A look at the top developments of the day:

  1. Pakistan PM Imran Khan accuses unknown foreign nation behind no-confidence motion: He made the allegations during a live address to the nation ahead of the voting for the no-confidence motion in the Pakistan Assembly against his government. During his address, Khan also shared details of a letter allegedly containing of evidence of a “foreign conspiracy” to oust his government.
  2. Areas under AFSPA in Nagaland, Assam and Manipur to be reduced, says Amit Shah: Twenty-three districts of Assam and 15 police stations jurisdictions in Manipur and Nagaland each will no longer be under the law’s purview from April 1.
  3. Wearing masks not compulsory in Maharashtra and Delhi: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope announced that all Covid-19 restrictions in the state will be lifted from April 2. Meanwhile, in a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, it was decided that those not wearing masks at public places will not be penalised in the national Capital.
  4. Supreme Court strikes down Tamil Nadu law giving 10.5% reservation to Vanniyar community members: The community was given reservation in government jobs and educational institutions within the 20% quota for the Most Backward Class category in the state.
  5. Journalist Rana Ayyub moves Delhi High Court against Enforcement Directorate’s travel restrictions: Ayyub, an outspoken critic of the Modi government and columnist for The Washington Post, was on Tuesday stopped at the Mumbai airport from boarding a flight to London because the Enforcement Directorate had issued a lookout notice for her.
  6. Kashmiri students were falsely implicated for celebrating Pakistan’s cricket victory, says court: Arsheed Yusuf, Inayat Altaf Sheikh and Showkat Ahmed Ganai were arrested three days after Pakistan beat India in a T20 World Cup match on October 24. They were arrested on the basis of a complaint filed by a Bharatiya Janata Party youth wing leader.
  7. Mumbai court grants bail to second accused man in Clubhouse app case: A complaint was registered against him for posting derogatory statements against Muslim women in a chatroom on the smartphone app.
  8. Chhattisgarh to form technical committee to discuss purchase of cow urine: Chhatisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Wednesday held a meeting with the officers in which they discussed the benefits of cow urine, including its use as fertiliser.
  9. Social media users can act against platform for suspending account without notice, says Centre: In an affidavit, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said that social media platforms should respect the fundamental rights of citizens and suspend accounts permanently only as a last resort.
  10. Vladimir Putin is being misled on military and economic losses in Ukraine, says White House: The Russian president’s advisors are ‘too afraid to tell him the truth’, a press secretary of the US administration said.