Bollywood superstar Salman Khan’s lawyer questioned in the Bombay High Court the legal value of the evidence adduced by prosecution about the actor driving his car under the influence of liquor when it met with an accident in September 2002.

“Such a piece of evidence should be discarded as it did not have any evidential value,” argued advocate Amit Desai in the high court, which is hearing an appeal filed by Salman against the five-year sentence awarded to him by the trial court on May 6.

The actor was held guilty of ramming his car into a bakery in Bandra on September 28, 2002, killing one person and injuring four others who were sleeping outside on the pavement.

During the trial, the prosecution relied only on the evidence of Ravindra Patil, the then police bodyguard of Salman, who passed away in 2007, Desai said.

Patil had lodged FIR on the day of the mishap but didn’t mention that Salman was driving and was drunk. He mentioned this only two days later before the magistrate, when he said Salman had taken drinks on that evening, and he had asked the actor to drive slow.

Desai referred to Patil’s cross-examination before the magistrate during the earlier trial in 2007, when he had admitted to being silent on these aspects in the FIR.

So his statement before the magistrate implicating Salman does not have any evidential value, Desai argued.

The actor is currently out on bail. Arguments would continue on Wednesday.

Maharashtra NCP president Sunil Tatkare, who is under investigation for irregularities in the Rs 614-crore Kondhane irrigation project in Raigad district, appeared before the Anti-Corruption bureau (ACB).

The project was approved by the Konkan Irrigation Development Corporation on July 22, 2011, when Tatkare was its chairman.

It was found that on July 22, the cost of the project was Rs 56 crore, however, in a brief span of less than a month, it increased to Rs 320 crore and a year later it further escalated to Rs 614 crore.

It was also observed that the contract for the construction of the project was awarded to one FA Enterprises, despite the fact that there was no approval either from the forest or environment department and that there was blatant violation of tender conditions.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was then leader of the opposition, had demanded a high level probe into the major irrigation projects across the state.

In fact, Fadnavis had then lodged a complaint with the ACB to demand a probe by a special investigation team.

After Fadnavis took over as chief minister in December last year, he asked the ACB to conduct an open inquiry against NCP leaders Tatkare, Ajit Pawar and Chhagan Bhujbal.

Pawar is under investigation for irregularities in the Kalu and Balganga irrigation projects, while Bhujbal’s name figured in the Maharashtra Sadan scam.

When they were initially summoned on May 10, Pawar and Tatkare did not appear before the ACB.

The ACB then sent them a questionnaire on the allotment of contracts. Accordingly, they submitted their contentions, but it was not accepted by the ACB which instead summoned them.

The Bombay High extended its interim order restraining Maharashtra government from acting on its controversial circular issued to prevent misuse of IPC section 124-A which deals with sedition.

A bench of Justices V M Kanade and Shalini Phansalkar- Joshi extended the interim order till the government files a reply to two petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the August 27 circular.

Government pleader Usha Kejriwal sought time on the ground that she had to seek instructions whether the state government would withdraw the controversial circular or issue a new one incorporating changes therein.

The judges posted the matter for hearing on November 27 and asked the government to take a stand on the issue.

One petition was filed by famous cartoonist Aseem Trivedi and three others, while the other one was filed by advocate Narendra Sharma.

Bhau Tausekar, a journalist in Tarun Bharat, intervened today to support the government circular, saying the state was empowered in extreme and rare circumstances to invoke the anti-sedition law whenever there is rebellion among people or when members of public are incited against obeying laws.

The impugned circular, which has sparked a row, has laid down certain conditions required to be considered for initiating action against a person under section 124-A of IPC.

According to the petitioners, the impugned circular of August 27 was unconstitutional and violated fundamental rights of a citizen.

In a bid to control the spiralling prices of pulses, the Maharashtra government today conducted 276 raids in 16 districts to check hoarding and black-marketing of the commodity in the state.

Besides, the state government reimposed stock holding limits on pulses traders to improve the supply in the state. “The state government has informed that it has geared up the entire machinery in all districts and everywhere raids are being conducted to check hoarding and black-marketing of pulses,” Consumer Affairs Secretary C Viswanath said.

The Maharashtra government has informed that it has conducted 276 raids in 16 districts in last 24 hours. Maximum raids have been conducted in Pune (150), Nagpur (29) and Solapur (21), the official said, adding that the raids are going on in the rest of the districts.

The official further said that the state government has also reimposed stock limits effective from October 19.

Now in Maharashtra, corporations can hold pulses stocks up to 3,500 quintal, while traders in cities can hold stock up to 2,000 quintal and 1,000 quintal in rural areas. The state had withdrawn stock holding limits on pulses on April 23, 2015.

“As a result of these measures, the Maharashtra Food Secretary has informed that wholesale prices have come down by Rs 20 per kg today in the state,” Viswanath added.

In Mumbai, retail prices of tur dal today are ruling as high as Rs 178 per kg, urad at Rs 166 per kg, moong dal at Rs 101 per kg, masoor dal at Rs 92 per kg and gram dal at Rs 72 per kg, as per the data maintained by the Consumer Affairs Ministry.

Prices of pulses are rising unabated due to 2 million tonnes shortage in domestic production in 2014-15 crop years due to poor rains, while the Centre has taken several measures, including imports, to improve domestic availability and check prices.

The Bombay High Court rapped Maharashtra government for delay in providing land to build night shelters for the homeless people, saying it has taken an insensitive approach on the issue.

A division bench of Justices A S Oka and V L Achiliya was today informed that the state government has rejected seven proposals forwarded by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai seeking allotment of land.

Advocate Madhubala Kajle, appearing for the state government, told the court that the civic body’s proposal was rejected as the land proposed to be allotted was very small.
Irked by the response, the High Court said, “Then allot a larger land. Nobody is preventing the government from allotting larger land.”

“Despite so many orders passed by the judiciary this is the approach of the government. We are very sorry to see this. The government has taken a completely insensitive approach,” the bench said.

The court directed state Advocate General Shreehari Aney to appear in the matter and posted it for further hearing on October 28.

The directions were passed during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation filed by NGO ‘Homeless Collective’, highlighting the plight of pavement dwellers.

The petition has sought directions to the civic and state authorities to identify homeless persons and ensure adequate night shelters for them.

The petitioner maintained that for every one lakh population in a city, there should be one night shelter, as per the National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM).

According to that norm, Mumbai should have 207 shelters. However, only nine night shelters are operating at the moment as against 25 that were promised in 2012, the PIL said.