mansa district on Monday evening after an SAD leader and former zila parishad member, Dalvir Singh Kala Jawanda, was injured in a firing incident. Sources said a bike-borne assailant opened fire on Jawanda as he was about to get into his car outside his shop in the grain market to return to his residence at Kulrian village. The police were probing the matter. INSIDE