Controversial Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, convicted for rape and murder, on Tuesday again came out of the high-security jail in Haryana’s Rohtak city. This is his third release this year, and 14th since his conviction in 2017.

The last parole was just three months ago, and this time it is for 40 days.

His release is said to coincide with his birthday, which falls on August 15. Earlier, he was granted furlough for 21 days in April and parole for 30 days in January.

Hours after realtor and former Shiromani Akali Dal general secretary Ranjit Singh Gill joined the BJP, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Saturday conducted raids at his residence in Chandigarh.

Gill, who unsuccessfully contested the Assembly elections from Kharar, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday night.

The induction ceremony was held at the residence of Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini here.

On the question of inducting Gill into the BJP at the residence of Haryana CM in night and in the absence of party's state unit leadership, he replied, "Since no senior Punjab BJP leader was available in Chandigarh and Chief Minister Saini returned to Chandigarh at 9.30 p.m. from Delhi, the programe of Gill's joining was kept at his residence."

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday dismissed the plea of actress-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut for quashing the summoning order against her by a local court in Bathinda in a defamation case over her farm protest remark against an elderly woman farmer.

"There are specific allegations against the petitioner who is a celebrity, that false and defamatory imputations by her in the retweet have dented the respondent's reputation and lowered her in her own estimation, as also in the eyes of others. Therefore, filing of the complaint to vindicate her rights cannot be termed mala fide," Justice Tribhuvan Singh Dahiya observed.

The defamation complaint against the BJP's Member of Parliament was filed by Mahinder Kaur (73) of Bahadurgarh Jandian village in Bathinda district, alleging that Kangana had defamed her in a post on the social media platform X by identifying her wrongly as Bilkis Bano of Shaheen Bagh fame and implying that such women could be hired to protest for Rs 100.

Dr. Jernail Singh Anand, a former Principal DAV College, and a towering literary figure from Chandigarh, whose work embodies a rare fusion of creativity, intellect, and moral vision has dedicated 12 epics ( Epicasia, in two volumes ) to Serbia and its illustrious daughter Dr. Maja Herman Sekulic.

A round table with industry associations from across Punjab was held on Thursday here, with state Industry Minister Sanjeev Arora and Finance Minister Harpal Cheema with the main demand to revamp all focal points and industrial zones.

At the outset, the industry representatives expressed gratitude to the Punjab government for announcing the long-pending one-time settlement policy, allowing resolution of litigated industrial plot dues in focal points by paying eight per cent interest penalty.

Various critical issues affecting industry were raised, including the urgent need to revamp all focal points and industrial zones, capping high mortgage and hypothecation fees for industrial loans, reduction of GST on bicycles from 12 to five per cent, rationalisation of wheeling charges for solar power transmission, provision of dry port container facilities for rice exporters in Amritsar and expediting the development of convention centres in Amritsar, Mohali, and Ludhiana.

Punjab Water Resources Minister Barindar Kumar Goyal on Tuesday informed the Assembly that the proposal to widen the Ghaggar river near Tiwana village in Dera Bassi and strengthen its embankment is under consideration.

Replying to the call attention motion moved by Kuljit Singh Randhawa, the minister said that due to heavy rainfall in 2023, the water level in the Ghaggar had risen significantly.

Consequently, floodwater from the Ghaggar inundated the cultivable land on the left bank, and erosion caused the ground level to drop by approximately eight to 10 feet.

Subsequently, the department installed stone revetment and studs along a 2,500-foot stretch to protect the cultivable land from erosion. To support this revetment, an embankment was constructed behind it by filling it with soil.

He informed that the department spent Rs 5.06 crore on this project. Minister Goyal said that heavy rainfall in the Ghaggar's catchment area on June 29 caused the river's water level to surge suddenly, but the stone revetment remained completely intact.

After three hours of intense debate of allegations and counter allegations, the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday unanimously decided to refer the highly emotive Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scriptures Bill of 2025 to a select committee for consultation with all stakeholders.

On the suggestion of both the treasury and the opposition benches, Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan said the select committee would gather public opinion on the Bill and return with recommendations within six months.

Earlier, the Chief Minister proposed a four-month timeline. The Bill proposes stringent penalties for sacrilege-related offences, prescribing a minimum sentence of 10 years, extendable to life imprisonment, along with fines ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.

The holy scriptures referred to in the Bill are Guru Granth Sahib or extracts thereof, the Bhagavad Gita, the Quran and the Bible.

In a significant milestone for Indian urology, a team from the Department of Urology at PGIMER have performed India’s first robot-assisted vasovasostomy.

This pioneering procedure offers a modern alternative to the conventional microscope-based technique used in male infertility surgery. The patient, a 43-year-old man, presented with secondary infertility due to vasectomy and was discharged the next day following surgery.

To mark the occasion of Van Mahotsav, DAV College, Sector 10, Chandigarh organized a Tree Plantation Drive on its campus on 5th July 2025. The event was held in collaboration with the Forest Department, Chandigarh, as part of a collective effort to promote environmental sustainability and awareness among students.
A total of 70 saplings were planted during the drive, including a diverse mix of flowering, medicinal, and fruit-bearingplants. The plantation aimed to enhance the college’s green cover while also educating students on the ecological importance of trees.