Morning Filter: All eyes on Maharashtra Speaker Narwekar post-SC verdict

1. Post-SC verdict, all eyes on Maharashtra Speaker Narwekar With the Supreme Court on May 11 ruling in the Maharashtra political row case that “the Speaker must decide on the disqualification petitions within a reasonable period,” all eyes are now on Speaker Rahul Narwekar. As for the recognition of Sunil Prabhu, who was originally appointed as the Chief Whip by the Shiv Sena party, the experts have opined that Mr. Narwekar must disqualify the 16 MLAs who violated the whip issued by Mr. Prabhu. 2. Randhawa calls meeting with co-incharges, Raj Congress chief on Friday Amid a renewed challenge from Sachin Pilot to the Congress top brass, Rajasthan in-charge at the AICC Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has called a meeting of his three co-incharges and the PCC chief in Delhi on Friday, party sources said. The meeting called by Randhawa will be attended by Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasara, co-incharges Qazi Muhammad Nizamuddin, Amrita Dhawan and Virendra Rathore. 3. Mocha set to intensify into very severe cyclone, head towards Bangladesh-Myanmar coast Cyclone Mocha was gaining strength and set to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm by Friday morning, packing winds of up to 135 kmph, and likely to move towards the Bangladesh-Myanmar coast, the weather office said on Thursday night. 4. Pak Supreme Court declares Imran Khan’s arrest ‘illegal’, orders his immediate release In a major relief for Imran Khan, Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Thursday declared the former prime minister’s arrest “illegal” and ordered his immediate release after he was produced before a bench on its orders. The court also directed him to go to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday and seek further legal recourse. 5. ED summons Maharashtra ex-minister Jayant Patil in IL&FS money laundering case The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former Maharashtra minister Jayant Patil in connection with the IL&FS money laundering case, an official said on Thursday. Mr. Patil, who is the Maharashtra NCP chief, has been asked to appear before the agency on Friday, the official said. 6. Rajeev Chandrasekhar to launch 3rd SemiconIndia Future Design Roadshow Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar will launch the third SemiconIndia Future Design Roadshow at IIT Delhi on Friday. The event is likely to witness a lineup of major announcements, and will showcase the vision of global semiconductor leaders on catalysing the semiconductor ecosystem in India. 7. Congress demands President’s Rule in Manipur, says it will lead to accountability Alleging that the violence in Manipur seemed “pre-planned”, the Congress on Thursday demanded immediate imposition of President’s Rule in the State to help restore peace and normalcy. Congress party’s in-charge for Manipur, Bhakta Charan Das, also urged that relief and rehabilitation efforts needs to be expedited and a compensation of Rs 20 lakh should be paid to the next of kin of those who were killed in the violence. 8. IMF staff in Sri Lanka check on progress on bailout programme The IMF, which extended a USD 3 billion bailout facility to debt-ridden Sri Lanka, is currently on a consultation mission here to check on the country’s progress of the programme ahead of the expected formal review in September. The State Minister for Finance Shehan Semasinghe said the IMF senior team members-- Peter Breuer, the IMF chief for Sri Lanka and Sarwat Jahan, the IMF representative in Sri Lanka-- met President Ranil Wickremesinghe in his capacity as the Finance Minister on Thursday. 9. Heatwave sweeps parts of Gujarat, Patan hottest at 45.4 degrees Celsius Several parts of Gujarat are reeling under heatwave conditions, with Patan city in the northern region recording 45.4 degrees Celsius on Thursday, said officials of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) here. Some respite from the condition is expected after May 13, they said. As per a weather warning issued by the IMD, “heat wave” prevailed at isolated pockets in Anand, Surat, Botad, Porbandar, Surendranagar and Kutch during the day and it is likely to continue in these areas on Friday as well. 10. Voluntary insolvency by Go First a fraudulent exercise: SMBC Aviation to NCLAT Initiation of insolvency by Go First was a “fraudulent exercise”, alleged one of the aircraft lessors of the Wadia group firm SMBC Aviation Capital Ltd before the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT). SMBC Aviation Capital through its counsel Arun Kathpalia submitted that it has already terminated its lease with Go First before the moratorium and it now wants to repossess those aircraft through insolvency. 