THE HEADLINES:
President Droupadi Murmu to present Padma awards at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi this evening.
Supreme Court seeks responses from Centre, NTA and CBI in NEET paper leak case; Says, lesson still not learnt from earlier paper leak cases.
Assam Assembly introduces Uniform Civil Code Bill.
IMD issues yellow alert in Delhi for next three days; Heat wave conditions also to persist over Haryana, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Telangana.
And, Norway Chess 2026 tournament to begin in Oslo this evening.
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President Droupadi Murmu will present the Padma Awards at the first Civil Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan this evening. Padma Awards – one of the highest civilian awards of the country, are conferred in three categories – Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. In the first civil investiture ceremony of 2026 today, the President will confer 66 Padma Awards including 2 Padma Vibhushan, 6 Padma Bhushan and 58 Padma Shri. The remaining Padma Awards will be given in the second round of the civil investiture ceremony to be held later. A report:
“This year, the Government has announced a total of 131 Padma Awards. These include five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri awards. Among the awardees, 19 are women, while 16 individuals will be awarded posthumously. The Padma Awards, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, are amongst the highest civilian awards of the country. Instituted in 1954, these Awards are announced on the occasion of the Republic Day every year. The Award seeks to recognize work of distinction and is given for distinguished and exceptional achievements in various fields and disciplines, including Art, Literature, Education, Sports, Medicine, Social Work, Science and Engineering, Public Affairs and Trade and Industry. Priya Mondal, Akashvani News, Delhi.”
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The Supreme Court today expressed concern over repeated lapses in the conduct of the NEET examination saying that it was sad that the National Testing Agency had not learnt any lesson from the earlier paper leak controversy.
A bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe sought responses from the Centre, the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the CBI on petitions demanding replacement of the testing agency with a more robust and autonomous body to conduct the medical entrance examination. The court directed the NTA to file an affidavit by Thursday detailing compliance with recommendations made last year by a committee headed by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan for overhauling the agency’s functioning. The petitions alleged recurring paper leaks had affected the rights of over 22 lakh students. The plea also sought the formation of a high-powered monitoring committee headed by a retired Supreme Court Justice to oversee future examinations.
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A Delhi court has sent Pune-based physics lecturer Manisha Sanjay Havaldar to six days of Central Bureau of Investigation custody in the NEET-UG paper leak case. Special Judge Ajay Gupta allowed the CBI’s plea seeking custodial interrogation of the accused. Havaldar was arrested on 22nd May and was produced before the court on transit remand. According to the CBI, Havaldar, who worked as a translator for NEET-UG examination material and is associated with Seth Hiralal Saraf Prashala in Pune, allegedly circulated physics questions meant for translation along with other accused. The agency has described her as a key link in the alleged leak of NEET-UG physics question papers.
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The Assam government today introduced the Uniform Civil Code Bill in the state assembly. The bill seeks to ban polygamy and make registration of live-in relationships compulsory. The Bill provides that it will not be applicable to any of the Scheduled Tribes residing in Assam. For marriage, the Bill sets 21 years and 18 years as minimum age for men and women respectively, and prohibits polygamy. To safeguard legal rights, the Bill proposes to make marriage and divorce registration compulsory, which will be vital for securing maintenance, inheritance and other legal protection for spouses.
State Cabinet Minister Atul Bora introduced the Uniform Civil Code Assam Bill 2026 in the house on behalf of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
With this Assam has become the first in the North-east and the third BJP ruled state in the country to have introduced the legislation. The BJP promised to introduce UCC in Assam in its manifesto ahead of the 2026 assembly polls. The state Cabinet approved the legislation in its first meeting on the 13th of this month.
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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today called for increased focus on fuel, fertiliser and forex amid the West Asia crisis, underlining that the domestic economy continues to be resilient.
Speaking at an event to celebrate the 37th anniversary of SIDBI in Mumbai, the Finance Minister said, the cut in diesel and petrol excise duties will lead to a revenue impact of one lakh crore rupees.
She hit out at naysayers for creating a cynical and pessimistic narrative after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeals on altruism, pointing out that India cannot afford fear mongering.
Petrol price has been hiked by 2 rupees 61 paise per litre, while that of diesel by 2 rupees 71 paise per litre. With this revision, petrol will now cost 102 rupees 12 paise per litre in Delhi, while diesel will now cost 95 rupees 20 paise per litre in the National Capital.
