The Madhya Pradesh high court has cancelled Opposition Congress lawmaker Mukesh Malhotra’s election from the Vijaypur assembly seat, calling his failure to declare criminal cases in his election affidavit a corrupt practice under the Representation of People Act.. The Madhya Pradesh high court said BJP’s Ramniwas Rawat will take Mukesh Malhotra’s place in the assembly. (Getty Images/iStockphoto). Justice GS Ahluwalia of the court’s Gwalior bench on Monday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Ramniwas Rawat, who lost to Malhotra in a December 2024 by-poll, will take his place in the assembly. The order will take effect after 14 days, allowing Malhotra time to file an appeal in the Supreme Court.. In 2023, Rawat won the Vijaypur assembly seat on a Congress ticket before resigning to join the BJP. In the by-election in December 2024, Rawat lost to Malhotra by 7,364 votes.. Rawat moved the high court, saying that Malhotra had not disclosed two criminal cases in the election affidavit. The court said that Malhotra deliberately and knowingly suppressed this information, misleading the electorate.. “…such suppression has materially created an impediment in the free exercise of electoral rights, and has deprived the voters to make an informed and advised choice and therefore, this act of suppression has resulted in direct or indirect interference with free exercise of right to vote by the electorate and since, it was within the knowledge of the Malhotra about the pending cases and whether charges have been framed or not, therefore, this act of Malhotra amounts to undue influence, necessitating the declaration of his result as null and void,” the court said.. The court said that failing to provide such information deliberately constituted a corrupt practice. “…it is not necessary for this court to consider whether suppression on the part of Malhotra has materially affected the election result or not, because it has to be presumed, and such a question does not arise. Thus, Malhotra is held guilty of corrupt practice.”. The court declared Rawat as elected as he secured second highest votes. It directed the Election Commission of India and the returning officer to complete the formalities in this regard.. Congress leader Umang Singhar said they respect the court’s decision. “The Congress will appeal this decision in the Supreme Court after consulting with lawyers and understanding the legal aspects. The people of Vijaypur gave the Congress their mandate. The people are still with us. We hope that we will receive justice from the Supreme Court.”. BJP spokesperson Hitesh Bajpai said the Congress hid the criminal cases against Malhotra to mislead the innocent tribal electorate, but now the court has cleared everything. 

 Sensex, Nifty today LIVE updates: Investors are keeping a close watch on the markets after Monday’s, March 9’s, sharp sell-off, with benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty witnessing a steep decline amid rising crude oil prices and escalating tensions in West Asia.. Smoke rises following a strike on the Bapco Oil Refinery, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, on Sitra Island Bahrain, March 9 (REUTERS). Market participants are closely monitoring global cues, oil price movements, foreign fund flows and the rupee’s trajectory against the US dollar to gauge the near-term direction of equities following the heavy losses in the previous session.. Indian shares were expected open higher on Tuesday, March 10, as US President Donald Trump hinted the war in Iran could end soon, easing oil off three-year highs as well as fears of a prolonged supply shock, Reuters reported.. -Stock market crash on March 9: Equity benchmark indices Sensex (BSE) and Nifty (NSE) plunged nearly two per cent on Monday as a sharp rise in crude oil prices and weak global cues, triggered by the deteriorating situation in West Asia, sparked heavy selling in the stock market. The West Asia situation pertains to the ongoing military conflict between Iran-and-allies and US-Israel that broke out after the February 28 strikes by the latter on the Islamic country, that killed its Supreme Leader – Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.. -Sensex on Monday: Market sentiment was further dampened by persistent foreign fund outflows and the rupee’s weakness against the US dollar, traders said. The 30-share BSE Sensex fell 1,352.74 points, or 1.71 per cent, to close at 77,566.16, marking its second straight day of losses, according to data in a PTI news agency report. During intraday trade, the index had fallen as much as 2,494.35 points, or 3.16 per cent, to 76,424.55. On the BSE, 3,379 stocks declined, while 972 advanced and 185 remained unchanged.. -Nifty on Monday: Similarly, the 50-share NSE Nifty dropped 422.40 points, or 1.73 per cent, to finish at 24,028.05. During the session, it had tumbled 752.65 points, or 3.07 per cent, to 23,697.80. Gift Nifty futures were at 24,393.50 at 08:11 am on Tuesday, indicating the the Nifty 50 will open above Monday’s close of 24,028.05.. -Brent crude today: After hitting their highest in more than three years on Monday, Brent futures were down $6.51, or 6.6 per cent, at $92.45 a barrel and US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) down $6.12, or 6.5 per cent, to $88.65 on Tuesday morning. They had surged past $100 a barrel on Monday, touching mid-2022 highs as Saudi Arabia-led supply cuts and the expanding US-Israeli war with Iran raised concerns of major global supply disruptions. 

