Today’s Top News Headlines and Latest News at 8:30 pm on 22 March 2024

Beginning today's evening bulletin with the top national news: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was produced in Rose Avenue Court, as Enforcement Directorate sought his 10-day custody in connection with the now-scrapped liquor policy. Kejriwal was arrested by the central agency late on Thursday on charges of corruption in relation to the case.  Opposition parties across the political spectrum have decried the arrest. The Aam Aadmi Party took to streets to protest against the arrest today. Security was stepped up around the city, with heavy personnel deployment and multi-layer barricading on roads leading to BJP headquarters. Delhi Ministers Atishi, Saurabh Bhardwaj, along with party workers were detained amid the demonstrations, and section 144 was imposed at ITO and around the AAP party office.

Next up: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today embarked on a two-day visit to Bhutan, his first after the new government took office in the Himalayan nation. Modi was earlier scheduled to travel to Bhutan on Thursday, but had to delay the visit by a day due to inclement weather conditions at Paro Airport, which is situated in a deep valley surrounded by Himalayan mountain ranges and has a particularly tricky landing approach. This visit is part of the Indian government’s emphasis on its ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’. The prime minister had an audience with Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, and his father Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the Fourth King of the Himalayan nation.

Moving on: The Allahabad High Court Friday declared the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act, 2004, "unconstitutional" and violative of the principle of secularism. The court asked the state government to accommodate current students in the formal schooling system. A division bench comprising Justice Vivek Chaudhary and Justice Subhash Vidyarthi of the Lucknow branch of the court declared the law ultra vires on a writ petition filed by a person named Anshuman Singh Rathore. Rathore had challenged the constitutionality of the UP Madarsa Board as well as objected to the management of madarsa by the Minority Welfare department, both by Union of India and the state government.

In news from South: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to grant any relief to BRS leader K Kavitha who was arrested by the ED in connection with the Delhi excise policy case and asked her to approach a trial court for bail. Taking up her writ petition, a three-judge bench said it is of the view that the statutory provisions should not be allowed to be bypassed. The bench pointed out that it has already decided to take up petitions seeking a review of the judgment in Vijay Madanlal Choudhary vs Union of India wherein the Supreme Court upheld the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

A day after the Supreme Court pulled up R N Ravi over his refusal to re-induct DMK MLA K Ponmudy, whose conviction was stayed by the apex court, into the state Cabinet, the Tamil Nadu Governor today administered the oath to the minister. Governor Ravi had invited Ponmudy to take oath as minister at 3:30 pm today, Attorney General R Venkataramani informed the apex court. On Thursday, the Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud-led three-judge bench had said, quote, "We are seriously concerned about the conduct of the Governor in this case… This is not the way. Because he is defying the Supreme Court of India." Unquote.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said it successfully conducted the landing experiment of Pushpak Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV)  at Aeronautical Test Range in Chitradurga district in Karnataka this morning. The winged vehicle called Pushpak landed precisely on the runway after being released from 4.5 kilometre altitude. This is ISRO’s second series of RLV landing experiment and this time, the RLV exhibited autonomous landing capability and undertook more difficult manoeuvres with dispersions. Notably, the high-speed landing conditions and approach used by RLV while returning from space was simulated during the mission. ISRO Chairman S Somanath appreciated the team for successful mission.

Shifting focus to international news: In light of recent incidents involving Indian students in the United States, former CEO of PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi, has advised Indian students residing in or planning to travel to the United States to be vigilant and abide by local laws. Nooyi shared a video message of over 10 minutes, urging Indian students planning to study or already studying in the US to prioritise their safety and avoid actions that could lead to trouble. The video was shared by the Consulate General of India in New York on Thursday. She acknowledged the unfortunate situations some Indian students have found themselves in and emphasised the importance of vigilance to ensure personal safety.

And lastly: More than 70 Rohingya are "presumed dead or missing" after a boat they were on capsized off the coast of Indonesia’s Aceh province, while 75 have been rescued, the UNHCR refugee agency said today. The UNHCR said in a joint statement with the International Organization for Migration that if the death toll was confirmed, it would be the biggest loss of life so far this year. The alert was raised on Wednesday when fishermen rescued six of the migrants. A fishing community in Aceh said they had been standing on the hull of the boat after it capsized due to high tides. For years, Rohingya have left Buddhist-majority Myanmar where they areregarded as foreign interlopers from South Asia, denied citizenship and subjected to abuse.

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