21092023-TTC-01.qxd 9/21/2023 12:40 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 143 NO. 261 | 14 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2021-2023 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 NOT SEEKING CONFLICT, BUT WILL PUSH BACK CHINESE AGGRESSION: BIDEN WORLD /thetribunechd ONUS ON PAKISTAN TO CREATE ATMOSPHERE FOR TALKS: OMAR J&K TOTAL TO PUMP IN $300 MN IN ADANI’S PROJECTS BUSINESS AT UNGA, ERDOGAN & US PRESIDENT PUSH FOR RIVAL CORRIDORS BACK PAGE thursday | 21 september 2023 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com caution: MEA to 454 vs 2: LS passes women’s Bill; Exerciseon Canada travel Indians Shah says to be effective post ’29 Sandeep Dikshit EAM BRIEFS MODI Tribune News Service Sonia pitches for OBC quota within reserved seats, instant application |RS to take it up today Aditi Tandon ‘Socialist’,‘secular’ NewDelhi, September 20 missingin copies The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the historic constituof Constitution tional amendment Bill to giventoMPs:Cong reserve 33 per cent seats for Tribune News Service women in Parliament, state Assemblies and Delhi Assembly, with the government clarifying that the quota provisions would come into effect after 2029 once the delimitation exercise followed by a census was completed. The Bill was passed with 454 votes in favour and two against it. The clarification on implementation came from Home Minister Amit Shah after Congress MPs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi led the debate on behalf of the Opposition. INDIA bloc parties backed the Bill with three demands — hold a caste census, ensure OBC reservation and implement it immediately. “Delimitation and census are not needed. Give 33 per cent quota immediately,” Wayanad MP Rahul said during the nine-hour debate, after Sonia Gandhi, the first speaker from the opposition side, said it would be gross injustice to make women wait any further for their rights. continued on page 11 edit: women’s reservation New Delhi, September 20 Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury today alleged an attack on the Constitution by the BJP and pointed out that copies of the Constitution given to MPs on the opening day of the new Parliament building did not contain the words “socialist” and “secular”. Home Minister Amit Shah and Congress MP Sonia Gandhi during the debate in the Lok Sabha. PTI HISTORIC BILL WILL FURTHER BOOST WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT Thank MPs across party lines who voted in support of this Bill. Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam is a historic legislation that’ll boost women’s empowerment. Narendra Modi, PM ❝ Why OBC quota in women’s Bill is a problem Aditi Tandon NO PROVISION IN CONSTITUTION Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 20 Even as the Opposition raises the pitch for OBC quota within the women’s reservation Bill, the Constitution, as it stands, does not provide for political reservation to other backward classes (OBCs) in the Lok Sabha or state Assemblies. The Constitution does not provide for political reservation to other backward classes in the Lok Sabha or state Assemblies. This is unlike the political reservation of 15 per cent and 7.5 per cent available to Sched- PM invites Biden to be Republic Day chief guest NEW DELHI: PM Modi, during G20 bilateral, invited US President Joe Biden to be the chief guest for the Republic Day celebrations on January 26, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said. PTI Satya Prakash Tribune News Service Normal life hit on Day 2 of 48-hr Manipur bandh IMPHAL: Normal life was hit in Manipur’s Imphal valley districts on Wednesday, the second day of the 48-hour shutdown called by Meiteis against the arrest of five “village defence volunteers”. PTI Another convict in Beant case granted bail CHANDIGARH: A local court has granted bail to Shamsher Singh, a convict in the assassination case of former CM Beant Singh. Earlier, four convicts in the case were released on bail from the Burail jail. TNS FILE 24 more suspects under lens in Nasir-Junaid case Gurugram, September 20 After interrogation of Monu Manesar in the Nasir-Junaid murder case and analysis of his social media accounts, the involvement of 24 more suspects in the incident has come to light. They were not named in the initial FIR or chargesheet, but were “in loop” about the murder. After the analysis of chats in WhatsApp groups, the Deeg police found that they even had details of vehicles and pictures of Nasir and Junaid, shared after their abduction. Nasir (25) and Junaid (35), both residents of Ghatmika village in FRAMED IN NUH RIOTS, ALLEGES COMPLAINANT ■ Ismail (65), Nasir-Junaid case complainant, alleges wrongly named in Nuh violence FIR ■ Writes to Haryana Home