Maharashtra reported 11 new Omicron cases on Tuesday, of which one was detected in Navi Mumbai. The remaining eight patients, detected during screening operations at the Mumbai airport, include one each from Kerala, Gujarat and Thane, while the rest are from Mumbai. A total of 65 Omicron cases have been detected in Maharashtra so far.
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Amid the fear of spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, the BMC health department held a meeting on Tuesday and reactivated the jumbo Covid-19 centres in the city. Meanwhile, the state health department has sanctioned Rs 2.4 crore to buy S-gene testing kits to gauge the spread of the new Covid-19 variant as a part of its 20-day study.
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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday questioned Shiv Sena MLA Ravindra Waikar for over eight hours in connection with a case. Waikar, a three-time MLA from Jogeshwari East, is a close confidante of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
In other news, 8 accused in the Elgaar Parishad case, whose bail pleas have been rejected by the Bombay High Court, approached the HC on Tuesday claiming that the judgment denying them relief was based on a “factual error,” as they had in fact filed default bail pleas within the stipulated time period, contrary to the observations made by the court in its December 1 order.
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MUMBAI POLICE have suspended two women constables for allegedly manipulating the marks of a police aspirant during the physical test of a recruitment drive conducted last week. The police said the two constables, identified as Shabnam Anwar Inamdar and Parveen Chandsaheb Sheikh, were acquaintances of the candidate due to which they influenced his marks to help him secure a job with the police force.
According to officials, the incident took place on December 16, when job aspirants had gathered for their physical test at the ground of Railway police headquarter in Ghatkopar.
Inamdar and Sheikh, currently posted at unit one of Local Arms department, were deputed at the ground. Read more
Residents of Parel are complaining about closure of St Xavier’s ground and the resultant lack of access to one of the largest open spaces in the area. The ground has been taken over for construction of one of the two underground water storage tanks envisaged to eliminate flooding in Hindmata.
Citizens complained that when the work was started in March, the civic body had said that it would get over in two months’ time and that the premises would be restored for public use. But even after eight months, there seems to be no clarity on when the work will be over.
“In March this year, the playground was suddenly taken over. There was no intimation or information about the work. Read more
Maharashtra Congress leader Naseem Khan on Wednesday demanded that the MVA government implement the 5 per cent quota for Muslims in jobs and education without further delay.
Khan, who had served as a minister in the then Congress-NCP government before 2014, wrote to state Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat and other Congress leaders demanding that the incumbent MVA government take steps to implement this quota.
The Congress, which is a constituent of the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi, should ensure that adequate funds are provided for various schemes initiated for the welfare of minorities. Khan also stated that the Muslim quota had been upheld by the Bombay High Court but the previous (NDA) government did not implement it. (PTI)
The Maharashtra government told the Bombay High Court on Wednesday that allowing unvaccinated people to mix with others by using public transport will endanger the lives of others, and invite "explosive transmission" of the coronavirus and its variants.
"The government of Maharashtra, as parens patriae (guardian of the state) cannot afford to take that risk," it said an affidavit submitted in the HC. The decision to prohibit people, who were yet to receive both doses of Covid-19 vaccine, from using public transport in the state had been taken to ensure those unvaccinated do not endanger the lives of others, it said.
"Allowing unvaccinated persons to mix with other people by using public transport will only endanger the lives of others, and will invite explosive transmission of the coronavirus and its subsequent variants," the government said in the affidavit filed through its chief secretary. The Maharashtra government told a bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice M S Karnik that such a decision was "reasonable", and not discriminatory or in breach of a citizen's fundamental rights. (PTI)
Maharashtra minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday said the Karnataka government needs to show more respect towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his legacy, and an act to defame an icon like him cannot be pardoned. Seven people were recently arrested in neighbouring Karnataka for allegedly desecrating the Maratha warrior king's statue at Bengaluru.
Shinde on Wednesday made a statement in the Maharashtra Legislative Council over the incident. "The whole incident is to be condemned. I strongly express my condemnation as we all respect Shivaji Maharaj. His contribution towards us is inspirational, and defaming an icon like him is an act that cannot be pardoned,? the state urban development minister said.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has used Shivaji Maharaj's name several times. He even used his name at the time of a function in Kashi recently. But, the Karnataka government needs to show more respect towards Shivaji Maharaj and his legacy," the Shiv Sena leader said. The alleged incident in Bengaluru had raised tempers in the border district of Belgaum, which Maharashtra claims should belong to it. (PTI)
BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday accused Shiv Sena MLA Bhaskar Jadhav of mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Legislative Assembly and making certain gestures, evoking sharp reactions from the opposition MLAs leading to stalling of the proceedings.
