In the opening session, market activity was primarily confined to select counters like L&T, IPCL, ACC and Century Textiles. Towards the close of the trading session, Reliance was in the limelight with the scrip closing at Rs 188.40. According to a market player, but for the key counter of Hindustan Lever being lacklustre, the sensex could have closed at a much higher level.

The total turnover on Tuesday was higher by 454.44 crore at1856.44 crore. While the turnover in group A was at Rs 1757.46 crore, the corresponding figures for B1 and B2 groups were Rs 93.19 crore and Rs 5.62 crore, respectively.

With the disinvestment plan for IPCL getting its final touches, the market is expecting the tender price to be close to the scrip's book value. Apart from re-rating of the petro stocks, the disinvestment programme for the company drove the IPCL scrip on the bourse, which closed at Rs 133.55.

L&T, ACC, Gujarat Ambuja Cements and some other cement stocks were again in the limlight with domestic financial institutions and the foreign institutional investors buying heavily at these counters. L&T again hit the upper circuit at Rs 281.15 with the total turnover at Rs 122.15 crore. ACC and Century Textiles (which also has a cements division) closed higher at Rs 196.50 and Rs 53, respectively.

The top five scrips in terms of turnover were Satyam Computers at Rs 224.63 crore, Reliance Industries at Rs 213.83 crore, Ranbaxy Labs at Rs 158.22crore, L&T at Rs 122.15 crore and ITC at Rs 111.15 crore.