04042024-TTC-01.qxd 4/4/2024 12:32 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 8 NO. 93 | 12 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 BIDEN, TRUMP WIN FOUR MORE PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES WORLD /thetribunechd AFTER NC, PDP TOO DECIDES TO FIGHT ELECTIONS ALONE J&K RBI PANEL STARTS MONETARY POLICY DISCUSSION BUSINESS INDIA, OZ NAVY CHIEFS DISCUSS OPERATIONAL READINESS BACK PAGE thursday | 4 april 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com SC to hear after 2 weeks plea to tally EVM votes with VVPAT Delhi HC reserves order on Kejriwal’s plea against arrest Petitioners want 100% cross-verification during Lok Sabha elections Tribune News Service Satya Prakash CONGRESS CALLS FOR ‘TIMELY RESOLUTION’ Tribune News Service New Delhi, April 3 As India heads to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to take up after two weeks a PIL seeking cross-verification of the votes cast in EVMs with voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT). Despite repeated requests made by senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Gopal Sankaranarayanan and advocate Prashant Bhushan for listing the PIL next week, a Bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna said it couldn’t be taken up next Tuesday or Wednesday. The lawyers submitted on behalf of the Association for Democratic Reforms that the Lok Sabha elections were commencing in the next few days and if the PIL was not heard, it would become infructuous. The sevenphase elections will com- Senior Congress leader and Karnataka minister and Dinesh Gundu Rao has appealed to the Supreme Court for “timely resolution” of the petition before the Lok Sabha elections. “Timely resolution of this matter before the elections is required for this petition to truly carry weight,” said Dinesh Rao. CHECKING 5 EVMs IS CURRENT PRACTICE ■ Randomly verifying five EVMs in each Assembly constituency is the current practice ■ The petitioners have sought directions for 100% cross-ver- ification of the votes cast in EVMs with VVPAT slips ■ Say voters should be able to ensure through VVPATs their vote has been ‘recorded’ mence on April 19. The Bench, which also included Justice MM Sundresh and Justice Bela M Trivedi, said it was aware of the situation and would hear the matter in the week after the next week. “The matter may be struck out from the list next week because of the roster now,” Justice Khanna said. “Mr Bhushan, after all, how much time will this matter take? You can make sub- missions in two hours and we will finish the matter. Okay,” Justice Khanna said, assuring that the parties would be given sufficient time to make submissions. On July 17 last year, the top court had asked the Election Commission to respond to the petition by the Association for Democratic Reforms seeking a direction to the Election Commission and the Centre to ensure voters were able to verify through VVPATs that their vote had been “counted as recorded”. The petitioners have demanded that all VVPATs should be verified, instead of the current practice of randomly verifying five EVMs per Assembly segment. On April 1, a Bench led by Justice BR Gavai had issued notice on another plea seeking 100 per cent verification of VVPAT slips and tagged it with a pending case on the issue. Satya Prakash New Delhi, April 3 The Delhi High Court on Wednesday reserved its verdict on a petition by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy scam. “I am going to reserve the judgment,” Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma said after hearing arguments from senior counsel AM Singhvi for Kejriwal and Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, who represented the ED. The order is expected to be pronounced on Thursday. The ED had arrested Kejriwal on March 21 after the Delhi High Court refused to grant him protection from coercive action by the probe agency in the money laundering case. On April 1, a Delhi special court sent Kejriwal to 14-day judicial custody on the expiry of his ED custody. AAP MP Sanjay Singh, who was imprisoned in the excise policy case, comes out of Tihar Jail. PTI CM ALLOWED ELECTRIC KETTLE, TABLE & CHAIR A Delhi court on Wednesday directed the Tihar jail authorities to provide an electric kettle to CM Kejriwal in view of his “medical condition” and a table and a chair for reading books Singhvi questioned the timing and necessity of the Delhi CM’s arrest, saying it went against the basic structure of the Constitution, which included free and fair elections that required a level playing field for all political parties during the democratic exercise. However, the ASG contested Singhvi’s submissions, contending that the offence of money laundering was prima facie made out and that the investigation against Kejriwal was at a nascent stage. Raju said the accused could not cite the Lok Sabha elections or his position as the Delhi CM to claim any special exception in the money laundering case. “Everybody has to be treated equally and someone who looted the country can’t claim immunity citing upcoming elections,” he