03042025-TTB-01.qxd 4/3/2025 12:57 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 145 NO. 91 | 14 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HARYANA CHAKRAVARTHY SLIPS TO 3RD SPOT IN ICC T2O RANKINGS SPORT /thetribunechd ISRAEL PLANS TO SEIZE ‘LARGE AREAS’ OF GAZA WORLD KATHUA ANTI-TERROR OPERATION ENTERS DAY 12 J&K PM MODI’S 2-DAY VISIT TO THAILAND STARTS TODAY BACK PAGE thursday | 3 april 2025 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com STORMY DEBATE ON CONTENTIOUS LEGISLATION STRETCHES BEYOND MIDNIGHT Waqf Bill won’t interfere in religious affairs, will ensure transparency: Shah Animesh Singh & Ujwal Jalali Tribune News Service New Delhi, April 2 Putting up a stout defence for the Waqf Amendment Bill-2025, Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said in the Lok Sabha that due to vote bank politics, fear was being spread that the legislation would infringe on the religious freedom of the Muslim community and properties which were donated by them. The Opposition termed the Bill unconstitutional and a bid to disenfranchise minorities and divide society. During a discussion on the contentious Bill, which was earlier in the day brought to the Lower House for passage by Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, Shah said non-Muslims in the Waqf council and boards were meant purely for ensuring that the administration of properties was in accordance with stated aims. Shah said the government had no intention of interfering in Muslims’ religious matters. He underlined that Waqf Home Minister Amit Shah speaks during a discussion on the Waqf Bill in the Lok Sabha. PTI CAN’T ALLOW PEOPLE FROM OTHER FAITHS ON WAQF BOARD: MUSLIMS COALITION POLITICS AT PLAY, GOVT ACCEPTS 3 TDP AMENDMENTS BILL WILL BENEFIT ENCROACHERS, ALLEGE COMMUNITY MEMBERS REPORTS INSIDE Cong’s Imran Pratapgarhi protests outside Parliament as Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia passes by. PTI was a type of charitable institution where a person donated his property for social, religious or public welfare purposes, without the right to take it back. Presenting a long list of properties that, he said, were given for Waqf, the Home Minister said, “You cannot donate someone else’s property. You donate something which is yours.” He cited examples of court Army foils intrusion bid by Pak soldiers in J&K’s Poonch sector government land... In Tamil Nadu, a 400-year-old temple property was declared Waqf’s. Land for a five-star establishment was given to Waqf for Rs 12,000 a month... Several properties belonging to different religions were declared as Waqf property, including Chandra Shekhar Azad Park in Prayagraj,” he said. The amended Waqf Bill, he said, would be instrumental in stopping this. “This Bill will protect property…it will bring transparency,” he said. Shah said the new legislation might not have been necessary had the Waqf (Amendment) Act not been passed in 2013 — when the Congress-led UPA II was in power — just months before the Lok Sabha elections the following year. Earlier, while piloting the Bill, Rijiju had said a case going on since 1970 in Delhi involved several properties, including the old Parliament building. “The Delhi Waqf Board had claimed these properties. The case was in court but then the UPA denotified 123 continued on page 8 Oppn: Will hurt secular image, send wrong message to world Tribune News Service NewDelhi, April 2 A spirited Opposition led from the front in the debate on the Waqf Bill, despite knowing that it didn’t have the numbers — 238 vs 293 — and that the passage of the Bill was a foregone conclusion. Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav, Congress’ KC Venugopal and Gaurav Gogoi and Shiv Sena UBT’s Arvind Sawant were the star speakers from the Opposition benches. Arguing that the BJP’s motive to take backdoor control of Islamic institutions, such as the Waqf, Venugopal plunged into the debate saying that the ruling party was aiming to “defame, divide and disenfranchise the minorities”. The Congress MP from Allapuzha asked why the Waqf Bill insisted on at least two non-Muslim members being part of the board when sacred Hindu shrines in Jammu like the Vaishno Devi trust and the Devaswom Board in Kerala (which manages all the temples in the state) did not have any nonHindus on their boards. “This Bill is directly against the Constitution,” Venugopal EXPLAINER BILL CHANGES THE 1995 LAW The Waqf Act of 1954 was the first post-Independence legislation introduced to manage Waqf properties and to ensure incomes generated from these were used for intended charitable purposes. The law was amended in 1959, 1964, 1969, 1984 and 1995. The new Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 changes the 1995 law. INSIDE said, adding