30032026-CT-01.qxd 3/30/2026 12:43 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune DUGGAL IS CHANDIGARH PRESS CLUB PRESIDENT SEC 42 CENTRE WIN GOLD AT STATE KHO-KHO MEET SUMMER STYLE STARTS WITH THE RIGHT SHADES Saurabh Duggal defeated Ajay Sura by a margin of 37 votes to retain the key post. P3 The coaching centre win the girls’ sub-junior team title at the State Kho-Kho Championship. P3 Bollywood’s leading ladies prove the right sunglasses make every outfit instantly iconic. P4 » » MAX 27°C | MIN 20°C YESTERDAY MAX 27.3°C | MIN 19.2°C SUNRISE TUESDAY 6.13 AM /THETRIBUNECHD Project Director arrested for ~83-cr IDFC First Bank fraud PARTLY CLOUDY SUNSET MONDAY 6.40 PM » MONDAY | 30 MARCH 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE On target Money routed through shell firms to accounts of accused, kin Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 29 In a major breakthrough in the Rs 83-crore CREST bank fraud case, the UT police have arrested Sukhwinder Abrol, Project Director of the Chandigarh Renewable Energy Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST), sources told The Tribune on Sunday. Abrol was arrested after investigation established that a significant portion of the CREST funds siphoned off to shell companies was subsequently funnelled into his personal bank accounts and those of his relatives and associates. The FIR in the case, dated AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 68 PANCHKULA 50 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD WHAT’S ON APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 43 & 45 Mohali: Sec 70, 78, Phase 5 Panchkula: MDC, Sector 5 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com INBRIEF RAKHI, SANDHU SHINE IN ATHLETICS Chandigarh: Athlete Rakhi Sharma bagged three medals in the recently concluded 5th Khelo Masters National Games. She won gold in 400m race, silver in 200m and bronze in 100m dash. Rattan Singh Sandhu won a gold medal each in hammer throw (24.40m), shotput (8.54m) and 100m race in the 80+ age group. TNS March 12, was registered on a complaint filed by the Chief Executive Officer of CREST, Sector 19. The fraud involves Rs 83.04 crore and was originally registered against three IDFC First Bank officials — Ribhav Rishi, Abhay Kumar and Seema Dhiman. After his arrest, Abrol was produced before the duty magistrate, who remanded him in five-days of police custody. Investigation to trace the complete cash trail and establish the role of other CREST employees is under way. The fraud The police had earlier revealed before a Chandigarh court that Rishi, who served as the branch manager of the IDFC First Bank in Sector 32 between 2023 and 2025, had opened CREST’s bank accounts at the branch with the connivance of society officials. Funds to the tune of over Rs 75 crore were lying in these accounts at the time. Three shell firms — CAPCO Fintech, RS Traders and Swastik Desh Project — were created to siphon off the funds. Money diverted from CREST’s bank accounts to these shell firms was traced back to the accounts of Abrol, his family members and close contacts, the investigators found. The Chandigarh Police had earlier produced the three arrested bank offi- cials — Rishi, Kumar and Dhiman, who were lodged in Ambala Jail — before a Chandigarh court on production warrant for interrogation in two IDFC First Bank fraud cases involving the MC and CREST. The court had granted sevenday police custody. The police had also named top Smart City Project officials in the case, telling the court that the shell companies were used to pay off senior officials. The arrest of Abrol, a CREST insider, marks the first direct custodial breakthrough within the society itself and significantly deepens the fraud investigation into Chandigarh ’ s smart city apparatus. A match in progress between Artillery and Haryana during the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Polo Cup on Sunday. PARDEEP TEWARI (PAGE 3) 20 schoolkids on trip to Morni hurt Water bottles, tea for ~10 at airport Wi-Fi facilities, Digi as bus hits sidewall after brake failure Yatra, Kids’ Zone come up in departure area Tribune News Service Gaurav Kanthwal Tribune News Service Panchkula, March 29 A trip to Morni turned scary for around 50 students as the bus driver lost control of the vehicle after a reported brake failure and hit the side wall on the Morni-Thapli road today. Around 20 children suffered minor injuries in the accident. The children, who had come from Mahendragarh, Narnaul and Palwal districts in Haryana, were left shaken. The school bus was badly damaged in the accident. Upon receiving information, a police