Secretary and DGP demanding an impartial probe ■ Claims was at house in Ghatmika, around 50 km from the spot, on day of violence Rajasthan’s Deeg district, were allegedly murdered by continued on page 11 WORDS NOT IN ORIGINAL TEXT DRAFTED BY AMBEDKAR: BJP Nijjar regularly met Canadian intel officials, says son The Preamble to the Constitution, which was adopted on January 26, 1950, had originally described India as a “sovereign democratic republic”. During the Emergency, the Indira Gandhi government had, through the 42nd constitutional amendment, inserted the words “socialist” and “secular” into the Preamble, making India a “sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic”. “We know that the words were added after an amendment in 1976, but if someone gives us the Constitution continued on page 11 New Delhi, September 20 The son of slain terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar has told the Canadian media that his father regularly met with Canadian intelligence officials in the months before he was shot dead in June. Balraj Singh Nijjar, 21, said his father met with Canadian Security Intelligence Service officers “once or twice a week,” including one or two days before the June 18 murder, with another meeting scheduled for two days after his death. The meetings continued on page 11 SC to revisit verdict on ‘Benefit of doubt’: Sajjan immunity to lawmakers let off in1984 riots case IN BRIEF Tribune News Service uled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Constitution. A look back at the history of women’s quota Bill reveals Geeta Mukherjee-led joint parliamentary panel which examined its first draft tabled under then PM HD Deve Gowda in September 1996, recommended that reservation be continued on page 11 New Delhi, September 20 India on Wednesday issued a travel advisory asking all Indian nationals in Canada and those contemplating travel there, especially Indian students, “to exercise utmost caution in view of growing anti-India activities and politically condoned hate crimes and criminal violence”. “Recently, threats have particularly targeted Indian diplomats and sections of the Indian community who oppose the anti-India agenda. New Delhi, September 20 Can lawmakers claim immunity from prosecution for taking bribes for voting in the House? Twentyfive years after a fivejudge Constitution Bench in PV Narasimha Rao’s case ruled that a lawmaker was immune to prosecution even if he/she took money to vote on the floor of the House, the Supreme Court on Wednesday referred the issue to a sevenjudge Constitution Bench to reconsider the correctness of the 1998 judgment. “This enumeration of the legal position indicates that the decision in the Narasimha Rao case is wrong. The only Tribune News Service Refers Narasimha case ruling to 7-judge Bench question is: Should we wait for it to arise at some time in future or lay down a law…We must not also ignore that if it also furthers public morality on the part of our elected representatives, then we should not defer our decision to some uncertain day in the future,” a five-judge Bench led by CJI DY Chandrachud said. “The correctness of view propounded in majority of the Narasimha Rao case needs to be dealt with,” it added. The reference order came continued on page 11 New Delhi, September 20 Giving him “benefit of doubt”, a Delhi court on Wednesday acquitted former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the murder of a person during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Sultanpuri area of the Capital. “Accused Sajjan Kumar is given benefit of doubt and acquitted of the offence,” said Special Judge Geetanjli Goel, who also acquitted two other accused — Ved Prakash Pial and Brahmanand Gupta. The prosecution has failed to prove the case of murder and rioting against the accused, she SERVING LIFE TERM IN ANOTHER CASE ■ Despite acquittal in this case, former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar won’t be released from jail ■ He is serving life imprisonment in another case related to the 1984 riots added. Despite acquittal in this case, Kumar won’t be continued on page 11 New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is learnt to have briefed PM Modi on the standoff between India and Canada over the killing of terrorist Hardeep Nijjar, said sources. Indian nationals are therefore advised to avoid travelling to regions and potential venues in Canada that have seen such incidents,” said the advisory, which came a day after Canada issued its advisory on travel to India. “Our High Commission will continue to be in contact with the Canadian authorities to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the Indian community in Canada. Given the deteriorating security environment in Canada, Indian students, in particular, are