Jadhav later apologised when the House reconvened after two adjournments, saying that making hand gestures was his natural way of speaking and that he didn't use any unparliamentary word against the prime minister.
Jadhav made the remarks, as alleged by Fadnavis when a discussion on a calling attention notice on power issues was underway. Speaking in the Lower House, BJP MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar sought to know why state power minister Nitin Raut has "backtracked" on his promise to waive electricity tariff of customers up to 100 units.
Raut recalled that he had only said that waiving of the tariff would be considered. However, as the power department provided uninterrupted supply to customers during the lockdown period, the tariff for the same has to be paid. (PTI)
Maharashtra Chief Secretary Debashish Chakrabarty on Wednesday told the Bombay High Court that the decision to permit only “fully-vaccinated” persons to board suburban local trains in Greater Mumbai area was taken as the Constitution allows reasonable restrictions to be imposed in the interest of the general public.
The chief secretary claimed the decision did not violate any fundamental rights of the citizens and that their objective was to protect the lives of citizens.
The High Court on December 15 had directed the chief secretary, who is also the CEO of the state disaster management authority and the chairperson of the state executive committee, to file an affidavit explaining the rationale behind the state government’s decision to make a distinction between vaccinated and unvaccinated citizens. Read more
Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut failed to appear before the Mumbai Police on Wednesday in connection with an FIR registered against her for a post that allegedly linked farmers’ protests to a separatist group, an official said.
An FIR was registered against Ranaut at Khar police station last month following a complaint by a Sikh organisation.
The police earlier this month issued a notice to her for questioning. Her counsel had told the Bombay High Court that she would appear before the Khar police on December 22. Read more
The elections for the post of Speaker in the upcoming winter session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly has set off a slanging match, with the BJP criticising the ruling parties’ decision to conduct elections through a voice vote, stating that it reflects their lack of confidence in their own legislators. The Maha Vikas Aghadi government, meanwhile, has dared the BJP to move a no-confidence motion against the government during the winter session of the state legislature that will commence from Wednesday. Read more
Eleven new cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 were reported in Maharashtra on Tuesday, of which one each is from Pimpri-Chinchwad, Navi Mumbai and Osmanabad. The remaining eight patients, detected during screening operations at the Mumbai airport, include one each from Kerala, Gujarat and Thane, while the rest are from Mumbai. Of the eight patients, two had travel history to Dubai, four to England and two others had returned to Mumbai from Uganda via Dubai.
Till date, a total of 65 Omicron cases have been reported in Maharashtra, said state Surveillance Officer Dr Pradeep Awate. Read more
The Kalyan Government Railway Police (GRP) has arrested two women, accused of stealing gold ornaments and other valuables from passengers on express trains. The GRP said they had recovered valuables worth Rs 4.27 lakh in seven cases from the duo.
The arrested accused are Rekha Kamble, 43, and Roja Kamble, 22. The GRP arrested them in a theft case that took place on December 11 around 7.15 pm. The complainant, Sangita Domade, 42, a resident of Ulhasnagar, was boarding Tapovan Express from platform No 4 at Kalyan railway station when the two women opened the zip of her purse and stole the ornaments. Read more
The Kashimira police in Mira road on Tuesday arrested two men and a woman for allegedly impersonating MLA Geeta Jain and her personal assistant (PA) over the phone, and attempting to dupe a hotelier by asking him to donate for a social cause.
On December 20, complainant Amir Mukhi, a hotelier by profession, received a phone call purportedly made by MLA Geeta Jain’s PA Aman Shelar.
The fraudster told Mukhi they would be organising a function for marriages of widows, and needed him to donate money to the social cause. To convince Mukhi, a woman came on the phone and asked him to donate to the cause. Read more
For the fourth time in December, Mumbai did not report any fresh fatality due to coronavirus on Monday, keeping the death toll unchanged at 16,365, while 204 new cases took the infection count to 7,67,331, civic officials said.
A day after Mumbai logged 336 COVID-19 cases, the number of daily cases came down to 204, while the daily fatalities slipped to zero in the last 24 hours from two on Sunday.
According to the officials, the financial capital has reported zero fatalities for the fourth time this month. Earlier, no death of patient linked to coronavirus was reported on December 11, 15 and 18. On October 17, the city had recorded zero fatalities for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic in March last year. The metropolis had reported its first coronavirus case on March 11, 2020, and its first death 6 days later on March 17. (PTI)
Two motorbike-borne men opened fire and attacked a person with a sword in suburban Chembur on Monday, leaving him injured, a police official said.
