HDFC Bank’s newly appointed interim chairman Keki Mistry on Thursday sought to reassure investors and stakeholders that the bank remains stable and that there are no material concerns following the sudden resignation of part-time chairman Atanu Chakraborty over differences on “values and ethics”.. Keki Mistry has been appointed as the HDFC Bank interim chairman (Mint). In his first remarks after taking charge, Mistry said the board remains committed to maintaining confidence in the country’s largest private-sector lender.. “The board remains committed to safeguarding investor confidence,” Mistry said, adding that the bank wanted to assure all stakeholders that there were “no material matters at this point of time”.. HDFC Bank’s chief executive also emphasised continuity in the lender’s operations. “We will continue to ensure that trust in the bank is maintained,” the CEO said.. The reassurance came after Atanu Chakraborty stepped down with immediate effect, citing ethical concerns in a resignation letter dated March 17.. “Certain happenings and practices within the bank, that I have observed over last two years, are not in congruence with my personal values and ethics,” Chakraborty wrote in the letter to the board, without elaborating on the issues.. In a regulatory filing late Wednesday night, HDFC Bank said the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had approved the appointment of board member and HDFC group veteran Mistry as interim part-time chairman for three months starting March 19.. Atanu Chakraborty, a former bureaucrat, had served as the bank’s part-time chairman since April 2021 and was reappointed in May 2024 for a term running until May 2027. During his tenure, HDFC Bank completed its landmark merger with Housing Development Finance Corp. (HDFC Ltd), creating one of the world’s largest financial services groups.. In his resignation letter, Chakraborty described the merger as a “momentous event” for the institution but noted that the full benefits of the integration were yet to be realised.. The unexpected departure rattled investors, with HDFC Bank’s US-listed shares falling about 8 per cent after the announcement. Its Mumbai-listed shares had earlier closed marginally lower before the news was disclosed. 

 Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress will fight 95 of Kerala’s 140 seats, two more than it did in 2021, as part of a seat-sharing arrangement within the United Democratic Front (UDF) that was finalised on Wednesday after hectic consultations at the AICC headquarters in Delhi.. Thiruvananthapuram: Election posters of candidates and leaders displayed on a wall ahead of the Kerala Legislative Assembly election, in Thiruvananthapuram, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (PTI). As per the seat-sharing formula revealed by Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) will contest 27 seats, unchanged from the last time.. PJ Joseph-led Kerala Congress (KC) was allotted eight seats, two less than in 2021. Ettumanoor and Idukki constituencies, fought by KC last time, will be taken over by the Congress as part of a one-time arrangement, Satheesan said.. Additionally, the Congress will take over Thrikkaripur seat from KC, while giving the party Kanhangad seat. “Unlike previous years, the seat sharing discussions were very smooth this time. The release of lists got delayed, not due to any tussles over seats,” Satheesan said.. Also Read | Kerala polls: BJP releases 1st candidates list; Rajeev Chandrasekhar named from Nemom. The Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), led by Shibu Baby John, was allotted five seats. Instead of the Mattannur seat in Kannur district that it traditionally fights, the RSP opted for Payyannur where it will support the candidature of Communist Party of India (Marxist) rebel V Kunhikrishnan, who raised allegations of misappropriation of party funds against his former party. The Mattannur seat will go to the Congress.. Other allies who get one seat each include Kerala Congress (Jacob) in Piravom, Communist Marxist Party (CMP) in Thiruvananthapuram, Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) in Vatakara, Mani C Kappen-led party in Pala and PV Anvar (Trinamool Congress) in Beypore.. The IUML will finalise its nominees in two seats by Thursday. With that, the UDF, which hopes to dislodge the Left Democratic Front after a decade, will have declared all its candidates.. Kerala goes to the polls on April 9. The ruling LDF has already declared 137 candidates and the third force, the Bharatiya Janata Party, has released 71 names.. Among the battleground seats are Palakkad, Nemom, Vattiyoorkavu, Peravoor and Manjeshwar.. In the ruling LDF, the CPI (M) dominates with 86 seats, followed by the CPI’s 25. Smaller allies hold limited but strategic spots: KC(M) with 12, RJD with 3 JD(S) and NCP with 3 each, INL with three seats, and one seat apiece for LJD, NSC, KC(B), Cong(S), and JKC.. On Wednesday, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the CPI(M) announced more candidates for the upcoming polls.. The RJD – an ally of the Congress at the national level and in Bihar but fighting in Kerala as part of the LDF – revealed three candidates. The CPI(M) unveiled four names as independents.. The RJD, led by MV Sreyams Kumar, decided to field 

