# Today in India: 31 October 2026

2026-10-31T00:32:39+00:00 | Daily Digest | Indian Opinion Desk

31 October 2026 | 14 stories | Updated 08:06 IST

Ajay Devgn challenges surrogate ad notice in Bombay High Court. Four killed in Delhi factory fire. Himachal gets record 47 per cent bid for Wildflower Hall.

## Ajay Devgn moves High Court over Vimal Elaichi ad notice
India | 2 sources, 2 neutral
Ajay Devgn has challenged a Maharashtra FDA show-cause notice in the Bombay High Court for endorsing Vimal Elaichi. The regulator calls it surrogate advertising for banned pan masala. His petition is listed before a division bench of Chief Justice Mahesh C Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna on November 4. The case tests how courts police surrogate promotion.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/ajay-devgn-challenges-fda-show-cause-notice-over-vimal-elaichi-ad/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/ajay-devgn-challenges-fda-show-cause-notice-over-vimal-elaichi-ad.md)

## Amit Shah offers special Parliament session on vote theft
Politics | 6 sources, 1 government-critical, 4 neutral, 1 sensationalist
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday offered to convene a special Parliament session for the Opposition to debate its vote theft allegations. At the BJP working committee meeting in Lucknow, Shah challenged Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav to bring the matter inside the House, calling their accusations against the Election Commission baseless.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/amit-shah-offers-special-parliament-session-to-debate-vote-chori/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/amit-shah-offers-special-parliament-session-to-debate-vote-chori.md)

## 18 MLAs give Omar Abdullah 15-day ultimatum for cabinet reshuffle
Politics | 6 sources, 6 neutral
Seventeen National Conference MLAs and an Independent legislator met in Srinagar on Friday and demanded a reshuffle of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's cabinet. The move comes three days after four new ministers were inducted, taking the council to its maximum strength of nine. The legislators passed a joint resolution and gave a 15-day ultimatum to party leadership to end what they called coterie culture.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/nc-ranks-rebel-after-cabinet-reshuffle-18-mlas-demand-minister-removal/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/nc-ranks-rebel-after-cabinet-reshuffle-18-mlas-demand-minister-removal.md)

## Four killed in Mangolpuri shoe factory fire
India | 6 sources, 6 neutral
Four people were killed and two injured after a fire broke out at a shoe factory in Mangolpuri Industrial Area in northwest Delhi on Friday night. The Delhi Fire Service deployed 20 fire tenders. Six people were rescued unconscious and taken to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, where four were declared dead. Two remain in treatment.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/four-dead-in-fire-at-shoe-factory-in-delhis-mangolpuri/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/four-dead-in-fire-at-shoe-factory-in-delhis-mangolpuri.md)

## More from today

### Himachal gets record 47.1% bid for Wildflower Hall hotel
Business & Economy | 8 sources, 8 neutral
The Himachal Pradesh government has secured a revenue-sharing bid of 47.1 per cent of annual gross revenue to operate the five-star Wildflower Hall Hotel in Shimla. Officials call it the highest-ever such bid in India. The 35-year licence is projected to generate about Rs 3 crore per month, with 3 per cent annual escalation, totalling an estimated Rs 2,000 crore over the period.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/himachal-govt-secures-47-1-revenue-share-in-wildflower-hall-auction/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/himachal-govt-secures-47-1-revenue-share-in-wildflower-hall-auction.md)

### Joshimath helicopter crash kills all six on board, bodies recovered
India | 5 sources, 5 neutral
All six people on board a helicopter that crashed near Joshimath in Uttarakhand on Friday have been killed. The Trans Bharat Aviation aircraft, VT-HCX, was flying from Badrinath to Dehradun when it lost contact at about 1.14 pm over the Joshimath valley in bad weather. Wreckage was found near Chai village in the Hathi Parbat area. The army reached the site by 3.30 pm and confirmed the deaths.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/chamoli-chopper-crash-kills-six-returning-from-badrinath/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/chamoli-chopper-crash-kills-six-returning-from-badrinath.md)

### Jaishankar flags attacks on seafarers at G20 meet in Atlanta
Politics | 6 sources, 1 government-critical, 5 neutral
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting in Atlanta on 30 October that the Global South is disproportionately bearing the consequences of attacks on civilian shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. He stressed the need to preserve freedom of navigation under international law, especially UNCLOS, and noted that India and Liberia have launched a joint initiative to safeguard seafarers.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/jaishankar-at-g20-global-south-bears-brunt-of-hormuz-attacks-on-seafarers/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/jaishankar-at-g20-global-south-bears-brunt-of-hormuz-attacks-on-seafarers.md)

### Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia appointed IAF vice-chief
India | 6 sources, 6 neutral
Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia will become the next Vice Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force from 1 November 2026. He takes over from Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, who becomes the 29th Chief of the Air Staff on 31 October. Walia, currently Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Air Command, is a fighter pilot with over 3,200 hours of accident-free flying, commissioned on 11 June 1988.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/air-marshal-inderpal-singh-walia-appointed-iaf-vice-chief/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/air-marshal-inderpal-singh-walia-appointed-iaf-vice-chief.md)

