27082025-TT-01.qxd 8/26/2025 11:35 PM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 145 NO. 236 | 14 PAGES | ~6.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 HIMACHAL PRADESH RSS DOESN’T CONTROL ITS AFFILIATES, SAYS MOHAN BHAGWAT NATION /thetribunechd SIFT KAUR WINS GOLD AT ASIAN SHOOTING C’SHIPS SPORTS WICKREMESINGHE GETS BAIL IN GRAFT CASE WORLD PM PUSHES FOR ‘SWADESHI’ GOODS, FLAGS OFF MARUTI E-VITARA IN GUJARAT BUSINESS wednesday | 27 august 2025 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Addl 25% US tariffs kick in today, textiles to take hit Courts can’t give ‘assent’ to Bills, say BJP-ruled states NEW DELHI: The BJP-ruled states on Tuesday defended the autonomy of Governors and President in granting assent to state Bills, asserting that assent to a law cannot be given by courts in the name of “deemed assent”, as was done in the case of 10 Bills passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly. A five-judge Bench is hearing the presidential reference on whether the court can impose timelines for Governors and President to pass Bills. INSIDE Imports from India will now be subjected to 50% levy Kuldeep Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 26 Indian goods imported into the US will attract 50 per cent tariff as the additional 25 per cent tariff slapped as a penalty for the purchase of Russian crude oil kicks in on Wednesday. The US Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday issued a notification confirming the imposition of 25 per cent additional tariff on Indian goods. The US tariff will severely impact labourintensive sectors such as textiles, gems and jewellery, shrimp and carpets. The Trump administration accused New Delhi of imposing “Maharaja tariff”, which is allegedly responsible for US’ over $40-billion trade deficit with India, and of financing Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine. The US continued on page 8 SECTOR-WISE IMPACT ON INDIA GOODS EXPORT TO US NEW TARIFF Shrimp* $2 bn (32.4%) 60% Diamonds & gold $10 bn (40%) 52.1% Carpets $1.2 bn (58.6%) 52.9% Apparel (knitted) $2.7 bn (34.5%) 63.9% Apparel (woven) $2.7 bn (32.2%) 60.3% Textiles $3 bn (48.4%) 59% Machinery $6.7 bn (20%) 51.3% (Tariffs inclusive of most-favoured nation levy | *10% countervailing tariff) SOURCE: GLOBAL TRADE RESEARCH INITIATIVE PHARMACEUTICALS AMONG EXEMPTED GOODS Several sectors such as pharmaceuticals, electronics and petroleum products will be exempted from the 50 per cent tariff. According to reports, the additional tariff will also not apply to import of certain passenger vehicles and cargo vans. US WARNS OF MORE LEVY TO COUNTER DIGITAL TAXES Trump on Tuesday threatened to impose “substantial additional tariffs” on exports of countries to the US that impose digital taxes and regulations to “harm American technology companies”. Shocking delays: Top court sets 3-month deadline for HC verdicts Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 26 Expressing shock at high court judges often keeping judgments reserved for months, the Supreme Court has set a three-month deadline for them to deliver verdicts. If a judgment is not delivered within an additional two weeks past that deadline, the case will be reassigned to another judge. A Bench of Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra termed the Case to be reassigned if no judgment two weeks after due date practice “extremely shocking and surprising,” saying that such delays cause litigants to lose faith in the judicial process and defeat the ends of justice. Writing the judgment for the Bench, Justice Mishra said, “This court is repeatedly confronted with similar matters wherein proceedings are kept ‘Golden Dome’ will be India’s shield & sword, to be ready in 10 yrs: CDS pending in the high court for more than three months, in some cases for more than six months or years wherein judgments are not delivered after hearing the matter.” The court highlighted that most high courts lack a mechanism for litigants to report delays in judgment delivery. The order came on appeals filed by one Ravindra Pratap Shahi challenging certain interim orders passed by the Allahabad High Court in a criminal case pending since 2008. continued on page 8 People look at the swollen Tawi amid rain in Jammu on Tuesday. Several rivers are flowing above the danger mark in the region. PTI Torrential rain wreaks havoc in Jammu, 7 Vaishno Devi pilgrims among 11 dead Arjun Sharma Jammu, August 26 Eleven persons were killed and 20 injured in separate incidents of landslides and flashfloods triggered by torrential rain across the Jammu region on Tuesday, officials said. Seven pilgrims en route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Reasi