Morning Digest: Experts split over Presidential Reference in T.N. Governor Case; Jaishankar talks to Taliban’s acting Foreign Minister, and more

The Hindu Morning Digest gives a select list of stories to start the day. Read the top news today on May 16, 2025

The legal fraternity was divided on whether the Presidential Reference to the Supreme Court on its order in the Tamil Nadu Governor case was merely a ploy by the Union government to “bypass” the normal legal process of challenging the Supreme Court verdict.

Marking the first minister-level outreach to the Taliban administration in Afghanistan, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday (May 15, 2025) held a telephone conversation with the “Acting Afghan Foreign Minister” Amir Khan Muttaqi. The conversation came days after the Taliban administration, that India is yet to officially recognise, condemned the deadly terror strike in Pahalgam of April 22 that left 26 innocents dead and dozens injured.

In the backdrop of tension with Turkiye, the protocol division of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday (May 15, 2025) postponed the credentials ceremony of the new Turkish ambassador to India. The MEA, in a brief announcement, said, “the credentials ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan which was to be held today has been deferred due to scheduling issues.”

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday (May 15, 2025) repeated his claim yet again that he “helped settle” the tensions between India and Pakistan. “…And by the way, I don’t want to say I did, but I sure as hell helped settle the problem between Pakistan and India last week, which was getting more and more hostile,” he said while addressing U.S. military personnel at al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

The aviation security regulator on Thursday (May 15, 2025) revoked the security clearance for Turkish ground handling service provider Celebi with “immediate effect” on the ground of “national security”. “The security clearance is hereby revoked with immediate effect in the interest of national security,” according to an order from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) issued on May 15 for Celebi Airport Services India Private Limited. 

The High Court of Justice in London on Thursday (May 15, 2025) rejected a fresh bail petition filed by diamantaire Nirav Modi, who is held in a prison there and wanted in India in the ₹13,000 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case orchestrated with his businessman uncle Mehul Choksi.

The government has appointed a team of lawyers headed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to conduct trial against extradited Pakistani-Canadian terrorist Tahawwur Hussain Rana in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case.