advised to exercise extreme caution and remain vigilant,” said a travel advisory issued by the Ministry of External Affairs. It has asked Indian nationals and students in Canada to continued on page 11 Canada allowed Nijjar citizenship when India demanded his arrest AjayBanerjee Tribune News Service NewDelhi, September 20 The long-pending citizenship application of Hardeep Singh Nijjar was okayed by Canada within months after a RedCorner Notice (RCN) was issued against him. Acting on an RCN, which is issued through Interpol, a country has to arrest the accused and deport him or her. However, Canada did the exact opposite, said an official. During talks with Canada, the Indian Government had mentioned how the citizenship application of Nijjar was approved by Canada months after the first RCN was issued on November 14, 2014. The first RCN was issued after a case (FIR No. 159) was registered against Nijjar at the Kotwali police station, Patiala, by the Punjab Police. The second RCN was issued in FIR No. 19 lodged at the Nurpur police station, Ropar, in 2016. In a post on ‘X’ on Tuesday night, Canada’s Immigration Minister Marc Miller said: “I can confirm that Nijjar became a Canadian citizen on March 3, 2015. I hope this dispels the baseless rumours that he was not a Canadian.” On Wednesday, however, Miller posted, “Nijjar became a Canadian citizen on May 25, 2007, earlier than I stated. The error in dates is my responsibility to assume.” Indian agencies have doubted RED-CORNER NOTICE ISSUED 9 YEARS AGO ■ 1st Red-Corner Noticeagainst Nijjar in 2014, second in 2016 ■ Got citizenship in 2015, said a Canadian minister on Tuesday ■ On Wednesday, he said Nijjar got itin2007, a claim doubted by Indian agencies Miller’s latest claim. The issue of citizenship had already been flagged to Canada and also to the Interpol. The Indian side had also asked Ottawa how Nijjar kept on living in Canada from 1997 to 2015. Nijjar arrived at Toronto aboard a flight on February 10, 1997, using a fraudulent passport issued in the name of ‘Ravi Sharma’. Nijjar had shorn his hair after a raid in 1996 at his uncle’s house in UP where he was hiding after the Punjab Police had detained him in 1995. Nijjar gave an affidavit, along with a medical record of alleged torture in India, in June 1998 to Canada seeking refuge. His plea was rejected by the Canadian authorities. On November 21, 1998, less than two weeks after Nijjar’s claim was rejected, he married a woman who sponsored him. Immigration officials noted his wife had arrived in Canada in 1997, “sponsored by a different husband”. 14 recruitment papers leaked in Himachal, 65 arrested: CM in Assembly Pratibha Chauhan Tribune News Service Shimla, September 20 Question papers of 14 recruitment tests conducted by the now-disbanded Himachal Pradesh Staff Selection Commission (HPSSC) were leaked and 65 persons have been arrested so far, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said in the Vidhan Sabha today. The issue echoed in the Assembly during the question hour as the CM accused the previous BJP regime of playing with the future of unemployed youth. He was replying to a question asked by Shahpur MLA Kewal Singh Pathania on the unemployment situation in the state and when the results of job exams not leaked would be declared. “The BJP government failed to check irregularities at the HPSSC for five years. Question papers were sold, which deprived deserving candidates of jobs. Our gov- RISING UNEMPLOYMENT RATE Himachal %age 2020-21 3.3 2021-22 4 Gender Urban Rural Men 4.9% 4.5% Women 17.3% 2.6% Haryana Uttarakhand Punjab National avg given 39,779 govt jobspast 3 in HP over the years ernment is committed to ensuring merit-based selections through a new recruitment body,” he said. Sukhu said besides the c m y b 9% 7.8% 6.4% 4.1% paper leak cases, the recruitment for some other posts too was under scanner. “We have declared the results for 329 posts, and for another 300, it will be declared shortly,” he said. The CM said the new recruitment body would minimise human interference. Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur hit out at the government for the delay in declaration of results. “All candidates and youth seeking jobs cannot be punished for the wrong act of one person,” he said. The former CM alleged the Congress government had not taken tough action against those involved in paper leak. “Had the scam come to notice during our rule, we would have ensured stringent action,” he said. Health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil said 39,779 persons were given government jobs over the past three years. Investigations in the paper leak cases regarding 13 categories of posts where written papers had been held and 20 categories where the final results were awaited were pending, he added.