Anil Deshmukh (File)Mumbai Maharashtra News Highlights: A single-judge bench of Justice N J Jamadar of the Bombay High Court will pronounce on Tuesday its verdict in bail plea by former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in money laundering case lodged by Enforcement Directorate (ED). Deshmukh was arrested in November last year by the ED in connection with allegations of money laundering and bribes taken from restaurant and bar owners. On September 28, Justice Jamadar had concluded a two-day hearing on Deshmukh’s plea and had reserved its order, adding it would be pronounced “as early as possible”.
Meanwhile, a 35-year-old man playing garba during the Navratri festival in suburban Mumbai suffered a heart attack and died after being rushed to hospital by family members including his father, who too suffered a heart attack and died later. According to sources, Manish Jain, a jewellery designer, started vomiting around 11pm on October 1 while playing garba in a residential building in the Global Society area of Virar (West). His friends, father Narpat Jain (65) and other family members rushed him to the nearby Sanjeevani Hospital, but Manish succumbed before he could be admitted.
In other news, several lakh people are expected to attend the 66th ‘Dhamma Chakra Pravartan Din’ to be organised at Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur in Maharashtra from October 2 to 5, a functionary of the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Smarak Samiti said on Saturday. The event, which marks the conversion to Buddhism of legendary social reformer and jurist Babasaheb Ambedkar along with several lakh followers in 1956, is being held without COVID-19 restrictions for the first time since 2019.
Sheetal Mhatre, a spokesperson for the Shinde camp, said the preparations at the ground are almost 80 per cent over and 4,000-5,000 buses have been booked by MLAs and MPs to ferry their supporters to the rally site.
At the Shivaji Park too, the Uddhav Thackeray camp is making its own preparations for the rally --- building the stage and making seating arrangements for Shiv Sainiks loyal to the Sena president. The top leadership of the Uddhav Thackeray faction met at Shiv Sena Bhavan, the party headquarters in Dadar, to take stock of the on-going preparations.
Stringent security measures are in place across Mumbai in view of two rallies on Dussehra organised by Shiv Sena factions led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and party president Uddhav Thackeray, a police official said.
"Thousands of people are expected from across the state for both rallies and, therefore, arrangements have been made to ensure law and order and deal with any untoward incident. Local police as well as additional cover by other units will be in place," an official said.
Mumbai Joint Commissioner of Police Vishwas Nangre Patil said his team visited Shivaji Park and BKC to take stock of security arrangements at the venues. Stringent security measures are in place as there is a possibility of supporters of the two rival factions coming face to face in the metropolis, which may lead to law and order issues, police said. (PTI)
On September 28, Justice Jamadar had concluded a two-day hearing on Deshmukh's plea and had reserved its order, adding it would be pronounced “as early as possible”.
Mumbai on Monday recorded 66 new cases of coronavirus that raised the tally of infections to 11,50,546. The toll remained unchanged at 19,733, while the count of recoveries reached 11,39,099 after 51 patients recovered from the infection in the last 24 hours. There has been a drop in daily infections, as the city had recorded 102 cases and a fatality on Sunday.
Rahul Mukerjea, son of former media baron Peter Mukerjea, denied having any knowledge about Rs 10 lakh being paid to police for not registering a road accident case against him.
Rahul Mukerjea told court it was not "really" an accident and that he had not crashed into the pregnant woman while riding a motorcycle.
On Monday, Rahul Mukerjea, Peter Mukerjea's son from an earlier marriage, was cross examined by Indrani Mukerjea's lawyer Ranjeet Sangle before special CBI Judge SP Naik-Nimbalkar in connection with the 2012 Sheena Bora murder case. Indrani Mukerjea is a prime accused in the case and is out on bail. (PTI)
A lady conductor of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) was suspended for allegedly shooting videos while sitting in the driver's seat of a bus and uploading them on social media, an official said. Sagar Mangal Gowardhan, who worked at Kalamb depot of Osmanabad district, was suspended from duty on Saturday, he said.
According to the MSRTC, Gowardhan had shot videos while sitting in the driver's seat of a bus without permission and posted the same on social media platforms, thus tainting the image of the state transport department.
Last month, the woman spoke to other workers in foul language outside the state transport office, he said, adding that the woman has been asked to file a reply in the next 15 days, the official said. (PTI)
The manufacturer of air coolers Symphony Limited Chairman & Managing Director (MD) bought a Rs 72.85 crore flat in Worli. The deal was done by Achal Bakeri Family Trust & Achal Anil Bakeri represented by Rupa Achal Bakeri. Achal Bakeri is chairman and managing director of Symphony Limited (manufacturer of air coolers).
