Top news on Sept 26: Sensex at fresh highs, Govt to borrow ₹6.61 lakh crore in H2FY25, Sanjay Raut sentencing, more

Sensex and Nifty 50 again soared high on September 26 and Accenture unveiled a $4.0 billion share buyback; in the political arena, Sanjay Raut was sentenced to 15-day jail in a defamation case, while Karnataka withdraw its general consent for the CBI to investigate cases within the state, saying the agency was biased. This is some of the top news that happened today. For more, read on:

Sensex, Nifty 50 soar to fresh highs; over 250 stocks hit one-year peaks

Indian stock market benchmarks- the Sensex and the Nifty 50- rose almost a per cent each to hit their fresh all-time highs on Thursday, September 26, with gains led by select automaker heavyweights, including Mahindra and Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki and Tata Motors. The Sensex hit a fresh record high of 85,930.43 before closing 0.78 per cent higher at 85,836.12. The Nifty 50 made a fresh peak of 26,250.90 but closed at 26,216.05, up 0.81 per cent. Read here for more

Accenture unveils $4 billion share buyback

Accenture unveiled a $4.0 billion share buyback and reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter revenue driven by a high demand from companies looking to adopt generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Accenture hiked it's annual revenue growth forecast to 3-6 per cent for 2025 after an improvement in macroeconomic indicators and US Federal Reserve's supersized interest rate cut. Accenture follows a September-August financial year. Click here to read more

Govt to borrow ₹6.61 lakh crore via dated securities

The government issued it's borrowing calendar for the current fiscal (FY25) on Thursday, September 26, where it retained its annual borrowing target. The Centre will borrow ₹6.61 lakh crore via issuance of dated securities in the second half of FY25. The dated securities will also include sovereign green bonds worth ₹20,000 crore, as per the borrowing calendar.

SC rejects Gujarat govt plea seeking review of Bilkis Bano verdict

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a plea filed by the Gujarat government seeking a review of the court's verdict which contained certain observations against the state while quashing the remission granted to 11 men convicted of raping Bilkis Bano and murdering seven of her family members during the 2002 riots. A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan also rejected the application for listing review petition in open court. Read here

Sanjay Raut sentenced to jail in Somaiyas defamation case

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut was on Thursday, September 26, sentenced to 15 days of imprisonment in a case linked to the defamation compliant filed against him by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya's wife Medha Somaiya. Hours after the conviction and sentencing, a magistrate court in Mumbai granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days. Here's all about the case

Karnataka withdraws general consent for CBI to investigate cases in state

The Karnataka government has decided to withdraw its general consent for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate cases within the state. The development came hours after a special court ordered Lokayukta police probe against Siddaramaiah in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority site allotment case — setting the stage for the registration of an FIR.

Israel rejects Lebanon ceasefire proposal

Israel has rejected Western efforts to broker a ceasefire in Lebanon and vowed to ramp up its attacks against Hezbollah. The appeal for a 21-day truce came hours after Israeli military chief Herzi Halevi asked soldiers to prepare for a possible ground offensive against Hezbollah. “There will be no ceasefire in the north. We will continue to fight against the Hezbollah terrorist organisation with all our strength until victory and the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a social media post.