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The National Investigation Agency today conducted searches at three locations in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar and Shopian districts. Officials said raids were carried out at Darul Uloom Sirajul Uloom in Shopian’s Imam Sahib area. The institution was declared an illegal entity last month. Searches were also conducted at the residence of former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shahzada Aurangzeb in Shopian’s Molu Chitragam area, and at Jamiat ul Banaat, a girls’ religious school in Srinagar’s Lal Bazar area. The searches began early this morning.
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The government has refuted a message circulating on social media claiming that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has made a statement regarding India’s support to the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). The Fact Check Unit of the Press Information Bureau termed the claim fake and said the Defence Minister has not made any such statement. The government has also urged citizens to be cautious of such misinformation and verify it from official sources before sharing it.
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The Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting will be held in New Delhi tomorrow. Foreign Minister of Australia Penny Wong, Foreign Minister of Japan Toshimitsu Motegi and Secretary of State of the United States Marco Rubio will participate in the meeting. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will preside over the meeting. The External Affairs Ministry said, the leaders will exchange views on advancing QUAD cooperation across priority areas, review progress on ongoing initiatives, and other international issues of mutual concern.
The QUAD comprising India, the US, Australia and Japan, has emerged as a key grouping largely focusing on peace, security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. India is hosting the meeting in its capacity as the current chair of the coalition.
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington and Tehran have made significant progress in talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Talking to reporters, Rubio said, a preliminary agreement could pave the way for broader negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme and regional security.
However, he stressed that President Donald Trump would not accept what he called a bad deal and would give diplomacy every chance before considering other options. The US Secretary of State said there has been global support for the ongoing efforts to end the conflict in West Asia, but added that the road to peace is not very easy. Mr. Rubio also said the United States is continuing efforts to maintain stability in Lebanon, blaming Hezbollah for ongoing tensions in the region. Rubio is currently in India for meetings with Indian leaders and will attend the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi.
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Delhi, forecasting heat wave conditions over the next three days. According to the Met department, the daytime temperatures in the National Capital are expected to remain between 44 and 46 degrees Celsius. Heat wave conditions are also expected to persist over Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, East Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Odisha, Telangana and West Uttar Pradesh during the next two days. IMD said that hot and humid weather will persist over Gangetic West Bengal today. East Uttar Pradesh and Vidarbha are likely to experience a warm tonight.
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Madhya Pradesh has entered the Nautapa period starting today, and it is going to last till the second of next month. Nautapa is basically those nine days in the year when the sun is at its harshest and the heat is at its absolute peak. More from our correspondent:
“The weather department has issued a heatwave warning for 44 districts across the state today. Things are most serious in Niwari, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Panna and Satna, these five districts have been put on red alert. Yesterday, Khajuraho and Naugaon turned out to be the hottest spots in the state, with temperatures hitting 45.8 degrees Celsius. In the state capital Bhopal, it was 42.7 degrees, Gwalior recorded 44.1 and Jabalpur saw 43.3 degrees. The weather department says the heat is only going to get worse between May 25 and 28 and there is no sign of any relief till 31st may. Abhinav Goel, Akashvani News, Bhopal. “
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Millions of pilgrims from across the world including India are converging at Mina in Saudi Arabia as the annual five day Haj pilgrimage began today amidst regional tension in West Asia.
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Benchmark domestic equity indices were trading around 1.2 per cent higher during the afternoon session today amid hopes of a possible agreement to end the US-Iran conflict. The Sensex surged 944 points to 76 thousand 360, while the Nifty climbed 270 points to 23 thousand 989, when reports last came in.
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The Norway Chess 2026 kicks off in Oslo, today with Round one matches. The tournament will officially begin at 8:30 PM IST. For the first time in its 13-year history, the super-tournament has moved from Stavanger to the capital city of Oslo, hosting its matches at the iconic Deichman Bjørvika public library.
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India created history at the International Association of Ultrarunners 24-Hour Asia and Oceania Championships held in Japan. India won a total of five medals and dominated the men’s category.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN
President Droupadi Murmu to present Padma awards at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi this evening.
Supreme Court seeks responses from Centre, NTA and CBI in NEET paper leak case; Says, lesson still not learnt from earlier paper leak cases.
Assam Assembly introduces Uniform Civil Code Bill.
IMD issues yellow alert in Delhi for next three days; Heat wave conditions also to persist over Haryana, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Telangana.
And, Norway Chess 2026 tournament to begin in Oslo this evening.
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