27042026-CT-01.qxd 4/27/2026 12:54 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune CONG RELEASES MANIFESTO FOR PANCHKULA MC POLLS KINGS REFLECT ON RECORD CHASE AHEAD OF HOME GAME LEGENDARY PHOTOGRAPHER RAGHU RAI PASSES AWAY AT 83 Vows steps to improve sanitation, transparent administration, women’s safety & opportunities for youth.P3 Punjab Kings team members arrive in Mohali ahead of the team’s final home game in Mullanpur. P3 He was the first recipient of the Academy of Fine Arts Photography Award – William Klein – celebrating his career. P4 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 75 PANCHKULA 102 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 43 & 45 Mohali: Sectors 70, 78 & Phase 5 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com INBRIEF SNATCHERSTARGET TWO RESIDENTS Chandigarh: A 50-year-old woman has reported that a motorcyclist snatched two gold earrings from her near the Civil Hospital in Manimajra. In another case, an unidentified person snatched 79-year-old Sher Singh’s mobile phone at Green Park, Sector 46, on April 25. The police have registered separate cases. TNS YOUTH ARRESTED WITH KNIFE Chandigarh: The police have arrested 28-year-old Rahul, a resident of Mauli Jagran, for carrying a knife. A Case under Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act has been registered at the Mauli Jagran police station. The investigation in the case is ongoing. TNS MAN BOOKED FOR CHEATING Chandigarh: The Sector 31 police have registered a case under Section 318(4) of the BNS on a complaint filed by Rajender Aggarwal. He reported that Mastram, a resident of Sector 21, cheated him out of $1.3 lakh on the pretext of supply of surgical masks in 2020. The investigation is under way. TNS CYCLIST HURT IN HIT-&-RUN Chandigarh: Ram Pal, a resident of Sector 56, has reported that a car hit his cycle and sped away at the Sector 40/41/54/55 junction. The police have registered a case under Sections 281 and 125-A of the BNS at the Sector 39 station. TNS MAX 41°C | MIN 22°C YESTERDAY MAX 40.8°C | MIN 22.4°C SUNRISE TUESDAY 5.43 AM /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE FILE PHOTO HC shields Sector 39-B residents from CHB demolition till July 27 Says coercive steps will not be taken by the Chandigarh Administration Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service WHAT’S ON PARTLY CLOUDY SUNSET MONDAY 6.57 PM » MONDAY | 27 APRIL 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST Chandigarh, April 26 Acting on a petition filed by Sector 39-B residents challenging demolition notices, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has made it clear that coercive steps will not be taken by the Chandigarh Administration at least till July 27 — the next date of hearing in the case. The Bench was hearing the petition filed against the administration and another respondent by Col Harinder Kaur Kheterpal and other petitioners through counsel Ashok Sharma Nabhewala and Gauri Sharma. They had, among other things, challenged the demolition notices dated February 17 and March 20. Nabhewala contended that the impugned demolition notices were issued without even awaiting the final decision of a high-powered committee constituted in deference to the High Court orders in an earlier round of litigation. He also told the court that the other petition filed in 2017 was pending for July 27. The Bench was told that the Workers dismantle illegal structures in Sector 41, Chandigarh. FILE PHOTO WHAT COURT WAS TOLD 95% 70,000 Allottees have carried out additional constructions as per need-based policies issued from time to time Dwelling units constructed by CHB respondents were threatening immediate action by way of demolition in pursuance of the impugned notices. Taking up the plea initially on April 13, the Bench had asserted: “In the meantime, Madhu Kishwar skips second UT police appearance we provide that no coercive steps shall be undertaken by the respondents, till the next date of hearing”. As the matter came up for resumed hearing, the Bench of Justice Suvir Sehgal and Justice Vikas Suri directed the continuation of the interim order. In their petition, the petitioners had earlier contended that they were allotted /occupying dwelling units constructed by the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB). They were, in fact, occupying HIG category 1 dwelling units. The respondents constituted the high-powered committee to review needbased policies/orders in January this year. But in February and March, without waiting for the final outcome of the policy review by the high-powered committee, the respondent board issued demolition notice to the petitioners. They were given seven-day time to demolish/restore the structures and at the same time deposit Rs 1,30, 460 towards removal of violations and to ensure structure’s safety. The petitioners also brought to the court’s notice that the board constructed around 70, 000 dwelling units of various categories. About 95 per cent allottees had made additional constructions in the units as per the needbased policies issued from time to time. It was added that the board, however, was adopting a “pick and choose” policy to take action against the petitioners, who earlier also approached the court. Stray dogs in a street at Sector 25, Panchkula. Woman mauled by stray dogs in P’kula park Tribune News Service Panchkula, April 26 A 62-year-old morning walker was bitten by a pack of stray dogs at the Topiary Park in Sector 6 here today. The victim, Sumati Sondhi, a resident of Sector 7, was jogging in the park as usual when the stray dogs attacked her and bit her in the leg several times. Passers-by rushed her to the Civil Hospital nearby. The incident has left other morning walkers shocked. Sondhi, a businesswoman, said it was the second time she had been bitten by stray dogs. She was earlier attacked by dogs in the same park on March 1 and taken to the Civil Hospital in Sector 6. She, however, didn’t get Running for fitness Youth arrested with drugs in Kurali Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 26 Scholar and academic Madhu Purnima Kishwar skipped her second appearance before the Chandigarh Police on Saturday, escalating her confrontation with the force by accusing it of deliberately withholding the FIR to lay the ground for her arrest. She