According to the protesters, Professor Sharmistha Saha of the Humanities and Social Sciences department and guest speaker Sudhanva Deshpande had allegedly spoken highly of “terrorists” and armed rebellion. (File photo)Mumbai News Highlights: A protest was organised at the main gate of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay demanding action against a professor and a guest speaker who allegedly glorified terrorism while talking about Palestine and Israel. This comes days after a few students from the institute approached Powai Police station with a written complaint against a professor and guest lecturer for allegedly expressing views in support of Hamas and terrorists.
In other news, the High Court bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Girish S Kulkarni revised its November 6 order regarding the time limit for bursting firecrackers in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) during Diwali. The revision was made in light of the past Supreme Court verdict in the Arjun Gopal v Union of India case. As per the revised order, the time limit to burst firecrackers has been set from 8 pm to 10 pm. The Bombay High Court had previously imposed a time restriction from 7 pm to 10 pm. Additionally, the court had earlier ordered a ban on the transportation of construction debris until November 19.
Meanwhile, on Saturday morning showed an AQI of 89, which is regarded as ‘Good’ and 13 out of the 21 stations should have AQI readings in double digits, while eight stations showed readings under the moderate category. Kurla recorded an AQI of 61, followed by 63 in BKC and 64 in Bhandup. Chembur showed an AQI of 150, followed by 113 in Kandivli and 102 in Worli.
(L-R) Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar.
A protest was organised at the main gate of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay demanding action against a professor and a guest speaker who allegedly glorified terrorism while talking about Palestine and Israel.
According to the protesters, Professor Sharmistha Saha of the Humanities and Social Sciences department and guest speaker Sudhanva Deshpande, during a talk under academic course ‘HS 835 Performance Theory & Praxis’ on November 6, had allegedly spoken highly of “terrorists” and armed rebellion. Read more here
The Maharashtra Congress demanded that the state government set up a committee to prepare a legal and regulatory framework to deal with deepfakes generated by artificial intelligence. In a post on X, the party's state unit general secretary Sachin Sawant said a separate machinery is needed to identify deepfakes and expose them.
The issue of deepfakes has come to the fore after one such video of actress Rashmika Mandanna was found circulating on social media platforms earning criticism from several politicians and celebrities. (PTI)
The Navi Mumbai police in Maharashtra have registered a case against eight persons for allegedly cheating a man and his relatives of nearly Rs 65 lakh after persuading them to invest in stocks promising high returns, an official said on Saturday. The complainant, a resident of Kamothe, told the police that he and his kin were defrauded between 2019 and 2022, the official said.
In his police complaint on Friday, the man said the accused, all from Bandra in Mumbai, persuaded him and his relatives to invest in shares through their firm saying they would ensure high returns. The victims made a total investment of Rs 65.1 lakh, the official said. However, when the victims asked for the gain on their investment and the principal sums, the accused became unreachable, said the station house officer of Kamothe police station quoting the complaint.
The Kamothe police have registered a cheating case against the eight accused, he said, adding that no arrest has been made yet. (PTI)
The Navi Mumbai police in Maharashtra have arrested a 46-year-old man and recovered mephedrone, a synthetic party drug, worth about Rs 5.2 lakh from him, an official said on Saturday. Acting on a tip-off, the police searched a man, identified as Safhi Ahmed Iqbal Ahmed, when he arrived near the Kharghar crematorium on Thursday afternoon.
He was found to be carrying 52 grams of mephedrone, also popular among its users as 'meow meow', worth about Rs 5.2 lakh, said the station house officer of Kharghar police station. A case has been registered against the man under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, he said. (PTI)
The Bombay High Court on Friday pulled up the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) over delayed implementation of its air pollution mitigation plan it had announced in March this year, and said if the civic body had been proactive before the HC initiated a suo motu PIL, the situation in Mumbai would have been better.
The HC noted that the number of construction sites in the city flouting air pollution control norms was “alarming” and action that the BMC should take against them was not a “favour” but its duty towards residents.
Referring to an affidavit in reply submitted by the BMC referring to the steps it has taken to deal with the deteriorating Air Quality Index (AQI) in the city, senior advocate Milind Sathe said it had constituted over 90 special squads of employees to visit construction sites, and has taken action against them.
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The Bombay High Court Friday quashed and set aside an FIR and subsequent criminal proceedings accusing Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray of violating the election code of conduct by overstaying in Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) area ahead of civic elections held in 2010.
A division bench of Justice Ajey S Gadkari and Justice Sharmila Deshmukh passed a verdict in a criminal application by Thackeray filed in 2014 against the FIR.
As per the FIR, he went to Kalyan and Dombivali area for campaigning that was to be completed by September 29–2010, as per the April 9 circular of State Election Commission (SEC). Citing the circular, the deputy commissioner of police had issued notice to Thackeray asking him not to stay within KDMC area beyond 10 pm on September 29.
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Maharashtra’s opposition Congress on Saturday raised the demand to increase the reservation quota from 50% to 75% on the lines of Bihar and said that a bill to the same effect should be brought in the coming winter session of the state legislature.
“The state government should take steps to ease the limit on reservation in the winter session of the state legislature. That will pave the way for Maratha reservation in the state,” said Congress working committee member and former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan. Chavan was the head of the cabinet sub-committee on Maratha reservation during Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) regime.
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