India in 2 Minutes for the Week of April 3

Supreme Court slams Bengal administration, orders central forces

The Supreme Court on April 2 sharply criticised the “complete failure” of West Bengal’s civil and police administration after seven judicial officers were held hostage in Malda by a group of voters whose names were deleted from the voter list during the Special Intensive Revision.

Taking suo motu cognisance, the court ordered deployment of central forces at all sites where judicial officers are hearing voter-roll objections and sought a Central Bureau of Investigation or National Investigation Agency probe into the incident.

Jet fuel, commercial LPG prices rise in India

India has raised prices of jet fuel and commercial LPG as the Middle East war disrupts energy markets.

Aviation turbine fuel rose 8.5 per cent in Delhi, though the government said it absorbed much of the global spike to shield airlines.

Commercial 19-kg LPG cylinders also became costlier, while household LPG prices were left unchanged.

Seized arms displayed after India declares Maoist insurgency over

Police displayed a large cache of weapons seized from Maoist rebels after authorities declared the six-decade insurgency effectively over.

The arms haul in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada included crude mortars and carbines looted from security forces.

Officials said the display was meant to signal a return to the mainstream, with five former rebels also given copies of the Constitution.

Oracle lays off 12,000 employees

Oracle has reportedly laid off around 12,000 employees in India as part of a wider global retrenchment affecting about 30,000 jobs.

Reports said another round of cuts may follow within a month.

Employees were told their roles had become redundant due to organisational changes. Oracle is estimated to have around 30,000 employees in India and over 162,000 globally.

RBI tightens curbs to stop rupee speculation

India’s central bank has intensified its crackdown on rupee speculation after earlier restrictions on banks failed to stabilise the currency.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has now barred banks from offering rupee non-deliverable forwards to clients and stopped companies from rebooking cancelled forward contracts.

The move follows the rupee’s sharp slide to record lows amid fears over the Iran war’s spillover effects.

Lok Sabha clears Bill naming Amaravati Andhra’s sole capital

The Lok Sabha has passed the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, formally recognising Amaravati as the state’s sole and permanent capital.

The Bill was cleared by voice vote on April 1.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu hailed it as a moment of honour, saying it ended uncertainty and recognised the sacrifices made by farmers and the aspirations of the people.

AIADMK vows drug-free Tamil Nadu in three months

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami has promised to make Tamil Nadu drug-free within three months if his party wins the upcoming Assembly elections.

Alleging that ganja and narcotics are being sold with support from other political party functionaries, he said police were unable to act effectively.

Mr Palaniswami claimed drug movement was under control during the previous AIADMK government’s tenure.

Camel liquor smugglers caught heading into Delhi

Police have busted an unusual liquor smuggling racket in Delhi, arresting a man who used camels to transport alcohol through forest routes from Faridabad.

The contraband was meant to avoid road checkpoints and exploit higher liquor taxes in the capital.

Authorities seized the liquor, rescued the camels and said the smugglers later used bicycle rickshaws for delivery inside city limits.

Delhi region gets second international airport

India has opened the Delhi National Capital Region’s second international airport, Noida International Airport in Jewar, as part of its rapid aviation expansion.

Located 75km from Delhi, the airport will initially handle 12 million passengers a year, with scope to grow to 70 million.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it would boost jobs, trade and connectivity in western Uttar Pradesh.

Leander Paes joins BJP ahead of Bengal polls

Tennis great Leander Paes has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections, giving the party a high-profile local face in a key battleground state.

The Kolkata-born former Olympian said he wants to focus on sports infrastructure, youth empowerment and gender parity in sport.

His move is seen as part of BJP’s push to counter Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Bengali identity pitch.

Top court rejects appeal over Air India crash fuel-switch report

The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal seeking disclosure of the exact timing of a fuel switch movement in last year’s Air India crash in Ahmedabad.

Chief Justice Surya Kant questioned the motive behind the plea and refused to interfere. The court said such technical issues should be left to experts, especially as the official crash investigation is still ongoing.

India makes digital e-Arrival Card compulsory

India has ended the long-standing paper disembarkation form for foreign travellers and made a digital e-Arrival Card mandatory from April 1.

All foreign nationals, including OCI card holders, must complete it online or through the Su-Swagatam app at least 72 hours before arrival.

Authorities said the move improves pre-screening, data accuracy and eliminates millions of paper forms annually.

IndiGo appoints Willie Walsh as new CEO

IndiGo has named former British Airways chief Willie Walsh as its new chief executive, weeks after Mr Pieter Elbers resigned.

Mr Walsh will join in August after completing his term as the International Air Transport Association director general.

The appointment comes after IndiGo faced major disruption in December, when about 4,500 flights were cancelled, stranding thousands and triggering intense scrutiny of the airline’s operations.

IMD forecasts stormy April, cooler summer days

India is likely to see normal to below-normal daytime temperatures this summer, according to the India Meteorological Department, offering some relief during the energy crunch caused by the West Asia conflict.

However, many areas may face intense thunderstorms in April, which could damage ready-to-harvest crops. The weather agency also warned of an 80 per cent chance of El Nino emerging later this year.

Australian-born Ryan Williams makes dream India debut

Australian-born Ryan Williams has emerged as an unlikely boost for Indian football after scoring just four minutes into his debut in India’s 2-1 Asian Cup qualifying win over Hong Kong on March 31.

The 32-year-old Perth-born winger, eligible through his Anglo-Indian mother, set a record for the fastest goal by an India debutant and called the moment a dream come true.