The Morning Filter

Here are the latest updates and the big news stories to follow today 

Supreme Court to pronounce directions on pleas for cross-verification of votes cast using EVMs with VVPAT

The Supreme Court is likely to pronounce on Wednesday certain directions on a batch of pleas seeking complete cross-verification of votes cast using EVMs with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT).

President Murmu to attend convocation ceremony of Indian Forest Service trainees in Dehradun

President Droupadi Murmu. | Photo Credit: ANI

On Wednesday, the President will grace the convocation ceremony of officer trainees of the Indian Forest Service (2022 batch) at the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, Dehradun, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said.

PM Modi to hold rallies in Chhattisgarh, M.P. on Wednesday

“The PM will stay at Raj Bhawan in Raipur (on Tuesday night) and then leave for Ambikapur in Surguja on Wednesday morning to address a rally. Later, he will depart for Madhya Pradesh via Raigarh,” an official informed. In M.P., he will address two rallies in Sagar and Betul Lok Sabha constituencies and hold a roadshow in Bhopal.

Amit Shah to participate in NDA’s poll campaign in Kerala on last day of campaigning

Senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will arrive in Alappuzha on Wednesday morning to participate in the BJP-led NDA’s Lok Sabha election campaign in the state, on the last day of public canvassing before Kerala goes to the polls on April 26. The fiercely competitive campaigns put up by political parties for over a month draws to a close on Wednesday.

After brief break due to illness, Rahul Gandhi to resume campaigning on Wednesday

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who was not participating in Lok Sabha poll campaign since Sunday as he was unwell, will resume electioneering on Wednesday with public meetings in Maharashtra’s Amravati and Solapur.

FCRA violations | CBI to question Newsclick HR Head Amit Chakraborty in Tihar Jail on Wednesday

The CBI will question the then NewsClick HR head Amit Chakraborty in Tihar Jail on Wednesday in connection with its probe against the news portal for the alleged violations of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, officials said.

Blinken to visit China from Wednesday

The U.S. State Department has announced that Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit China for three days from Wednesday. He “will raise clearly and candidly our concerns” during the talks, a senior State Department official said.

Iranian President Raisi to visit Sri Lanka on Wednesday: Foreign Ministry

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will visit Sri Lanka on Wednesday for an official visit, during which he will inaugurate a hydropower project funded by his country, the Foreign Ministry announced in Colombo.

NSE set to launch derivative contracts on Nifty Next 50 from Wednesday

National Stock Exchange (NSE) is set to introduce derivative contracts on Nifty Next 50 index from Wednesday. This came following an approval received from markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi).