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Realising the danger behind high courts setting aside elections in public interest litigations (PIL) after election results are declared, the Supreme Court on Monday stayed an order of the Calcutta high court directing forensic audit of CCTVs used in the Contai municipal elections and said that a PIL cannot substitute an election petition which is the procedure provided under law to set aside an election.

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed an order of the Calcutta high court directing forensic audit of CCTVs used in the Contai municipal elections in West Bengal. (HT PHOTO.)

France's president warned Monday that decades could pass before Ukraine joins the European Union, and proposed a new political organization to bring together countries on the continent that share EU values but are not part of the bloc.

During a speech marking Europe Day in Strasbourg, France, Emmanuel Macron said that "we all know perfectly that the process of allowing (Ukraine) to join would take several years, in fact probably several decades."

Macron spoke after the European Union's executive arm, the European Commission, said it aims to deliver a first opinion in June on Ukraine's request to become a member of the bloc.

Three imported coal-based (ICB) power plants, with a combined capacity of 3,650 mega watt (MW), will start operations in three weeks and another three in two months with lenders agreeing to support these plants with new credit lines, Union power secretary Alok Kumar told FE. Also, NTPC will soon start running one insolvent ICB unit, which is now before the National Company Law Tribunal, and another one without much delay, the official said, elaborating on the steps taken by the Centre to tide over the power crisis.

Kumar said state governments have been asked to revise tariffs built into the existing power purchase agreements (PPAs) with ICBs given the sharply increased cost of imported coal. He, however, added that the Rs 12/unit cap for power sold on the exchanges is ‘reasonable’, even in view of the higher cost of imported coal.

As the first calculated moves begin for the Presidential elections due in July, the main political parties in Maharashtra, the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi allies Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress, and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, have adopted a 'wait-and-watch attitude.

The real drama will unfold at the Centre with the national Opposition parties comprising the Congress and others, which are expected to finalise the Presidential poll strategy, taking into confidence the state or regional forces, vis-a-vis the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate.

Last December, Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and later in February Telangana Rashtra Samithi founder and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had travelled to Mumbai to meet the MVA leaders.

The Supreme Court of India will have a full bench strength of 34 judges on Monday, May 9. The top court will have all sanctioned seats filled after more than two years. However, on Tuesday, May 10, one judge is set to retire.

With the swearing-in ceremony of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and JB Pardiwala at 10:30 am on May 9, the SC will have a full bench strength. Justice Dhulia will join the apex court after a stint as Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court, while Justice Pardiwala is an incumbent judge in the Gujarat High Court.