 New Delhi: A parliamentary panel on Wednesday recommended the central government to take “concrete, time-bound steps” to ensure that by 2030, public expenditure on education increases to 6% of the Gross Domestic Products (GDP), a target set by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, while noting that the current spending, both by the Centre and states, stands at 4.06% of the GDP.. A parliamentary panel on Wednesday recommended the central government to take “concrete, time-bound steps” to ensure that by 2030, public expenditure on education increases to 6% of the Gross Domestic Products (GDP), (Sansad TV). The panel also recommended that the Centre more than double research and development (R&D) spending from 0.64% to 1.5% of GDP. It added that the expenditure on education was lower than key Brics countries like Brazil (5.62%) and South Africa (6.16%).. The 31-member parliamentary standing committee on education, women, children, youth and sports is headed by Congress MP Digvijaya Singh. In its ‘demands for grants of the department of higher education, ministry of education for 2026-27’ presented to Parliament on Wednesday, the panel expressed its concerns over “alarming” 73.9% cut in the capital head (amount dedicated to long-term, non-recurring investments that create assets or reduce liabilities) of the department in its allocated budget from ₹10.27 crore in budget estimate (BE) 2025-26 to ₹2.68 crore in BE 2026-27, and recommended a five-year capital investment plan with direct capital allocation from BE 2027-28.. The panel flagged 67.6% staff shortages at the University Grants Commission, “severely” impacting the commission’s capacity to discharge its functions. It has also expressed concerns over 63.6% vacancies at All India Council for Technical Education.. The panel has flagged poor global outcomes under the Institutions of Eminence (IoE) scheme as no Indian university is in QS top 100. It has recommended annual accountability reports, strict monitoring (including for private IoEs), time-bound global benchmarks, and linking future funding to measurable gains in research, faculty quality and internationalisation.. Flagging zero spending under the National Digital University (NDU) despite allocations of ₹100 crore in 2024-25 and ₹25 crore in 2025-26, the panel has sought a time-bound rollout plan and clarity on mandate, while recommending its complement — to not compete with Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) by focusing on credit-based online degrees and micro-credentials.. The panel welcomed the announcement in the Union budget 2026-27 for a girls’ STEM hostel in every district and asked the ministry to finalise a detailed rollout plan with funding model, timelines and eligibility norms, while prioritising low female Gross Enrolment Rate (GER), aspirational, Naxal-affected and tribal districts, and ensuring high-speed internet access in all hostels.. The panel backed entry of foreign univers 

 The Kerala High Court in Kochi has ruled that defaming a woman’s character without basis amounts to a “pernicious form of social violence.” It further noted that a society’s greater emphasis on a woman’s image over her accomplishments “reveals its own intellectual poverty.” These remarks by Justice C S Dias were made while dismissing an FIR against Malayalam actor Shwetha Menon, accused of sharing or broadcasting obscene content from her previous films and ads. The court endorsed the actor’s argument that the complaint was lodged solely to prevent her candidacy for President of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, right before nomination withdrawals. “The complaint’s timing clearly points to its malicious and harassing intent,” the court stated, granting her request to quash the FIR. It concluded that, after reviewing the complaint, FIR, evidence, and applicable laws, no offenses were established, and the claims were driven by a hidden agenda to damage Menon’s reputation. “Defaming a woman’s character without foundation is a destructive type of social violence, as the words are easily spoken, but the lasting stigma is often irreversible. It is commonly observed that when a woman achieves prominence in public life, rivals may resort to attacks beyond reason, logic, or merit to undermine her.” The court, in its March 11 order, described social shaming as a commonly used weapon. It added that advanced societies judge individuals by their deeds and contributions, whereas backward ones rely on defamation, character attacks, and moral vigilantism. “A society that prioritizes a woman’s reputation over her accomplishments reveals its own intellectual deficiency,” the court observed. It clarified that women’s empowerment does not require portraying them as flawless saints, but rather honoring their unique identities, ambitions, and achievements with respect and equity. “Any society that permits the defamation of a woman driven by jealousy or spite is inherently unjust,” the High Court stated. In August of the previous year, the High Court had halted proceedings related to the FIR, noting initial merit in the actor’s argument that authorities should have obtained a police report and conducted an inquiry before launching an investigation. The FIR, filed under Section 67 of the IT Act and sections of the Immoral Traffic Act, targeted the actor. The court ruled that the complaint’s “broad and baseless claims, lacking evidence or initial proof,” failed to substantiate the charged offenses. The actor, Menon, was competing for the president’s role in the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) when the FIR was registered; she was subsequently elected president. In her petition, Menon asserted that the accusations were malicious, the alleged crimes did not apply, and the complaint surfaced right after her nomination for AMMA president. Complainant Martin Menachery claimed that Menon’s participation in a condom ad years earlier and roles in films lik 

 Chhattisgarh’s State Investigation Agency (SIA) has submitted a charge sheet in a Bilaspur special court against nine people accused of ties to a Maoist “urban network,” a public prosecutor stated on Wednesday. The suspects hail from Bijapur, Narayanpur, and elsewhere, according to public prosecutor Dauram Chandravanshi. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images/iStockphoto). The charge sheet was filed on Tuesday in the court of Principal District and Sessions Judge (NIA court) Sirajuddin Qureshi. Public prosecutor Dauram Chandravanshi stated that nine people have been named as accused in the case. The matter is set for a hearing on March 20. The case stems from a crackdown that started on September 25 last year, when the SIA arrested Jaggu Kursam, a Maoist divisional committee member, and his wife Kamla Kursam, an area committee member, in Raipur. The interrogation resulted in the arrest of seven additional suspects from different regions of the state, including Korba, Bilaspur, Narayanpur, and Bijapur. The other accused have been identified as Ram Incham, Pawan (alias Akash/Pushkar), Dhansingh Gavde, Sandev Podiyami, Girdhar Nag, Sukaru Ram, and Shankar Korsa. The majority hail from Bijapur, Narayanpur, and nearby areas. Investigators state that the inquiry began after intelligence reports indicated that several people, masquerading as city laborers, were secretly relaying sensitive data to Maoists via electronic gadgets. The probe uncovered that the suspects were living and employed in urban centers for the outlawed group. They were reportedly involved in spreading Maoist ideology and providing logistical aid, such as food, medical help, and transport. An FIR was filed in connection with this matter in September 2025 at the DD Nagar police station in Raipur. In the course of the investigation and arrests, the agency confiscated gold biscuits, cash, laptops, mobile phones, and multiple pen drives. Officials indicated that the accused have been charged under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).