Today’s Top News Headlines and Latest News at 8:30 pm on 2 May 2023

Sharad Pawar announced that he had decided to step down as president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and will not be contesting elections in the future. “I have three years tenure remaining in Rajya Sabha. I will not contest elections henceforth,” the NCP chief, who founded the party in 1999, said at the launch of the second edition of his autobiography, ‘Lok Maze Sangati’. “I started my political career on May 1, 1960. Yesterday we celebrated May day. After this prolonged political career, one must think about stopping somewhere. One must not be greedy.” Party workers protested and leaders shed tears, demanding that Pawar withdraws his decision.

The Gujarat High Court refused to grant Congress leader Rahul Gandhi interim relief on his plea for a stay of conviction in the criminal defamation case over his “Modi surname” remark. On the second day of the hearing of Gandhi’s plea challenging a Surat court’s refusal to grant a stay on his conviction, The court of Justice Hemant Prachchhak said the verdict would be pronounced only after the summer vacation. The high court will close for summer vacation from May 8 to June 4, and Justice Prachchhak will be unavailable from May 4 as he is travelling outside the country.

Cash-strapped Indian airline Go First has suspended its flights for May 3 and 4 over pending dues owed to oil marketing companies. The Wadia group airline has informed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation that it will not be able to operate flights, sources in the know said. A confirmation and comments from the airline were awaited. Go First has been battling financial headwinds for some time now. It has been in a cash-and-carry arrangement with the oil companies. This means that the carrier has to pay for the fuel each day and is not getting any credit from the suppliers.

The Karnataka Congress in its manifesto released said it would crack down on divisive forces. Under the ‘Law and Justice’ head, the party said that it “was committed to take firm and decisive action against individuals and organisations spreading hatred amongst communities on grounds of caste and religion.” It named the banned Popular Front of India and right-wing organisation Bajrang Dal as groups that violate the law. “We believe that law and Constitution is sacrosanct and cannot be violated by individuals and organisations like Bajrang Dal, PFI or others promoting enmity or hatred, whether among majority or minority communities,” the manifesto reads.

The Supreme Court dismissed the Delhi Police’s appeal against the bail granted to activists Devangana Kalita, Natasha Narwal and Asif Iqbal Tanha in the northeast Delhi riots conspiracy case. A bench of Justices S K Kaul and Ahsanuddin Amanullah said, “The respondents have been on bail for almost two years. We see no purpose in keeping this matter alive.” It also remarked orally that the accused has been enlarged on bail for about two years and “after that nothing has come on record to say that the bail should be cancelled”. The Delhi Police had in its appeal raised concerns about the comments made by the High Court regarding Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967 in the bail order.

The supplementary chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate mentions AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha as part of the statement given to ED by Manish Sisodia’s former secretary C Arvind on December 23, 2022. It states: “At Dy CM’s residence there was a meeting of Raghav Chadha, ACS Finance of Punjab Govt, Excise Commissioner, Sh Varun Roojam, FCT and officers from Punjab Excise where Vijay Nair was also present.” Following this, Chadha issued a statement denying the ‘commission of any alleged offence in any manner’. “I have not been named as an accused or even a suspect in any of the complaints filed by the enforcement directorate,” Chadha said.

As many as 231 Indians, including 208 Gujarat residents, who were evacuated from strife-torn African nation Sudan under the Centre’s ‘Operation Kaveri’, landed at Ahmedabad airport, said a state government official. Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi, who handles Non-Resident Gujarati division of the state government, welcomed these Indians at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport upon their arrival here from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on a special flight, said the official. These 231 Indians included 208 Gujarat residents, 13 from Punjab and 10 from Rajasthan.

Lastly: The 2,200-strong congregation that will be assembled at Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday for King Charles III’s Coronation will include royalty, world leaders and also a number of Indian community workers associated with the monarch’s charity initiatives over the years as Prince of Wales, Buckingham Palace has said. Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar is expected to represent India at the majestic ceremony, complete with gilded carriages and regalia last witnessed 70 years ago when Charles’ late mother was crowned Queen Elizbeth II in June 1953.
 

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