According to the official, the incident took place at RNA Park at around 5 pm when the assailants came on a motorbike. One of them fired one round from a weapon, while the other one attacked the victim, identified as Ravindra Gaikwad, with a sword.
Gaikwad was injured in the attack whose motive was not yet known, he said.
The police have launched a manhunt to nab the attackers, one of whom has been identified as Ajay Marimuthu Peraswamy alias 'Chembur Anna', the official said.
The police were scanning CCTV footage of the area to collect more information about the incident. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Krishnakant Upadhyay said, "We are in the process of registering an FIR against the two persons, one of whom opened fire, while the other one attacked (the victim) with a sword. An investigation was on." (PTI)
The Maharashtra government on Monday urged the hospitality industry to support the state's EV Policy that aims to convert 15 per cent of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) fleet into electric vehicles by 2025.
"The state's comprehensive EV Policy has been developed to fortify Maharashtra's position as the leading destination for EV manufacturing and utilisation. With standard operating procedures (SOPs), infrastructure mandates, and incentivization, we look forward to the widespread acceptance of EV's in the state," state Tourism and Environment Minister Aaditya Uddhav Thackeray said after a meeting with Chalet Hotels.
The aggressive implementation of the Policy is critical and cannot be fully successful without support from the private sector, the minister said in a statement. The minister on Monday met with Chalet Hotels which has committed to convert 100 per cent of its vehicular fleet to EVs by 2025, along with setting up of EV charging stations, across its portfolio hotels and commercial office spaces. (PTI)
The Bombay High Court on Monday directed the Maharashtra government to file an affidavit detailing the statutory rules under which taxi aggregators such as Uber and Ola are granted licences to operate in the state. A bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice MS Karnik also directed Uber India to file a reply clarifying whether it had secured a licence under the Maharashtra City Taxi Rules, 2016.
The bench passed the directions while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Savina Crasto highlighting the lack of an effective grievance redressal mechanism for customers using Uber India app to use their cab services. Crasto cited an incident from November last year when she booked an Uber ride in the city and was dropped off mid-way ?at a shady dark place". She then found the Uber app had no effective option for lodging complaints.
On Monday, Crasto showed the HC bench how the app worked on her phone and explained that the app's current grievance redressal mechanism had only a list of pre-set complaints that a customer could click on. The counsel for Uber India told HC the current mechanism available to those using its app covered all possible issues that one could face. (PTI)
Several public interest litigations have been filed in the Bombay High Court challenging the Maharashtra government's decision to revoke a liquor ban imposed in April, 2015 in Chandrapur district. The petitions, filed by Dr Abhay Bang, former MLA WS Chatap and a few tribals, have challenged the decision of the state cabinet as well as a consequent circular dated June 8, 2021 repealing the ban on the sale of liquor imposed in Chandrapur.
The petitions came up for hearing before a division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice M S Karnik on Monday. Bang's counsel Rafiq Dada and advocate Uday Warunjikar told HC Chandrapur is a tribal area and if liquor is allowed then people there would get addicted, and in such cases women and children are the worst affected.
After hearing the matter briefly, the court noted that the Nagpur bench has the jurisdiction to hear this matter. Dada, however, told HC the decision (to revoke the ban) was taken in Mumbai. (PTI)
The Supreme Court has refused to interfere with a Bombay High Court order rejecting a plea by Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant N Nagrale seeking quashing of an application moved by his wife under the Domestic Violence Act, 2005.
A bench of Justice U U Lalit and S Ravindra Bhat instead transferred the proceedings from a Pune court to the Bombay High Court where her appeal against the divorce granted to them by a family court is pending and asked the high court to dispose it as early as possible. Read more
The Bombay High Court on Monday refused bail to actor Armaan Kohli, arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for alleged possession and consumption of drugs. A single bench of Justice N W Sambre rejected Kohli's application seeking bail. The court will pass a detailed order giving its reasons later.
Kohli was arrested in August this year for possession of 1.2 grams of cocaine, a quantity falling under 'small category meant for consumption'. Later, the NCB arrested the drug peddler from whom commercial quantity was recovered. Kohli approached HC after a special court rejected his bail plea.
Kohli's advocate Aabad Ponda had argued the offences against the actor were bailable considering he had been allegedly found with a small quantity of drugs. He also contended that except for statements and panchnamas, there was nothing to justify why sections 27A (illicit trafficking) and 29 (conspiracy) of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act were invoked. (PTI)
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday urged the Bombay High Court to direct poet-activist Varavara Rao, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, to surrender before the Taloja prison authorities, saying that several "other old people" in need of medical treatment were also in prisons.
