01042024-TTC-01.qxd 5/1/2024 12:37 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 144 NO. 120 | 12 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 NETANYAHU VOWS TO INVADE RAFAH ‘WITH OR WITHOUT DEAL’ WORLD /thetribunechd RAIN TRIGGERS LANDSLIDES IN UT, 4 DEAD, 1 MISSING J&K SEBI TAKES STEPS TO CURB FRAUDULENT MFTRADE BUSINESS PM: WE TARGET ULTRAS IN THEIR HOMES, DON’T SEND DOSSIERS BACK PAGE wednesday | 1 may 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com PILES TREATMENT German/American Italian Techniques RANA HOSPITAL SAME DAY DISCHARGE 98141-28667 SC asks ED to explain timing of Kejri’s arrest Satya Prakash Tribune News Service BDO Office Road, Sirhind (PUNJAB) IN BRIEF Godrej family divides businesses, assets NEW DELHI: The founding family of 127-year-old Godrej Group has decided to split, with Adi and Nadir keeping Godrej Industries, and cousins Jamshyd and Smita getting Godrej & Boyce. INSIDE Vistara training offcial sacked over ‘lapses’ NEW DELHI:The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has suspended Vikram Mohan Dayal, vice-president of training, Vistara, for lapses in conversion training of pilots. PTI Two score 500/500 in PSEB Class XII results MOHALI: Ekampreet Singh of Lud- hiana and Raviuday Singh of Muktsar scored 500/500 to bag the first and second position, respectively, in PSEB Class XII results declared on Tuesday. INSIDE New Delhi, April 30 The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned the Enforcement Directorate on the timing of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy scam ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. While hearing Kejriwal’s petition challenging the Delhi High Court’s April 9 verdict upholding his arrest by the ED, a Bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta posed five questions to Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the probe agency, raised by the Delhi Chief Minister in his rejoinder affidavit. 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. The HC had on April 9 dismissed Kejriwal’s petition challenging his arrest by the ED, saying there was no violation of law as there was “enough material” that justi- WHY AHEAD OF GENERAL ELECTION? Life and liberty are exceedingly important. You can’t deny that… Question is with regard to timing of arrest… soon before General Election. — SC PROBE AGENCY’S REPLY SOUGHT ON MAY 3 ❝ ■ Explain long gap between initi- ation of proceedings in the case and action of arrest ■ In Sisodia case, there were findings in favour & against, where does Kejriwal case lie? ■ No proceedings of attachment in this case; if there are, show how petitioner is involved? ■ Sans adjudicatory proceedings, can ED initiate criminal proceedings based on PMLA judgments? fied his arrest. On Saturday, Kejriwal had told the SC his arrest by the ED in the case was a classic case of a ruling party misusing probe agencies to crush its biggest political continued on page 8 ROHIT TO LEAD ROHIT SHARMA T20 WC TEAM Hardik Pandya picked vice-captain ■ Seamer Arshdeep Singh, leg-spin- ner Yuzvendra Chahal from region ■ Sanju Samson makes WC debut ■ Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh reserve players ■ KL Rahul dropped from squad SANJU SAMSON THE LINE-UP: Rohit Sharma (captain) | Hardik Pandya (vice-captain) | Yashasvi Jaiswal | Virat Kohli | Suryakumar Yadav | Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper) | Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper) | Shivam Dube | Ravindra Jadeja | Axar Patel | Kuldeep Yadav | Yuzvendra Chahal | Arshdeep Singh | Jasprit Bumrah | Mohd. Siraj JUNE 2 TO 29 1ST TIE ON JUNE 5 US & CARIBBEAN INDIA VS IRELAND (NEW YORK) Kundu retires as Himachal DGP, Ojha frontrunner for post Pratibha Chauhan Tribune News Service Shimla, April 30 Even as Director General of Police Sanjay Kundu retired from service today, the state government is yet to take a final call on the appointment of his successor. A panel of three senior-most IPS officers has already been sent to the Centre for selection of the new DGP but a final decision , is awaited. Considering that the model code of conduct is in force due to the Lok Sabha poll, the permission of the Election Commission of continued on page 8 MEA terms US media account of RAW hand in Pannun case ‘irresponsible’ Sandeep Dikshit CLASSIFIED INFO ABOUT TRADE TIES Tribune News Service New Delhi, April 30 In what appears to be a pincer movement to corner India on “transnational suppression”, the Australian media has said Indian intelligence operatives were part of a “nest of spies” which led to the expulsion of two of them. Even as the MEA hit back at a story in The Washington Post a day earlier which alleged that then RAW chief Samant Goel had sanctioned the plan to assassinate Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York, the Australian media has given extensive coverage to claims ■ The Australian media has given extensive coverage to claims that Indian spies were identified and expelled after being caught trying to steal secrets about sensitive defence projects and airport security, as well as classified information on Australia’s trade relationships ■ The US did not quote any official nor did the Australian media, which also alleged that RAW operatives were closely monitoring Indians living in Australia and developing close relationships with current and former politicians that Indian spies were identified and expelled after being caught trying to steal secrets about sensitive defence projects and airport security, as well as classified information on Australia’s trade relation- ships. Reacting to the US report, which