Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday told the Rajya Sabha that the ongoing conflict in West Asia has triggered a serious global energy crisis and disrupted key trade routes, with direct implications for India’s economy and supply chains.. The prime minister underlined India’s push towards reducing excessive dependence on external sources in critical sectors. (PTI photo). Speaking in the Upper House, PM Modi said the crisis has affected the movement of goods and led to uncertainty in the supply of essential commodities such as petrol, diesel, gas and fertilisers.. “This situation is a matter of concern for India as well,” he said, noting that the war has already begun to impact commercial shipping lanes.. PM Modi described as “unacceptable” any attempt by Iran to block maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil shipments. He said India has engaged with all stakeholders through diplomatic channels and successfully facilitated the movement of Indian vessels out of the affected zone.. Also Read: PM Modi condemns attacks on Kuwait, stresses free navigation in Hormuz. “At this time of crisis, we have adopted the path of dialogue,” Modi said, adding that India has spoken to leaders of most West Asian countries multiple times since the conflict escalated. He reiterated that New Delhi supports a peaceful resolution and de-escalation.. Highlighting the human dimension, Modi said the safety and livelihood of Indians living in Gulf countries remains a top priority for the government. Nearly ten million Indians live and work in the region, he noted, making the situation particularly sensitive.. He also flagged concerns over Indian crew members stranded on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a “serious issue” that is being closely monitored. “We are making every effort to ensure their safety and early return,” he said.. PM Modi warned that a prolonged conflict could have far-reaching consequences. “If the war continues, its repercussions will be severe,” he said, adding that the crisis has already “shaken the world” and recovery may take time.. The prime minister underlined India’s push towards reducing excessive dependence on external sources in critical sectors. He cited efforts ranging from shipbuilding to rare earth minerals as part of a broader push for self-reliance.. “We are trying to ensure that in no sector do we remain overly dependent on other countries,” he said. 

 A man and his sister were killed and two others were injured in a cylinder explosion in a dilapidated house near the Lahartara private bus station in Varanasi on Tuesday, police said. The deceased were identified as Om Kumar Chaudhary 28, and Preeti 25, police said. Their brother, Aman Chaudhary, 31, and mother, Girija Devi, 60, are under treatment, police added.. Locals told police about the incident on Tuesday morning in which the four victims were buried under debris. (Representational image/Getty Images/iStockphoto). Locals told police about the incident on Tuesday morning in which the four victims were buried under debris. Police immediately arrived on the scene with the Bomb Disposal Squad and a Dog Squad, rescued the people and admitted them to the BHU trauma centre where Om Kumar and Preeti succumbed to their injuries, police said.. Police said that the incident took place when Girija Devi was cooking. A blast occurred due to a leak in the gas cylinder and the house subsequently collapsed, trapping Girija Devi—along with her three children—beneath the rubble. 

 March 24 – Global air travel remains severely disrupted, with many people still unable to fly as planned to destinations after the Iran war forced the closure of major Middle Eastern hubs, including Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi.. Airlines cancel more flights as Middle East conflict escalates. Below is the latest on flights, in alphabetical order:. AEGEAN AIRLINES. Greece’s largest carrier has cancelled flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut and Amman until April 22, and to Erbil and Baghdad until May 24. Flights to Dubai have been cancelled until April 19 and to Riyadh until April 18.. AIRBALTIC. Latvia’s airBaltic said all flights to Tel Aviv had been cancelled until April 29. All flights to Dubai stand cancelled until October 24.. AIR CANADA. The Canadian carrier has cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv until May 2 and to Dubai until March 28.. AIR EUROPA. The Spanish airline has cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv until April 10.. AIR FRANCE KLM. Air France has cancelled Tel Aviv and Beirut flights until March 28 and Dubai and Riyadh flights until March 24, as well as a March 25 departure from Dubai.. KLM suspended flights to Riyadh, Dammam and Dubai until May 17 and to Tel Aviv until April 11.. CATHAY PACIFIC. The Hong Kong airline has cancelled all passenger flights to Dubai and Riyadh until May 31. To cater to a surge in demand to Europe, it will operate three additional return flights to Paris and Zurich, and will provide additional seats on 13 existing flights to London in April.. DELTA. The U.S. carrier has cancelled its New York-Tel Aviv flights until May 31 and Tel Aviv-New York flights until June 1. The restart of its Atlanta-Tel Aviv route has been delayed, with flights to Tel Aviv paused until August 4 and from Tel Aviv until August 5.. EL AL ISRAEL AIRLINES. The Israeli carrier said operational constraints are preventing regular flights from Israel, except in rare, exceptional cases, and that it is continuing efforts to bring passengers home. The airline has also urged authorities to open Ramon Airport near Eilat.. EMIRATES. The UAE airline said it was operating a reduced flight schedule following a partial reopening of regional airspace.. ETIHAD AIRWAYS. The UAE carrier said it was operating a limited commercial flight schedule between Abu Dhabi and select destinations.. FINNAIR. The Finnish carrier has cancelled its Dubai flights until March 29 and Doha flights until July 2, while continuing to avoid the airspace of Iraq, Iran, Syria and Israel.. FLYNAS. Saudi budget airline Flynas has extended its suspension of flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Doha, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq and Syria until March 31.. IAG. IAG-owned British Airways has extended cancellations of flights to Amman, Bahrain, Dubai and Tel Aviv until May 31 and to Doha until April 30, while adding flights to Bangkok and Singapore. Flights to Abu Dhabi remain suspended until later this year.. INDIGO. The Indian airline has suspended operations to Doha, Kuwait, Bahrain, Dammam, Fujairah 