The NIA made the submission as a bench of Justices Nitin Jamdar and S V Kotwal extended the time for 83-year-old Rao to surrender till January 7, 2022. Rao was granted temporary medical bail for six months by the HC in February this year and was supposed to surrender on September 5, but he applied for the extension of such bail, stating that he continued to suffer from several ailments.
The HC has extended his bail multiple times due to reasons like the need for further medical care, and time sought by the NIA to get him medically examined. On Monday, as Rao's counsel Anand Grover sought time to file an affidavit responding to his medical examination reports submitted by the Nanavati Hospital here, the NIA opposed any further extension of time for surrender. (PTI)
The Mumbai crime branch arrested a 20-year-old man from suburban Dahisar and seized four country-made pistols and two cartridges from his possession, an official said on Monday.
The man, identified as Aditya Thavkar, is a resident of Nagpur in east Maharashtra. He was arrested on Sunday afternoon following a tip-off that he was coming to Kundan Nagar area in Dahisar to deliver the pistols, he said.
A case was registered under various sections of the Arms Act. (PTI)
The Bombay High Court on Monday asked the Maharashtra government to come up with a short term plan to address the issue of deaths due to malnutrition in the tribal belt of the state.
The court was hearing a bunch of public interest litigations filed in 2007 highlighting the high numbers of deaths of children, pregnant women and lactating mothers in Melghat region due to malnutrition.
A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice M S Karnik also noted that the tribal population has to join the mainstream when their health is in question. As per earlier orders of the court, senior IPS officer Dr Chhering Dorje, also Special Inspector General, submitted his report on Monday on the problems faced by the people living in these areas. (PTI)
Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Monday dared BJP MLA Ashish Shelar to prove his statement that a Maha Vikas Aghadi minister was present in a party thrown by renowned filmmaker Karan Johar or tender a public apology.
A recent party thrown by the filmmaker had come under the scanner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation after two actors tested positive for COVID-19, while it soon turned into a political tussle with Shelar claiming that a state minister was also one of the attendees.
Speaking to reporters at her official residence in Byculla, Pednekar, who is also a Shiv Sena spokesperson, asked Shelar to give proof to back his claim and also hit out at the BJP for creating unnecessary controversies through baseless allegations. The BMC, which is ruled by the Shiv Sena, has taken necessary action in connection with the party, she added. (PTI)
After more than a dozen cancellations across the country, stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui was able to hold a show, in Mumbai’s Y B Chavan Auditorium, Sunday as the Congress's All India Professional Congress (AIPC) wing extended him its support.
AIPC president Mathew Anthony said there was no disturbance at all during the show. “We sincerely thank all the torchbearers who believe in the values of the Constitution, freedom of expression of an individual, and freedom of choice to decide the entertainment one would like to consume,” Anthony said, adding that the local deputy commissioner, Hari Balaji N, and the team of Cuffe Parade Police Station provided the show security.
The Congress is part of the ruling coalition in Maharashtra. In October, three shows to be held by Faruqui in Mumbai were cancelled after Bajrang Dal members threatened the owners of the venue where they were to be held. Police reportedly did not assure adequate security.
Businessman Raj Kundra, who was arrested in a pornography case earlier this year and later granted bail, claimed he has never been involved in the production and distribution of pornographic content in his life.
Kundra said the entire episode was nothing but a "witch hunt". The businessman also said has already been pronounced guilty by the media, and he wishes his privacy is not intruded anymore with this continued "media trial".
The Supreme Court last week granted protection from arrest to Kundra in connection with an FIR registered against him for allegedly distributing pornographic videos.
In July this year, Kundra was arrested by the Mumbai Police in another case where he was accused of distributing porn films through an app. He was granted bail in September. (PTI)
Amid the fear of spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal has appealed to citizens to avoid gatherings and parties during the upcoming Christmas festival and New Year, and warned of stringent action against those who flout rules.
Chahal said due to the new virus variant Omicron, the situation at many countries in the world has once again gone out of control and has created a lockdown-like situation. He also asked citizens to strictly adhere to rules regarding attendance at weddings and other functions.
Six persons tested positive for the Omicron variant of coronavirus in Maharashtra on Sunday, raising the state’s tally of such cases to 54, the health department said. Out of 54 cases in the state, 22 have been found in Mumbai.
While two of these patients had a history of travel to Tanzania, two others had returned from England and one from the Middle East. All five of them are fully vaccinated.
Another patient is a five-year-old boy from Junnar in Pune who is a close contact of Dubai travellers from Junnar, it said in a statement.