13082026-TTC-01.qxd 8/13/2026 12:47 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 223 | 14 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 CHINESE EX-PREMIER ZHU RONGJI, REFORM ARCHITECT, DIES WORLD /thetribunechd SIA RAIDS NINE SITES OVER 1990 MURDER OF KP WRITER, SON J&K RETAIL INFLATION INCHES UP TO 4.45% IN JULY BUSINESS IAF FLOATS TENDER FOR 150 NEXT-GEN TRAINING JETS BACK PAGE thursday | 13 august 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Parl panel finds Justice Varma guilty in cash-at-home scandal Shah ready to debate student protests; Rahul says ‘not interested in lectures’ FIR can now be filed: Experts |May be impeached in winter session Aditi Tandon Shekhar Singh New Delhi, August 12 The monsoon session of Parliament appeared headed towards a complete washout with the government and the Opposition failing to reach a meeting ground on Wednesday even through Home Minister Amit Shah said he was ready for a debate on student protests, putting the ball in the court of rival parties. Rejecting the proposal, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said the Opposition was “not interested in Shah’s lectures”. Breaking silence on the matter which has agitated the Opposition and wrecked parliamentary proceedings from Day One of the session, Shah said he was willing to sit through a structured debate on student protests over NEET-UG paper leak and answer every question the Opposition had. “There are parliamentary rules and conventions to hold a discussion. The Opposition can write to the Speaker and he can schedule a debate. I am willing to sit through from 3 pm today to 3 pm continued on page 8 Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 12 Justice Yashwant Varma, facing removal proceedings over the alleged discovery of unaccounted cash at his official residence, has been found guilty on all three articles of charge by the three-member Lok Sabha inquiry committee. The committee, in its report tabled in both Houses of Parliament on Wednesday, concluded that “Article I is proved”, “Article II is proved” and “Article III is proved”, leaving little ambiguity in its findings on the controversy that erupted after burnt currency notes were found at the judge’s residence last year. On the first charge, the panel said “substantial unexplained Rs 500 denomination currency notes” were found in the storeroom situated within Justice Varma’s official residential premises at 30, Tughlak Crescent, New Delhi. The judge, it said, “failed to furnish a satisfactory explanation regarding the presence, source or ownership Justice Yashwant Varma FACED PROBE ON 3 CHARGES Burnt currency notes seen amid debris near the residence of then Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma, in New Delhi. FILE 1. Unexplained cash recovery 2. Failure to preserve evidence 3. Misleading explanation RECOVERY OF BURNT NOTES TO REMOVAL PROCEEDINGS MARCH 14, 2025: Cash found at Justice Varma’s official residence in New Delhi following a fire MARCH 15: Delhi High Court officials inspect the site MARCH 21: Chief Justice submits report to then CJI Sanjiv Khanna MARCH 22: CJI constitutes a three-member inquiry panel MARCH 28: Centre notifies Var- ma’s transfer to Allahabad HC MAY 3-4: Probe panel submits report to CJI, finds charges substantiated MAY 8: CJI seeks Varma’s resignation, he declines. CJI forwards probe report to President, PM JULY 21: Motion on judge’s removal submitted in Parliament AUGUST 7: SC dismisses Varma’s plea challenging in-house probe and removal recommendation AUGUST 12: LS Speaker Om Birla sets up three-member panel to examine grounds for his removal APRIL 9, 2026: Varma submits his resignation to President Murmu MAY 18: Parl panel wraps up probe, submits report to Speaker AUGUST 12: Report tabled in Parl; finds him guilty on all 3 counts thereof”. The panel also held Justice Varma responsible for failing to preserve material evidence. Finding Article II proved, it said the evidentiary condition of the storeroom had been disturbed before lawful sealing and inspection, while the later non-availability of the currency notes remained unexplained. Significantly, the committee clarified that its finding did not rest on proof that Justice continued on page 8 In J’khand exam, correctanswers filledlaterinOMR sheets, says CID Mann meets Governor; Hawara likely to get parole for a day or two New Delhi, August 12 The Jharkhand Public Service Commission examination controversy has widened with statements recorded during the CID probe pointing to alleged manipulation at several stages of the examination process, including the optical mark reading (OMR) and on-screen marking (OSM) systems. Sources said the statements, which the CID was verifying, referred to alleged irregularities in the Forest Range Officer (FRO) examination, the 14th JPSC examination and the JPSC backlog examination. One of the statements attributed to one Usman claims that around 100 candidates in the FRO