Among the top gainers in trade were Jindal Steel, HeroMotor Corp, Gail, ITC Reliance, Wipro, Hindalco and Cipla.

Among the losers in trade from the Nifty stocks were DLF, Dr Reddy's Labs, Jaiprakash Associates, Siemens and Bajaj Auto. Infosys dropped in trade today after the stock hit a 52-week high on Thursday.

Mahindra and Mahindra gained after reports that the company has reached an agreement with workers at its Nashik plant over a wage dispute.

Kingfisher Airlines which has been witnessing bouts of volatility gained once again in trade after the company told the DGCA that it will pay six months salary to staff soon. Adani Power also rallied after reports that Vinod Adani had bought shares in the company.

Shares in India's largest telecom player Bharti Airtel jumped after reports that the company plans to sell 25 per cent stake in its satellite unit.

Realty shares were subdued in trade after DLF fell. Other realty stocks that followed were HDIL, Godrej and Unitech.

PSU banking stocks that had dropped sharply in trade following the Union Budget saw some buying support with Andhra Bank, Allahabad Bank, Indian Overseas Bank and Union Bank being among the early gainers.

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