HC quashes FIR against Raj Thackeray for model code violation ahead of 2010 civic polls

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November 10, 2023

raj thackeray, mns, manase, high court, bombay high court, model code of conduct — HC quashes FIR against Raj Thackeray for model code violation ahead of 2010 civic polls 2

The Bombay High Court on Friday quashed an FIR and subsequent criminal proceedings initiated against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray for allegedly violating the model code of conduct ahead of the civic polls in 2010.

A division bench of Justices Ajey Gadkari and Sharmila Deshmukh allowed the 2014 petition filed by the MNS head against the FIR (First Information Report). As per the FIR, Thackeray visited Kalyan and Dombivali areas on the outskirts of Mumbai for campaigning, which was to be completed by September 29, 2010, as per a circular of the State Election Commission (SEC).

Citing the circular, a deputy commissioner of police issued a notice to Thackeray asking him not to stay within the limits of the Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) beyond 10 pm on September 29 of that year. As per the notice, Thackeray was asked not to visit any political party office, residence, hotel, lodge, or guest house, and in case of violation, he might face prosecution under Section 126 of the Representation of Peoples Act.

The prosecution alleged that Thackeray stayed in a house within the KDMC area beyond the notified time and after a senior police inspector visited the MNS chief to serve him a notice, he refused to accept the same. The notice was then pasted at the location concerned.

An FIR was registered against Thackeray under Section 188 (disobedience to order by a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for violation of the notice.

The chargesheet in the case was filed before the judicial magistrate, Kalyan, after the completion of the probe. The magistrate took cognizance and issued summons to Thackeray on January 10, 2011, as per court papers. Thereafter, Thackeray appeared before the court and sought bail, which was granted on the same day.

In 2014, Thackeray approached the HC to get the FIR quashed. On April 27, 2015, the high court granted him a stay on the proceedings pending his plea.

Thackeray’s lawyer, Sayaji Nangre, had argued that Section 188 of the IPC was a cognisable offence and therefore proceedings could not be initiated through an FIR but through a complaint before the magistrate.

Three new judges take oath, Supreme Court back to full strength of 34 judges

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ANI

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November 9, 2023

supreme court of india, supreme court, sc, uapa, uapa offence, 2011 verdict — Three new judges take oath, Supreme Court back to full strength of 34 judges 4

Justices Satish Chandra Sharma, Augustine George Masih, and Sandeep Mehta were sworn in as Supreme Court judges on Thursday.

The Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, administered the oath of office to them.

The Supreme Court Collegium on Monday recommended the names of the new judges for the appointment of apex court judges.

The centre reportedly cleared the recommendation on Wednesday.

Delhi High Court Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, Rajasthan High Court Chief Justice Augustine George Masih and Gauhati High Court Chief Justice Sandeep Mehta were recommended for elevation to the Centre for Supreme Court judges.

The Collegium, comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, and Surya Kant, has said while recommending their names that the Supreme Court has a huge backlog of cases and in view of the ever-mounting pendency of cases, the workload of judges has increased considerably.

The Supreme Court of India has a sanctioned strength of 34 judges and was functioning with 31 judges. After three new judges were sworn in today, the Supreme Court will function with a full strength of 34 judges tomorrow.

“The Supreme Court has a huge backlog of cases. In view of the ever-mounting pendency of cases, the workload of judges has increased considerably. Bearing in mind the above, it has become necessary to ensure that the Court has full working judge-strength leaving no vacancy at any point in time. Bearing in mind the above, the Collegium has decided to fill up all the three existing vacancies by recommending names,” the recommendation has stated.

It has been stated that the Collegium deliberated on and discussed the names of Chief Justices and senior puisne judges of the High Courts eligible for appointment to the Supreme Court.

“Judgements authored by those falling in the zone of consideration for elevation to the Supreme Court were circulated among the members of the Collegium well in advance for a meaningful discussion on an assessment of their judicial acumen. The Centre for Research and Planning of the Supreme Court has prepared a compilation of relevant background material to assist the Collegium,” it added.

Pankaj Tripathi-starrer ‘Kadak Singh’ to release directly on Zee5

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ANI

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November 9, 2023

kadak singh, pankaj tripathi, pankaj — Pankaj Tripathi-starrer 'Kadak Singh' to release directly on Zee5 6

“Kadak Singh” is set for a direct-to-digital release on ZEE5, the streamer announced on Thursday.

Directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury of “Pink” and “Lost” fame, the upcoming movie is billed as an engaging thriller filled with mystery and suspense.

”Kadak Singh” follows the perplexing journey of AK Shrivastav, played by Pankaj Tripathi, as he battles retrograde amnesia, uncovering a web of conflicting narratives from his past. It also stars Sanjana Sanghi.

”Amidst the process of piecing together his life, the film delves into his quest to expose the truth behind a significant financial crime,” read the official synopsis.

Calling ”Kadak Singh” a special film, Chowdhury said the film talks about the responsibility of one government official towards the common people.

”Pankaj Tripathi and Sanjana Sanghi have done a fabulous job at portraying this complex father-daughter story. I was in a paradise full of great actors including Parvathy and Jaya Ahsan and collaborators where each one of them has pushed the boundary to deliver a terrific thriller,” the director said in a statement.

“It is also about a dysfunctional family coming on their own and becoming functional after a series of events leading to a rollercoaster of emotions. I hope that the film enriches people as it is a commentary on society,” he said.

Manish Kalra, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 India said they are pleased to bring out yet another unique story like “Kadak Singh” to the audience via their platform. “We bring another exciting direct-to-digital release, ‘Kadak Singh’ featuring the national award-winning director-actor duo Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury and Pankaj Tripathi. ”This is our second collaboration with Aniruddha (Tony da) after our last film’, Lost’ and our third collaboration with Pankaj Tripathi. We are looking forward to the release of ‘Kadak Singh’ on ZEE5 later this year,” Kalra added.

Viraf Sarkari, producer and director of Wiz Films, thanked the cast and crew of ”Kadak Singh” for their love and support.

“It’s been 12 years since I first thought of this story & started developing this film. I am so happy to finally realise this dream. We have done our best to put the best team of actors, director and crew to be a part of this film. Hope the audiences enjoy watching this film as much as we all did while making it,” Sarkari said.

Jaya Ahsan, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Dilip Shankar, Paresh Pahuja and Varun Buddhadev also round out the cast of the film.

“Kadak Singh” is produced by Wiz Films, HT Content Studio, and KVN and co-produced by Shyam Sunder and Indrani Mukherjee.

CM Shinde heading the committee to oversee the implementation of schemes for the Dhangar community

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Web Team

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November 9, 2023

dhangar, eknath shinde, maharashtra cm, chief minister, shinde — CM Shinde heading the committee to oversee the implementation of schemes for the Dhangar community 8

The Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday formed a high-power committee to oversee the implementation of schemes meant for the Dhangar community. The state government has announced a total of 13 schemes for the Dhangar community, of which Rs 140 crore was allocated in August 2019.

The committee is authorised to present new schemes if needed and will oversee the implementation and control of the schemes. The committee is authorized to present new schemes if needed and will oversee the implementation and control of the schemes. Dhangars form an important part of the ruling BJP’s support base and the community has been demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status from its existing OBC status.

“In one of the housing schemes meant for Dhangars, not a single beneficiary could be identified since the scheme was never publicised or taken to the public. One of the reasons is also lack of follow up from the administrative level,” said an official from the OBC welfare department.

While delivering the budget for the years 2023–24, then Finance Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that the funds would be made available and a high-power committee would be formed to oversee the implementation of the schemes. The committee will include the finance minister, OBC Welfare minister, Tribal Development Minister, Rural Development Department minister, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries development minister and one non-government member from each of the revenue divisions belonging to the Dhangar community.

SC grants 3 months interim bail to HDIL promoter Rakesh Wadhawan

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PTI

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November 9, 2023

The Supreme Court on Thursday granted interim bail of three months to Housing Development Infrastructure Ltd. (HDIL) promoter Rakesh Wadhawan, embroiled in a Rs 4,300 crore Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank scam case, on medical grounds.

A bench of justices, Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi took note of the medical condition of Wadhawan while granting him bail.

