FirstUp: PM Modi to inaugurate Vizhinjam International Seaport and other news of the day

It is set to be a busy Friday with several events lined up for the day.

Firstly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate Vizhinjam International Seaport in Kerala. Meanwhile, British comedian and actor Russell Brand is scheduled to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court following formal charges of multiple sexual offences.

In India, the Allahabad High Court is set to hear a petition filed against Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s husband, Robert Vadra, over his remarks on the Pahalgam terror attack on Friday. The Kedarnath Dham doors will open for devotees today.

Here is all that is set to take place throughout the day.

PM Modi to inaugurate Vizhinjam International Seaport

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation the Vizhinjam International Seaport in Kerala today. Describing the occasion as a pivotal moment for the second Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala, which is commemorating its fourth anniversary, Kerala Port Minister VN Vasavan asserted that the formal transfer of the port would position Kerala at the vanguard of global maritime commerce.

With the signing of the viability gap funding (VGF) agreement with the Centre, all the procedures related to the first phase of construction of the Vizhinjam Port have been completed. The formal commissioning of the port will be attended by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Ministers of State George Kurien and Suresh Gopi, State Ministers, the Leader of the Opposition and others.

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Russell Brand to appear in court

British comedian and actor Russell Brand is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London today on charges of multiple sexual offences. These charges stem from alleged incidents involving four women between 1999 and 2005.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge Brand with one count of rape, one count of oral rape, one count of indecent assault, and two counts of sexual assault. The alleged offences occurred in Bournemouth and the Westminster area of London.

These charges follow an 18-month investigation initiated after a joint media probe by Channel 4 and The Sunday Times in September 2023, which brought forward allegations from multiple women.

Allahabad HC to hear plea against Robert Vadra’s comments on Pahalgam terror attack

The Allahabad High Court will on Friday hear a petition filed against businessman and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s husband, Robert Vadra, over his remarks on the Pahalgam terror attack.

The petition filed against Vadra by the Hindu Front for Justice and other parties has been submitted to the Lucknow bench of the High Court. Although it was scheduled for a hearing before a division bench comprising Justices Rajan Roy and Om Prakash Shukla, the case could not be addressed at that time.

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Meanwhile, the plea has sought that the Centre be directed to form a special investigation team (SIT) to probe Mr Vadra’s remarks, reported news agency PTI.

Kedarnath Dham to open its doors to devotees

The doors of the Kedarnath Dham will open for devotees today. Every year after Akshaya Tritiya of the Hindu calendar’s  Vaishakh month, Baba Kedarnath Dham’s doors are opened. The doors of Kedarnath Dham will open at around 7 am following which devotees will be able to visit the place for the next six months.

Before the opening of the doors, the doli of the Panchmukhi movable idol of Baba Kedar is brought here from his winter residence. This year the Doli Yatra began on April 28. Before the Doli Yatra began, the Panchmukhi idol of Bholenath was given Panch Snan and seated in the decorated doli.

This time, devotees will not have to wait for hours to have darshan in Kedarnath. The administration, police, and tourism department have created a token system for crowd management, under which 1400 devotees will be allowed to have darshan in the temple every hour.

With inputs from agencies