that the “rights of minorities must be safeguarded” at all costs. The Congress MP also sought to expand the argument beyond the Waqf board by saying that 753 churches had been attacked in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Manipur and that the BJP was against the equal treatment of minorities. “Today you are against Muslims, tomorrow it will be the Christians, day after Sikhs,” Venugopal said, adding, “This Bill attacks the freedom of religion in this country.” During the discussion, Haryana raises electricity rates by 20-30 paise Arjun Sharma Jammu, April 2 The Army foiled an attempted intrusion by Pakistani soldiers in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch and responded swiftly to the manoeuvres from the other side of the border on Tuesday. While there was no official statement on the incident yesterday, the Army on Wednesday said that after a mine blast close to the LoC, Pakistani soldiers opened unprovoked fire, violating the ceasefire that was “responded effectively”. However, sources said the Pakistani soldiers, believed to be helping a group of terrorists infiltrate across the LoC, also tried to intrude into the Indian side. Jammu-based Defence PRO Lt Col Suneel Bartwal said, “On April 1, a mine blast occurred in Krishna Ghati sector while the Pak- TRUCE VIOLATED Pakistani troops violated ceasefire at the LoC while trying to help terrorists enter India. A mine went off presumably when a Pakistani soldier or a terrorist stepped on it. istan army was patrolling along the LoC. This was followed by unprovoked firing and ceasefire violation by the Pakistani army. Our troops responded effectively.” It has been learnt that mortar shells were also used by both sides to target each other’s posts. There was no report of casualty on the Indian side. As there are multiple mines planted near the LoC to thwart infiltration bids by terrorists, a mine went off presumably when a Pakistani soldier or a terrorist stepped on it. continued on page 8 Pilot missing in jet crash rulings and referred to a case where the Karnataka High Court had to stop “grabbing” of 602 sq km by the Waqf Board. “Properties in Lutyens’ zone (Delhi) went to Waqf, and they started taking over Kuki groups set 3 conditionsfortalks Imphal: Ahead of the April 5 talks between Kuki Zo and Meitei groups called by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Kuki leadership has set three pre-conditions, including no cross movement between Meitei and Kukis in the areas where the other community is in majority. — PTI Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 2 Electricity in Haryana will now cost more as the power regulator has revised the tariff from April 1. In its order issued late on Tuesday, the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) announced that the power rates would increase for both domestic and industrial categories from 20 to 30 paise per unit (kWh). The tariff for domestic consumers has been hiked by 20 paise per kWh. In a slab of 0 to 50 units, the rate has now been revised from Rs 2 per kWh to Rs 2.20 per kWh. In the 51-100 unit slab, the rate has been increased from Rs 2.50 per kWh to Rs 2.70 per kWh. Consumers with consumption of over 100 units a month (in the slab of 0-150 units) will pay Rs 2.95 per kWh, up from Rs 2.75. To support farmers, the minimum monthly charges for the agriculture category having metered connection have been reduced from Rs 200 per BHP per year to Rs 180/144 per BHP per year, as per the load. INSIDE Akhilesh Yadav said the Bill would send a wrong message to the world and hit India's secular image. “The Waqf Bill is a new form of the BJP’s communal politics. The party’s goal is polarisation... it will send a wrong message to the world and hurt India’s secular image,” Yadav said in the Lok Sabha. He said the Bill had been introduced to manage the BJP's diminishing vote bank and would prove to be a “waterloo” for the saffron party as some members might be claiming to support the Bill but actually they were not happy about it. Yadav alleged that whenever the BJP government brought any Bill, it tried to “hide its failure”. Participating in the debate, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant, who was the member of the Joint Parliament Committee (JPC), said clause-byclause discussions were not held in the committee regarding the Bill. “I am here to present my view on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. I, too, was a member of the JPC. Unfortunately, till the end, clauseby-clause discussions were not held in the JPC. continued on page 8 HC imposes ~25K costonAnilAmbani An anti-drug campaign is launched by Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal in Ludhiana. ASHWANI DHIMAN Drug drivesby Punjab