J&K Governor NN Vohra has taken over as the new chairman of Tribune Trust, replacing Justice (retd) SS Sodhi. The development comes in the wake of the front-page “unconditional apology” tendered by The Tribune for a Page 1 report alleging that Akali leader and former Punjab revenue minister Bikram Singh Majithia had drug trade links.

The Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper, Harish Khare, offered his resignation in protest after the apology was forced upon him from the top, The Print reported, quoting “reliable sources” and calling it “a dramatic development that will shake the Indian media industry”.

Majithia had filed a defamation case against the paper, after which it published a long apology on October 29, saying all charges against him were unsubstantiated and incorrect.

The apology did cause a lot of heartache among staff and “caused a rift between the editorial desk and the Tribune Trust, which reportedly forced the hands of Khare to carry the apology”, Outlook magazine reported. Sodhi is said to have brokered the out-of-court settlement between the newspaper and Majithia.

Vohra, taking over, messaged staff members: “The Tribune Group of Newspapers must remain totally committed to the pursuit of highest journalistic values and to the promotion of sterling civic virtues and ethical standards.”