In Brief; Rajan aide,two others arrested for extortion

Officers from the Crime Branch said Pakya had been making extortion calls to a local businessman and had reportedly threatened to kill him if he did not pay up. “The complainant runs a catering and decoration business. Pakya threatened him with a revolver and took Rs 2.4 lakh from him. He kept demanding more money from the businessman,” said an officer from the Crime Branch. The businessman then registered a case with the Kherwadi police on November 11. “We learnt that the accused would visit a bus stop in Bandra on Sunday. We laid a trap and arrested him and his accomplices as soon as they arrived at the said place,” the officer added. The other accused have been identified as Sachin Patil (21) and Mahindra Shoi (22).

High Court stays GR on NOCs for pvt schools

In a possible relief to private unaided schools across the state,the Bombay High Court on Monday stayed a government resolution (GR) which stipulates that schools must obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the state government and renew the permission every three years. The GR,which was issued in August 2009,applies to schools affiliated to CBSE and ICSE boards. The order was given by Justice Marlapalle in response to a petition filed by organisation Unaided Schools Forum. The group claims to represent 139 schools across the state. In its petition,the group said the GR,which imposes additional restrictions on such schools in the state,is “arbitrary,unreasonable and ultra vires,and seeks to confer absolute and unbridled power on the respondents (state government). “The petitioners (schools) have the right to establish and autonomously administer their institutions,” the petition stated.

No anticipatory bail for Shirole in graft case

The Bombay High Court on Monday refused to grant anticipatory bail to Sunil Shirole,a key accused in the alleged bribe case involving the daughter of a retired High Court judge. While rejecting Shirole’s bail application,the court noted that the case has brought to light a “very disturbing” issue faced by the judicial community. Justice R C Chavan said,“There is enough evidence to show that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) must proceed further with the case. Hence,the application for granting anticipatory bail to the accused is rejected.” According to the CBI,Shirole is a beneficiary and conspirator in the case,along with Manisha Mhase,the daughter of retired HC judge and state consumer forum president S B Mhase. Shirole,a Pune-based lawyer,allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 30 lakh from a litigant on behalf of Manisha,promising that his case would be dealt with favourably.

HC allows activists to enter Ratnagiri

Ruling in favour of activists protesting against the Jaitapur nuclear plant,the Bombay High Court told the police and the Ratnagiri district administration to allow them to enter the district. The Division Bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice Roshan Dalvi was hearing a petition filed by P B Sawant,B G Kolse Patil and Vaishali Patil. During the hearing on Monday,counsel for the activists Suneep Sen told the court that restrictions on their entry constitute “a clear violation of their fundamental right to movement and assembly”. Referring to letters of the Ratnagiri district magistrate and Superintendent of Police,which said that the activists were “unnecessarily provoking” the people,Sen said,“The authorities cannot decide what is unnecessary. The district magistrate and the SP are also not nuclear experts.” The court,however,said a separate application has to be made to the authorities for permission to hold meetings in the district.