11. Sachin Pilot steps up pressure on Congress leadership, begins 5-day yatra over ‘corruption’ Dissident Congress leader Sachin Pilot began a 125-km foot march from Ajmer to Jaipur on Thursday, challenging Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and the party’s top brass as assembly elections in Rajasthan approach. A month back, the former deputy chief minister had defied a warning from the party to hold a daylong fast targeting Gehlot on “inaction” over alleged corruption when the BJP was previously in power. The just-begun five-day yatra mounts further pressure on the party leadership as it hopes to retain the state in the elections at the end of the year. 12. Uddhav Thackeray to visit Saibaba temple in Shirdi, another shrine on Friday Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray will visit the famous Saibaba temple in Shirdi and also the nearby Shani Shingnapur shrine in western Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district on Friday, a party functionary said. The former chief minister’s visit to the temples will take place a day after the Supreme Court delivered its much-awaited verdict in the 2022 political crisis in the state triggered by a rebellion in the undivided Shiv Sena. 13. US default would have ‘very serious repercussions’: IMF The International Monetary Fund warned Thursday of severe consequences if the US defaults on its debt, ahead of a rapidly-approaching deadline for the country to raise or suspend its borrowing limit. “Our assessment is that there would be very serious repercussions not only for the US but also for the global economy should there be a US debt default,” IMF communications director Julie Kozack told reporters. 14. G7 finance ministers to vow support for Ukraine, seek ways to spur global economy as debt risks loom Financial leaders of the Group of Seven advanced economies are discussing ways to support Ukraine and pressure Russia to end the war as they meet in Japan starting on Thursday. Ukraine’s finance minister, Serhiy Marchenko, was participating online in the first session of the G-7 talks in Niigata, a port city on the Japan Sea coast. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the G-7 nations “will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes” to end the conflict. 15. Upbeat MI to take on GT’s might in vital IPL clash An upbeat Mumbai Indians are likely to be tested to the hilt by table-toppers and defending champions Gujarat Titans in a vital Indian Premier League match here on Friday. For the first time in this IPL, five-time winners MI have looked promising as they rose to the third spot in the points table with a six-wicket thumping of Royal Challengers Bangalore here on Tuesday. The manner in which MI thrashed RCB -- chasing 200 inside 17 overs -- highlighted once again how successful their batting has been, even though for the second consecutive game they reshuffled the order in a bid to push their net run rate. [logo] The Morning Filter 12 May 2023 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Morning Filter newsletter, your guide from The Hindu on the major news stories and events to follow today. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Here are the latest updates and the big news stories to follow today 1. Post-SC verdict, all eyes on Maharashtra Speaker Narwekar [Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar with State Chief Minister Ekanth Shinde ] With the Supreme Court on May 11 ruling in the Maharashtra political row case that “the Speaker must decide on the disqualification petitions within a reasonable period,” all eyes are now on Speaker Rahul Narwekar. As for the recognition of Sunil Prabhu, who was originally appointed as the Chief Whip by the Shiv Sena party, the experts have opined that Mr. Narwekar must disqualify the 16 MLAs who violated the whip issued by Mr. Prabhu. 2. Randhawa calls meeting with co-incharges, Raj Congress chief on Friday Amid a renewed challenge from Sachin Pilot to the Congress top brass, Rajasthan in-charge at the AICC Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has called a meeting of his three co-incharges and the PCC chief in Delhi on Friday, party sources said. The meeting called by Randhawa will be attended by Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasara, co-incharges Qazi Muhammad Nizamuddin, Amrita Dhawan and Virendra Rathore. 3. Mocha set to intensify into very severe cyclone, head towards Bangladesh-Myanmar coast [Port Blair: A quick response disaster management team clears a tree that fell in a storm due to cyclone Mocha at Veer Savarkar International Airport in Port Blair, Wednesday morning, May 10, 2023. (PTI Photo) (PTI05_10_2023_000035B)] Cyclone Mocha was gaining strength and set to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm by Friday morning, packing winds of up to 135 kmph, and likely to move towards the Bangladesh-Myanmar coast, the weather office said on Thursday night. 4. Pak Supreme Court declares Imran Khan’s arrest ‘illegal’, orders his immediate release In a major relief for Imran Khan, Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Thursday declared the former prime minister’s arrest “illegal” and ordered his immediate release after he was produced before a bench on its orders. The court also directed him to go to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday and seek further legal recourse. 5. ED summons Maharashtra ex-minister Jayant Patil in IL&FS money laundering case [NCP MLA Jayant Patil ] The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former Maharashtra minister Jayant Patil in connection with the IL&FS money laundering case, an official said on Thursday. Mr. Patil, who is the Maharashtra NCP chief, has been asked to appear before the agency on Friday, the official said. 6. Rajeev Chandrasekhar to launch 3rd SemiconIndia Future Design Roadshow Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar will launch the third SemiconIndia Future Design Roadshow at IIT Delhi on Friday. The event is likely to witness a lineup of major announcements, and will showcase the vision of global semiconductor leaders on catalysing the semiconductor ecosystem in India. 