warned that she would rather plead for a death sentence than spend a day in “Modi sarkar’s jail”. “Modi Hai to Kucch Bhi Mumkin Hai,” Kishwar said, in a pointed swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A senior Chandigarh Police official confirmed to The Tribune that Kishwar had not joined the investigation as directed and that no fresh notice had been issued to her so far. “Not joined. No fresh notice yet,” the official said. Kishwar maintained that the UT police had still not provided her a copy of FIR No. 44, registered on April 19 at the Sector 26 police station, despite repeated requests — and had not uploaded it on the police website either. Recalling her representation to the Chandigarh DGP Sagar Preet Hooda, she alleged the omission was deliberate. “Lawyer friends tell me this is being deliberately done to prepare the ground for my arrest,” she said. “Since I have repeatedly said that I will cooperate fully with the investigation as soon as I get a copy of the FIR, they are likely to use my non-compliance with their notice to appear on April 25 as a pretext to get an arrest order against me from a magistrate.” Academic says will plead for death sentence rather than stay in ‘Modi sarkar’s jail’ This is the second time in succession that Kishwar has defied police summons. She had earlier failed to appear on April 22, raising two objections —the notice served on her carried an incorrect Twitter handle (@mandukishwar instead of her actual handle @madhukishwar), and that the police had not provided her the FIR copy without which she said she could not prepare her defence. proper treatment there and had to go to the Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, Chandigarh, for further treatment. The victim claimed that this time too she has been advised to go to Chandigarh for treatment. Meanwhile, local residents said the number of stray dogs in the Topiary Park was increasing, endangering the safety of morning walkers, elderly persons and children. Despite numerous complaints, the Municipal Corporation is yet to take any action, they claimed. The residents have requested the administration that the problem of stray dogs in the park should be resolved soon so that people can use this public place without fear. People take part in “Run for Sindhu Marathon 4.0” at Panjab University, Chandigarh, on Sunday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PARDEEP TEWARI Mohali, April 26 The police have arrested a Kurali youth and recovered 14 grams of heroin, 252 grams of opium and 1.9 kg of ganja from him. On April 24, a police team, which was patrolling the Kurali area, spotted a youth on the slip road near Motia Group, Kurali. The youth, identified as Suraj, alias Aman (24), a resident of Bengala Basti, Kurali, was sitting on a two-wheeler with a broken number plate. The police carried out a cursory check and recovered heroin, opium and ganja hidden in the two-wheeler.. Sub-inspector Harbhej Singh, from the CIA staff, said the police had registered a case under Sections 18, 20, 21, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act against the youth. The accused had no criminal record. Case background After Kishwar failed to appear before the police on April 22, the Chandigarh Police served a second notice on her, directing her to appear on April 25. On April 23, she wrote to Dr Sagar Preet Hooda, urging him to upload the FIR on the police website and provide her a certified copy, citing the Supreme Court rulings that mandate supply of FIR copy to the accused and its online upload within 24 hours of registration. The FIR was registered on a complaint filed on April 19 by city-based advocate Satinder Singh, alleging that Kishwar and certain other social media users circulated forged and misleading posts and obscene video content that misidentified a person in the clip. The case has been registered under Sections 196 (promoting enmity between groups), 336(1) (forgery) and 356 (criminal defamation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with the relevant provisions of the IT Act. City sizzles for third day; respite likely from today into the first weekend of May. The IMD forecasts no large change in maximum temperature over the next two days, followed by a fall of 3 to 4 degrees thereafter. Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 26 For the third consecutive day on Sunday, Chandigarh remained in the grip of searing heat with the maximum temperature holding at 40.8° Celsius — fractionally below Saturday’s 41° Celsius but still a punishing 3.9 degrees above normal. The heatwave, which has been sweeping the tricity, Punjab and Haryana for nearly a fortnight, refused to release its hold. In a repeat of Saturday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) converted Sunday’s yellow alert for heatwave and warm night into an orange alert during the day — signalling intensifying conditions for the second day running. The heatwave yellow alert, which has been in force since April 20, continues through April 27. c m y b MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE REACHES 40.8°C 3.9 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL Nights ease slightly, but stay warm A single boat is seen at the Sukhna Lake on Sunday as people avoid visiting the spot due to the prevailing heatwave. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PARDEEP TEWARI But the wait for relief may finally be ending. The IMD has sounded a yellow alert for thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds at isolated places across Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana from Monday through Thursday — with the possibility of scattered rain at isolated places over the same period. After a forecast of dry day on Friday, the yellow alert returns for Saturday as well, with isolated rain likely — extending the relief window After two consecutive nights at season highs, Chandigarh’s minimum temperature slipped marginally on Saturday night to 22.4° Celsius — 0.8 degrees below Friday night’s 23.2° Celsius and almost exactly at normal. Relative humidity ranged between 60 per cent in the morning and a bone-dry 12 per cent by afternoon — the driest afternoon reading of the entire season so far. Chandigarh’s seasonal rainfall since March 1 stands at 73.4 mm — 132.3 per cent above the seasonal normal.