Cox & Kings Q1 cons net profit up

Cox & Kings has announced its first quarter results. The company’s Q1FY12 consolidated total income was up 28% at Rs 157 crore versus Rs 123 crore, year-on-year, YoY.

Its EBITDA was up 22% at Rs 72 crore versus Rs 59 crore.

Its net profit was up 51% at Rs 38 crore versus Rs 25 crore.

The company’s EBITDA margins were down 46% versus 48%.

Its EPS at Rs 2.7 versus Rs 2.

Sensex ends 109 pts down

Forget where the benchmark indices Nifty andSensex closed today; they won't tell you anything about the carnage witnessed in mid and small cap stocks. 

Broader indices took huge beating as compared to benchmarks with the BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices losing around 2%, led by fund based selling in infrastructure stocks.

The 30-share BSE Sensex fell 108.69 points, to close at 16,730.94 and the 50-share NSE Nifty lost 37.15 points, to end at 5,035.80.

Five private firms to set up thermal power plants in TN

In a bid to address acute power shortage, the Tamil Nadu government has decided to encourage the private sector to set up units in the state and as part of this, five private companies have "cleared formalities" to establish thermal power plants.

Electricity Minister R Viswanathan had recently announced that the private sector would be encouraged to set up units for active power generation to address the growing demand-supply gap.

"Five companies have cleared the formalities to set up their units in Tamil Nadu", a Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation official said.

Declining to name the companies, he told PTI they would generate power along with the ongoing projects in Tamil Nadu.

Sensex holds on to early gains

BSE benchmark Sensex held on to its 100 point opening trade gain though it lost about 60 points from day's high of 17,035.49. The broader indices also were lacklustre in trade.

Oil & gas, banking, technology, capital goods, cement and select auto companies' shares were supporting the market. However, the selling continued in GAIL, DLF, Maruti, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Reliance Capital, which fell 1-2%. Meanwhile, HDFC, Ranbaxy Labs and Reliance Infrastructure slipped over 0.5%.

The 50-share NSE Nifty gained 39 points at 5,112 and the 30-share BSE Sensex moved up 135 points to 16,975.

Heavyweights Reliance Industries, SBI, TCS, Bharti Airtel, BHEL, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank gained 1-2%. ONGC and ITC moved up nearly 1%.

Anna Hazare arrested

Social activist Anna Hazare has been taken under preventive arrest by the Delhi Police ahead of his proposed fast against corruption on Tuesday. Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi and Manish Sisodia have been also taken into preventive custody by the Delhi police.

Hazare has been arrested under Section 107/51. He will now have to appear before a magistrate to get bail. Hazare and his supporters were taken into custody before he was to proceed to the venue of his fast in JP Park where prohibitory orders are in place.

He was taken to the General Officers Mess in Civil Lines area of New Delhi and Delhi Police have called a magistrate to the mess to complete necessary formalities. The magistrate will decide whether Hazare and his supporters will be sent to judicial custody or given bail.

The Gandhian was taken earlier detained from Mayur Vihar before he was to proceed to the venue of his fast in JP Park where prohibitory orders are in place.

Around 500 supporters were with Anna at the time of his detention.

Chanting 'Bharat Mata ki jai' and 'Vande Matram,' supporters created hurdles in the way of the police which were trying to detain him.

Detention unconstitutional: Kiran Bedi

"This is exactly what happened during emergency. Emergency has revisited the country. This detention is unconstitutional and undemocratic," said Bedi.

"When our freedom is restricted, it is as good as being arrested," Kiran Bedi said as she courted arrest on Tuesday.

"When Anna asked what are the charges against us, the police said that they have been instructed to do so," added Kiran Bedi.

We will move court: Bhushan

Speaking to CNN-IBN, Prashant Bhushan said he will move court.

"I will approach the court today," he said. "There will be massive protests across the country including Delhi. The government will not be able to handle the storm now," said Bhushan.

Anna Hazare said on Monday that he will go ahead with his fast even if he is arrested.

"I request the people of the country to go to jail. Going to jail for the betterment of the country is good," said Anna Hazare on Monday.

"Our Prime minister said that Lokpal Bill will be sent to Parliament and we will have to abide by whatever Parliament decides. We have full confidence in Parliament but bring the right bill before Parliament," said Anna Hazare on Monday.

Earlier, people thronged Anna Hazare's residence to pledge their support for his protest demanding a strong Lokpal, even as police deployed a large number of personnel to ensure law and order in the city.

Around 500 police personnel have been deployed from early morning itself after the city police imposed Section 144 around the venue of the fast.

A group of people gathered outside Hazare's apartment, shouting slogans in favour of the Gandhian.

Security personnel, including some in plain clothes and some from the special branch, were deployed around the apartment premise.

Earlier, senior police officials, including DCP (Crime) Ashok Chand, met with Hazare on Tuesday morning in a bid to convince him to not go ahead with his planned protest defying prohibitory orders.

However, Hazare turn down the request following which he was detained.

"We have detained him as he did not budge from his position of defying prohibitory orders," police official said.