HT Morning Brief October 31: Poland top court chief's suspension sparks tensions; Isro launches NVS-03 and more

Good morning readers! Here's your dailymorning news brief from the world of national and global politics, science, sports, entertainment and more.

Polish Prez returns mid-flight

Polish President Karol Nawrocki returned to Poland on Friday, following the suspension of his far-right ally as the chief of the country's top court. The Constitutional Tribunal said on Friday that its longest-serving judge, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, had suspended the tribunal's president, Bogdan Swieczkowski, and assumed charge of the court.

The developments have reportedly intensified the power struggle with Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government over control of the judiciary.

Amit Shah challenges Rahul, Akhilesh

Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday said the BJP was ready to call a special session of Parliament to discuss vote theft allegations levelled by the Opposition, but added that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi won’t agree to the discussion. “I challenge Rahul (Gandhi) and Akhilesh (Yadav) to discuss every allegation inside Parliament. The allegations against the Election Commission are baseless. But they don’t want a discussion; they want drama on the streets,” Shah said.

The home minister’s sharp attack comes ahead of the Opposition’s plan to hold a “public impeachment” of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday.

Isro successfully launches NVS-03 satellite

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) on Friday successfully launched NVS-03, India's next-generation navigation satellite, in a major boost to the country's indigenous navigation capabilities.

The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) carrying the satellite lifted off from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR). NVS-03 is a crucial addition to the Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) system, India's answer to GPS.

Diljit Dosanjh's remarks on CJP

During his Delhi concert on Friday, singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh spoke about how his recent film, Satluj, was allegedly ‘mocked on stage’, saying he did not need a lesson in how to fight from anyone. During the concert, a fan asked him his opinion on the exam paper leak protests taking place in India. Many had criticised the singer's earlier ‘I’m just an artist' remark that he made during the protests. The Cockroach Janata Party leadership, including Abhijit Dipke, were among Diljit's critics, calling out his ‘hypocrisy’ in not supporting student protests while being part of politically charged films like Satluj.

Reacting to the criticism, Diljit said, without naming the CJP directly, “I love all of you because I am an artist, bro. I am being quiet, so let me stay quiet. I support all of you. But don't teach Punjabis how to fight.”

Darbhanga MLC seat result out after 57-hour wait

The counting of votes for the Darbhanga Graduates’ constituency in the Bihar Legislative Council elections stretched to 57 hours, with the Election Commission of India (ECI) clearing the result at around 9pm on Thursday, officials said. RJD candidate Anil Kumar Jha defeated sitting BJP MLC Sarvesh Kumar by 4,010 votes in a contest that saw fortunes fluctuate through several rounds of counting.

The prolonged count was largely due to the presence of 40 candidates — the highest among the eight constituencies — and the fact that none secured the prescribed winning quota through first-preference votes.