01042023-TTB-01.qxd 3/31/2023 11:34 PM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 143 NO. 89 | 18 PAGES | ~7.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2021-2023 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HARYANA NEPAL PM PRACHANDA EXPANDS CABINET FOR 7TH TIME WORLD /thetribunechd SENSEX ENDS FY23 DAY AFTER CLASHES, WITH GAIN OF OVER SHAH SPEAKS TO BENGAL 1,000 POINTS BUSINESS GOVERNOR NATION TWO PEDDLERS FROM PUNJAB NABBED WITH HEROIN, ~16.7L J&K saturday | 1 april 2023 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Trump indicted over hush money, 1st ex-US Prez to face criminal charges Defiant, he calls it political persecution| Still in race for Republican nomination New York, March 31 Donald Trump, former President and front runner to be the Republican nominee in 2024, is set to face a mug shot, fingerprinting and court appearance next week after being indicted over a probe into hush money paid to a porn star in a historic US first. The possible spectacle of Trump’s appearance in Manhattan on Tuesday before a judge as the first sitting or former President to face criminal charges could further divide the world’s most powerful country. Trump is seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden next year. Even before news of the indictment broke, he had been seeking to use the legal threats to raise money and rally his most faithful supporters. The first US President to have tried to overthrow an election defeat, whose false claims of election fraud inspired the deadly US Capitol assault on January 6, 2021, signalled that he will continue to campaign even as he faces charges. Those specific charges have not yet been made public as the An anti-Trump protester holds placards outside Manhattan Criminal Court. REUTERS PORN STAR ‘PAID’ TO KEEP SILENT $130,000 allegedly paid to porn star in the waning days of the 2016 campaign Daniels received money for keeping silent about a sexual encounter she had with Trump IT’S SHEER REVENGE When you get into political prosecutions like this, it’s more about revenge than it is about justice. Nikki Haley, REPUBLICAN LEADER LIKELY CHARGES AGAINST TRUMP ■ Trump’s aide Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to federal campaign finance crimes involving hush money ■ He alleged it was Trump who told him to pay off Daniels & was later reimbursed by him ■ Trump’s company ‘falsely accounted’ for payments to Cohen as legal expenses ■ Falsifying records can amount indictment remains under seal, but CNN on Thursday reported that Trump faced to crime; prosecutors trying to elevate it to felony ■ Will have to show Trump’s ‘intent to defraud’ included intent to commit/conceal ‘violation’ of election law ABOUT PROSECUTOR Alvin Bragg,the man who could send Trump to prison, is the first Black person elected Manhattan District Attorney ■ Hush money not inherent- ly illegal, but prosecutors could argue it benefited Trump’s candidacy as it silenced Daniels more than 30 counts related to business fraud. While Trump recently claimed that he would be arrested in days, his first reaction at the news was “shock”, said one of his attor- neys, Joe Tacopina, in a Friday continued on page 7 Edit: Trump’s indictment Guj HC dismisses CIC order on PM’s degrees, fines Kejri Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 31 The Gujarat High Court on Friday set aside a 2016 order of the Central Information Commission (CIC) directing Gujarat University to share Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s higher education degrees with applicant Arvind Kejriwal. The HC also slapped a fine of Rs 25,000 on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, setting off a political duel between the ruling BJP and the Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party. Kejriwal has been directed to deposit the fine with the Gujarat State Legal Services Authority within four weeks. The orders were passed by Justice Biren Vaishna of the Gujarat HC, which allowed Gujarat University’s appeal against the CIC’s April 29, 2016, order. “The HC has slapped Rs RIGHT TO KNOW Doesn't the country have the right to know how educated its PM is? An illiterate or less educated PM is very dangerous for the country. Arvind Kejriwal, DELHI CM 25,000 fine on Kejriwal. This is not new for Kejriwal, who has in the past too often passed irresponsible remarks on political leaders and later apologised,” BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said. Reacting to the HC order, Kejriwal today asked if the country had no right to know about the educational credentials of the PM. The Congress also questioned the HC order. “There is a limit to even transparency in new India. This is what the ‘Entire Political Science’ teaches,” AICC gener- al secretary organisation Jairam Ramesh said even as BJP IT cell chief countered, saying the court orders were directed at Kejriwal for “filing frivolous petitions, asking about the Prime Minister’s degree”. In May 2016, the then Vice Chancellor of Gujarat University, MN Patel, had announced that Narendra Modi completed MA (Political Science) in 1983 with 62.3 per cent as an external student. 