submitted. Denying allegations of bias levelled against the probe agency, Raju asserted that the case was based on evidence and that “criminals are supposed to be arrested and put in jail”. “An aam aadmi (common man) has to go behind continued on page 8 edit: Bail for Sanjay Singh IN BRIEF Cop, gangster killed in Kathua shootout JAMMU: A police sub-inspector and a gangster were killed and a special police officer was injured in a shootout in a medical college in Kathua, officials said on Wednesday. INSIDE Farooq won’t fight poll due to ‘health reasons’ SRINAGAR: National Conference president and sitting MP from Srinagar Farooq Abdullah will not contest the Lok Sabha polls owing to his heath, the party said on Wednesday. INSIDE Big blow to Congress as boxer Vijender joins BJP NEW DELHI: The saga of shock WB raises India’s GDP forecastto7.5%forFY24 but flags job scarcity Sandeep Dikshit Tribune News Service New Delhi, April 3 The World Bank has revised upwards India’s GDP growth for 2023-24 by a massive 1.2 points to 7.5 per cent but cautioned that the country and its neighbours Pakistan and Bangladesh could miss the opportunities created by the demographic dividend or a greater proportion of the young. The World Bank raised India’s GDP forecast on the back of robust activity in services and industry. Bangladesh’s GDP is expected to grow at 5.6 per cent and Pakistan’s by 1.8 per cent after suffering a contraction in 2022-23. In its latest update for South Asia, the World Bank said the region’s employment ratio was falling. This means the three countries ECONOMY TO GROW BY 6.6% IN FY25 ■ World Bank sees India’s growth slowing down to 6.6 per cent in 2024-25 due to lower investments than in the previous year. ■ The lower investments will be partially offset by a decline in fiscal deficit and government debt. were not creating enough roles for their young population and thus stand the risk of squandering their demographic dividend. South Asia was “the only region where the share of working-age men who are employed fell continued on page 8 7.2 QUAKE ROCKS TAIWAN A video grab of a building that partially collapsed after a strong earthquake struck Taiwan early Wednesday. AP/PTI BACK PAGE FCRA licences of 5 NGOs cancelled by Home Ministry New Delhi, April 3 The Ministry of Home Affairs has cancelled the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licences of five prominent NGOs for alleged violation of various provisions of the Act. Sources said the NGOs whose registrations had been cancelled were the CNI Synodical Board of Social Services, Voluntary Health Association of India, Indo-Global Social Service Society, Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action and the Evangelical Fellowship of India. With the cancellation of their FCRA registration, these NGOs will no longer be able to receive foreign contributions or utilise the existing funds. continued on page 8 Shun double standards in countering terrorism: NSA Doval at SCO meeting Tribune News Service New Delhi, April 3 National Security Adviser Ajit Doval flagged the continuing threat of cross-border terrorism at a regional meet of NSAs in Kazakhstan even as he met his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev and expressed India’s solidarity with the Russian government and its people in addressing the threat from terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. “Perpetrators of terrorism, including those involved in cross-border terrorism, should be effectively and expeditiously dealt with,’’ Doval said on Wednesday in Astana, while calling for NSA Ajit Doval addresses an SCO meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan. ANI ‘COUNTER USE OF TECH BY TERRORISTS’ National Security Adviser Ajit Doval emphasised the need to counter the use of modern technology by terrorists such as drones for cross-border transfer of weapons and drugs. shunning double standards in combating the menace. Speaking against the back- drop of the killing of five Chinese engineers in Pakistan on March 26 and the deadly Rampur, April 3 The three leopards found dead on March 8 at Jaguni village of Rampur subdivision in Shimla district had died of poisoning. Himachal Forest Department officials said poisoning was found to be the reason in viscera examination done at the Forensic Lab in Junga, near Shimla. Incidentally, no traces of poison were found in the remains of the cow that these leopards had killed. DFO Hardev Negi said the leopards, a mother and her two cubs, were found dead within 100 metres of each other. Forest officials were suspecting the villagers might have put poison in the cow’s Modi greets Portugal’s new Prime Minister NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday greeted Luís Montenegro on taking oath as Portugal PM. PTI Nirupam expelled by Cong for 6 years NewDelhi, April 3 The Congress on Wednesday expelled its Mumbai unit exchief Sanjay Nirupam over his remarks against party leadership amid seat-sharing talks with the Shiv Sena (UBT). “The Congress chief has approved expulsion of Sanjay Nirupam from the party for six years,” party