team, led by Morni incharge Jagdish Kumar, and locals rushed to the spot. The injured kids were brought to the Civil Hospital here for first aid, after which they left in another vehicle. The bus driver, Narendra Singh, said the brakes failed and he lost control of the vehicle. He swerved the vehicle to one side and hit a wall in a bid to prevent the vehicle from falling into the gorge on the Morni-Thapli road. Local residents said the children were travelling in two buses for an excursion and were on their way back when the accident took place. The brakes of one of the vehicles failed at a sharp turn near Thapli. Frequent accidents are reported on this stretch with sharp turns and gradients. Discharged after first aid at Panchkula hospital Injured students at the Panchkula Civil Hospital; and (below) the bus after the accident. and the fitness of the vehicle by the traffic police,” said a Chandigarh-based road safety expert. Past incidents Drivers not familiar with the terrain rely on excessive braking for longer duration of journey, leading to brake failure and overheating of brake pads. Schoolchildren visit the area for its scenic beauty and “Tikkar Tal”, a popular tourist spot. Experts believe many drivers coming from the plains are not accustomed to driving in hilly areas. “Bus drivers and passengers should be sensitised before the start of journey. They should be made aware of topography October 19, 2024: A tourist bus with students from Nankana Sahib School, Malerkotla (Punjab), fell into a 100-foot-deep gorge near “Tikkar Tal”. The accident left 23 people injured, including 19 students. November 21, 2023: The brakes of a bus from Guru Nanak Public School, Ludhiana, visiting Tikkar Tal, failed on the hilly route. The driver steered the bus into a tree to avoid fatality. Seven children and two teachers were injured. Mohali, March 29 Water bottle for Rs 10 (500ml), tea for Rs 10, coffee for Rs 20 and samosa for Rs 20 are available at Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport Chandigarh from today. The UDAN Yatri Cafe, a Central Government’s initiative to provide affordable food and beverages for passengers, was inaugurated in the departure area of the airport. Other facilities made available in the departure area are Wi-Fi, Digi Yatra and a kids’ zone. The Digi Yatra enables digital processing at entry, security and boarding points using a single-token biometric system, significantly reducing wait time. This initiative is part of Gang of two-wheeler thieves busted, 4 held Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 29 The police have busted an inter-state gang of two-wheeler thieves with the arrest of four of its members. Nine stolen vehicles, including motorcycles and scooters, have been recovered from their possession. The operation was conducted by a team from the Maloya police station. The police arrested the accused on March 26 near Dronacharya Stadium in Dadu Majra. They have been identified as Ajay Kumar (20), Sukhwinder Singh (20), Rashpal Singh (25) and Gur- jeet Singh (23), residents of Ferozepur and Moga districts in Punjab. During the investigation, the accused revealed that they belonged to a 14-member gang. The gang stole twowheelers from the Tricity area and sold these in Punjab after replacing their number plates with fake ones. The two-wheelers recovered from them included Royal Enfield Bullet bikes, Hero Splendor motorcycles and Activa scooters. A case has been registered under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Maloya police station. Judges back AI for efficiency, but warn against ‘robo justice’ without safeguards Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 29 Even as courts turn to technology to ease backlog and improve decisions, High Court judges on Sunday said artificial intelligence (AI) could significantly aid justice delivery, but human judgment could remain central. Declaring that efficiency in delivering justice — not technological mastery — defines a judge’s role, Justice Anoop Chitkara made a comprehensive case for integrating AI and blockchain into the judicial system, while firmly asserting that human judgment must remain supreme. He was addressing a session on the second day of the North Zone-I Regional Conference on “Advancing Rule of Law through Technology: Challenges & Opportunities” in Chandigarh. “You need not become a computer expert to be a hero. Doing justice efficiently is what is going to make us a hero… The idea is to do substantial justice… whether we use AI or we don't use it is secondary,” said the Punjab and Haryana High Court Judge. The conference was organised by the National