03032023-TTC-01.qxd 3/3/2023 12:30 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 143 NO. 61 | 18 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2021-2023 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 PUTIN: TERROR ATTACK IN REGION BORDERING UKRAINE WORLD /thetribunechd SEBI BANS ARSHAD ITALY, INDIA ELEVATE TIES, WARSI, 44 OTHERS TURN PAGE ON MARINES’ FROM MARKET BUSINESS CASE BACK PAGE NON-BAILABLE WARRANTS AGAINST 13 TERRORISTS J&K friday | 3 march 2023 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com BJP, allies keep Tripura, Nagaland; will support NPP in Meghalaya Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 2 The Bharatiya Janata Party and allies crossed the halfway mark of 31 in 60-member Tripura and Nagaland Assemblies on Thursday and were set to retain governments in both states, while Meghalaya headed for a hung Assembly amid clear signs of a post-poll alliance between BYPOLL: CONG WINS 3 SEATS, BJP & ALLIES THREE BACK PAGE the National People’s Party (NPP), the state’s single largest outfit, BJP and United Democratic Party (UDP). The NPP UDP and BJP , were partners in the outgoing ruling coalition of Meghalaya, which also has a 60-member House. The three had contested separately in 2018, as this year. Twin victories come as a booster for the BJP ahead of elections in Karnataka, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, continued on page 7 Edit: mixed bag in ne Historic order: Top court says President to appoint CEC, ECs on advice of PM, LoP, CJI A person who is weak-kneed before the powers that be can’t be appointed EC: Bench Tribune News Service NPP chief and Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma after his victory. PTI NAGALAND MEGHALAYA NDPP+BJP NPF CONG OTH NPP 37 2 0 21 26 11 2 5 5 UDP BJP CONG TMC OTH 10 MAGIC MARK 31 MAGIC MARK 30 TOTAL SEATS 60 TOTAL SEATS 60 Poll held in 59 seats; 1 BJP candidate elected unopposed Poll held in 59 seats due to demise of 1 candidate MYTHS BUSTED BJP+IPFT TMP CONG + CPM TRIPURA 33 13 14 MAGIC MARK 31 TOTAL SEATS 60 Some Oppn leaders have tried hard for decades to perpetuate myths... The BJP has busted these myths, including the one that tribals don’t support us. PM New Delhi, March 2 Ending the 73-year-old system of the government appointing the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners, the Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the creation of a three-member panel comprising the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha or leader of largest opposition party and the Chief Justice of India to select them. In a unanimous verdict, a five-judge Constitution Bench led by Justice KM Joseph said the CEC and ECs should be appointed by the President on the advice of the three-member panel. The Bench made a “fervent appeal” to the government/ Parliament to consider bringing in the necessary changes to put in place a permanent Sec- This norm will continue to hold good till law is made by Parliament The apex court questioned the “tearing hurry” and the “lightning speed” with which the government appointed the Punjab-cadre IAS officer, Arun Goel, as Election Commissioner India and China are set to hold their next round of military commander-level talks, the 18th round since June 2020, in two weeks or so LAVROV, BLINKEN MEET BRIEFLY ON G20 SIDELINES ber and the talks were held eight months after Jaishankar last met then Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. “It’s our first meeting after he took over as Foreign Minister. We spent maybe about 45 minutes talking to each other… about the current state of our relationship, which many of you heard me describe as “abnormal” and I think those were among the adjectives I used in that meeting,” Jaishankar said. He said there were real problems in the relationship that needed to be looked at, “that need to be discussed very openly and candidly continued on page 7 retariat for the EC and charging its expenditure to the Consolidated Fund of India to make it “truly independent”. “This norm will continue to hold good till a law is made by Parliament,” said the Bench, which also included Justice Ajay Rastogi, Justice Aniruddha Bose, Justice TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, March 2 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India was fully prepared to contribute to the peace process to find a solution to the Ukraine conflict even though sharp differences prevented the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM) from issuing a joint communiqué despite efforts by countries from the Global South, including India, to build consensus. “From the very beginning of the Ukraine conflict, India has made it clear that this dispute can only be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. India is fully prepared to contribute to any peace process,” said PM Modi after bilateral talks with visiting Italian PM Giorgia Meloni. At the G20 meet, the PM said a single issue should not become a hurdle towards finding the common ground on other equally pressing issues. However, with the leadership without listening to those most affected by its decisions. As leading economies of the world, we also have a responsibility towards those who are not in this room. Prime Minister VITRIOL ON UKRAINE New Delhi, March 2 Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann met Union Home Minister Amit Shah here today and sought funds to help check the supply of drugs and weapons from across the border. A statement from Mann’s office read: “The Chief Minister, who called on Amit Shah at his office on Thursday, apprised him about the use of drones for supply of drugs and weapons from External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar with new Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in New Delhi on Thursday. It was their first meeting. PTI CENTRE MAY SEND 30-40 CAPF COMPANIES TO PUNJAB: SOURCES across the border.” The CM sought Shah’s “intervention” in combating the challenge effectively. During the 40-minute meeting, the CM spoke about the arrests made by Punjab’s Anti-Gangster Task Force. He also briefed Shah about the circumstances leading to the Ajnala incident. Underscor- West insisting on condemning