Top Stories That Made National Headlines in 2018

A quick recap of events that made national headlines in 2018.

(Photo: The Quint)

Video Editor: Sandeep Suman

From state election results and political gambles that pave the way for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, to the government’s ‘tussle’ with CBI and RBI, to some milestone verdicts by the apex court and celebrity weddings, 2018 has been one jam-packed year.

As we bid farewell to 2018, let's look back at some of the big events that made headlines nation-wide.

12 January: A Major Blow to Indian Democracy

4 Supreme Court judges speak out against the Chief Justice of India(Photo: PTI)

In a first-of-its-kind event, four senior-most judges from the Supreme Court held a press conference on Friday, 12 January, to address the crumbling administration of the judiciary.

The press conference was addressed by Justice Jasti Chelameswar, along with Justices Ranjan Gogoi, Kurian Joseph, and Madan Lokur.

22 February: Giant Leap Towards Women Empowerment

Flight Lieutenant AvanI ChaturvedI becomes the first indian woman fighter pilot to take a solo flight in MiG-21(Photo: PTI)

Flying officer Avani Chaturvedi scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to fly a fighter aircraft solo, an Indian Air Force official said on Wednesday 21 February.

24 February: The Nation Mourned Sridevi’s Death

India’s first female superstar Sridevi passed away at 54 on 24 February 2018(Photo: PTI)

One of Bollywood’s most loved and admired actors, Sridevi's sudden demise at the age of 54 in Dubai on 25 February has left family and fans in shock and grief. This 'Chandni' left the world too soon.

13 July: Hima Das Creates History

Hima Das won gold in women’s 400 metre event at IAAF World U20 Championship(Photo: PTI)

Hailing from Assam’s Nagaon district, Hima finished on top of the podium in the women’s 400m event at the IAAF World U20 Championship, clocking 51.46 seconds. This, though, was still not her personal best.

7 August: ‘Kalaignar’ Karunanidhi Passed Away

Karunanidhi passed away on 7 August 2018 at the age of 94(Photo: PTI)

At the age of 94, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) President breathed his last on 7 August, plunging the state into mourning.

With Karunanidhi’s death so soon after Jayalalithaa’s, Tamil Nadu politics has lost the two personalities who set the stage for the state’s biggest political rivalry – and in a span of only two years.

9 August: Floods Wreak Havoc in Kerala

An aerial view of the flood-hit areas of Kerala on 18 August 2018. Overflowing rivers and a series of landslides have caused the death of 180 people as of Saturday morning, with over three lakh people forced to move to some 2,000 relief camps.(Photo: ANI Screengrab)

Severe floods affected the south Indian state of Kerala, due to unusually high rainfall during the monsoon season. Over 483 people died and about a million people were evacuated, mainly from Chengannur, Pandanad, Edanad, Aranmula, Kozhencherry, Ayiroor, Ranni, Pandalam, Kuttanad, Malappuram, Aluva, Chalakudy, N Paravur, Chendamangalam, Eloor and few places in Vypin Island and Palakkad.

16 August: India’s ‘Poet PM’ Passes Away

Atal BiharI Vajpayee passed away at 93 on 16 August 2018(File Photo)

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee passed away on Thursday, 16 August 2018.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was India’s 10th prime minister, and the country’s first non-Congress prime minister to complete a five-year term.

He served three terms, the first for 13 days in 1996, the second for 13 months from March 1998 to April 1999, and the third for five years from 1999-2004.

6 September: Section 377 Read Down

Supreme Court scrapped a provision of Section 377 that criminalised consensual sex among adults of the same gender(Photo: PTI)

In a landmark judgment, the five-judge bench of the Supreme Court unanimously, on 6 September, partially struck down the British-era law which criminalised consensual homosexual sex in India.

26 September: Aadhaar Card Not Mandatory For Bank Accounts, Ruled SC

5-judge bench of the Apex court ruled 4-1 to uphold constitutional validity of Aadhaar with a caveat that it wasn’t mandatory to obtain sim card or bank accounts(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

The Supreme Court on Wednesday, 26 September, declared the Centre's flagship Aadhaar scheme as constitutionally valid – but struck down some of its provisions, including its linking with bank accounts, mobile phones and school admission procedures.

28 September: Supreme Court’s Milestone Sabarimala Verdict

5-judge bench of the Apex court ruled in favour of allowing entry of women of menstrual agein kerala’s sabarimala temple(Photo: PTI)

India on Friday, 28 September, hailed the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment which removed all restrictions imposed on the entry of women of menstruating age at the Lord Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala, Kerala.

19 October: Dussehra Celebrations Turn Fatal For Crowd In Amritsar

59 people were killed near Amritsar after a train mowed down a crowd standing on the railway tracks to watch Dussehra celebrations.(Photo: ANI)

Over 60 people are feared dead in a major train accident that took place near Amritsar’s Jora Phatak on Friday, 19 October. DMU train number 74943 ran over a crowd of Dussehra revellers that had spilled onto railway tracks while watching the burning of a Ravana effigy at around 7 pm.

23 October: CBI vs CBI Turns Ugly

Govt sends RK Asthana and Alok Verma the two seniormost CBI officials on leave after the row between them became public(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

The unprecedented battle in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took a dramatic turn on midnight of Wednesday, 24 October, when an appointments committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi released an order sending CBI Director Alok Verma and his deputy Rakesh Asthana on leave.

This midnight move, and the events that followed on 24 October, has turned India’s premier investigation agency into a battleground, with the Opposition parties lashing out at the Modi-led BJP government for interfering in the agency’s internal affairs. The government, on the other hand, has argued that it had “no choice” but to step in.

14 November: DeepVeer Gets Hitched

Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh tie the knot(Photo: PTI)

Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh sealed the deal and got married in a traditional Chitrapur Saraswat-style ceremony on 14 November followed by a Sindhi Anand Karaj ceremony on 15 November.

24 November: Mary Kom Etches Her Name in ‘Gold’ In History

MC Mary kom creates record and becomes six-time world champion(Photo: PTI)

MC Mary Kom has created history by becoming the first woman to win six boxing world titles after clinching the 48 kg gold at the 2018 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi.

30 November: Agrarian Crisis Reaches Parliament Street

Agrarian crises across india led farmers from all over the country to march to Parliament Street in New DelhI(Photo: PTI)

Thousands of farmers from across the nation marched to Parliament Street on 30 November, demanding from the government a special Parliament session to discuss the agrarian crisis and pass two bills.

1 December: NickYanka’s Dream Wedding in Jodhpur

Priyanka Chopra-Nick Jonas tie the know at Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur(Photo: PTI)

Bollywood’s diva Priyanka Chopra and international pop star Nick Jonas got married in a lavish royal wedding in Jodhpur earlier this month.

The grandiose ceremonies the couple took part in – one as per Christian traditions and the other as per Hindu traditions – have made headlines across the world.

10 December: Urjit Patel Steps Down As RBI Governor

Urjit Patel resigns as RBI governor amid reports of govt invoking Section 7 of the RBI Act which empowers the govt to issue directions to RBI(Photo: PTI)

Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel has resigned from his post, making him the first governor since 1990 to step down before his term ends. Patel’s three-year term was to end in September 2019.

11 December: Congress Sweeps ‘Hindi Heartland’

Congress beats BJP in MP, Chhattisgarh & Rajasthan elections ending the saffron party’s dominance in the ‘hindI heartland’(Photo: PTI)

The Congress that had shrunk to the brink of extinction managed to sweep the three states of the Hindi heartland out from under the BJP’s feet. It’s clear the BJP juggernaut is running out of steam, but what is it that didn't work for them?