Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Saturday pitched for 50% reservation for women in government empanelment of advocates and called for creating a dedicated financial corpus to support women lawyers, especially during maternity breaks, as part of a broader push to secure “gender equality in the legal profession.”. Half of advocates empanelled by govt should be women, says CJI. Speaking at the 1st Supreme Court Bar Association’s national conference in Bengaluru, CJI Surya Kant said the government must move beyond the existing 15 to 30% benchmark and ensure that at least half of all empanelled advocates are women.. “Let us ensure 50% of those empanelled are women advocates. Let us not stick to just 30%. That can be a beginning. Second, in the legal aid panel too, at least 50% counsels should be women,” he said.. He also urged the Union and state governments to create a financial support system for women lawyers in their early years of practice, including “honorarium” based assistance during maternity leave.. “These measures will give women both opportunity and stability,” he said.. The Chief Justice said that such measures will ensure that women lawyers sustain participation in the legal profession even after the entry level at the Bar.. The CJI said that it was important for stakeholders to implement such measures to ensure that the “larger constitutional vision of equality” moves beyond formal guarantees to “lived realities.”. He also pointed to “encouraging trends at the entry level” of the legal profession, noting that women now constitute over 50% of students in national law schools and universities and a significant proportion of new entrants to the Bar.. “This reflects a societal shift. It shows that families and the society are now encouraging women, our daughters, to enter the legal profession,” he said.. The CJI however, added that there was no denying that a steep drop-off exists beyond entry-level participation.. “The real question is whether we are able to maintain that equality as careers progress,” he said.. The CJI called for a “closer examination” of systemic barriers that push women out of the profession.. He identified multiple structural challenges such as “long and irregular working hours, reluctance among litigants to brief women lawyers, and the lack of consistent mentorship from seniors.”. CJI Surya Kant also said there is an imperative need for creating safer work environments for women lawyers, particularly given late working hours in chambers after court.. To address these gaps, he also proposed creating a financial corpus to help women lawyers during the early stages of their practice and during their maternity break.. Such institutional opportunities, the CJI said, will help women build “credibility” and “client trust.”. “Creating a financial corpus for women lawyers for financial support in early years of practice. I think we can persuade the Government of India 

 The Centre has withdrawn the temporary cap on domestic airfares imposed in the aftermath of the December 2025 flight disruption crisis involving IndiGo, marking a return to market-driven pricing as operations stabilise across the aviation sector.. Govt lifts curbs on ticket prices, flags action if fares spike again (ANI). In an order issued on Friday, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said the fare cap, introduced on December 6, 2025, was aimed at containing an “abnormal surge” in ticket prices and safeguarding passenger interests during a period of constrained capacity.. The ministry added that the situation has since “stabilised”, with restoration of capacity and normalisation of operations across the sector. Following a review, it said, the fare cap will stand withdrawn with effect from March 23, 2026. 

 The Centre has withdrawn the temporary cap on domestic airfares imposed in the aftermath of the December 2025 flight disruption crisis involving IndiGo, marking a return to market-driven pricing as operations stabilise across the aviation sector.. Govt lifts curbs on ticket prices, flags action if fares spike again (ANI). In an order issued on Friday, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said the fare cap, introduced on December 6, 2025, was aimed at containing an “abnormal surge” in ticket prices and safeguarding passenger interests during a period of constrained capacity.. The ministry added that the situation has since “stabilised”, with restoration of capacity and normalisation of operations across the sector. Following a review, it said, the fare cap will stand withdrawn with effect from March 23, 2026. 

 Even though Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor’s prediction on the NDA’s electoral prospects in 2024 and 2025 did not hold, he is now asserting that he got one key prediction right last year before the Bihar election — the political future of now-outgoing chief minister Nitish Kumar.. Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor says on prediction about “Nitish Kumar, who is visibly unfit, physically and mentally, I have been proven right”. (PTI). Kishor, who had last year confidently declared that the NDA would not return to power and that Nitish Kumar would not continue as chief minister, revisited that claim on Saturday, days after Kumar is all set to step down from the post after securing a Rajya Sabha berth.. The former poll strategist, whose party got zero seats in Bihar last year, said as per news agency PTI: “My prediction that the NDA could lose may have been off the mark. But about Nitish Kumar, who is visibly unfit, physically and mentally, I have been proven right.”. He added, “Why else would a chief minister step down barely a few months after his coalition got a brute majority in the assembly?”. The BJP-JD(U) alliance had secured thumping victory in the state assembly election conducted last year in November and Nitish Kumar took oath as the CM.. ‘I stand vindicated’. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an Eid function, Kishor acknowledged that his electoral forecast did not fully materialise, but doubled down on his assessment of Kumar’s leadership.. “I cannot say whether Nitish Kumar is leaving of his own accord or whether he is acting under pressure. But, in a way, I stand vindicated,” PTI quoted the 47-year-old as saying.. “I was being pilloried ahead of the assembly polls when I had predicted that even if the NDA wins, he will not be made the chief minister,” Kishor added.. ‘Votes were bought’. Kishor also alleged that the NDA’s electoral victory was aided by direct cash transfers to voters. “Votes were bought by doling out ₹10,000,” he alleged.. The remark was seen as a reference to a state scheme under which ₹10,000 was transferred to over 1.5 crore women ahead of the election announcement.. He went further, alleging that Kumar’s exit was tied to internal power dynamics within the NDA. “The ruling BJP at the Centre, the union home minister and the Election Commission must have played their own roles in securing the huge mandate for the NDA. So, it is hardly surprising that the party ruling the Centre wants to claim its share in Bihar,” he said.. BJP CM in Bihar? Speculation grows. His remarks come amid growing speculation that Kumar, recently elected to the Rajya Sabha, may move to Delhi, paving the way for the BJP to install its first chief minister in Bihar.. However, Kishor refrained from naming any possible successor, striking a self-aware note: “My prediction about my own party had proven wrong in the assembly polls”.. The former political consultant, who rose to prominence managing Na 

 On Saturday, the BJP strongly criticized Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for his comments on the Uttam Nagar incident, where a Hindu man named Tarun was killed during Holi celebrations. Rahul Gandhi and Guru Prakash Paswan. (PTI/HT). BJP national spokesperson Guru Prakash Paswan sharply criticized Rahul Gandhi during a press conference, accusing the Congress leader and his party of prioritizing “minority appeasement” over social justice. Paswan was responding to Gandhi’s March 19 post on X, where he condemned the BJP for fostering communal divisions for their own gain. Gadhi had stated: “The residents of Uttam Nagar have borne a steep cost from the violence — on one side, a young man named Tarun has lost his life; on the other, a whole family is enduring harassment.” They want no further bloodshed. “He further stated, ‘Only the BJP and its ecosystem seek violence — exploiting every opportunity to stoke hatred and bake the bread of violence on the fire of division.’ Paswan hit back at Gandhi, noting that he reacted many days after the Uttam Nagar incident.” A tweet offering condolences was posted—days later and feigning sensitivity. Are you numb to feelings today? You stay silent when a young Dalit man is killed.