Guv, CM — Aday apart On eve of Kataria’s Gurdaspur yatra, Kejri & Mann start campaign in Ludhiana Manav Mander GOVERNOR ON 6-DAY MARCH Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 2 On the eve of the launch of a padyatra by Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, a walk against drugs (Yudh Nashian Virudh) was flagged off by Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal and CM Bhagwant Mann in Ludhiana today. The Governor will start the padyatra from near Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, Dera Baba Nanak, in Gurdaspur Governor Gulab Chand Kataria will start his padyatra from near Kartarpur Sahib Corridor in Dera Baba Nanak on April 3. It will culminate on April 8 at Jallianwala Bagh. He will walk through villages of Gurdaspur and Amritsar. district on April 3. It will culminate on April 8 at Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar. Kataria will walk through villages of Gurdaspur and Amritsar during these six days. Meanwhile, scores of students, including members of the NCC and the National Service Scheme, today marched from Aarti Chowk to Ghumar Mandi Chowk carrying placards against drugs. Kejriwal, along with party leader Manish Sisodia, arrived on the stage and waved at the crowd. Mann followed them later. Mann and Kejriwal addressed the students and administered an oath before flagging off the walk against drugs. Mann issued a warning to drug peddlers saying that the government won’t allow them to ruin the lives of others. He said they would face bulldozer action. Kejriwal tried to strike a chord with the students by addressing them as his own continued on page 8 Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has imposed a cost of ~25,000 on industrialist Anil Ambani for seeking an urgent hearing of his petition challenging a notice issued to him by the Income Tax Department in April 2022, noting it as an “artificial urgency”. — PTI Infant succumbs to bird flu in Andhra narasaraopeta: A two-year-old girl from Andhra Pradesh succumbed to bird flu recently, an official said on Wednesday. The Pune-based National Institute of Virology confirmed that she had contracted bird flu. “The girl died while undergoing treatment at AIIMS-Mangalagiri,” the official said. — PTI CBI fabricated evidence against Justice Nirmal Yadav, says court Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service An Air Force pilot ejected safely while another was missing after a Jaguar fighter jet crashed near Jamnagar in Gujarat. BACK PAGE Chandigarh, April 2 A Chandigarh court has said the CBI fabricated evidence against former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Justice Nirmal Yadav in the 2008 cash-at-judge’s-door case. Releasing its detailed 90page judgment today, the court of Special Judge (CBI) Alka Malik, which had acquitted Justice Yadav and four other accused on March 29, said the probe agency used a “highly aggrieved person”, then Haryana Additional District and Sessions Judge RK Jain, to “weave a case against her”. It said Justice Yadav had rejected an appeal by Jain on March 11, 2008. The judgment highlighted that the CBI relied heavily on Jain’s statement to build its case against the high court judge. “The court has no hesitation in saying the CBI picked up a person who was highly aggrieved by a ruling of Justice Yadav, which went against his interests. His testimony was used to weave a HIGHLY AGGRIEVED PERSON USED The CBI picked up a person who was highly aggrieved by a ruling of Justice Yadav and used his testimony to weave a case against her. His statements were based on assumptions, hypothesis and falsehood. CBI court ❝ Justice (retd) Nirmal Yadav case against her,” the court remarked. Special Judge Malik noted that it would c m y b have been highly appreciable for a premier investigating agency like the CBI to stick to its earlier stance of filing a closure report in the matter rather than “fabricating a highly untrustworthy evidence in the form of Jain’s (prosecution witness 26) testimony”. “His statements were based on assumptions, presumptions, hypothesis and falsehood,” the court said. The court pointed out that the corruption case was registered on August 16, 2008, more than five months after Justice Yadav had ruled against Jain’s appeal. “It would have been immature and imprudent on the part of even a layman to accept the contention that a sitting judge of the high court will receive illegal gratification or undue advantage in a matter decided five months earlier,” the court said. Jain testified that after getting a favourable judgment from the high court, one of the accused, late Sanjiv Bansal, got an affidavit from him for not pursuing the matter in the Supreme Court, the CBI court said. continued on page 8