 Union minister for coal and mines G Kishan Reddy on Monday asked the Telangana government to enter into a power purchase agreement (PPA) with National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) in the wake of rapidly increasing power demand in the state, which crossed 18,000 MW mark last week.. G Kishan Reddy (ANI). In a letter addressed to chief minister A Revanth Reddy, Kishan Reddy said the second phase of 3×800 MW thermal power plant of NTPC, coming up at Ramagundam in Peddapalli district would help meet Telangana’s growing electricity demand while ensuring supply of quality power at a lower cost.. Telangana recorded peak electricity demand of 18,139 MW, registered at 11.01 am on March 3, which was the highest peak demand ever recorded in the history of Telangana, state deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, who holds the portfolio of energy, said in a statement.. Vikramarka said Telangana was emerging as a state with high electricity consumption density due to rapid expansion in IT, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, and irrigation sectors. Earlier, the state had recorded a peak demand of 15,623 MW on March 8, 2024 and 17,162 MW on March 20, 2025.. “Telangana is not only meeting current demand but is also fully prepared for upcoming summer peak requirements with advance planning. A robust grid system, forward-looking strategy, and coordinated operations are our strengths,” the deputy chief minister said.. Referring to Vikramarka’s statement, Kishan Reddy said in his letter that the electricity demand was expected to rise further in the coming years. He said the deputy chief minister himself had acknowledged the need to add 5,000 – 6,000 MW of thermal power generation capacity to maintain grid stability in line with national energy goals. “The demand could reach nearly one lakh MW by 2047,” the Union minister pointed out.. He recalled that as part of the first phase of the planned 4,000-MW thermal power project at NTPC, Ramagundam, had already established two thermal power units with a combined capacity of 2×800 MW (1,600 MW) at a cost of about ₹12,000 crore using advanced ultra-supercritical technology. The project was dedicated to the nation in 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said.. Following the completion of phase-I, NTPC has initiated steps to implement phase-II, which proposes three additional units of 800 MW each, adding 2,400 MW of generation capacity. As in the first phase, 85% of the power generated from phase-II will be supplied exclusively to Telangana, he said.. He requested the chief minister to facilitate a PPA between the Telangana government and NTPC for the 3×800 MW Phase-II project at Ramagundam.. Kishan Reddy said the NTPC has extensive national experience in establishing thermal power projects at low cost using advanced ultra-supercritical technology. “If NTPC is given adequate flexibility to secure coal supplies for the full 5×800 MW project, the company is ready to produce electricity at compet 

 The Supreme Court on Monday accepted the Union government’s proposal to allow retiring tribunal members and heads to continue for another six months as a stop-gap arrangement, even as the Centre said it was contemplating a law to govern future tribunal appointments.. Supreme Court okays 6-month extension for retiring members of tribunals. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant passed the order on a bunch of petitions filed by bar associations of various tribunals, raising concerns over the large number of vacancies threatening to make these forums defunct.. Attorney general R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, told the court that a new law is being contemplation and will be introduced in Parliament during the ongoing monsoon session. To ensure the functioning of tribunals is not impacted, he proposed a one-time measure to allow all retiring heads and members of tribunals to get an extension of tenure till September 8.. “We have taken stock of all tribunals to come out with this working arrangement. A bill is in contemplation and is likely to be introduced in the monsoon session. Till then, everybody appointed under the TRA (Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021) will continue,” he said.. In November last year, the top court struck down key provisions of the TRA, including the uniform four-year tenure for tribunal members and the minimum entry age of 50 years — measures the court found arbitrary and damaging to judicial independence.. “In view of the decision, in principle, having been taken to extend the tenure of presently serving chairpersons or members till September 8, 2026 or until they attain maximum age prescribed under TRA 2021, we permit the Government of India to proceed accordingly,” the bench, also comprising justice Joymalya Bagchi, said.. The court said increasing tenure is not sufficient as the legislative policy should include a mechanism to assess the performance of tribunal members. “Why should extension be given when there is no mechanism to assess their performance. On one hand, you cannot have tribunals functioning under government control since there will be interference. You also cannot put them under the judiciary’s control either,” it added.. On February 26, the court underscored the continuing dysfunction within tribunals and flagged instances where technical members were allegedly not writing judgments, leaving judicial members to shoulder the burden. “There should be an immediate mechanism to make these members accountable. If they are capable, they must continue to perform,” the bench noted, asking the Centre to devise a solution.. The bar association of the central administrative tribunal (CAT), represented by senior advocate Sanjay Jain, said that in 2026, about 31 members will be retiring. He said the past judgments of the court have said that a member should be given a secure tenure of five years. He added that a six-month extension was not a solution as there was growing uncert 

 The Gurugram Police on Monday have arrested two people, including a woman, in connection with an attack on a patient undergoing treatment at the Civil Hospital, police said.. According to the police, the accused woman, identified as Sakshi, 30, a resident of Rewari district, revealed that, mistaking the patient for her husband’s girlfriend, she threw toilet cleaner at her. (HT Photo/Subhash Sharma). The accused, identified as Pawan, had assaulted his live-in partner on March 9, following which she was undergoing treatment at the civil hospital, they said.. While another woman, mistaking the patient to be her husband’s girlfriend, had thrown toilet cleaner at her, they said, adding that the police are questioning both the accused.. A 30-year-old woman suffered severe burns on her face and body after a corrosive substance was allegedly thrown at her in the civil hospital. Later, she was referred to PGIMS, Rohtak, they said.. According to the police, the accused woman, identified as Sakshi, 30, a resident of Rewari district, revealed that, mistaking the patient for her husband’s girlfriend, she threw toilet cleaner at her.. The police also arrested the accused Pawan, a resident of Rewari, who had lived with the victim woman in a flat in Sector 72 area in a live-in relationship.. “During interrogation, it was revealed that Sakshi had a fight with her husband’s female friend Meenkashi, who was admitted for treatment in the civil hospital,” the spokesperson of Gurugram police said.. Sakshi, after seeing the scarf/cloth (mistaking it to be Meenakshi), threw toilet cleaner on her, he added.. The complainant had registered the case naming Pawan, but till now his role has not been revealed, he said, adding that a further probe is underway.