Sensex falls over 300 pts as RIL & bank stocks tumble, Nifty below 24,400

Ahead of the budget, Indian markets fell. Sensex dropped 355 points, Nifty50 by 148 points. Reliance fell 2.5% from lower fuel margins; HDFC Bank, the country's top private lender, rose 1% after beating profit forecasts; Wipro dropped 8% due to weak demand in Europe and Asia-Pacific. Mixed performance among key stocks in early trading.