India News Live Updates, 2 September 2026: Security tightened around BJP offices in J&K ahead of JKNC protest

Kerala is preparing to give India’s freight transport a cleaner turn with plans to develop the 622-km stretch of National Highway 66 from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram as the country’s first electric truck corridor. The proposed corridor will cover the 622-km NH 66 stretch from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram. A KSEBL-ICCT, a strategic green energy partnership between the Kerala State Electricity Board Limited (KSEBL) and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) study, based on FASTag, GPS and truck movement data, estimates that the corridor could require 1,939 chargers by 2050, with Kochi, Kozhikode and Kollam emerging as major charging hubs.

The Supreme Court is set to hear today a remission plea filed by life convict Ravindra Pal alias Dara Singh, who is serving a life sentence for the 1999 murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two minor sons in Odisha. In July, the court had directed the Odisha government to decide on Singh’s remission plea within a month.

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is expected to appoint its first full-time CEO at a meeting in Ayodhya today, after a search committee shortlisted three candidates from 5,585 applications. The meeting, chaired by Trust president will also discuss filling three vacant trustee posts, amendments to the Trust deed and appointment of a press spokesperson. The CEO post was created amid increased scrutiny of the Trust’s financial management following an alleged temple donation embezzlement case.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay announced the withdrawal of all cases registered against farmers, including those who protested against the proposed Parandur airport, as well as teachers who held protests between May 2021 and April 2026. The announcement was made in the state Assembly.

Three men aged between 22 and 25 drowned in Sanjay Lake near Kotla Gaon in east Delhi’s Pandav Nagar area on Tuesday evening, police said. A PCR call was received around 7.30 pm, following which a police team reached the spot and rescued the men from the water. They were found unresponsive and taken to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, where medico-legal formalities are underway, police said.

Kerala is preparing to give India's freight transport a cleaner turn with plans to develop the 622-km stretch of National Highway 66 from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram as the country's first electric truck corridor.

The proposed corridor will cover the 622-km NH 66 stretch from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram. A KSEBL-ICCT study, based on FASTag, GPS and truck movement data, estimates that the corridor could require 1,939 chargers by 2050, with Kochi, Kozhikode and Kollam emerging as major charging hubs.

A study by the Kerala State Electricity Board Limited (KSEBL) and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has found that an initial charging network with a capacity of 12.5 MW would be needed for electric trucks along the corridor.

The investment required at this stage is estimated at Rs 19 crore, according to the study report released at the India Clean Transport Summit 2026 in Delhi.

The project is not only about putting up charging stations. It is also about preparing Kerala's electricity network for a future in which more heavy trucks could run on batteries, a KSEB release said here, quoting the study, on Wednesday.

The study is the first of its kind on an Indian freight corridor to determine how many chargers electric trucks would need, what type of chargers should be installed and where they should be located.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said he hoped there would be no theft of “Ram Dhan” as the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust meeting began in Ayodhya to decide its first CEO. He also alleged that poor people were being defrauded of their land in Ayodhya.

Three new members are likely to join the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, sources said.

The names of those being considered have not been disclosed, but sources said Madan Mohan Pandey, Nirmala Yadav and Mahesh Bhagchandka are likely in the running.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Wednesday announced a 400 MLD desalination plant at Minjur at a cost of Rs 4,800 crore to supply water to north Chennai, Avadi, Ponneri and Minjur. He also proposed a Rs 500 crore project for 24/7 water supply in Avadi, as part of measures to address rapid urbanisation and rising water demand.

The India Meteorological Department issued a red alert for most of the city and forecast thunderstorms, gusty winds and heavy rain in isolated areas over the next few hours. The weather department forecast light to moderate rain and thunderstorms in several areas, with showers expected to continue in the national capital over the next three days.

The Odisha government reduced the penalty for vehicles plying without a valid Pollution Under Control certificate, following criticism from motorists. The Rs 10,000 fine imposed on all vehicle categories since 2019 has been replaced with a graded system based on the type of vehicle and whether it is a first or repeat offence. Motorcycles and three-wheelers will now attract a Rs 1,000 fine for the first offence and Rs 2,000 thereafter, while cars, cabs, jeeps and tractors will be fined Rs 2,000 and Rs 5,000. For other transport and heavy vehicles, the penalty has been fixed at Rs 3,000 for the first offence and Rs 6,000 for subsequent violations. (PTI)

The Supreme Court directed the Bar Council of India to involve the Attorney General and Solicitor General in all policy decisions. A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, hearing pleas challenging BCI chairman Manan Kumar Mishra’s prolonged tenure and seeking his removal, said both law officers should be “actively associated” with every policy decision of the council. (PTI)