NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday expressed concern over being accused of overstepping its constitutional limits, as it heard a petition to invoke Article 355 in West Bengal, citing the recent violence in Murshidabad over protests against the Waqf Amendment Act, which was recently passed in the Parliament.
These remarks from the top court came against the backdrop of sharp criticism by BJP MPs over its observations on the Waqf Act, which have stirred political debate.
Justice B R Gavai, heading the bench alongside Justice Augustine George Masih, said, “As it is, we are alleged of encroaching upon the parliamentary and executive functions,” responding to a request for directions to the Centre under Article 355 of the Constitution.
The observation came during a mention by Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, who urged the court to take up a new application seeking invoking Article 355 , which refers to President’s Rule, in West Bengal in light of the violence.
Jain, who had filed a 2021 PIL after post-election violence in the state, said the fresh plea highlighted new incidents.
“In tomorrow’s list item 42 pertains to imposition of President Rule in the state of West Bengal. That petition is filed by me. In that petition, I have filed an IA (application) for directions and impleadment bringing out certain more incidents of violence which have happened in the state of West Bengal,” Jain submitted.
Citing Article 355, which mandates the Union to protect states from external aggression and internal disturbance, Jain said a report on the ground situation should be sought.
He added, “When the matter will come up, I will demonstrate how the violence happened.”

Elon Musk announced on X on Saturday about his anticipated visit to India this year. (AI image)

Elon Musk-led Tesla has started talks with American memory chip manufacturer Micron and Mumbai’s CG Semi, a Murugappa Group subsidiary, to explore supply alternatives whilst expanding its global supply network, according to informed sources. This development follows Tesla’s earlier strategic partnership with Tata Electronics for semiconductor procurement for worldwide operations.
Elon Musk announced on X on Saturday about his anticipated visit to India this year.
“Tesla spoke to representatives from the three large semiconductor facilities that have taken off in India — Micron, CG Semi and Tata Electronics,” a source told ET. It “called meetings about a month-and-a-half ago… to get a sense of what kind of chips are expected to be packaged, when they’ll be ramping up and the timelines for operations.”
The Gujarat-based Micron facility aims to provide assembly and testing capabilities, serving both domestic and international markets. CG Semi’s unit will focus on OSAT operations. This collaboration between CG Power, Renesas and Stars Microelectronics will primarily serve Renesas whilst catering to global clients.

Tesla India Plans

Various Tata enterprises including AutoComp, Consultancy Services, Technologies and Electronics have established themselves as Tesla’s global suppliers, preparing for expanded roles should the EV maker enter India.
Tata Electronics has committed investments of Rs 91,000 crore for a semiconductor manufacturing unit in Dholera, Gujarat, alongside a Rs 27,000 crore OSAT facility planned in Morigaon, Assam.
Murugappa’s CG Semi is establishing an OSAT facility in Sanand with an investment of Rs 7,600 crore, alongside Micron’s assembly, testing, marking, and packaging (ATMP) facility, valued at over Rs 23,000 crore ($2.7 billion).
Industry experts note that international companies are increasingly considering India for semiconductor operations as they diversify their supply chains. Independent automotive analyst Ashwin Amberkar says, “There are strong indications that Tesla has started engaging suppliers beyond China and Taiwan, with targets set as early as 2025. India is emerging as a serious contender in this shift.”
Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory currently depends on Chinese fabrication facilities for mature-node chips. However, Amberkar notes that escalating geopolitical tensions and cost increases are compelling Tesla to “rethink its sourcing strategy.”
Amberkar explains that CG Semi is developing a comprehensive OSAT facility in Gujarat, whilst Micron’s Sanand unit will specialise in automotive-grade dynamic random-access memory for computer processors.
According to him, Tata’s proposed fab and OSAT facilities could fulfil legacy-node chip requirements for automotive electronic control units or specialised vehicle computers.
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China’s move to impose over 80% import duties on semiconductor products, in response to US tariffs, is likely to affect traditional semiconductor supply networks. This situation will encourage global automotive manufacturers such as Tesla to diversify their supply sources.
The Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD operates its own semiconductor division. “It becomes a crucial part of Tesla’s whole EV plan to have an in-house semiconductor unit, have a steady supply chain as well with multiple vendors not overly dependent on one country,” said industry veteran Arun Mampazhy.
Original equipment manufacturers seek robust and varied supply chains, not solely for protection from geopolitical issues, but also to reduce operational disruptions and price fluctuations. Despite strong governmental support, India’s semiconductor sector continues to face challenges regarding scale and ecosystem development.
“Partnering with a global EV leader could be catalytic for India’s chip ambitions,” said analyst Amberkar.
Nevertheless, India must address the technological advantages of China whilst maintaining competitive pricing structures.

