Latest news with #Chandigarh
Hindustan Times
19 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
India's rebel franchise golf league likely to start in January
New Delhi: The inaugural edition of the rebel Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) will take place next January in a six-team, home and away format, league director Manav Jain announced on Tuesday. The league will be played across four weeks and will involve 60 golfers -- 10 in each team. The launch of the Indian Golf Premier League. (IGPL) The franchises are expected to be based in Delhi, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Mumbai, although a formal announcement is expected in October- November. Each franchise will have an icon player. Indian stalwarts Shiv Kapoor, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Jyoti Randhawa, Jeev Milkha Singh and SSP Chawrasia are expected to don the role. 'We will have a home and away concept for the first three weeks, which will eventually lead to the grand finale week,' Jain said. The players will be picked from a 'strategic auction' that will be held later this year,. The league will be played in a no cut, three-day stroke play format. 'There will be no financial exchange to get the players. For the first three years, all the players have been contracted by us and they are part of the package that we offer to the franchise owners. The franchises will have notional money to build the best team,' Jain said. The auction pool will comprise golfers drawn from the IGPL Tour, Indian Golf Union (IGU) and Women's Golf Association of India (WGAI). The IGPL Tour, a proposed entity parallel to the official Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), is expected to take off in September. Spread across six cities and 10 weeks, it will also be held in a three-day, no-cut format. PGTI president Kapil Dev wrote to all its members last month warning of disciplinary action if they participate in the rebel tour. Jain hoped IGPL and PGTI could co-exist. 'There is enough room for two tours to survive. Unfortunately we could not come to any agreement with the PGTI. We waited to work with the PGTI for almost 15 months and once we could not come to an agreement, we had to make good on our promises to our own investors, our own partner ecosystem. We had to pivot and we decided to create the tour in this form,' he said. 'Every week, we will have six invitations that can be extended to anybody who is wishing to play.'
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Anti-sacrilege bill tabled in Punjab assembly
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government on Monday tabled the anti-sacrilege bill in the Punjab assembly, proposing punishment up to life imprisonment for sacrilegious acts against religious scriptures. Chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann during the 3rd day of Punjab assembly session in Chandigarh on Monday. (Ravi Kumar/HT) Chief minister Bhagwant Mann introduced the Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scriptures Bill 2025 in the Vidhan Sabha on the third day of the special assembly session. The bill mandates strict punishment, extending up to life imprisonment, for the desecration of holy scriptures. This is the third attempt by the Punjab assembly to enact a bill on sacrilege issues, seeking harsher punishment for perpetrators. In 2016 and 2018, the SAD-BJP government and later the Congress government, respectively, passed the bills in the assembly. On both occasions, the bills were returned by the President without assent. According to the draft of the bill, the minimum punishment for sacrilege will be imprisonment not less than 10 years, which may extend to life imprisonment, and shall also be liable to pay a fine of ₹5 lakh, which may extend up to ₹10 lakh. In case of an attempt to commit an offence, the act will carry a punishment of imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than three years. 'This term may extend to five years, and shall also be liable to pay a fine which may extend up to ₹3 lakh,' the bill reads. The provisions of this act shall be in addition to and not in derogation of the provisions of any other law for the time being in force, the draft reads. The 'offence' means any sacrilege, damage, destruction, de-facing, disfiguring, de-colouring, de-filing, decomposing, burning, breaking or tearing of any Holy Scripture, or part thereof, the bill introduced on Monday reads further. The bill says the offences punishable under this shall be cognisable, non-bailable and non-compoundable, triable by the court of session. 'The investigation of the offence(s) punishable under this act shall be conducted by the police officer, not below the rank of deputy superintendent,' it adds. Upon the introduction of the bill, leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa described the issue as a serious one and urged speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan to hold the discussion on the bill on Tuesday, the concluding day of the session. To this, CM Mann also asked the speaker to consider Bajwa's plea positively. 