”On going through the medical reports and having regard to his health condition reflected, we are of the view that the petitioner may be released on interim bail on medical grounds. He shall be permitted to remain at his residential house under police custody at his own cost. The number of policemen required to guard him shall be decided by the state government and the state shall raise a bill for him on a weekly basis,” the bench said.

The top court also directed that Wadhawan, if required, be taken to JJ Hospital Mumbai for treatment.

In the event, the treatment is not available there, then he may be taken to a private hospital, the top court said.

Wadhawan has moved the top court against the October 26 order of the Bombay High Court refusing him bail on medical grounds.

The order came after senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for 71-year-old Wadhawan, submitted that his client has been in jail for four years and was suffering from various ailments.

He placed on record the medical report of Wadhawan citing his health condition.

Rakesh Wadhawan and Sarang Wadhawan were booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in October 2020 in connection with a Rs 200-crore alleged loan fraud from Yes Bank and have been facing investigation by multiple agencies.

They are also being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as part of another Prevention of Money Laundering Act case related to an alleged loan fraud at the PMC Bank involving an amount of more than Rs 4,300 crore.

The officials had said the firm had allegedly entered into a Rs 3,167-crore development contract with the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) for the development of 40 acres of land in Mumbai’s Goregaon (West) in five phases.

Have nothing to hide, cooperated with probe into school jobs scam: TMC’s Abhishek

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PTI

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November 9, 2023

abhishek banerjee, abhishek, tmc, trinamool congress, ed, enforcement directorate — Have nothing to hide, cooperated with probe into school jobs scam: TMC's Abhishek 11

TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, after coming out of the ED office here, said on Thursday that he has nothing to hide and is always ready to cooperate with the central agency in its probe into the alleged school jobs scam in West Bengal.

Banerjee appeared before ED officers around 11.10 AM and came out of the central agency’s office just after noon.

The TMC MP said he submitted around a 6,000-page reply to the agency and all the documents demanded by it.

“I have always cooperated with the ED for probes. I have nothing to hide. I will appear before the ED if I am summoned again. I have submitted my detailed reply with all necessary documents,” he told reporters outside the central agency’s office here. Coming out in support of party MP Mahua Moitra, embroiled in ‘cash-for-query’ controversy, Banerjee said whoever is questioning the government is being ”harassed” by the BJP-led NDA dispensation at the Centre.

Banerjee, the TMC national general secretary, questioned how action can be initiated against an MP without proving an iota of allegations against her.

“Whoever is questioning the government on the Adani issue is being harassed. How can the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee take any action against Mahua Moitra even before the allegations are proved against her? ”The committee is yet to take any action against BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri, but is very prompt in taking action against opposition MPs, who are fighting against the government and its policies,” Banerjee said.

The TMC leader lauded Moitra for being capable enough to fight the battle.

The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee, looking into the ”cash-for-query” allegations against TMC MP Mahua Moitra is known to have recommended her expulsion from the Lower House of Parliament on the grounds of ”unethical conduct” having an impact on national security.

‘If they don’t have any proof, then how can the Ethics Committee recommend expulsion?” Banerjee questioned.

The committee headed by BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar is meeting later on Thursday to adopt its draft report, which is likely to be contested by opposition members of the panel.

Supreme Court asks high courts to set up special bench to monitor criminal trials against lawmakers

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Afternoon Voice

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November 9, 2023

supreme court, sc, supreme court of india, fir, police, courts — Supreme Court asks high courts to set up special bench to monitor criminal trials against lawmakers 13

In a significant verdict, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed all high courts to set up a special bench and register a suo motu case to monitor criminal matters pending against MPs and MLAs to ensure their early disposal. A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud issued a slew of directions to high courts and trial courts on a PIL filed by Ashwini Upadhyay seeking early disposal of pending criminal cases against lawmakers.

The top court said it would be difficult for it to give uniform guidelines for trial courts for speedy disposal of cases against lawmakers.

The judgment said the high courts will be setting up a special bench, presided over either by the chief justice or by a bench designated by the chief justice, to monitor criminal trials against the lawmakers. The high courts may call upon special lower courts for reports on the status of trials against lawmakers in criminal cases, it said.

”The trial courts shall not adjourn hearing of the cases against the Member of Parliament, MLAs and MLCs except for rare and compelling reasons,” it said. The principal district and session judges shall ensure sufficient infrastructure and technological facilities for designated special courts to try lawmakers, the CJI said while pronouncing the judgment.

The bench was hearing a PIL filed through lawyer Ashwani Dubey, which, besides seeking a life-term ban on politicians upon conviction in criminal cases, has sought reliefs like an expeditious trial of accused lawmakers and the setting up of special courts for this purpose in the country.

An average Indian gets nearly 12 fake messages daily, AI makes those real

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Web Team

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November 9, 2023

fake messages, fake message, spam, ai, artificial intelligence — An average Indian gets nearly 12 fake messages daily, AI makes those real 15

An average Indian receives nearly 12 fake messages or scams each day via email, text, or social media. On average, an Indian spends 1.8 hours a week reviewing, verifying, or deciding whether a message sent is real or fake, a new report showed on Wednesday.

About 82 per cent of Indians surveyed have clicked on or fallen for fake messages and 49 per cent said that scam messages no longer have typos or errors, making them more believable and harder to identify, according to McAfee’s first-ever ‘Global Scam Message’ study.

Among the most common forms of sophisticated trickery, most Indian consumers fall for fake job notifications or offers (64 per cent) and bank alert messages (52 per cent).

The study surveyed more than 7,000 adults in seven countries, including India, to understand how scam messages and the increased scam sophistication brought about by Artificial Intelligence (AI), have impacted the lives of consumers worldwide.

“It’s truly a sign of the times that most Indian consumers would rather subject themselves to the pain and distress of a root canal than be subjected to scam texts and messages throughout the year,” said Roma Majumder, SVP of Product at McAfee.

“Thanks to AI it can be incredibly difficult to know if that delivery text message or bank alert notification is real or not. So much so that 73 per cent of Indians believe they have a better shot at solving the Rubik’s cube than identifying a scam message,” Majumder added.

About 60 per cent of Indian respondents think it has become harder to identify scam messages, attributing this trend to hackers using AI to make their scams more believable.

About 90 per cent of Indians surveyed indicate that they receive fake messages or scams via email and text on a daily basis, and 84 per cent said the same about social media, according to the report.

As the number of AI-powered scams continues to rise, 37 per cent of India survey respondents say their trust in digital communications has decreased.

“This trend is largely due to a lack of depth of digital defense knowledge. Most Indians say they don’t know if they are doing the right things to protect themselves,” the report mentioned.

Maharashtra CM Shinde to chair pollution review meeting today; AQI drops in Mumbai after rain

By

ANI

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November 9, 2023

eknath shinde, cm, air quality, mumbai, air pollution — Maharashtra CM Shinde to chair pollution review meeting today; AQI drops in Mumbai after rain 17

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is slated to chair a review meeting on prevailing pollution in Maharashtra. The meeting is scheduled to be held at the chief minister’s residence, Varsha Bungalow. The overall Air Quality at 9:30 am today was shown as 118 in Mumbai, according to data provided by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR)-India.

This was an improvement from the AQI of 131 that was recorded on Wednesday. Rain lashed parts of Mumbai yesterday, bringing some temporary respite. According to the India Meterological Department (IMD), on Thursday morning at 8.30 am, Mumbai Colaba recorded 24.2 per cent rainfall. The IMD has forecast isolated rain at one or two places in Maharashtra for today and tomorrow.

Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and a light spell of rain with gusty winds speeding 30–40 kmph are very likely to occur at isolated places in the districts of South Konkan-Goa and South Madhya Maharashtra, according to the Met Department. At 9 am today, the Bandra Bandra Kurla Complex recorded AQI at 121 in the ‘Moderate’ category. At Bandra Kurla Complex, the AQI was at 74, at Borivali East, it was at 122, Chakala-Andheri East recorded ‘Satisfactory’ AQI at 100. Chembur recorded an AQI of 150 ‘Moderate’ the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport station recorded 132 ‘Moderate’ AQI. In Colaba, the AQI was ‘Satisfactory’ 98 while Kurla the AQI was at 126, in Malad West it was 106, in Mazgaon it was recorded at 119, Mulund West AQI was 122. In Powai, the AQI was ‘Satisfactory’ 67Vasai West ‘Moderate’ 119, Vile Parle West recorded ‘Moderate’ 109, Worli recorded ‘Moderate’ 107 AQI.

State Minister Deepak Kesarkar on Wednesday that, in view of the deteriorating air quality in Mumbai, a lot of new initiatives are being taken by the corporation to reduce air pollution. “The pollution level is above what is prescribed (in Mumbai). And that’s why a lot of new initiatives are being taken by the corporation. One of them is cleaning roads with water. The second is sprinkling water on construction sites. Fogging guns, which spray water into the air, are also being used to reduce air pollution,” Kesarkar told ANI.

There has been a deterioration of AQI readings in the state over the past few weeks. On Sunday, the Maharashtra public health department issued an advisory under which a district-level task force will monitor air pollution-related illnesses and formulate action plans to address pollution concerns throughout the state.

Meanwhile, the state-run JJ Hospital in Mumbai has introduced a specialized 20-bed ward exclusively for respiratory ailments. This initiative comes after the Maharashtra government selected JJ Hospital to implement ‘sentinel surveillance’ for acute respiratory illnesses (ARI) in 17 of the most polluted cities in the state, including Mumbai.

The state’s public health department issued an advisory, urging districts to formulate action plans to address air pollution concerns. A daily report on respiratory patients will be submitted as part of this initiative. On Wednesday, a health alert was issued in the CST area due to the deteriorating air quality. The air quality index varied in different areas of Mumbai.

MSRTC Workers’ Strike: ST employees have turned their backs on Adv Gunaratna’s call for agitation

By

Afternoon Voice

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November 8, 2023

gunaratna sadavarte st workers strike — MSRTC Workers' Strike: ST employees have turned their backs on Adv Gunaratna's call for agitation 19

On the eve of Diwali, Advocate Gunaratna Sadavarte called for an ST workers’ strike on November 6th but this year ST employees have turned their backs on his call. Even after the announcement of the strike, 100 percent of the bus trips were running smoothly from all 250 stations in the state.

It seems that the ST strike called by Gunaratna Sadavarte has failed. An agitation called out by the MSRTC (Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation) workers union, led by Advocate Gunaratna Sadavarte, called out to demand a 7th pay commission for the workers.

ST bus driver Shankar Surve said, “We did not respond to Sadavarte because he was interested in his personal benefit and fame. Last time also, he earned his share of publicity and left to fight with our fate; we lost many bus drivers to depression. Now we are not taking this man seriously.”

While some leaders said that the state government would hear out the issues and resolve it.

When we asked Sadavarte about the recent allegations made by the ST Workers’ of personal gain and fame and the need for this strike, he told Afternoon Voice, “We have kept our demands in front of the Maharashtra government and they have agreed to it, as the current government is not like the previous Thackeray-led government.”

BJP MLC Pravin Darekar said, “Union Workers’ are divided into various groups that have different leaders and there might be some clashes internally but as per the state government’s point of view, the Shinde government will be hearing out on the issues of ST Workers’ to find out the solutions.”

Some opposition leaders have differences of opinion in this regard; they believe that “Sadavarte is misusing the workers, as he has called for the strike only for his personal gains and political advantage.”

“Sadavarte has misled the workers of MSRTC,” said union leader Shashank Rao. “Leaders of the union workers need to protest for their rights but Sadavarte is a lawyer by profession; he is baking the opportunity for his own advantage; he has done fraud at ST Workers Bank.”.

Reacting to the recent allegations and issues of the workers strike, BJP MLC Sadabhau Khot said, “Our union workers are not supporting the strike as we are in dialogue with the government and they will be looking into the matter. Ahead of Diwali, we don’t want commuters to face inconvenience.”

Manohar Mane, a frequent traveler, said, “The union of MSRTC workers should understand that they shouldn’t go on strike ahead of the festival. People travel to meet their family or relatives; there can even be a medical emergency. Students won’t be able to travel from place to place. In this situation, private travelers charge too much”.

Kaamgar leader Republican Sena Ramesh Jadhav said, “There might be some clashes among the workers as some people would support their union leader’s words while some of them would stand for their rights and we would also support those people who are correct”.