A court in Negombo has remanded 22 Buddhist monks arrested in connection with a major narcotics seizure at Bandaranaike International Airport, in what authorities have described as the largest drug bust in the airport’s history.

The monks were produced before the Negombo Magistrate’s Court and ordered to be held in custody until 2 May, as investigations continue into the alleged smuggling operation and any wider networks involved.

Tamil Nadu recorded a voter turnout of 84.69% in the 2026 State Assembly elections held on April 23, marking the highest polling percentage in the state’s electoral history, according to data released by the Election Commission of India.

A total of 57.3 million voters were eligible to cast their ballots across the state’s 234 constituencies. This included 28.3 million male voters, 29.3 million female voters, and 7,728 third-gender voters. Polling took place at 75,064 booths across 33,133 locations, with more than 106,000 Electronic Voting Machines deployed.