Russia, surprisingly, even in the culture section of continued on page 7 YouTube suspends Bhiwani murder suspect’s channel Tribune News Service Gurugram, March 2 Following a major backlash, YouTube has suspended the channel of Monu Manesar, a suspect in the Bhiwani killings. Manesar had over two lakh followers and would often upload videos showing Bollywood-style chase of ~5 LAKH AID FOR KIN OF VICTIMS: GEHLOT CM Ashok Gehlot announced ~5 lakh each for kin of Junaid and Nasir, whose charred bodies were found in Bhiwani alleged cow smugglers, their brutal thrashing and activities of his group openly brandishing arms. INSIDE Scanty rain in February adds to HP’s worries Subhash Rajta Tribune News Service Shimla, March 2 For the seventh time in the past eight years, the hill state witnessed a deficit rainfall in February. The deficiency on six occasions, including this year (71 per cent), has been 60 per cent or more. ALARMING TREND Year 2020 2021 2022 Deficit 87% 81% 71% “It’s a worrying trend. It could be due to less active western disturbances that Hrishikesh Roy and Justice CT Ravikumar. It gave the examples of the Lokpal and CBI Director whose appointments were done by broad-based panels, which included the CJI and LoP to prescribe the new system of appointing the CEC and ECs. Justice Rastogi delivered Tribune News Service ing the need for better coordination between the Centre and the state, he sought liberal funds for modernising the police to check infiltration and drone attacks. Sources here said that based on the request by the Punjab Government, the “current situation” and the upcoming Hola Mohalla, the Centre has decided to send 30-40 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) to Punjab by March 6. — TNS ■ G20 came out with a summary and ‘Outcome Document’ instead of joint communiqué ■ It took two paras on Ukraine from Bali G20 Declaration. ■ There were no objections from China & Russia unlike at the recent Bengaluru G20 ministerial ■ Meet saw vitriol on Ukraine with some western leaders wanting the entire G20 to copy G7’s sanctions against Russia Justice KM Joseph. FILE a separate concurring judgment to say that the grounds for the removal of Election Commissioners should be the same as those of the Chief Election Commissioner. Noting that “Our Constitution took a visionary step by extending franchise to everyone,” the Bench declared the right to vote in direct elections to be a fundamental right. During the hearing, the top court had questioned the “tearing hurry” and the “lightning speed” with which the government appointed Punjab-cadre IAS officer Arun Goel as Election Commissioner even as Attorney General R Venkataramani defended the mechanism followed in appointing the CEC and ECs. “A person who is weakkneed before the powers that be cannot be appointed as Election Commissioner. A person who is in a state of obligation or feels indebted to the one who appointed him fails the nation and can have no place in the conduct of elections, forming the very foundation of democracy. “An independent person cannot be biased. Holding the scales evenly, even in the continued on page 7 Hindenburg:SC sets up six-member probe panel, wants report in 2 months PM at G20:No group can Mann meets Shah, seeks help to curb claim global leadership supply of drugs & arms from Pakistan ❝ No group can claim global Sandeep Dikshit Justice KM Joseph-led Bench INCUMBENT CEC AND HIS TWO DEPUTIES SHOULD RESIGN FROM THEIR POSTS: CONG ‘Real problems in relationship that need to be taken up’ COMMANDER-LEVEL TALKS LIKELY SOON Appointment mustn’t be overshadowed by even a perception that a ‘yes man’ will decide the fate of democracy. CITES APPOINTMENT OF GOEL ‘IN TEARING HURRY’ Ties abnormal, EAM tells Chinese FM New Delhi, March 2 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar described the Sino-Indian ties as “abnormal” in his first meeting with new Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on the margins of the G20 ministerial meeting. The bulk of the conversation was about the challenges in bilateral ties, especially for restoring peace and tranquillity in the border areas, Jaishankar told the media after the meeting. Qin became the Foreign Minister in Decem- ❝ Satya Prakash cause rain in winters,” said Surender Paul, Director, Meteorological Centre, Shimla. He said the deficit rain this time would pinch more as snowfall had been sparse too. “It is likely to impact the availability of water and crop yield. The deficit rain in February continued on page 7 IN BRIEF Punjab session begins today, set to be stormy CHANDIGARH: The Aam Aadmi Party is bracing for countering the Opposition attack during Punjab’s Budget session that begins on Friday. INSIDE SC reserves verdict on Rajoana’s petition NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on plea of Balwant Singh Rajoana, who has been convicted in the Beant Singh assassination case. BACK PAGE Hathras case: 1 gets life term, three acquitted HATHRAS (UP): A special court on Thursday sentenced the main accused in the 2020 Hathras rape-murder case to life imprisonment while acquitting three other accused. BACK PAGE New Delhi, March 2 The Supreme Court on Thursday set up a six-member expert committee headed by former SC judge Justice AM Sapre to investigate if there had been a regulatory failure in dealing with the alleged contravention of laws pertaining to the securities market in relation to the Adani Group or other companies in the wake of the Hindenburg Research THE SIX ON PANEL Justice AM Sapre, SC ex-judge | OP Bhatt, ex-chairman, SBI | Justice JP Devadhar, ex-judge, Bombay HC | Nandan Nilekani, Infosys co-founder | KV Kamath, ex-chief, NDB, BRICS | Somasekhar Sundaresan, advocate SEBI TO PROBE VOLATILITY IN STOCK MARKET report. A three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud asked the committee to suggest measures to strengthen the regulatory framework and secure compliance with the existing framework for the protection of investors. “To protect Indian investors against volatility (in the securities market) of the kind that has been witnessed in the recent past, we are of the view that it is appropriate to constitute an expert committee for the continued on page 7