The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and 38 other Shiv Sena legislators of his camp on a petition filed by the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) group, challenging the Maharashtra assembly speaker’s decision to dismiss the disqualification petitions against Shinde and the MLAs that supported him during the rebellion in 2022 and holding the CM’s faction to be the “real Shiv Sena”. A bench, led by Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, issued notices to all the 39 MLAs against whom the disqualification petitions had been filed by the Thackeray camp under the anti-defection law for defying the party whip in the House for the election of the speaker and the floor test in 2022.The bench, which also comprised justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, will take up the matter again after two weeks.The Shiv Sena suffered a vertical split in June 2022 when Eknath Shinde and 38 other legislators joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to form the government. The rebellion brought down the then Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. Dig Deeper
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday presided over the consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. Ahead of the Ram Mandir inauguration ceremony, it is estimated that over $10 billion ( ₹85,000 crore approx.) were spent to revamp and redevelop the city of Ayodhya, with more funding planned, reported PTI.With nearly $200 billion in revenue, tourism contributes about 7% of India’s economy, which is below most large emerging and developed economies by up to 5 percentage points. A new report suggests that this massive revamping of Ayodhya can lead to over ₹25,000 crore tax revenue generation by the Uttar Pradesh government. According to brokerage firm Jefferies, the total makeover of Ayodhya, which includes new airport, revamped railway station, township, improved road connectivity etc, has a cost of around ₹85,000 crore, reported PTI. The report by Jefferies highlighted that this massive Ayodhya makeover can attract over 50 million tourists to the city in a year. Golden Temple in Amritsar gets an estimated 30-35 million footfalls a year while the Tirupati temple sees 25-30 million visits. Globally, Vatican city gets around 9 million tourists every year and Mecca in Saudi Arabia around 20 million, the report says. Dig Deeper
The Latest News
Lord Ram Lalla’s jewellery: Know significance of mukut, kaustubha mani, vijayamala. Dig Deeper
Pakistan reacts to consecration of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Dig Deeper
Air India begins maiden operation of India’s first Airbus A350. Dig Deeper
India News
SC seeks replies from Eknath Shinde, 38 MLAs on speaker’s favourable ruling. Dig Deeper
How Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir will benefit temple tourism in India. Dig Deeper
In the EVM debate, stalemate between civil society and government. Dig Deeper
Global Matters
Iran’s foreign minister to visit Pakistan to rebuild ties after missile strikes. Dig Deeper
Alabama to carry out US’ 1st nitrogen gas execution despite UN alert, here’s why. Dig Deeper
Entertainment Focus
Alia Bhatt was among the many Bollywood celebrities, who were Ayodhya in traditional ensembles for the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony. The actor’s saree was even more special as it had a Ramayan themed-border, which depicted embroidered images of Lord Ram, Lord Hanuman, and the Ram Setu. The saree was a hit on the internet as soon as some noticed the intricate details on its border. Alia also carried a shawl to beat the cold and carried a purse made from the same material as the saree. She was accompanied by actor-husband Ranbir Kapoor, who wore a white kurta-pyjama with a cream shawl. A fanpage shared a zoomed-in picture of Alia Bhatt’s saree on X (formerly Twitter) after the ceremony. It was shared with the caption, “Alia Bhatt is wearing a saree that has the entire Ramayan depicted on it through motifs.” An X user reacted to it, “Want the saree.” Another said, “Love, love her every outfit these days.” One more tweeted, “My girl is looking so beautiful (face holding back tears emoji).” An X user als tweeted, “One more reason to adore Alia.” Dig Deeper
Sports Goings
Rohit Sharma’s Team India will miss the services of batting icon Virat Kohli for the first two Tests of the high-profile five-match series against England. Days after returning to the T20I format in the Afghanistan series at home, Kohli, on Monday, pulled out of India’s upcoming red-ball assignment citing personal reasons. The former World No.1 batter will miss the first two Tests in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. The first Test is set to begin on Thursday.Confirming Kohli’s exit from the Indian squad in the lead-up to the Test series, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) extended its support to the former India skipper. “Virat Kohli has requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to be withdrawn from the first two Tests of the upcoming IDFC First Bank Test series against England, citing personal reasons,” BCCI said in an official statement.It also added that Kohli spoke to skipper Rohit, the team management and members of the selection committee before taking this decision. Dig Deeper
Lifestyle and Health
Bay leaf, the popular flavouring agent in Indian cuisine has been trusted since ancient times to treat digestive disorders, lower cholesterol levels and ward off evil. Even today, the age-old spice retains its popularity and is used widely across cuisines for its distinct taste. Dry bay leaves are used to flavour curries, soups and rice to add flavour and aroma. Bay leaves are dried before use as the fresh ones can be bitter and astringent. Bay leaf or bay laurel is obtained from small evergreen tree Laurus nobilis L. Bay leaves are full of antioxidants and are a good source of minerals and fibre. Bay leaf has been in use since ancient times in traditional and folk medicines. The spice was used to treat respiratory disorders, infections, digestive issues, diarrhoea, amenorrhea and as a diuretic. However not many studies have proven the health benefits of bay leaves. Bay leaves helps treat stomach ache, clear up mucus in the lungs, cold, and sore throat. It is also effective in treating rheumatism and neuralgia. Keeping bay leaf in a nostril or under the head bands is believed to treat headache. Above all, Bay provides an amazing flavour and cuisines across the world uses it in some way or the other. Dig Deeper