The property is in tower B, Oberoi 360 West at Worli, Mumbai. The luxurious unit is spread on 7,762 sq. ft. and comes with four parking spaces. The buyer paid a stamp duty Rs 4.37 crore.
A 35-year-old man died while dancing at a garba event in Virar. Manish Narapji Sonigra collapsed while dancing at the garba event at Global City complex in Virar on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.
The man was rushed to a hospital by his father Narapji Sonigra (66) and was declared dead. On hearing about the death, the man's father also collapsed in the hospital and died on the spot.
A 40-year-old man murdered his wife and two daughters by burning them and in the process suffered ten per cent burn injuries in Bhopar village in Dombivali, Thane district.
The incident took place at 5 am on Saturday and his wife succumbed to burn injuries on Sunday and two daughters - aged 14 and 11 years - succumbed on Monday. The police said the man was having an affair which led to frequent fights at home.
Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena released another teaser for its October 5 Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park, this time calling all the Shiv Sainiks as "Thackeray Family".
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday announced the date for the bye-elections to the Andheri (East) Assembly constituency in Mumbai, the first election in the city after the split in the Shiv Sena.
The EC on Monday released the schedule for bypolls to seven Assembly constituencies in Maharashtra, Bihar, Haryana, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha. The elections will be held on November 3 and the last date for filing nominations is October 14, the EC said. Read more
Bypolls to seven vacant assembly seats spread across six states will be held on November 3, the Election Commission announced on Monday. In Maharashtra, the bye-election will take place in the Andheri east constituency.
Police arrested a man in connection with the threat to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's life, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said here on Monday. (PTI)
Thane district in Maharashtra reported 40 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 7,45,125, a health official said on Monday. (PTI)
The weather forecast predicted a partly cloudy sky with a possibility of light rain/thundershower in the city and suburbs today.
A team of 10 persons at the Mumbai police control room, located on the fifth floor of the Mumbai Police headquarters, has recovered more than Rs 32 lakh lost by victims of cyber crimes in the past four months.
The 1930 helpline that was launched across the country became activated in the city from May 17 this year. Since then, victims of various cyber frauds call the number and officials feed the data on the cybercrime.gov portal, which helps freeze the bank accounts into which money from fraudulent transactions is transferred. The 1930 helpline, which is functional from 9 am to 6 pm, receives as many as read more...
Kumar Shiralkar, one of the state's senior-most Communist leader, passed away on Sunday in Nasik. He was a former Member of central committee of CPM who had settled in a tribal hamlet in Nandurbar to work among the tribals and agricultural labourers. He was 81 and suffering from cancer since 2019.
Two officers who worked as private secretaries to Devendra Fadnavis when he was the Chief Minister have landed plum postings now. Vivek Bhimanwar, who came from Sales Tax, worked as private secretary to Fadnavis and was nominated in the IAS, is now the Transport Commissioner, while Milind Borikar, who came from the Cooperation department and was also nominated in the IAS, is now the chief officer of the Mumbai Housing and Area Development Board. Read more on this
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has been provided an additional security cover over the Z+ category security. The police department provided the additional security to the CM after observing that during his Pandharpur visit this July, Shinde readily mixed with the crowd, said a senior police official.
On July 10, Shinde and his wife performed a ‘maha pooja’ of Lord Vitthal and Goddess Rukmini at a famous temple in Pandharpur town on the occasion of ‘Ashadhi Ekadashi’. Read more...
As the government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde nears the 100-day mark, Shinde’s increasing focus on political commitments and his overdrive to meet people as an accessible CM has made a section of Shinde camp leaders urge him to maintain a distinction between politics and governance.
In the past week, The Indian Express interacted with over a dozen leaders from the Shinde camp, the opposition as well as the legislators from the ruling BJP. “One would always see a long queue outside his office in Mantralaya. We joined him in hope that our pending works will be cleared soon. But we are finding it difficult to discuss with him due to lack of time,” a Shinde camp leader from north Maharashtra. Read more now
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), for the first time ever, will put together an expert advisory panel for approving themes for murals, paintings, artworks and graffiti on the existing bridges of the city. Civic officials said the panel is being formed as a precautionary measure to prevent people drawing or making paintings or graffiti on bridges, which risks downgrading the beauty of the existing structures or hurting the sentiments of citizens belonging to a particular community.
