Mumbai, May 13 -- Indian equities opened on a tepid note on Tuesday, following a strong rally witnessed in the previous session.

The early weakness was attributed to profit booking as the markets attempted to stabilize recent gains. However, the indices soon pared losses and turned positive, reflecting underlying investor confidence.

The benchmark indices started marginally lower, with the Nifty 50 opening at 24,864.05, down by 60.65 points or 0.24 per cent, while the BSE Sensex slipped by 180.30 points or 0.22 per cent to begin the day at 82,249.60.

According to market experts, Monday's strong rally was driven by high net-worth individuals (HNIs), while participation from foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) and domestic institutional i...