NHAI terminates user fee collection contract after alleged assault; seeks one-year debarment and forfeiture of financial guarantee.
The authority terminated the user-fee collection contract with the agency following alleged assault of a highway user, issued a show cause notice seeking explanation, and proposed a one-year debarment plus forfeiture and encashment of the performance security of Rs 5.3 crore.

BJP's divisive politics alleged: use of data-driven strategies and central agencies to neutralise opponents in elections.
Allegations that the ruling party uses data-driven campaigning together with central investigative agencies and state resources to undermine opponents and secure electoral advantage, requiring rivals to adopt similar professionalised strategies to counter it.

Kerala delegation to Davos to promote industrial reforms, 22 priority sectors, ESG compliance, and investment-ready infrastructure.
Kerala will deploy a high-level delegation to Davos to promote the State's industrial reforms, 22 priority sectors, and ESG-aligned regulatory framework-emphasising Industry 4.0 readiness, plug-and-play infrastructure, and investment leads secured via IKGS (EOIs and commenced projects). The programme highlights rebranding of PSUs and District Industries Centres under a uniform ESG identity, the Mission 1000 MSME scaling initiative, BRAP 2024 as a feedback-linked regulatory mechanism, and the State's appeal to high-value, non-polluting investors and Global Capability Centres.

Tiger Global capital gains tax assessment revived; withheld refunds to be processed through completed assessments following legal ruling.
The indirect transfer of Flipkart shares by Mauritius entities is taxable in India; the entities were treated as interposed with limited substance and the arrangement as structured to obtain treaty benefits invoking treaty abuse. Withholding at reduced rates led to TDS of about Rs 967.52 crore, and refunds were withheld pending determination. A legal ruling held that possession of a Tax Residency Certificate does not bar inquiry into conduit status and confirmed impermissible avoidance, directing Assessing Officers to complete assessments and address withheld refunds through consequential demand proceedings.

Ranchi ED office raid stayed; court ordered central security and halted police probe pending the other side's response.
The High Court stayed the state police investigation arising from an FIR alleging assault in the Ranchi ED office, ordered the Union home secretary to be impleaded and to arrange deployment of central security forces for the ED regional office, directed the Ranchi SSP to ensure security and held him accountable for lapses, and required the petitioner to make the complainant a party pending further hearing.

Maharashtra municipal elections: BJP-led alliance wins control of major civic bodies including Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur.
BJP-led Mahayuti won decisive majorities across Maharashtra municipal corporations, becoming the single largest party in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and securing control in a majority of civic bodies. The outcome disrupted long-standing Shiv Sena dominance in Mumbai, weakened Congress urban performance, and saw varied regional results including BJP strength in Pune and Nagpur and a Congress majority in Latur. The elections covered 29 corporations, turnout was 54.77%, and final official results were pending.

Indian rupee falls to 90.78/USD as strong dollar demand and foreign fund outflows pressure the currency.
Rupee declined to 90.78/USD, losing 44 paise amid strong dollar demand, persistent foreign investor outflows, and worries over US-India trade talks. Market participants noted technical pressure from fixing-related dollar bids tied to recent FX swap operations. Analysts forecast continued negative bias for the rupee given a strong dollar, FII equity outflows and higher crude oil prices, while market data showed an intraday low of 90.89 and significant foreign equity sell-offs.

BJP-Shiv Sena alliance breaks Thackeray hold and seizes control of Mumbai's civic body, shifting municipal power dynamics.
BJP-Shiv Sena alliance displaced Thackeray-led factions to gain decisive control of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, materially altering Mumbai's civic political balance; the BMC controls major infrastructure, public health services and an annual budget exceeding Rs 74,400 crore. The election revealed a fragmented Marathi-vote landscape, underperformance by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena despite an alliance with MNS, extensive candidate participation, a turnout slightly below prior highs and reported ink reliability concerns, indicating a significant realignment in municipal party representation across 227 seats.

Al Falah University assets attached under PMLA as proceeds of crime; charge sheet filed against chairman and charitable trust.
The Enforcement Directorate provisionally attached Al Falah University land and buildings as proceeds of crime under the PMLA, filed a charge sheet against the chairman and the trust seeking prosecution, and quantified alleged unlawful proceeds while alleging false accreditation, diversion of institutional funds to family controlled firms, and use of educational entities for personal benefit.