general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal said. — TNS Rahul files papers, so does ‘ally’ CPI’s Annie Bhim Tank murder Cong holds grand roadshowin Wayanad | No INDIA bloc seat-sharing in Kerala prime convict jumps parole, flees to Dubai Shubhadeep Choudhury Tribune News Service New Delhi, April 3 High-profile Congress candidate Rahul Gandhi and his main rival Annie Raja of the Communist Party of India (CPI) both filed their nominations for the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala on Wednesday. While the Congress and the CPI are both constituents of the INDIA bloc, a front of Opposition parties cobbled up to challenge the Narendra Modi-led BJP the allies have , failed to reach at any seat-sharing arrangement in Kerala. Congress candidate Rahul Gandhi files his papers from the Wayanad constituency on Wednesday as Priyanka Gandhi Vadra looks on. PTI The CPM-led Left Front, which includes CPI as one of its partners, and the Congress–led UDF are the two main contenders for power in Kerala. No attempt has even been made to work out an alliance between the two traditional rivals in the southern state. Soon after filing his nomination, Rahul wrote on X, “Along with every member of INDIA, will not rest until this battle to preserve our democracy is won. This election is a fight for the soul of India. It is a fight to preserve our democracy from the forces of hatred, corruption and injustice that seek to suppress the voice of Bharat Mata.” Rahul along with his sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra arrived at the district headquarters continued on page 8 Role of locals, poachers under lens over ‘poisoning’ of 3 leopards in HP Ashish Negi terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall in Moscow on March 22, Doval said at a security conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) that there was a need to hold accountable the sponsors, financiers and facilitators of terrorism. He flagged the continued threat posed by various terror groups, including those designated by the UN Security Council such as Lashkare-Taiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad, Al-Qaeda and its affiliates and ISIS, in the SCO region. India is committed to enhancing transit trade and connectivity asserting that such initiatives must be fully respectful of sovereignty and continued on page 8 defections from the Congress to the BJP continued on Wednesday with Vijender Singh, India's first boxer to win an Olympics medal, making the switch. INSIDE carcass after it was killed by the leopards to kill the big cats. But with no poison found in the cow’s viscera, it will be tough for the forest officials to find out how and by whom the leopards were poisoned. Apart from the theory of villagers poisoning the leopards to protect their livestock, the forest officials are working on the possibility of poachers killing these animals for their hide and nails. Desh Raj Hudden, the pradhan of Dansa panchayat under which the village falls, said the leopards had created an atmosphere of fear. “It is possible someone may have poisoned the leopards. But as no poison was found in the cow’s viscera, the matter has become complicated,” he said. A dead leopard found at Jaguni village in Rampur subdivision. c m y b Jupinderjit Singh Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 3 In a major embarrassment to the security agencies, Harpreet Harry, prime convict in the killing of Bhim Tank of Abohar, has jumped parole and is suspected to have fled to Dubai on a fake passport. An undated video message has also surfaced in which he has threatened to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi on “issues being faced by farmers”. In the video, he has dared the PM to try and organise a rally in Punjab as “Harry and his men have enough AK-56 rifles” to take on the PM’s security. Police sources said Harry was the prime convict among 24 persons, including liquor baron and former SAD halqa in-charge Shiv Lal Doda, in the case of chopping of limbs of Bhim Tank, leaving him to bleed to death in December 2015 at Doda’s farmhouse. Bhim Tank, a former employee of Doda, was killed by chopping off his limbs. A THREATENS PM MODI ■ An undated video message has surfaced in which Harry threatened to assassinate PM Modi on “issues being faced by farmers” ■ He has dared the PM to try and organise a rally in Punjab as “Harry and his men have enough AK-56 rifles” to take on the PM’s security heavily built man, he had refused to work with Doda and had beaten up some of the liquor baron’s men. Fazilka SSP Pragya Jain, who took over the command of the district last week, said action had been initiated in the case. A Fazilka court had convicted and sentenced Harry and others to life imprisonment in August 2019. They had moved a higher court and, according to sources, Harry had got parole recently. The police got information that he had fled to Dubai on a fake passport.
The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising four eminent persons as trustees.
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