7. Congress demands President’s Rule in Manipur, says it will lead to accountability [Meitei refugees wait onboard a paramilitary truck at a transit point after being evacuated from the violence that hit Churachandpur, near Imphal in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur ] Alleging that the violence in Manipur seemed “pre-planned”, the Congress on Thursday demanded immediate imposition of President’s Rule in the State to help restore peace and normalcy. Congress party’s in-charge for Manipur, Bhakta Charan Das, also urged that relief and rehabilitation efforts needs to be expedited and a compensation of Rs 20 lakh should be paid to the next of kin of those who were killed in the violence. 8. IMF staff in Sri Lanka check on progress on bailout programme The IMF, which extended a USD 3 billion bailout facility to debt-ridden Sri Lanka, is currently on a consultation mission here to check on the country’s progress of the programme ahead of the expected formal review in September. The State Minister for Finance Shehan Semasinghe said the IMF senior team members-- Peter Breuer, the IMF chief for Sri Lanka and Sarwat Jahan, the IMF representative in Sri Lanka-- met President Ranil Wickremesinghe in his capacity as the Finance Minister on Thursday. 9. Heatwave sweeps parts of Gujarat, Patan hottest at 45.4 degrees Celsius Several parts of Gujarat are reeling under heatwave conditions, with Patan city in the northern region recording 45.4 degrees Celsius on Thursday, said officials of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) here. Some respite from the condition is expected after May 13, they said. As per a weather warning issued by the IMD, “heat wave” prevailed at isolated pockets in Anand, Surat, Botad, Porbandar, Surendranagar and Kutch during the day and it is likely to continue in these areas on Friday as well. 10. Voluntary insolvency by Go First a fraudulent exercise: SMBC Aviation to NCLAT [Meitei refugees wait onboard a paramilitary truck at a transit point after being evacuated from the violence that hit Churachandpur, near Imphal in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur ] Initiation of insolvency by Go First was a “fraudulent exercise”, alleged one of the aircraft lessors of the Wadia group firm SMBC Aviation Capital Ltd before the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT). SMBC Aviation Capital through its counsel Arun Kathpalia submitted that it has already terminated its lease with Go First before the moratorium and it now wants to repossess those aircraft through insolvency. 11. Sachin Pilot steps up pressure on Congress leadership, begins 5-day yatra over ‘corruption’ Dissident Congress leader Sachin Pilot began a 125-km foot march from Ajmer to Jaipur on Thursday, challenging Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and the party’s top brass as assembly elections in Rajasthan approach. A month back, the former deputy chief minister had defied a warning from the party to hold a daylong fast targeting Gehlot on “inaction” over alleged corruption when the BJP was previously in power. The just-begun five-day yatra mounts further pressure on the party leadership as it hopes to retain the state in the elections at the end of the year. 12. Uddhav Thackeray to visit Saibaba temple in Shirdi, another shrine on Friday [Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thakarey) chief, Uddhav Thackeray ] Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray will visit the famous Saibaba temple in Shirdi and also the nearby Shani Shingnapur shrine in western Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district on Friday, a party functionary said. The former chief minister’s visit to the temples will take place a day after the Supreme Court delivered its much-awaited verdict in the 2022 political crisis in the state triggered by a rebellion in the undivided Shiv Sena. 13. US default would have ‘very serious repercussions’: IMF The International Monetary Fund warned Thursday of severe consequences if the US defaults on its debt, ahead of a rapidly-approaching deadline for the country to raise or suspend its borrowing limit. “Our assessment is that there would be very serious repercussions not only for the US but also for the global economy should there be a US debt default,” IMF communications director Julie Kozack told reporters. 14. G7 finance ministers to vow support for Ukraine, seek ways to spur global economy as debt risks loom Financial leaders of the Group of Seven advanced economies are discussing ways to support Ukraine and pressure Russia to end the war as they meet in Japan starting on Thursday. Ukraine’s finance minister, Serhiy Marchenko, was participating online in the first session of the G-7 talks in Niigata, a port city on the Japan Sea coast. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the G-7 nations “will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes” to end the conflict. 15. Upbeat MI to take on GT’s might in vital IPL clash An upbeat Mumbai Indians are likely to be tested to the hilt by table-toppers and defending champions Gujarat Titans in a vital Indian Premier League match here on Friday. For the first time in this IPL, five-time winners MI have looked promising as they rose to the third spot in the points table with a six-wicket thumping of Royal Challengers Bangalore here on Tuesday. The manner in which MI thrashed RCB -- chasing 200 inside 17 overs -- highlighted once again how successful their batting has been, even though for the second consecutive game they reshuffled the order in a bid to push their net run rate. 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