The panel would comprise five key members, including a senior official of the rank of a deputy municipal commissioner (DMC) who would chair this committee along with engineers from the bridges department, heritage cell and a member of the JJ School of Arts. Senior officials said the frequency of the committee meetings will be decided after its formation. Know more
The Mumbai Monorail will construct a moving walkway also known as a travelator at the Jacob Circle station to improve passenger amenities. The walkway will connect the Jacob Circle station with the upcoming metro station on Line 3 and the existing Mahalaxmi railway station. The estimated cost of the walkway will be around Rs 62 crore, and it will be available for public use by August 2023. Officials said that a tender for the project will be floated by next week. Read more
Bhatsa lake in Shahapur tahsil of Thane district is 99.79 per cent full. It is the largest supplier of water to Mumbai and is owned by the state irrigation department. Bhatsa fulfils over 55 per cent of Mumbai's water demand.
Seven lakes supply water to Mumbai and in all, these are 98.32 per cent full. For a cut-free water supply through the year, all lakes have to be full by September end. However, BMC officers said that there will be no water cut this year.
The law takes its course — and when power shifts, it also shapes that course. So three months since the new alliance of the Eknath Shinde Shiv Sena faction and the BJP came to power in Maharashtra, this has been evident in cases lodged by the previous MVA government mainly against BJP leaders.
Read the full story here
Hundreds of people from the Worli area of Mumbai joined the Shiv Sena faction led by Chief minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday. Mostly from Koliwada, they gathered outside the Nandanvan Bungalow, Shinde’s home, and showed their support for him.
Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aaditya Thackeray is the MLA from the Worli constituency, which has been considered to be a Sena stronghold for the past few years. Read more
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday said his faction of the Shiv Sena would have got the Shivaji Park ground in central Mumbai as the venue for its Dussehra rally had he intervened in the matter as CM.
In a shot in the arm for the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena faction, the Bombay High Court on September 23 granted it permission to hold its annual Dussehra rally at the iconic Shivaji Park ground in Dadar. Read more
Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, Vice President of The Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India, talks to Eeshanpriya M S about the recovery made by hotel and hospitality industry following the pandemic, long-term repercussions of the lockdown on the industry, and measures the sector is undertaking to recover from the hit it took due to Covid-induced restrictions.
Read the full interview here
Ahead of the much-discussed Dussehra rallies in the city, the University of Mumbai is caught in a political feud over providing parking facility for the same in its Kalina campus. The Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena is going to hold its Dussehra rally at the BKC Ground of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority on October 5. Read more
The Mumbai airport Saturday evening received an email threatening to blow up an Indigo flight, said the police. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and bomb squads checked the flight and ascertained the email to be a hoax, they added.
Around 6 pm, Mumbai International Airport Limited’s (MIAL) email id feedback@csia.gvk.com received an email from a ProtonMail account and it stated, “I WILL BLOW UP FLIGHT 6E 6045.” Read more
While Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had set a strict deadline of September 30 for complete acquisition of all land required in the state for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed bullet train project, state officials have not been able to meet the target.
The tussle between the Centre and the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi government had earlier led to a slowdown in the land acquisition process. Read more
Ahead of their Dussehra rallies, the two factions of Shiv Sena, led by former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, are now engaging in a ‘video war’ with both sides portraying themselves as the true heirs of Sena founder Bal Thackeray’s legacy.
While the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena is holding its annual Dussehra rally at the historic Shivaji Park ground, which has been the traditional venue of the Sena rally since 1966, the breakaway Shinde-led faction of Sena is holding a Dussehra rally at the BKC ground of MMRDA. Read more
Security of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has been beefed up following a specific input about a threat to his life, an official said.
The State Intelligence Department (SID) on Saturday evening received specific input about the threat to the life of CM Shinde, the official said. State Intelligence Commissioner Ashutosh Dumbre confirmed the threat.
The Congress will greet people with "Jai Baliraja" and "Ram Ram" to express its gratitude for farmers, a day after the Maharashtra government issued a resolution asking its employees to greet people with 'Vande Mataram' instead of "hello" during official or personal phone calls.
State Congress president Nana Patole, however, added that the party was not opposed to the 'Vande Mataram' greeting. "......Our country is an agrarian economy where the agriculture sector plays a major role. It is our stand that we will say 'Jai Baliraja' (hail the farmer) and 'Ram Ram' while greeting people to express gratitude for farmers," Patole told reporters when asked about the Government Resolution (GR) on 'Vande Mataram' for government employees and officers. (PTI)
Several prominent Islamic organisations and members of the community will launch a campaign to address misunderstandings and misconceptions about Islam and Prophet Muhammad among people from other religions.
The campaign called “Prophet for All” will be launched to mark the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad on October 9. More than 200 NGOs and individuals have been roped in for the campaign, which is aimed at dispelling misconceptions about the Prophet and giving a clearer picture about him, a volunteer who is a part of the campaign said.
As part of the campaign, community members will celebrate the Prophet's birthday with people of other faiths by visiting their houses and also by inviting them to their homes, he said. (PTI)
The Maharashtra government launched a campaign appealing to people to say "Vande Mataram" while receiving phone calls instead of “Hello”.
"Vande Mataram means we are bowing before our mother. Hence, it is our appeal to the people to say Vande Mataram instead of Hello,” state Cultural Affairs Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said at a rally held in Wardha district on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
A Government Resolution (GR) issued on Saturday had appealed to Maharashtra government employees and officers to greet people by saying "Vande Mataram" instead of "Hello" during official or personal phone calls. It is not mandatory, but the heads of departments should encourage their staff to do so, the GR said. (PTI)
Thane police have busted a fake call centre which allegedly duped US citizens after offering them loans and arrested 16 people in this connection, an official said on Sunday.
Acting on a tip-off, the police raided the call centre located in Wagle Estate area of Maharashtra's Thane city on the intervening night of Friday-Saturday and nabbed the people working there, including three women, senior police inspector V B Murtadak said.
He said the accused would contact people in the US and offer them loans. After obtaining their bank account details, the accused would siphon off funds from their accounts, the official said.
An agent coordinating in the US would collect the money and transfer it to India through 'hawala' after taking his share from it, the police said. (PTI)
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union minister Narayan Rane visited the Sewagram Ashram in Maharashtra on Sunday to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary.
Tharoor also tried his hand at Ambar Charkha at 'Bapu Kuti' in the ashram, established by Mahatma Gandhi at Wardha, and said the Father of the Nation had shown a direction to the Congress for the freedom struggle. (PTI)
A 29-year-old man accused of raping a woman and abetting her suicide nine years ago has been arrested by police in Maharashtra's Palghar district, an official said on Sunday.
The accused, Sultan alias Raja Noormohammad Shaikh, had allegedly raped the 19-year-old woman on various occasions in February 2013 after giving her drinks laced with sedatives, Mira Bhayander-Vasai Virar police's senior inspector Pramod Badakh said.
The victim became pregnant, but the accused asked her not to inform anyone about it or else he would make her objectionable video clip public, he said. (PTI)
A 31-year-old man was killed after a portion of a residential building collapsed in Navi Mumbai town of Maharashtra, a fire official said on Sunday.
The incident took place around Saturday midnight in the 25-year-old 'Vaishnavi Apartment' building, in Bonkode locality in Koparkhairne area, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation's divisional fire officer Purushottam Jadhav said. During the clearing of debris, the body of a man, identified as Priyavart Sarveshwar Dutt, was found on Sunday morning, the official said. (PTI)
PFI volunteers' work during the coronavirus pandemic like performing last rites of COVID-19 victims helped the Popular Front of India (PFI) widen its presence in Maharashtra, a senior police official said.
Until eight years ago PFI had presence only in Nanded in Marathwada but it had members in at least 22 of 35 districts of the state when it was banned last week, he said.
The organisation, which originated in Kerala, was banned by the Union government under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for five years. (PTI)
more than seven lakh newly registered vehicles, including the ones used for VVIPs like the chief minister and deputy chief minister, in Maharashtra are plying without HSRPs, according to RTO officials.
The HSRP rule has been in place for more than three and a half years intending to curb theft of vehicles and for standardisation.
When asked about the reason for non-compliance, a senior official cited the absence of a specific rule to take action against a vehicle plying sans HSRP. Hence, they slap a fine of Rs 2,000 for spotting a fancy number plate. (PTI)
A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Mumbai on Saturday denied bail to Nagpur-based lawyer Satish Uke and his brother in connection with a money laundering case by stating that they are deeply involved in the offence alleged against them.
The duo's bail plea was rejected by special PMLA judge MG Deshpande.
The Uke brothers were arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in April this year under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on the basis of two FIRs filed by Ajni police in Nagpur in connection with the purchase of a 1.5 acre plot allegedly on the basis of forged documents. (PTI)