Judicial Academy in collaboration with the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Chandigarh Judicial Academy. Its Board of Governor’s president Justice Suvir Sehgal, along with members Justice Alka Sarin, Justice Jasgurpreet Singh Puri and Justice Vinod S Bhardwaj were present during the event Justice Chitkara said AI had the potential to fundamentally transform court functioning by improving both speed and quality of decisions. The AI systems could accelerate legal research by instantly identifying relevant precedents, filter out overturned or irrelevant judgments to ensure doctrinal accuracy, analyse case records, statutes and current judgments simultaneously. These could tag similar matters in real time to aid consistency in rulings and enable predictive analytics to help litigants assess the viability of cases and encourage settlement. “It will result in speed in justice… clarity, transparency, efficiency, consistency and proportionate sentencing,” he observed, adding that compensation determination in motor accident claims and similar matters could also become more accurate. He pointed to a major shift in how evidence could be recorded and assessed. Statements recorded at the police station stage itself could be digitised and preserved in original form, reducing later contradictions. AI tools could then c m y b compare multiple versions of statements, identify inconsistencies for focused cross-examination and improve the accuracy of testimony recording. He described blockchain as a critical safeguard for judicial data. It offered decentralisation, preventing unilateral tampering, transparency and traceability of records, and tamperproof storage of evidence and judgments. Justice Mishra sounds note of caution Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra of the Punjab and Haryana High Court sounded a strong note of caution against the premature inte- gration of AI into judicial decision-making, warning of systemic risks if adopted without a robust legislative and institutional framework. He asserted its direct incorporation into adjudication posed serious concerns, particularly given the tendency of the subordinate judiciary to follow precedential signals from higher courts. “We have to have a very strong note of caution… When we endorse a particular viewpoint, the lower judiciary also starts following it. Then this becomes a very serious problem.” Justice Mishra added that technological tools must first be properly developed, struc- tured and legislatively backed before courts rely on them in decision-making. Artificial intelligence must not influence adjudication Manipur High Court Chief Justice M Sundar asserted that AI might assist courts, but must not be allowed to influence adjudication beyond a strictly limited role. He referred to the absence of any statutory framework regulating AI deployment in adjudication, while observing that introducing technology without legislation would amount to “putting the cart before the horse”. He pointed to the need for a dedicated law before courts even consider structured reliance. the government’s vision, “Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik”. The UDAN Cafe concept is being implemented at airports across the country. Chandigarh, Hisar and Lucknow were covered under the programme today to make airports useful and convenient for all passengers. Earlier, passengers had to pay exorbitant prices for food and beverages at the international airport with no affordable options available there. Two arrested for snatching mobile from senior citizen Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 29 The police have arrested two men for snatching a mobile phone from a senior citizen in Sector 37. The victim’s mobile and the Was targeted by Dhanas residents at a park in Sector 37 two-wheeler used in the crime have been recovered. The accused have been identified as Ram Babu and Rahul, both residents of Dhanas. According to the police, the incident occurred on March 27 when the complainant, a resident of Sector 37-D, was sitting on a bench in a park near the local market. While he was talking on his phone, one of the accused snatched it and fled the scene on a two-wheeler with his accomplice. Following the complaint, a team from the Sector 39 police station, led by SHO Ram Dayal Kumar, was constituted. Acting on technical leads, the team arrested both accused on Sunday. A case has been registered under the relevant Sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The police stated that further investigation was underway to determine whether the accused were involved in other crimes reported in the city.