'However, it's a matter of surprise that the opposition needs time to discuss the issue of sacrilege which has been hounding Punjab since 2015,' Mann said. The speaker adjourned the session for 15 minutes before announcing that it had been decided to have a discussion on the bill on Tuesday. Before this, the speaker had adjourned the proceedings for one hour and called leaders of all parties in the assembly before the start of the discussion. Earlier, before the start of the session at 2 pm, the state-specific bill was cleared by the cabinet at a meeting chaired by chief minister Mann at his official residence in Chandigarh. The bill mandates strict punishment, extending up to life imprisonment, for the desecration of holy scriptures, including Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Bhagavad Gita, the Bible and the Quran, an official spokesperson said after the meeting. With the enactment of the law, the state seeks to further strengthen the ethos of communal harmony, brotherhood, peace, and amity. It will also act as a strong deterrent against anti-social and anti-national activities by ensuring severe punishment for perpetrators, the official spokesperson said. The spokesperson said there have been numerous incidents in the past involving the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib and other scriptures, wounding public sentiments and causing unrest in society. While Sections 298 (hurting religious sentiments, carrying a jail term of 3 years, fine or both), 299 (outraging religious feelings carrying 3-year punishment, fine or both) and 300 (disturbing religious assemblies carrying 1-year jail, fine or both) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, address such issues, they do not prescribe sufficiently stringent penalties to serve as an effective deterrent, said the spokesperson. Considering the gravity of such offences and the imperative to preserve communal harmony and religious sanctity, the cabinet found it necessary to introduce state-specific legislation providing enhanced penalties, including life imprisonment, for those convicted of sacrilege against any scripture, the spokesperson stakeholder Until now, no specific legislation directly addressed offences against 'holy granths (books)', often resulting in leniency or evasion of serious action by culprits, said the spokesperson. This new legislation aims to fill that legal void by criminalising and prescribing punishments for acts of sacrilege across all sects and faiths. The spokesperson said there is also a provision for setting up special courts to deal with cases pertaining to desecration of scriptures. There will be no parole for those guilty of sacrilege acts. Mann had earlier said that the state government would seek the opinion of all stakeholders and religious bodies for the proposed legislation, indicating it would not be enacted immediately. 'We are drafting it. A law is going to be enacted. But for this, we will talk to stakeholders and religious organisations. We will present the draft legislation (in the assembly).' Past attempts This is not the first time that a specific law dealing with sacrilege acts has been brought in the state seeking a stricter punishment for perpetrators. In 2016, the then SAD-BJP government brought in the IPC (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2016 and CrPC (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2016, recommending life sentence for sacrilege acts against Guru Granth Sahib. The Centre later returned the bill, saying all religions should be treated equally given the secular nature of the Constitution. In 2018, the Amarinder Singh government passed two bills — the Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018, and the Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018, which stipulated a punishment of up to life imprisonment for injury, damage or sacrilege to Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagavad Gita, Quran and the Bible. However, the two bills did not get the President's assent. Acts of sacrilege against religious scriptures have been an emotive issue in Punjab and there has been a demand from various quarters for stringent punishment for the acts of sacrilege against religious texts. In 2015, the incident related to the theft of a 'bir' (copy) of Guru Granth Sahib from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala gurdwara, putting up handwritten sacrilegious posters in Bargari and Burj Jawahar Singh Wala and torn pages of the holy book found scattered at Bargari, had taken place in Faridkot. These incidents had led to anti-sacrilege protests. In the police firing on anti-sacrilege protesters in October 2015, two persons were killed in Behbal Kalan while some persons were injured at Kotkapura in Faridkot. Regulating crusher units HT Correspondent letterschd@ Chandigarh The Cabinet also approved the Punjab Regulation of Crusher Units, and Stockists and Retailer Rules, 2025, to ensure that crusher units, stockists, and retailers operate within a regulated framework. These rules have been formulated pursuant to the Punjab Regulation of Crusher Units, and Stockists and Retailer Act, 2025, which was enacted to prevent the procurement of illegally mined sand and gravel by crusher units. The new rules define detailed procedures, prescribed forms, timelines, authorities, and compliance mechanisms to facilitate effective, transparent, and accountable implementation of the Act. They aim to eliminate ambiguity in operational processes, prevent royalty evasion and illegal mineral trade, and promote environmentally sustainable and legally compliant business operations. Furthermore, these regulations are expected to enhance transparency and curb illegal mining practices across the state.