made direct allegations against Goel and also suggested that NSA Ajit Doval and PM Narendra Modi’s internal circle may have been aware of the plan to assassinate Pan- Aksheev Thakur BJP counter-attacks Cong over ‘delayed’ action Tribune News Service New Delhi, April 30 The JD(S) on Tuesday suspended Prajwal Revanna, the Hassan MP and the NDA’s Lok Sabha candidate, over allegations of sexual abuse. The decision was made at a meeting of the JD(S) core committee held in Hubballi. Explicit video clips allegedly involving Prajwal, grand- son of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, have rocked Karnataka politics after these were shared widely on social media platforms just days before Hassan went to the polls on April 26. Welcoming the JD(S) decision to suspend Prajwal, the Punjab ex-ADGP Dhillon joins Cong ARSHDEEP SINGH Cong fields Babbar from Gurgaon, Anand Kangra, Raizada Hamirpur New Delhi, April 30 The Congress today fielded veteran leader and former Union Minister Anand Sharma as its candidate from the Kangra Lok Sabha constituency in Himachal Pradesh and actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar from Gurgaon. While Sharma (71) will take on BJP veteran and former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar’s confidante Rajiv Bhardwaj of the BJP in Kangra, Babbar will contest against Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh in Gurgaon. Satpal Raizada, who lost the Raj Babbar Satpal Raizada Anand Sharma EC DEFERS ANANTNAG POLL, CITES WEATHER The EC on Tuesday postponed poll to the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat to May 25, citing logistical issues due to adverse weather conditions. INSIDE 2022 Himachal Assembly poll to BJP’s Satpal Satti in Una, has been named the Congress candidate against Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur, who is seeking a fifth straight term from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh. continued on page 8 Operationally ready to deter rivals: New Navy Chief New Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh Tripathi with his mother in New Delhi. ANI New Delhi, April 30 The new Navy Chief, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, today said his singular focus and endeavour would be to ensure that the Navy remained operationally ready to “win a war at sea” when tasked with doing so. Admiral Tripathi took over as the 26th Navy Chief today following the retirement of Admiral R Hari Kumar. In his remarks after taking nun on American soil, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had earlier in the day said that the report was speculative and unhelpful to an ongoing probe. Jaiswal said the report was irresponsible because of an ongoing probe by a highlevel committee to examine the security concerns shared by the US government on “networks of organised criminals, terrorists and others”. The US did not quote any official nor did the Australian media, which also alleged that RAW operatives were closely monitoring Indians living in Australia and developing continued on page 8 edit: Canadian laxity JD(S) suspends Prajwal over sexual abuse row New Delhi, April 30 Former Punjab-cadre IPS officer Gurinder Singh Dhillon today joined the Congress at a function at the AICC headquarters here. He was welcomed to the party by Devender Yadav, in-charge of the party’s Punjab unit. Dhillon, a 1997-batch IPS officer, was ADGP (Law and Order), Punjab, when he took voluntary retirement from service. Talking to reporters, Dhillon said he “came under the spell” of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and decided to join the Congress. Dhillon was continued on page 8 ■ Rohit Sharma to lead team, all-rounder ■ Nine of 15 from 2022 WC semifinals retained India operated nest of spies in Australia, 2 expelled for bid to steal info in ’20: Report over, Admiral Tripathi said: “The existing and emerging challenges in the maritime domain mandate the Navy to remain operationally ready to deter potential adversaries at sea in peace and to win a war at sea when asked to.” The Navy Chief said over the years, the Navy had evolved into a combat-ready, cohesive, credible and future-proof force. continued on page 8 c m y b BJP asserted that it would push for the full might of law against him even as it launched a fierce counterattack on the Congress for “delayed” action by the Karnataka Government. Speaking in Guwahati, Union Home Minister Amit Shah hit out at the Congress: “The Congress wants to accuse us, but why has the party not taken any action. Law and order is a state issue. Priyanka ji is asking us questions, I want to tell her: instead of asking us questions, please question your Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister on what the state government is doing.” “We are in favour of an investigation continued on page 8 Covishield can have rare side-effect: Firm DELHI: British firm AstraZeneca has for the first time admitted in court documents that its Covid-19 vaccine can cause Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome, a rare side-effect associated with blood clotting. AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, had developed Covishield vaccine after the outbreak. BACK PAGE NEW 10 Naxalites killed in C’garh encounter RAIPUR: Ten Naxalites, including three women, were killed in an encounter with the security forces on the border of Narayanpur and Kanker districts of Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, the police said. This was the second major blow to the Naxalites within 15 days. On April 16, 29 Naxalites were killed in a gunfight with the security forces. — PTI