13122024-TTC-01.qxd 12/13/2024 12:33 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 144 NO. 344 | 14 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 UAE FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS PM, DISCUSSES TECHNOLOGY NATION /thetribunechd KASHMIR PLAINS RECEIVE FIRST SNOWFALL J&K RETAIL INFLATION EASES TO 5.48% IN NOVEMBER BUSINESS TRUMP INVITES CHINA’S XI, OTHER WORLD LEADERS TO INAUGURATION WORLD friday | 13 december 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com At 18, Gukesh conquers chess world Jupinderjit Singh Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 12 At 18 years, six months and two weeks, Indian grandmaster Gukesh Dammaraju became the youngest world chess champion defeating reigning champion Ding Liren of China in game 14 of the world title match in Singapore on Thursday. He will be crowned the chess champion at a ceremony on Friday. For Gukesh, dethroning Ding in the last game of the hard-fought 14-round classical format matchup by 7.5 D Gukesh after beating Ding Liren of China in the FIDE World Chess Championship in Singapore. PTI SC stays surveys, final orders on suits over religious structures Asks Centre to file reply on petitions against Places of Worship Act Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 12 The Supreme Court on Thursday restrained trial courts across India from registering fresh suits and ordering surveys or passing any effective and final orders with regard to the religious character of existing structures in pending suits. “As the matter is sub judice before this court, we deem it fit to direct that no fresh suits shall be registered or proceedings be ordered. In the pending suits, courts will not pass any effective interim or final orders (till the next hearing of the case in the Supreme Court),” a threejudge Special Bench led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna said. The next hearing is on February 17, 2025. “When a matter is pending before us, is it fair for any other court to examine it,” asked the Bench, which also included Justice PV Sanjay Kumar and Justice KV Viswanathan. The Gyanvapi mosque case is among many such disputes in court. FILE 22 SUITS INVOLVING 10 SHRINES PENDING A total of 22 suits pertaining to 10 places of worship are pending in various courts across the country. The top court’s order means that in pending suits such as those pertaining to the Kashi VishwanathGyanvapi mosque and Krishna Janmabhoomi-Idgah disputes, courts can’t pass any effective or final orders, including those for survey. The Bench, however, refused to stay the proceedings in 22 suits pending with regard to 10 places of worship. Amid repeated interjections by senior lawyers representing various parties for and against the Act, the Bench clarified that it was examining the validity as well as the ambit of the 1991 law. “The matter is sub judice. No further suits can be registered till we hear and dispose of the case,” the top court emphasised. “When the Supreme Court has laid down the law in a five-judge Bench composition, then lower courts can’t wrestle it out with the apex court. That is why proceedings need to be stayed,” it said. The top court’s order means that in pending suits such as those pertaining to the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi mosque, Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah, Sambhal Jama Masjid and Ajmer Sharif dargah disputes, courts cannot pass any effective or final orders, including those for survey. The Bench asked the Centre and other respondents to file their replies in four weeks. It also appointed three nodal counsels — Ejaz Maqbool for parties seeking enforcement of the Act and Kanu Agrawal for the Centre and Vishnu Jain for petitioners against the 1991 law. continued on page 9 points against his rival’s 6.5, was the culmination of a childhood dream of bringing back the coveted title to India. As a seven-year-old chess enthusiast in 2013, Gukesh had seen first Indian world chess champion Viswanathan Anand lose his title to Norwegian Magnus Carlsen in the match played in the customary sound-proof glass box room at Chennai. Ever since, the son of an ENT doctor and a microbiologist mother nurtured the dream of competing in that glass box — also called the fishtank by the chess grandmasters where outsiders can Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 12 The Ministry of Defence today signed a Rs 13,500crore deal with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to buy 12 additional Sukhoi30 MKI fighter jets. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has some 260 Russian-origin Sukhoi-30MKI jets in its fleet. Over the years, the HAL has produced a large part of the fleet of the jets. The MoD said the aircraft would have an indigenous content of 62.6 per cent, enhanced due to indigenisation of many components to Aircraft to have 62.6% indigenous content be manufactured by the local defence industry. Several parts of the plane would be sourced from Russia. The 12 aircraft would be manufactured at the HAL’s Nashik division. “The supply of the aircraft will enhance operational capability of the IAF and strengthen defence preparedness of the country,” the MoD said. The IAF is facing a threat of dwindling number of fighter jet squadrons. continued on page 9 Jaunpur (UP), December 12 The mother-in-law and the brother-in-law of techie Atul Subhash, who committed