Sensex slips 256 pts, Nifty below 25,450 in early trade as banks, autos drag

Indian equities opened lower Friday, with Sensex down 256 points and Nifty falling below 25,450. IT stocks like Infosys and Tech Mahindra gained, while banks and heavyweights such as Reliance and Bharti Airtel dragged indices down amid broad sectoral weakness.