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Anti-sacrilege Bill tabled in Punjab assembly special session
The Aam Aadmi Party government on Monday tabled the anti-sacrilege Bill in the Punjab assembly, proposing punishment up to life imprisonment for sacrilegious acts against religious scriptures. Chief minister Bhagwant Mann arriving to attend the proceedings on the third day of the Punjab assembly special session in Chandigarh on Monday. (Ravi Kumar/HT) Chief minister Bhagwant Mann introduced the Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scriptures Bill 2025 in the Vidhan Sabha on the third day of the special assembly session. Leader of opposition and Congress MLA Partap Singh Bajwa described the sacrilege issue as serious one and urged Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan to hold the discussion on the Bill on Tuesday, the concluding day of the session. Before the start of the session at 2pm, the state-specific Bill was cleared by the cabinet at a meeting chaired by chief minister Mann at his official residence in Chandigarh. The Bill mandates strict punishment, extending up to life imprisonment, for the desecration of holy scriptures, including Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Bhagavad Gita, Bible and Quran, an official spokesperson said after the meeting. With the enactment of the law, the state seeks to further strengthen the ethos of communal harmony, brotherhood, peace, and amity. It will also act as a strong deterrent against anti-social and anti-national activities by ensuring severe punishment for perpetrators, said the spokesperson. The spokesperson said there have been numerous incidents in the past involving the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib and other scriptures, wounding public sentiments and causing unrest in society. While Sections 298, 299 and 300 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, address such issues, they do not prescribe sufficiently stringent penalties to serve as an effective deterrent, said the spokesperson. Considering the gravity of such offences and the imperative to preserve communal harmony and religious sanctity, the cabinet found it necessary to introduce state-specific legislation providing enhanced penalties, including life imprisonment, for those convicted of sacrilege against any scripture. Consulting stakeholders Until now, no specific legislation directly addressed offences against 'holy granths', often resulting in leniency or evasion of serious action by culprits, said the spokesperson. This new legislation aims to fill that legal void by criminalising and prescribing punishments for acts of sacrilege across all sects and faiths. Under the proposed law, any person found guilty of sacrilege may face imprisonment ranging from 10 years to life. Those attempting the offence may be sentenced to three to five years, while individuals found abetting the crime will be punished in accordance with the offence committed. There is also a provision for setting up special courts to deal with cases pertaining to desecration of scriptures. There will be no parole for those guilty of sacrilege acts. Mann had earlier said that the state government would seek the opinion of all stakeholders and religious bodies for the proposed legislation, indicating it would not be enacted immediately. 'We are drafting it. A law is going to be enacted. But for this, we will talk to stakeholders, religious organisations. We will present the draft legislation (in the assembly).' Past attempts This is not the first time that a law is being brought in the state for stricter punishment for perpetrators of sacrilege acts. In 2016, the then SAD-BJP government brought in the IPC (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2016 and CrPC (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2016, recommending life sentence for sacrilege acts against Guru Granth Sahib. The Centre later returned the Bill, saying all religions should be treated equally given the secular nature of the Constitution. In 2018, the Amarinder Singh government had passed two Bills --the Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018, and the Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018, which stipulated a punishment of up to life imprisonment for injury, damage or sacrilege to Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagavad Gita, Quran and the Bible. However, the