examination, more than 100 in the 14th JPSC examination and between 50 and 100 in the backlog examination might have cleared the tests after paying money. BACK PAGE Tribune News Service Ruchika M Khanna Chandigarh, August 12 Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today stepped up his push for the parole of Beant Singh assassination convict Jagtar Singh Hawara, saying he was hopeful that the latter could be released for a limited period to meet his ailing octogenarian mother. Sources told The Tribune that Hawara was likely to get parole for a day or two and not the 10-day period sought by Mann and some Sikh organisations. Mann, after calling on Governor Gulab Chand Kataria this morning to urge him to take up the matter with the Union Home Secretary, said it was on a purely humanitarian basis that he was pursuing the matter. The CM’s intervention today came days after he had Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann with Governor Gulab Chand Kataria. written to the Governor seeking a 10-day parole for Hawara, who has been incarcerated for nearly three decades. He had cited the deteriorating health of Narinder Kaur, Hawara’s mother. Pal Singh France, convener of the Quomi Insaf Morcha that has been seeking parole for Hawara, said initially the Central Government sent them a proposal that Hawara’s mother could be taken to a hospital in Delhi, where he could go and meet her. “When this was rejected and we assured the emissary that law and order will not be continued on page 8 Monsoon session headed for complete washout as last day today Tribune News Service HC halts IT return processing of SC, own judges amid exemptiondispute New Delhi, August 12 The Delhi High Court has directed the Income Tax Department not to process tax returns of judges of the high court and the Supreme Court amid a dispute over exempting certain allowances, including rent-free residence, conveyance allowance, sumptuary allowances and leave travel concession, under the new taxation regime. A Bench of Justices Dinesh Mehta and Rajneesh Kumar Gupta has asked the private secretaries of the judges who have filed their returns under the new income tax regime to share their details, including PAN number, with the authorities. The directions by the High Court came in two orders passed on July 22 and August 10 on a petition by the Delhi Tax Bar Association. — PTI ❝ ❝ I’m willing to answer everything The youth want to know only in Parliament. It’s now up to the one thing — who ordered firing Opposition to decide whether they want of pellets on student protesters? Amit a debate or uproar. Amit Shah, HOME MINISTER Shah must resign. Rahul Gandhi, LEADER OF OPPN Amid uproar, FCRA Bill referred to JPC Animesh Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 12 The government on Wednesday referred the controversial Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, to a joint parliamentary committee for wider consultation. The committee will have to submit its report to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla by the last day of the first week of the winter session. The committee will have 31 CENTRE STEPS BACK ON DELIMITATION BILL The Centre on Wednesday took a step back from pushing the agenda of delimitation and women quota in the monsoon session with the cancellation of the Cabinet meeting scheduled for Thursday. INSIDE members — 21 MPs from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. Birla will nominate 21 members from the Lok Sabha while Upper House Chandrasekaran exits Tata Sons after ‘tiff’ with Noel on reappointment Tata Group. I am grateful for the immensely satisfying New Delhi, August 12 opportunity to contribute N Chandrasekaran has to this venerable institustepped down as chairman of tion,” Chandrasekaran said Tata Sons on Wednesday, in a statement. days ahead of the company’s According to him, one of annual general meeting the board members (possibly (AGM), which is Noel Tata) did not scheduled for favour extending August 18. His curhis term beyond rent term will run 2027, and he made until February the decision to 2027, following resign in the which he will not absence of unaniseek reappoint- N Chandrasekaran mous approval. ment. His nine“Sir Dorabji Tata year tenure transformed the Trust and Sir Ratan Tata scale and breadth of one of Trust had unanimously India’s most influential resolved and recommended conglomerates, but ended the extension of my next term with a standoff with Tata for a period of five years,” Trusts chairman Noel Tata Chandrasekaran added, over his reappointment. reflecting on the conclusion “I have completed 40 years of his term in February 2027. continued on page 8 of professional life at the Aditya Rangroo Tribune News Service Aakanksha Bhardwaj ‘Staunch Hindu or simply a believer?’ Ram Temple CEO aspirants grilled on faith, food Tribune News Service Surya S Pillai Jalandhar, August 12 Three friends from Garh Padhana village of Nawanshahr reportedly consumed a poisonous substance yesterday after one of them, Dilpreet Singh (21), allegedly suffered losses worth lakhs in online gaming. According to reports, Dilpreet’s two other friends, Paramjit Singh and Maninder Singh, both aged 15, who were very close to him, also consumed the poisonous substance. While Paramjit Singh reportedly died on the spot, Dilpreet Singh died late last night. Maninder Singh is said to be out of danger. The police are also checking whether Paramjit and Maninder were also involved Tribune News Service After heavy online gaming loss, 3 friends in Nawanshahr consume poison, 2 die Dilpreet Singh Paramjit Singh in gaming activities. Police officials said that nobody has blamed anyone in connection with the incident so far. “We have checked the phones of Paramjit and Maninder. But Dilpreet’s phone has been sent to the technical team, as it is locked. We could lose its entire data if we open it on our own,” Satnam Singh, SHO, Aur police station, said. The police are examining the circumstances surrounding the incident, including whether the alleged online gaming loss had any role in the incident. The police said Dilpreet’s paternal uncle, who lives abroad and used to look after him and send him money, is expected to arrive in a day or two. “We will ask him if he knew anything about this,” said the police. New Delhi, August 12 Are you a staunch Hindu or simply a believer? Do you eat non-vegetarian food? Do you wear a janeu (sacred thread)? Do you consume alcohol? Can you manage crowds ranging from 20,000 to 5 lakh? These are some of the questions being asked from candidates seeking to become the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in Ayodhya. Interviews for 18 shortlisted candidates for the post have begun, with reports claiming former IAS and IPS officers, and four former military officers are on the list. c m y b Former IAS, IPS and military officers among 18 interviewed for post. The candidates were asked to fill out a Google form seeking details about their administrative experience, as well as religious beliefs and personal details. During the interviews, panel members also went through details mentioned in their CVs and asked about their likes and dislikes, interpersonal skills and conduct. Questions also covered their families, previous work experience and handling of crowds during large religious events. Candidates were asked about their faith in Lord Ram and their understanding of the temple’s religious and social significance. The Trust is appointing a full-time CEO for the first time amid the controversy over the alleged theft of cash, gold and other offerings by temple staff. The CEO will oversee the temple’s administration, facilities and associated businesses. The selection process began Tuesday, with 10 candidates appearing for interviews on the first day. The remaining candidates were interviewed Wednesday. According to reports, the Trust has stipulated that the selected candidate should be a practising Hindu, follow continued on page 8 chairperson CP Radhakrishnan will nominate 10 members from the Rajya Sabha. Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai moved the motion in the Lower House to send the Bill to a joint parliamentary committee amid a din in the House, as Opposition members continued their protest seeking the Home Minister’s statement on the police action against students last month during their stir against the continued on page 8 60paise/litreorphan, widow cess on petrol & diesel in Himachal SHIMLA: The HP Government has imposed an orphan and widow cess of 60 paise per litre on petrol and high-speed diesel. The move follows the passage of the HP Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2026, by the Vidhan Sabha on March 24. The legislation provides for a cess of up to Rs 5 per litre on the sale of petrol and diesel. INSIDE 40yearson,2Indian friendsinNetherlands find they are sisters AMSTERDAM: Meena and Minal were left as infants at orphanages in India and grew up in different adoptive families in the Netherlands, just a short drive apart. Now, 40 years later, a DNA test has shown that the childhood friends are biological sisters. Growing up, neither was aware that they had a sister. BACK PAGE Heavy rain triggers landslide, seven dead in Mumbai suburb MUMBAI: Seven persons were killed after a landslide struck a row of tenements located near a hillock in Mumbai’s suburban Sakinaka area in the early hours of Wednesday following heavy rain. The deceased included three children in the age group of two to 14 years, while seven injured persons were undergoing treatment. — PTI Woman pleads guilty to trafficking Indians into US via Canada NEW YORK: Stacey Taylor, 43, of Plattsburgh, New York, has pleaded guilty to helping smuggle people, mainly from India, into the US across its border with Canada. Border Patrol agents stopped her vehicle near Churubusco in January 2025 and found four men inside during a failed smuggling operation. BACK PAGE