03032025-TTB-01.qxd 3/3/2025 12:56 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 145 NO. 61 | 12 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 CEASEFIRE TENSIONS ESCALATE AS ISRAEL CUTS GAZA AID WORLD /thetribunechd BATTLEGROUND SET AS BUDGET SESSION KICKS OFF TODAY J&K RAHUL REAFFIRMS DHANKHAR CONCERNED UNITY IN KERALA UNIT OVER ‘ORCHESTRATED AMID TENSIONS NATION CONVERSIONS’ BACK PAGE monday | 3 march 2025 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Court orders FIR against ex-Sebi chief Buch, five others for fraud INDIA THRASH NZ, TO MEET AUSSIES IN SEMIS Says prima facie evidence of regulatory lapses, collusion needs fair probe Mumbai, March 2 A special court here has directed the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to register an FIR against former Sebi chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch and five officials in connection with an alleged stock market fraud and regulatory violations. “There is prima facie evidence of regulatory lapses and collusion, requiring a fair and impartial probe,” special ACB court judge Shashikant Eknathrao Bangar said in the order passed on Saturday. The court order also noted that the allegations disclosed a cognisable offence, necessitating an investigation. The inaction by law enforcement (agencies) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India necessitated judicial intervention under the provisions of the CrPC, it said. Apart MARKET REGULATOR TO CHALLENGE ORDER ■ Sebi said it “will initiate Madhabi Puri Buch from Buch, the other officials against whom the court has ordered an FIR are BSE’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Sundararaman Ramamurthy, its then Chairman and Public Interest Director Pramod Agarwal and Sebi’s three whole-time members — Ashwani Bhatia, Ananth Narayan G and Kamlesh Chandra Varshney. appropriate legal steps to challenge this order and remains committed to ensuring due regulatory compliance in all matters” ■ The allegations pertain to the fraudulent listing of a company on the stock exchange with the active connivance of the regulatory authorities, particularly Sebi The court said it would monitor the probe, and sought a status report within 30 days. Sebi said it “will initiate appropriate legal steps to challenge this order and remains committed to ensuring due regulatory compliance in all matters”. The complainant, Sapan Shrivastava (47), had sought an investigation into the alleged offences committed by the proposed accused, involving large-scale financial fraud, regulatory violations and corruption. The allegations pertain to the fraudulent listing of a company on the stock exchange with the active connivance of the regulatory authorities, particularly Sebi, without compliance under the Sebi Act, 1992, and rules and regulations thereunder. The complainant claimed that Sebi officials failed in their statutory duty, facilitated market manipulation and enabled corporate fraud by allowing the listing of a company that did not meet the prescribed norms. Despite approaching the police station and regulatory bodies concerned on multiple occasions, no action was taken by them, the complainant said. continued on page 8 Siltremovalefforts underway,tunnel rescue in last leg U’khand avalanche toll 8 as bodies of 4 more BRO workers recovered Nagarkurnool, March 2 Efforts to remove silt at locations where the trapped persons were detected inside the partially collapsed SLBC tunnel here have been intensified with an increased deployment of personnel and equipment. The damaged conveyor belt, which was impacted by the collapse, is expected to be repaired by Monday, an official said on Sunday. Once restored, it would allow for easier removal of muck and debris from the tunnel. “The number of personnel and equipment at the identified locations is being increased,” he said, adding that the process of silt removal and dewatering was going on continuously. A significant breakthrough in the rescue operation occurred on Saturday when the whereabouts of four of the eight people trapped inside were located. Experts used ground penetrating radar and detected some “anomalies” inside the tunnel, providing a crucial lead. Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy visited the site on Sunday evening and held a review meeting with officials. — PTI Tribune News Service 60-hour rescue operation ends New Delhi, March 2 The bodies of the last four of the trapped labourers were recovered from the site of the avalanche-hit Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp at Chamoli in Uttarakhand on Sunday, taking the death toll to eight as the authorities ended the nearly 60-hour rescue operation. Army doctors said the 46 workers who were rescued on Saturday were brought to the military hospital in Joshimath. Two of them were referred to AIIMS, Rishikesh. An avalanche had struck the BRO camp between Mana and Badrinath at 7: 15 am on Friday. “Out of the 54 labourers who went missing after the avalanche, 46 were rescued and eight found Helicopters, sniffer dogs and thermal imaging technology were used to expedite the rescue operation in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. PTI dead,” Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari said. Four bodies were retrieved on Saturday and as many on Sunday. Earlier, it was believed that the total number of trapped labourers was 55 but on Sunday this number was revised to 54 as one of the continued on page 8 UK, France push for Ukraine peace plan at London summit London, March 2 UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told world leaders on Sunday that they needed to step up to a “once in a generation moment” for the security of Europe, at a summit in London to discuss ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. Starmer said getting a good outcome for Ukraine was “vital to the security of every nation here and many others too”. He was flanked by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron during the official photo to mark the start of talks. After the meeting, Starmer said he did not see the US as an unreliable ally, but Europe must continue to provide funding for Ukraine to put it in a stronger position if peace was negotiated. He said the plan he was working on for peace in Ukraine was intended to receive US backing. “The UK will use $2 billion in export financing to supply 5,000 air defence missiles for Ukraine,” he said. 50% voter turnout in Haryana civic polls; counting on March 12 CHANDIGARH: Voter fatigue appeared to have impacted turnout as only about 50 per cent of the over 51 lakh eligible voters exercised their franchise in the civic body elections held in Haryana on Sunday. State Election Commissioner Dhanpat Singh described the polling process as peaceful. The lowest turnout of 29 per cent was recorded in the mayoral bypoll in Sonepat, while Manesar reported the highest participation at 65 per cent. The counting will take place on March 12. INSIDE Ganga water unfit for bathing at most sitesinBihar:Study Patna, March 2 The water of the Ganga in Bihar is not fit for bathing at most places in the state due to the presence of a higher value of “bacteriological population”, according to the Bihar Economic Survey 2024-25. The Bihar State Pollution Control Board monitors the water quality of the Ganga at 34 locations on a fortnightly basis, officials said. According to the survey recently tabled in the Assembly, “The water quality of the Ganga indicates the presence of a higher value of bacteriological population (total coliform and faecal coliform). This is mainly due to the discharge of sewage/domestic waste water from cities located on the banks of the Ganga and her tributaries.” INSIDE Varun Chakravarthy (second from right) celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of New Zealand’s Will Young during an ICC Champions Trophy match in Dubai on Sunday. India will now face Australia in the first semifinal on Tuesday. PTI REPORT INSIDE Voters queue up outside a polling station in Karnal on Sunday. PHOTO: VARUN GULATI $2 BN DEAL TO FUND MISSILES FOR KYIV ❝ I don't see the US as an unreliable ally, but Europe must keep provide funding for Ukraine. The UK will use $2 bn in export financing to supply 5,000 air defence missiles to Kyiv. Keir Starmer, UK PRIME MINISTER Earlier on Sunday, Starmer said Britain, France and Ukraine had agreed to work on a ceasefire plan to present to the US. The summit took place two days after talks broke down between US President Donald Trump and Zelenskyy, when Trump blasted Zelenskyy for not being grateful enough for US support. Earlier in the day, Starmer said he’s focused on being a bridge to restore peace talks, whose collapse he used as an opportunity to re-engage with Trump, Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron rather than “ramp up the rhetoric”. “We’ve now agreed that the UK along with France and possibly one or two others will work with Ukraine on a plan to stop the fighting and then we’ll discuss that plan with the US,” Starmer said. He and Macron had both spoken to Trump since Friday. The London meeting has taken on greater importance in defending the war-torn ally and shoring up the continent’s defences. Starmer said it would involve “a coalition of the willing.” He said there were “intense discussions” to get a security guarantee from the US. “If there is to be a deal, if continued on page 8 edit: nasty showdown Kerala man killed at Jordan-Israel border THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ani Thomas Gabriel (47), a native of Thumba in Kerala, was reportedly shot dead at the Jordan-Israel border, his relatives said. Gabriel’s family said they received an email from the Indian Embassy confirming his death. The incident occurred