11of 59 substandard drugs from Himachal Tribune News Service Solan, March 31 Uttarakhand has topped the list of substandard drugs with 15 of its drugs figuring in the list of 59 drugs declared substandard by the national drugs regulator, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, today. Himachal is second with 11 of its drugs figuring in the list. Of the 1,251 drug samples tested from various states, 1,192 were declared of standard quality, while 59 were found lacking in quality nationally. Seven drugs manufactured in Sikkim, six in Uttar Pradesh, three each in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, two each in Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka and Bengaluru, and one each in Haryana, Punjab, Telangana, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra also figure in the list, besides one from Bangladesh. Navneet Marwaha, State Drugs Controller, said batches of drugs figuring in the list would be effectively withdrawn and the firms would be issued show-cause notices to identify the cause. He said 10 drugs had been declared substandard, while SPURIOUS DRUGS FIRMS TO BE PUT ON NOTICE ■ Substandard drugs to be withdrawn, firms to be issued show-cause notices, says drugs controller ■ Used for treating bacterial infections, acidity, pneumonia, liver disease, hypertension, diabetes ■ Issues in assay content, dissolution & uniformity of weight behind drugs failing to meet quality parameters one was a spurious drug manufactured by some firm in the name of Aristo Pharmaceuticals, Baddi. He said they were continuously monitoring the drug quality and several firms were jointly inspected in risk-based inspections by the state and central authorities. Firms had been educated to upgrade their facility to meet the norms. Drugs from pharmaceutical firms in Himachal which could not meet quality parameters are used for treating bacterial infections, acidity, for improving bone strength, pneumonia, liver disease, continued on page 7 Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 31 Russia today said it would expand relations with India and China on trade, policy, technology and strategic partnership. It offered “peaceful co-existence” to the US and asked it to shun its anti-Russia stance while justifying its actions in Ukraine. Moscow released “The Concept of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation”, its first change since 2016, signed as a decree by President Vladimir Putin. The concept said “Russia will continue to build a particularly privileged strategic partnership with India with a view to enhancing and expanding cooperation in all areas on a mutually beneficial basis”. After 10 months in jail, Sidhu to walk free today Patiala, March 31 After spending about 10 months in the Patiala Central Jail in a 1988 road rage case, former Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu is set to walk free on Saturday. ADGP Prisons B Chandrashekhar has confirmed the development. Senior party leaders Lal Singh, Mohinder Singh Kaypee and Shamsher Singh Dullo are expected to welcome him. Speaking to The Tribune, Lal Singh said, “The orders for Sidhu’s release were issued today. We will accord a grand welcome to him.” Sidhu’s wife and former MLA Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu, who recently broke the news that she was battling cancer, posted an emotional message on Twitter. His son Karan said they were eagerly waiting for his return and wished to spend some time together with him. — TNS For ‘peaceful co-existence’ with US if it shuns anti-Moscow stance FOCUS ON… ■ Increasing volume of bilateral trade, strengthening investment & technological ties ■ Ensuring resistance to “destructive actions” of “unfriendly” states and their alliances Russia will place special emphasis on India for increasing the volume of bilateral trade, strengthening investment and technological ties, and ensuring resistance to “destructive actions” of “unfriendly” states and their alliances. It does not specify if these “unfriendly states” denote those “unfriendly” to India or those “unfriendly” to Russia. Mentioning China, the Russian policy goes a step further and says it “will be looking at development of mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas, provision for mutual assistance, and enhancement of coordination in the international arena to ensure security, stability and sustainable development at the global and regional levels”. “Russia aims at further strengthening the comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation with China,” the policy states. On the US, the Russian policy continued on page 7 IN BRIEF Interest rates on small savings schemes hiked NEW DELHI: The govt has increased interest rates on small savings schemes by up to 0.7 per cent for April-June 2023. Interest rates on PPF, savings deposits retained at 7.1% and 4%, respectively. TNS Premium economy class on select Air India routes NEW DELHI: Air India has introduced premium economy class for Ben- galuru-San Francisco, Mumbai-San Francisco and Mumbai-NY routes. Flyers will be among first to board and seats will have extra legroom. TNS On trail of Amritpal, his aide, Punjab cops search deras Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 31 The Punjab Police are learnt to have intensified