two Bills did not get the President's assent. Acts of sacrilege against religious scriptures has been an emotive issue in Punjab and there has been a demand from various quarters for stringent punishment for the acts of sacrilege against religious texts. The incident related to the theft of a 'bir' (copy) of Guru Ganth Sahib from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala gurdwara, putting up handwritten sacrilegious posters in Bargari and Burj Jawahar Singh Wala and torn pages of the holy book found scattered at Bargari, had taken place in Faridkot in 2015. These incidents had led to anti-sacrilege protests. In the police firing on anti-sacrilege protesters in October 2015, two persons were killed in Behbal Kalan while some persons were injured at Kotkapura in Faridkot. Regulating crusher units Meanwhile, the Cabinet also granted approval to the Punjab Regulation of Crusher Units, and Stockists and Retailer Rules, 2025, to ensure that crusher units, stockists, and retailers operate within a regulated framework. These rules have been formulated pursuant to the Punjab Regulation of Crusher Units, and Stockists and Retailer Act, 2025, which was enacted to prevent the procurement of illegally mined sand and gravel by crusher units. The new rules define detailed procedures, prescribed forms, timelines, authorities, and compliance mechanisms to facilitate effective, transparent, and accountable implementation of the Act. They aim to eliminate ambiguity in operational processes, prevent royalty evasion and illegal mineral trade, and promote environmentally sustainable and legally compliant business operations. Furthermore, these regulations are expected to enhance transparency and curb illegal mining practices across the state.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Chandigarh: Ayaan Garg crowned chess champion
Showing his talent, Ayaan Garg emerged as the champion in the open category with 5.5 points, while Medhansh Goyal clinched the top spot in the Under-14 category with 5 points on the concluding day of the 14th Chandigarh Chess Academy Open and Children's Prize Money Chess Festival 2025 at DLF City Centre Mall, Chandigarh. Winners of the 14th Chandigarh Chess Academy Open and Children's Prize Money Chess Festival. (HT Photo) Madhav Garg secured victory in the Under-10 category with 6 points. The open tournament was organised to encourage young local chess players. In the women's and girls' categories, Vanshika Yadv was awarded the title of Best Woman in the open category. Vaishnai emerged as the Best Girl in the Under-14 category, Jiaana Garg earned the title of Best Girl in the Under-10 category, and Inaayat Kaur was recognised as the Best Girl in the Under-7 category. Lavit Kansl was honoured as the Best Boy in the Under-7 category. The tournament was organised by the Chandigarh Chess Academy and attracted enthusiastic participation, with 232 players from various states in northern India competing. Among them, 68 were internationally rated players, adding a high level of competition and skill to the event.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Family of brain-dead youth donates organs, saves 3 lives
1 2 Chandigarh: The PGI witnessed another inspiring moment as the family of a young engineering student turned personal tragedy into hope for others by donating his vital organs. Navneet Singh, 23, a resident of Gangath village, Nurpur, Kangra, suffered a severe head injury after accidentally falling from a rooftop on July 3. Despite receiving intensive medical care at PGI, he was declared brain dead on July 11. Amidst their grief, Navneet's father, Janak Singh, made the courageous decision to donate his son's organs. "Deciding to donate my son's organs was the hardest choice we have ever faced. But knowing that his organs would give others a chance to live has brought us some comfort in our sorrow. We are proud that Navneet's legacy will continue through these lives," he said. Following the family's consent, PGI's transplant teams retrieved Navneet's heart, kidneys, and pancreas. The kidneys and pancreas were transplanted into two critically ill patients at PGI, while the heart was allocated to a matching recipient at RML Hospital, New Delhi, through the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO), as no suitable recipient was available at PGI. To ensure timely transport of the donor heart, a dedicated green corridor was created from PGI to Chandigarh International Airport, Mohali, and onward to New Delhi. The heart was successfully transplanted into a 26-year-old patient admitted at RML Hospital. At PGI, the department of renal transplant surgery, led by Prof Ashish Sharma, performed a simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplant on one recipient. This marked PGI's 63rd pancreas transplant — the highest number of such procedures performed by any institution across Indian states and union territories — curing the patient of Type I diabetes. The second kidney was transplanted into another patient suffering from end-stage renal failure and undergoing long-term dialysis.
