26022025-TT-01.qxd 25-02-2025 23:01 Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 145 NO. 56 | 14 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HIMACHAL PRADESH INDIA’S RAPID GROWTH A CERTAINTY: MODI IN ASSAM NATION /thetribunechd PUTIN SAYS EUROPE CRUCIAL FOR TALKS TO END WAR WORLD TARIFF RISK FOR INDIA DELIMITATION: STALIN LOWER THAN ITS PEERS: CONVENES ALL-PARTY MOODY’S BUSINESS MEET BACK PAGE wednesday | 26 february 2025 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Ex-Cong MP Sajjan gets life term for ~2K-cr loss: CAG report on Delhi excise policy tabled killing man, son during anti-Sikh riots LoP Atishi defends AAP | 21 party MLAs suspended Court spares him death penalty, says not rarest of rare case, cites good jail conduct too Ujwal Jalali Satya Prakash New Delhi, February 25 Delhi CM Rekha Gupta on Tuesday tabled in the Assembly the Comptroller and Audit General (CAG) report on the now-scrapped excise policy of 2021-22 that pointed to a loss of Rs 2,002 crore to the exchequer. Leader of Opposition (LoP) Atishi defended the previous AAP government’s role saying seven out of the eight chapters in the CAG report highlighted the shortcomings of the old excise policy, while only one focused on the new. She cited the CAG report to claim that the old policy was marred by corruption and smuggling. This came as 21 AAP legislators, including LoP Atishi, were suspended for the next three sittings for creating a ruckus even as the session was extended by three days for discussion on the report. As the 208-page report was tabled, Speaker Vijender Gupta said: “Only one report will be tabled today as it is massive, voluminous and has a backlog of many years. We want everything to come out clearly before the people of Delhi. In the coming days, 40-YEAR WAIT FOR JUSTICE Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 25 A Delhi court on Tuesday awarded life imprisonment to former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, who has been held guilty of the murder of a father-son duo in the Saraswati Vihar area of the Capital during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Despite vehement demands from the prosecution and the victim’s family to award death penalty to Kumar, Special Judge Kaveri Baweja spared him the gallows in view of his old age, ailments and good conduct while serving life term in another anti-Sikh riot case. The verdict came over the killings of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh on November 1, 1984. “Though the killings of two innocent persons in the present case is no less an offence, however, the circumstances, in my opinion, do not make this a ‘rarest of rare case’ warranting imposition of death penalty for the offence punishable under Section 302 read with Section 149 of the IPC,” Baweja said in her order. 587 2,733 240 250 28 400 50 FIRs filed in Delhi in relation to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots persons killed, as per the 587 FIRs of these FIRs closed by police as 'untraced' cases resulted in acquittal of accused cases of 587 FIRs resulted in convictions persons convicted in the cases convicted of murder, among them Sajjan Kumar (*AS PER A REPORT OF NANAVATI COMMISSION, FORMED TO PROBE THE 1984 ANTI-SIKH RIOTS) GOT LIFE TERM IN 2018 IN ANOTHER CASE Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar is already serving life imprisonment in another anti-Sikh riots case. FILE Sajjan Kumar was given life term by the Delhi HC in 2018 for having caused the death of five persons in a similar incident of rioting in 1984 EXPECTED SAJJAN KUMAR TO GET DEATH PENALTY, SAY RIOT VICTIMS INSIDE Noting that the offences proved to have been committed by Kumar were “undoubtedly brutal and reprehensible”, the Special Judge said there were certain 24 FIRs, 1,274 raids: Punjab cracks down on travel agencies mitigating factors which weighed in favour of imposing a lesser sentence, instead of the death penalty. “The ‘satisfactory’ conduct of the convict as per the report of the jail authorities, the ailments from which he is reportedly suffering, the fact that the convict has roots in society and the possibility of his reformation and reha- bilitation are material considerations which, in my opinion, tilt the scales in favour of sentence for life continued on page 8 edit: Life term for Sajjan Sukhu at Sangam Maha Kumbh not happening after 144 yrs: Mamata Shubhadeep Choudhury Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Chandigarh, February 25 In a major crackdown on illegal immigration following the deportation of Punjabi migrants from the US, the Punjab Police on Tuesday registered 24 FIRs after raiding 1,274 immigration firms and travel agencies across the state. Seven travel agents were arrested for alleged fraudulent activities. The operation, overseen by Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla, was initiated on the orders of DGP Gaurav Yadav. It aimed at protecting young people aspiring to settle abroad from falling prey to unscrupulous travel agents, in line with the directives of CM Bhagwant Singh Mann. The raids were conducted simultaneously across all 28 police districts from 11 am until late evening on Monday. This action follows the recent deportation of Indian nationals, including over 100 Punjabis, from the US earlier this month, which raised serious concerns about the operations of illegal travel agents in the region. Action follows deportation of over 100 Punjabis from US Based on complaints from deportees, more than 12 FIRs were filed against travel agents operating in Punjab, Haryana and New Delhi. ADGP Shukla emphasised that all commissioners of police (CPs) and senior superintendents of police (SSPs) were directed to take strict action against agents found violating the Punjab Travel Professionals’ Regulation Act, 2012. This includes those who deceive individuals with false promises of facilitating illegal entry into foreign countries. Under the 2012 Act, travel agents are required to obtain a licence from the deputy commissioner’s office, which is valid for five years and renewable thereafter. Licensed agents must prominently display their licence, maintain detailed client records and inform authorities before advertising or conducting seminars. continued on page 8 Tribune News Service Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, his wife Kamlesh Thakur and their daughters take a dip at Triveni Sangam during the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj on Tuesday. ANI New Delhi, February 25 In remarks that may once again stir a hornet’s nest, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday dismissed claims that the Maha Kumbh is taking place after 144 years, calling them “not true”. “If I am mistaken, you can correct me, but saying that the Maha Kumbh is happening after 144 years is incorrect,” she said at a press conference at the state secretariat in Howrah near Kolkata. Her comments come as top continued on page 8 Leader of Opposition Atishi and other AAP MLAs protest the alleged removal of BR Ambedkar’s portraits from the CMO. MUKESH AGGARWAL ‘RISKED MONOPOLIES, OVERLOOKED QUALITY’ ■ Weak policy framework and deficient implementation led to ~2,002.68 cr loss in excise revenue, claims the CAG report ■ New excise policy risked monopolies and brand pushing due to ‘exclusive’ deal between a few wholesalers and manufactures ■ Recommendations of panel constituted to formulate policy changed by group of ministers headed by then Deputy CM Sisodia ■ Licences issued to entities not compliant with norms of the Bureau of Indian Standards or not having proper quality test reports the second report will also be presented.” He said it was a grave matter that the report was not tabled by the previous AAP government for years. “In my view, this a criminal offence.” he asserted. Gupta said the document continued on page 8 edit: big blow to aap CBSE to hold Class X exams twice a year New Delhi, February 25 The CBSE on Tuesday approved draft norms for conducting Class X board exams twice a year from 2026, officials said. The draft norms will now be put in public domain and the stakeholders can submit their feedback till March 9 following which the policy will be finalised, they said. As per the draft norms, the first phase of the exams will be conducted from February 17 to March 6, while the second phase will be conducted from May 5 to 20. “Both the examinations will be conduct- Draft okayed; phase 1 in Feb-Mar, second in May ed on full syllabus and the candidates will be allotted the same examination centres in the two editions. Exam fees will be enhanced and collected for both exams at the time of filing application,” a senior board official said. “The first and second editions of the board exams will also act as supplementary exams, and no special exams will be conducted in any circumstances,” the official added. — PTI Stuck at last 40-metre stretch, rescuers battle silt, water Court summons Lalu in rly job scam T’GANA TUNNEL COLLAPSE: No contact with victims even four days after incident NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Tuesday summoned former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, his son Tej Pratap Yadav and daughter Hema Yadav in connection with the land-for-jobs scam, directing them to appear before it on March 11. Special Judge Vishal Gogne also issued fresh summons to Lalu’s younger son Tejashwi Yadav. The case pertains to alleged irregular appointments made from 2004-09. — TNS Nagarkurnool, February 25 Top experts from the Army, Navy, NDRF GSI and other , agencies made relentless efforts on Tuesday to get a breakthrough in the collapsed SLBC tunnel rescue work amid threat to the lives of rescuers with the continuous flow of silt and water. Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy cited experts, who described this as the most complex and difficult tunnel rescue operation in the world or at least in India “as there is only one entry or exit to the tunnel”. He opined that the collapse might have taken place due to a slight tectonic shift and as some geological fault lines had given way. It is the fourth day since eight persons have been trapped in the partially collapsed tunnel. “There is one problem. The flow of slit and water into the tunnel at a very high speed continues. Some experts feared that even the lives of the rescuers could be endangered. We are taking the best expert opinion and will take a final call on that,” he said. Nagarkurnool District Collector B Santhosh said before taking any step forward, stability of the tunnel had been taken into consideration even as dewatering was going on. “As of now we are not able to communicate with the trapped persons. We are dewatering and going forward. But for the last 40-50 metres we are not able to go due to accumulation of muck and debris,” he said. With additional support and equipment, the team had again gone inside, he said, adding “the strategy is to cross that 40-metre stretch and communicate with the people who are inside”. The political slugfest over the accident continued as BRS working president KT Rama Rao sought a judicial probe into the incident, while Congress MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy dismissed the demand, stating that this was not the time for politics. — PTI Properties of 2 peddlers razed in Ludhiana Nikhil Bhardwaj 78 more to face similar action, says Commissioner Tribune News Service The police carry out demolition at the house of a drug smuggler in Dugri on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO Ludhiana, February 25 The Ludhiana police have demolished illegal properties of two drug peddlers. A team lead by Police Commissioner Kuldeep Singh Chahal razed the illegal construction of Sonu at Talwandi village on Monday night and that of Rahul Hans at Bhai Himmat Singh Nagar near Dugri this morning. FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND ACTION ■ Construction carried out with drug money, claim police; attach properties of duo Stating that the construction was carried out using money from the drug trade, the police have also attached the properties of the two drug dealers. c m y b ■ Police say this is the first-of- its-kind action against drug smugglers in Punjab Chahal said illegal properties of at least 78 more drug peddlers would soon be razed in Ludhiana. A senior police official said Sonu and his family were engaged in the drug trade for several years. He had been booked in at least six cases earlier and was absconding at present. The other peddler, Rahul, was arrested by the Dugri police last year after the recovery of over 41,000 tablets and Rs 2.15 lakh drug money. He is lodged in a jail. Chahal told The Tribune that this was the first-of-itscontinued on page 8 Preity Zinta, Kerala Congsparoverloan MUMBAI: Actor Preity Zinta on Tuesday termed “vile gossip” an X post by Congress’ Kerala unit alleging she had handed her social media accounts to the BJP and got a ~18 crore loan waiver. The Kerala Congress backtracked soon after and said it was just sharing media reports. “No, I operate my social media accounts myself ... shocked that a political party is indulging in vile gossip using my name,” the actor wrote. BACK PAGE