their search in deras and gurdwaras of the region as it has now been established that after fugitive Amritpal Singh and his aide Papalpreet gave the Punjab Police the slip on March 18, the duo has been using religious places as their hideouts. The fugitives have been HIDEOUTS ■ 7 deras, gurdwaras used by them so far to hide ■ These include five in Punjab and one each in UP & U’khand using these places to get shelter, vehicles, clothes, phones and SIM cards as Papalpreet has personal contacts at gurdwaras and deras. Interestingly, none of these continued on page 7 Power tariff up 22 paise/unit in HP Uttarakhand on top of list with 15 Ambika Sharma Russia names India, China main allies in foreign policy A farmer takes stock of damage to his wheat crop after rain near Amritsar on Friday. VISHAL KUMAR RAIN COULD DELAY WHEAT HARVESTING TILL BAISAKHI ■ Ongoing spell of rain likely to delay wheat harvest in Punjab till Baisakhi, say sources ■ May hit wheat procurement, which is to officially begin on Saturday; the govt has set a target to procure 132 lakh metric tonnes of wheat ■ But agriculture experts fear the wheat yield may come down by at least 8% due to the inclement weather Shimla, March 31 The Himachal Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (HPERC) has hiked energy charges by 22 paise per unit for all categories of consumers, except electrical vehicle-charging stations, for 2023-24. The charges for electrical vehicle-charging stations have been increased by 12 paise per unit. “The overall electricity tariff increase in terms of percentage is less than 4 per cent for 2023-24,” said a press note issued by HPERC. The new charges will come into effect from April 1. Also, the consumers will not bear any burden on account Charges for electric vehicle stations hiked by 12p NO BURDEN OF WATER CESS ■ Consumers won’t bear any burden on account of water cess on hydel projects ■ The government has in-principle decided to provide subsidy to neutralise its impact on HPSEBL consumers of water cess imposed on hydroelectric projects as the government has in-principle decided to provide subsidy to neutralise the impact of cess on Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Ltd (HPSEBL) consumers. The commission worked out the impact of approximately Rs 1.20 to Rs 1.30 per unit on the consumer tariff due to water cess. Besides, there has been no increase in the fixed/demand charges to be paid by the consumers. “Considering the long-pending demand of industrial consumers to reduce the contract demand charges, the demand charges for the consumers governed through two-part tariff have continued on page 7 Onus on cops if illicit liquor unit found in Punjab: SC Nudged by SC Collegium, Satya Prakash MATTER CLOSED Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 31 The local police shall be held responsible if any illegal “bhatti” (distillery) producing liquor is found in their area in Punjab, the Supreme Court has said. A Bench led by Justice MR Shah, which had earlier expressed serious concern over illicit liquor and drug menace in the state, directed the Punjab Government to continue with the steps being taken to stop illegal manufacture, transportation ■ Top court closes matter, says no further order is required to be passed ■ Over 36K FIRs in 2 years, 13K illegal liquor ‘bhattis’ destroyed, SC told and sale of spurious liquor in the state. After considering an affidavit filed by the Punjab Government detailing the measures taken to deal with the menace, the top court closed the matter, saying no further order was required to be passed in the matter even as it said it was the poor who bore the brunt of illicit liquor. The Bench, which also included Justice CT Ravikumar, took note of the fact that seven FIRs had been filed with respect to three incidents in three districts in which “innocent persons” had died because of consumption of spurious liquor. In all those cases, the accused had been arrested and chargesheeted and the trial was going on, the Bench noted. On March 27, the top court closed the hearing on a petition filed against a September 2020 order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court disposing of a petition seeking transfer of some FIRs registered in Punjab with regard to alleged sale and inter-state smuggling of spurious liquor continued on page 7 Brar’s appointment notified Chandigarh, March 31 The Centre has notified the appointment of senior advocate Harpreet Singh Brar as Additional Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. This comes just over a week after the Supreme Court Collegium reiterated his name. His name was initially recommended by the Collegium for elevation on July 25, 2022. But the appointment was kept in abeyance after the Department of Justice flagged certain issues. The Collegium reiterated Brar’s name after seeking fresh inputs. “After examining all aspects of the matter, the Collegium is of the view that Harpreet Singh Brar is fit and suitable for appointment as Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court”, said the Collegium comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice KM Joseph. The High Court has 65 judges against the sanctioned strength of 85. — TNS