IndiGo refunds processed for Dec 3-5 disruptions; passengers entitled to compensation and received additional travel vouchers.
IndiGo has processed refunds for flight cancellations from December 3 to 5 and provided two Rs 5,000 travel vouchers per affected passenger; DGCA is engaging with the airline and confirms passengers remain entitled to compensation and other facilities under DGCA regulations for denied boarding, cancellations and delays.

Japanese MSME park proposed near Noida Airport, highlighting connectivity, land availability, clearance facilitation and MoU talks.
YEIDA and JETRO discussed creating a dedicated Japanese MSME park near Noida International Airport, emphasising developed industrial land, multimodal connectivity, freight access, competitive pricing and the Uttar Pradesh single-window clearance mechanism to facilitate investment; sector opportunities include Medical Devices, Film City, Textile and Apparel, and Electronics parks, and both sides discussed a memorandum of understanding to formalise cooperation as JETRO noted interest from approximately 1,400 Japanese MSMEs exploring manufacturing bases in India.

Meghalaya reservation policy report to be placed in Assembly during mid February Budget session for legislative review.
The cabinet approved tabling an expert committee report on the state's reservation policy-which maintains substantial tribal quotas, recommends adjustments for demographic and economic fairness, and emphasizes local preference for district posts-during the proposed mid February Budget session, subject to gubernatorial notification.

Government blocked 242 illegal betting and gambling website links under the Online Gaming Act to curb user harm.
The government directed blocking orders against links to 242 illegal betting and gambling websites, continuing enforcement following the ban on real money gaming apps and intensified action after the passage of the Online Gaming Act. Officials report over 7,800 illegal betting and gambling websites have been taken down, framing the measures as administrative enforcement to protect users and curb financial and social harm from unregulated online betting platforms.

Jio Platforms' quarterly profit rose 11.3% to Rs 7,629 crore on higher ARPU and subscriber growth.
Jio Platforms' consolidated net profit rose 11.3% to Rs 7,629 crore in the December quarter, driven by subscriber growth, higher ARPU, and scaling of digital services. Revenue from operations increased 12.7% to Rs 37,262 crore and gross revenue rose 12.7% to Rs 43,683 crore. ARPU climbed 5.1% to Rs 213.7, with gains partly offset by promotional offers for unlimited 5G and fixed broadband services.

India-Japan partnership to strengthen economic security through critical minerals cooperation, AI dialogue and resilient supply chains.
India and Japan agreed to enhance economic security by creating a joint working group on critical minerals to advance collaboration on rare earths and other essential materials, and by launching a formal dialogue on artificial intelligence to guide bilateral cooperation in high technologies. The ministers prioritized resilient supply chains, energy, health, maritime security, and people-to-people links as components of a coordinated Indo-Pacific strategic agenda.

Illicit funds routed via mule accounts at a bank using forged KYC and fabricated documents to launder over Rs 1,621 crore.
The CBI registered FIRs alleging former Punjab & Sind Bank branch heads and others opened and operated 17 mule accounts in names of fictitious firms using forged KYC and fabricated supporting documents, enabling routing, layering and transfer of about Rs 1,621 crore of proceeds from cybercrime and other illicit activities in violation of KYC norms and due diligence requirements.

Equity markets will remain open on Budget day with standard hours and specified pre-open and trading timings.
Exchanges designated February 1 as a special trading day and announced live trading will proceed under standard hours, with a pre-open session from 9:00 a.m. to 9:08 a.m. and normal trading from 9:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., notifying investors via exchange circulars that markets will remain open during the Union Budget presentation.

Fees paid to international speakers at summits are not taxable as event management service under reverse charge.
Payments to overseas booking agents for securing international speakers for a summit do not constitute event management service subject to service tax under the reverse charge mechanism because speakers and their agents do not plan, promote, organise or present the event; participation alone is not management, and taxing statutes must be strictly construed.

Chabahar port: India considers transferring committed funds and creating new entity amid US sanctions waiver expiry.
India is reassessing its Chabahar port engagement due to a US sanctions waiver expiring April 26, 2026 and a threatened additional tariff. New Delhi is engaging with the US while considering transferring approximately USD 120 million to end direct government exposure and creating a new non-sovereign entity to continue development, thereby preserving support without sovereign liability.

Reliance Industries Q3 profit nearly flat as retail weakness from GST changes offsets energy and digital gains.
Reliance Industries reported consolidated net profit of Rs 18,645 crore for the third quarter with revenue from operations of Rs 2.69 lakh crore. Retail weakness, principally attributed to GST rate rationalisation, constrained earnings growth, while stronger performance in the energy and digital businesses offset that softness and kept quarterly profit nearly flat.