A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Samajwadi Party deals blow to BJP – wins Phulpur, Gorakhpur bye-elections: RJD won the Araria Lok Sabha bye-poll and the Assembly bye-election in Jehanabad, while the BJP secured victory in the Bhabua Assembly seat.
  2. Lok Sabha passes Budget without discussion amid continuing protests in Parliament: These were passed by a voice vote since the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance has a majority in the Lower House.
  3. British physicist Stephen Hawking dies at 76: The physicist’s insights reshaped modern cosmology.  
  4. IndiGo cancels 42 flights on Wednesday amid shortage of planes: GoAir has also cancelled some flights, but the number was not made available.
  5. Actor Narendra Jha dies of a heart attack, was 55: The actor died at his farmhouse in Wada on Wednesday morning.
  6. Volunteers find thousands of Aadhaar cards dumped in well in Maharashtra’s Yavatmal: Most of the cards, some of which were partially damaged, belonged to residents of Lohara village.
  7. Supreme Court to resume hearing Ayodhya land dispute on Wednesday: During the last hearing in February, the special bench said it will treat the case only as a land dispute.  
  8. Dalit girl in Tamil Nadu commits suicide after classmates tear up her Class 12 exam hall ticket: The girl’s family said one of the boys had been harassing her and had threatened to throw acid on her if she rejected his advances.
  9. SC rejects anticipatory bail plea of Hindutva leader Milind Ekbote: The police arrested him from his home in Pune soon after the Supreme Court order.
  10. Arunachal Pradesh court restrains rape complainant from ‘defaming’ Chief Minister Pema Khandu: Civil Judge Yupia issued the order after the woman addressed a press conference. There is a defamation suit pending against her.