 The Supreme Court on Tuesday held that conversion to Christianity and other religions results in the loss of Scheduled Caste (SC) status, holding that a person who professes a faith other than Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism cannot claim the constitutional protections available to members of SC.. The court said once an individual voluntarily converts and actively practices another faith, the legal entitlements tied to SC identity, including protection under the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, cease to apply. (HT PHOTO). Upholding an Andhra Pradesh high court judgment, the bench of justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan said once an individual voluntarily converts and actively practices another faith, the legal entitlements tied to SC identity, including protection under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, cease to apply.. It endorsed the high court’s reasoning that the constitutional scheme under the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, restricts the SC status to specified religions, and that conversion beyond this framework automatically disqualifies a person from claiming such status. The court underscored that the determinative factor is the religion professed at the time of the incident, not merely the existence of a caste certificate.. The ruling arose from a case involving a pastor from Andhra Pradesh who invoked the SC/ST Act, alleging assault and caste-based abuse by certain individuals in his village. The accused challenged the proceedings on the ground that the complainant, Chinthada Anand, had converted to Christianity and was actively functioning as a pastor, thereby disentitling him from invoking protections meant exclusively for the SC.. The Supreme Court noted that the facts on record left little room for doubt. The petitioner had not claimed any reconversion to his original faith nor any re-acceptance into his caste community. On the contrary, evidence showed that he had been practising Christianity for over a decade and regularly conducting prayer meetings as a pastor. The bench observed that these “concurrent facts” clearly established that he continued to profess Christianity at the time of the alleged incident, making him ineligible for the SC status and the protections flowing from it.. The decision effectively endorses the Andhra Pradesh high court’s April 30, 2025, ruling delivered by Justice N Harinath, which had quashed the criminal proceedings initiated under the SC/ST Act. The high court held that the caste system is alien to Christianity and that a person who has voluntarily converted cannot seek the benefit of a law designed to address caste-based discrimination within the Hindu social structure and its legally recognised extensions.. The high court rejected the argument that the continued possession of a caste certificate entitled the complainant to protection under the SC/ST Act. It clarified that the validity or cancellation of such a certificate 

 The Election Commission found itself at the centre of a political controversy on Monday after a letter from the poll body bearing the BJP Kerala unit’s seal went viral.. Reacting to the development, the Election Commission said it was “purely a clerical error” and had been “rectified immediately.” (X/ CPI(M)). The CPI(M) raised the issue on the social media platform X, sharing an affidavit attached to a March 19, 2019 letter sent to political parties across the country, which bore the BJP Kerala seal instead of the official seal of the Election Commission. Later, the Congress also reacted sharply to the letter.. However, the Election Commission downplayed it as a “clerical error”.. Reacting to the development, the Election Commission said that the seal on the letter was “purely a clerical error” and had been “rectified immediately.”. “It has come to our notice that a letter from the Election Commission, bearing the seal of the BJP, is being circulated across various Malayalam news channels. The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) hereby clarifies that this was purely a clerical error, which was identified and rectified immediately,” a post by Kerala Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on X read.. Explaining the sequence of events, the CEO’s office said, “The BJP Kerala Unit had recently approached the CEO’s office seeking clarification on the 2019 guidelines regarding the publication of criminal antecedents of candidates. Along with their request, the party submitted a photocopy of the original 2019 directive. The party’s seal was present on that specific copy provided by them.”. It added, “Due to an oversight, the office failed to notice the party symbol on the submitted document and inadvertently redistributed it to other political parties as part of the requested clarification.”. The CEO’s office said corrective action was taken promptly.. “The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer acknowledged the lapse as soon as it was detected. Consequently, on March 21, the Deputy Chief Electoral Officer issued a formal letter withdrawing the erroneous document,” it said.. “The withdrawal notice was dispatched to all political parties, District Election Officers, and Returning Officers,” the statement added.. Urging restraint, the CEO’s office said, “The public and media are requested to refrain from spreading misleading messages based on this clerical error. The Election Commission maintains a rigorous and foolproof system to ensure that the electoral process remains free from any external interference or influence.”. Reactions from the Opposition. Earlier, in a strongly worded post, the CPI(M) said, “Have all pretences been dropped by the BJP?”. It added, “It is no secret that the same power centre seems to control both the Election Commission of India and the BJP. Even then, at least maintain the courtesy of two separate desks.”. The CPI(M) later reacted to the EC’s clarification, saying that it wasn’t an error but “a warning”.. “Cler