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In the first few rays of the morning sun, the Supreme Court of India delivered a verdict that sent ripples across the nation's political landscape. Dismissing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the restoration of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Lok Sabha membership, the court imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh (approximately $1,300) on the petitioner. The judiciary's gavel crashed down, not merely to conclude a case, but to send a stern message against the misuse of law, upholding the sanctity of India's democratic institutions.

The 35-meter-tall Test Vehicle rocket stands ready at the First Launchpad of India's Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The 12-hour 30-minute countdown for the launch began at 7:30 pm Friday (Oct 20), media has learnt. At 8 am IST, Saturday, as this countdown ends, the 44-ton vehicle is expected to blast off on a very unique mission.

Unlike orbital-class rockets, this one is not meant to take satellites to space. Instead, it will be used to test a crucial ejection system(known as Crew Escape System) that is meant to save astronauts, in case of a mid-flight rocket failure. 

In a major decision, Speaker of the Maharashtra legislative assembly advocate Rahul Narvekar on Friday scheduled the next hearing on disqualification petitions on October 26 while clubbing the 34 petitions in Six groups. The counsel for independent MLAs said that they have been granted more time to submit papers, while the Thackeray group lamented about the decision accusing the Speaker of delaying the hearing by still allowing Six petitions.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote a letter to poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, which is set to hold Assembly elections on November 17, saying that in the past 20 years, the state has moved on from being a ‘bimaru’ state and has become self-reliant.

Modi wrote in the letter, “In the past 20 years, Madhya Pradesh has moved on from being a ‘bimaru’ state and has become strong, prosperous, and self-reliant. Who can forget 2003's Madhya Pradesh where there was a lack of basic facilities like electricity, water and roadways.”

Amid rising tensions within the INDIA alliance, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday alleged that some "Congress leaders are siding with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)", adding that he would not have trusted the grand old party if he had known that "Congress would betray them".

He further said he was unaware of the fact that the INDIA bloc has been formed at the national level to defeat the BJP and the alliance partners are not fighting together at the state level.