28032025-TTC-01.qxd 3/28/2025 12:49 AM Page 1 13 LoP NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK: MPs MEET BIRLA NATION /thetribunechd CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 9 NO. 85 | 16 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 friday | 28 march 2025 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Three J&K policemen, 3 Pak-origin militants killed in Kathua gunfight 3 security personnel hurt as forces come under heavy fire in forest Arjun Sharma Jammu, March 27 Three Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel and three militants were killed while three security men were injured in an encounter in a thick forest near Jakhole village of Ghati Juthana in J&K’s Kathua district on Thursday. The security forces, including the Army, launched a combing operation after being alerted by villagers about suspicious movement in the area, said officials. Sources said the hiding terrorists, carrying sophisticated weapons and learnt to be highly trained and of Pakistani origin, fired indiscriminately at the security personnel, injuring five of them, including Sub-Divisional Police Officer Dheeraj Katoch. Katoch and A policeman injured in the Kathua encounter being shifted to a hospital in Jammu on Thursday. PTI three other police personnel were the first to reach the area and came under heavy fire from the militants. Dur- ing the encounter, a head constable and two constables were killed, said sources. No official statement was released by the police till the filing of this report. The injured included a jawan of continued on page 6 Ruchika M Khanna LSclears stringent Immigration Bill; Shah says India not a dharamshala Tribune News Service Ujwal Jalali Chandigarh, March 27 Right in the midst of the Yudh Nasheyan Virudh drive of the Punjab Government, Governor Gulab Chand Kataria has announced to undertake a sixday “padyatra” to create awareness against the drug menace. The Governor will start the padyatra from near the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district, on April 3. It will culminate on the April 8 evening at the Jallianwala continued on page 6 Tribune News Service PunjabGovernorto start6-day‘padyatra’ for drug awareness New Delhi, March 27 The Lok Sabha passed the Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025, on Thursday, with Home Minister Amit Shah saying that those who come to India for business, education and investment are welcome, but those who pose a threat to security will face stringent action. Shah said the government would not allow anyone who wished to disrupt peace enter the country. “This country is Oppn: Send Bill to JPC for further examination not a dharamshala where anyone can come and reside. If someone comes by following the law and with an intention of developing both India and their home country, they are most welcome. But if it is a security threat, it is the right of Parliament to make a law to stop them,” he said in Parliament while replying to a debate on the Bill. The Bill, PLEDGE AGAINST DRUGS which seeks to regulate immigration, entry and stay of foreigners in India, was passed by a voice vote. It repeals the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939, the Foreigners Act, 1946, and the Immigration (Carriers’ Liability) Act, 2000. During the discussion, Shah explained the features of the Bill and said it held significance for strengthening national security, ensuring global standards of Indian continued on page 6 On day out in Parl, MP Rashid quizzes Gadkari on projects Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 27 Baramulla MP Abdul Rashid Sheikh on Thursday attended the Parliament’s Budget session while “in-custody”. LOK SABHA VISIT TO COST BARAMULLA MP ~1.45 L/DAY Punjab Police IGP Baljot Singh Rathore (left), other police personnel and civilians take a pledge to eradicate drugs from the state, during an awareness event in Abohar on Thursday. TRIBUNE PHOTO Bar leaders ask Collegium to withdraw Justice Varma’s transfer, want FIRlodged Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 27 The leaders of six Bar associations of different high courts on Thursday met Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna-led Supreme Court Collegium and demanded the withdrawal of the recommendation to transfer Justice Yashwant Varma of the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court. Justice Varma has been in the eye of the storm following discovery of unaccounted cash at his residence during a CASH AT JUDGE’S HOUSE SC TO HEAR TODAY PLEA FOR FIR IN JUSTICE VARMA ROW 8 PHONES OF COPS BEING FORENSICALLY EXAMINED REPORTS INSIDE fire incident on March 14. The leaders of the Bar associations of the high courts of Allahabad, Gujarat, Kerala, Jabalpur, Karnataka and Lucknow (Bench of Allahabad HC), who met the CJI and other Collegium members, also questioned non-registration of an FIR in the incident. The other Collegium members are Justices BR Gavai, Surya Kant, Abhay S Oka and Vikram Nath. Judicial work has already been withdrawn from Justice Varma. Now, the Bar leaders have sought the withdrawal of all administrative work from him. Justice Varma has denied the allegations saying no cash was ever placed in the storeroom either by him or any of his family members, and that there was an attempt to frame him. The lawyers of the Allahabad continued on page 6 Speaking during the question hour, the MP humoured Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, remarking, “Everyone is a fan of your work and working style.” He asked the minister about the status of infrastructure projects in Jammu and Kashmir. Gadkari provided updates on works worth Rs 2 lakh crore in the UT, revealing that 60 per cent of Asia’s largest Zojila continued on page 6 Man gets death for Ludhiana girl’s rape LUDHIANA: A city court has awarded the death penalty to Sonu Singh (28) of Fatehpur district in UP for the rape and murder of a five-year-old girl. The 58-page verdict was based on the testimonies of 16 witnesses and supported by CCTV footage. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 5.5 lakh on him. INSIDE Verdict in Chd ‘cash at judge’s door’ case tomorrow Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 27 A CBI court in Chandigarh will on Saturday pronounce its judgment in the 2008 alleged “cash at judge’s door” case against Justice Nirmal Yadav, then a sitting judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The case against Justice Yadav had originated when a bag containing Rs 15 lakh was delivered at the residence of Justice Nirmaljit Kaur, another sitting judge of the high court. The prosecution had maintained that the bag was meant for Justice Yadav but due to the similarity in the names of the two judges, it mistakenly reached Justice Kaur’s residence. The Chandigarh Police had registered an FIR on August 16, 2008. Special CBI Judge Alka Malik today reserved the verdict after final arguments concluded on the additional GOVT INKS DEFENCE DEALS WORTH ~2.5K CR BACK PAGE evidence produced by the prosecution and the rebuttal by the defence counsels. The prosecution had sought permission from the high court to re-examine 22 witnesses, asserting that their testimonies were vital for the just adjudication of continued on page 6 c m y b
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.
The Tribune, the largest selling daily in North India, publishes news and views without any bias or prejudice of any kind. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language and partisanship, are the hallmarks of the paper. It is an independent newspaper in the real sense of the term.
The English edition apart, the 133-year-old Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).
