New Delhi, May 15 -- Indian benchmark indices extended gains for a second straight session on Thursday, 14 May, with the Sensex surging nearly 790 points amid volatile trading, led by buying in telecom, pharma, and private banking stocks.

The Sensex advanced 789.74 points, or 1.06%, to close at 75,398.72. After opening higher and briefly slipping into negative territory during late morning trade, the index rebounded sharply on value buying, touching an intraday high of 75,681.88.

The Nifty 50 climbed 277 points, or 1.18%, to settle at 23,689.60, extending its rally for the second consecutive day.

Among the companies in the Sensex index, Bharti Airtel stood out as the leading gainer, soaring over 5% after the telecom giant announced its...