BENGALURU: Isro has successfully managed to dock the two Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) satellites for the second time, an achievement that would give the space agency data to further better its technology in the future.
V Narayanan, chairman, Isro, told TOI: “This is a significant achievement and further activities are being planned now.” Stating that the docking operation was “smooth” he said his team managed to do it as if it were “child’s play”.
Union minister Jitendra Singh announced the docking and said: “Glad to inform that the second docking of satellites has been accomplished. As informed earlier, the PSLV-C60/SpaDeX mission was launched on Dec 30, 2024. Thereafter, the satellites were successfully docked for the first time on Jan 16 at 6.20am, and the successfully undocked on March 13, 2025, at 9.20am.”
Isro is yet to release an official statement with details of the second docking. According to sources, the second docking was attempted post 7pm on Sunday (April 20) and the operation was carried out “more precisely than the first attempt”. “These are important lessons,” one of them said.
Between the undocking on March 13 and the second docking operation, Isro had carried out a “rolling” or “rotating” experiment — in late March, which was first reported by TOI. At the time, Narayanan, while confirming the success of the operation, had said that more experiments were in store.
TOI had reported soon after the first docking that Isro would attempt more docking experiments using the same satellites. In late March, Narayanan had reiterated that and told TOI: “…The satellites have a lot of propellant… I have only told [the teams] one thing, please do everything [on] simulation on ground [first]. Let us be very careful. Let us not make any mistakes as a wealth of data can be generated [through various experiments].”
The rolling experiment, which was likened to the Chandrayaan-3 “hop” experiment the space agency conducted on Moon in terms of learning it provides for future missions, helped Isro validate multiple softwares, ground station control and more.
Isro’s first docking on Jan 16, was only the first step towards Isro mastering this technology that is critical for several future missions, including the Chandrayaan-4 sample return mission to the Moon and human spaceflight missions part of the extended Gaganyaan programme.
And, the second docking is another step. Isro would still need to dock in various conditions, some of which will be attempted as part of the current mission. The space agency is expected to conduct more docking as part of SpaDeX.

Dr. VK Vijayakumar of Geojit Investments says, “Even though the global economic scenario is mired in uncertainty, India appears relatively resilient.” (AI image)

Stock market today: BSE Sensex and Nifty50, the Indian equity benchmark indices, continued their upward trend on Monday morning. While BSE Sensex crossed the 79,000 mark, Nifty50 was close to 24,000. At 9:16 AM, BSE Sensex was trading at 79,105.49, up 552 points or 0.70%.Nifty50 was at 23,996.50, up 145 points or 0.61%.
Markets showed positive momentum last week, driven by optimism over tariff postponements and product exemptions, suggesting potential progress in trade-related discussions. This week will focus on corporate results, with major firms including HCL Technologies, Axis Bank, Hindustan Unilever, and Maruti set to release their quarterly figures.
Dr. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited says, “Even though the global economic scenario is mired in uncertainty, India appears relatively resilient. India is the only large economy which can grow at 6% even in a slowing global economy. This, along with the declining dollar, has the potential to attract more FPI inflows into India in the short run. The Q4 results of HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank have the potential to take Bank Nifty to all-time high.The focus of the FIIs will be the domestic consumption themes like financials, telecom, aviation, hotels, select autos, real estate, cement and health care. Growth stocks in the digital space also have the potential to move up. IT will continue to be under pressure since the growth outlook for the sector is bleak due to the expected sharp slowdown in the US economy. The possibility of India striking a deal with the US in the next few months is being perceived by the market as positive. Viewed from the perspective of the short-term market construct it is Advantage India.”
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Early Monday trading showed declining US stock-index futures and dollar values as market participants remained cautious amidst US trade discussions with Japan and the European Union, alongside Trump’s Fed criticism.
Oil prices dropped approximately 1% on Monday following progress in US-Iran nuclear discussions, lessening worries about supply constraints from the significant Middle Eastern producer.
Gold achieved an all-time high on Monday whilst the US dollar declined to its lowest point in three years. Concerns about trade disputes between the US and its primary trading associates fuelled recession worries, prompting investors to seek refuge in the precious metal.
The US dollar declined significantly on Monday as market confidence in the American economy weakened further following President Donald Trump’s proposed Federal Reserve reforms, raising questions about the central bank’s autonomy.
Foreign portfolio investors shifted to a net selling position at Rs 4,668 crore on Thursday. Domestic institutional investors acquired shares worth Rs 2,006 crore.
FIIs’ net short position decreased from Rs 86,069 crore on Wednesday to Rs 83,273 crore on Thursday.