suicide in Bengaluru, fled their home in Jaunpur on Thursday, even as the UP Police said they were yet to receive any official communication from Karnataka. The 34-year-old techie ended his life on Monday in Bengaluru, alleging harassment at the hands of his estranged wife and her family. A case of abetment to suicide was registered against his wife Nikita Singhania, her mother Nisha, brother Anurag and uncle Sushil. Around 1 am, Nisha and Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 12 The Union Cabinet, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, on Thursday approved two Bills to enable simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies. The draft legislations, which Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal piloted in the Cabinet today and Home Minister Amit Shah elaborated, will be introduced in Par- No contact yet between UP, Karnataka cops SC ON HARASSMENT CHARGE IN SUICIDE CASE Holding that mere harassment wasn’t enough to find an accused guilty of abetting suicide, the SC has discharged the husband & two in-laws of a woman who died by suicide after allegedly being harassed by them for dowry. INSIDE Anurag, alias Piyush Singhania, left their home in the Khowa Mandi area here on a continued on page 9 Farmers hit jackpot, NHAI projects take off Give possession of land after govt hikes compensation by whopping 600% Nitin Jain GOVT PAYING THROUGH THE NOSE FOR LAND ACQUISITION Tribune News Service Ludhiana, December 12 The stalled, terminated or withdrawn highway projects of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in Punjab have started taking off, one after another. The latest being the 37.7 km Ludhiana-Ropar highway to be built at a cost of Rs 2,900 crore. This has been made possible after the possession of acquired land parcels for VILLAGE LAND (IN ACRES) GUJJARWAL 3.3 CHAPPAR 2.55 DHURKOT 1.85 BALLOWAL 1.83 INITIAL AWARD ~12.18 ~12.18 ~12.18 ~12.18 ENHANCED RATE ~84.16 ~81.44 ~81.44 ~85.15 VILLAGE JURAHA KALAKH KOT AGGA LOHGARH LAND (IN ACRES) 1.75 1.38 0.77 0.6 INITIAL AWARD ~12.18 ~12.84 ~12.18 ~12.18 ENHANCED RATE ~81.44 ~85.15 ~85.15 ~85.15 (Source: Revenue records; award/rate in ~ lakh) these projects has been taken from farmers, who had been protesting against “unfair” compensation for their land. Investigations by The Tribune revealed that the farmers started vacating their land after they were see you but you can’t see them. He finally did so and came up trumps. “In 2013… I watched Vishy sir lose. I was young but that vision has stayed in my memory. The title was taken away from India. I wanted to be in the same glass box and bring back the title. That has been my dream for the past 10 years or so to be in the glass box. And my best moment, before this, was when I entered the glass box for the first game,” he shared after winning the title. It was a befitting birthday gift for Anand, who turned 55 yesterday. Gukesh replaces Russian grandmaster Garry Kasparov as the youngest world champion. Kasparov was 22 when he won the title. Gukesh is also the 18th world champion — Wilhelm Steinitz was the first to win the crown in 1886. This is Gukesh’s record third world tournament victory in a calendar year. He won the Candidates tournaments, making him eligible to chal- Cabinet nod to one nation, one poll Bills; next stop Parl MoD, HAL ink ~13.5K-cr Mother-in-law of B’luru deal for 12 Sukhoi-30 jets techie flees house in UP Ajay Banerjee Dethrones China’s Ding to become youngest world champion paid a whopping 600 per cent higher compensation. Earlier, the Centre had warned the continued on page 9 c m y b Will be sent to joint panel of both Houses for review liament during the ongoing session. Plans are afoot to send these Bills to a joint committee of both Houses for comprehensive stakeholder consultations. As recommended by the former President Ram Nath Kovind-led panel whose report was accepted by the Cabinet on September 18, the government will move amendments to enable simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies in the first phase. The synchronisation of municipal and panchayat elections with the Lok Sabha and state polls will be left for the second and a later stage. The Kovind panel had said, “As the first step, simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha continued on page 9 lenge Ding, and later was part of the Indian team that won the gold at the Chess Olympiad. This is also perhaps India’s biggest win against China at the world stage where both countries compete on an equal footing — unlike athletics that is dominated by China and hockey that is balanced towards India. Gukesh showed a remarkable display of aggression and novelty throughout the championship. He kept pressing for a win in a rook-bishop pawn endgame theoretically drawn at the grandmaster level. continued on page 9 India votes in favour of Gaza truce at UN UNITED NATIONS: India voted in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution that demanded an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and reiterated the demand for immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. INSIDE Kejri’s pre-poll vow: ~2,100 for women NEW DELHI: AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday announced the rollout of the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Samman Yojana and vowed to raise the monthly aid to women from Rs 1K to Rs 2,100 post poll. INSIDE