on February 10, when Jordanian soldiers opened fire at the border. Gabriel was part of a group attempting to cross the Jordan border into Israel with the help of an agent. — PTI CM Mann: No place for peddlers in state HOSHIARPUR: Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Sunday termed his government’s drive against the drug menace a “historic moment” for Punjab as the state police have launched a concentrated campaign to snap supply lines and arrest those involved in it. Mann stressed that gangsters and drug smugglers had no place in Punjab and they would be “wiped out” and put behind bars soon. INSIDE edit: war on drugs No fake voters, duplicate IDs stem from manual system: EC refutes Didi’s charge Ubeer Naqushbandi Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 2 The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday clarified that duplicate election photo identity card (EPIC) numbers on voter ID cards do not indicate the presence of fake voters. The poll body attributed the duplication to the decentralised and manual system used before the voter database was digitised. It assured that all duplicate EPIC numbers would be rec- tified by assigning unique identifiers to voters. The clarification came after West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of colluding with the ECI to include fake voters in the state’s electoral rolls ahead of next year’s Assembly elections. Mamata claimed to have evidence of duplicate EPIC numbers linking voters from states like Haryana and Gujarat to West Bengal. She alleged that similar tactics had helped the continued on page 8 WHAT WB CM SAID There are duplicate ID card numbers linking voters from Haryana and Gujarat to West Bengal. Such tactics helped the BJP win in Maharashtra and Delhi, Mamata alleged WILL UPDATE DATABASE Some ID numbers may be identical, but demographic and other details differ… will address issue by assigning unique voter ID numbers, the EC clarifies Scamsters took ~1 cr from medicos for clearing 34 subjects in MBBS exams Ravinder Saini Tribune News Service Rohtak, March 2 The police investigation into the MBBS exam scam at Pt BD Sharma University of Health Sciences, Rohtak, has revealed that the racketeers took Rs 1 crore from students of a private college in 2023 for helping them clear 34 subjects. Many of these students had failed and were desperate to pass the exams. “The racketeers had set a minimum bribe amount of Rs 2 lakh per subject under the deal. Of the Rs 1 crore, one of the accused kept Rs 50 lakh for himself and passed on the remaining amount to a middleman. However, the outcome was not as per the deal with the racketeers only managing to clear 18 subjects. This led to dissatisfaction among students who had paid hefty amounts but did not succeed in the exams,” said a source. The source maintained that the accused, during 24 STUDENTS, 17 VARSITY OFFICIALS BOOKED ■ During interrogation, the accused disclosed the names of all students who had paid the money in exchange for ensuring pass marks in the examinations interrogation, disclosed the names of all students who had paid the money in exchange for ensuring pass marks in the examinations. The police were now gearing up to question these stu- ■ An FIR has been registered against 41 persons — 24 students and 17 university employees — in connection with the scam; three employees have been arrested dents to verify the accused’s statements. The inkling about cross-examination had caused rumblings among the students, the source said. “An intriguing aspect of the scam is that in many cases, c m y b the answer sheets, once sneaked out from the university office, were reattempted by students (not actual examinees) from the same college. Some of these students were either middlemen or friends of the actual examinees,” the source said. The source maintained that the racketeers had obtained several blank answer sheets from a university official in 2024. These sheets were filled by others and not the actual students who were appearing for the exams at that time. During this period, an invigilator allegedly leaked the exam paper, allowing the racketeers to fill in the responses on the blank sheets simultaneously. Later, these blank sheets were swapped with the original answer sheets, the source said. A three-member inquiry committee led by Dr MK Garg, Director, Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College, Karnal, in its report, disclosed that a total of 46 blank answer sheets for the MBBS exam held at the health university in January/February 2024 had gone missing. Surprisingly, some of these missing sheets were found to have been used in a subsequent examination conducted in April/May 2024 in the university. An FIR has been registered against 41 persons — 24 students and 17 health university employees — in connection with the scam. Three employees have so far been arrested.