district were killed when a massive landslide struck near Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Ardhkuwari. Fourteen others were injured as mud and boulders came crashing down the hillside around 3 pm, burying pilgrims under the debris. Several people were feared trapped, said the officials. The landslide occurred nearly halfway along the 12-km trek from Katra to the hilltop shrine. The yatra was suspended after the incident. Three relief columns of the Army’s White Knight Corps were mobilised continued on page 8 Edit: nature’s fury Several Punjab districts on high alert Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 26 Several districts of Punjab were put on high alert on Tuesday after incessant rain lashed most parts of the Malwa region, while heavy showers in the catchments areas caused Ravi, Sutlej and Beas rivers and seasonal rivulets to overflow, flooding villages downstream. The Majha belt comprising Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Pathankot districts was the worst affected. In Dharamkot (Gurdaspur), the Ravi outflow touched 4.4 lakh cusecs, while Ujh barrage recorded 1.45 lakh cusecs by evening. Breaches were reported along the Ravi embankments near Dinanagar and Narot Jaimal in Pathankot. Officials said the water was Mhow (mp), August 26 India is readying a new, potent air defence system — Golden Dome — that incorporates multiple systems such as missiles and radars to create a “shield” and also act as a “sword” against enemy threats, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Anil Chauhan, said here today. “It will act as both a shield and a sword, and will be indigenous… the target is to have it ready in 10 years,” said the CDS. He referred to it as the Golden Dome, probably in line with the Iron Dome — the Israel air defence system. The CDS said “some lessons” from Operation Sindoor had already been implemented. General Chauhan was delivering the key-note address at the “Ran Samwad (conversation about warfare)”, a two-day (August 26 and 27) brainstorming seminar themed “Impact of Technology on Warfare”. It was hosted by the Army War College here. The new system entails the development of robust infrastructure and processes for detection, acquisition and neutralisation of enemy missiles, drones and planes using weapons and directedenergy weapons. According to defence sources, the new Residents of border villages in Fazilka move to safer places with their belongings after being asked to evacuate, on Tuesday. PHOTO: PAWAN SHARMA SCHOOLS CLOSED ACROSS STATE FOR 4 DAYS With the weatherman predicting more rain in coming days, CM Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday announced closure of all schools in the state for four days. “All government and private schools will remain closed from August 27-30,” CM Mann said on X. expected to flow towards Amritsar late at night, necessitating caution for residents and the administration. MONSOON FURY IN HIMACHAL The new air defence system entails the development of robust infrastructure and processes for the detection, acquisition and neutralisation of enemy missiles, drones and planes using weapons and directed-energy weapons. It will look to integrate assets such as satellites. air defence system will look to integrate assets such as satellites. It will have radars that can look at an altitude of 60 to 80 km because most modern-day missiles travel to a certain altitude and then take a downward trajectory to hit the target. The armed forces are looking at the integration of systems on ground, air, maritime, under sea and space. The data will be networked to present a common picture for the commander. Artificial intelligence (AI), advanced computation, data analytics and quantum technology will be used for analysis. PM Narendra Modi had mentioned the air defence system in his Independence Day continued on page 8 The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday raided multiple locations, including the residence of former Delhi minister Saurabh Bhardwaj, as part of a money laundering probe into the alleged hospital construction scam in the national capital. “We carried out search operations at 13 locations in Delhi-NCR under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA),” a senior ED official said. — TNS Chief Secretary KAP Sinha held an emergency meeting with the deputy commissioners continued on page 8 BENGALURU: Apparently stung by criticism from within the party for singing the RSS’anthem, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said he was sorry if anyone was hurt over its rendition in the Assembly and asserted that he was a Congressman and would die as one. Shivakumar