### Centre extends customs duty exemption on cotton imports
Business & Economy | 4 sources, 4 neutral
The government has extended the customs duty exemption on cotton imports by two months until 31 December 2026. The Finance Ministry notification on 30 October said the waiver, initially set to expire on 31 October, was introduced on 1 June to augment supplies during the lean season. The extension aims to reduce raw material costs for textile manufacturers and moderate domestic prices.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/government-extends-duty-free-cotton-imports-until-31-december-2026/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/government-extends-duty-free-cotton-imports-until-31-december-2026.md)

### Phars Films pays Rs 175 crore for King overseas rights in record deal
Entertainment | 3 sources, 3 neutral
Phars Films has acquired the overseas distribution rights of Shah Rukh Khan's upcoming film King for a minimum guarantee of Rs 175 crore, the highest-ever overseas deal for an Indian film. No Indian film had previously secured an overseas MG of even Rs 100 crore. Phars Films will manage the Middle East market directly and other international territories through local distributors.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/phars-films-pays-rs-175-crore-for-king-overseas-rights-in-record-deal/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/phars-films-pays-rs-175-crore-for-king-overseas-rights-in-record-deal.md)

## Useful today

### GST rules ease from November 1
Business & Economy | 4 sources, 4 neutral
From 1 November, revised GST rules allow post-sale discounts without a prior agreement. Businesses with an inverted duty structure can get faster provisional refunds. The changes implement parts of the Finance Act 2026.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/november-1-brings-gst-rule-changes-pension-deadline-and-itr-extension/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/november-1-brings-gst-rule-changes-pension-deadline-and-itr-extension.md)

### Mumbai suburban block on Sunday
India | 4 sources, 4 neutral
Central Railway will operate a mega block on Mumbai's suburban network on Sunday, 1 November. The CSMT-Vidhyavihar UP and DOWN Slow lines will be blocked from 10.55 am to 3.55 pm. Trans-Harbour line services between Thane and Vashi/Nerul/Panvel will be suspended from 11.10 am to 4.10 pm.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/mumbai-traffic-diversions-near-bhandup-from-oct-28-for-metro-work/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/mumbai-traffic-diversions-near-bhandup-from-oct-28-for-metro-work.md)

### Electoral roll deadlines extended in Delhi and five states
Politics | 6 sources, 1 government-critical, 5 neutral
The Election Commission has extended the Special Intensive Revision deadlines for electoral rolls in Delhi, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Telangana and Nagaland. Delhi will publish its final roll on 22 December. Claims and objections can be filed until 25 November.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/ec-extends-nagaland-voter-roll-revision-deadline-to-november-25/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/ec-extends-nagaland-voter-roll-revision-deadline-to-november-25.md)

### UCEED 2027 regular registration closes October 31
India
IIT Bombay closes regular registration for UCEED 2027 on Saturday, October 31. Candidates can apply for BDes programmes at uceed.iitb.ac.in/2027/. A late window with an additional Rs 500 fee is open until November 6. The exam is on January 17, 2027.
Brief: https://indianopinion.org/uceed-2027-regular-registration-closes-october-31-late-window-till-november-6/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/uceed-2027-regular-registration-closes-october-31-late-window-till-november-6.md)

## The closing thought

Today's news mixes political theatre with real tragedy. Amit Shah dares a debate he knows may not happen, while Omar Abdullah faces a rebellion from his own legislators. The fire in Mangolpuri and the Joshimath helicopter crash are sobering reminders of how quickly plans collapse. Markets might watch the cotton duty extension. The record bid for Wildflower Hall and the King deal show capital still chases Indian assets. Watch the Bombay High Court hearing on November 4 over surrogate ads, and whether the NC MLAs follow through on their ultimatum.

## Earlier digests

- [31 October 2026](https://indianopinion.org/today-in-india-31-october-2026.md)
- [30 October 2026](https://indianopinion.org/today-in-india-30-october-2026.md)
- [29 October 2026](https://indianopinion.org/today-in-india-29-october-2026.md)
- [28 October 2026](https://indianopinion.org/today-in-india-28-october-2026.md)
- [27 October 2026](https://indianopinion.org/today-in-india-27-october-2026.md)
- [26 October 2026](https://indianopinion.org/today-in-india-26-october-2026.md)
- [25 October 2026](https://indianopinion.org/today-in-india-25-october-2026.md)

The live edition, refreshed through the day: https://indianopinion.org/today/ (markdown https://indianopinion.org/today.md)
Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/today-in-india-31-october-2026/
License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources.
Cite: https://indianopinion.org/today-in-india-31-october-2026/

This digest was compiled and written by AI from the day's Indian Opinion coverage.

AI disclosure: Every summary and comment here is written by AI and published automatically, without a person reviewing each article. We do no original reporting. How this works: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/