Free Press Bulletin: Top 5 news updates of May 25, 2022; watch video

Here are the top 5 news updates of May 25, 2022:

Announcing that he had resigned from the Congress last week, Kapil Sibal today filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha as an Independent supported by the Samajwadi Party. Sibal, whose exit is another jolt for the electorally battered Congress, said his ideology is related to the party he has been with for three decades. The former Union minister went to the Uttar Pradesh assembly premises to file his papers with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Ram Gopal Yadav and other senior leaders. A prominent member of the G23, which had sought an organisational overhaul in the Congress, Sibal's tenure as Congress' Rajya Sabha MP ends in July. "I have filed the nomination as an Independent candidate. I thank Akhileshji for supporting me," Sibal said. "I resigned from the Congress on May 16 and am no longer a senior Congress leader," he said. The SP chief later said Sibal was being supported by the Samajwadi Party.

In view of the ongoing Jharkhand money laundering probe, a special Enforcement Directorate Court today sent suspended IAS officer Pooja Singhal to judicial custody till June 8. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) earlier on Tuesday conducted raids at six locations in Jharkhand's Ranchi and one place in Bihar's Muzaffarpur, in connection with a money-laundering probe against suspended Jharkhand mining secretary Pooja Singhal. She was arrested by the ED on May 11 and suspended by the Jharkhand government on May 12. After her arrest, a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ranchi sent her to ED's remand.

The Mumbai traffic police today issued a notification making helmets mandatory for pillion riders as well and warned of action against those who violate the rule. The rule will come into effect after 15 days, following which the traffic authorities will start taking action against violators, an official said. As per the notification, the traffic police have found that most two-wheeler riders in the city do not wear helmets and violate traffic norms. At present, the traffic police impose a fine of Rs 500 on helmet-less riders or suspend their licenses. After 15 days, the same penalty will be imposed on pillion riders found without helmets, the official said.

BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis today claimed that political developments in Maharashtra over the upcoming polls to the Rajya Sabha were an attempt to corner former MP Sambhaji Chhatrapati, who was seeking support for his candidature. Chhatrapati Sambhaji, a descendant of legendary warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, had approached the Shiv Sena last week and sought its support to enter the Rajya Sabha.The Sena had assured support to the former MP provided he joined the party, but he declined the proposal. Meanwhile on Tuesday, Shiv Sena's chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut said the party's Kolhapur district president Sanjay Pawar will be its second candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls.

Benchmark indices wiped out early gains as volatility yet again ruled the markets, with the Sensex extending its decline to the third day running today, falling over 300 points amid a sell-off in IT stocks. The 30-share BSE Sensex tanked 303.35 points or 0.56 per cent to settle at 53,749.26. During the day, the bechmark hit a low of 53,683.16 and a high of 54,379.59. The broader NSE Nifty declined 99.35 points or 0.62 per cent to end at 16,025.80. From the Sensex pack, Asian Paints, TCS, Wipro, Tech Mahindra, Larsen & Toubro, Infosys, State Bank of India, HCL Technologies and M&M were among the biggest laggards. In contrast, NTPC, Bharti Airtel, HDFC, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Nestle, ICICI Bank and ITC were the prominent gainers.

Published on: Wednesday, May 25, 2022, 07:20 PM IST