1.The Calcutta High Court strikes down as illegal the OBC status of several classes in West Bengal granted since 2010

2.The Reserve Bank of India will pay a record `2.1 lakh crore dividend to the government for the fiscal ended March 31.

3.Rishi Sunak, Britain’s first Prime Minister of Indian heritage, Wednesday announced that the UK’s general election will be held July 4, saying it is time for the country to choose its future.

4.Ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Wednesday lodged a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) against BJP’s Puri Parliamentary Constituency candidate Sambit Patra for using a photo of Srimandir in an advertisement issued by him in the local media.

5.Stepping up the security measures for Assembly and Lok Sabha polls scheduled for May 25 here, the Commissionerate Police Wednesday said that 12 CAPF personnel would be deployed in each of the 152 critical booths in the City.

6.The Supreme Court Wednesday set aside a verdict of the Madras High Court which had granted bail to eight alleged PFI members and office bearers, saying national security is always of ‘paramount importance’ and any act aiding terrorist activity is liable to be restricted.

7.The BJP’s Lok Sabha nominee from Kendrapara, Baijayant Panda, with declared assets of `148 crore is the richest candidate among those in the fray for the last phase of polling for six Lok Sabha seats in the state scheduled June 1.

8.Elephant census started Wednesday across all ranges under the Nayagarh Mahanadi Wildlife and Boudh forest divisions. Officials are using different types of equipment including camera traps in all the elephant corridors in these two divisions for the census.

9.The Uttarakhand High Court has directed the state government to totally abolish the system of revenue police within a year and hand over areas under its jurisdiction to regular police.

10.Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has returned the ordinances approved by the state Cabinet, which aimed to delimit the boundaries of wards in local bodies and increase their numbers, citing the enforcement of the election model code of conduct.

11.The Election Commission (EC) Wednesday asked the BJP and the Congress to desist from campaigning along caste, community, language and religious lines, asserting that India’s socio-cultural milieu cannot be made a casualty to elections.

12.Jailed former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren Wednesday failed to get any relief from the Supreme Court which pulled him up for “suppressing material facts” in his plea against his arrest in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam.

13.In his first reaction on AAP MP Swati Maliwal’s alleged assault at his official residence, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Wednesday said he expects a fair investigation into the matter and justice should be served.

14.Russia said Wednesday that its forces had retaken Klishchiivka, one of a handful of villages on the eastern front that Ukraine claimed back in a 2023 counteroffensive.

15.Veteran Bangladeshi MP Anwarul Azim Anar, who went missing in India, was found murdered in Kolkata and three people have been arrested, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan announced here Wednesday.

16.India's hotel industry saw strong demand at both business and leisure destinations during the January-March period this year leading to an 11 per cent annual rise in revenue per available room, according to JLL.

17.India has exported more than 45,000 tonnes of onion since the ban on outbound shipments was lifted early this month, a top government official said Wednesday.

18.Rajasthan Royals ended Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s roller coaster run in the Indian Premier League with a scratchy four-wicket win in the Eliminator here Wednesday. The 2008 winners Royals face Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai Friday for a place in the IPL final.

19.World No.1 Indian women’s compound team stormed into the final of the archery World Cup Stage II but the men’s team will return empty-handed from the tournament after losing the bronze medal clash to Australia here Wednesday.

20.Returning from a break, twotime Olympic medallist PV Sindhu progressed to the women’s singles second round with a straight-game win over Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour at the Malaysia Masters Super 500 badminton tournament here Wednesday.