had taken everyone by surprise by singing the RSS prayer on the floor of the House recently. — PTI Collegium questioned on move to elevate Patna CJ Satya Prakash Tribune News Service Says lessons learnt from Op Sindoor have been implemented ENTAILS DEVELOPMENT OF ROBUST INFRA NEW DELHI: Karnataka Dy CM apologises over RSS anthem row Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service ED raids residence of Delhi ex-minister in PMLA probe A pick-up was swept away after the raging Beas triggered a landslide, washing away the road in Manali on Tuesday. PTI INSIDE Dog seen carrying kid’s head at Rajindra hospital Tribune News Service Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh orders inquiry Patiala, August 26 In a shocking incident, a stray dog was spotted carrying the severed head of a child, believed to be a newborn, in the corridors of the surgery ward of Government Rajindra Hospital here on Tuesday. The Punjab Health Minister has ordered an inquiry. The incident, which took place around 5.30 pm in ward No. 4, triggered panic, with attendants rushing out before hospital staff and security personnel intervened. The body part was later recovered and kept in the mortuary for further investigation. Medical Superintendent Dr Vishal Chopra termed the incident “very unfortunate” and clarified that all children born in the hospital were safe. “Three newborn deaths were reported in the past few days and the bodies were handed over to the families. The surgery ward, where the dog was seen, and the labour and paediatric wards are situated far apart. The police have been informed and the matter is being investigated,” he said. Police officials continued on page 8 New Delhi, August 26 A day after the five-member Supreme Court Collegium led by CJI BR Gavai recommended Patna High Court Chief Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi for elevation to the top court, ignoring the lone dissent of Justice BV Nagarathna, the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms (CJAR) on Tuesday questioned the decision. “It is not clear what has swayed the Supreme Court Collegium in recommending Justice Pancholi to the Supreme Court, since Justice Pancholi is not merely the third judge from Gujarat to be elevated to the Supreme Court (disproportionate to the size of the Gujarat High Court and leaving various other high CJAR asks why ‘dissent note’ by member not published courts unrepresented), but he is also 57th in all-India seniority list of high court judges,” the CJAR said in a statement. “As reported, Justice Nagarathna opined in her dissent that several meritorious and more senior judges had been bypassed while recommending him. She is reported to have further stated that Justice Pancholi’s future CJI-ship tenure would not be in the institution’s interest,” CJAR said. Besides Justice Pancholi, the Collegium had in its August 25 meeting also recommended the elevation of continued on page 8 Green rules for Indus basin hydel projects set aside amid data leakfears Aksheev Thakur Tribune News Service The Baglihar hydroelectric power project on the Chenab. FILE New Delhi, August 26 Citing national interests and strategic importance, the Environment Ministry has exempted hydroelectric projects on the Indus river basin from comprehensive environmental studies. The ministry clarified that a cumulative impact assessment and carrying capacity study for the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum c m y b river basins in J&K would be “administratively impractical and scientifically unviable” as a significant portion of these basins lies outside India. While granting in-principle approval to the 1865 MW Sawalkot hydroelectric project, which requires 847.17 hectares of forest land, the forest advisory committee cited an observation of the Ministry of Home Affairs, which identified the project as strategically important and warned that conducting broad basin studies could risk the exposure of sensitive hydrological data. It expressed concern that such information could be exploited by downstream neighbouring countries, particularly with the Indus Water Treaty currently suspended. The Sawalkot hydro project is aimed at optimising India’s use of the Indus waters while the treaty with Pakistan remains suspended. The Ministry of Power had requested an exemption from these studies for the project, arguing that in the current geopolitical scenario, conducting them could delay important hydel projects in J&K and compromise national interests by potentially leaking critical data. The ministry confirmed that environmental impact assessments will still be conducted.
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