National News Updates

India dismissed claims by the Washington Post about an alleged plot to assassinate Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, citing ongoing investigations into security concerns involving organized crime and terrorism.

The Uttarakhand government has authorized legal action against Divya Pharmacy and Patanjali Ayurved Ltd., citing violations of the drug advertisements law, leading to the suspension of manufacturing licenses for 14 products.

President Droupadi Murmu is set to visit the Ram temple in Ayodhya, with Uttar Pradesh's top officials present. Despite her visit, devotee access will remain largely unaffected, and extensive traffic plans are in place.

Delhi Police's IFSO unit is investigating a doctored video featuring Union Home Minister Amit Shah, which falsely portrays his stance on reservation quotas. The video has prompted actions including FIRs and requests for social media cooperation to trace its origin and spread.

The Ministry of Home Affairs plans to deploy CISF personnel at all Enforcement Directorate offices nationwide following a threat assessment. Initial focus cities include Mumbai, Kolkata, and Jaipur among others. This response comes after recent attacks on ED officials.

The Indian Naval Destroyer INS Kochi responded to an attack by Houthi rebels on the Panama-flagged tanker MV Andromeda Star PM in the Red Sea, ensuring the safety of all 30 crew members including 22 Indians. The Navy conducted aerial recce and deployed an EOD team for a residual risk assessment.

The Indian Coast Guard, in collaboration with the Gujarat ATS and NCB, seized a Pakistan boat in the Arabian Sea, capturing 14 crew members and 86 kg of narcotics worth Rs 600 crore.

A 19-year-old patient from Karachi in Pakistan, Ayesha Rashid, underwent a successful heart transplant surgery in Chennai.

Two CRPF personnel were killed and two injured in an armed attack at a security camp in Manipur's Bishnupur district. The assault, involving gunfire and bombings by suspected Kuki armed groups, resulted in the deaths of Sub Inspector N. Sarkar and Head Constable Arup Saini.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President J.P. Nadda is scheduled to visit Odisha on April 28 (Sunday) for election campaigning, a party leader said on Friday.

In a remarkable unearthing, palaeontologists have discovered a massive fossil of a snake in Gujarat being reported as the ‘largest snake’ that ever existed! The researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee had reported that the snake had likely lived 47 million years ago during the middle Eocene period.

Assuring that it is a 'Modi ki Guarantee' (PM Modi's guarantee), Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that the government led by the BJP will implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) across the country.

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a batch of petitions seeking mandatory cross-verification of the votes cast in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips. However, a bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna asked the Election Commission of India to examine the suggestion if the VVPAT slips may have unique barcodes on them in addition to the party symbol, which in turn could be counted by an electronic machine.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized the Mamata government for corruption, linking it to job losses and misused Central funds in West Bengal. He highlighted issues like the non-implementation of the Ayushman Bharat scheme and protection of sexual harassment culprits.

The Supreme Court rejected petitions for mandatory cross-verification of EVM votes with VVPAT slips but directed the Election Commission to explore adding barcodes to VVPAT slips. Justice Khanna introduced measures for securing and verifying Symbol Loading Units and burnt memory semicontrollers post-election, with associated costs covered by requesting candidates unless tampering is detected.