Tiwari discharged in hawala case
Congress leaders Madhav Rao Scindia, Arjun Singh, Narain Dutt Tiwari and R K Dhawan were yesterday freed from the charge of their involvement in the Jain hawala case.

Laloo's bid to hijack party polls
The fate of Bihar chief minister Laloo Prasad Yadav now hangs in balance following the formal filing of papers by arch rival Sharad Yadav for the Janata Dal president's post yesterday. Laloo Prasad Yadav, who has rarely faced a serious challenge to his supremacy in the party, now has a battle on his hands.

Sasikala, Bhaskaran granted bail in FERA violation case
The vacation judge of the Madras High Court, Justice N Arumugam, on Tuesday granted bail to Sasikala Natarajan, the close aide of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalitha and her nephew V Bhaskaran, who were arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in December last year for FERA violations.

Arjun, Scindia men to the fore in MP Congress poll
The list of PCC delegates announced so far shows that supporters of the Arjun Singh-Madhavrao Scindia are in a strong majority. It has been alleged that many of the PCC leaders were chosen due to their proximity to Arjun Singh's son, Ajay Singh.

SAIL net declines 60% to Rs 527 crore
Steel Authority of India (SAIL) has posted a net profit of Rs 527.21 crore for the 1996-97 fiscal, a 60% fall from Rs 1318.61 crore a year earlier. The Union steel ministry had projected a profit of Rs 750 crore for the public sector steel giant during 1996-97 and Rs 850 crore for the current financial year.

OTCEI disables four counters from trading
The Over the Counter Exchange of India (OTCEI) has disabled four counters -- Liquors & Advances, Mangal Finance, Worldlink Finance and CRB Capital Markets -- from trading due to their inability to meet their pay-in commitments.

Bajaj Auto rejects offer to buy out Doshis' stake in PAL-Peugot
Bajaj Auto has turned down a proposal to pick up a stake in PAL-Peugeot. The offer was made by the Doshis who hold 31.7% in the venture and who are now attempting to sell it out to Peugeot.

GP Electronics promoters seek to take Co. private, make open offer
The promoters of GP Electronics (GPEL), a member of Piramal Enterprises, have made an unconditional offer for acquiring up to 48.72% shares of the company. They already hold the remaining 51.28% of the shares and have management control.