23092026-TT-01.qxd 9/22/2026 11:18 PM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 263 | 14 PAGES | ~6.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HIMACHAL PRADESH WE MUST REFORM SECURITY COUNCIL: GUTERRES IN FINAL UNGA ADDRESS WORLD /thetribunechd NC, OPPN SPAR OVER SHEIKH, MAHARAJA HOLIDAY ISSUE J&K ONGC FINDS NATURAL GAS IN MAHANADI OFF ODISHA COAST NATION wednesday | 23 september 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com ED raids GMADA, 27 other sites over ~100-cr ‘anomalies’ Can’t punish ‘conscientious GOLDEN objector’ for refusing to sing GIRLS Vande Mataram, says SC Seeks govt’s reply on plea challenging national song law Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 22 The Supreme Court on Tuesday maintained that a “conscientious objector” should not be punished for refusing to sing Vande Mataram, asking the Centre to respond to Carnatic vocalist TM Krishna's petition challenging the law mandating singing of six stanzas of the national song. A Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana said the government should keep in mind the 1986 judgment in the Bijoe Emmanuel case protecting children following Jehovah’s Witnesses’ religious practices who said “no” to singing the national anthem on grounds of conscience. “Mr Solicitor, we are not inclined to issue notice. But, we would expect that the law of the land, as declared by this court in the Bijoe Emmanuel case, will govern the Act. What the national song is, is not in dispute. Won’t cap airfares inupcomingfestive season, says govt NEW DELHI: MORE FROM TOP COURT REPORT SOUGHT OVER CONDUCT OF JUDGE IN LAKHIMPUR CASE INSIDE The declaration of law in Bijoe Emmanuel is not yet questioned. It is for the democratic state to decide what is the national song, whether two stanzas or four stanzas,” Justice Bagchi told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. In the Bijoe Emmanuel case, the Supreme Court ruled that individuals have the right to refuse to participate in activities that go against their religious beliefs, as long as they do not show disrespect to national symbols in the process or disrupt public order. Krishna has challenged the recent amendment to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, which gives the national song the same status as the national anthem, and the Centre’s circulars mandating the singing of six stanzas of Vande Mataram, which include names of Hindu deities, at official functions. The Bench said it might examine the amendment after senior advocate S Murlaidhar, on behalf of Krishna, pointed out the penal aspect of the law. The hearing witnessed a heated exchange between Muralidhar and Mehta after the former strongly objected to the latter using the expression “Naxalite” while responding to the petitioner’s submissions on constitutional decision-making. “Withdraw the expression you used just now. This is going live... I strongly object,” Muralidhar said. “I said that is the constitutional way, not what the Naxalite wants. And I am not sorry about it…You cannot challenge the Constitution,” Mehta replied. “He is again repeating it. I am now going to register my strongest protest,” Muralidhar said. “To think is not to be a Naxalite,” senior counsel Sanjay Hegde said. continued on page 8 Questions top officials| AAP terms it political vendetta Rajmeet Singh Tribune News Service India captain Harmanpreet Kaur poses with the gold after winning T20I final in the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. The women’s cricket team on Tuesday gave India first gold of the 2026 Asian Games as the side led by Harmanpreet Kaur, who belongs to Moga in Punjab, beat Sri Lanka by 147 runs. SECOND CROWN, RECORD TOTAL Batting first, the India team gave Sri Lanka a target of 217, scoring the highest total in Asian Games history. The team also clinched their second successive gold medal at the Asian Games. INDIA 79 216/3 SRI LANKA 69 ALL OUT Smriti Mandhana ROHTAK’S SHAFALI STEALS SHOW Shafali Verma (48 and 2/3), hailing from Rohtak, put up an all-round performance. Chandigarh, September 22 Teams of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday swooped down on the headquarters of the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) in Mohali and 27 other locations across Delhi, Chandigarh, Panchkula and Ludhiana in a probe into alleged irregularities involving suspected loss of Rs 100 crore. The Chandigarh residence of IAS officer Rajiv Gupta, who was earlier Chief Administrator, GMADA, was also raided. The agency, which was assisted by the CRPF sealed , at least three floors of the GMADA building, including the Chief Engineer’s chamber, and confiscated mobile phones and office computers used by senior officials. CCTV cameras were installed on the GMADA premises. Soon after ED personnel arrived, several top officials, including Secretary (Housing) Vikas Garg, GMADA Chief Administrator Sandeep Rishi, Land Acquisition Collector Rohit Jindal, Estate Officer Aman Gupta, Additional Chief Administrator Amarinder Singh Malhi and Additional An ED raid underway at the GMADA office in Mohali. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VICKY Chief Administrator (Finance) Rakesh Popli and Chief Engineer Ajay Garg were questioned jointly. They were later taken to their respective offices on the GMADA premises for further questioning. ED sleuths have also retrieved chat records from the mobile phones of the officials. The questioning of officials and scrutiny of the records continued till late in the night and is expected to continue tomorrow. Reacting to the raids, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accused the BJP-led Centre of misusing agencies to intimidate Punjab officials and obstruct the Bhagwant Mann government’s development agenda. Party leaders claimed that targeting a key revenue-generating institution “exposed” the Centre’s political vendetta. They said it was designed to disrupt state welfare initiatives, including the Mukhya Mantri Mawan Dhiyan Satkar Yojana. Drawing parallels with actions taken ahead of elections in Delhi, AAP maintained that the state’s progress and infrastructure projects in Mohali could not be held hostage to political pressure. The party said the government’s mandate could not be undermined continued on page 8 ‘Daylight dacoity’: SC on overpricing of cancer drugs Ex-judge quits Maha Satya Prakash Tribune News Service action on this are silent.” While hearing petitions raising drug-related issues, including that of ensuring strict price control over medicines, the Bench said it was “absolutely shocking” that an essential cancer drug had a printed MRP of Rs 27,000 even though its price to retailer (PTR) was Rs 2,700. “The MRP is 10 times the rate at which it is provided to the retailers. If this is not extortion, then what is it? People sell their houses, ornaments to get treatment. This Says medicines with retailer price of ~2,700 being sold at ~27,000 treatment under Ayushman Bharat, the whole price has to be paid by taxpayers. Hospitals are buying medicines at these prices and then reimbursing from the government. It’s ultimately taxpayer’s money.... a clear-cut case of fraud,” the Bench noted. Describing the issue of fixing medicine prices as a major issue, it posted the matter for hearing on September 29. The petitioners submitted that regulating the MRP of medicines was a matter of critical importance. One of the petitions sought directions to make drug formulations more affordable by preventing alleged unethical overpricing of essential medicines by pharmaceutical companies and retailers. The second petition has demanded disciplinary action against medical practitioners for failing to prescribe generic medicines. Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj submitted on behalf of the Centre that in one of the petitions the government was not approaching it as an adversarial litigation. The government will not cap airfares for the upcoming festive season but will advise airlines to keep the prices reasonable, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said. He, however, mentioned that operating costs for the sector had risen due to higher fuel prices. In the past as well, the government has handled the price situation on important occasions. “We will tell them to ensure that the airfares are kept at a reasonable level,” he said. BACK PAGE New Delhi, September 22 Terming it a “broad daylight dacoity”, the Supreme Court today expressed shock over the overpricing of essential cancer drugs and wondered why authorities remained silent. Pointing out that one drug carried an MRP of Rs 27,000 despite being supplied to retailers for Rs 2,700, a Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta said, “It’s very surprising that the authorities who are supposed to take Rajya Sabha polls for 11 UP, U’khand seats on Oct 16 IIT-B to phase out ceiling Main accused arrested after police fans after string of suicides encounter in Bihar harassment case NEW DELHI: The EC on Tuesday Harsh Yadav announced the schedule for biennial elections to 11 Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, along with a bypoll to one seat from West Bengal. Polling will be held on October 16. Union Minister Hardeep Puri (BJP) and SP’s Ram Gopal Yadav are among the members due to retire in November. Out of the 10 seats from UP eight , seats are currently held by the BJP while the SP and BSP , hold one seat each. — TNS Tribune News Service FIR against NHPC after tunnel leak floods Kullu areas NO BURDEN ON CONSUMERS, SAYS SITHARAMAN ON ROW OVER UPI FEE BUSINESS New Delhi, September 22 Amid a series of student suicides on its campus, IITBombay has decided to introduce wall-mounted fans across its hostels and other utility areas and gradually phase out ceiling fans as part of ongoing renovation works. The move comes as the Mumbai Crime Branch continues its investigation into the death of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode, reconstructing his final hours through CCTV footage and other evidence. RAPS EC FOR ‘MECHANICAL NOTICES’ IN DELHI SIR The SC flagged the ‘mechanical notices’ issued by the Election Commission to voters during the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in Delhi. INSIDE is absolute rampage and carnage. This is broad daylight dacoity with patients,” it said. “When patients are taking Manikant Mishra Cops reconstruct Wakode’s final hours through CCTV The Crime Branch is retracing Wakode’s movements through CCTV footage, examining the sequence inside the examination hall, his exit from the exam and his return to the hostel, as investigators seek to piece together what happened before his death. No suicide note has been found so far. The investigation has also sharpened a growing divide on the IIT campus. While Wakode’s continued on page 8 Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 22 The investigation into the alleged harassment of a Class X girl in Bihar’s Jamui district gathered pace on Tuesday with the arrest of two accused during a police operation in which one sustained a bullet injury to the leg while another was injured while allegedly attempting to flee. With Tuesday’s developments, arrests in the September 19 incident have gone up to five. Munger Range DIG Rakesh Kumar said Nandan One shot in leg, another injured while fleeing Yadav sustained a bullet wound to his leg and his accomplice Hareram Yadav fractured a knee while trying to escape during a police raid near the Kundar barrage. The accused, who were seen harassing the Class X girl in now-viral videos, were taken to Jamui Sadar Hospital. In the case, which has triggered a major face-off between the Opposition and the ruling NDA in Bihar, the police have been conducting raids since Monday after the video of the alleged assault on a minor girl and a boy surfaced on social media, triggering widespread outrage. Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor demanded accountability in the matter, slamming the ruling NDA government for “shaming Bihar”. With the investigation underway, the DIG said the continued on page 8 UCC panel, objects to ‘yes/no’ questionnaire Mumbai, September 22 Former Bombay High Court judge Justice RC Chavan (retd) has resigned from the Maharashtra Government’s committee tasked with preparing a draft framework for implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), citing serious reservations over its decision to restrict public feedback on key social issues to a “yes/no” format. In a letter to committee chairperson Justice Ranjana Desai (retd), Chavan criticised the panel’s approach, saying reducing complex social issues such as delayed marriages, infertility, marital instability and rising matrimonial disputes to binary responses undermined the very objective of building consensus. Chavan said while one of the agenda items at a committee meeting was to finalise the questionnaire, the chairperson had already circulated a set of questions approved by her and informed members that the questionnaire would be uploaded once the website became operational. The former judge said he was initially under the impression that the commit- Rope in 30 drug-hit families from each halqa for drive, BJP tells leaders KULLU: An FIR has been regis- Neha Saini tered against the management and employees of NHPC's Parbati Hydroelectric Project Stage-II (PHEPII) in Kullu district following a major tunnel leakage that sent water and debris surging into nearby inhabited areas, damaging houses, shops, orchards, agricultural land and sheds. The sudden discharge from the ADIT-V tunnel affected Raila, Palchara and adjoining areas. — TNS Tribune News Service The Maqboolpura colony in Amritsar wears a deserted look. VISHAL KUMAR Amritsar, September 22 As the BJP’s Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra is set to reach Amritsar, party functionaries in the district have been asked to ensure the presence of 20 to 30 families from each halqa or mandal for interaction with senior party leaders accompanying the yatra, which is focused on the state’s drug crisis. Senior BJP leaders, including vice-president Manpreet c m y b Badal, Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Baldev Singh Aulakh and Delhi Environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, will lead the yatra over the next three days in the district. “The party leaders want to interact with drug-affected families and community organisations. Every halqa incharge and mandal in-charge has been asked to ensure the presence of 20 to 30 families. In one Vidhan Sabha halqa, there are four or five mandals,” Kan- warbir Singh Manzil, president of the Amritsar BJP (Rural) told The Tribune. “Over the next three days, public meetings will be held in each halqa, including Attari, Majitha, Jandiala Guru, Chogawan and Maqboolpura. Buses have been arranged to ferry drug-affected families for the purpose, and duties have been assigned to workers,” Manzil said. However, for residents of Maqboolpura, one of the worst drug-affected areas in the Amritsar East constituency and among the last campaign stops of the BJP’s Nasha Mukt Yatra, political campaigns have failed to deliver something they have long awaited: a real solution. Fed up with being labelled a haven for drug addicts by politicians of all hues, including AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal in 2016 and Congress MP Gurpreet continued on page 8 Says complex social issues can’t be reduced to binaries tee’s objective was to gather the views of Maharashtra’s people and build consensus on issues such as delayed marriages, infertility, unstable marriages and the slow pace of dispute resolution. “Now that the misunderstanding is removed, I realise that the aim is merely to provide an opportunity to people who may care to share their responses in a ‘yes or no’ format so that analysis of the data becomes easy,” the letter stated. In July, the state government constituted a sevenmember committee headed by the retired Supreme Court judge, Justice Ranjana Desai, to draft a framework for implementing the UCC, which seeks to provide a common set of laws across religious communities on matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance. Justice Chavan resigned from the panel on September 19. In his resignation letter, he raised several concerns and alleged that meetings were being concluded without substantive discussions. — PTI Sharjeel gets 7-day interim bail for cousin’s wedding New Delhi, September 22 A Delhi court on Tuesday granted seven days’ interim bail to Sharjeel Imam, an accused in the alleged larger conspiracy case linked to the 2020 Delhi riots, allowing him to attend his cousin’s wedding. Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai granted Sharjeel interim bail from October 4 to October 10. Imam is continued on page 8