Defensive stocks are scrips which are considered as safe bets for putting in money by investors.
FMCG major ITC rose by 4.27 per cent to settle at Rs 370.85 on the BSE and was the top gainer among the 30-Sensex scrips.
Shares of Marico rose by 2.46 per cent, Jubilant FoodWorks gained 1.73 per cent and Hindustan Unilever was up 1.28 per cent.
Among pharma stocks, Wockhardt gained 3.28 per cent, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries rose by 2.09 per cent, Ranbaxy Laboratories by 1.97 per cent and Dr Reddys Laboratories by 1.34 per cent.
In the broader market, the BSE Sensex ended at 27,874.73, up 6.10 points.